Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

DeSantis transforms Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

The revolution will be supervised.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

This fight is for everything.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

No Justins, No Peace

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 413: A Brief Wednesday Night Update

War for Ukraine Day 413: A Brief Wednesday Night Update

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(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump:

There will be no ruins in Ukraine – this is our goal – address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

12 April 2023 – 22:27

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

I just took part in a meeting of a special format of support for Ukraine – financial. This event takes place in Washington and brings together the finance ministers of strong democracies – our partners, the European Commission, heads of international financial institutions: the IMF, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The theme is primarily recovery. Recovery of our country after hostilities.

I thanked the partners for helping us maintain the stability of Ukraine, our financial stability. And I urged them to be more active so that Ukraine could be more active in reconstruction, in returning normal life to Ukrainians.

There will be no ruins in Ukraine. This is our goal. And this will be quite concrete proof of the complete defeat of the terrorist state.

Especially since the world knows the solution – regarding the assets of Russia, Russian officials, oligarchs who got rich while their state was becoming a terrorist… All these assets should be used to compensate for the losses of those to whom Russia brought pain and suffering. Russian assets must go to recovery after aggression. The war should be the most costly for the aggressor exactly. And we do everything for this.

I am grateful to the partners who support us.

I met today in Kyiv with the delegation of the U.S. Senate – a bipartisan delegation.

I informed them about what is happening now on the battlefield and about our capabilities.

As always, we demonstrated that our relations with America in the supply of weapons, in financial support are completely clean, completely transparent. The partners have a complete vision for every cent and every weapon.

And it is important that no artificial manipulations spoil our trust.

Of course, I was pleased to hear from our guests from the United States very positive words about Ukraine and what we manage to achieve together in the defense against terror.

It was very emotional and honorable for me today to congratulate our young police officers and rescuers of the State Emergency Service on the completion of their education. More than 3 thousand young people – professional and patriotic – are now joining those who are already defending the safety and normality of life.

They will work, in particular, in those regions where it is most dangerous. According to the distribution, they will serve in the frontline regions, in the border regions – in Kharkiv and Sumy regions. There are also those who will fight in our new assault brigades.

I thank everyone who has chosen this path of direct help to people right now.

Without the conscientious work of the State Emergency Service and the police, it is simply impossible to imagine a normal life, it is impossible to save many people. This, in fact, is what constitutes the essence of their work – direct help to people.

I believe that today’s graduates of educational institutions of the MIA system will live up to human expectations.

By the way, I would like to celebrate such our defenders – such our rescuers, in particular from Nikopol. Major Artem Shuldyakov, lieutenant Fedor Zayakin, senior sergeant Vasyl Muzychenko, junior sergeant Vitaliy Bulkin, employees of the State Emergency Service. Thank you, guys, for saving Ukrainians after Russian missile attacks!

I would also like to mention the police crews – “white angels” who save our people in the Donetsk region, carry out evacuation, deliver humanitarian aid, resuscitate the wounded…

I thank policeman Hennadii Yudin from Avdiivka for saving the children, paramedic Vasyl Pipa, one of the “white angels” on the Maryinka frontline. They have already saved hundreds of our people, including seriously wounded ones.

I would also like to thank Volodymyr Perepelytsia, an explosives technician of the National Police, who works for demining in the Kherson region, and works very efficiently. Thank you!

And one more thing!

Today, our country traditionally celebrates the Day of Rocket and Space Industry Workers. The industry that has always ensured glory for Ukraine. And I’m sure that it will ensure it in the future!

I am grateful to everyone who preserved this potential of ours. Our current level of integration into international relations, our level of strength – both state and society – which Ukraine deserves, the level of our people – all this will enable Ukraine to participate in the development of outer space on an equal footing with advanced states, and our business – on an equal footing with advanced companies.

But first – we will win! In particular, thanks to Ukrainian missiles.

Glory to all our warriors who are now in combat!

Thank you to everyone who helps Ukraine!

Thank you to everyone who protects our people and protects Ukrainian life!

Glory to Ukraine!

Here is a machine translation of the Ukrainian MOD’s most recent operational assessment:

Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
Operational information as of 18.00 11.04.2023 regarding the Russian invasion

Glory to Ukraine! The four hundred and twelfth days of large-scale armed aggression of the Russian federation against our state continue.

During the day, the enemy struck 1 missile and 10 air strikes, fired more than 18 from volley jet systems.

The probability of the task of missile and aviation strikes remains high throughout Ukraine.

