Suchomimus posted a segment on that bridge this morning.
Ukraine Targets Bridge Near Melitopol – Likely Partisan Activity @UNITED24media - YouTube
That’s good news. The Zaporizhzhia to Melitopol axis seems to be key right now. I’m surprised Russia isn’t doing more to reinforce that area.
Any ideas why NATO is refusing Patriot Missile Defense for Ukraine?
Germany gave one to Poland. Poland offered it to Ukraine and Germany refused the deal. The US won’t provide them?
It seems unbelievable we’re allowing the total destruction of the Ukraine power grid.
Biden reads the Straight Dope!
Dumb question: Are the Wagner units elite or just mercenaries? I realize they are experienced, but do they get elite training like the US Marines or Special Forces?
I suspect it varies widely. Certainly the prisoners they’re recruiting are getting pretty minimal training prior to being used in suicidal frontal assaults on Bahkmut. I would imagine given their history of fighting in Africa and the Middle East that they have some very experienced units.
That said:
This isn’t a dumb question, it’s actually a good one. Historically, the mercenary group was comprised of combat veterans. More recently the almost human wave attacks Wagner has been leading near Bakhmut have been comprised largely of individuals recruited from Russian prisons who were offered amnesty in exchange for 6 months service. I’m sure Wagner still has many professionals within their ranks but they’re not the ones being used for cannon fodder.
The stated objection by Germany was that the Patriots were part of the NATO integrated air defense system. They could operate in Poland that way, but not in Ukraine because that would mean NATO does in fact take part in the Ukraine war.
Thank you Mops.
Glad to hear the US is finally going to send Patriots.
Ukraine is so large they will have to pick what’s most important to protect. Kiev and Odessa seem obvious but the grid is all over the country.
Ukrainian tank destroys Russian tank:
Putin finally has a victory to show off - he’s been named Politifact’s Liar of the Year.
Mostly ex Russian Military.
But are they ex-spetsnaz or ex-mess cooks? Or are they both? I think the question is, what is their level of training compared to the regular Russian military?
As I understand it, Wagner has - up until the Ukraine conflict - focused on hiring competent combat infantry veterans. Not necessarily special forces, but certainly not ex-cooks unless those ex-cooks were handy with an assault rifle too. The exception to these hiring practices has been during the Ukraine conflict, as they’ve received the blessings of the Kremlin to actively recruit from prison populations. These recruits have received little training and are intended only to live long enough to establish contact and keep Ukrainian forces engaged while other better trained and equipped elements conduct more effective combat operations.
Boris statement is very important. He pushed hard to support Ukraine after the invasion.
Not ex cooks. But closer to them then Spetsnaz. From what I have read Spetsnaz or Airborne troopers tend to think of these guys with some disdain and generally aren’t a major source of recruitment.
I guess for someone with multiple combat tours in the Caucasus and Syria, Wagner would almost be insulting.
As an aside I was watching The Living Daylights recently and the character of Brad Whitaker is an awful lot like Wagner group men.
Ironically the Soviet military characters in the film view him with contempt.
I found this difficult to read. But Russia will be making another strong push towards Kiev in the next couple months
The Russians have been training with Belarusian forces for months. That’s how combined forces are readied for combat.
Long article but very informative.
Looks like another nicotine induced explosion occurred at the Angarsk Oil Refinery which is thousands of miles from the front line.
ISW still assesses any major Russian counterattack against Kiev will be unsuccessful.