Lukashenko says "Kiev may try to provoke Moscow to use nuclear weapons." Is the Kremlin preparing something?
Preparing to nuke Voronezh of course.
Topic: Russian Invasion of Ukraine[In Progress] - page 35. (Read 75434 times)
Preparing to nuke Voronezh of course.
Lukashenko says "Kiev may try to provoke Moscow to use nuclear weapons." Is the Kremlin preparing something?
I hope Ukraine will seize even more of Russia's land.
And I am the "propagandist" here
Sure...look what you accomplished:
https://x.com/i/status/1824785191941902568
I do not kill people. I did not give the order to send an army into Ukraine. Branko, you are not a pacifist - do not pretend to care about soldiers dying, is just embarrassing and if you like war-porn just tell me, there are so many to choose from.
To be fair, Ukraine is also now doing a special operation in Ruzzia to de-Putinify Kursk. There are claims of Ruzzians mass-surrendering in this section.
The advances today happened in several directions:
- A significant road in Ulanok direction is now under Ukrainian control in the southeast of the operation, some other smaller advances happened along the norther front, not as fast as in previous days (it would be impossible).
Ruzzia unfortunately has some very slow but continuous advances near Pokrovsk. Let say that in one month they took the same as Ukraine in three days in Kursk.
Your government did. Ukrainian nazis say they got funded from USA and UK embassies before (and after) Maidan.
You obviously fully support it. Covert war is still war, you have to admit UK and USA are masters of it
And I am the "propagandist" here
Sure...look what you accomplished:
https://x.com/i/status/1824785191941902568
I do not kill people. I did not give the order to send an army into Ukraine. Branko, you are not a pacifist - do not pretend to care about soldiers dying, is just embarrassing and if you like war-porn just tell me, there are so many to choose from.
To be fair, Ukraine is also now doing a special operation in Ruzzia to de-Putinify Kursk. There are claims of Ruzzians mass-surrendering in this section.
The advances today happened in several directions:
- A significant road in Ulanok direction is now under Ukrainian control in the southeast of the operation, some other smaller advances happened along the norther front, not as fast as in previous days (it would be impossible).
Ruzzia unfortunately has some very slow but continuous advances near Pokrovsk. Let say that in one month they took the same as Ukraine in three days in Kursk.
And I am the "propagandist" here
Sure...look what you accomplished:
https://x.com/i/status/1824785191941902568
They put our president on hit list...this is probably terrorist act out of frustration
because we only accepted 20000 or so Ukrainian refugees
https://myrotvorets.center/criminal/milanovich-zoran/
First of all, Myrotvorets website isn't owned by Ukraine's government, it's NGO. Second - get your facts right. He wasn't included to this list after not accepting refugess. He was already on this list before full scale invasion, to be precise since 25.01.2022 15:41 because we only accepted 20000 or so Ukrainian refugees
https://myrotvorets.center/criminal/milanovich-zoran/
And relating actions of some criminals with Ukraine's government, well, if you like conspiracy theories that's ok.
No idea... maybe he does not want to talk about the Ruzzian troops encircled in Glushkovo Kursk? Ukraine destroyed the bridge that was the only link of the Ruzzians with their supply lines, so
Nothing new - when you see facts that you don't like, there's nothing better than changing topic 
Each one has it own fixations... Branko with the propaganda and daRude is still obsessed with Nordstream and linking anything that supports his pre-conceptions. Let's put some balance on this...
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-issues-arrest-warrant-ukrainian-diver-nord-stream-probe-media-report-2024-08-14/
Quote
Germany said its relationship with Ukraine was not strained by the Nord Stream inquiry. "The procedures have no bearing on what the Chancellor (Olaf Scholz) has described as the support of Ukraine's defence against Russia's illegal war of aggression, as long as necessary," the spokesperson added. Ukraine's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The German federal prosecutor's office declined to comment on the media reports.
Fact: A suspect of being part of the Nordstream blowup is of Ukrainian origing. Other suspects are thought to be Polish.
daTroll version: It was the government of Ukraine who organised, planned, paid for and order at the highest political level the sabotage.
I am sure you notice the difference.
As I am sure you notice the difference in his on source between what he intends to show "Germany withdrawing the support due to this, versus what his own source is actually saying when quoted correctly:
Quote
The German government will no longer provide Ukraine with any further aid payments - because according to the current budget planning, there is no more money.
And I am the "propagandist" here
What a silly claim, and how much are you going to put where your mouth is? When is anything current Ukrainian president/government promised going to happen? Any timelines on the bridge, Crimea, or 1991 borders? Any bets on how long that UA law about no negotiations with Putin will stand? Bottom line is Russia continues to take more land everyday, and the only comeback to that is, why so slow?
Why so slow, or....
Russia was so confident that they'd be able to steam roll Ukraine, take Kyiev, kill Zelensky, etc. that before they invaded in Feb, they had already planned a parade for that May and even packed special uniforms to wear in the parade.
They even made it illegal to call it a war. It was just a special operation. No big deal. The global general consensus was maybe it would take 3 weeks for Kiev to fall, probably two though.
Imagine if you could go back in time and tell Russians that in 2024, Putin would travel to North Korea to beg for weapons and rumors of a second mobilization were starting to spread
The Orc army could have chosen
...
How confident are you that when US staged coup detat/regime change in Ukraine that they just didn't know that it would breach on Russia's national interests, and they just miscalculated? Or do you think they knew pretty well what they were doing by giving out cookies and saying Fuck the EU, and this is all is just a collateral damage in a bigger plan?
You mean exactly the same reasons why US and NATO didn't call any of their military "operations" wars, in the past 60 years?
If Cuba was an existential threat to US, Ukraine is definitely an existential threat to Russia. Russia loosing Ukraine would follow with a loss of Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus... Without it's sphere of influence, it would seize to be a regional power and would collapse once again.
Imagine if you could travel back in time to Ukraine in 2013 when everything was fine and educate these people about the Judas kiss and tell them not to accept these cookies. How many Ukrainians would you save by not sending them to be pawns in a larger global conflict?
...
Re Zelensky's "political suicide", the person is not that relevant. A true peace that leaves Ukraine with means of defence and most of the territory intact, with access to sea, is not ideal, but there is still a country named "Ukraine" with all the means required to be a viable nation.