Despite numerous losses in technology and live power, the enemy continues to focus on the offensive in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyevsky, and Marjin directions – more than 50 enemy attacks were repulsed during the day.

In Volynsky, Polissya, Sieversky and Slobozhansky directions, the operational situation is without significant changes. Certain units of the territorial troops of the Russian Federation continue to be in the territory of the Belarusian Republic. Also, the enemy continues to hold certain units in the border areas with Ukraine in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, continuing the engineering equipment of the area. During the day, the occupiers fired on the settlements of Bleszna, Kamyanska Sloboda and the Gremiach of the Chernihiv region; Wolfine and Katerynivka of the Sumy region, as well as Veterinarian, Deep, Gatishche, Vovchansk, Zibine, Volohivka, Ohrimivka, Chernyakivka, Commissarove, Beets and Dovzhanka in Kharkiv region.

In the Kupyan direction, enemy shelling was carried out by the settlements Kolodyany, Kamyanka, Topoli, Krasne First, Ridkodub, Novomlinsk, Dvorichna, Kindrashivka, Pishchane and Berestov, Kharkiv Oblast, and Novoselivsky in Luhanshchyn.

In the Lyman direction during the day, the enemy led unsuccessful offensive actions in the area south of the White and Spirny. Makiyivka, Nevske, Belorivka of the Luhansk region and Yampolivka, Torske and Spirne – Donetsk were attacked by artillery.

In the Bakhmut direction, the enemy continues to lead offensive actions, tries to take full control of the city of Bakhmut, fierce fighting continues. During the day, the enemy led unsuccessful offensive actions in the area of the village of Bogdanivka. Defense forces repulsed about 20 enemy attacks on the front. Nikiforivka, Vasyukivka, Minkivka, Orykhovo-Vasylivka, Novomarkov, Markov, Bakhmut, Khromove, Chasiv Yar, Ivanivsky, Stupochki, Predtechine, Alexandro-Shultine, Kurdyumivka, Ozaryanovka, Druzhba, suffered from enemy shelling, Toretsk and New York of the Donetsk region.

In the Avdiyevsky and Mariinsky directions, the enemy led offensive actions
in the districts of Avdiyivka, Pervomaisky, Nevelsky and Marinka, he was unsuccessful. The fiercest fighting on this part of the front continues behind Marinka, where more than 15 enemy attacks have been repulsed. At the same time, the enemy was shelled by the settlements of Novokalinove, Orlivka, Avdiyivka, Tonenke, Severny, Pervomaiske, Netailove, Karlyivka, Krasnyvka, Georgyivka, Marjinka, and Pobed Donetsk region.

In the Shakhtar direction during the day, the enemy did not carry out offensive actions. He fired on the settlements of Novomikhailovka, Shakhtar, Novoukrainka, Velyka Novosilka, Vugledar and Prechistivka in the Donetsk region.

In the Zaporizhia and Kherson directions, the enemy continues to conduct defensive actions. He fired on settlements near the battle line. Among them – Vremivka, Novopil of the Donetsk region; Novosilka, Olgivsky, Malinovka, Red, Gulyaipole, Charming, Little Tokmachka, Orihiv of the Zaporizhia region; Golden Balkans, Kachkarivka, Berislav, Kozatske, Burgunka, Ivanivka, Mykilske, Dniprovsk Region of Kherson and the city of Kherson.

The enemy continues to use medical facilities of temporarily occupied territories for its own purposes. Thus, the building of the primary health care center in Novopskov and the paramedic-midwife point of Kryakivka, in Luhanshchyn, is used by the occupiers as a military hospital. At the same time, in Kryakivka, in order to increase the number of beds, the invaders additionally deployed a tent camp.

Only representatives of the Russian occupation forces can receive medical care in these civilian medical institutions.

During the day, the Defense Forces aircraft struck 13 times in the areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the occupiers. Also shot down 2 enemy UAVs type “Orlan – 10”.
During the day, missile and artillery units affected 4 areas of concentration of live force, weapons and military equipment, as well as 2 stations of enemy radio control.

Support the Armed Forces! Let’s win!
Glory to Ukraine!

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

This is about as close as one gets and still walks away!

Close up:

Tallyho!

