The Alternative Ukraine Thread

NY Daily News
Blasts in Crimea underscore Russian forces' vulnerability



Security situation in Crimea deteriorates for Moscow; pro-Russian breakaway region cozies up to North Korea

 

Analysts: Ukrainian strikes in Crimea are part of Kherson counteroffensive

 

Kris P. Bacon analysis.
Ukrainians capture Kherson dressed in Russian uniforms.
Long range missile strikes on Russian held Crimea prove Ukraine is winning the war.
Ukrainian military claims success as their forces advance backwards.

 

World
Business Insider
Russian paratrooper who fought in Ukraine says troops are deliberately shooting themselves in the leg to escape the war and get a $50,000 payout

 

Russian Offensive Campaign ...

Key Takeaways

• Russian military leadership is falsely claiming that recent attacks on Russian military objects in Crimea are terrorist attacks to deflect calls to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
• Russian forces attempted several unsuccessful assaults near the Kharkiv-Donetsk Oblast border in tactically challenging forest areas.
• Russian forces continued to unsuccessfully attack settlements southeast of Siversk.
• Russian forces launched several assaults northeast and south of Bakhmut, and are likely attempting to improve tactical positions near Horlivka.
• Russian forces made limited gains northwest of Donetsk City and near the Zaporizhia-Donetsk Oblast administrative border.
• Russian forces are likely preparing to defend their ground lines of communication (GLOCs) in the Melitopol-Tokmak-Berdyansk triangle by mining settlements on the eastern Zaporizhia Oblast frontline.
• Russian federal subjects are continuing to form new volunteer units and advertise contract service while facing recruitment challenges.
• Russian occupation authorities are struggling to increase control measures in occupied territories amidst increased partisan activity. . . .

Russian forces are likely setting conditions to defend their ground lines of communication (GLOCs) between the Tokmak-Melitopol-Berdyansk area, prioritizing their positions in western Zaporizhia Oblast over those on the Zaporizhia-Donetsk Oblast border. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces mined Inzhenerne and Ukrainske, both approximately 40km northeast of Tomak and on the T0815 highway to Polohy.[29] The T0815 supports Russian GLOCs from Polohy to Berdyansk and connects to the T0401 highway between Polohy-Tokmak-Melitopol. Russian mining in the northernmost occupied segment of the T0815 indicates that Russian forces are establishing defenses to protect vital GLOCs to Melitopol - a key logistics hub connecting Russian holdings in southern Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson Oblasts - and logistics routes along the Sea of Azov coastline. Russian forces need access to these routes to maintain operations in eastern Kherson Oblast and retain a direct road connection between Rostov-on-Don and occupied southern Ukrainian territories. Russian forces are unlikely to attack from the direction of Ukrainske and Inzhenerne in the near future given their reported mining of those villages.

Russian forces continued to conduct small-scale assaults in northwestern Kherson Oblast on August 17. Ukrainian military officials reported that Russian forces unsuccessfully conducted a platoon-size assault and a reconnaissance-in-force operation near the Ukrainian bridgehead over the Inhulets River.[30] Russian forces continued to use aviation to strike Ukrainian positions northwest of Kherson City and near the bridgehead, and fired artillery at 27 unspecified settlements along the Kherson Oblast border with Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts.[31] Satellite imagery shows barge movement on the Dnipro River near Kherson City and locals reportedly stated that Russian forces are working on the barges at a Kherson City shipyard.[32] Russian forces may be attempting to repair and use barges to transport equipment across the Dnipro River, although it is unclear whether the barges the Russians are using will be able to support the transit of heavy equipment across the Dnipro River or whether Ukrainian forces can damage or destroy them once they are in actual use. . . .

 

Ukraine Behind Crimea Explosions. Ukraine is behind three explosions that hit Russian military facilities in the annexed Crimea in the past week, according to CNN citing an internal Ukrainian government report. The report says the attack on Saki airbase and later blasts at ammunition depots demonstrate Ukraine’s systematic military capability to target Crimea. Russia says the Saki airbase blasts were caused by an accident and blames the ammo depot explosions on sabotage. Ukrainian officials have yet to publicly claim responsibility for the attacks, though Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Wednesday that Kyiv is focusing on attacking key military targets deep inside Russian-occupied territory to undermine Moscow’s abilities on the front lines. CNN Washington Post

 

Ukraine seizes the battlefield initiative (msn.com)

Ukraine is showing that they can fight back, and Russia better watch out. Don't be surprised that Ukraine will take back what is theirs.

