Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Dargo

Apparently, one Russian KGB lieutenant colonel equals one Austrian corporal as military strategist.

Vladimir Putin has become so personally involved in the Ukraine war that he is making operational and tactical decisions “at the level of a colonel or brigadier”, according to western military sources...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...estern-sources

Hmm seem to recall some other historical person doing the same even though some of them hadn't higher level than corporal.

Markus

[Skybird]

From Wikipedia:


"My personal opinion is that a machine like the Terminator is dubious. Simply because it does not have any advantages that are significant over the main battle tank. Neither in terms of the fire control system, nor in terms of the capabilities of conducting reconnaissance, surveillance and target designation, nor in terms of the capabilities of their weapons. That is why I say that finding the Terminator's place in battle formation is problematic[39] In terms of its reconnaissance capabilities, the BMPT offers nothing to surpass the means of observation and fire control of the contemporary tanks."[40]
— Viktor Ivanovich Murahovskij, Expert Member at Military and Industrial Council of Russian Federation


And a crew of FIVE. I beg you...

[Dargo]

KYIV/MARIUPOL, Ukraine, May 16 (Reuters) - The Ukrainian unit holed up beneath the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol said on Monday its garrison was fulfilling orders to save the lives of troops, an apparent sign that the longest and bloodiest battle of the Ukraine war had come to an end.

Reuters saw about a dozen buses apparently carrying Ukrainian fighters leaving the plant on Monday. It was not possible to determine how many people were aboard. Some 600 fighters have been estimated to be inside the vast Soviet-era plant, including dozens of wounded.

"In order to save lives, the entire Mariupol garrison is implementing the approved decision of the Supreme Military Command and hopes for the support of the Ukrainian people," the Azov Regiment said in a social media post.

It said the defenders of Mariupol, in the southeast, had held out for 82 days, buying time for the rest of Ukraine to battle Russian forces and secure Western arms needed to withstand Russia's assault.

The steelworks was the last Ukrainian-held bastion in the once prosperous port, now in ruins after months of Russian siege that Ukraine says killed tens of thousands of people.

Since February, Mariupol's devastation has become a symbol both of Ukraine's ability to withstand Russia's invasion, and of Russia's willingness to destroy Ukrainian cities that hold out.

In a video accompanying the Azov Regiment statement, one of the unit's senior commanders, Denys Prokopenko, said: "The main thing is to realise all the risks, is there a plan B, are you fully committed to that plan which must allow for fulfilling the assigned tasks and preserve the lives and health of personnel?"

"This is the highest level of overseeing troops. All the more so when your decision is endorsed by the highest military command."

Prokopenko did not spell out what action the defenders were taking. The video was released hours after Russia said it had agreed to evacuate wounded Ukrainian soldiers to a medical facility in the Russian-controlled town of Novoazovsk.

Apart from the steelworks, Mariupol is entirely in Russian hands after a siege which left residents huddled in basements with no food and water and streets littered with dead bodies.

Moscow denies having targeted civilians. The United Nations and Red Cross both estimate thousands of civilians died, with the true toll still uncounted.

The last defenders, including many who were wounded, had been holding out for weeks in bunkers and tunnels built to withstand nuclear war, deep beneath Azovstal, one of the largest metallurgical plants in Europe. Civilians were evacuated from inside the plant earlier this month.

"An agreement has been reached on the removal of the wounded," Russia's defence ministry said. "A humanitarian corridor has been opened, through which wounded Ukrainian servicemen are being taken to a medical facility in Novoazovsk."

Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar told Ukrainian television: "Any information can harm the processes that are taking place ... Inasmuch as the process is under way, we can't say what's happening right now."

Earlier, the wife of an Azov Battalion member had described conditions at the plant: "They are in hell. They receive new wounds every day. They are without legs or arms, exhausted, without medicines," Natalia Zaritskaya said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...st-2022-05-16/

[Rockstar]

Let’s face it the ‘Azov battalion/regiment is the one organization which has a widely known reputation of being ‘neo-Nazis’. I wonder with their defeat will Putin now declare Ukraine de-nazified and begin signaling he’s ready to negotiate.

