Thread: Russia launches Ukraine invasion

Wagner Chief Claims Complete Capture of Bakhmut

Russia's private army Wagner claimed Saturday the total control of the east Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the epicenter of fighting, as Kyiv said the battle was continuing but admitted the situation was "critical".


Bakhmut, a salt mining town that once had a population of 70,000 people, has been the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle in Moscow's more than year-long Ukraine offensive.


The fall to Russia of Bakhmut, where both Moscow and Kyiv are believed to have suffered huge losses, would have high symbolic value.


If confirmed, Bakhmut's loss would allow Moscow to bring home a victory after a series of humiliating defeats.


It would also come before a major counteroffensive that Kyiv has been preparing for months.


The announcement by Wagner came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in the G7 summit in Japan.


The mercenary group's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed the city had fallen to his mercenaries in a video posted on Telegram, in which fighters held Russian flags on the backdrop of ruins.


"Today on May 20, around midday, Bakhmut was taken in its entirety," Prigozhin said in the video, adding that Wagner fighters would search the captured city before handing it over to the official Russian army.


"By May 25 we will completely examine (Bakhmut), create the necessary lines of defense and hand it to the military," Prigozhin said. "We ourselves will go into field camps."


Artillery sound could be heard in the background of Prigozhin's video.


Ukraine, which earlier this month claimed successes in and around Bakhmut, said the fighting for the city was ongoing.


"Heavy fighting in Bakhmut. The situation is critical," deputy defense minister Ganna Malyar posted on Telegram.


She said Ukrainian troops were "holding the defense" in the city's "Airplane area".


"As of now, our defenders control certain industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area," she said.


It was not possible for AFP to verify either claims.


'Bakhmut meat grinder'
Wagner has spearheaded the fight for Bakhmut and is believed to have suffered huge losses in the months-long storming of the city.


"The operation to capture Bakhmut — the Bakhmut meat grinder — lasted 224 days," Prigozhin said, wearing a camouflage uniform.


Prigozhin, embroiled in an increasingly public fight with the official Russian army, said Moscow's losses would have been far smaller if it was not for incompetent generals.


He has long complained about Wagner not being given the appropriate amount of ammunition.


"There was only Wagner here (in Bakhmut)," he said in the video. "We fought not only the Ukrainian army here, we fought Russian bureaucracy."


He did not reveal how many Wagner fighters have died in Bakhmut but said losses were "five times higher" due to Russia's military leadership.


He blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov for turning the offensive into "their own amusement".


"One day in history they will pay for their actions," Prigozhin said.


Wagner ranks included an unknown number, believed to be high, of ex-convicts after Prigozhin toured Russian prisons last year to attract prisoners, promising them an amnesty upon their return should they survive.


"The generals, ex-employees of law enforcement, of the FSB (security service) and the former convicts were active here as one team," Prigozhin said.


He has recently delivered unprecedented attacks against Moscow's military leadership.


The front in eastern Ukraine was largely frozen until last winter, with much of the fighting taking place around Bakhmut.


The two camps are now awaiting a counteroffensive announced by Ukrainian authorities who are backed by Western arms deliveries.


Zelensky has said recently that his army needs more time before launching the assault.

Wagner Chief Claims Complete Capture of Bakhmut - The Moscow Times

Originally Posted by S Landreth

“We can see that Western countries continue to stick to an escalation scenario, which carries enormous risks for them. In any case, we will take it into account when making plans. We have all the necessary means to achieve our goals,” Grushko said.

Your invasion of the Ukraine as you are finding out carries far greater risks Comrade Grushko.
The Ukraine will get F-16s and make what you thought would an quick low risk venture a catastrophe to you and your boss's regime.

Originally Posted by Norton

The Ukraine will get F-16s and make what you thought would an quick low risk venture a catastrophe to you and your boss's regime.

I relish the day that the F-16's are in the sky over Ukraine. The Israeli's have been able to develop countermeasures against the S-300/400 and the ruzzians have failed to hit their F16's.

In first, Russian military said to fire S-300 missiles at Israeli jets over Syria | The Times of Israel

After Ukraine recently claimed to have repelled multiple Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, Russia has "never looked weaker," a defense and nuclear strategy researcher told Sky News on Thursday.

