Ukraine TVD, 8-19 FEB 23. The past 2 weeks of February saw the Russian Winter Offensive intensify as major pushes continued in Kreminna, Bakhmut, and Vuhledar. Russian made few gains, Ukrainian defenses continue to hold.
Donetsk OD. Donetsk Oblast remains the decisive OD for Russian Ground Forces. If Russian Airborne & Wagner Group units can complete their steady progress in Bakhmut in the coming weeks it increases the likelihood of a 2d Army Corps supported attack towards Siversk.
Bakhmut AO. Bakhmut remains the most critical Objective Point of Maneuver in the Ukrainian TVD. With the fall of Krasna Hora & Paraskovilka & steady advances west from Blahodatne, Russian forces are positioned to force a general withdrawal from Bakhmut.
Comment: I don’t know who this “Jomini of the West” guy is, but he puts out some good maps and even handed analysis of the war in Ukraine. He’s also pretty liberal with the military jargon. His twitter account provides many more annotated maps which require expansion in order to read… at least for my aging eyes. I’ve expanded his assessment and operational forecast from this map for easier reading.
This map puts the ongoing battle for Bakhmut in its proper perspective. Contrary to what many are saying, the taking Bakhmut has value to Russia and makes operational sense. It would be a necessary step to taking on the truly strategic objective of taking the fortress of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. That has been a Russian objective since last summer when they still held Izium and Lyman. The plan then was an attack south from Izium and north from Bakhmut or maybe even a wider envelopment of the heavily fortified Slovyansk/Kramatorsk area.
The battle for Bakhmut has been complicated by the intrigue between Prigozhin and the Kremlin generals. For months Prigozhin has beaten his Wagner PMC against the defenses of Bakhmut with massive losses for minor gains. His use of convict meat is reminiscent of scenes from World War Z. Prigozhin wanted Bakhmut real bad, but he recently admitted that it won’t happen anytime soon. It could also be that the salt and gypsum mines appealed to his oligarchic side. That would be even sadder than his pissing contest with Gerasimov and Shoigu. Ukrainian forces have also suffered large losses, but they pale in comparison to Russian losses.
I agree with Jomini of the West’s assessment that Bakhmut could very well fall despite the brave and defiant words of her defenders. The slow flanking of the city to the north and south could force the issue. The question is whether Ukraine will use some of their building reserves to reduce the Russian salients north and south of Bakhmut or be willing to withdraw from the city and preserve the reserves for a larger offensive this spring or summer.
TTG
I’ve been following the Bakhmut saga fairly closely off and on and fwiw I think you and Jiminy Cricket are likely correct that it will fall. This is recent – drones or artlly which exceeds the distances claimed? Or is the story range-free baloney from the Times sausage shop?
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/02/22/world/russia-ukraine-biden-news
Ukraine appears to attack deep into Russian-occupied territory.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine appears to have stepped up its assaults on positions deep into Russian-held territory, with nearly a dozen explosions reported overnight into Wednesday in the southern port city of Mariupol and explosions in other occupied parts of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, local residents and video.
The areas are outside the known range of the American-made HIMARS missile systems that Ukraine has in its arsenal. It is not the first time explosions have been reported deep behind enemy lines, but they raised questions about how Kyiv might have been able to target Russian positions at such a distance.
In the past, they have used drones, special operators working behind enemy lines and a vast network of partisans loyal to Kyiv.
In occupied areas of the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions, there were explosions throughout the night, and air defenses were at work, according to reports and video.
In Mariupol, which has been under the control of the Russians since they laid siege to the city in the spring, the exiled City Council reported at least 11 explosions. Russian forces have turned the city into a major garrison, because it was thought to be out of the range of HIMARS from the nearest Ukrainian stronghold around the ruined mining town of Vuhledar.
The number of strikes, their targets and the impact on Russian forces were not immediately known, although the Mariupol City Council said on Wednesday morning that one of the explosions had destroyed a Russian ammunition warehouse in the central district near the airport.