Again, peace itself is desirable, but the question is what peace. A good peace gets statues of Zelensky in the city square and peace for decades, a bad peace gets you another war in 5 years.
Re Zelensky's "political suicide", the person is not that relevant. A true peace that leaves Ukraine with means of defence and most of the territory intact, with access to sea, is not ideal, but there is still a country named "Ukraine" with all the means required to be a viable nation.
Again, peace itself is desirable, but the question is what peace. A good peace gets statues of Zelensky in the city square and peace for decades, a bad peace gets you another war in 5 years.
Can't say i'm surprised that you won't put your money where you mouth is. But really nice to see you start accepting the reality and pivoting from "1991 borders". Now comes the hard part, do you really think that such end result for Ukraine, couldn't be reached without loosing so many Ukrainian lives? What do you think was in that written response in 2021 before all this started? Would you want Russia to declassify and publicize it? Because i doubt the US would do it in the next 50 or so years.
January 2022
The United States has delivered a written response to Russia addressing Moscow’s security demands, Secretary of State Antony
Blinken announced on Wednesday, as Washington continues to pursue diplomacy aimed at diverting a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.
...
U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan delivered to Moscow, was “fully coordinated” with Ukraine and European allies, Blinken said, and it “sets out a serious diplomatic path forward, should Russia choose it.”
The United States has delivered a written response to Russia addressing Moscow’s security demands, Secretary of State Antony
Blinken announced on Wednesday, as Washington continues to pursue diplomacy aimed at diverting a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.
...
U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan delivered to Moscow, was “fully coordinated” with Ukraine and European allies, Blinken said, and it “sets out a serious diplomatic path forward, should Russia choose it.”
Please, state your bet. And make sure it is about something I have said little liar.
There is nothing to discuss about the borders - whatever was internationally recognised before Ruzzia invaded is what should be and whatever comes from a negotiation - if there is one ever - is what we will have to live with. I leave you to your theories on why somehow invading a sovereign country is OK if it suits your interests.
Your are overusing the picture about cookies. Would you like to try convincing us that Ruzzia is a corruption free country with no "cookies"? You have a hard task ahead.
Are you really sure you want to go that way?
Blowing the Nord Stream II looks like the RF army doing to kind of "make a point" on regards to EU aid and aligns well with a country that is under a Junta. In my view, this is an act of war. The Orc army could have chosen any other target right? A bridge in France, a factory in Germany... Why do you think they would hit NS II? The answer is very simple: it is not in NATO territory and does not grant a NATO mobilisation which would end any expectation of even a technical "victory" in the invasion
Meanwhile, the disconnect between the RF army chief Psychos and the diplomatic and civil side of the government is show again in the terrorist attacks against Nord Stream II.
as the RF has destroyed the Nord Streams "outside NATO territory".
The Nord Stream was mainly a RF doing...Bottomline, as it is now, it looks like international terrorism from Adolf Putin's Psychos and the Chief Orcs.
Let's see how things are going with that as of 15.07.2024
Quote from: Google Translate of https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/plus252370644/Nord-Stream-Anschlag-soll-schon-vor-zehn-Jahren-geplant-worden-sein.html
Nord Stream attack is said to have been planned ten years ago
...
WELT AM SONNTAG now has new information. The focus: a Ukrainian group.
...
The attack on the two Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea is said to have been planned by a Ukrainian group before Russia occupied Crimea in 2014. WELT AM SONNTAG learned this from German investigators. Accordingly, such considerations did not only arise with Russia's war of aggression. This is indicated by the results of investigations by German and foreign authorities, which also included intelligence information.
...
Denmark and Sweden have closed the investigations. Only in Germany are the Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Office investigating the background to the act of sabotage on behalf of the Federal Prosecutor General. "The investigations are still ongoing," the Federal Prosecutor's Office said.
...
The energy project had been publicly rejected by Ukraine time and again. Former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, for example, had voiced criticism. "This project is anti-Ukrainian and anti-European," he warned in September 2015.
...
The focus of the German investigation is a sailing yacht called "Andromeda" that was chartered in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania at the time of the attack. The six-person crew is said to have been in Ukraine before and after the attack. New evidence has since emerged that strengthens the suspicion that the attack on the pipelines was carried out by the ship's crew, said an official familiar with the investigation.
...
A week before the explosions, the "Andromeda" was checked by border guards in Kolberg, Poland. According to security circles in Warsaw, the visit on board was not a random act; a secret service tip had apparently been received in Poland shortly beforehand. Agents from the USA were also said to have been on site.
In addition, video recordings of the ship and the crew are said to be available. In Warsaw, it was reportedly initially considered making the images available to German investigators. But no handover took place. One reason is said to be that the recordings may not only show the "Andromeda" crew, but also Polish and American agents.
...
Meanwhile, there is growing concern among the opposition that the investigations are coming to nothing. CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter fears that no result will be achieved or that it will not be published for reasons of state security. "I do not see any real interest in finding out the truth in the Chancellery, which is the only one with a complete overview of the investigation results of the services and the Federal Prosecutor General," said Kiesewetter.
...
WELT AM SONNTAG now has new information. The focus: a Ukrainian group.
...
The attack on the two Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea is said to have been planned by a Ukrainian group before Russia occupied Crimea in 2014. WELT AM SONNTAG learned this from German investigators. Accordingly, such considerations did not only arise with Russia's war of aggression. This is indicated by the results of investigations by German and foreign authorities, which also included intelligence information.
...
Denmark and Sweden have closed the investigations. Only in Germany are the Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Office investigating the background to the act of sabotage on behalf of the Federal Prosecutor General. "The investigations are still ongoing," the Federal Prosecutor's Office said.
...
The energy project had been publicly rejected by Ukraine time and again. Former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, for example, had voiced criticism. "This project is anti-Ukrainian and anti-European," he warned in September 2015.
...
The focus of the German investigation is a sailing yacht called "Andromeda" that was chartered in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania at the time of the attack. The six-person crew is said to have been in Ukraine before and after the attack. New evidence has since emerged that strengthens the suspicion that the attack on the pipelines was carried out by the ship's crew, said an official familiar with the investigation.
...
A week before the explosions, the "Andromeda" was checked by border guards in Kolberg, Poland. According to security circles in Warsaw, the visit on board was not a random act; a secret service tip had apparently been received in Poland shortly beforehand. Agents from the USA were also said to have been on site.