Fabian Hoffmann, a doctoral research fellow at the Oslo Nuclear Project, told UK's Sky News in an interview that — when it comes to firing missiles — militaries on the offensive are generally thought to have the upper hand. In this case, however, the "offense-defense balance" is being "turned upside down."

"This is a truly remarkable development," he said of Russia's drawn-out and bloody invasion of Ukraine.

This comes after Ukrainian officials recently said it shot down multiple Russian Kinzhal missiles with the support of a US-made Patriot air defense system. Insider has not been able to independently verify the claim.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously called the missiles "undefeatable." Insider has reported that the vulnerability of their missiles is likely a surprise and embarrassment for Russia, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.

Russia subsequently claimed it destroyed one Patriot air defense system in Kyiv, although Ukraine denies this. —Fabian Hoffmann (@FRHoffmann1) May 17, 2023

Furthermore, Hoffmann believes Russia's military position will only get worse because it has used all of the equipment in its arsenal, he told Sky.

"Russia also appears to have lost or is in the process of losing, its advantage in long-range strike capabilities. Russian missiles are intercepted en masse, while Ukraine has finally started to receive its own long-range strike capabilities with the British Storm Shadow."

More broadly, given Ukraine's recent successes in reclaiming territory, and their increased support from international allies, Russia has "never looked weaker in this war than right now" because its "winter offensive has failed abysmally," the expert said.

After writing, "If I was a Russian nuclear strategist today, I would be very worried," on Twitter on Tuesday, Hoffman later addressed and outlined some of the contentions surrounding the Russian missiles and Ukraine's defense systems.

Even so, "Prior to the war, I would have expected such a multi-vector attack to end in a disaster for the defender, Patriot or not. The fact that Ukraine was able to defend this attack is amazing, in my opinion, whether the final interception rate is 90% or 100%," he wrote.

https://www.businessinsider.com/russ...ts-says-2023-5

Originally Posted by bsnub

I relish the day that the F-16's are in the sky over Ukraine.

Personally, I don't see the F-16 as a panacea for air superiority in Ukraine. I can't see them dislodging the Mig31 unless some sort of countermeasure is already known. Russian SAM sites are also a major concern when it comes to providing ground support.

Originally Posted by Troy

Personally, I don't see the F-16 as a panacea for air superiority in Ukraine. I can't see them dislodging the Mig31 unless some sort of countermeasure is already known. Russian SAM sites are also a major concern when it comes to providing ground support.

That's what I hear from our local "experts".

Helicopters and planes should stay away from the frontlines, as long as the air defences are functional.


Can still be used when fighting "brown" people though.

Originally Posted by Troy

I can't see them dislodging the Mig31 unless some sort of countermeasure is already known.

What has the Mig-31 done in Ukraine aside from getting shot down? The ruzzians sure have not used them to achieve air superiority. So what makes you think they will use them to attempt to take on the F-16's? I think they will continue to do what they have done since the war started. Sitting safely on the ruzzian side of the border.

Originally Posted by Troy

Russian SAM sites are also a major concern when it comes to providing ground support.

SAM sites are always a concern, but the Ukrainians have been attriting them for months on the battlefield with HARM missiles, an effort that would intensify with the arrival of F-16's. The Israeli F-16's have been attacked by Russian S-300/400, and they employed effective countermeasures. In short, they were not afraid of them, and it does not stop them from flying into Syria.

Originally Posted by helge

That's what I hear from our local "experts".

Right.

Originally Posted by helge

Helicopters and planes should stay away from the frontlines, as long as the air defences are functional.

That is not how the US fights war. As usual, you are completely clueless. If NATO was fighting this war, there would be no ruzzian planes or SAM sites left in the first week of the war.

Originally Posted by helge

Can still be used when fighting "brown" people though.

The ruzzian army of today is basically the battlefield equivalent to the Iraq army of the first Gulf War. BTW, many of those fighting in the ruzzian army are brown dipshit.

Originally Posted by bsnub

What has the Mig-31 done in Ukraine aside from getting shot down?

The only Mig-31 loss I'm aware of is a runway excursion. See link below.

Meanwhile, it is the Mig31 that has been shooting down Ukraine fighters with the longer range missile.

