April 7, 2023 – Russian MoD on fire in Moscow | U.S. STRYKERS ready for Ukrainian counteroffensive | Ukraine Update
April 9, 2023 – The upcoming Ukrainian offensive terrifies Russian propagandists. Where will they hit?
April 10, 2023 – Ukrainian info ops are insane | Prigozhin claims counteroffensive has 400 000 troops |Ukraine Update
April 24, 2023 – Swiss ambassador to Berlin Paul Rene Seger said he was surprised by the “extent of the criticism that is raining down” on his country over Switzerland’s ban on reexporting ammunition for Germany’s Leopard (or Gepard) tanks to Ukraine. Germany has delivered dozens of the Leopard tanks to the country together with around 60,000 rounds of ammunition. However, Berlin would need Switzerland’s approval to deliver another 12,000 anti-aircraft shots which were made in Switzerland.
Talking to Germany’s Augsburger Allgemeine daily, Seger defended Switzerland’s policy of not exporting weapons to countries that are involved in conflicts. “The impression is being given that Switzerland is complicit if Putin wins the war. But 12,000 rounds will not influence, let alone decide the war,” Seger told the paper. He pointed to Switzerland’s long-running tradition of neutrality, which is one of the basic principles of Swiss foreign policy. “For us it’s a part of the DNA,” he said. Until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany had a very similar policy about not sending weapons to hot conflicts as Switzerland’s and often faced criticism in 2022 for its perceived reluctance to provide weaponry for Kyiv.
European countries boosted their military spending by 13% in 2022, the biggest jump in 30 years, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a leading global security think tank. Military spending has also increased worldwide, by 3.7%. With Russia launching its full-scale invasion in February last year, Ukraine boosted its military spending by nearly six and a half times to $44 billion (around €40 billion), though it also received massive amounts of foreign military aid. The US alone has pledged over 43.2 billion in military aid, according to Germany’s Kiel Institute. In turn, Russia boosted its own military budget by only 10%, to $86.4 billion.
April 24, 2023 – The freshest reports suggest that Russians decided not to wait until Ukrainians launch their offensive and launched a series of attacks first. As a result, Russian forces managed to increase their bridgehead in front of Dorozhnianka and Marfopil. Closer positions also allowed Russians to start targeting Ukrainian positions in the unnamed settlement in front of Marfopil. The main goal of these actions is to not give Ukrainians enough time to prepare and force Ukrainians to engage the accumulated forces prematurely. And Russian sources are reporting significant concentrations of troops, namely up to 10 thousand assaultmen only around Huliapole. In the Kherson region, Ukrainians have increased their bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River to the point where many Russian sources started raising the alarm.
Previously, Russian forces continued to occupy and establish observation posts in the residential areas of the islands in the Dnipro River’s delta. The first clashes for control over the islands started when Russians attacked the bridge to Karantynyi Island. This did not help, as Ukrainians gradually pushed Russians from the Velykyi Potiomkin Island. Shortly, Ukrainians also established control over the proximate island with a lot of places for docking. However, the biggest news by far became the fact that Ukrainians are present in the residential area of one of the biggest and most important islands in the region – the so-called Antonivsky Island. Such substantial control over the eastern bank of the river gives a lot of freedom for the Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
This 20-km wide bridgehead is already hard to control, so if Ukrainians establish control over the remaining residential areas and get closer to the mainland, then a lot of Ukrainian sabotage teams will slip through and assist in the main phase of the counteroffensive operation by destroying strategic objects and critical railways and bridges. Several days ago, Ukrainians also made the third test of their ballistic missile system Hrim-2. The target became an unspecified object in Kerch. The rocket was shot down, but everyone understands that this is just a test, and the real attack would be concealed behind a massive drone and missile strike. The most important takeaway is that Ukrainians established at least three positions for launching ballistic missiles: Odesa, Kherson, and Zaporizhia.
The targets of the strikes were also objects in the vicinity of critical ground lines of communication, such as the Crimean Bridge and crucial railway stations in other cases. And Ukrainians continue launching drones on Crimea as well. Today, two drones hit the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. Military analysts are saying that the main goal of these seemingly ineffective drone attacks in small groups is to keep their finger on the pulse and understand the current disposition and capabilities of the Russian air defense. Ideally, Ukrainian commanders should see a decrease in the air defense density because Ukrainians took significant steps to force Russians to stretch their air defense. For example, today, Ukrainians successfully destroyed a Russian oil depot in the Luhansk region with a drone attack.
Russian sources also reported that today at least 3 Ukrainian drones reached Moscow. Interestingly, they were not shot down, they just ran out of gas. Russian military panicked and temporarily closed the sky over the military bases around Moscow. Russians have already started relocating their air defense from the front to protect the sky over Moscow, and such drone attacks are aimed at making sure that they continue doing it at the expense of Zaporizhia and Crimea. Russian analysts are warning that once Ukrainians are ready to launch the main phase of the counteroffensive, they will send swarms of drones to overwhelm Russian air defense in the region, and once the air defense is down, they will conduct extensive HIMARS strikes and use ballistic missiles Hrim-2 to take out Russian supplies right when they are going to need them the most.
April 26, 2023 – Ukrainian counterattack has to break through 3 lines | The Dnipro crossing potential |Ukraine Update.
April 28, 2023 – These Ukrainian units are built for the offensive!
May 1, 2023 – Intelligence is a key to victory in any war, including the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia. This video explores its role in the upcoming Ukrainian spring counteroffensive. Basic theory of military defense says to shore up all weak points until they have the same level of vulnerability. That being the case, the secret pieces of information are what gives one state the edge. Maintaining those secrets is therefore critical.
