Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Republicans would impeach Biden if he bit into a whole Kit Kat rather than breaking the sections apart.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

The Supreme Court is corrupt. Democrats must win in November and force court reform.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

Let me file that under fuck it.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

The revolution will be supervised.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

‘Museums aren’t America’s attic for its racist shit.’

Bogus polls are all they’ve got left. Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls a year from now.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

The current Supreme Court is a rogue court. Very dangerous.

Let there be snark.

You cannot shame the shameless.

The arc of the moral universe doesn’t bend itself. it’s up to us.

“Cheese and Kraken paired together for the appetizer trial.”

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Joe Biden can go out like FDR, not by dying in office, but by crushing the fascists.

Come on, man.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War For Ukraine Day 174: Ukrainian Special Operations Forces Strike Deep Within Russian Occupied Crimea

War For Ukraine Day 174: Ukrainian Special Operations Forces Strike Deep Within Russian Occupied Crimea

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Іду на ви!/I Come at you!

Very early this morning Ukrainan Special Operations Forces struck more targets in Russian occupied Crimea.

More after the jump!

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier this evening. Video below, English transcript after the jump (emphasis mine):

Ukrainians!

Every day and every night we see new reports of explosions in the territory temporarily occupied by the occupiers. I am now asking all our people in Crimea, in other regions in the south of the country, in the occupied areas of Donbas, in the Kharkiv region to be very careful. Please do not approach the military objects of the Russian army and all those places where they store ammunition and equipment, where they keep their headquarters.

The reasons for the explosions in the occupied territory can be different, very different, in particular, I quote the definition of the occupiers themselves, “bungling”.

But they all have the same meaning: the destruction of the occupiers’ logistics, their ammunition, military and other equipment, command posts saves the lives of our people. The fewer opportunities the occupiers have to do evil and kill Ukrainians, the sooner we will be able to end this war by liberating our land. And the queue these days to leave Crimea for Russia across the bridge proves that the absolute majority of citizens of the terrorist state already understand or at least feel that Crimea is not a place for them.

And I want to thank all Ukrainians who help our Armed Forces, our intelligence, our special services weaken the army of the occupiers. This is a significant advantage of Ukraine and the root cause of our future victory – the struggle of our defenders is based on the unconditional support of the Ukrainian people. This is a people’s war of liberation, this is an all-Ukrainian struggle for freedom and independence for our country.

Ukraine is protected by millions in one way or another. Millions of people who fight at the front, who fight for their cities and villages, including in the occupation, who stopped the occupiers’ military equipment, who informed and inform our intelligence and special services, who oppose the occupiers in their rear, who ensure the necessary supplies for Ukraine and the work of all our state institutions and economy, who volunteer, who fight for our interests abroad, who fight in the information war.

And we have to do – and will do – everything to preserve this nationwide foundation of defense.

For the support of Ukraine in the world not to decrease and for our state to move towards victory, our own activity should not decrease either – the activity of absolutely everyone who in one way or another stood up for the defense of our state. Do everything, as you have been doing, for Ukraine. And even more, because the leadership of Russia expects that Ukrainians, Europeans and the whole world will get tired of this war. We must do everything so that it is not us or our friends and partners who get tired, but our enemy. For us to expel the occupiers from Ukraine, every day must make it more and more difficult for Russia to wage a war – this is our number one military-political task.

I spoke today with President of France Emmanuel Macron. I informed him about the situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and regular Russian provocations. I thanked him for the great support. In particular, Mr. President and I have discussed new security and macro-financial assistance to our state.

I also held talks with the Prime Minister of Denmark. Also about increasing financial support for Ukraine, about new sanctions against Russia. I thanked Mrs. Frederiksen for the defense assistance and for the fruitful conference in Copenhagen which recently agreed on concrete decisions for our defense.

For the first time in the history of our bilateral relations, I held talks with the President of Zambia. Cooperation in international organizations, food security and current global threats were discussed.

Ban Ki-moon, the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Juan Manuel Santos, ex-President of Colombia, visited Ukraine today. The main topic of conversation with them is security guarantees for Ukraine.

We are doing everything to form a military, political and legal security architecture for Ukraine, which will be real, effective and work in the long term, guaranteeing peace to our people.

The Russian army continued its absolutely senseless and brutal shelling of the cities of the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions – Orikhiv, Nikopol… Unfortunately, there are wounded, unfortunately, there are casualties. Shelling of Kharkiv and the border areas continues. But all this will not give anything to the occupiers and will not break our resistance.