List Of Aircraft Losses During The 2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine - Oryx

Originally Posted by Troy

The only Mig-31 loss I'm aware of is a runway excursion. See link below.

You are right there. It was an SU-35 that got shot down over Ukraine, but let's be honest here, the ruzzians are not flying their SU-35's and Mig-31's into Ukraine.

Originally Posted by Troy

Meanwhile, it is the Mig31 that has been shooting down Ukraine fighters with the longer range missile.

From the safety of ruzzia.

I would like to hear why you feel the Mig-31 is superior to an F-16. I do not think it is at all, the reality is that the F-16 has been in a state of constant upgrade for its entire existence, something that can not be said for its ruzzian competition. Furthermore, I think, a skilled pilot in an F-16 would win in a dogfight every time. However, I doubt that will happen because I do not think the ruzzian's will dare to fly too far into Ukrainian airspace because they would be facing one of the better ADA networks in Europe currently. Ukraine can operate its F-16's safely within Ukraine and use them in many different ways.

Originally Posted by bsnub

I would like to hear why you feel the Mig-31 is superior to an F-16. I do not think it is at all, the reality is that the F-16 has been in a state of constant upgrade for its entire existence, something that can not be said for its ruzzian competition.

They are completely different aircraft with different roles. The Mig-31 is not going to get into any dog fight with an F-16, that's not its role. It is the complete package that needs to be compared. The Mig-31 has two crew with a dedicated radar/weapons officer. It has a very good Radar/weapon system that can deal with long range targets and has AWACs giving it a good air picture. That is a dangerous opponent for any aircraft. Combine it with a good ground defence system and it makes it very difficult for ground support aircraft.

Originally Posted by Troy

That is a dangerous opponent for any aircraft.

So why are they not flying them over Ukraine? Why have they not used the aircraft to secure air superiority?

Originally Posted by Troy

Combine it with a good ground defence system and it makes it very difficult for ground support aircraft.

The point I was making is that the ground defense systems in occupied territory is not "good" it has been being degraded steadily by HARM missiles for months and the F-16's would only accelerate that degradation.

Originally Posted by bsnub

So why are they not flying them over Ukraine? Why have they not used the aircraft to secure air superiority?

Various reasons, Ukraine SAM sites and Russian Air Force being over cautious as well as failing to use its assets in the most effective way.

This is a good report worth reading.

https://static.rusi.org/SR-Russian-A...-web-final.pdf

Originally Posted by Troy

ussian Air Force being over cautious as well as failing to use its assets in the most effective way.

I would say that is an understatement at this point, but you do seem to be more conservative in your comments, I do respect that as you are a no BS poster.

Originally Posted by Troy

This is a good report worth reading.

Downloaded and I will read it in the morning when I have sobered up. Thanks.

Ukraine reports striking Russian occupation HQ in Berdiansk

Ukraine has executed a strike at a Russian occupation headquarters in Berdiansk, the Zaporizhzhia region, according to the Ukrainian military.


“We have successfully hit a Russian HQ in Berdiansk. The enemy’s losses are to be clarified,” reads the statement.


The occupation “authorities” of the Zaporizhzhia region reported earlier that the city had been hit with British Storm Shadow missiles. The attack claimed no lives, says Vladimir Rogov, a local occupation official.


The UK has supplied Storm Shadow, long-range air-launched cruise missiles, to Ukraine, about a week and half ago.


The missile’s range is 250 km. A source told CNN that this projectile “a real game changer from a range perspective”. According to the TV channel, the maximum range of the missiles that were previously exported to Ukraine stands at 80 km.


“Critically, the Storm Shadow has the range to strike deep into Russian-held territory in Eastern Ukraine,” CNN noted.


Another anonymous source told journalists that Ukraine had vowed not to use these missiles to strike Russian territories. At the same time, CNN underlines that Western officials refer to Crimea as Ukraine’s sovereign territory.

The Russian authorities condemned the transfer of Storm Shadow missiles. “We regard this decision as another extremely hostile step by London, aimed at further pumping up Ukraine with weapons and leading to a serious escalation of the situation in the zone of the special military operation,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin has a “very negative” attitude towards such supplies.

https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/202...diansk-en-news

Originally Posted by misskit

kraine has executed a strike at a Russian occupation headquarters in Berdiansk

They have also hit command elements in Mariupol, and rumor has it that it was with the storm shadow. This is clearly shaping operations for the coming offensive.