 

"This thread is where we spam the one sided RT disinformation from Russia. We know this information is valid because it comes from Russia!"

 

Another Russian defeat.
UK Spy Chief Says Russia Losing Information War in Ukraine. Jeremy Fleming, the head of the UK’s GCHQ intelligence service, said Friday that Russia is failing to progress in cyberspace against Ukraine, saying Moscow has “comprehensively lost the information war in Ukraine and in the West.” He described Russia’s offensive cyber operations in Ukraine as “irresponsible and indiscriminate,” adding that the GCHQ and other Western intelligence agencies have been able to intercept and issue warnings about Russian disinformation. Fleming also said the UK may deploy a military unit that employs offensive cyber tools against Russia. Reuters The Economist

 

The hits just keep on coming.
Russian Targets Hit by Explosions. At least four explosions hit Russia’s Belbek military airport in Crimea on Thursday, according to local sources. The governor of Sevastopol said there was “no damage” at Belbek and that Russian anti-aircraft forces shot down a Ukrainian drone. In southern Ukraine, Kyiv said it conducted airstrikes behind Russian lines in Kherson province, hitting targets such as a bridge at Kakhovska Dam. And inside Russia, blasts at an ammunition depot in Belgorod province forced the evacuations of nearby towns. The attacks come after a series of apparent Ukrainian strikes in Crimea as Kyiv focuses on hitting targets behind front lines. Al Jazeera Reuters

 

Russian Offensive Campaign ...

Key Takeaways

• There were no claimed or assessed Russian territorial gains in Ukraine on August 18, 2022 for the first time since July 6, 2022.
• Russian sources reported a series of unidentified and unconfirmed explosions across Crimea on the night of August 18.
• The Russian Ministry of Defense may be setting information conditions to blame Ukraine for a false flag attack at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
• Russian forces conducted ground assaults south of Siversk and northeast and south of Bakhmut.
• Russian forces continued conducting offensive operations north, west, and southwest of Donetsk City.
• Russian forces conducted an unsuccessful ground assault on the Zaporizhia axis.
• Ukrainian officials confirmed additional strikes on a Russian military base and warehouse in Kherson Oblast.
• The Kremlin is likely leveraging established Cossack organizations to support Russian force generation efforts.
• Russian occupation officials continued preparations for the long-term integration of occupied territories of Ukraine into Russia. . . .

Ukrainian forces continued targeting Russian logistics points and ammunition depots in Kherson Oblast. Kherson Oblast Administration Advisor Serhiy Khlan reported on August 18 that Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian warehouse in Bilohirka, located near the Ukrainian bridgehead across the Inhulets River.[42] Khlan also reported that Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian military base in Nova Kakhovka on August 17.[43] . . .

 

World
Business Insider
Explosions at a Russian base knocked out over half the Black Sea fleet's combat jets, crippling its warfighting ability, Western officials and intelligence say

• Half of Russia's Black Sea fleet's combat jets out of operation - Western official
  Reuters
  
• Explosions rock Russian-held areas far from Ukraine war front
  Reuters

 

World
Ukrayinska Pravda
Russian media: nearly 700 Russian contractors from the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade want to desert from battlefield

 

The Russians had bad intel so they made a bad plan.


Ukrainian Strikes May Be Slowing Russia’s Advance
14 hours ago

The Washington Post
FSB missteps, overconfidence damaged Russia's war plans in Ukraine

 

Russian Offensive Campaign ...

Key Takeaways

• Recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian military and transport infrastructure in Crimea and Kherson Oblast are likely reducing Russian confidence in the security of Russian rear areas.
• The situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) remained relatively unchanged on August 19 despite Russian claims that Ukrainian forces would stage a provocation at the plant.
• Russian authorities are likely preparing show trials of Ukrainian defenders of Azovstal on Ukraine’s Independence Day in order to further consolidate occupational control of occupied areas of Ukraine and set conditions to demoralize Ukrainian troops.
• Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks north of Kharkiv City, southwest and southeast of Izyum, east of Siversk, and south and east of Bakhmut.
• Russian forces conducted multiple unsuccessful ground assaults on settlements on the Southern Axis.
• Russia continues to generate regional volunteer units and will likely deploy many of them to Kherson and Ukraine’s south as part of the 3rd Army Corps.
• Russian occupation authorities are strengthening their control of educational infrastructure in occupied areas in preparation for the approaching school year and may be sending Ukrainian children to Russia as part of a broader repopulation campaign. . . .