Lord, guard and guide the men fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!
Mary C. D. Hamilton (1915)

Bakhmut:

Here are Dmitri’s translations of both Bakhmut Demon’s and Sniper Speaks’ posts:

Avdiivka:

 

Here’s Dmitri’s response to those asking him to translate the Russian in the beheading video into English:

Some ask to translate comments of Russians under the brutal beheading video that surfaced today. But what’s the point? We’ve been seeing their reactions to similar events for over a year now, they’re always the same. A few people will say it is terrible, the majority will quietly approve of it, and those who are vocal will be saying it’s fake/they deserve it.

If someone is still not aware, Russia is a savage state with lots of fucked in the head nazi people and their quiet supporters. Only a small fraction are genuinely adequate. This country promotes criminals to kill foreign people and sets barrier troops so the convicts couldn’t retreat. It shells indiscriminately, poisons and murders internally and abroad. Even its street culture is absolutely fucked up if you take off the rose-tinted glasses of a tourist. None of this is new to those who are familiar with this country.

If Russia was strong enough and Ukraine was too weak, this would have been happening anywhere else.

The only question is, how many videos like these need to surface for Ukraine to be provided EVERYTHING it needs to stop this antichrist.

The answer to his question is, unfortunately, far too many.

Poland’s Prime Minister gets it:

Reuters reports that the World Bank is going to help finance rebuilding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure:

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) – The World Bank on Wednesday said it would finance $200 million to help fix Ukraine’s energy and heating infrastructure, with partners and others to provide another $300 million in additional funding as the project expands.

The $200 million grant will be used to make emergency repairs to Ukraine’s transition transformers, mobile heat boilers and other emergency critical equipment, the World Bank said in a statement. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Susan Heavey)

The Guardian reports that Secretary of Defense Austin met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Smyhal this morning:

Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, met with the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, at the Pentagon today to discuss Washington’s support for Kyiv in the face of Russia’s invasion.

The two leaders “discussed security assistance priorities, such as air defense and artillery, and training for the Ukrainian armed forces”, according to a readout of the meeting by Pentagon press secretary, Brig Gen Pat Ryder.

The pair also “agreed on the importance of ensuring accountability of security assistance”, he said.

Shmyhal, in remarks reported by CNN, repeated Kyiv’s requests for F-15 and F-16 fighter jets and longer-range missiles directly to Austin.

“We will win this war,” Shmyhal was quoted as saying in English, “but to achieve it faster and with fewer casualties, Ukraine still needs intensive military support.”

And here’s the transcript from the Department of Defense:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Hosted Bilat Meeting With Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine at the Pentagon

April 12, 2023Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III; Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J. AUSTIN III: Well, good morning, Mr. Prime Minister. It is indeed an honor to host you here at the Pentagon again. I last welcomed you here about a year ago, just after Russia launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion of your country.

Since then, Russia’s cruel war of choice has killed thousands of Ukrainians, both troops and innocent civilians. And Putin’s war has driven millions more Ukrainians from their homes.

Russia chose aggression, but Ukraine chose to fight back. And your brave forces won the battles of Kharkov, Kyiv and Kherson. And with President Biden’s leadership, the United States has supported Ukraine’s fight for freedom every step of the way.

We’ve surged tens of billions of dollars in security assistance. Together with our allies and partners, we have delivered HIMARS and howitzers, NASAMS and IRIS-Ts, Strykers and Leopards and many other systems. And that make — that has made a clear and direct difference on the battlefield.

We’ve also expanded our training to ensure that Ukraine can synchronize its fires and its maneuver capabilities to advance on the battlefield.

And together, we also remain focused on accountability. And let me commend you for the unprecedented level of transparency that Ukraine has provided to ensure that our security assistance remains in the hands of Ukraine’s defenders.

Now, I’ll continue to convene the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to coordinate support for Ukraine’s urgent and long-term needs. And we’ll continue to swiftly deliver security assistance through procurements and from our own stocks as well.

We also remain committed to sustainment and to ensuring that your forces receive adequate spare parts and training for maintenance. At the same time, we will keep investing in our own defense industrial base to further ramp up production.

So, I’m confident that we will meet Ukraine’s defense needs through this spring and beyond. And as the president has repeatedly made clear, we will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Mr. Prime Minister, Ukraine inspires the world every day with its courage and resilience. I want to thank you for your leadership and for making this trip.

I look forward to a great discussion. Over to you, sir.

PRIME MINISTER DENYS SHMYHAL: Thank you so much. Dear Mr. Secretary, dear colleagues, dear journalists, I thank the American people, President Joseph Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, for their steady and continuous military support for my country, for our country.