In addition, video recordings of the ship and the crew are said to be available. In Warsaw, it was reportedly initially considered making the images available to German investigators. But no handover took place. One reason is said to be that the recordings may not only show the "Andromeda" crew, but also Polish and American agents.
...
Meanwhile, there is growing concern among the opposition that the investigations are coming to nothing. CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter fears that no result will be achieved or that it will not be published for reasons of state security. "I do not see any real interest in finding out the truth in the Chancellery, which is the only one with a complete overview of the investigation results of the services and the Federal Prosecutor General," said Kiesewetter.
So how much are you willing to bet on this claim of yours that "RF has destroyed the Nord Streams"? With the rise of the right party, doubt Germany will be able to conceal/classify or hold out from releasing the findings for much longer But Xal0lex has been censoring me on this, so fully expect he'll delete this post just as he did with my previous posts on this topic.
Looks like we have a new update on the biggest sabotage on EU critical infrastructure, and the largest-ever recorded release of natural gas, equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of Denmark.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
...
One of the most audacious acts of sabotage in modern history, the operation worsened an energy crisis in Europe—an assault on critical infrastructure that could be considered an act of war under international law.
...
The Ukrainian operation cost around $300,000, according to people who participated in it. It involved a small rented yacht with a six-member crew, including trained civilian divers. One was a woman, whose presence helped create the illusion they were a group of friends on a pleasure cruise.
“I always laugh when I read media speculation about some huge operation involving secret services, submarines, drones and satellites,” one officer who was involved in the plot said. “The whole thing was born out of a night of heavy boozing and the iron determination of a handful of people who had the guts to risk their lives for their country.”
...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky initially approved the plan, according to one officer who participated and three people familiar with it. But later, when the CIA learned of it and asked the Ukrainian president to pull the plug, he ordered a halt, those people said.
Zelensky’s commander in chief, Valeriy Zaluzhniy, who was leading the effort, nonetheless forged ahead.
The Journal spoke to four senior Ukrainian defense and security officials who either participated in or had direct knowledge of the plot. All of them said the pipelines were a legitimate target in Ukraine’s war of defense against Russia.
...
In June, Germany’s federal prosecutor quietly issued the first arrest warrant in the case for a Ukrainian professional diving instructor for his alleged involvement in the sabotage. The German investigation is now focusing on Zaluzhniy and his aides, people familiar with the probe say, although they have no evidence that could be presented in court.
The findings could upend relations between Kyiv and Berlin, which has provided much of the financing and military equipment to Ukraine, second only to the U.S. Some German political leaders may have been willing to overlook evidence pointing to Ukraine for fear of undermining domestic support for the war effort. But German police are politically independent and their investigation took on a life of its own as they pursued one lead after another.
“An attack of this scale is a sufficient reason to trigger the collective defense clause of NATO, but our critical infrastructure was blown up by a country that we support with massive weapons shipments and billions in cash,” said a senior German official familiar with the probe.
...
A sitting general with experience in special operations would oversee the mission, which one participant described as a “public-private partnership.” He would report directly to the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, the four-star Gen. Zaluzhniy.
Within days, Zelensky approved the plan, according to the four people familiar with the plot. All arrangements were made verbally, leaving no paper trail.
...
The CIA warned Zelensky’s office to stop the operation, U.S. officials said. The Ukrainian president then ordered Zalyzhniy to halt it, according to Ukrainian officers and officials familiar with the conversation as well as Western intelligence officials. But the general ignored the order, and his team modified the original plan, these people said.
...
One of them was Roman Chervinsky, a decorated colonel who previously served in Ukraine’s main security and intelligence service, the SBU.
Chervinsky is currently on trial in Ukraine for unrelated charges. In July, he was released on bail after over a year in detention. Reached after his release, he declined to comment on the Nord Stream case, saying he wasn’t authorized to speak about it.
In a subsequent broadcast interview, he said that the sabotage had two positive effects for Ukraine: It helped loosen Russia’s grip on the European countries supporting Kyiv, and it left Moscow with only one main avenue for channeling gas to Europe, pipelines traversing Ukraine. Despite the war, Ukraine collects lucrative transit fees for Russian oil and gas estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
...
In September 2022, the plotters rented a 50-foot leisure yacht called Andromeda in Germany’s Baltic port town of Rostock. The boat was leased with the help of a Polish travel agency that was set up by Ukrainian intelligence as a cover for financial transactions nearly a decade ago, according to Ukrainian officers and people familiar with the German investigation.
...
Germany and other nations scrambled to nationalize energy companies that handled Russian gas but collapsed after the pipelines were destroyed. Even today Germany is paying around $1 million a day alone to lease floating terminals for liquefied natural gas or LNG, which only partly replaced the Russian gas flows channeled by Nord Stream.
...
Days after the attack, in October 2022, Germany’s foreign secret service received a second tipoff about the Ukrainian plot from the CIA, which again passed on a report by the Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD. It offered a detailed account of the attack, including the type of boat used and the possible route taken by the crew, according to German and Dutch officials.
...
Due to rules governing the sharing of classified intelligence, German police investigating the case weren’t allowed to see the Dutch report that linked Zaluzhniy and the Ukrainian military to the attack, but they were made aware of it by intelligence officials.
...
They had one lucky break. In rushing to leave Germany, the sabotage crew neglected to wash the Andromeda, allowing German detectives to find traces of explosives, fingerprints and DNA samples of the crew.
...
They struggled at one point to secure the cooperation of Polish authorities despite the fact that the saboteurs used Poland partly as a logistical base and stopped in the Polish port of Kolobrzeg.
A port official suspicious of the yacht’s crew alerted police. Poland’s border guard checked the identification of the crew, who produced passports from European Union members.
...
The entire port was covered by extensive video surveillance, they found. However, despite a history of close cooperation between Warsaw and Berlin in police matters, Polish officials initially refused to hand over the CCTV footage of the port. This year, they told their German colleagues that the footage had been routinely destroyed shortly after the Andromeda departed.
...
By November 2022, German investigators believed Ukrainians were behind the explosion.
Earlier this year, Zelensky ousted Zaluzhniy from his military post, saying a shakeup was needed to reboot the war effort. Zaluzhniy, who has been viewed domestically as a potential political rival, was later appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.K., a position that grants him immunity from prosecution.