This really is damning for the ruzzians if you read all the way through it...

For months, Western allies have shipped billions of dollars worth of weapons systems and ammunition to Ukraine with an urgency to get the supplies to Kyiv in time for an anticipated spring counteroffensive. Now summer is just weeks away. While Russia and Ukraine are focused on an intense battle for Bakhmut, the Ukrainian spring offensive has yet to begin.

Last week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it’s been delayed because his country lacks enough Western weapons to succeed without suffering too many casualties. Weather and training are playing a role too, officials and defense experts say.

Officials insist the counteroffensive is coming. Preliminary moves by Ukraine to set the conditions it wants for an attack have already begun, a U.S. official said on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

A look at the factors delaying the counteroffensive and the preparations both sides are making in anticipation of it starting soon.

WEATHER

A big part of the delay is the weather. It’s taken longer than expected for Ukraine’s frozen ground to thaw and dry, due to an extended, wet, cold spring, which has made it difficult to transition into an offensive.

Instead, the ground has retained a deep mud that makes it more difficult for non-tracked vehicles to operate.
The mud is like a soup, the official said. “You just sort of sink in it.”

TRAINING

In the past few months, tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been trained by the U.S. and allies for the fight. But the final Ukrainian battalion the U.S. is currently training is just finishing its course now.

This final class brings the total number of Ukrainians the U.S. has trained for this fight to more than 10,700. Those forces have learned not only field and medical skills but advanced combined arms tactics with the Stryker and Bradley armored fighting vehicles and Paladin self-propelled howitzers. It also includes highly skilled forces who were trained to operate the Patriot missile defense system.

According to U.S. Army Europe-Africa, more than 41,000 additional Ukrainian troops have been trained through programs run by more than 30 partner nations.

Soon a new phase will begin: The U.S. will start training Ukrainians on Abrams tanks at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany. But the Ukrainians won’t wait for the tank training to be finished before they launch their counteroffensive, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told reporters in late April.

WEAPONS ARRIVALS

In just the past five months alone, the U.S. has announced it would send more than $14 billion in weapons and ammunition to Kyiv, most of which is being pulled from existing stockpiles in order to get the supplies to Ukraine faster. NATO and Western allies have responded too, pledging billions in tanks, armored vehicles and air defense systems.

But a lot of that gear still hasn’t arrived, said Ben Barry, a former British intelligence official who is now the senior land warfare fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

For example, of the approximately 300 tank systems pledged — such as the Leopard 2 tanks promised by countries including Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany — only about 100 have arrived. Of the 700 or so pledged fighting vehicles, such as British Marauders and U.S. Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, only about 300 have arrived, he said.

Ukraine will also need enough ammunition on hand to sustain a higher tempo fight once the counteroffensive begins, When it comes to the ammunition needed, Ukraine’s chief military logistician will also have a strong say in when the army is ready to launch, Barry said.

In just one munition — the 155mm howitzer round — Ukraine is firing between 6,000 and 8,000 rounds per day, Ukrainian parliamentary member Oleksandra Ustinova told reporters in April.

COUNTEROFFENSIVE CLUES

Both Russia and Ukraine are taking steps in anticipation of the counteroffensive.

e, dug in using the same type of trench warfare tactics used in World War I, a Western official said on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

These troops are not as highly trained as Russia’s initial invading force, which sustained heavy casualties. But they are defended by ditches, minefields and dragon’s teeth — above ground triangle-shaped concrete barriers that make it difficult for tanks to move.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has begun shaping operations, such as targeting Russia’s forward lines with long-range artillery fire. That may indicate that Ukraine is about to push forward on that location — or it could be a decoy to draw Russia’s attention from its actual planned first strike, the official said.

When Ukraine does try to punch through those lines — whether in a limited area or a complex campaign carried out in multiple locations — that will be the likely indicator the offensive has begun, both Barry and the Western official said.

Barry said when Ukrainian brigades start crossing into Russian-held territories and try to attack the first line of Russian defenses, “that’s going to be a dead giveaway I think.”

