Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

https://mobile.twitter.com/swissinfo_en/status/1586309405301264385

I’m surprised by how rare it is to hear reference to Switzerland’s arms transfers to Saudi Arabia. The KSA is legally not at war with Yemen, but this is also true for Russia and Ukraine.

[jaichind]

Canadians will be able to buy Ukrainian war bonds soon.
https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1586031015851614208

Sounds potentially a good idea.  Will the bond payout be linked to the CDS of Ukraine or some metric on how Ukraine does in the war? Something like that would be very interesting to watch how it trades.  If not then it is just another Canadian sovereign bond which would be quite boring.

[Logical]

The leftist president of Colombia retweeted an RT propagandist and commemorated a Colombian communist fighter who died for Russia.
https://twitter.com/petrogustavo/status/1586170190882119680

[Hindsight was 2020]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1586269146693926912
👀

[Bismarck]

The leftist president of Colombia retweeted an RT propagandist and commemorated a Colombian communist fighter who died for Russia.
https://twitter.com/petrogustavo/status/1586170190882119680

Can we just coup this moron already? The South American left are the most useless group of people on earth.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

The power struggle between RuMOD and Kadryov/Wagner etc. has come to a head: the commander of the Central Military District has been relieved of his post.

https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1586362892969967618

[John Dule]

The leftist president of Colombia retweeted an RT propagandist and commemorated a Colombian communist fighter who died for Russia.
https://twitter.com/petrogustavo/status/1586170190882119680

Can we just coup this moron already? The South American left are the most useless group of people on earth.

Colombia is our closest ally in South America so that’s not a great idea.

[Red Velvet]

The leftist president of Colombia retweeted an RT propagandist and commemorated a Colombian communist fighter who died for Russia.
https://twitter.com/petrogustavo/status/1586170190882119680

Can we just coup this moron already? The South American left are the most useless group of people on earth.

Colombia is our closest ally in South America so that’s not a great idea.

And even there the left is more aligned with the Global South left speech over the Western left one.

Wouldn’t say it’s “South American” as much as it is a Global South position overall. Even US established allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel have at minimum low-key expressed similar positions. Not to mention India, a key country for Russia these days. South Africa recently openly refused to go alongside global sanctions regarding that Russian yatch there as well. None of these are US enemies like Iran or anything.

[Hindsight was 2020]

Grain of salt but there are rumblings that the Admiral Marakov the new flagship of the Black Sea fleet was sunk or badly damaged by the drone strike this morning in Sevastopol

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

The leftist president of Colombia retweeted an RT propagandist and commemorated a Colombian communist fighter who died for Russia.
https://twitter.com/petrogustavo/status/1586170190882119680

Can we just coup this moron already? The South American left are the most useless group of people on earth.

Colombia is our closest ally in South America so that’s not a great idea.

And even there the left is more aligned with the Global South left speech over the Western left one.

Wouldn’t say it’s “South American” as much as it is a Global South position overall. Even US established allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel have at minimum low-key expressed similar positions. Not to mention India, a key country for Russia these days. South Africa recently openly refused to go alongside global sanctions regarding that Russian yatch there as well. None of these are US enemies like Iran or anything.

If the (North)Western left treats these countries like enemies and has total enough control over foreign policy, eventually they will turn into enemies like Iran. If you treat someone like an enemy for a long enough period of time, they likely will turn into one. That's what happened with Russia...

[NOVA Green]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1586269146693926912
👀

Here's a little bit more.

https://twitter.com/CovertShores/status/1586301228673531907?s=20&t=8VjUOcF1V...

https://twitter.com/CovertShores/status/1586358192178601984?s=20&t=8VjUOcF1V...

Also looks like a Minesweeper was hit according to both Russian and Ukrainian sources.

Russia’s defense ministry on Saturday accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, the Russian-occupied peninsula that has been a key staging ground for President Vladimir V. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The ministry blamed “the Kyiv regime,” saying in a statement that the ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet were the target and that minor damage had been sustained by at least one Russian vessel, a minesweeper. It added that 16 drones were involved and that “all air targets” had been destroyed. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials, who have maintained a policy of official ambiguity about attacks far behind the front lines. The Russian claims could not be independently confirmed.

But a senior Ukrainian official said early indications were that the minesweeping vessel had been severely damaged, possibly beyond repair. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive military issues.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/29/world/russia-ukraine-war-news

[NOVA Green]

Ukraine has gained an advantage in the artillery war around Kherson...