00:00 Intelligence Leaks and the Russia-Ukraine War
01:34 Counteroffensive Basics
02:13 How to Plan a Defense: A Basic Algorithm
07:28 Implementing the Algorithm Is Hard
09:32 Why Predicting Ukraine’s Next Move Is Hard
14:55 Intelligence and Misdirection
17:11 Operation Mincemeat
19:29 The Belarussian Misdirection
20:10 The Haversack Ruse
21:15 What Is this Channel, Anyway?
May 2, 2023 – Ukraine’s latest amphibious raids have shown the weakness of Russian defenses along the Dnieper. These could be preparations for a much larger operation meant to bypass Russian fortifications in Zaporizhia.
May 9, 2023 – Kings and Generals animated historical documentary series on Modern Warfare continues with the aftermath of the first phase of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This set up the second phase of the war. We covered the events of April of 2022, Battle of Donbas, including the sinking of the rocket cruiser Moskva, and how the conflict turned into the war of attrition in May, and continued with Russia’s best month in June. In the video dedicated to July – the 5th month of the war, we talked about the arrival of the HIMARS systems which strengthened Ukrainian positions and changed the war, while this video will focus on the events of August, as we will see how Russian logistics and manpower problems were worsened by the HIMARS strikes, the risk and intrigue around the Zaporizhia (Enerhodar) Nuclear Powerplant and the long expected beginning of the Ukrainian counter-offensive in Kherson.
Previously we discussed the Kherson counteroffensive in the first two weeks of September and showed how the Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast – Balakliya-Izium counter-offensive succeeded, pushing the Russians across Oskil and Lyman. In the second half of September, Ukraine liberated even more territory in Kherson, while this video will talk about the events of the beginning of October, including the attack on the Crimean – Kerch bridge. In the second half of October, positional and attritional warfare continued to dominate, still Ukraine managed to attack the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and the Grain Deal was almost cancelled, while in the beginning of November, Ukraine finally liberated Kherson. In the second half of November, winter took over, making the military operation more difficult, while in the first half of December, the stalemate continued.
In the second half of December and first half of January, Russia advanced around Bakhmut, taking Soledar, while in the second half of January, Russian regained initiative counterattacking on the Kreminna axis and gaining ground around Bakhmut, while the West announced that Ukraine will finally receive Leopard 2, Challenger 2 and Abrams tanks alongside more armored vehicles. Next we will talk about the possible Russian attack vectors and deduce what is the Russian plan for winter and spring of 2023. In the first half of February, Russia continued advancing around Bakhmut, but its Vuhledar attack ended in a disaster, while in the second half the battles around Bakhmut continued and it continued to hold. In the beginning of March, the battles for Bakhmut and Avdiivka continued, and by the end of March, Russia occupied 0.01% of Ukraine. In the first two weeks of April, Russian advance slowed down even more, while Ukraine was preparing for a counteroffensive, and the main question became where will Ukraine attack?
May 11, 2023 – Several shocking videos have emerged online of the desperate conditions facing Russian soldiers on the front lines in Ukraine. The videos speak for themselves, but Russians are increasing choosing to take their own lives rather than expecting or hoping to be rescued once injured. They have no hope of receiving proper medical care from their own military if injured.
May 11, 2023 – Scripps News’ Jason Bellini highlights Ukraine’s unsung heroes: the men and women on the front lines and in the skies defending their home base in the Ukraine-Russia war. A long-awaited counteroffensive could turn the tide of the war, but its success depends on the courage and ingenuity of Ukraine’s citizen soldiers. These are their stories: pilots who hug the land and pray for F-16s; a sister who lost her brother and followed his footsteps into war; and an infantryman chronicling life on the zero line with a GoPro on his helmet and a cell phone camera , knowing his own life could be cut short in an instant. This is Ukraine in the spring of 2023.
May 17, 2023 – “Crimea is under threat, Putin himself is in big trouble politically, as well as the Russians being in trouble militarily.” Russia’s failures to target Ukraine on the ground and in the air has halted Putin’s offensive capability, Prof. Michael Clarke tells #timesradio, and suggests a way NATO could end the war that could ‘change the architecture of security in Europe fundamentally.’
May 21, 2023 – The Mk 20 Rockeye II, also known as the CBU-100 Cluster Bomb, is an anti-tank American cluster bomb. It is a non-guided aerial weapon that is released from the aircraft. The Mk 20’s body is constructed from high-quality aluminum and weighs slightly less than 500 pounds. While in mid-air, the container housing the bomblets is opened, causing 247 HEAT submunitions, known as Mk 118, to fall and detonate in the designated target zone. The dispersion of the bomblets on the ground is determined by the altitude at which the container is programmed to unlock.
May 25, 2023 – “The fact that Putin’s not been able to shut him up demonstrates extraordinary weakness on Putin’s part.” Russian troops could be left exposed as they take control of operations in Bakhmut, Gen. Sir Richard Shirreff tells timesradio.
May 28, 2023 – The world continues to wait for the launch of Ukraine’s official counteroffensive. With the delivery of long range missiles, such as the UK’s Storm Shadow missiles, Russian military targets have been hit night after night in the Zaporizhzhia region. Prigozhin is also pulling his forces out of Ukraine with the intent of positioning himself and his forces in an advantageous place for the upcoming Russian civil war. Girkin has accused him of plotting a coup.