The Ukrainian General Staff said only that Ukraine’s air force had launched eight attacks on the temporary bases of Russian troops and two strikes on the positions of Russia’s anti-aircraft missile systems. It offered no details on the locations of the strikes.
The Russian-appointed local administrator, Oleg Morgun, claimed on his Telegram channel that everything was fine and that Russian air defense system shot down two Ukrainian drones attacking the city overnight.
Kyiv has been begging its Western allies for longer-range weapons to attack concentrations of Russian troops, supply lines, command centers and ammunition depots. While Ukrainian officials have expressed confidence that such weapons would soon arrive, military analysts said it was likely that they would be used on the battlefield before being announced to catch Russian forces by surprise.
Ukraine has used long-range attack drones to target Russian positions outside the known range of HIMARS.
F&L,
It could be Ukrainian drones in those longer range strikes. I know they’ve been using several homegrown kamikaze drones on the front lines. They could have modified some longer range recon drones like they did with those old Soviet designed jet drones. They may also have been making some of their Hrim-2 ballistic missiles. Those were developed before the war. Those were suggested for a couple of Crimea strikes in excess of 200 kilometers.
Thanks. In case anyone is interested, Col Lawrence Wilkerson has been interviewed for 32 minutes today. You will probably not like his point of view but he’s a professional. Sometimes I think the Pentagon pays it’s guys to go out and take every point of view under the sun so that the entire population finds something to live in the military. I myself agree with Wilkerson’s ideas here but consider war to be unpredictable. He says at the outset that the tank and f-16 aid on offer will have little to no effect, citing training times and fuel needs etc.
Col. Wilkerson on Ukraine, Nord Stream & the Cold War with China
https://youtu.be/6FvOBQSC6rQ
F&L,
I took the time to watch that interview. Oof. He reminds me of the old guy sitting at the bar bitching about how everything was rosy back in his day and kids these days have screwed every damned thing up. I move to the far end of the bar when I meet his type. I do think he made some good points about China, how they operate and how they want to operate.
His dismissal of the Abrams echos the complaints of most naysayers. The Abrams is a gas guzzler. Yes, so are all tanks. The Abrams gets .60 MPG. The Leopard gets .93 MPG. The T-90 gets .81 MPG. The Abrams has a range of 300 miles on a full tank, the Leopard and the T-90 get 340. Not that big a difference. The other argument is that the Abrams is too complicated. I never drove a T-90, but I was licensed on the T-55 and T-64. They were like driving the old 1934 IH dump truck with only half a working transmission on the poultry farm… damned difficult. I also drove a deuce and a half and the newer HEMTT. The HEMTT was far easier to drive. Modern military vehicles are a breeze to drive and enjoy excellent on board diagnostics with plug and play maintenance.
On the suitability of the F-16, Wilkerson may be a little closer to the truth, but I wouldn’t sell the Ukrainian pilots short. For a year they’ve flown in a combat environment far more hostile than anything our pilots have faced. They could teach our pilots a thing or two.
TTG
A 600-mile trench front line that Russia is unable to break through is so reminiscent of WWI. A stalemate that wasn’t broken even after the 1917 Russian Revolution until fresh American troops arrived with the sons and grandsons of veterans of the industrial slaughter of the US Civil War that had ended 53 years before. Prior experience, rolling barrages, air surveillance and tanks turned the tide that led to the Versailles Armistice, WWII 20 years later, and, once again, the proxy WWIII in Ukraine today.
The West does not have the manpower or material to intervene directly. The US Army failed to enlist its 2022 quota. The USA is mostly deindustrialized — manufacturing offshored to Asia and life expectancy is declining sharply. Europe too, industry is shutting down without access to cheap Russian natural gas.