We are grateful for America’s initiative and establishment of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which today includes more than 50 countries. USA is our biggest partner with regard of military assistance. So, once again, I want to say thank you for weapons that help us defend our land, especially for modern air defense systems for American tanks and for more vehicles, for artillery and light weapons.

Ukrainian soldiers have proven that they can master this in a short time and use them effectively on the battlefield. We will win this war. But to achieve it faster and with fewer casualties, Ukraine still needs intensive military support, more air defense systems that minimize the impact of Russian air strikes, more heavy artillery, mortars and ammunition for them. We also ask you for reconsider the possibility of providing Ukraine with long-range — longer-range missiles.

To defend ourselves and defend Europe, we need more heavy equipment but also aircraft. We sincerely applaud the decision of the U.S. to join the tank coalition and supplying us with Abrams tanks but also to provide Bradley and Stryker infantry fighting vehicles. For our counterattack to be successful, we require an increase in such supplies.

In a modern warfare, air superiority is crucial. That is why Ukraine is initiating the building of a new so-called fire — fire — fighter jet coalition and we are inviting the United States to become its most important participant. America can, once again, demonstrate its leadership by providing Ukraine with F-15 or F-16 aircrafts.

Another important issue, accountability regarding American aid, is an absolute (rule ?) for us, and you mentioned this, Mr. Secretary. We constantly submit all necessary data and reports to the U.S. government, and we’ll continue to do so. We spent every dollar efficiently and transparently. Ukraine has accelerated the integration of the LOGFAS program into our military equipment control system. This allows donor countries to track new deliveries according to their state use.

Russian must — Russia must be defeated in Ukraine and our territorial integrity must be restored. That is the only guarantee for our lasting peace and this will be the best guarantee for security of whole Europe and the whole world.

And I, once again, thank the United States of America and the American people for their solidarity with Ukraine. Together, we will win. Thank you so much.

SEC. AUSTIN: Thanks, everybody.

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets or TikTok videos, so here’s some adjacent material from the Ukrainian Army Cats and Dogs Twitter account:

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

40Comments

  2. 2.

    Jay

    “We are not going to forget anything.”This is President Zelenskyy’s core message and this will repercussions which will not even end when this war has been concluded on the battlefield. History is full of examples where perpetrators sooner or later got caught, one way or the… https://t.co/uBVxveLVla— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) April 12, 2023

  3. 3.

    Jay

    While Russian military leadership kills Ukrainians, their wives, children &other family members spend money in Europe.On the 📹: Svetlana Ivanova, wife of Shoigu's deputy Timur Ivanov.All family members of Russian war criminals must be sanctioned, too.📹: the Insider pic.twitter.com/zOzxvSmMsC— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 12, 2023

  5. 5.

    Anonymous At Work

    Thoughts on the digital draft notice law being rushed through the Duma?  Have all the people both willing and able to flee Russian soil already fled or are we looking at another wave hauling ass across any border possible?

  6. 6.

    Dan B

    OT A Florida state attorney has stated that TFG could be charged with espionage.  He was showing a Classified map to Mar A Lago guests.  There’s a specific Espionage Statute for showing Classified maps to those not allowed to see them.  Ten year sentence.

  7. 7.

    Dan B

    On sanctions:  The wife of one of Shoigu’s deputies was filmed shopping in Europe.  The sanctions are like a sieve.

  10. 10.

    Gin & Tonic

    In case anyone had ever wondered what it would be like to have ISIS in charge of the UN Security Council, here we are.

  11. 11.

    Anonymous At Work

    @Dan B: Not that big a deal, just record it to broadcast in Russia.  If she’s using hard currency to buy luxury items, that’s less hard currency Russia can spend elsewhere.  If she’s using accounts that haven’t been tagged, guess what?  It’s only if she’s using accounts and funds that are subject to sanctions, or buying usable in war, then there’s a problem.

  12. 12.

    Bupalos

    Do something to support Ukraine.

    This is the clearest and deepest case of support for liberal values, democracy, and human rights you are likely to see in your lifetime. Are you doing anything?

    It doesn’t take that much. DO SOMETHING TO SUPPORT UKRAINE.

  13. 13.

    Bupalos

    @Anonymous At Work:

    just record it to broadcast in Russia.

    Sure, we’ll just get right on that. Just submit a request to Russian state media to broadcast it, maybe along with a notice that Russian citizens are now encouraged to invert their century long violently cultivated view of how the world works.

  14. 14.