Why Ukraine'''s spring offensive still hasn'''t begun — with summer just weeks away | AP News

Originally Posted by helge

Helicopters and planes should stay away from the frontlines, as long as the air defences are functional.

Originally Posted by bsnub

That is not how the US fights war. As usual, you are completely clueless. If NATO was fighting this war, there would be no ruzzian planes or SAM sites left in the first week of the war.

Double whoosh

Originally Posted by bsnub

The ruzzian army of today is basically the battlefield equivalent to the Iraq army of the first Gulf War. BTW, many of those fighting in the ruzzian army are brown dipshit.

+ whoosh

Originally Posted by helge

Double whoosh

Originally Posted by helge

+ whoosh

Clearly drunk posting again. Everything I said in those two posts was spot on, but do continue to make a fool of yourself.

On Friday morning, local time, I received news of one of the best American decisions of the war: The White House would no longer block its European allies from supplying Ukraine with American-made F-16 fighters, a move that should greatly enhance Ukrainian military capabilities without significantly increasing the risk of unacceptable escalation in its conflict with Russia. (The decision still needs to be approved by some congressional leaders.)The move came after a diplomatic blitz from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, before this weekend’s Group of 7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan.

European leaders had signaled a willingness to supply F-16s from their own stocks and train Ukrainian pilots in their use. But until now, the Biden administration had nixed the idea. The reversal is a major, and welcome, policy change.

Readers of my Thursday newsletter know that I spent the past week in Kyiv, and I can attest to the relentlessness of Ukrainian arguments for advanced fighters. I met with Ukrainian leaders across the full spectrum of government, including the defense minister, the foreign minister and ministers and other officials involved in law enforcement and economic reconstruction. I had never seen as consistent, disciplined messaging as I experienced here, all of it centered on a single, specific idea: Ukraine needs advanced Western fighters. Specifically, they were asking for American-made F-16s.

The high point came when I met with Oleksandr Kubrakov, the minister for communities, territories and infrastructure development, and even an infrastructure minister began the meeting by handing out a printed argument for supplying F-16s to Ukraine. I expected (and received) that argument from the defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov; I did not expect it from Kubrakov.

To an extent, they were preaching to the choir. I came to Ukraine already believing that Kyiv needed advanced fighters, but I was unsure whether it needed F-16s specifically. After all, European militaries also feature hundreds of European-designed and -manufactured generation 4.5 fighter aircraft. To understand the critical importance of Ukraine’s request — and the rightness of the Biden administration’s decision — some basic background is necessary.

The jet fighter age is described in generations, which are categories of aircraft defined by their capabilities. There’s some disagreement as to how to classify different aircraft, but as a general matter, the first three generations, running from the debut of jet fighters to the middle of the Cold War, are completely obsolete and are not part of the debate. Fourth-generation planes, like early models of the F-15 and F-16 and the Russian MIG-29 and Su-27, were the best planes of the Cold War and are still in service in most modern militaries, including Russia’s and Ukraine’s.

The apex of current fighter technology is fifth-generation stealth fighters, which include the American F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II and Russia’s Su-57. Generation 4.5 is sandwiched between generations four and five: The fighters aren’t stealthy, but they have vastly upgraded avionics compared with fourth-generation fighters, and they can deploy more highly advanced armaments.

Generation 4.5 fighters include upgraded models of the American F-15, F-16 and F-18, as well as the Eurofighter Typhoon, Sweden’s Saab JAS-39 Gripen and France’s Dassault Rafale. Crucially, the list also includes the Russian Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35. Russia has hundreds of generation 4.5 fighters. Ukraine has none. Instead it has a few dozen Soviet-era fourth-generation fighters.

And therein lies the problem. Don’t be deceived by 2022’s top-grossing movie, “Top Gun: Maverick,” in which (spoiler alert) Maverick, played by Tom Cruise, pilots a decades-old fourth-generation F-14 Tomcat to victory over a number of enemy fifth-generation fighters. In the real world, the generation gap would have been decisive.