May 28, 2023 – Putin Is Done David Petraeus Announces The End Of Russia And Putin
June 10, 2023 – February 24 our country woke up to flying rockets and explosions! The governmental authorities of the Russian Federation started a full-scale war against our country… So many families leave the country and their pets are just left behind on the streets. We don’t leave the country, we continue to feed stray dogs and rescue as many animals as we can. Please pray for Ukraine, please pray for us and our Furry Friends to be safe.
June 12, 2023 – Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia is officially underway, and it includes new fighting near the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Russia took over in May after months of fighting. CBS News foreign correspondent Debora Patta has more from Kyiv.
June 12, 2023 – Videos of Ukrainian soldiers holding up their yellow and blue flag in newly liberated villages are once again circulating on social media. The gains might be small but the optics are as important as the kilometers being painstakingly taken back. The offensive in the east of the country continues to gather pace along the 1,000 kilometer front line with, especially fierce fighting in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The Ukrainians say they’ve retaken a number of small villages to the south of Velyka Novosilka. And some of the most intense fighting continues around Avdiivka, close to Russian controlled Donetsk city, and surrounded on three sides by Russian forces.
June 12, 2023 – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that fighting in a long-awaited offensive against Russian forces was “tough” but claimed Kyiv was “moving forward.” Kyiv on Monday said it had wrested seven villages in eastern and southern Ukraine from Russian forces since the weekend. The claims could not be independently verified. Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
June 12, 2023 – Today Ukrainian 35th Marine Brigade posted a video of clearing the houses and raising the Ukrainian flag above Storozheve. This is the village that Russians previously tried to preserve control of and even launched mechanized counterattacks. The Marines also showed one of such counterattacks, and judging by the footage, Russians used several squads of infantry reinforced with 1 tank and 3 armored fighting vehicles. Since Ukrainians were in control of the tactical heights, the counterattack was quickly rebuffed, and the whole assault unit was eliminated. Today Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister also confirmed yesterday’s claims and speculations and verified that Ukrainians successfully pushed Russians from Levadne and gained an important foothold on the next ridge of tactical heights.
If we look at the topographic map, we can see that from Levadne, Ukrainians can conveniently continue slicing off Russian defenses. If you still remember, yesterday I told you that the fall of Levadne means that the Russian defense in Novodarivka and Rivnopil will automatically collapse due to the threat of encirclement. And this is exactly what happened today. After seeing that the escape window was closing at an unprecedented rate, Russian forces wasted no time and retreated from Novodarivka. Ukrainian forces have already entered Russian fortifications in and around the settlement, and as Russian Intelligence reported, Ukrainians are demining the field between this settlement and Novopil and overall preparing the roads for easy and stable supplies for further development of the counteroffensive operation.
Some Russian sources reported that Russian forces launched a powerful counterattack in the direction of Makarivka and are about to return everything that they lost, however, it looks like this is just a supporting attack that tries to protect the flanks of the retreating forces from Rivnopil because some Russian sources already started mentioning that the village is in the grey zone. Yesterday, I told you that the fact that Russians blew up the dam highly likely means that they abandoned Urozhaine because otherwise, they would doom their own forces by cutting them off with the flooding. Today some sources started to confirm that Ukrainians established full control over this settlement, and started developing their attack further. In order to complicate Ukrainian advances even more, today, Russian forces blew up the second dam on this river, which means that Ukrainians will not be able to assault Russian settlements from the east.
This saves the Russian defense from the immediate and uncontrollable collapse because right now, Russian forces at least manage to organize a coherent retreat. When it comes to the eastern part of the region, the fights around Novodonetske continue. Today Ukrainian 4th Tank Brigade released a video of how they are destroying Russian fortification in the tree lines west of the settlement and widening the bridgehead. It is expected that very soon, Ukrainians will also launch an attack on Kermenchyk, as they are already on the approach to this settlement. In the meantime, Ukrainian Air Force continues conducting precision strikes on Russian military bases and command posts. One of the biggest strikes happened in Henychesk, which was previously considered one of the safest parts of the Kherson region, which is why it gradually became the occupational administrative center.
Ukrainian sources reported that they stuck one of the biggest Russian headquarters in the south. Ukrainians also continue conducting HIMARS strikes on Melitopol, Tokmak, and Molochne. Russian sources confirmed that in the aftermath of one of these strikes, Ukrainians have destroyed the headquarter of the highest level of command and eliminated the commander of the 35th Russian Army, Major General Goryachev. It was reported that this time almost all Russian generals were deployed to the Zaporizhzhia direction to be in touch with what is happening on the front and prevent another catastrophe, even the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Gerasimov, is reportedly somewhere in Zaporizhhzia, so Ukrainians Intelligence and Air Force are currently on a big hunt.
June 13 – The most intense clashes continue to take place south of Velyka Novosilka. Today Ukrainian 35th and 137th Mechanized Brigades finally released footage of how they managed to generate such a deep and powerful breakthrough along the hills west of the river. First of all, Ukrainians launched massive artillery preparation on the first Russian line of defense along the tree lines. Judging by the footage, it seems like Russian sources did not exaggerate its devastation. Next, Ukrainians launched a mechanized attack, where multiple armored fighting vehicles drew enemy attention to themselves, suppressed enemy fire, and provided cover for the infantry. The infantry quickly closed the distance and started storming whatever was left of the Russian defense line.