Our heroes repel constant and very powerful attacks in Donbas. The occupiers use everything there: aviation, missiles, phosphorus bombs, artillery… Very fierce battles are going on.

We have to go through it, endure everything and gain life. Ukraine must win, and it will.

Today I signed the decree on awarding our defenders. 189 warriors were awarded state awards. 158 are National Guard servicemen, 21 of them were awarded posthumously. 26 border guards, two of them posthumously. Three police officers, two of them posthumously. Two employees of the State Customs Service, one of them posthumously.

Eternal memory to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine!

Eternal glory to all our heroes!

Glory to Ukraine!

Here’s more on the Ukrainian SOF strike in Crimea:

Here is today’s operational update from Ukraine’s MOD:

The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 06.00, on August 16, 2022

Glory to Ukraine! The one hundred seventy fourth (174) day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military invasion continues.

Air and missile strikes on civilian objects on the territory of Ukraine continue.

The situation in the Volyn and Polissya directions has not changed significantly. The communication training of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the republic of belarus is being held. There is still a threat of the enemy launching missile and air strikes from the territory of this country.

In the Siversky region, the enemy continues to hold units of the armed forces of the russian federation in the border areas of the Bryansk and Kursk regions in order to constrain the actions of units of the Defense Forces. The enemy shelled the districts of Kamianska Sloboda of Chernihiv oblast and Khodynoy of Sumy oblast with artillery.

In the Kharkiv direction, the enemy used barrel and jet artillery for fire impact near Kostyantynivka, Rtyshchivka, Sosnivka, Pytomnyk and Rusky Tyshky.

In the Slovyansk direction, enemy carried out fire damage near Hrushuvaha and Virnopilla. Enemy units are taking measures to improve logistical support in the indicated direction.

In the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy continued shelling from artillery of various types near Kramatorsk, Spirne, and Ivano-Daryivka.

Conducts an offensive in the direction of the Lysychansk oil refinery – Ivano-Daryivka, hostilities continue.

In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy shelled the areas of Bakhmut, Bakhmutske, Soledar, Shumy, Bilohorivka, Kostyantynivka, Yakovlivka and Zaytseve from tanks, barrel and rocket artillery.

Enemy units conducted offensive and assault actions in the directions Volodymyrivka – Bakhmutske and Stryapivka – Soledar. Here Ukrainian soldiers stopped and pushed the invaders back. Fighting continues on the Pokrovske – Bakhmutske and Horlivka – Zalizne directions.

In the Avdiyivka direction, the enemy shelled the areas of Krasnohorivka, Spartak and Nevelske with barrel artillery. Conducts an offensive in the direction of Staromykhailivka – Nevelske, hostilities continue.

On the Novopavlivske and Zaporizhzhia directions, shelling from tanks, barrel and rocket artillery was recorded in the areas of Novosilka, Vuhledar, Velyka Novosilka, Novomykhailivka, Novopilla, Pavlivka, Novoandriivka, Pryvilne and Vremivka settlements.

The occupiers are conducting offensive and assault actions in the direction of Solodke – Novomykhailivka, they have partial success, the hostilities continue.

In the South Buh direction, the enemy, in addition to shelling from tanks and artillery along the line of battle, engaged army and assault forces near Bila Krynytsia, Andriivka and Lozove.

An attempt to improve the tactical position by assault actions in the direction of Zeleny Hai – Novohryhorivka ended with significant losses and a retreat for the enemy.

Two Kalibr sea-based cruise missile carriers are ready to use high-precision weapons.

Our fighter aircraft patrols the airspace of Ukraine, and our strike aircraft provide fire support to troops in designated operational areas without fail. Rocket and artillery units continue to systematically destroy the concentration of manpower and ammunition depots of the enemy.

We believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine! Together we will win!

Glory to Ukraine!

Here is the British MOD’s assessment for today:

And here is their updated map for today:

Here is former NAVDEVGRU Squadron Leader Chuck Pfarrer’s updated map and assessment of the battle in Kherson:

The Ukrainians were quite busy in Crimea this morning. In addition to the already covered SOF raid, an electrical substation and another Russian air base were also targeted.

And a railway:

It is unclear at this time if these attacks were also carried out by Ukrainian SOF, Ukrainian partisans operating within Russian occupied Crimea, a combination of the two, or through the use of Ukrainian long range fires.