Russia recognizes that NATO’s goal is its dismemberment and corporate access to its resources. Their fate depends on if they conduct a total mobilization or not and the support they receive from China and Iran. A naval left flank attack like Inchon, most likely, is not possible due to anti-naval missiles that have sunk Russian ships including the Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet. A right flank attack through Poland will start a nuclear war. Belarus may have vetoed an attack through its borders. Belarus railway workers went on strike a year ago to prevent Russia troop movement. Ukraine is extending its trenches on its borders to the north of the current line of contact.
Either Russia gathers all of its forces, armament and risks everything including the air force for a breakthrough like Patton in Normandy. Otherwise, the war drags on for years and ends badly or one mistake triggers a global nuclear war. The first Cold War avoided a nuclear holocaust by sure luck even with leaders that were mostly realists not ideologs like now.
Only a fair armistice and a manned DMZ like Korea can restore peace. It will come at the cost of the USA having to live within its means in a multi-polar world.
My guess as that Putin will push his troops as best he can at least until Nov 2024, in hopes for a Repub Press that will tuck tail and run fast out of Ukraine.
https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1628789238555607044?s=21
Dunno how the Spring offensives will turn out for each side. However, it appears to me that the Russian army is under pressure to turn the tides of their invasion which now looking more like a quagmire. Not sure how armies perform when under political pressure?
It also appears that with Biden’s visit to Kyiv and Poland he reiterated his administration’s conviction to continue to support the Ukrainian army. Additionally, Mitch McConnell is stating that the US should provide longer range artillery. That would imply a bipartisan consensus to continue to arm the Ukrainian army with more competitive weaponry. The implication it seems is that the US will be supporting the Ukrainian army at least until the next election.
Some of the correspondents here likely will not be happy but with Mitch wanting more competitive weaponry, at least for now both parties leadership in Congress are on board with Biden with respect to weapons support for the Ukrainian army.
I’m not a former CIA agent or tank commander. Just an old school enlisted Marine and later Combat Guard officer. My opinion doesn’t mean anything but it looks like nobody else’s does either at this point so…IMO dirt cheap weapons and bodies, lots and lots of cheap stuff and bodies will win this thing.
Whoever runs out of either of those first will lose. Tech weapons are nice but…NOT CHEAP. Can’t kill enough bodies to matter. I learned this valuable lesson on combat missions in Afghanistan. Cheap brown lamp wire and fertilizer explosives defeats high dollar MRAPS or whatever else. It really is this simple. I know this is very difficult for many to accept but this is how real attrition warfare works. Gotta have bodies. Lots and lots of bodies. NATO does not have it. Poland does not have it. They will die. Many Russians will also die but they do not care. This is the end for them. Ever fight to the death for something in your life? Not many understand this circumstance.
Babeltuap,
Very true. Many people fail to realize that both Russia and Ukraine suffered casualties in the millions in WWII. We may have a long, long way to go if the number of casualties is the only criteria. If Ukraine continues to tear up Russia’s ability to supply their units with ammo and other supplies, the casualty equation will shift dramatically.
Russia is producing cheap weapons 24/7. I have said this many times’; I do not like Russia but that is reality. If NATO is not producing on that level and throwing the same amount of bodies to the frontlines…not much more can be said. High tech weapons are amazing until you can’t produce them fast enough.
The same thing happened in WWII. Germany, far superior weapons but it was worthless. 5 tanks can take out one superior tank and the producer of the 5 can keep making them all freakin day…meh. Now what. The what is you lose. Better does not mean victory. A lot of bodies and garbage does.
Babeltuap,
A lot of countries are producing weapons and ammo 24/7 besides Russia, mostly artillery shells. The Russian defense industry is but a shadow of what it was in WWII, the 50s and 60s. They tried to go high tech under Putin, but the greedy oligarchs cheaped out, faked results and relied on Western parts and machine tools to do so.
Quantity then b/c quality?
Babelthuap –
I was just an old school enlisted Marine myself. I was brought up on tales of hubcap-to-hubcap Soviet artillery at Kursk. 13 months ago I would have said the same thing as you do now. I thought the Ukrainian Army would just be a small speed bump on Putin’s route to the Polish border.
