Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[Woody]

https://twitter.com/JulianRoepcke/status/1630921768729731072

If true, a high risk, high reward play by Ukraine.

Zelensky apparently wants everyone in the city to have the same fate as the 6th Army in Stalingrad.

[Woody]

https://twitter.com/JulianRoepcke/status/1630921768729731072

If true, a high risk, high reward play by Ukraine.

Zelensky apparently wants everyone in the city to have the same fate as the 6th Army in Stalingrad.

Even if that is what ends up happening (it is still possible Ukraine is just able to break the siege outright with additional forces), remember that the 6th Army holding out in Stalingrad tied up enough Soviet forces long enough for the Germans extricate their forces from the North Caucasus and gather strength for successful counter-offensives in the Kharkov area at the start of 1943.

They lost almost a quarter million in that encirclement alone, I don't think that was a good trade. Also, that was the reason they had to leave the Caucasus in the first place, lol.

[Woody]

https://twitter.com/JulianRoepcke/status/1630921768729731072

If true, a high risk, high reward play by Ukraine.

Zelensky apparently wants everyone in the city to have the same fate as the 6th Army in Stalingrad.

Even if that is what ends up happening (it is still possible Ukraine is just able to break the siege outright with additional forces), remember that the 6th Army holding out in Stalingrad tied up enough Soviet forces long enough for the Germans extricate their forces from the North Caucasus and gather strength for successful counter-offensives in the Kharkov area at the start of 1943.

They lost almost a quarter million in that encirclement alone, I don't think that was a good trade. Also, that was the reason they had to leave the Caucasus in the first place, lol.

This may all be true, and some good points here and there. But what's to say that the Russians don't already have enough men to defend the south and at the same time siege Bakhmut? They have been heavily fortifying from the settlements of Polohy to Tokmak and Melitpol, and have huge reserves near Mariupol. The assault groups being slaughtered in Vuhledar is a drop in the puddle compared to the share size they have behind those frontlines.

[Woody]

Reportedly fighting happening right now in Khromove, so we might see Bakhmut being both physically and operationally encircled in the span of 24 hours.

[Storr]

A video with a perspective I haven't seen shared in this war before:

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1630913565073764359?s=20

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1630903076314906624?s=20

[Logical]

A video with a perspective I haven't seen shared in this war before:

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1630913565073764359?s=20

Another reason why Russian casualties are so high. Instead of being evacuated like proper armies do, Andryuha is freezing his ass off in a shell crater for two days. He's probably as good as dead.

[Woody]

That crew shockingly survived. Very lucky in comparison to other guys who got slaughtered over there. The video is viral in Russia rn:

https://twitter.com/DefMon3/status/1630991452216983563

[Woody]

https://twitter.com/DefMon3/status/1630996372026523677
https://twitter.com/DefMon3/status/1630996973154172938
https://twitter.com/WarMonitor3/status/1630939193835651072
https://twitter.com/NeilPHauer/status/1630986026880495617

[Woody]

UA General Staff includes Khromove in the list of settlements under attack.

https://mobile.twitter.com/M0nstas/status/1631016870915592208?cxt=HHwWoMC-2fvMxK...

[Hindsight was 2020]

NYT out with an article on the Battle of Vuhledar and it went worse for Russia than previously believed. Russia lost 130 tanks and armored vehicles in this fight while Ukraine suffered little armored casualties as they just blew apart Russian wave attacks with artillery. An the sources for the Russian side paint a picture of the Lt General behind the tactics in trouble with the Kremlin
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/world/europe/ukraine-russia-tanks.html

[Storr]

Two members of DPR tank crew (who look quite young) captured:

https://twitter.com/666_mancer/status/1630891666549751809?s=20

[Storr]

That crew shockingly survived. Very lucky in comparison to other guys who got slaughtered over there. The video is viral in Russia rn:

https://twitter.com/DefMon3/status/1630991452216983563

It's good to hear that all of the members of that Russian tank crew survived. I certainly don't support Russia in this conflict. But, that doesn't mean I've stopped being human. I wish there was no war in the first place, but as it has been going on, I've hoped for the fewest numbers of deaths as possible.