According to Reznikov, the defense minister, Russia’s Su-35 (to take a key example) can hit targets at a range more than five times as great as Ukraine’s MIG-29 can. Moreover, such 4.5-generation fighters can carry a much greater array of advanced missiles than can Ukraine’s older fighters. This means that Ukrainian planes have a more limited capacity to provide air defense within the country and no ability to create air superiority at or near the zero line, the very edge of the battlefront, Reznikov said.

What does this mean as a practical matter? While I have firsthand knowledge that Western-supplied ground-to-air missiles (most notably, American Patriot missiles) can be remarkably effective against even Russian hypersonic missiles, at best, they can defend only small, confined areas of Ukraine. Vast areas of the front and most of Ukraine’s civilians and civilian infrastructure remain unacceptably vulnerable to Russian air attack.

Not only can F-16s fly the length and breadth of Ukraine to offer enhanced air defense; they also have a much greater capacity to strike Russian forces directly at the front and miles beyond.
This capacity is proving even more important because multiple Ukrainian officials emphasized to me that Russian jamming has rendered the missiles fired by the vaunted American HIMARS system far less effective. (This is how war sometimes evolves: A tactic or technology works until the opponent develops a successful response, at which point a new innovation is required.) More-advanced fighters can also engage Russian planes that are using a successful tactic called glide bombing, in which they bomb Ukraine from positions outside the range of most Ukrainian antiaircraft missiles.

So why the need for American-made F-16s and not European-designed generation 4.5 fighters? The defense minister said that overall there may simply be too few of the latter to offer without dangerously depleting the fighter stocks of European allies. By contrast, not only are thousands of F-16s in service across American and allied militaries; many of those aircraft are being replaced by more advanced planes. Thus they are both numerous and available to Ukraine without degrading NATO capabilities.

Finally, it’s important to address the possibility of escalation. The F-16 — especially in the modest numbers under discussion — does not present a substantial threat to Russia itself. It presents a substantial threat only to the Russian invasion. It is not a true deep-strike aircraft, like the B-1 Lancer bomber or even the F-15E Strike Eagle. It is a weapon that Ukraine can deploy in a defensive capacity and that can strike relatively close behind the front line. It is exactly what Ukraine needs.

It is fair to argue about the timing of the Biden administration’s decision to release European F-16s. It’s a decision that could have been made earlier. Moreover, the administration is still allowing Ukraine to receive only F-16s belonging to European allies, not our own planes. But despite that shortcoming, which needs to be remedied soon, the fundamental reality is that allowing Ukraine any F-16s is therightdecision. It’s the decision one makes when transitioning from a long-term strategy of simply keeping Ukraine alive toward a strategy of driving Russia from occupied Ukraine and — critically — deterring renewed Russian aggression after this war.

Perhaps the best short argument in support of the Biden administration’s decision was summed up by the former Ukrainian defense minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk. He told me to “ask a NATO general how to win this war without aviation.” Providing Ukraine with advanced fighters not only makes its task easier; it’s a sign the Biden administration is ready to turn the page from helping Ukraine simply avoid defeat. Now we are starting to help Ukraine achieve victory — and maintain the peace we pray is soon to come.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/21/o...-fighters.html

Pro-Ukrainian fighters launch cross-border tank raid to ‘capture’ Russian villages

Russian volunteers fighting for Ukraine drove tanks and armoured vehicles across the border into Russia on Monday, “capturing” a cluster of villages.


The daring cross-border assault appeared to be the most significant effort by Ukraine-backed forces to bring the war to Russian soil.


The raid was carried out by anti-Kremlin fighters from the so-called Russian Freedom Legion (RFL) and Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), which both claim to be in the ranks of Kyiv’s legion of foreign fighters.


A spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence said the two volunteer battalions crossed into the Belgorod region to “create a security zone” to protect Ukrainian civilians from Russian attacks.


Russian officials claimed that the “Ukrainian forces” had captured at least four settlements near the frontier amid reports of heavy fighting in the area.


Footage shared on social media appeared to show at least one tank and multiple armoured vehicles with Ukrainian tactical markings approaching the Grayvoron border-control post that had been damaged by earlier shelling.


Another video of unidentified armoured vehicles approaching the Grayvoron border post. This could mean 6-8 vehicles in total.


It was claimed artillery and mortar fire had been used to pummel the position as the volunteer battalions made their advance.