But now? I can see that Putin is NOT Stalin – the Russian Army is NOT the Red Army. And that Russian defense industry production under oligarchs is NOT the same as when the Soviet ‘Ministry Of Armaments’ was run by giants like Ustinov. So this tune keeps bouncing around in my skull:
“Russia is NOT the Soviet Union”,
“Russia is NOT the Soviet Union”,
“Russia is NOT the Soviet Union”, …
Babeltaup I have you beat on inexperience. Ex E-5 w/no combat experience but a little (?) common sense. If you’ve got unlimited bodies to throw into the mixer ultimately you will win. Bodies trump hitech killin so Russia wins? Mebe, but the “Times they are a’changing” (I’m so old I helped Dylin write that tune). Do thousands and thousands of young Russian 18-24 year olds want Russian Empire so badly they will give their lives for it. Even though Russia invaded Ukraine domestic prop has turned Russian mothers into Ukrainian haters. Kill for mother Russia, kill for the Czar, kill for our Empire. We’ll show those Ukrainians who’s boss. American/Ukrainian haters (despite all their mumbo jumbo about Minsk, the Maiden, 2014) are hoping Russians will out kill Ukrainians. We’ll see. It takes but one demonstration in St Petersburg or Moscow. Hell no we wont go; Hey hey Vlady say, how many boys did you kill today … I remember something like that. Or maybe nothing has changed in the Russian soul. It remains the soul of a serf. Lives belong to the Czar, the Party, the state, the Emperor? How oriental.
Intereseting overview of small unit tactics employed by Wagner when assaulting Ukrainian defensive positions in the Bakhmut area.
https://twitter.com/Tatarigami_UA/status/1628289157461078018
There is an exceedingly detailed discussion of
how Russia’s warfighting doctrine differs from [that of] the West
in
“In The Spirit Of Russian ‘Total War’ ”
by “Simplicius The Thinker” :
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/in-the-spirit-of-russian-total-war
I am not competent to evaluate how fair or accurate it is, but Larry Johnson rates it highly:
https://sonar21.com/complex-comprehensive-analysis-from-simplicius76/
LJ says:
“Simplicius76 is an unidentified Substack writer who has written the best analysis I have seen of the tactical and strategic dimensions of the war in Ukraine and the upcoming Russian offensive.”
High praise.
Anyone care to venture their own opinion?
Keith Harbaugh,
That first article, “The spirit of Russian total war”, gives a litany of why Russian weaponry is so much better than Western equivalents. Wow. Many of us, myself included, saw some truth to this until this was put to the test over the last year. Simplicus even tries to tout the Russian logistical reliance on manual labor at railheads as superior to the Western use of palletization and forklifts. He also talks bout the spirit of the Russian Army and the Great Patriotic War without admitting that Ukrainians share the same depth of spirit and the Ukrainians, unlike the Russians, are now fighting in defense of their homeland. If you want to feel good about the Russian Army, this is a good article.
In another article he make a very good point about how numbers can deceive. This is true. It’s called the tooth to tail ratio and it applies to all military forces. The number of troops who actually do the fighting is dwarfed by the number of troops needed to support those combat troops. Again, he seems intent on making the reader feel good about the Russian Army despite last year’s evidence.
TTG,
I recall another Russian correspondent who used to post here regularly until the Ukrainian invasion. I recall him extolling the superiority of Russian weapons systems as well as their doctrine. He was rather condescending towards the US military and strategic policymakers considering them to empty suits in comparison to the top echelons in the Russian government and military.
Since I have no military expertise and am just a lay observer, I’m struck by the disconnect. Here we have a supposedly military “super power” with sophisticated weapons and a large army, yet they’ve not been able to subdue and defeat the much smaller and less equipped Ukrainian army after a year . The Russian army failed in their airborne assault on Hostomel airport as the invasion began. They don’t have air superiority yet. And the Russian army thrust from Belarus was effectively countered by the Ukrainian army.