The key was to repeat this process non-stop, and with each iteration, the Russian defense was collapsing faster and faster, as the fallback positions did not have a chance to be properly manned and supported. In the aftermath of the first wave of attacks, Russians were forced out of Neskuchne, Storozheve, and, Blahodatne. Yesterday I told you that Ukrainians launched the second wave of attacks here and that Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister confirmed that these attacks resulted in the liberation of Makarivka. Today Ukrainian 35th and 137th Mechanized Brigades also released a video of how it happened. As you can see, the attacks were heavier, and Ukrainians already started using tanks to demolish Russian trenches in the tree lines around the village while the infantry was assaulting the village itself.
The fighter reported that Russians were not prepared to face such a powerful attack and abandoned their positions immediately after Ukrainians entered Makarivka. He also said that Russians immediately started using aviation and regular and thermobaric artillery to level the village with the ground while the whole Ukrainian assault unit was still in the region, however, he noted that they were prepared for such a development, his artillery units quickly returned the fire, and Russian artillery strikes immediately stopped. Yesterday, I also told you that Russian forces launched a counterattack in the direction of Makarivka, and I told you that this move was highly likely done to protect the flanks of the retreating from Rivnopil forces. And this is exactly what was happening today. Russian sources reported that Russian forces conducted at least 3 powerful attacks on Makarivka during the day, which forced Ukrainians to use their forces here.
Such actions alleviated pressure from Rivnopil and allowed Russian troops to repel small Ukrainian attacks, even though part of the personnel had departed to the next line of defense. Russian sources reported that in the meantime they are actively digging trenches 700 meters south of Makarivka. Simultaneously, Ukrainian forces are destroying Russian troops and reinforcements in the rear. Today Ukrainian sources confirmed that they relocated here the most feared drone detachment, namely, Madiar’s Birds Assault Drone Battalion. Just over the last day, Madiar’s Birds destroyed 8 Russian tanks. 4 of those strikes were geolocated, and it was revealed that they destroyed 2 tanks in Staromaiorske, 2 tanks in Zavitne Bazhannya. Ukrainians also relocated Special Operators Omega, who also posted footage of destroying Russian tanks in Staromaiorske.
Finally, reconnaissance drone detachments from 55th and 129th Brigades showed how they identified and in coordination with artillery crews, destroyed at least 4 pieces of equipment in Staromlynivka. When it comes to the further development of the counteroffensive operation, today, Russian sources reported that Ukrainians finished the demining process between Levadne and Pryyutne and conducted a reconnaissance-in-force operation. This is a strong indicator that the next powerful attack may come from this direction, and as Ukrainians also attacked Rivnopil today, it seems like Ukrainians are planning to even out the front line before conducting another deep penetration of the Russian defenses. And this makes sense because if we look at the topographic map, we can see that by evening out the contact line, Ukrainians will gain very wide access to the next elevated platform, which will make it easier to breach the next Russian defense line.
June 13, 2023 – Kilometer by kilometer, meter by meter: that is how Ukraine is recording its gains in the new counter-offensive. It’s a painstaking advance that’s liberated seven small villages in the past few days. Our team were the first foreign journalists to reach one of those villages – Blahodatne – just three kilometers from Russian positions on the frontline.
June 13, 2023 – The Ukrainian counter-offensive that everyone has been waiting for has officially begun. These first couple days the Ukrainians have sent probing forces to look for weaknesses in the front lines before committing their main attacking force. Russia is responding with continuous infighting and blame amongst their senior leadership.
June 14, 2023 – After seven months, Ukraine’s counterattack is finally underway. This video examines how Ukraine shaped the battlefield in preparation. Russia has been starved of manpower. Unable to thin the front lines much further, it appears that Russia has instead drawn from its mobile secondary units. However, this builds an enormous tension on the battlefield: if Ukraine were to achieve a rapid breakthrough, there may not be much in the way to stop further losses.
00:00 Ukraine’s Counteroffensive
01:28 The Role of Secondary Units
06:20 Ukraine’s Shaping Operations
08:02 Secrecy and Operational Security
08:56 Russia’s Dilemma
12:28 Russia’s Unattractive Alternatives
15:42 So Long, Steven Seagal!
June 14, 2023 – Ukrainian forces continued successfully advancing in all main directions. Yesterday, I told you that Levadne may very soon become the main axis of advance, and today Russian sources confirmed that after demining the field and conducting small reconnaissance-in-force operations, Ukrainians launched a much bigger attack. Russian sources reported that Ukrainians are advancing not only eastward but also southward and that today Ukrainian assault units established control over multiple Russian positions in the tree lines. Ukrainian forces are also ramping up the intensity of the attacks in the direction of Rivnopil. Today Russian sources reported that Ukrainians assaulted this settlement with up to 5 tanks and 5 armored fighting vehicles. The goal of this combination of attacks remains to even out the front line and set the conditions for a broader line of advancement.
When it comes to the Russian counterattack, as expected, Russian forces failed to recapture Makarivka due to the weak control over the tactical heights around this settlement. Russian sources reported that they relocated their forces from the Orikhiv front to increase the scale and potency of their counterattack and opened another direction, namely, Urozhaine. Some sources claim that the village is now in the grey zone, and the ongoing clashes do not cease because Ukrainians stubbornly continue to hold the line. In order to undermine Russian offensive capabilities, Ukrainian forces have deployed several HIMARS crews to the region to conduct precise counterbattery fire. Geolocated footage showed how Ukrainians destroyed 5 Russian artillery systems. In a desperate attempt to change the situation, Russian forces hacked the radio in the region and started broadcasting a message.