    Jay

    @Anonymous At Work:

    previous Vatnick law required the physical service of draft notices.

    many people evaded this by never going home or living in the woods.

    It’s a loophole that some Vatnick Courts have accepted.

    Now, just electronically posting the draft notice is “good enough” for forced conscription.

  15. 15.

    Traveller

    One thing that seems perplexing to me and that I present to this group, especially because they have seemed so smart in these regards and I am specifically referring to…Why we have been seemingly ineffective in our efforts to cut logistical lines the Russia have, and why every railhead has not been destroyed, and all other means of transferring war making goods to the front lines have not been adequately interdicted?

    I know that this is a difficult task, but I am curious why it has not been accomplished better or why adequate resources have not been tasked towards this effort? I have been educated here by various posters as to the importance of logistics and so I suppose my question is directed to these people as to why I sense we have not been very good in these regards?

    I acknowledge that longer range missiles have not been provided to Ukrainian Forces, but still it is obvious that ammunition and foodstuffs and all the necessaries to support the Russian war effort are being delivered to the Russian frontline troops and I wonder why this is not being better opposed?

    It’s upon these efforts as the battle will turn and so I just wish we were doing it better at it.

  16. 16.

    Jay

    @Traveller:

    Ukraine does not have the weapons or the number of weapons to destroy Vatnick supply chains. The “West” has been hesitant to supply many of them as they would require massive strikes on Russian territory.

  18. 18.

    Another Scott

    @Traveller: Rail lines are a big part of the ongoing battles.  E.g.

    ArkansasOnline.com (from January 29):

    The epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine since the summer has mainly been around the city of Bakhmut, which has taken on a symbolic significance that military analysts say outweighs its strategic importance. But in recent days, Russian forces have stepped up their assaults on the town of Vuhledar, just over 90 miles south of Bakhmut.

    It sits at the intersection of the eastern front in the Donetsk region and the southern front in the Zaporizhzhia region, a location that makes it well positioned for resupplying Russian forces moving between the two fronts.

    Military analysts say Ukrainian forces have been using their positions in and around Vuhledar to launch attacks on the region’s main railway hub in the occupied town of Volnovakha, less than 10 miles away, threatening Russia’s resupply efforts. Trains are essential for moving heavy equipment and large troop formations across the battlefield, so the more Ukrainian forces can cut off the lines running from Russia to southern Ukraine, the more they can isolate Russia’s forces in the region.

    In that light, pushing the Ukrainians back from Vuhledar would help Russia secure the train lines. It “guarantees Russia a stable supply of the southern part of the occupied territories,” according to an analysis issued Saturday by the Conflict Intelligence Team, an independent group that analyzes open-source intelligence.

    […]

    (Emphasis added.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    Having never attempted to take out an enemy’s rail supply infrastructure in war, I find it surprising how difficult it is to disrupt.

  20. 20.

    West of the Rockies

    Sawing the head off a living human… sounds like the action of people who are getting their ugly asses kicked and are desperate and stupid.

  21. 21.

    Jay

    @Baud:

    rail lines and yards, are easy to destroy, and also easy to repair.

    In WWII, the West figured eventually out that you go after the rolling stock. That requires air superiority.

    The Nazi’s came up with “the plow”, dragged behind a retreating train that would rip up all the tracks and switches, over hundreds of kilometers.

    In an area like BC, (mountainous), rail is more vulnerable, but on flatter ground, not so much.

    Despite all it’s advantages, the US never shut down the Ho Chi Mihn trail.

  22. 22.

    dm

    @Baud: … and railroad tracks are surprisingly easy to rebuild with minimal equipment.  If all that is involved is repairing track and not moving rolling stock out of the way, bulldozers and cranes are not absolutely necessary.

    (I spent several college summers as a maintenance-of-way employee.  I only had to work on two derailments, though.)

    Bridges are much harder, of course.

  23. 23.

    Anoniminous

    @Baud:

    You’re trying to hit a ~2 meter wide target from tens of kilometers away.  Not easy.  And while it is possible to disrupt rail traffic for a hour or a day with artillery, air, or partisan attacks the only practical way of halting rail traffic is to destroy the stations and/or the locomotives.  And that is extremely difficult without air dominance.

    Adding:  Should have known Jay would get there first

  24. 24.