Now they may pull a rabbit from the hat and takeovr
Sam,
I think you’re thinking of Patrick Armstrong. He stopped writing altogether after Putin invaded Ukraine. He, like many others, was saying Russia would never invade. In the last piece he wrote, he admitted he got it wrong and would do some rethinking. I would very much like to hear his thoughts now.
Patrick Armstrong, with one exception, stopped blogging in March 2022.
The one exception should interest TTG.
It is an obituary for Mikhail Gorbachev, which includes quite a lot of Armstrong’s views on the dissolution of the USSR.
https://patrickarmstrong.ca/2022/09/01/mikhail-gorbachev/
I should have added a link to Armstrong’s discussion of what he got wrong and why:
https://patrickarmstrong.ca/2022/03/18/what-i-got-wrong-and-why/
I agree it would be quite interesting to hear his more recent thoughts.
TTG,
It could also be Andrei Martynov. He was always posting with supposedly Russian military experience authority about how awesome the Russian weapons were and how much more superior they were to what the US has. Additionally, he regularly mocked US military leadership.
Admittedly, I too believed in the strength of the Russian military with all their hypersonic missiles and all. Must say, been shocked with their performance relative to how the much smaller Ukrainian army have performed with a hodge-podge of hand-me-downs and limited range artillery.
I recall an earlier post you did at the onset of the invasion where you noted about national resistance and defense of the homeland. It appears that is an important factor in the motivation & morale of an army.
TTG,
Patrick Armstrong even in his last post believed that Putin would achieve his aims of “disarming & denazifying” Ukraine and forcing them to not join NATO. And linking to Larry Johnson on how Putin’s army was slowly encircling without “civilian casualties and infrastructure destruction” Ukrainian forces and cities.
He got that wrong too!
Indeed, it would be interesting to read his current viewpoint, since the Russian army has severely under-performed in the first year of their invasion and Putin has not achieved any of his aims. Additionally, the Ukrainian army who he dismissed have given a serious black-eye to the Russian army and even beat them back in Kharkiv and Kherson regions.
blue peacock,
The blinders seemed to have fallen from Armstrong’s eyes in his last article before beginning a hiatus from writing, “What I got wrong and why.” Although he was still making excuses for Putin claiming Zelenskiy intended to turn Ukraine into a nuclear armed country, was harboring biological warfare labs and was about to roll over the DNR/LNR. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that, as of that writing, he was beginning to descend into a state of cognitive dissonance. He’s a smart and knowledgeable guy. I’d still like to hear what he’s thinking now.
Sam
It was probably Martianov.
He’s all about how the West knows nothing about real war and Russian military is this superior force and any moment now the Ukrainians will be defeated.
He’s blog is all about trash talk and his’s blogs comment section is abysmal.
So much hatred and bile in one place is not easy to find.
Patrick Armstrong on the other hand had some interesting articles back in the day.
He wrote not just about military issues but about events and changes in Russian society and politics.
It would be interesting to learn his thoughts about the impact on Russia and the general state of mind
of an average Russian, told from his perspective.
Him…Martianov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlQs6p1y7nI
Whitewall
yes, the glorified border guard who is a self proclaimed expert in all things Russian and military.
He has infected with his nonsense Larry Johnson and other members of their echo chamber.
Consider this quote from an article for a second:
“At no point since February 2022 has Ukraine been able to mount a counter attack against a numerically equal Russian force. Ukraine’s much ballyhooed offensive from last August/September was against an outnumbered group of military police and Russia managed to effect a professional tactical retreat.”
https://sonar21.com/americas-delusional-military-fantasy/
I’ve seen better attempts at “analysis” from random teenagers on the internet.
Keith Harbaugh,
The fact that Larry Johnson’s blog rates it highly is not much of a recommendation.
They all mostly publish feel good articles about supposed Russian moral and military supremacy and pat each other on the back. When you take a closer look at their “analysis” you find that it has more holes than swiss cheese and is for the most part totally divorced from what is actually happening on the ground.
Try to challenge them on any of this and you are automatically banned.