They claimed that Ukrainian positions were cut from two sides and there was no escape, and the Ukrainian command did not plan to save them, which is why other forces have already left their positions. They said this was their last chance to capitulate because all Ukrainian reserves had been destroyed. Ironically, in the meantime, Ukrainians conducted a massive HIMARS strike on Russian reserves and eliminated more than 200 Russian soldiers. This caused a massive scandal and unofficial investigation in the Russian media space, and Russian sources quickly found out and published the cause and results of the Ukrainian strike. If you still remember, around 3 months ago, I made a video about the biggest tank battle in Ukraine that took place in front of Vuhledar. I told you that in the aftermath of disastrous planning, Russian forces lost almost 150 tanks and armored fighting vehicles and several brigades worth of troops.
There were 2 people responsible for this disaster: Lieutenant-General Rustam Muradov and Colonel Sakhrab Akhmedov. Interestingly, in their reports, they claimed that they achieved unbelievable success, which is why Putin signed an executive order to give both of them a higher rank, and Rustam Muradov became a Coloner-General, while Sakhrab Akhmedov became a Major-General. As you might have already guessed, the success of the Ukrainian HIMARS strike was only possible because these commanders were left in charge. Russian sources reported that Sakhrab Akhmedov wanted to give a motivational speech to his troops and called everyone to assemble in the yard and wait for him. Unfortunately for Russians, Ukrainian reconnaissance drone operators quickly noticed the parade, gave the coordinate to the HIMARS crews, and eliminated at least 200 Russian troops.
So, Akhmedov effectively killed his own troops by ordering everyone to gather in the plain sight of the enemy and forcing everyone to wait for an extended period of time. Even the most prominent Russian sources are calling for the execution of General Akhmedov by firing squad, and they claimed that such Russian commanders killed more Russians with their criminal orders than Ukrainians did with weapons. If you are against the invasion of Ukraine and want to support the work that I am doing, consider making a purchase in the online store UA Supporter. Here you can find a lot of products with Ukrainian symbols, to not only show your support for this channel, but also for Ukraine. The link to the online store is in the description, thank you for watching and I will see you in the next report.
June 15, 2023 – 200 Russians smoked extremely carelessly | Kadyrovites got smoked in the rear areas.
June 15, 2023 – The first week of Ukraine’s counteroffensive has finished and the Ukrainian military has liberated more territory in the last week than Russian forces have captured in the last six months. Putin sat down with Russian military bloggers and did not impress them with his information about what is happening in the war. Odessa is struck again by Russian missile attacks and Ukraine is getting more Patriot Air Defense systems soon.
June 16, 2023 – Russia’s Kamov Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter has emerged as a key weapon to stop Ukrainian advances on the battlefield. The Ka-52 is now seen as Russia’s top tank killer in its ongoing war campaign against Ukraine. The Russian defense ministry has released a video showing the Alligator destroying two Ukrainian tanks in southern Donetsk. The Ka-25 was seen firing air-launched Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) on Ukrainian tanks during the counteroffensive. Kyiv is reported to have already lost several German-made Leopard tanks and US-made Bradley IFVs in the ongoing fighting.
0:00 INTRODUCTION
1:10 AN UPGRADED ALLIGATOR
2:24 CAN UKRAINE COUNTER RUSSIA’S KA-52 ALLIGATOR?
3:47 BIG PLAYER BUT ALSO BIG LOSER
June 17, 2023 – Ukraine Daily Update | Day 479.
June 18, 2023 – Ukraine continues to apply pressure to Russia’s front lines in numerous areas as they have liberated more territory in the last week than Russia has captured in the Donbass region in the past six months. Russia launched another round of missile attacks on Kyiv as the African peace delegation visited the city. ATACMS have no yet been approved for Ukraine, but Congress continues to apply pressure on The White House to send some to Ukraine.
June 19, 2023 – Ukrainians trap and destroy 300 Russian troops.
June 19, 2023 – Gigantic explosions in the Russian rear areas! 300 Russian K.I.A. in Pyatykhatky.
June 20, 2023 – Ukraine has liberated another village in the Zaporizhzhia oblast as Russian supply lines supporting the area were dealt a massive blow by a Storm Shadow cruise missile strike. It is being reported that Russian soldiers on the front lines are suffering from cholera and other diseases, and the Russia MOD has responded by blaming the United States and promoting weaponized mosquito conspiracies. Migrant workers across Russia are also now being rounded up in mass to be forced in to the military to be used as cannon fodder.
June 20, 2023 – Former commander of the Joint Forces Command General Sir Richard Barrons about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. General Barrons provides insights into the Ukrainian counter-offensive, discussing the preparation, planning, and challenges faced by the Ukrainian forces. He explains that the counter-offensive has been in preparation for nine months, involving the training and equipping of several brigades with NATO and Russian equipment. The objective of the probing attacks conducted by the Ukrainians is to identify the Russian defenses and set conditions for a larger force to be deployed effectively.
June 21, 2023 – The counter-offensive is not going as planned?
June 22, 2023 – President Zelensky admits to his people that the pace of the counter-offensive is going slower than desired, but explains progress is still being made and territory is being liberated. Girkin admits to his supporters that everything is going terrible for the Russian military and they have no chance of winning this war due to incompetent leadership. Ukrainian intelligence is warning the world that they have reports that Russia has mined the occupied nuclear power plant and has plans to destroy the plant when they retreat.
June 22, 2023 – Ukraine cuts a very important supply from Crimea. Russian army is doomed.
