Ukraine Watch...

[UndercoverElephant]

has the hardware

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-62512681

What are Himars missiles and are they changing the war?

[PS_RalphW]

I saw a report that Ukraine has built wooden dummy HImars launchers to divert Russian missile strikes from the real ones, and this may explain why Russia claims to have destroyed more Himars than the US has supplied.

[PS_RalphW]

The media is mostly keeping very quiet about the counter offensive towards Kherson, apart from Russian u tube videos destroying some Ukrainian hardware. However the Bbc is sounding quite bullish with talk of extending the counter offensive to the Donbas in the east. There is so little reporting it is making me quite nervous about the amount of progress or lack of it.

[UndercoverElephant]

There is so little reporting it is making me quite nervous about the amount of progress or lack of it.

I don't think we can conclude that from a lack of reporting. It reminds me of the situation on D-day, when the Germans had been so successfully hoodwinked into believing the offensive would come at Calais or Belgium that when they sighted the actual invasion force off the Normandy coast they believed it was fake. Best to keep your enemy guessing.

[kenneal - lagger]

I think that they will draw as many troops away from the Donbas as they can and then counter attack there. Then as the Russians send forces back to Donbas they will step up in Kherson and the south. The more Russian troops there are "on the road" and not fighting the better for Ukraine. The longer it goes on the stronger Ukraine will get and the weaker Russia both in materiel and "trained" troop numbers.

[UndercoverElephant]

https://news.sky.com/story/russian-oil- ... w-12686753

The chairman of Russia's second largest oil producer has died after falling from a hospital window in Moscow, according to reports in the country.

Ravil Maganov, who was also vice president at Lukoil, had openly criticised the war in Ukraine.

[PS_RalphW]

It appears the Ukrainian strategy in Kherson is

1. Blow the bridges to stop resupplies
2. Hit the ammunition dumps
3. Take out the air defence units
4. Use cheap drones as spotters for artillery behind the front lines or to carry grenade bombs directly to soften up the enemy

To be followed by

5 send in the tanks?

[adam2]

Ukraine urgently some significant progress before winter sets in.
European support for Ukraine is still FAIRLY solid. Support will start to wobble when the first German or French baby dies of the cold. (Or is reported or alleged to have died of the cold, even if later found to have perished of natural causes)

[Mark]

European support for Ukraine is still FAIRLY solid. Support will start to wobble when the first German or French baby dies of the cold. (Or is reported or alleged to have died of the cold, even if later found to have perished of natural causes)

Or a British baby ?
You think our support is total regardless of what happens at home ?
We don't know whether the new PM will be as pro Ukraine as BoJo...

Sorry Adam2, that post is just more anti-European clap-trap.

[adam2]

France and Germany are the de facto rulers of the EU, therefore the death of a French or German baby will be of far greater political significance than a British baby.
Also, most brits, IME blame high energy prices not on the war, but on fat cat energy companies.

Also the UK has some gas of its own, very limited but better than France or Germany.

I believe that the great majority of the UK population support Ukraine and expect that the new PM will have broadly similar views and policies to the last one.

[Vortex2]

So did that failed Ukrainian boat-based commando raid yesterday on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant really happen?

Either way, why is there so little Western coverage of this claimed incident?

https://news.yahoo.com/fighting-erupts- ... p_catchall

[Vortex2]

The Kherson offensive by the Ukrainians may come at a heavy cost.

The Ukrainians seem to be losing a lot of men, with little progress so far.

https://www.archyde.com/kherson-counter ... an-forces/

[PS_RalphW]

For every post you link talking of heavy Ukrainian losses I could post one reporting heavy Russian losses. I doubt any of them are based on any knowledge of what is really happening on the ground. I do watch some short u tube videos that analyse drone footage of skirmishes and satellite photos of damaged bridges, etc. I put more faith in daily Mod reports, and feedback from recognised journalists from countries whose aliegence is clearly understood. (I don’t pretend that any country is neutral in this war).

The Russian advances have almost completely stalled. It is too early to judge if Ukraine can retake territory or capture large numbers of Russian troops.

[PS_RalphW]

So did that failed Ukrainian boat-based commando raid yesterday on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant really happen?

Either way, why is there so little Western coverage of this claimed incident?

https://news.yahoo.com/fighting-erupts- ... p_catchall

That yahoo report simply repeats Russian media reports. Reuters journalists reports increased Russian military activity in the area but no mention of Ukrainian forces. I see no evidence of a Ukrainian attack.

[Vortex2]

So did that failed Ukrainian boat-based commando raid yesterday on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant really happen?

Either way, why is there so little Western coverage of this claimed incident?

https://news.yahoo.com/fighting-erupts- ... p_catchall

That yahoo report simply repeats Russian media reports. Reuters journalists reports increased Russian military activity in the area but no mention of Ukrainian forces. I see no evidence of a Ukrainian attack.

What puzzles me is that there is no mocking of this false (?) story in the Western press.