They write articles that cater to their pro Russian audience and make money off it.
wiz,
“They write articles that cater to their pro Russian audience and make money off it.”
IMO, you’re spot on. Very few want objective analysis or reporting. Most prefer information content that validate their bias. And there are those quite happy to oblige for a few bucks.
“b” @MoA is an excellent example, who has made a living off anti-Americanism for a decade or more, while enjoying the benefits of western society nicely perched in Western Germany.
I’m really curious why Larry Johnson is so pro-Russia? I would expect that if he were still at the CIA, he should have some counter-intel folks check up on it. But…with guys like Peter Strzok …it would appear we have amateurs doing CI.
I went back on this site one year and have noticed many contributors are gone and a dramatic change in tone of war coverage. The amount of anti America tilt on so many mentioned sites is hard to understand. Russia just seems to bring it out in people. Maybe the segment in the West that hated the Cold War ending has some part. Maybe the West winning also factors in. I don’t know.
“Russia was never so strong as it wants to be and never so weak as it is thought to be.” Attr. Winston Churchill.
Whitewall wrote:
“The amount of anti America tilt on so many mentioned sites is hard to understand.”
For the sake of specificity, could you state explicitly which are the “mentioned sites” in which you find “anti-American tilt”?
I can understand MoA can be so described, but I am not aware of any others.
Thank you.
Maybe the segment in the West that hated the Cold War ending has some part.
Yes, Whitewall, some of us indeed thought it was unfortunate to have only one empire dictating the rules, (the ‘benevolent empire’ with the power to punish who ever does not conform? Or anyone it does not like: Saddam, Ghaddafi, Putin, Assad. Hmm, Islamic Fundamentalism, cannot be beheaded, or hanged, drugs neither).
But Back to the Cold War: This bit of education never made it over here. Unfortunately?? We would have been taught something essential? Or, we both needed to be protected but were not really endangered? As many others living around the 800 US bases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60
Whose attack did the US prepare for? Japan? Revenge? Tit for tat? (do I need to add, irony alert?)
Or Russia? Why Russia? Because it too wanted the power to dictate the rules? To be able to do so, America had to be gone? American experts thought?
Who would/could have expected the present odd variation on the belated US Russia Neo-Cold-War power struggle? Russia trying to be more than what it is, more than simply another ‘regional power’? …
For me it is a very, very sad scenario, and no I am not a fan of Putin, but neither am a fan of Zelensky as practically almost everyone around me.
It may be that some of these blogs consider America to be at the center of today’s Empire of Evil and at a point of peak hubris. They long for nemesis to to punish the Evil and Hubris of the Empire. They believe that Russia is the bringer of this nemesis.
At least some of them do it from belief, not for money.
I think Naked Capitalism may be one of these blogs in its Russia-Ukraine war coverage and analysis. They keep running articles and analysises about why Russia is winning and will win and why Ukraine and NATO and America are losing and deserve to lose. On this particular issue their comments are mostly maintained as an Amen Corner.
One supposes supporters of the Russia-is-losing view could try commenting over there as a sort of Radio Free Naked Capitalism concept.
The very first article I read here on Turcopolier one year ago by Larry Johnson:
https://turcopolier.com/what-is-really-going-on-ukraine-an-alternative-scenario/
Things have changed
Whitewall,
Yes, things have changed. LJ’s “alternative scenario” has been mugged by reality for a year now. But back in 2014 I wrote that I was damned near certain that Russian tanks would be rolling across Ukraine to the Dnieper and beyond in a matter of days. Not one of us is a Nostradamus.
The very first article I read here on Turcopolier one year ago by Larry Johnson:
That was a little more than 4 years after L.J. showed up here as Russiagate, covid and stolen election conspiracy expert, in Dec. 2018, authoritatively with ample allusions to his deep throat insiders. I admittedly was a bit skeptical. Jacob Dreizin, who started his blog in early 2021 shared his views on the stolen in election and may in fact have been one of those. In an interview, he claims to work for an agency.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/03/whitey-tape-blogger-was-one-source-of-uk-wiretap-claim.html
Things have changed
Yes. Curious. … Never in its history has this blog been so mainstream. But then it follows one of the craziest 4 years of its existence starting with Trump and Russiagate.
