It's not just on the French side. Unexploded Ordnance is also still being unearthed in Germany, in rural areas as well as in cities and urban centres. Thinking back to my ten years in and around Frankfurt, there'd be at least two to three times a year that a part of the city would need to be evacuated because of a 500 pound bomb that had been found whilst digging up some plot of land for construction. Sometimes, those evacuations would affect large areas when one of the Royal Air Force's "Blockbuster" bombs, 4000 pound monsters of a weapon, was discovered. And that would happen for every city in the Rhein-Main area: Frankfurt, Offenbach, Hanau, Mainz, as well as all other major urban areas in the country.
Then, there was that poor bastard on an autobahn construction site near the city of Gelnhausen whose excavator set off a 250 pound bomb that had been dropped on the nearby airfield during WW2. That one bomb set off the entire "stick" of five bombs that had been dropped and failed to detonate at the time.
I'm afraid that, even if Russia were to pack up and withdraw from all occupied territories today, Ukraine will still suffer from all these unexploded weapons for decades to come, and not just in rural areas.
Iran working hard for its northerly friend, because it doesn't share a border with Russia they can stay friendly otherwise it would likely be war between both
Once the Russians eventually withdraw from Kherson city, they will use the Dnipro as the new defensive line, which will be next to impossible for Ukraine to cross. My guess is that if they want to go to Crimea, they will have to go around the river.
I saw mention of the red flag of revenge on Telegram a couple of days ago but since there was no reasoning for it I didn't mention it. That would explain.
We just need China to attack Taiwan and it's on for young and old:
Russia/Belarus vs Ukraine
Serbia vs Bosnia (moving miliatary stuff to the border yesterday)
Saudi A/Israel vs Iran
China vs Taiwan/US/Aus
N Korea vs SK/Japan
Myanmar vs The People
Stan vs Stan
Republicans vs Democracy
Me vs Revenue
All just bl00dy wonderful.
Yeap thats what I thought. By taking Kherson Ukraine seals its southern Flank, they are not going to cross a 3 mile wide river with artillery on the other side. On the other hand the Russians will not be crossing the river again either, so Moldova and Odessa talk will then be finished.
What they might try in late winter is attack in the direct of the Azov sea from the North.
An interesting drop-
With that imagination of yours I'm guessing for you it's:
Alcohol vs Cocaine
They have karkhiv they can bypass crossing the Dnipro river all together and push south to Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia depending on how they set up for the offensive into Kherson
The flipside of that is that Russia holding on to Kherson when it would be far easier to just have a border at the Dnieper, shows they still have their sights on Odessa.
They wont get there, but they clearly have it and other cities in their sights, or else there would be no sense in maintaining and defending that bridgehead over the river
They are defending territory at this stage to avoid embarrassment. Is there any sign of any coherent strategy from Russia apart from continue to attack Bakhmut so it look like we are doing something, and destroy civilian infrastructure because they really are doing this for the people, really.
Yeah unfortunately that might be the outcome
I presume they realise that they cannot go blow for blow with the Ukrainians due to them having millions of potential soldiers willing to fight or be conscripted, whereas in Russia drafting those kinds of numbers would cause the regime to collapse, so instead they aimed for the strategic victory.
Starting with their attempt to surround Kiev and hope that the government would yield, which utterly failed (it was just a feint bro!)
Then they tried to take and hold territory with very low numbers of troops and were massively exposed again in Kharkiv direction, and again retreated totally rather than fighting because they cant afford to lose any more soldiers.
And now they try again to win a "strategic" (if you can call it that) victory by bombing the country into submission. Cripple infrastructure and hope that either people revolt (unlikely) or at least make it more difficult for Ukrainian logistics (no electric railways, less internet connectivity).
At the start of the war some people were hoping for the Russian economy or society to collapse and that Ukraine would win that way, but the reverse is really the case - Russia cannot win the war unless Ukraine collapses. They simply dont have the manpower to take and hold all that territory. It's going to take a LOT of money to keep Ukraine afloat, but if they can be kept on life support for long enough then Russia loses.