The point of all these attacks, as I’ve written before, is to achieve two effects. The first is the obvious kinetic/lethal ones: deprive the Russian of the use of this infrastructure and material. The second is psychological: it is intended to unsettle the Russians, to make them feel as if nowhere in Russian occupied Crimea, as well as the rest of Russian occupied Ukraine is safe. Which is why we’re continuing to see videos and pictures of long lines of Russians trying to flee Crimea.

While I’m pretty sure that The Mirror is less than reliable, however they got this story, regardless of whether it is true, will also produce a psychological effect:

Is it true? False? A bit of both? Who knows? But that doesn’t matter. Putin was already paranoid about the people around him; about who he could really trust. This is just going to reinforce and inflame that paranoia.

The Russians, of course, continue to commit war crimes in Ukraine:

I’m aware of detailed Washington Post reporting regarding US intelligence penetration of the Russian government, military, and security services. I have not had a chance to read it yet, so we’ll get to it tomorrow. Depending on how much of Crimea gets blowed up…

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

And a new video from Patron’s official TikTok:

@patron__dsns

Ледь сльозу не пустив…🥹☺️ #славаукраїні #песпатрон #патрондснс

♬ Посмотри оригинал звука – Дядя Ортур (СОСЕДИ СТЕРПЯТ)

The caption translates as:

I almost didn’t shed a tear…🥹☺️ glory to Ukraine #pespatron #patrondsns

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

57Comments

  3. 3.

    Alison Rose 💙🌻💛

    Anything that might even possibly make putin have a big mad is all good in my book. And besides, it’s not as though facts are things russians care about.

    Patron looks like he’s posing for a calendar pic. Oooohh hey…Balloon Juice Pets 2023 honorary feature??? :)

    Thank you as always, Adam.

  5. 5.

    oldster

    Ukrainian special forces? New long-range munitions? Drones?

    Keep the Russians in doubt. Let them dread, and let them flee for home. Crimea is not theirs. Crimea is Ukraine.

  6. 6.

    Gin & Tonic

    Couple more things. The correct translation of Patron’s idiomatic phrase would be “I almost cried.” And the russians released a video of them raiding a supposed UA SOF safe house, which contained all the materials UA SOF would be carrying in Crimea: a sheet of Third Reich flag stickers, a jacket with a German patch on it, a random UPA (WWII Ukrainian Insurgent Army) flyer, material about Stepan Bandera (Ukrainian nationalist leader assassinated in 1959) and, perhaps most importantly, a Russian-language book entitled “The German Soldier.”

    I’m not joking:

    Russian propaganda “Ukrainian terrorist” starter pack. pic.twitter.com/26tCpM2lRG
    — Dr. Ian Garner (@irgarner) August 16, 2022

    These are not folks who aced propaganda school.

  9. 9.

    Immanentize

    At some point, the Russian boats in the Black Sea, which have been launching cruise missiles into Ukraine, will be in range. It is very bad luck to smoke on ships.

  10. 10.

    Lyrebird

    @Gin & Tonic: Thanks!  If you have time, could you give us an idea what the woman is saying in the Patron video?

    Also, I just found out from Wikipedia that a famous psychologist, Albert Bandura, aka Mr. Bobo Doll, was Ukrainian as well as Polish-Canadian.

  15. 15.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Lyrebird: It’s pretty inside-baseball-ish. It’s the voice of that stupid russian woman who was filmed in the back of her car the other day crying about having to leave Crimea – check the TikTok here. Hence Patron’s sarcastic “I almost cried.”

    There are now approximately a million TikToks making fun of her. If you want some more, here’s a starting point on Twitter.

  20. 20.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Lyrebird: I have no idea who Albert Bandura is, but Bandera and Bandura are unrelated words. Bandera is just a surname (I don’t know if it’s in any way derived from the Spanish word for “flag”) and Bandura is an uncommon surname but is the name for a stringed instrument popular in Ukraine.

  21. 21.

    Captain C

    A UK tabloid reports that highly placed Kremlin official has approached the West to help end the Ukraine invasion. Astonishing claims about the move were made in a report circulated to Western intelligence agencies.

    Sure Yuri, here’s our conditions:

    1)  Every Russian leaves Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.  Leave all equipment except possibly unarmored trucks that they brought in, which they can ride out on.  Last ones out of Crimea must blow the Karch bridge.  Now.

    2) All kidnapped Ukrainians are brought back, at Russia’s expense, and compensated $1000/day that they were kidnapped.  Now.

    3) Ukraine will make a list of war criminals.  Turn them over, even if they’re Putin, no questions or complaints.

    4) All Russian funds frozen abroad will be turned over to Ukraine for war reparations and rebuilding.  If this is not enough, Russia will make up the difference.  The initial frozen funds will be turned over now.