But in recent months, the tide has turned along the front lines in southern Ukraine. With powerful Western weapons and deadly homemade drones, Ukraine now has artillery superiority in the area, commanders and military analysts say.

The contrast with the battlefield over the summer could not be starker. In the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, Russia fired roughly 10 artillery rounds for each answering shell from Ukrainian batteries. In Kherson now, Ukrainian commanders say the sides are firing about equal numbers of shells, but Ukraine’s strikes are not only longer range but more precise because of the satellite-guided rockets and artillery rounds provided by the West.

Falling rates of Russian fire also speak to ammunition shortages, he said. “There is an idea the Russian army is infinite, but it is a myth,” he said. “The intensity of fire has fallen by three times. It’s realistic to fight them.”

A main highway approaching Kherson city from the west has become a thoroughfare for Ukrainian artillery, with towed howitzers, truck-mounted howitzers and trucks laden with grad rockets rumbling by continually through the day.

American-provided M777 howitzers firing precision-guided shells and striking up to 20 miles behind Russian lines have forced the Russians to stage heavy equipment farther from the front.

After a recent Ukrainian assault using American M777 howitzers and High Mobility Artillery Rockets, Slovak Zuzana self-propelled artillery and Polish Krab self-propelled artillery, Mr. Muzyka said, citing Ukrainian military sources, heavily battered Russian artillery positions on one section of the Kherson front went silent for more than 48 hours.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/29/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-artillery.html

[jaichind]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-suspends-participation-deal-ukraine-grain-exports-tass-2022-10-29/

"Russia halts Ukraine Black Sea grain exports, citing attack on Crimea"

Russia said that this is due to a Ukraine drone attack on Crimea.

[jaichind]

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/russian-spies-hacked-liz-truss-phone/

"Russian spies 'hacked Liz Truss' phone', revealing 'secret negotiations with allies' and 'embarrassing criticisms of Boris Johnson'"

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Ukraine has gained an advantage in the artillery war around Kherson...

But in recent months, the tide has turned along the front lines in southern Ukraine. With powerful Western weapons and deadly homemade drones, Ukraine now has artillery superiority in the area, commanders and military analysts say.

The contrast with the battlefield over the summer could not be starker. In the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, Russia fired roughly 10 artillery rounds for each answering shell from Ukrainian batteries. In Kherson now, Ukrainian commanders say the sides are firing about equal numbers of shells, but Ukraine’s strikes are not only longer range but more precise because of the satellite-guided rockets and artillery rounds provided by the West.

Falling rates of Russian fire also speak to ammunition shortages, he said. “There is an idea the Russian army is infinite, but it is a myth,” he said. “The intensity of fire has fallen by three times. It’s realistic to fight them.”

A main highway approaching Kherson city from the west has become a thoroughfare for Ukrainian artillery, with towed howitzers, truck-mounted howitzers and trucks laden with grad rockets rumbling by continually through the day.

American-provided M777 howitzers firing precision-guided shells and striking up to 20 miles behind Russian lines have forced the Russians to stage heavy equipment farther from the front.

After a recent Ukrainian assault using American M777 howitzers and High Mobility Artillery Rockets, Slovak Zuzana self-propelled artillery and Polish Krab self-propelled artillery, Mr. Muzyka said, citing Ukrainian military sources, heavily battered Russian artillery positions on one section of the Kherson front went silent for more than 48 hours.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/29/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-artillery.html

That's pretty significant. Artillery is central to both Russian and Ukrainian military doctrine.

[Woody]

https://twitter.com/LogKa11/status/1584518008873308160
https://twitter.com/MarQs__/status/1586409993901080581
https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1586430901663285251

[Woody]

https://twitter.com/UnerkanntW/status/1584141220116168704

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Azeri_Mamedov/status/1569031326489280513

[HillGoose]

any chance we see NATO military escorts of ships transporting grain from Ukraine now?

[Logical]

Russian soldier tries to be a hero, fails miserably.
https://twitter.com/CalibreObscura/status/1586433948988887040

[NOVA Green]

Starting to look more plausible that the Ukrainian UAV and combined drone offensive against Russian Naval Vessels around Sevastopol, might have actually also hit a Russian Frigate as well as another vessel.

Also, looks like Russia is covering up the extent of the hybrid assaults against multiple Naval Vessels from UAVs to Drones, and actually not totally implausible that initial reports of the the Admiral Makarov might have gotten hit as well...

Free site (Non-Paywall)... selective quotes.