June 22, 2023 – Day 484 – Today there was a series of powerful missile strikes on the Crimean bridges. Recently released footage shows that the first target of the missile strike became the highway bridge near Chonhar. Judging by the shape of the missile, it was highly likely a Strom Shadow missile. When it comes to the destruction, as we can see, each missile made a huge hole in the bridge floor and rendered at least 1 lane inoperable. In total, the first Chonhar Highway Bridge was hit by 2 missiles, while the second Chonhar Highway Bridge was hit by 1 missile. Some sources speculated that the destructions are not characteristic of Storm Shadow, however, judging by the remnant found on the ground, it was definitely a product of the leading French firm Matra BAE Dynamics Alenia, which produces long-range precision missiles, including Storm Shadows.
This explains why the rocket managed to cross the whole Kherson region without being shot down. Some sources published footage of the Russian air defense work that operated right near the Chonhar Bridge. The video shows how a Russian air defense system, Pantsir S1, is trying to intercept the Ukrainian cruise missile. It looks like the system identified the rocket too late, and it hit the target before the Pantsir rocket managed to achieve its task. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian forces shot down 5 Storm Shadow missiles and 2 HIMARS missiles, although it was not mentioned how many rockets reached their destinations and what where the targets. And as it turned out today, Ukrainians have conducted a series of strikes, not just one. Local residents reported that they saw direct hits not only on the Chonhar Highway Bridge but also Syvash Railway Bridge.
Later, Russian reporters confirmed that the railway bridge also suffered a strike. Crimean occupation authorities announced that Russian experts are evaluation the damage and will temporarily close the bridges. Occupation authorities’ representatives immediately filmed a segment on the bridge claiming that the damage is insignificant, the bridge would be repaired in a couple of days, and that such strikes have little effect on the course of the war. Ironically, Russian officials used precisely the same words and phrases to describe the situation when Ukrainians started hitting the Antonivskyy Bridge ahead of the Kherson counteroffensive operation. The problems with logistics have already started to set in. People already posted a lot of videos showing massive traffic jams and the disarray in Russian logistics.
Chonhar bridges were extremely important for the stability of the Russian supply lines because they had direct highway and railway connections to the hottest part of the front line. Some Russian analysts claimed that Russians can easily create multiple pontoon bridges, and it will solve all the problems, however, when it comes to transferring heavy equipment in large numbers, especially via the railways, pontoon bridges are simply not a viable solution. Right now, Russians have to start making massive adjustments and rely on the last remaining connection between Crimea and the mainland. Such monumental changes not only dramatically increase the supplied shoulder but also put substantial pressure on this line, which inevitably leads to bottlenecks and inflexibility.
The spokesman for the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate stated that the actions that are currently taking place will continue, which basically means that Ukrainians are entering the next phase of the counteroffensive operation, where the main goal is to take out the Russian logistics. Russian analysts are already raising the alarm about the fact that Ukrainians are setting Russian forces for a complete failure. They claimed that Ukrainians chose the Chonhar bridges first because it forced Russians to use longer routes and more distant bridges. Once Russians adjust, Ukrainians can take out the next bridges, increasing logistical issues exponentially and possibly topping it all off with the destruction of the Kerch Bridge, which will serve as the last straw, after which Russian will face a complete logistical collapse in all regions simultaneously.
June 22, 2023 – David Petraeus – the war is now in Russia.
June 23, 2023 – Cut off Crimea – how the British ‘Storm Shadow’ cruise missile destroyed the Chongar bridge
June 23, 2023 – Coup in Russia – Russian collapse coming, Soviet Union 2.0.
March 23, 2023 – Civil war has started in Russia. Putin’s military attacked Wagner mercenaries.
June 23, 2023 – Coup attempt in Russia: Wagner boss Prigozhin wants to take over!
June 23, 2023 – Internal feud boils over in Russia. Pirgozhin threatens ‘march for justice.’
June 23, 2023 – Day 485 – Today there was an insane sequence of events that ended up with the Head of the biggest Russians private military company, the Wagner Group, Prigozhin, starting a coup on the territory of the Russian Federation and declaring that his goal is to remove the Russian Defense Minister, Shoigu, and the Chief of the General Staff, Gerasimov, and that anyone who stands in his way will be destroyed. The day started with the release of an exclusive interview with Prigozhin, where he raised the most uncomfortable questions, exposed the biggest lies told by the highest Russian officials, and revealed the terrifying reality of the war. In particular, he exposed the fact that the main reason why Russia started the war is that, firstly, the Russian Defense Minister, Shoigu, wanted to go down in history as a Marshal and a two-times Hero of the Russian Federation, and secondly, because the Russian elite wanted to usurp Ukrainian assets.
Four hours later, Prigozhin published a video showing that Wagner forces’ camps in the deep rear suffered a terrible strike. He claimed that Shoigu, who recently visited the Rostov region, did so in order to personally command the special operation to destroy Wagner forces. He claimed that their camps were hit with rockets and artillery and then raided by assault helicopters. Prigozhin said that he was gathering all his forces and heading toward Moscow to wipe out the Russian Ministry of Defense. In response, the Russian Ministry of Defense effectively launched a criminal investigation for instigation of a coup, threatening Prigozhin with up to 20 years in prison; they effectively seized Wagner’s centers in Saint Petersburg; and forbade all media channels to even mention Prigozhin’s claims and declarations.
