It was always going to be this way, IMO. After an underwhelming (much publicised and vaunted) Spring counter-offensive in 2023, the Russians were always going to hit as hard as possible over the winter and before Spring 2024, in the hope of nipping any new counter-offensive in the bud, or at least neutering its impact. They'll have been aware that the Ukrainians were unlikely to make the same mistakes this year, in terms of bigging up their plans in advance. I'd expect a more productive Spring counter-offensive this year, although much will depend on what supplies the Ukrainians have held back and what new supplies they are given by the lacklustre West.
Joe Blogs on YouTube says Russia made a point of investing in a relatively small number of super-refineries with huge capacity to process their enormous reserves and serve the voracious global demand; but this has now become a strategic weakness as the global demand has been diverted to third-country suppliers of refined products. That means that (a) the refineries are economic albatros around the Kremlin's neck, costing more to keep running than they bring in in revenue, and (b) hitting even a single one has an exaggerated effect on the associated input and output parts of the supply chain.
If the economic argument is correct, and any of these refineries are operating at a loss, then it would make some sense for the Kremlin to not prioritise repair work after any Ukrainian attack ... but that would leave them with even fewer fully operational sites, i.e. juicy targets. Either way, Russia has suspended the export of refined petroleum products for six months to "protect domestic supply during peak agricultural demand" so all-in-all, I'd say Ukrainian's attacks are being felt more along the lines of "stabbed with a needle" than pin pricks.
The Ukranian tactics of targeting key military infrastructure from distance is working really well and hopefully they keep playing to that particular strength. I do wonder why they can't hit troop bases and supply lines behind their Eastern front in order to slow the Russian meatgrinder a bit more.
Lots of fires in Russia today. This is St. Petersburg
Lots of reports on this
That’s a big one
They are far more than pinpricks I'd say, especially at the rate they are being hit. They are hitting refining facilities too, and they will take a lot of time and effort (not mention replacement parts, which in some cases now, will be impossible to get due to sanctions) No, I'd say these hits are starting to hurt now.
The internet: you can watch people die in plane crashes, but cursing gets blocked out
Really hoping for a few major incidents within Russia to mark the election, it's too good a pr opportunity to let it pass
Yep, and make sure you don't show brand names.
"LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez,"
Apparently the refinery hit last night is responsible 5% refined oil in russia.
Interesting, and thanks for the detail & insights; they're arresting videos that give cause to cheer, but I had been wondering what net effect they had on the Russian economy & war machine. Sounds like the answer is "quite a bit", now that the attacks have been sustained on Russian infrastructure.
Wonder how many Ukrainian POWs they put in there this time? 🙄
Was that previous incident ever cleared up, did any reliable source confirm whether any POWs were onboard?
Dramatic
Remind me of this ..but with a shaped charge this time
Russian rebels are still In Russian territory. What a mad day.
I'd forgotten about those guys to the extent I presumed they had been destroyed and scattered to the winds. Agents of Chaos, but also worth noting a number of them are themselves definitely Nazis and fascists who think Putin is too soft and Western.
I mean at this stage they're basically an arm of Ukraines forces with a sprinkle of plausible deniability. Much like the little green men move that Russia pulled on Crimea.
I'd absolutely love them to go whole hog and declare a Peoples Republic of Kursk breakaway region. Even host a wee sham referendum overnight as an enormous middle finger to Putin.
But the likelihood here is that this incursion will last a few days at most(just to ruin Putins re-election and re-allocate a few russian units away from the front) before they scarper back across the border.
Any info on them?
Here we go.
There’s a video of the head saying it’s time to take back Russia from Putin and his criminals who have stolen all the Russian peoples money and sent 400,000 men to their death for nothing.
But but they’re Nazis…
No we're not going anywhere, so sit back down and stay your hand: I'd have to dig out the articles that marked these Russian forces as Right Wingers and NAzis, but either way I don't care and not trying to but but but anything.
I think it's funny that having accused Ukraine of being a Nazi state, Kyiv then arms and sets Russia's own fascist, dissident forces against itself. The enemy of my enemy n' all that, with the added bonus of poetic irony that Russia's internal problems are in part being caused by Russian Nazis - which is a bit embarrassing given how much Russia likes to talk up its Great Patriotic War against the fascists.
Looks like it's the Freedom of Russia Legion taking part ATM, who are seemingly more moderate than the Russian Volunteer Corps, who would be more hard right & neo-nazi and had been part of the anti Putin attacks. Shades of People's Front of Judea in getting them mixed up - but they can be cannibals for all it matters; if it fúcks up Putin, it's all gravy.
The Freedom of Russia Legion ( also called the Free Russia Legion ). This wikipedia page was updated TODAY .. mentioning todays raids
It is a Ukrainian-based paramilitary unit of Russian citizens, which opposes the Russian regime of Vladimir Putin and its invasion of Ukraine.
It was formed in March 2022 and is reportedly part of Ukraine's International Legion. It consists of defectors from the Russian Armed Forces, and other Russian volunteers, some of whom had emigrated to Ukraine.
At last .. at least something and its not 60bn I know but, hey
The White House is expected to announce as soon as Tuesday that it will send a new package of weapons worth $300 million to Ukraine, and it will include a number of Army Tactical Missile Systems, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the discussions.
The package will include a number of the Anti-Personnel/Anti-Materiel, or APAM, an older version of the long-range ATACMS, which travels 100 miles and carries warheads containing hundreds of cluster bomblets, according to one of the officials. All were granted anonymity to speak ahead of an announcement.
The tranche will also include additional rounds for the 155mm howitzers and the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, according to that official and one other U.S. official. The U.S. first sent a first shipment of mid-range ATACMS in September.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/12/white-house-aid-package-ukraine-00146487
Also this:
And there is MORE - from EU this time
EU to clinch deal on fresh €5bn military aid package for Ukraine, after reaching compromise to prioritise weapons manufactured inside the bloc but not exclude those from third countries if they are the only option
Germanys Scholzing:
I’m not being obtuse.
You start coming out with they are Nazis and fascists etc etc just like every Russian propaganda bot since the war began.
Then you backtracked saying this group may not be Nazis, just more muddying the waters.
It’s boring at this stage so I stopped reading.
Which wasn't my point at all, so maybe learn to read all the post's contents before deciding to play a belligerent angle for no good reason and we'll all get on famously.
Part of the russian dissident groupings include neo Nazis like the RVC. Who don't seem to be involved in this deploymemt. It doesn't matter because their purpose is to fúck up Putin's Russia, but they're no saints either.
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