In June, German officials issued a confidential arrest warrant for a Ukrainian citizen who the Germans believe was one of the crew members. According to people familiar with the investigation, a van driving the Ukrainian sabotage team from Poland into Germany in 2022 was snapped by a German speed camera, and the man, a diving instructor living with his family near Warsaw, was in the photo.
Authorities in Poland didn’t act on the warrant. The instructor is believed to have since returned to Ukraine. Poland’s failure to arrest him is a major blow to the German probe, because he and other suspects have now been tipped off and will avoid travelling outside Ukraine, people familiar with the investigation said. Ukraine doesn’t extradite its own citizens.
...
“None of them will testify, lest they incriminate themselves,” one former officer said.
...
One of the most audacious acts of sabotage in modern history, the operation worsened an energy crisis in Europe—an assault on critical infrastructure that could be considered an act of war under international law.
...
The Ukrainian operation cost around $300,000, according to people who participated in it. It involved a small rented yacht with a six-member crew, including trained civilian divers. One was a woman, whose presence helped create the illusion they were a group of friends on a pleasure cruise.
“I always laugh when I read media speculation about some huge operation involving secret services, submarines, drones and satellites,” one officer who was involved in the plot said. “The whole thing was born out of a night of heavy boozing and the iron determination of a handful of people who had the guts to risk their lives for their country.”
...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky initially approved the plan, according to one officer who participated and three people familiar with it. But later, when the CIA learned of it and asked the Ukrainian president to pull the plug, he ordered a halt, those people said.
Zelensky’s commander in chief, Valeriy Zaluzhniy, who was leading the effort, nonetheless forged ahead.
The Journal spoke to four senior Ukrainian defense and security officials who either participated in or had direct knowledge of the plot. All of them said the pipelines were a legitimate target in Ukraine’s war of defense against Russia.
...
In June, Germany’s federal prosecutor quietly issued the first arrest warrant in the case for a Ukrainian professional diving instructor for his alleged involvement in the sabotage. The German investigation is now focusing on Zaluzhniy and his aides, people familiar with the probe say, although they have no evidence that could be presented in court.
The findings could upend relations between Kyiv and Berlin, which has provided much of the financing and military equipment to Ukraine, second only to the U.S. Some German political leaders may have been willing to overlook evidence pointing to Ukraine for fear of undermining domestic support for the war effort. But German police are politically independent and their investigation took on a life of its own as they pursued one lead after another.
“An attack of this scale is a sufficient reason to trigger the collective defense clause of NATO, but our critical infrastructure was blown up by a country that we support with massive weapons shipments and billions in cash,” said a senior German official familiar with the probe.
...
A sitting general with experience in special operations would oversee the mission, which one participant described as a “public-private partnership.” He would report directly to the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, the four-star Gen. Zaluzhniy.
Within days, Zelensky approved the plan, according to the four people familiar with the plot. All arrangements were made verbally, leaving no paper trail.
...
The CIA warned Zelensky’s office to stop the operation, U.S. officials said. The Ukrainian president then ordered Zalyzhniy to halt it, according to Ukrainian officers and officials familiar with the conversation as well as Western intelligence officials. But the general ignored the order, and his team modified the original plan, these people said.
...
One of them was Roman Chervinsky, a decorated colonel who previously served in Ukraine’s main security and intelligence service, the SBU.
Chervinsky is currently on trial in Ukraine for unrelated charges. In July, he was released on bail after over a year in detention. Reached after his release, he declined to comment on the Nord Stream case, saying he wasn’t authorized to speak about it.
In a subsequent broadcast interview, he said that the sabotage had two positive effects for Ukraine: It helped loosen Russia’s grip on the European countries supporting Kyiv, and it left Moscow with only one main avenue for channeling gas to Europe, pipelines traversing Ukraine. Despite the war, Ukraine collects lucrative transit fees for Russian oil and gas estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
...
In September 2022, the plotters rented a 50-foot leisure yacht called Andromeda in Germany’s Baltic port town of Rostock. The boat was leased with the help of a Polish travel agency that was set up by Ukrainian intelligence as a cover for financial transactions nearly a decade ago, according to Ukrainian officers and people familiar with the German investigation.
...
Germany and other nations scrambled to nationalize energy companies that handled Russian gas but collapsed after the pipelines were destroyed. Even today Germany is paying around $1 million a day alone to lease floating terminals for liquefied natural gas or LNG, which only partly replaced the Russian gas flows channeled by Nord Stream.
...
Days after the attack, in October 2022, Germany’s foreign secret service received a second tipoff about the Ukrainian plot from the CIA, which again passed on a report by the Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD. It offered a detailed account of the attack, including the type of boat used and the possible route taken by the crew, according to German and Dutch officials.
...
Due to rules governing the sharing of classified intelligence, German police investigating the case weren’t allowed to see the Dutch report that linked Zaluzhniy and the Ukrainian military to the attack, but they were made aware of it by intelligence officials.
...
They had one lucky break. In rushing to leave Germany, the sabotage crew neglected to wash the Andromeda, allowing German detectives to find traces of explosives, fingerprints and DNA samples of the crew.
...
They struggled at one point to secure the cooperation of Polish authorities despite the fact that the saboteurs used Poland partly as a logistical base and stopped in the Polish port of Kolobrzeg.
A port official suspicious of the yacht’s crew alerted police. Poland’s border guard checked the identification of the crew, who produced passports from European Union members.
...
The entire port was covered by extensive video surveillance, they found. However, despite a history of close cooperation between Warsaw and Berlin in police matters, Polish officials initially refused to hand over the CCTV footage of the port. This year, they told their German colleagues that the footage had been routinely destroyed shortly after the Andromeda departed.
...
By November 2022, German investigators believed Ukrainians were behind the explosion.
Earlier this year, Zelensky ousted Zaluzhniy from his military post, saying a shakeup was needed to reboot the war effort. Zaluzhniy, who has been viewed domestically as a potential political rival, was later appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.K., a position that grants him immunity from prosecution.
In June, German officials issued a confidential arrest warrant for a Ukrainian citizen who the Germans believe was one of the crew members. According to people familiar with the investigation, a van driving the Ukrainian sabotage team from Poland into Germany in 2022 was snapped by a German speed camera, and the man, a diving instructor living with his family near Warsaw, was in the photo.