Prigozhin did not back down, there was a hacker attack on Russian channels, which started translating Prigozhin’s announcement that he was heading to Moscow. The Russian Ministry realized that this was getting serious, shut down the internet in some regions, set ready all their special forces, such as Rosgvardia, Grom, and SOBR, closed the border with the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, closed the highways, enacted the Fortress Plan, and started building fortifications on the roads to meet and destroy the Wagner forces. The streets in the Russian cities were gradually filled with heavy equipment for direct and heavy confrontations. As a last desperate move, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a series of appeals to the Wagner soldiers: at first, the videos featured many different regular Russian formations along the whole front line who asked Wagner to return to the front; then they used Prigozhin’s friend – general Surovikin – to ask Prigozhin to stop, and finally, they even asked the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Alekseev, who helped Prigozhin to establish his private military company, to stop before it is too late.
Prigozhin claimed that despite the Ministry’s orders, they passed the border and initial block posts with no hurdles because the oppressed Russian soldiers were reportedly happy that someone was finally going to push back. He asked others to do the same because whoever stood in their way would be destroyed. Next, the Russian Ministry of Defense ordered to conduct an airstrike on the Wagner’s convoys, which had already entered the Rostov region, and Prigozhin claimed that they shot down several helicopters. Later, videos emerged of direct confrontation between the regular Russian detachments and Wagner forces.
Eventually, the Wagner forces prevailed and continued their movement. Locals continued releasing footage of Wagner columns passing through the region, where Wagner forces were moving all types of weapons: from machine guns, drone launchers, and mortar systems to tanks and artillery. Soon, this equipment was used to seize their first target – the headquarters of the Southern Military District, which commands 70 thousand soldiers. Wagner forces surrounded the building with tanks and blocked the movement. Later they also seized police stations, Federal Security Services, and regional administration, effectively ceasing control over the whole Rostov region. Right now, the Wagner forces have just entered the Voroniezh region. Locals are posting videos with audible gunfire. In the meantime, the Russian Ministry of Defense is reinforcing Moscow.
June 24, 2023 – Wagner is going to Moscow now. Russian civil war officially begun!
June 24, 2023 – Russia is ripped apart. Wagner is taking city by city by storm. Putin is stunned.
June 24, 2023 – Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has vowed to crush what he called an armed mutiny in a televised address. It comes after Yevgeny Prigojhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group said he wanted to oust Russia’s military leadership. The Russian army says it is carrying out ‘combat measures’ in the southern region of Voronezh. Further south, Prigozhin says his Wagner forces have taken control of key military sites in the city of Rostov-on-Don. This includes the region’s military headquarters – a key logistical base for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But Prigozhin denies he’s staging a coup. As Russian authorities declare a counter-terrorist operation in Moscow, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin says his troops are prepared to die for their cause.
June 24, 2023 – Russia’s President is accusing Wagner mercenaries of treason and betrayal. In his address to the nation, Vladimir Putin vowed a swift response to the rebellion in the southern city of Rostov-on-don. And said Yevgeny Prigozhin’s group represents a threat to Russia’s internal security.
June 24, 2023 – Russian coup: Putin’s days ‘are numbered in a handful’ | Lord Dannatt – “It’s perfectly reasonable for those NATO countries, and other countries that have a common border with Russia to mobilize troops to take up a deterrent posture.” If Ukraine takes advantage of ‘confusion’ inside Russia, then Putin’s days are ‘numbered,’ says Lord Dannatt.
June 24, 2023 – An armed mutiny, a betrayal, a knife in the back – and a visibly angry Vladimir Putin speaking after the tanks and armored vehicles of the Wagner Group of soldiers – supposedly fighting on his behalf – seize the city of Rostov-on-Don and take control of military sites in an audacious act of rebellion. The man behind it all – former prisoner and billionaire catering boss turned mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin. He is denying it is a coup, instead, that it is a march for justice -prompted by his fury at how Moscow is running the war in Ukraine. But march or mutiny – what is the end game?
June 24, 2023 – Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed he was turning his forces around from a march toward Moscow. The announcement comes as the Belarusian government claimed President Alexander Lukashenko had reached a deal with the Wagner boss to halt the march of his forces on Moscow.
June 24, 2023 – Prigozhin has launched a military coup in Russia and after Putin condemned his coup attempt, the Wagner Group has called for the removal of Putin from office. The Southern Military District Office and government buildings in Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh have been taken by the Wagner Group.
June 24, 2023 – Former CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty and CNN Military Analyst Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) weigh in on the dramatic turn of events in the power struggle between the Russian military and the Wagner paramilitary group.
June 24, 2023 – Wagner private military company boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has left Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don in southwestern Russia, new video, posted to Telegram and geolocated and authenticated by CNN, shows. CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh reports.
June 25, 2023 – Ben Hodges explains Yevgeny Prigozhin’s coup attempt was Putin’s game! What’s Putin’s next plan?
June 25, 2023 – Michael McFaul, former U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation, joins Jonathan Capehart to discuss Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s decision to make a truce, stand down from advancing on Moscow, and effectively cease a rebellion.
June 25, 2023 – Prigozhin’s coup fails? Hmm. What deal did Putin make?
June 25, 2023 – Prigozhin has ended his military coup attempt in a negotiated settlement with Putin and Lukashenko. The complete details of their agreement are known only to the secret power players in the Kremlin, but this certainly will not be the last time we see or hear from Pirgozhin.
June 25, 2023 – Russia’s coup, real or fake? An explanation and analysis.
June 26, 2023 – What happened to Wagner Rebellion? | Ukrainian forces counter-attacked over the river.