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

Let’s face it the ‘Azov battalion/regiment is the one organization which has a widely known reputation of being ‘neo-Nazis’. I wonder with their defeat will Putin now declare Ukraine de-nazified and begin signaling he’s ready to negotiate.

Nah, it was never about denazification.

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by Dargo

Nah, it was never about denazification.

You’re right. But assuming if what we’re hearing about the Russian armed forces is true, and I think it is. If I were Putin I’d be very tempted to proclaim ‘mission accomplished’ and use it as an exit strategy or an excuse to begin negotiations to keep from losing current gains.

It has also crossed my mind the Azov regiment is the sacrificial lamb that brings peace. Which, besides the possible lack of Ukrainian offensive capabilities, might explain why we’re not seeing any real effort to relieve Mariupul.

.

[Dargo]

53 seriously injured people have been evacuated from the Azovstal factory in Mariupol and taken to hospital in Novoazovsk, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar says in a video message. 211 others were taken to Olenivka via a humanitarian corridor. Both places are under the control of pro-Russian rebels. According to Maljar, all evacuees will return to Ukrainian-controlled territory through exchanges with the Russians.

[astvitaliy1982]

2227 people were blocked at Azovstal. Not 600, as it was written in the post above.

[astvitaliy1982]

The interrogation of Ukrainian prisoners of war from Azovstal has begun — Irina Kuksenkova, correspondent of Channel One

According to the correspondent, among the Ukrainian military who surrendered, 144 people are fighters of the National Guard. Now they are being interrogated in Yelenovka, where they were taken at night.

[astvitaliy1982]

Those who have settled on "Azovstal" are asked not to take pictures and not to take video of their surrender

Now, at the Azovstal tunnel, another group of Ukrainian servicemen is waiting for an exit to surrender. The commander of the Vostok battalion of the DPR NM, Alexander Khodakovsky, said that one of the conditions for surrender was a ban on filming.

"The exit point is "our" tunnel, the exit time is soon," Khodakovsky said.

[astvitaliy1982]

APU from "Grad" fire at the pre-trial detention center in Elenovka, where the captured "Azov" are taken

According to the source Readovka, Ukrainians fired at the pre-trial detention center in Elenovka, probably wanting to "double their three hundredths." The DPR JCCC reported that an attack from the Ukrainian side was recorded this morning — the AFU fired 10 missiles from the BM-21 Grad.

[Catfish]

In a way i am glad this is over.

I would take "Channel One" (Putin's worst propaganda machine) and any other russian broadcaster 'news' with a ton of salt

[Catfish]

Russia's propaganda network
"Here's the warped reality I saw presented to viewers"
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/02/m...ork/index.html


How a French satellite operator helps keep Russia’s TV propaganda online
"Eutelsat refuses to stop Russia from broadcasting state-run programming"
https://arstechnica.com/information-...anda-online/2/

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Catfish

In a way i am glad this is over.

I would take "Channel One" (Putin's worst propaganda machine) and any other russian broadcaster 'news' with a ton of salt

I'll add an additional ton for good measure.

[Jimbuna]

The Ukrainian military says the defenders of Mariupol have ended their mission, after hundreds of soldiers left the Azovstal steel plant.

More than 260 fighters were taken to Russian-controlled territory late on Monday.

They are expected to be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war.

But some people remain trapped in the plant and efforts to rescue them are ongoing, Ukraine says.

Russia already controlled the rest of Mariupol, a strategic southern port city that has been razed by heavy bombing.

Western military sources say Vladimir Putin is now directly involved in the day-to-day running of the war, taking decisions normally made by more junior officers.

Meanwhile Turkey's president suggests he could block Finland and Sweden's applications to join Nato, accusing them of harbouring terrorists.