Authorities in Poland didn’t act on the warrant. The instructor is believed to have since returned to Ukraine. Poland’s failure to arrest him is a major blow to the German probe, because he and other suspects have now been tipped off and will avoid travelling outside Ukraine, people familiar with the investigation said. Ukraine doesn’t extradite its own citizens.
...
“None of them will testify, lest they incriminate themselves,” one former officer said.
So how exactly could this Ukrainian leave to Ukraine from Poland with EU warrant , don't laugh but ...
Polish National Public Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Anna Adamiak said German authorities sent a European warrant to the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw in June for Volodymyr Z in connection with proceedings conducted against him in Germany.
"Ultimately, Volodymyr Z was not detained because at the beginning of July he left Polish territory, crossing the Polish-Ukrainian border," she wrote in an emailed statement in reply to Reuters questions.
"Free crossing of the Polish-Ukrainian border by the above-mentioned person was possible because German authorities ... did not include him in the database of wanted persons, which meant that the Polish Border Guard had no knowledge and no grounds to detain Volodymyr Z."
"Ultimately, Volodymyr Z was not detained because at the beginning of July he left Polish territory, crossing the Polish-Ukrainian border," she wrote in an emailed statement in reply to Reuters questions.
"Free crossing of the Polish-Ukrainian border by the above-mentioned person was possible because German authorities ... did not include him in the database of wanted persons, which meant that the Polish Border Guard had no knowledge and no grounds to detain Volodymyr Z."
And what exactly is Poland saying, you won't believe it but
Separately, August Hanning, a former head of German foreign intelligence, told the Die Welt newspaper this week that the attack must have been carried out with the support of Poland and with approval from the highest levels in Ukraine and Poland.
Tusk didn’t directly address allegations of Polish involvement, saying only that “initiators and patrons” of Nord Stream should apologize and “keep quiet.”
Tusk didn’t directly address allegations of Polish involvement, saying only that “initiators and patrons” of Nord Stream should apologize and “keep quiet.”
Wondering how Germans are taking it, they must have a laugh about it, after all they're known for their humor right, right?
Quote from: Google Translate https://www.bild.de/politik/inland/ukraine-krieg-bundesregierung-friert-hilfszahlungen-an-kiew-ein-66c04faf286b5b3e50c84216
Traffic light government turns off Ukraine’s money tap
This news could cause resentment in Kiev: The German government will no longer provide Ukraine with any further aid payments - because according to the current budget planning, there is no more money.
...
The good news for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (46): Payments that have already been approved are to be made and materials are to be delivered. Funds for Ukraine amounting to around eight billion euros have already been earmarked for 2024.
This news could cause resentment in Kiev: The German government will no longer provide Ukraine with any further aid payments - because according to the current budget planning, there is no more money.
...
The good news for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (46): Payments that have already been approved are to be made and materials are to be delivered. Funds for Ukraine amounting to around eight billion euros have already been earmarked for 2024.
tl;dr
Putin personally dove down on a dolphin and blew up 3 of his NordStream lines, EU countries are making up lies and covering up for Russia now, and Polish president just thinks that if Putin apologizes and keeps quiet everyone will forgive him
And mod will censor this in 3..2..
They put our president on hit list...this is probably terrorist act out of frustration
because we only accepted 20000 or so Ukrainian refugees
https://myrotvorets.center/criminal/milanovich-zoran/
First of all, Myrotvorets website isn't owned by Ukraine's government, it's NGO. Second - get your facts right. He wasn't included to this list after not accepting refugess. He was already on this list before full scale invasion, to be precise since 25.01.2022 15:41 because we only accepted 20000 or so Ukrainian refugees
https://myrotvorets.center/criminal/milanovich-zoran/
And relating actions of some criminals with Ukraine's government, well, if you like conspiracy theories that's ok.
No idea... maybe he does not want to talk about the Ruzzian troops encircled in Glushkovo Kursk? Ukraine destroyed the bridge that was the only link of the Ruzzians with their supply lines, so
Nothing new - when you see facts that you don't like, there's nothing better than changing topic No idea... maybe he does not want to talk about the Ruzzian troops encircled in Glushkovo Kursk? Ukraine destroyed the bridge that was the only link of the Ruzzians with their supply lines, so ... I will update ith the result of that. Ukraine of course takes loses, but the ratio of land to loses and the quality of those loses in better than anything seen since the Kherson offensive. Sources speak of several hundreds.
Branko never misses a good opportunity for propaganda, that is to be said.
Of course you'll support Ukraine fighting Russians in Croatia, destroying Croatian property in the process
More to your taste is probably this Iskander vs Himars video:
https://x.com/JohnH105/status/1824147042979188790
Jokes apart, Ukraine needed this action. You cannot fight a war with your hands tied and just hoping the enemy does not advance more. The strategy of blasting refineries and critical military equipment with long range drones was a step in the right direction - making the war costly, giving Ruzzia reasons to want to end it and to a point deterring a future invasion (to a point). Now, with more prisoners and a chunk of Ruzzia the situation improves whenever the negotiation happens, if it happens.
My guess is that Ukraine will be able to hold at least part of the current land, they have troops in there and it is better to have then in a front inside Ruzzia that in a front inside Ukraine. The letter to St Claus would be capturing the nuclear plant west of Kursk, but that may not happen. Meanwhile causing reputational damage, getting the war out of Ukraine into Ruzzia and creating a window of opportunity is a great achievement.
I'm wondering what is Ukraine's goals in this special operation. Probably it's not about occupying Kursk or reaching Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. Maybe it's about making buffer zone by the boarder to protect Sumy region from artillery shelling. Another version that Ukraine is trying to improve their position in poential peace negotiations, but I don't believe in it. But at least they got thousands of POW's, it will help them to exchange them for Ukrainian troops.My guess is that Ukraine will be able to hold at least part of the current land, they have troops in there and it is better to have then in a front inside Ruzzia that in a front inside Ukraine. The letter to St Claus would be capturing the nuclear plant west of Kursk, but that may not happen. Meanwhile causing reputational damage, getting the war out of Ukraine into Ruzzia and creating a window of opportunity is a great achievement.