    Traveller

    Thanks, Scott, Jay, DM etc:

    I suppose I knew the answer to my question but it still remains at the heart of my frustration in this very real war. I note that not even allied air power in WWII was sufficient to completely stop Germain and Italian rail lines from functioning…so I googled and found:

    https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/0807rails/

    This stuck out:

    Making the debate on air plans all the more urgent were lessons learned from many bloody setbacks at the Anzio beachhead during the Italian campaign. On Jan. 22, 1944, Allied forces landed north of the German lines at Anzio. At first they met only light resistance. The Mediterranean Army Air Forces had bombed rail lines steadily, producing the impression that rail traffic was stopped and the battle area could be sealed off.

    Those impressions could not have been more wrong. “The air forces reported that their preliminary bombings had disrupted all rail and road communications in central Italy,” wrote naval historian Samuel E. Morison after the war, “but they had not done so.” Soon, 14 divisions from as far away as Yugoslavia and southern France were closing off the Anzio beachhead. On Feb. 16, 1944, German Field Marshal Albert Kesselring launched a massive counterattack. He attacked with 125,000 troops, compared to the Allies’ 100,000.

    Best Wishes, Traveller

  25. 25.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Bupalos: As one who has more skin in this than most of you, I can say that this community has done a lot in support of Ukraine.

  26. 26.

    Jay

    @Traveller:

    The West did not have the technology despite what the Air Power advocates claimed, to shut down Nazi rail and road transport. Both day and night bombing raids against marshalling yards, often missed the yard entirely, (10,000 sq feet, missed by “that” much.)

    By late 1944, with air supremacy, rather than B-17’s during the day and Lancaster’s at night targeting marshalling yards, bridges and stations, it was Typhoons and basically any aircraft with ammo left over, ripping up trains and road transport on their way back home.

  28. 28.

    Redshift

    There’s something I’ve been wondering about, but I keep forgetting to ask — forgive my ignorance of military matters, but what does “separate” mean in the name of a unit like “3rd Separate Assault Brigade“? It seems to pretty common. Does it distinguish it from a unit that is more integrated with others, or is it something else? I don’t think I’ve heard it in reference to American military units. Do we have a different term that means the same thing, or have I just missed it?

  29. 29.

    Anonymous At Work

    @Jay: Internet issues, sorry to pop back in but that’s the new law I was referring to.  What effect will it have?  New wave of people leaving Russia or have all such persons left?

  31. 31.

    Jay

    @Redshift:

    “Separate” is pretty common everywhere. It means that they are not “attached” to a particular Army group, but instead are “mobile” and can be moved where needed.

  35. 35.

    Wombat Probability Cloud

    @Gin & Tonic: I’ve been meaning to ask you about a group based in Austin TX: Liberty Ukraine. Do you have an opinion about them? I didn’t see them in your list, which WaterGirl kindly archived, but I notice they purchase and ship drones.

  36. 36.

    Jay

    @Bill Arnold:

    yurp, sea mines are effective. It’s not like a road, or railroad, ships go on channels, thousands of meters wide, and are harder to detect. They can also be moved by waves, current, storms, so an area that was “cleared”, isn’t any more.

  37. 37.

    Quiltingfool

    I’ve been sidelined on my quilt making – knee replacement recovery has made working for hours on quilts a bit painful, lol!   I’m getting better, wish it would go faster, but gotta work with what I have!

    I’ve got an idea for raising a bit of money for Ukraine, so here it is.  I’ve got an Etsy store (click on my nym to be directed to the site) and there are a variety of quilts.  If any jackal buys a quilt, I will donate a lion’s share of the price to the Ukrainian charities Balloon Juice supports.  I will only keep back the cost of materials, so I’m donating my labor.

    I haven’t talked to WaterGirl about this, but I’ll need her to confirm to any purchaser that the money has been donated.  If anyone is interested in doing this, you will need to contact me via Etsy to let me know that a donation is in order.

    It’s not much, but every bit helps.

  39. 39.

    way2blue

    @Gin & Tonic: Three international organizations which have lost the plot:  United Nations, International Olympic Committee & Amnesty International.  Having Russian vandals run the Security Council is incomprehensible.  Why don’t the other countries simply walk out when Russia mocks them?

    Would love to see a push to expel Russia from the Security Council since the transfer of the Soviet seat to Russia apparently was never formalized.  Seems Ukraine as a former major Soviet state has as much claim…

  40. 40.

    JimV

    Thanks for the updates. They look like a full-time job to me, so I would be satisfied with one every two or three days. Maybe that would feel like some sort of forgetting or betrayal but I think about Ukraine every day anyway.

Comments are closed.