The nearby villages of Kozinka, Glotove and Gora-Podil were also reportedly seized by the Ukrainian-backed forces.


In a social-media taunt, Ukrainian sources shared an image of three soldiers proclaiming a new “Belgorod’s People’s Republic”.


Earlier, the Baza Telegram channel, which has links to Russia’s security services, published drone footage appearing to show a column of Ukrainian vehicles advancing on the checkpoint.


As the fighting erupted, the RDK confirmed its troops had crossed the border and called on residents in the Russian frontier regions to stay at home and “not to resist”.


Meanwhile, the RFL published a video on its Telegram channel calling on Russians to rise up and defeat Vladimir Putin.


“The time has come to put an end to the Kremlin dictatorship,” a spokesman said. “Be brave and have no fear because we are coming home.”


Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, said that a Ukrainian “sabotage group” had entered the region from across the border.


In a statement on Telegram he wrote: “The armed forces of the Russian Federation, together with the border service, the National Guard and the FSB, are taking the necessary measures to eliminate the enemy.”


One video shared via the Telegram messaging app appeared to show a Russian helicopter dropping distraction flares over Kozinka as battle raged below.


Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said Putin had been briefed on the incursion.


“We perfectly understand the point of such acts of sabotage – to divert attention from the Bakhmut front line,” he said.


“Work is underway to push out Ukrainian saboteurs from Russian territory and destroy the sabotage group. There are enough resources and manpower on the ground.”


Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence, insisted the incursion had not been carried out by personnel from the country’s armed forces.


“Russian nations, the [RFL and RDK] have claimed responsibility for those actions. I think we can only welcome those decisive steps by opposition-minded Russians who have taken up arms to fight the criminal regime of Vladimir Putin that has usurped power in Russia,” he said.

Pro-Ukrainian fighters launch daring cross-border tank raid to 'capture' Russian villages

Senior Russian Official Dies After Privately Bemoaning “Facist” Invasion

Russia’s Deputy Science Minister Pyotr Kucherenko has died months after a prominent journalist recalled him criticizing the invasion of Ukraine in private conversations.


Kucherenko, 46, fell seriously ill on board a flight returning from Cuba on Saturday, Russia’s Science and Higher Education Ministry said Sunday.


The flight made an emergency landing in southern Russia but doctors who arrived onboard were unable to save the official.


Kucherenko’s family linked his death to a heart condition but declined to elaborate pending a forensic examination scheduled for Wednesday, according to the state-run broadcaster Zvezda.


Roman Super, an award-winning independent journalist and documentary filmmaker, said he had spoken with Kucherenko in the minister’s office “a few days” before the journalist left Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine last year.


The two reportedly discussed Super’s relocation plans, Kucherenko’s inability to leave Russia and his own opposition to Moscow’s invasion.


“It’s impossible [for me to leave Russia], they confiscate our passports. And there’s no world that would be happy to see a deputy Russian minister after this fascist invasion,” Super recalled Kucherenko saying.


According to Super, Kucherenko claimed to have taken “antidepressants and tranquilizers at the same time by the handful.”


“It’s not really helping. I don’t sleep much. I feel terrible. We’re all held hostage. No one can make a peep,” he said.


“You can’t imagine the degree of brutalization of our country. You won’t even recognize Russia in a year.”


Super did not say when exactly his conversation with Kucherenko took place. It is known that Super had left Russia for security reasons months after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.


Kucherenko is survived by his wife, the pop singer Diana Gurtskaya, and their teenage son.

Russia Says Zelensky Made G7 a 'Propaganda Show' - The Moscow Times

Russia's Su-35 fighter jet may appear superior or equal to U.S.-made fast jets, but would ultimately fall down when pitted against any F-16s promised to Kyiv and operated by Ukrainian pilots, experts have told Newsweek.Russia has employed its Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet, which it hails as a fourth-generation aircraft with fifth-generation technology, in its ongoing war in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian air force said on Monday that Russia's air force had lost an Su-35 fighter jet that "experienced a 'negative take-off' in the territorial waters of Ukraine" in the country's southern Kherson region on Sunday. Russia's Defense Ministry had not commented on this at the time of writing.

