Links and Stuff
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Add to the above list if you can, thank you.
Resources For Understanding The War Beyond The Bulletins
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map, who is an independent youtuber with a mostly neutral viewpoint.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have good analysis (though also a couple bad takes here and there)
Understanding War and the Saker: neo-conservative sources but their reporting of the war (so far) seems to line up with reality better than most liberal sources.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict and, unlike most western analysts, has some degree of understanding on how war works. He is a reactionary, however.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent journalist reporting in the Ukrainian warzones.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Yesterday's discussion post.
Apparently, Russian forces at Lyman have already moved on to attack Slovyansk, with footage of equipment being moved down the major road connecting the two cities. There's reportedly fighting about halfway along it, in Raihorodok.
The situation in Severodonetsk is confusing. Kadyrov was definitely exaggerating as I expected when he said that the whole city had been captured, but it does appear that a section of the city has been fully captured and cleared, and there's active urban warfare of some kind taking place right now. The outskirts of the city are being checked and cleared by LPR scouts to push the Ukrainians into the city proper. Kadyrov is claiming, a little more reasonably but still unverifiably, that at least some Ukrainian forces are retreating from the city. Now, the main bridge between Lysychansk and Severodonetsk was destroyed by Russia earlier, but there's still other (presumably less safe) bridges across, so it's still plausible that a retreat is ongoing. Essentially, we've got layers upon layers of fog over the situation and we'll have a better idea in the coming hours and days.
Additionally, Russian telegram claims: "Scholz and Macron, during a telephone conversation with Putin, called on the President of Russia to release 2.5 thousand "defenders of Azovstal" - French government". I'm not sure what terms they want or if this was just a polite request to let the Nazis go from their imprisonment.
After Europe said that the process for Ukraine to join the EU would take many years and couldn't be fast-tracked, Intelslava: "Zelensky said that if European leaders do not want to see Ukraine in the EU, they should clearly say so. He also opposed any alternative to joining the European Union." It's incredible how much of a manchild he is. We are ruled by failchildren.
So that'll be Luhansk wrapped up then. Progress in Donestk has always been slow, Mariupol obviously taking a lot of time and resources, and it's borders being further from Russia, but now I wonder how long the operation will take there. The Ukrainians have obviously known they'd be coming there specifically, I imagine they're well dug in and fortified. I don't know how the geography and urban centers may differ from previously taken locations, but it could be rough. Maybe they'll try to flank the whole region, I remember seeing a pincer like shape forming early in the war to the west of Donestk, though that seems to have been abandoned, but still might be the best way to wrap this up quickly than a full assault from Luhansk, though it seems that's where the main body is right now as it finishes it's actions there, so that would require some reorganizing.
Any thoughts on what's Don-next?
You roll it up from behind imo, there's probably going to be a fight for Slovyansk and then right after Kramatorsk, from there it'll probably be advancements from the north of Donetsk since there'll be less fortifications there.
I needed that.
Slovyansk and kramatorsk are the biggest clusterfuck expected, they are fortified, cross firable, and big. Kharkov is unassailable, unless army and economy explodes into smithereens. They’ll need 80k troops for one city, and have giant front to defend.