The largest city in Crimea and the home of Russia's Black Sea Fleet woke up to heavy explosions and anti-aircraft fire during an attack Russian officials say included aerial drones and especially unmanned surface vessels (USV), both of which were 'suicide' or 'kamikaze' types mean to explode when they arrive at their targets.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have since released incredible footage purportedly from aboard several unmanned surface vessels used in the attack. The video shows the purported attack run on a guided missile frigate and Russian forces engaging the USVs with machine-gun fire.

The low-light footage clearly shows a Project 11356R Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate — one of Russia's most modern and powerful warships — underway, as well as Sevastopol harbor. There are reports that the Admiral Makarov, reportedly the Black Sea Fleet's new flagship after the Project 1164 Slava-class cruiser Moskva sank in April, was damaged in the attack. At this time, The War Zone cannot independently confirm reports about damage to the Admiral Makarov, though the low-light footage from the USV appears to show it getting very close to the missile frigate before cutting to other video of the harbor and an explosion on CCTV.

Another video released appears to corroborate separate footage that showed a Russian Mi-8'Hip' helicopter engaging a target off the coast. The USV is moving pretty quickly through the waves and heavy machine-gun fire, at one point only barely missing a small harbor patrol boat before a distant CCTV camera shows its likely demise out at sea.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraine-unleashes-mass-kamikaze-drone-boat-attack-on-russias-black-sea-fleet-headquarters

[NOVA Green]

Russian propaganda channels continue to spew racist stereotypes against "Black People" from earlier today...

Apparently they are only slightly lower than "Poles"...

Still can't believe there are Putin apologists floating around on this joint, although some attempt to mask their true affiliations....

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1586478985575268353?s=20&t=jbQvW90z...

[NOVA Green]

Meanwhile another Russian Military enlistment office gets firebombed at the hands of individual(s) slinging Molotov Cocktail...

Interestingly enough, the term Molotov Cocktail was actually coined by the Finns during the "Winter War" after Stalin invaded way back early on during WW II.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_cocktail#:~:text=A%20Molotov%20cocktail%20(among%20several,sealed%20with%20a%20cloth%20wick).

https://zona.media/news/2022/10/28/kemerovo

Meanwhile The Clash with a "Two Tone" and "Dub Reggae" influenced musical vibe sings "Straight to Hell", while talking about the "Volatile Molotav says" at 3:51 into the official music video.

[NOVA Green]

Yet another story about how Senior Russian Officers threaten violence against their subordinates who are refusing to obey orders...

Non Paywall link at bottom of thread, but you might need to select the "translate to English" option if prompted, unless you can read Russian.

Excerpts from much longer article....

On October 13, the commander of Russian forces in the Svatovo region, Colonel-General Alexander Lapin, put a pistol to the head of the mobilized 26-year-old lieutenant Dmitry Vodnev, who withdrew his company from shelling in the village of Kolomyychikha, and demanded to return to the front line. Since then, Vodnev has been kept locked up in the commandant's office in Valuyki, although no official charges have been brought against him. Mediazona spoke with an eyewitness to this incident, Private Nikita Pavlov, and tracked down the father of Lieutenant Vodnev. They told in detail about what happened near Svatovo.

Last week, Mediazona received an appeal from a mobilized from the 423rd Yampolsky motorized rifle regiment . 23-year-old Muscovite, father of two young children, Nikita Pavlov, told the story of the retreat from Svatovo to his wife, who made a document from his words. Most likely, the appeal was also received in the publication Sota , it published excerpts on October 26. Mediazona spoke with Pavlov.

The Muscovite received the summons the day after the announcement of mobilization - September 22. He was assigned to the 2nd platoon of the 1st company of the 1st battalion of the 423rd regiment, which is stationed in Naro-Fominsk. The recruits did not pass a medical examination or sufficient combat training, and the AK-74M issued to Pavlov turned out to be unsuitable for firing due to damage and rust. Already on September 28, the mobilized were sent to a military camp near Belgorod.

In early October, they were transferred to the city of Svatovo in the Russian-controlled part of the Luhansk region, and on the 9th they ended up on the front line near the village of Kolomyychikha - “this is already the front line, where it was the hottest” - and settled in hangars with tractors.

https://zona.media/article/2022/10/29/lapin

[2952-0-0]

Russian propaganda channels continue to spew racist stereotypes against "Black People" from earlier today...

I'm not sure about the purpose of this racism: are they admitting that "black people" are smarter and tougher warriors than the glorious, invincible Russian army?