The quest for air dominance in the Ukraine war has come into sharper focus as Ukraine appears to inch closer to receiving Western-made fighter jets, such as F-16s, which Kyiv has long requested. The F-16s, which have attracted more attention than other Western-made fighter jets, are the most likely candidate to upgrade Ukraine's Air Force, experts said. There are several iterations of the F-16, and it is not clear which model Ukraine would theoretically receive.

Ukraine is currently operating a fleet of Soviet-era jets broadly similar to the Russian air force. The provision of F-16s to Ukraine would mark not just a major technological shift towards Western aircraft, but also a move towards NATO military doctrine, experts observed. There are several obstacles—both political and logistical—to providing the aircraft to Ukraine, but conflict observers are increasingly confident that Ukraine will soon receive pledges of F-16s.

Russian Su-35s are unlikely to end up directly facing off against U.S.-made F-16s in Ukraine, according to former British military officer Frank Ledwidge. But the Su-35s are considered to be among Russia's most advanced 4.5 generation fighters, he told Newsweek, and are "specifically designed to shoot down" aircraft such as the F-16.

The Su-35 is a modernized version of the Su-27 fighter, designed to "significantly increase engagement effectiveness against air, land and sea targets," according to the United Aircraft Corporation, an aerospace and defense corporation largely owned by the Russian government. The maiden flight of the Su-35 took place in February 2008, according to the UAC.

"On paper, it can be argued that the Su-35 has an edge over the sorts of F-16s the Ukrainians are likely to get, but that doesn't tell the whole story," according to David Jordan, co-director of the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King's College London, U.K.

"The Su-35's specification may indicate it's a better aircraft by many measures," former British Royal Air Force Senior Commander and Air Marshal Greg Bagwell told Newsweek, but the true picture "is actually far more complicated than that."

There are several other factors that need considering in a comparison of the two jets, according to experts. Although the F-16 airframes date back decades, and Ukraine is unlikely to receive the latest avionics, how the jets would be used makes a decisive difference on the battlefield.

Some Russian air warfare tactics "appear to be overly rigid," Jordan said, adding this could "hinder them, no matter what they were flying."

The quality of the pilots is key, Jordan added. Although no country has yet promised to furnish Ukraine with F-16s, several, including the United States, have pledged to support the training of Ukrainian pilots on the advanced aircraft.

On Saturday, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that as the training takes place "in the coming months, we will work with our allies to determine when planes will be delivered, who will be delivering them, and how many."

"We haven't seen much to suggest that the Russians began the war with any particularly superior skill sets to the Ukrainians," Jordan added. The training given to Ukrainian pilots in the short-term will allow them to make some use of any F-16s they receive, Ledwidge said. But being able to use them to maximum capacity will take years, he added.

The situation awareness that the aircraft offers up to the pilots on each side is also critical, experts emphasized.

"If the Russians are flying around knowing roughly where the Ukrainian aircraft are while the Ukrainians know almost exactly where the Russians are, then the Ukrainians would potentially have an advantage even before they get in visual range of one another (and vice-versa)," Jordan said.

"I would suspect that the F-16s in Ukrainian hands will represent a formidable challenge," Jordan added.

Retired Air Commodore Andrew Curtis, formerly of the British Royal Air Force, said: "In terms of how the F-16s fare against Russian Su-35s, that will depend on the air-to-air weapons available to the Ukrainians. If it comes to dogfighting, the F-16 is still one of the best in the world. However, the Russian pilots are likely to try and fight a stand-off battle, using medium and long-range missiles. If they can do this successfully, that may tilt the balance in the Su-35's favor."

As of Monday, Russia has lost three Su-35s since the start of all-out war in Ukraine last February, according to the Dutch open-source outlet, Oryx. However, this tally includes only visually confirmed losses, so the true figure may be different.

The Su-35 has made relatively few appearances throughout the war, which raises questions over just how many Russia has at its disposal, and just how good they are, Bagwell added.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-su35...ne-f16-1801830

Originally Posted by misskit

Senior Russian Official Dies After Privately Bemoaning “Facist” Invasion

I know I saw a list of all these oligarchs and officials that wind up dead. I need to go find it.

I am sure a better list than this exists...

Updated: A list of oligarchs and Putin critics found dead since Ukraine war | Euronews