@timmyntc At the start of the war some people were hoping for the Russian economy or society to collapse and that Ukraine would win that way..,
Their economy is collapsing, what did you really expect it to happen immediately,it takes time for sanctions to hit home along with the loss of revenue from the eu for gas and oil ,
Long term Russia is ucked
Yes, but I'd say that its booby trapped to within an inch of its life.
If they get to Sevastopol, it will be via Melitopol.
Some progress on the Kherson front reported anyway even if the russian flag removal in the city might not be that significant.
Hmmmm - not convinced. Trying to redeem the image of the dear leader and divert blame?
I thoroughly enjoyed comedy hour on Sky News presented by Ambassador Andrei Kelin.
Last weeks maskirovka didn't work so they are trying to detach Britain from NATO politically and strategically by the use of different bullshyt.
The only NATO response to these nebulous threats should be to send to Ukraine every heavy conventional missile and artillery piece they could possibly use and pound every single Russian position on occupied territory, every command HQ, fuel dump, ammo store, repair compound, radar site and airfield into dust. Because we know the Russians do not have replacements to send.
In fact I suspect thats all winter will be, the slow but steady attrition of all those and of logistics supply lines and power and comms until they are just a bunch of guys standing in a foreign country in silly looking shirts.
I am not either but anything I read about Patrushev puts him firmly as a extreme hardliner, so would definitely say he was in favour of the invasion before it actually occurred.
Precast concrete pill boxes part of the Russian defense of Kherson,
Wouldn't last long again 20/30 mm canon they are essential concrete coffin's for Russian soldiers
...
Absolute scum that should be taken of the face of the earth
Maverick
Everytime I see videos like this it boils my blood that we contuine to accommodate their Ambassador and his entourage as a guest in this country.
Their economy is dying the death of a million stings....mobilization has driven hundreds of thousands out of the Country, many of these would be key figures in Industry, then you have the mobilization itself. In order for the local chiefs to achieve their targets (and avoid mobilization themselves) they were overzealous in their selection criteria. In one case, in an area with 295'000 people living and only one specialist brain surgeon, they mobilized the Surgeon. Basically, the imperative for the drafters was to reach their targets, by hook or crook. Basically, if you could walk (even with crutches) you were eligible. Down the road, this mobilization will come back to haunt the Kremlin (not that they personally will worry) but it could prove a tipping point for mass protests when people realize that they have been duped and used. So now Russian industry is like a Swiss cheese with key personnel missing. Add in Putins edict that priority has to be given to the war production, at the expense of everything else and for sure, life is becoming increasingly harder for the average Russian.We are not hearing even a fraction of how hard life has become for Russians.
Basically every single building bombed to shite. Like what was the point? I know it’s probably because it’s easier to stand at a howitzer loading shells and firing them than street fighting. But really drives home how dumb the Russian army is just indiscriminately bombing everything in sight. Unwilling low morale soldiers putting in their shift mindlessly firing shells. They really are at nothing.
Ukraine has to win, and that's the bottom line, and its not just down to Ukraine either. Putin has threatened the whole western world, the US and further afield. He has to go; Russia has to be taught that it cannot continue behaving as it has been these last several years creating trouble everywhere it can. Trouble has been one of their major exports, and they have to be stopped. The cost will be sorted out after the war is over. Meanwhile, Russian capabilities are being ground away to the point that shortages are seriously affecting their ability not only to fight, but for the ones at home, to live normal lives
Head of the press center of the Defense Forces "South" Natalia Humeniuk: Removal of the Katsap flag in Kherson is a "Russian provocation" aimed at luring the Armed Forces of Ukraine to Kherson
According to her, regular units of the occupiers disguised in civilian clothes remain in Kherson and the region. The horde does this to create a picture that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are allegedly opening fire on civilians.
Orcs are scum. The Ukrainians are on the ball with their intelligence.
They are and if its true that the Russians are attempting to disguise themselves as Civvies and still prosecute the War, then they are both in violation of and not under the protection of Article 4 of the Geneva Convention and so the Ukrainians are well within their rights to summarily execute them when they catch up with them.
It’s such a moronic tactic it’s hard to believe it can be true. I suspect they have actually fled or are in the process of fleeing. Imagine telling poorly equipped poorly motivated troops ‘take off that military gear and put on these stolen second hand clothes’.
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