Most realistic that they want to force Russia to re-dislocate troops from other frontline regions like Donbas or Zaporizhia. But so far it doesn't helps much as Russia is approaching towards Pokrovsk, they're just a bit more than 10 km away, in beginning of year it was almost 40 km.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian terrorist attack in Croatia (use Google translate):
https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/crna-kronika/tri-ukrajinca-ciljano-zapalila-35-brodova-u-medulinu-bacili-su-molotovljev-steta-je-dva-milijuna-eura-15492664
Wondering how it's related with this topic?https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/crna-kronika/tri-ukrajinca-ciljano-zapalila-35-brodova-u-medulinu-bacili-su-molotovljev-steta-je-dva-milijuna-eura-15492664
No idea... maybe he does not want to talk about the Ruzzian troops encircled in Glushkovo Kursk? Ukraine destroyed the bridge that was the only link of the Ruzzians with their supply lines, so ... I will update ith the result of that. Ukraine of course takes loses, but the ratio of land to loses and the quality of those loses in better than anything seen since the Kherson offensive. Sources speak of several hundreds.
Branko never misses a good opportunity for propaganda, that is to be said.
Wondering how it's related with this topic?
They put our president on hit list...this is probably terrorist act out of frustration
because we only accepted 20000 or so Ukrainian refugees
https://myrotvorets.center/criminal/milanovich-zoran/
Jokes apart, Ukraine needed this action. You cannot fight a war with your hands tied and just hoping the enemy does not advance more. The strategy of blasting refineries and critical military equipment with long range drones was a step in the right direction - making the war costly, giving Ruzzia reasons to want to end it and to a point deterring a future invasion (to a point). Now, with more prisoners and a chunk of Ruzzia the situation improves whenever the negotiation happens, if it happens.
My guess is that Ukraine will be able to hold at least part of the current land, they have troops in there and it is better to have then in a front inside Ruzzia that in a front inside Ukraine. The letter to St Claus would be capturing the nuclear plant west of Kursk, but that may not happen. Meanwhile causing reputational damage, getting the war out of Ukraine into Ruzzia and creating a window of opportunity is a great achievement.
I'm wondering what is Ukraine's goals in this special operation. Probably it's not about occupying Kursk or reaching Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. Maybe it's about making buffer zone by the boarder to protect Sumy region from artillery shelling. Another version that Ukraine is trying to improve their position in poential peace negotiations, but I don't believe in it. But at least they got thousands of POW's, it will help them to exchange them for Ukrainian troops.My guess is that Ukraine will be able to hold at least part of the current land, they have troops in there and it is better to have then in a front inside Ruzzia that in a front inside Ukraine. The letter to St Claus would be capturing the nuclear plant west of Kursk, but that may not happen. Meanwhile causing reputational damage, getting the war out of Ukraine into Ruzzia and creating a window of opportunity is a great achievement.
Most realistic that they want to force Russia to re-dislocate troops from other frontline regions like Donbas or Zaporizhia. But so far it doesn't helps much as Russia is approaching towards Pokrovsk, they're just a bit more than 10 km away, in beginning of year it was almost 40 km.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian terrorist attack in Croatia (use Google translate):
https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/crna-kronika/tri-ukrajinca-ciljano-zapalila-35-brodova-u-medulinu-bacili-su-molotovljev-steta-je-dva-milijuna-eura-15492664
Wondering how it's related with this topic? https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/crna-kronika/tri-ukrajinca-ciljano-zapalila-35-brodova-u-medulinu-bacili-su-molotovljev-steta-je-dva-milijuna-eura-15492664
A good chance to exchange this territory for at least Donbass. I hope Ukrainians will hold on. Do you think the F-16 will be used there?
How do you picture that, Ukraine giving back 500km2 (that they entered, but not fortified) for 50 000km2 of heavily fortified Donbas?
Meanwhile, Ukrainian terrorist attack in Croatia (use Google translate):
https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/crna-kronika/tri-ukrajinca-ciljano-zapalila-35-brodova-u-medulinu-bacili-su-molotovljev-steta-je-dva-milijuna-eura-15492664
Oh, and famous pro-Russian news site debunks Paxmao hopes for Russia default
https://archive.is/20240803205802/https://www.ft.com/content/3e2b2e63-082e-4058-ba92-dea580d4f40c
Ukrainian special operation forces has captured and cleared from Russians the fortified tactical locality in underground of Kursk region : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoencKxFO7M&t=82s
Excursion after clearing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xUCt9Qf3X4&t=6s
Excursion after clearing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xUCt9Qf3X4&t=6s
This isn't really Ukraine. Rather, it's the US... tempting Russia to use nukes. In addition:
Russia Ready To Execute Nuclear Attacks On NATO Targets, According To Leaked Documents - https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-ready-execute-nuclear-attacks-nato-targets-according-leaked-documents
NATO Goes To War INSIDE Russia?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzP_MSzfEU0
That they happened to take advantage of weak points in Russian defenses without NATO intel support? NATO weapons - including German tanks - are killing Russians inside Russia. Red line? Also today, the "green" movement is killing beautiful beaches as the fake EV market collapses...
...
I'd be highly surprised if the thought of tactical nukes even crossed Putin's mind over the hail-Mary Kursk thing which has no very conceivably durable outcome for UA/NATO. But it's possible that I am over-estimating him, or that he is neo-con-ish enough to have convinced himself that introducing tactical nukes will of lasting positive benefit for Russia. I don't see the man as being that much of a risk-taker, nor needing to take such risks as Russia is destined to come out of this thing in much better shape than they probably dreamed possible without resorting to anything very risky. Doing so only introduces the possibility of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory from the Russian perspective.
The media seems to say that Putin talks nukes now and again. Perhaps he isn't serious at all. But he is thinking every direction.
I would agree. So far the game Ukraine has been playing hasn't become serious. Oh sure. It's serious for dying troops. But it isn't an effective strategy for Ukraine to use to win any war... especially with how depleted their military has become in almost every way.
Putin has of course considered all course of action including tactical nukes and even strategical nukes. However, you only scalate if scalation works in your favour. For example, you could consider Ukraine escalating by tanking large chunks in Kurstk and now Belgorod (I do not really think it is, war is war). They did it because there is a benefit to them in escalating.