June 26, 2023 – “Prighozin is too big to kill.” The Wagner leader is “too important” to Russia for Putin to get rid of him, but his supporters may be “purged,” Bill Browder tells TimesRadio.
June 26, 2023 – Exactly 484 days after the invasion of Ukraine began, Vladimir Putin’s regime faced a coup attempt that has exposed the great weaknesses of a country that is floundering. In late February 2022 Vladimir Putin came close to taking over Kiev. Now his control over Moscow and perhaps Russia as a whole has been put at risk. The question we are all asking now is: Exactly what the hell happened, why did it happen? And probably the most important question of all: What can we expect from now on? In this video we answer all these questions.
June 26, 2023 – Former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty reacts to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech following Wagner Group’s rebellion in Russia.
June 27, 2023 – Russian authorities say they have closed criminal investigations into Wagner Group mercenaries who took part in the rebellion over the weekend, as well as their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Defense and Security analyst Professor Michael Clarke takes a closer look at what’s happening on the ground in Russia.
June 27, 2023 – Huge Russian losses in Kherson front. Wagner PMC will be eliminated by Putin!
June 27, 2023 – Ukraine crosses Dnipro at Kherson, Rivnopol liberated, Wagner reconstituting in Belarus?
June 27, 2023 – Ukrainians entered the first town after they crossed the Dnipro River.
June 27, 2023 – Putin’s image shattered after Prigozhin’s rebellion.
Jun 27, 2023 – Day 489 – Today the biggest news comes from the Kherson region. Here, Ukrainians continue conducting amphibious operations on the Dnipro River with the goal of developing a bridgehead on the other side of the river, while Russian defense is still weak in the aftermath of the destruction of many Russian fortifications due to flooding. Geolocated footage shows that day after day, Ukrainians are successfully reinforcing the assault group, and if yesterday Russian sources reported that there were up to 50 Ukrainian soldiers in the region, then today this number increased to 100. At first, Russians tried to use their aviation to bomb the residential area, and especially the bridge, which Ukrainians are using as their main fortification and shelter. However, the usage of aviation proved to be extremely problematic.
First of all, the munitions are not very precise, which requires more airstrikes or getting closer to the contact line. And this is impossible because, secondly, Russian sources reported that Ukrainians had redeployed multiple S-300 air defense systems to the towns and villages in the vicinity of this bridgehead. Some Russian fighters also complained that they could not even use drones due to the fact that they lost connection half the way towards to bridge because Ukrainians put somewhere electronic warfare systems. That is why if Russians wanted to eliminate the enemy bridgehead, they needed to conduct direct ground assaults. The first Russians assault group tried to use armored fighting vehicles to deliver the assault units directly to the Ukrainian positions. This did not work very well because Ukrainians had mined the approached to the bridge, so the vehicle got immobilized by the mine, and Russians immediately ran away in all possible directions.
Next, Russians decided to take it into account and drive not all the way to the bridge but just to the first houses. Russian forces used 3 armored personnel carriers to deliver 3 assault squads, 30 troops in total. Ukrainian reconnaissance drone operators spotted the movement of Russian troops and immediately communicated their coordinates to the Ukrainian artillery crews. Shortly, the artillery hit the area of the deployment of the Russian troops, inflicting significant losses and putting an end to the planed assault. The remaining Russian troops dissipated throughout the region and requested support and evacuation. Unfortunately for Russians, the coordination and communication between the assault units were nonexistent in the aftermath of the artillery strike.
So, when the first Russian group that assumed positions in the forest noticed movement in the residential area, they assumed that this was a Ukrainian counterattack and opened fire at the second group of Russians in the houses. When the support arrived, the Russian armored fighting vehicle advanced while simultaneously firing precisely at the houses with the Russian airborne unit. The armored fighting vehicle picked up several wounded soldiers from the other group and drove away. Judging by the footage, the machine gun fire fired though all the houses along the road. Given the caliber of the gun, the brick walls of the houses provided as much protection as paper, so Russian forces who successfully got a toehold in the residential area likely suffered heavy losses due to the friendly fire. Overall, Russian forces proved to be incapable of controlling the islands.
Even though they had a paved road leading right to the residential area, Ukrainians took it under total fire control, not allowing Russians to deliver supplies or rotate troops. Russian sources reported that using small high-speed boats proved to be extremely effective for the purpose of controlling the river because they were extremely mobile and an impossible target for the Russian artillery. The only real danger for the Ukrainian boat crews is Russian troops near the river. With that in mind, we can see that by pushing Russians from these small islands and residential areas, Ukrainians are gradually gaining complete freedom of movement on the river, even without controlling the other bank. Russians analysts are warning that once Ukrainians push Russians to the mainland, Ukrainians will start looking for a weak spot, and given the length of the front line, the probability that Ukrainians will find one is extremely high.
June 29, 2023 – Documents shared exclusively with CNN suggest that Russian Gen. Sergey Surovikin was a secret VIP member of the Wagner private military company. CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh and retired Major General James “Spider” Marks join Wolf Blitzer to discuss.
June 29, 2023 – Four Russian generals destroyed in Mariupol! Direct hit from Ukraine to the Russian army!
June 29, 2023 – The Kremlin has arrested General Sergei Surovikin in connection to Prigozhin’s failed rebellion. The Russians also attacked a pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk to cause maximum civilian casualties. On Kremlin state TV they admitted to taking horrendous losses of their junior officers and they have been graduating military cadets early as well as giving field promotions to sergeants in order to make them into officers and make up for their losses.