Ukrainian forces again struck the bridge near the Nova Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant at night on August 18-19.[42] Kherson Oblast Administration Advisor Serhiy Khlan confirmed that Ukrainian forces “destroyed” Russian plans to restore and reopen the bridge to transport military equipment in Kherson Oblast.[43] . . . .

 

World
Ukrayinska Pravda
The Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the rare Russian radar complex "Zoopark-1" and tanks

 

PREVIEW


4:25
Russian defeat in Ukraine is inevitable - ex-commander of US ...
YouTube · Forces News

 

Russian morale is being undermined by losing.

Ukraine's daring attacks on Crimea are having a major 'psychological impact' on Russian forces, report says

Business Insider

 

Will the last Russian to leave please turn out the lights?

World
Fortune
‘We realized that there’s no way we can return’: Russia’s best and brightest are leaving the country in record numbers. 6 young Russians explain why they left

 

World
Fox News
Drone strike hits Russia's Black Sea fleet in Ukraine's occupied Crimea

 

Russians looking for a better commander.

Russian shakes up Black Sea fleet command after series of blows in Crimea - state agency

Reuters

 

The Russian Resistance has struck.
Car explosion kills daughter of key Putin ally Alexander Dugin, Russia says
Daria Dugina, 29, was reportedly driving her father’s car from a festival they both attended when the blast occurred, Dugin’s friend told a state-run media outlet, adding that he believed her father was the target of an attack, “or maybe the two of them.”
By Rachel Pannett, Mary Ilyushina, Annabelle Timsit and David L. Stern

 

You think it was the Russians who did this?

 

That would be my guess. When peaceful dissent is crushed, violent dissent comes next.
If I'm wrong, and the Ukrainians did it, so be it.

 

Russian Offensive Campaign ...

Key Takeaways

• Russian occupation officials in Crimea reported another drone attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet Headquarters in Sevastopol and are likely considering strengthening security on the peninsula.
• Russian forces conducted unsuccessful assaults across the Eastern Axis.
• Russian forces attempted limited, failed assaults north of Kharkiv City.
• Russian forces failed to advance after several assaults northwest of Kherson City and east of Mykolaiv City.
• Ukrainian forces continued to strike Russian ammunition depots and positions in Kherson and Zaporizhia Oblasts.
• Russian and proxy forces are continuing mobilization efforts, including forced mobilization in occupied territories and advertising campaigns.
• Russian occupation authorities continued coercive measures to force civilian cooperation with the occupation administrations.
• Conditions in occupied territories continued to deteriorate, indicating ineffective governance. . . .

Ukrainian forces continued to strike Russian ammunition depots and positions in Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts. Advisor to the Kherson Oblast Administration Serhiy Khlan reported explosions in Chornobaivka (about 7 km northwest of Kherson City), and social media footage showed three distinct smoke columns reportedly at the Chornobaivka airfield.[41] Khlan also reported that there were two Ukrainian strikes on unspecified targets near Nova Kakhovka and Beryslav on August 19.[42] The Ukrainian Southern Operational Command reported that Ukrainian aviation launched 11 airstrikes on Russian positions along the line of contact in Kherson Oblast.[43] Geolocated footage showed Ukrainian artillery striking Russian military equipment in northwestern Kherson Oblast.[44] Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov stated that Ukrainian forces struck a Russian military base in Melitopol, noting that Russian forces did not intercept the missile because the main part of the Russian air-defense units has redeployed from Melitopol to Kherson Oblast.[45] Fedorov added that Russian forces fired a missile at Melitopol from the southern direction as a response to Ukrainian strikes against Russian military objects, although there is no evidence to support this assertion.[46] Kremlin-sponsored media claimed that Russian air-defense systems activated overnight and accused Ukrainian forces of striking civilian infrastructure.[47] Social media footage shows reported explosions in Melitopol, but the point of impact is unclear from the footage.[48]

Russian forces remain unable to restore a bridge crossing over the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. A Russian military correspondent showed the severe damage to the Kakhovka Bridge that Ukrainian strikes have caused and claimed that Russians used the bridge as an alternative route for “humanitarian help” after Ukrainian strikes against the Antonivsky Bridge.[49] The military correspondent claimed that the bridge is reparable and partially operational, but Khlan stated that Russian repair efforts have been failing in recent days.[50] . . .