Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Junco Partner]

Ukrainian forces begin to punch back in the east, you can only imagine the stomach-churning fear waiting for the 'green light' to attack well dug-in Russian forces, knowing you're outnumbered and without any real air support. Incredible bravery.

[taust68]

Ukrainian forces begin to punch back in the east, you can only imagine the stomach-churning fear waiting for the 'green light' to attack well dug-in Russian forces, knowing you're outnumbered and without any real air support. Incredible bravery.

It is unbelievable when you really think about it, especially as a lot of the Ukrainians probably weren't in the military a couple of years ago and had normal everyday jobs like most of us would have

[bonzosbeard]

Russians have blown up the Kakhova dam reports on Sky and BBC suggest.

This would surely be a major war crime if true.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station relies on water levs lfor cooling. Its under control at moment but likely to drop.

Then all the people who will be homeless and without water.

Can any Putin sympathisers give a good response to this if any are on here?.

[Loftyhammer]

Obviously both sides are blaming each other, and odds are it was Russia (can't see how its physically possible to cause that much damage with shelling....much more likely to be planted explosives...but I ain't no civil engineer!)....but have to pose the question why? Whatever military diversion and positive impact it might have; surely it causes major issues for Crimea?

[MB]

Ukraine gains nothing from it. The time for them to do it would have been when they were liberating the areas in the South to prevent Russian reinforcements but they didn't need to. The "how" would be interesting as well given the size of the structure.

Highly likely it was the Russians to buy some time on that front. I very much doubt Vlad gives two hoots about the ordinary people in Crimea and a short term gain for long term pain is very much their playbook in this war!

Reports now that the Russians are shelling Kherson as people are being evacuated

[Bend it like Repka]

Bound to be NATO'S fault....

[Plashet Grove Pete]

Obviously both sides are blaming each other, and odds are it was Russia (can't see how its physically possible to cause that much damage with shelling....much more likely to be planted explosives...but I ain't no civil engineer!)....but have to pose the question why? Whatever military diversion and positive impact it might have; surely it causes major issues for Crimea?

Putin and the Russian military don't give a f*ck for civilians, be they Ukranian or Russian. They are just cannon fodder.

The quicker someone puts a bullet through Putin's head the better.

[Loftyhammer]

Ukraine gains nothing from it. The time for them to do it would have been when they were liberating the areas in the South to prevent Russian reinforcements but they didn't need to. The "how" would be interesting as well given the size of the structure.

Highly likely it was the Russians to buy some time on that front. I very much doubt Vlad gives two hoots about the ordinary people in Crimea and a short term gain for long term pain is very much their playbook in this war!

Reports now that the Russians are shelling Kherson as people are being evacuated

Completely take your point about Pootin not giving a monkeys about the population....but just would have thought Crimea is such a major strategic and symbolic part of this whole thing, that doing anything to damage it by the Russians would be counter productive?

[MB]

Completely take your point about Pootin not giving a monkeys about the population....but just would have thought Crimea is such a major strategic and symbolic part of this whole thing, that doing anything to damage it by the Russians would be counter productive?

True but that is a problem for next week or the week after. They appear to be in such disarray that every decision is day by day.

The Ukrainian probes are meant to be hitting the exactly areas the Russians pulled troops from to shore up the flanks around Bakhmut for example.

Throwing barely trained conscripts at the incursions into Russia as there is no strategic reserve. The difference in command and control is day and night.

[Junco Partner]

Obviously both sides are blaming each other, and odds are it was Russia (can't see how its physically possible to cause that much damage with shelling....much more likely to be planted explosives...but I ain't no civil engineer!)....but have to pose the question why? Whatever military diversion and positive impact it might have; surely it causes major issues for Crimea?

It was a damn with a road across the top of it, so effectively a bridge capable of bearing tanks & artillery across the Dnieper. Less of those the better from a Russian point of view.

[Loftyhammer]

There are some graphs floating about social media showing the water levels over last few months showing extremely low levels followed by sharp rise to record high levels just now. Inference being that they allowed low to plant explosive; then to get high to maximise damage once they set them all off.

But...social media and all that!

[MB]

Yes it is always amusing when the "experts" on social media show how wide their expertise really is. F-16s last week, blowing up dams this week...

[Loftyhammer]

Russia also claiming to have killed over 1,500 Ukrainian troops in last 3 days as part of the so-called counter offensive.

Hell of a lot of noise coming from Russia and Russian sources last few days....

[MB]

Certainly is Lofty and I've seen some footage showing a probe failed somewhere with a few light vehicles abandoned but nothing close to support the output from Russian sources...

... well apart from this "Leopard" kill

[Loftyhammer]

Certainly is Lofty and I've seen some footage showing a probe failed somewhere with a few light vehicles abandoned but nothing close to support the output from Russian sources...

... well apart from this "Leopard" kill

[MB]

Looks like the Russian troops were caught out by the flooding suggesting this is not what they intended to happen. Given they've wiped out their first line of defence that is believable.

Some claims now that they were just trying to flood some of the islands which Ukraine has been using and things for out of hand.

Certainly easy enough to believe it was Russian ineptitude!

[SammyLeeWasOffside]

Some claims now that they were just trying to flood some of the islands which Ukraine has been using and things for out of hand.

Is there such a thing as a small scale, controlled dam breach? Once you weaken the walls anything can happen surely.

[MB]

Is there such a thing as a small scale, controlled dam breach? Once you weaken the walls anything can happen surely.

No one said it was a well thought through plan!

[sussexhammer74]

Well it wasn't the Russians or Ukrainians that blew a whacking great hole in that dam.

It was the UK and US.



The UK and US were responsible because the think tanks in these two countries came up with the idea to stretch the Russian Federation, ergo, we blew up the dam.

[Plashet Grove Pete]

Well it wasn't the Russians or Ukrainians that blew a whacking great hole in that dam.

It was the UK and US.



The UK and US were responsible because the think tanks in these two countries came up with the idea to stretch the Russian Federation, ergo, we blew up the dam.

Doublethink at its finest. And still some in the West make excuses for these nutters. They should be ashamed.