    5) Russia is not allowed any military forces within 50 miles of Ukraine.  No air or missile assets within 150.

    Did I miss anything?

    (Not that Russia would accept any of these, but I do think they’re all pretty reasonable.)

  26. 26.

    Bill Arnold

    Did I miss anything?

    1000 tons of Russian gold, it is shiny and they have over 2000 tons.

  29. 29.

    Carlo Graziani

    The Mirror story reminds me of Rudolf Hess’ peace bid. If it’s true, one of Putin’s confidantes may suddenly disappear from view.

  31. 31.

    lowtechcyclist

    Video of an explosion at a Russian ammo depot in the town of Maiske in Crimea. Russian officials have blamed sabotage

    Marvin the Martian must be pleased with all the earth-shattering kabooms!

  32. 32.

    Marc

    Adam, I do appreciate your posts here, but this from Lawfare (as well as other places):

    White phosphorus munitions are per se a lawful weapon that can be used against the enemy consistent with the normal laws of targeting. However, white phosphorus munitions, like any lawful weapon, can be used in numerous unlawful manners, such as to specifically target civilians or launch attacks indiscriminately.

    If those were civilians being targeted at the “front lines”, then it may well be a war crime, otherwise not.  I’m sure you’re aware that the US also uses white phosphorus munitions.  The Russians do obviously commit war crimes, but this one is likely within the rules.

  33. 33.

    Carlo Graziani

    @terry chay: Don’t have access to WaPo at the moment, but I am curious. I believed before the invasion that the administration was blowing smoke, but I’ve felt ever since that they must have the FSB , Russian MOD, and maybe even parts of the Kremlin wired for sound and video. Their intentions intel bordered on clairvoyance — it was just too good to be believed.

    I’ve basically assumed that they took advantage of the fact that everytone and everything in Russia is for sale, and our intelligence agencies can operate bribe budgets in the infinite resource approximation.

  34. 34.

    Lyrebird

    @Gin & Tonic:  filmed in the back of her car the other day crying about having to leave Crimea

    That’s what I thought, but I was obviously failing at Google-fu!  Thanks again.

  36. 36.

    SpaceUnit

    Adam, I realize that anything could happen in the next 10 to 12 weeks but would you care to speculate as to what it means strategically now that this intrenched war of attrition seems to be heading into the long and harsh winter months?

    I’m assuming it’s going to be pretty bad for everyone.  Will either side gain an advantage?  I want to think it will make it harder for Russia to maintain supply lines, but I also realize that there are plenty of Ukrainians trapped behind the lines that are likely to find themselves in a new frozen hell.

  37. 37.

    Ken

    @Carlo Graziani: The Mirror story reminds me of Rudolf Hess’ peace bid. If it’s true, one of Putin’s confidantes may suddenly disappear from view.

    Doesn’t that happen a lot anyway?

  38. 38.

    Lyrebird

    @Adam L Silverman: Bandura is the father of the modern psychological study of crime.

    Also the guy who put observational learning on the map, at least for educational psychologists!

    And thank you very much for assembling and explaining these in-depth reports.

  40. 40.

    Bill Arnold

    @Carlo Graziani:

    I’ve basically assumed that they took advantage of the fact that everyone and everything in Russia is for sale, and our intelligence agencies can operate bribe budgets in the infinite resource approximation.

    I’ve been informed that for like 10-20K USD one can assemble a complete dossier of any Russian, mid-level or lower, including full banking records, full movement records, phone metadata records, photos and surveillance videos, and more, anonymously, using dark web sources run by corrupt employees and officials. Reasonably sure this was accurate.

  45. 45.

    Carlo Graziani

    @Bill Arnold: Well, hell, Bellingcat bought the mobile phone records that allowed them to trace Navalny’s FSB underwear poisoner team’s movements around Russia for months, for what, a few thousand dollars?

    The irony is that Putin steals more than anyone, but doesn’t see that the example that he sets tells everyone that public service is for monetizing. Someday his betrayer will paraphrase the line from Michael Lewis’ Liar’s Poker, telling him “You want loyalty? Hire a cocker spaniel” as he plants the knife.

  46. 46.

    Alison Rose 💙🌻💛

    @Spanky: I know she and I don’t agree on like 97% of political issues, but you know—she knew this would happen but she did the right thing anyway. Never dreamed I would put “Cheney” and “integrity” in the same sentence with a positive connotation, but at least when it comes to Trump and putting country over party or self, she has it.