Moldova dismisses Russia report of Ukraine plot over Transdniestria
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/moldova-dismisses-russian-report-ukraine-plot-over-transdniestria-2023-02-23/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&utm_term=022323
Russia attempted a “false flag” incident in Moldova.
Al
Russian position in Transdniestria is very weak. Makes no sense for them to try and start sh*t up there. Not at this point in time, at least.
Arestovich on the other hand says that Moldova has but to ask and Ukraine will “solve” the issue in 3 days.
Transdniestria is a good hostage. If the situation on the front worsens for Ukraine and the US decides to send troops to Odessa, the fact that there are a few thousand Russian troops there could give Putin a way to save face.
He could always say, “Look, we couldn’t stop the Americans cause they would have killed our troops in Transdniestria”.
Like they “saved lives” by withdrawing from Kherson.
Re: Patrick Armstrong
Rumour has it that Mr. Armstrong stopped writing his blog Russia Observer after a visit from Canadian government security officials who made it clear that to continue writing could have serious consequences for him. Something to do with his pension?
Mr. Armstrong seems to confirm this coercion on March 19, 2022 in the notes at the About section of Russia Observer where he turns down Eva Bartlett’s request for an interview noting that, unlike her, he still lives in Canada and has learned that because he is “a tool of Russia and a liar”, his bank accounts can be frozen on a whim.
This kind of financial coercion against individuals could be one explanation for the Canadian media’s blanket adoption of the official “narrative” about Russia and Ukraine. No alternative views allowed, it seems.
PW, “Rumour”…”it seems” ? Hardly very affirmative!
LeaNder,
So I am right. Cold War, Russia, USA IS the sore spot. Too bad.
USA IS the sore spot.
Ah, well yes, Whitewall. As Andrew Markovits wrote around 2004/5 (?) Anti-Americanism and Anti-Semitism are twin brothers, and as a slightly left leaning member of a society with a notorious past in this context, I am even more likely to lean in that direction, than Europeans (or worse Europeans on the left) generally. I vividly recall Americans were warned to travel to Europe at the time. The maybe still should be. 😉
You are quite mysterious and I have read you for quite a while. I live in North Carolina and always have so far. Can I assume you live in Europe now? Your point of view says so.
BTW, in my short paragraph above about winning the Cold War, you did catch that I wrote “the West won”?
Whitewall,
I did catch you wrote “the West won”. Where ‘the West’ stands for America, represented by Reagan and his SDI initative.
I am German, living in Cologne, Köln in German. …
LeaNder,
You mean Germany wasn’t on our side in the Cold War? Both of them or just one? Which does make one over here wonder whose side Ukraine is on now.
Fred, one of us was necessarily Moscow’s model students, considering context.
But Pavolovian responses aside, will MAGA help to shut up the inner anti-Americans for good? And will the MAGA maker return?
LeaNder,
Like sacred obligations to Ukraine and the defense of her borders established by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Unionin 1954 … Oh, wait, that sounds too much like what one of Putin’s Puppets would say.
The MAGA maker? Well that’s everyone who believes in the Dream that is America, not just some guy running for office.
Keith,
I have seen a few….’Rybar’, ‘Grey Zone’, and ‘Reverse Side of the Medal’.
https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/24/2154211/-The-Ukraine-war-is-a-story-about-logistics-and-it-s-still-playing-out-one-year-in
Interesting piece! Logistics and its disruption it appears have played a large role in the Russian invasion and Ukrainian defense. There’s some logic to the view that the Ukrainian army will not launch their counter-offensive until they receive and field the maneuver systems shipped from the west.
The question is have the Russian army drummed up additional forces to deploy beyond their major concentration in the South-East?
Sam; what is/are “maneuver systems’?