There is little to no benefit for Putin to use any kind of nuke, else he would have already. The issue is that you can possibly kill 20.000 people bombing conventionally, but if you kill even half of that with a nuke the international backlash and possibly the direct intervention of the US will not be to your favour.
Deterrence 101.
Ukrainian special operation forces has captured and cleared from Russians the fortified tactical locality in underground of Kursk region : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoencKxFO7M&t=82s
Excursion after clearing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xUCt9Qf3X4&t=6s
Excursion after clearing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xUCt9Qf3X4&t=6s
I saw a video where they staged a great ambush on a truck. Great job, I hope they will move on!
Ukrainian special operation forces has captured and cleared from Russians the fortified tactical locality in underground of Kursk region : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoencKxFO7M&t=82s
Excursion after clearing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xUCt9Qf3X4&t=6s
Excursion after clearing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xUCt9Qf3X4&t=6s
This isn't really Ukraine. Rather, it's the US... tempting Russia to use nukes. In addition:
Russia Ready To Execute Nuclear Attacks On NATO Targets, According To Leaked Documents - https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-ready-execute-nuclear-attacks-nato-targets-according-leaked-documents
NATO Goes To War INSIDE Russia?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzP_MSzfEU0
That they happened to take advantage of weak points in Russian defenses without NATO intel support? NATO weapons - including German tanks - are killing Russians inside Russia. Red line? Also today, the "green" movement is killing beautiful beaches as the fake EV market collapses...
...
I'd be highly surprised if the thought of tactical nukes even crossed Putin's mind over the hail-Mary Kursk thing which has no very conceivably durable outcome for UA/NATO. But it's possible that I am over-estimating him, or that he is neo-con-ish enough to have convinced himself that introducing tactical nukes will of lasting positive benefit for Russia. I don't see the man as being that much of a risk-taker, nor needing to take such risks as Russia is destined to come out of this thing in much better shape than they probably dreamed possible without resorting to anything very risky. Doing so only introduces the possibility of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory from the Russian perspective.
The media seems to say that Putin talks nukes now and again. Perhaps he isn't serious at all. But he is thinking every direction.
I would agree. So far the game Ukraine has been playing hasn't become serious. Oh sure. It's serious for dying troops. But it isn't an effective strategy for Ukraine to use to win any war... especially with how depleted their military has become in almost every way.
Ukrainian special operation forces has captured and cleared from Russians the fortified tactical locality in underground of Kursk region : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoencKxFO7M&t=82s
Excursion after clearing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xUCt9Qf3X4&t=6s
Excursion after clearing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xUCt9Qf3X4&t=6s
This isn't really Ukraine. Rather, it's the US... tempting Russia to use nukes. In addition:
Russia Ready To Execute Nuclear Attacks On NATO Targets, According To Leaked Documents - https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-ready-execute-nuclear-attacks-nato-targets-according-leaked-documents
NATO Goes To War INSIDE Russia?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzP_MSzfEU0
That they happened to take advantage of weak points in Russian defenses without NATO intel support? NATO weapons - including German tanks - are killing Russians inside Russia. Red line? Also today, the "green" movement is killing beautiful beaches as the fake EV market collapses...
...
I'd be highly surprised if the thought of tactical nukes even crossed Putin's mind over the hail-Mary Kursk thing which has no very conceivably durable outcome for UA/NATO. But it's possible that I am over-estimating him, or that he is neo-con-ish enough to have convinced himself that introducing tactical nukes will of lasting positive benefit for Russia. I don't see the man as being that much of a risk-taker, nor needing to take such risks as Russia is destined to come out of this thing in much better shape than they probably dreamed possible without resorting to anything very risky. Doing so only introduces the possibility of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory from the Russian perspective.
...
The Kursk "Special Operation" is designed to draw troops from the Donbas and create a dilemma for Ruzzia: either they loose Kursk or they divert troops from the east. In any of those cases the consequences can be of strategic level.
So, is it possible that Ukraine would withdraw? Yes, who knows when. Are they going to leave on their own as gesture of good will Nah.
...
The Kursk "Special Operation" is designed to draw troops from the Donbas and create a dilemma for Ruzzia: either they loose Kursk or they divert troops from the east. In any of those cases the consequences can be of strategic level.
So, is it possible that Ukraine would withdraw? Yes, who knows when. Are they going to leave on their own as gesture of good will
Nah....
UA doesn't have enough troops to take Kursk, and their supply lines are already stretched as is. Regardless, this confirms my statement, this mission it to put political pressure on Putin to pull troops from the east. It'd be interesting to later read who's idea was it to think that Russia could be pressured with reputational damage, to put it mildly that's not really a thing Russians are really known for. So far looks like UA just opened a new front for themselves where RU can use their conscript force, while continuing to loose in Donbas. The game is what happens first, either Putin succumbs to pressure within, or UA looses their military potential. We shall find out soon enough.
Remember at the start how Russia went deep within Ukraine, all the way up to Kiev in fact, 'uncontested'. They went in that deep without anywhere near the force structure to actually fight and hold. Ukraine/NATO was actually prepped and capable of fighting since they planned to 'do' the break-away provinces and had been setting up for it for years. The reason they did nothing was that it was a trap. Russia was, as I predicted at the time, to smart to fall for it.
I suspect that the Kursk thing is also a trap. Over and over since the SMO Ukraine has mostly been fighting a 'social media' war since they are increasingly unable to accomplish anything of substance on the battlefield. For several reasons they will jump at anything where they can achieve enough of a PR victory to impress the retard classes they will go all in even knowing that total failure and huge losses are the inevitable outcome. Krinky was a good example. The losses can get and do get effectively papered over with Western mainstream media PR.
I think that Russia sees this 'UA/NATO-can-be-baited' phenomenon fairly clearly and sets Ukraine up with fake 'wins' just to bait them in. Since an increasing fraction of the UA conscripts are just waiting for their chance to surrender to the Russians, the Kursk operation would necessarily require participation of the more solid and motivated troops and they are becoming increasingly rare. Would Russia accept the plunder of the Kursk region just for the opportunity to entrap the remaining solid troops? I don't know. It would be a very shrewd and effective move if they made that decision. For my part I'll wait and see, but will be evaluating to support of detract from this hypothesis.