    And now I’m sure she’ll cry all the way to that sweet conservative think tank cash.

  48. 48.

    Andrya

    @Gin & Tonic:   This seems to be a favorite fsb playbook.  Remember the alleged UK team, out to assassinate a russian TV personality, whose lair was equipped with swastika tee shirts, a green wig, and several copies of “The Sims” video game (presumably a mistake for SIM cards)?  Link.

    Maybe they need remedial propaganda training.

  50. 50.

    Another Scott

    I try to glance at Oryx’s twitter stuff regularly.

    A Kindred Spirit: Taiwan’s Aid To War-Torn #Ukraine 🇹🇼🇺🇦

    Updated with:

    – Revolver 860 Armed VTOL UAVs (Sold to Poland. Subsequently transferred to Ukraine)https://t.co/98pyo0Sy5S pic.twitter.com/pn8pbgYtif

    — Oryx (@oryxspioenkop) August 16, 2022

    Revolver 860 drone:

    The Revolver 860™ is a military combat rotor drone designed to attack hostile ground forces by dropping mortars. Its optimal weapons bay design provides up to eight sets of 60mm mortars, other caliber can be discussed for customize-on-demand build.

    That’s a sinister looking thing. I think I’d be quite upset if I saw one above me.

    VVP might want to bring his people home before things get too much worse for them…

    Thanks as always, Adam.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  52. 52.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Marc: ​
      Doctrine and law change over time, but I can tell you that at the time I was an artillery officer (1988-92) WP was not approved for use on troop concentrations but reserved for POL and ammo storage areas.

  55. 55.

    Spadizzly

    @zhena gogolia: My dear wife was only 4 the first time she and her family made the trip by rail from Kharkiv down to Evpatoriya in Crimea.  That was in the late 50’s and amidst a chronic housing shortage, even in a city of 1.5 million residents

    Home at that time for her was a kommunalka, an apartment her family shared with another, unrelated family of, as it turned out, antisemitic russians.  So, 10 people shared a single bathroom, kitchen, and common room.  Each family had the luxury of their own room.  That’s life.

    One bright spot in all this was the prospect of a month-long vacation somewhere in Crimea.  Thanks to government subsidies, it was affordable for regular working folks, and at the moment, possibly the only positive thing I can think of from that benighted totalitarian hellhole.

    All in all, my wife made the trip probably 5-6 times and on one of those trips, my mother-in-law bought some cast-iron pots, and all these years later, we have one in our kitchen.  It’s gray and seasoned from thousands of meals.  The embossed lettering is still visible: “барабанщик” (dummer) and you can still make out “Симферополь” (Simferopol)

    And good riddance to that blubbering russian cow who hated to leave Crimea.  The fucking point was that back in the day, a vacation in Crimea was the polar opposite of home.  Stupid cow.

  56. 56.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Boy, if Crimea isn’t safe for the Russian occupying forces, then nowhere in occupied Ukraine is safe for them.

  57. 57.

    Carlo Graziani

    @YY_Sima Qian: I think that the vulnerability stems from the fact that they’ve been treating Crimea as a safe rear area, to the extent that Russian tourists vacation there. Ukrainian SOF have exploited this laxity in a logistic supply region immediately adjoining the southern front to land some painful knife thrusts that would be far more difficult to arrange in, say, the Melitopol region.

    Here’s the interesting part: military logic would now demand that the Russians lock down Crimea, to make it much more difficult for those SOF teams to operate there. This would require throwing up roadblocks all over the place, seriously beefing up the armed patrols, and frequent, ubiquitous document checks. Also, lots of people taken in for questioning, most of them having no knowledge of or association with SOF. The result would be an acknowledgment that Crimea is in fact now a war zone (and that the “Special Military Operation” has now tragically graduated into a “War”). The stream of Russians getting out of Crimea would turn into a flood, and the political setback for the regime would be one that Putin would probably not bear thinking about without retching.

    On the other hand, if they only adopt half-measures, treating the SOF as a civil terrorist threat comparable to, say, the Red Brigades in Italy in the 70s, and merely put up a few blocks at big intersections here and there, now and then, for spot checks that don’t inconvenience too many people, because the Kremlin will not allow MOD to do more, SOF will continue to operate and do damage with impunity, because it is not a civil terrorist threat, but rather a military organization, supplied with weapons, equipment and intelligence by a nearby combatant via reasonably secure routes, and with adequate local support. The military would be pissed of as hell at the Kremlin in that case. And that has to be counted as another long-term benefit.

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