[Woody]

Magyar: "The price for holding 'Fortress Bakhmut' is high"... "we're holding the flanks so far" - Implies a withdrawal should be made

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1630979007142297622

[Storr]

“"It’s like the first world war … The Russians throw their people in so they can symbolically take the city. It’s terrible. And the place no longer exists.” It had become another Mariupol, the once flourishing city on the Sea of Azov, pulverised last spring by Russian bombs, he said."

https://twitter.com/shashj/status/1630850601230761985?s=20

With the continually worsening situation around Bakhmut, I can't help but worry that if Ukraine doesn't retreat soon, its troops could get surrounded and stuck in the city center. I don't want to have another Mariupol like siege situation. Def Mon, whose tweets Woodbury shared isn't some Russian stooge, he's very Pro-Ukrainian. He's one of the best twitter based military analysts out there. If he thinks it's time for the Ukrainians to withdrawal from Bakhmut, then I agree.

https://twitter.com/Fhotec/status/1631051949180157952?s=20

[jaichind]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-01/russian-airlines-fly-airbus-boeing-jets-despite-sanctions

"Russian Airlines Are Flying High Despite Sanctions"



There is a downside.  Since these planes are now Frankenstein of various undocumented parts, re-selling these plans will be tough so this is a net economic loss to Russian airlines on the long run.  But in the meantime Russian airlines continue to fly.

[lfromnj]

So this guy has an interesting idea on Bakmut
https://mobile.twitter.com/secretsqrl123/status/1630776302868340737
https://mobile.twitter.com/secretsqrl123/status/1630777045910167552
https://mobile.twitter.com/secretsqrl123/status/1630777576741273606

Casualties are unlikely to be favorable to Ukrainians under the current positions of being surrounded on 3 sides with only limited supplies coming through even if Russia is doing aggressive assaults.

[Hindsight was 2020]

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1631080858718224385
It seems Russia’s idea of overhauling there military structure to fix the issues they have been having isn’t going to be possible

[Badger]

That crew shockingly survived. Very lucky in comparison to other guys who got slaughtered over there. The video is viral in Russia rn:

https://twitter.com/DefMon3/status/1630991452216983563

It's good to hear that all of the members of that Russian tank crew survived. I certainly don't support Russia in this conflict. But, that doesn't mean I've stopped being human. I wish there was no war in the first place, but as it has been going on, I've hoped for the fewest numbers of deaths as possible.

I call bs. If they survived, that means they can still fight and inflict pain and death upon ukrainians. I don't support killing for killing sake, obviously, but this is war and an army of imperialist invasion committing war crimes on a mass scale. I wish death or combat usefulness destroying wounds on every single one of them until the war is over, as it should be.

[CanadianDemocrat]

At of the end of February 2023, Russia occupies 16.67% of Ukrainian territory:

https://twitter.com/War_Mapper/status/1630737112956825603?s=20

I'm surprised the Kherson area liberated last November represented only 0.64% of Ukrainian territory. It looked a lot bigger than that on the map.

Unfortunately the Kherson oblast on the side of the Dnipro river that Ukraine liberated, is only around 30% of the oblast.

[Hindsight was 2020]

Just a reminder of what a political blunder this invasion was for Russia
https://mobile.twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1631128685397921795

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1631108391362785280?s=20

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1631078941887700993?s=20

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

Ukraine brought a disabled Russian tank in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin.  It seems counterprotesters start to put flowers on the tank.

https://twitter.com/godbjorn/status/1630532519400468487

[Woody]

https://twitter.com/ArthurM40330824/status/1631206276037222400
https://twitter.com/nytimesworld/status/1631175786551025664