Again, as I have hypothesized here countless times, the loss of territory and Slavic population stock from the Ukraine region is not a bug for the Zelenski and the people running him; it's a feature. Very possibly the deal for what Russia would get out of their efforts and playing their part was planned and agreed upon ahead of time, and they probably got a pretty good deal.
Theories apart, you cannot win to a big Soviet army with a smaller Soviet army playing the Soviet style of war. You need to use what makes you different from your enemy, namely more speed, better intelligence and make the war as asymmetric as possible. That is the Kursk offensive. Regardeless of Ukraine holding the whole territory or not, they are certainly holding the PoW and certainly creating a reputational problem for Putin and the Ruzzian army.
If you think of it, Ruzzia wants territory XYZ in Ukraine, their troops are there, their allocation of air power is there and the trench system is massively overconstructed in the east and the South. Now, why would it be better to have a chunk of Donbas or a chunk or Kursk and Belgorod?
It is practically the same, if you ask me probably Kursk is less destroyed. So, why not? Just capture as much Kursk as you can and later you can choose to trade it... or not.
I guess the illusion of wunderwaffe switchblades, javelins, m777, patriots, Abrams, Leopards, F16s ... are all gone, and everyone will now act surprised to find out that RU has 4x population of UA? But then the really interesting question is what probability was assigned to such outcome when the cookies were handed out? i.e. is this the expected outcome/just collateral damage in a bigger game, or gross miscalculation?
But i do have to agree with you, UA was loosing slowly, so from UA's perspective there' isn't much else it could do other than to go out with a bang, so to speak. Problem with the maneuverability approach is that it's the same logic that was used during the PRed "counteroffensive", and we all know how well that turned out. Here, there's at least a chance (however insignificant), plus if it turns out just like everyone expects, after such operation there won't be many in UA left to oppose negotiations.
If Ukraine can't hold to its land in Avdiivka, Bahmut, Robotino, Pokrovsk? it's going to be a very difficult sell that it somehow can hold on to regions of Kursk for any significant amount of time. RU political destabilization is a long shot, but it's the only one UA has left right now.
~
Remember at the start how Russia went deep within Ukraine, all the way up to Kiev in fact, 'uncontested'. They went in that deep without anywhere near the force structure to actually fight and hold. Ukraine/NATO was actually prepped and capable of fighting since they planned to 'do' the break-away provinces and had been setting up for it for years. The reason they did nothing was that it was a trap. Russia was, as I predicted at the time, to smart to fall for it.
I suspect that the Kursk thing is also a trap. Over and over since the SMO Ukraine has mostly been fighting a 'social media' war since they are increasingly unable to accomplish anything of substance on the battlefield. For several reasons they will jump at anything where they can achieve enough of a PR victory to impress the retard classes they will go all in even knowing that total failure and huge losses are the inevitable outcome. Krinky was a good example. The losses can get and do get effectively papered over with Western mainstream media PR.
I think that Russia sees this 'UA/NATO-can-be-baited' phenomenon fairly clearly and sets Ukraine up with fake 'wins' just to bait them in. Since an increasing fraction of the UA conscripts are just waiting for their chance to surrender to the Russians, the Kursk operation would necessarily require participation of the more solid and motivated troops and they are becoming increasingly rare. Would Russia accept the plunder of the Kursk region just for the opportunity to entrap the remaining solid troops? I don't know. It would be a very shrewd and effective move if they made that decision. For my part I'll wait and see, but will be evaluating to support of detract from this hypothesis.
Again, as I have hypothesized here countless times, the loss of territory and Slavic population stock from the Ukraine region is not a bug for the Zelenski and the people running him; it's a feature. Very possibly the deal for what Russia would get out of their efforts and playing their part was planned and agreed upon ahead of time, and they probably got a pretty good deal.
Remember at the start how Russia went deep within Ukraine, all the way up to Kiev in fact, 'uncontested'. They went in that deep without anywhere near the force structure to actually fight and hold. Ukraine/NATO was actually prepped and capable of fighting since they planned to 'do' the break-away provinces and had been setting up for it for years. The reason they did nothing was that it was a trap. Russia was, as I predicted at the time, to smart to fall for it.
I suspect that the Kursk thing is also a trap. Over and over since the SMO Ukraine has mostly been fighting a 'social media' war since they are increasingly unable to accomplish anything of substance on the battlefield. For several reasons they will jump at anything where they can achieve enough of a PR victory to impress the retard classes they will go all in even knowing that total failure and huge losses are the inevitable outcome. Krinky was a good example. The losses can get and do get effectively papered over with Western mainstream media PR.
I think that Russia sees this 'UA/NATO-can-be-baited' phenomenon fairly clearly and sets Ukraine up with fake 'wins' just to bait them in. Since an increasing fraction of the UA conscripts are just waiting for their chance to surrender to the Russians, the Kursk operation would necessarily require participation of the more solid and motivated troops and they are becoming increasingly rare. Would Russia accept the plunder of the Kursk region just for the opportunity to entrap the remaining solid troops? I don't know. It would be a very shrewd and effective move if they made that decision. For my part I'll wait and see, but will be evaluating to support of detract from this hypothesis.
Again, as I have hypothesized here countless times, the loss of territory and Slavic population stock from the Ukraine region is not a bug for the Zelenski and the people running him; it's a feature. Very possibly the deal for what Russia would get out of their efforts and playing their part was planned and agreed upon ahead of time, and they probably got a pretty good deal.
Theories apart, you cannot win to a big Soviet army with a smaller Soviet army playing the Soviet style of war. You need to use what makes you different from your enemy, namely more speed, better intelligence and make the war as asymmetric as possible. That is the Kursk offensive. Regardeless of Ukraine holding the whole territory or not, they are certainly holding the PoW and certainly creating a reputational problem for Putin and the Ruzzian army.
If you think of it, Ruzzia wants territory XYZ in Ukraine, their troops are there, their allocation of air power is there and the trench system is massively overconstructed in the east and the South. Now, why would it be better to have a chunk of Donbas or a chunk or Kursk and Belgorod?
It is practically the same, if you ask me probably Kursk is less destroyed. So, why not? Just capture as much Kursk as you can and later you can choose to trade it... or not.
We understand. An easier way to say it is, Ukraine is desperate. Russia isn't looking for more territory. If they were, they would simply take it. But Ukraine is making that option more attractive to Russia day by day.
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