We’re trying a different approach to comments. Rather than starting over every day, this dedicated comments page will go on until circumstances dictate that a new one be started. I will link it at the bottom of each post, and it is linked at the top of each page.
Please note that while we are heavily focused on the war, the purpose of the blog is to expose any important points that the MSM has is suppressing.
The only real rules here are that we be civil to commenters, and adhere to Substack rules. You are welcome to post comments, opinions, and links to relevant articles or blogs. If you are advertising your blog, the ad itself should not include inflammatory information. Save the inflammatory stuff for your blog.
Hi all - I am totally unfamiliar with the way this all works. I just wanted to thank A Skeptic for recommending my Ukraine Weekly Update. I have been recommending the Skeptic for some time. I don't get involved in the Substack community very much because I am too busy. For the same reason, I don't get involved in debate very much. Forgive me.
Congrats A Skeptic on meeting your goals!! Besides my annual subscription, you will be getting additional "Buy Me a Coffee" tips to keep your site going from me :)
“This makes Ukraine an enormous contributor to [USA] security because they have the most experience in fighting THE WAR THAT IS COMING.”
That’s what Ambassador James O’Brien said at a meeting with the German Marshall Fund. What began as a copy and paste of the transcript of a meeting took me down a rabbit hole to disturbia.
Meet some of the players who aren’t Victoria Nuland, and note that the President of the German Marshall Fund was diplomatically skeptical of some of O’Brien’s propaganda, as if she’s expecting the USA to disappoint Europe.
The land-based leg of the US nuclear triad is not only a sitting duck in the event of an attack, if they are launched, they cannot be recalled. Subs and planes stand a better chance of error correction. Best to dismantle the Minuteman missiles.
When I hear folks speak trash about how the Putin and Russia will invade thru Spain, the yUK, the coast of nantucky on thru Kentucky and eventually take over SF killafornia, I think to myself. What a wonderful world. I mean, I wish. If I only we can seriously hope for a Russian invasion, like the British invasion, it sure is time for some better music and culture , and gratitude and God. We can only wish and pray that Russia will invade the Russian river and Sebastopol and take over killafornia and buy back SF from China, whom Gavin sold it to for one dollar. He want d two, but Xi said he was only willing to pay one dollar for SF, which advertises in the East cut sic for a Reset on the garbage bins. Reset means the city is destroyed, and Russia hasn't been able to invade, but we can only hope....
I don't know how many of you are A Skeptic but I know how hard it is to aggregate war news yet you've done so consistently for a long time. I thank you for your exhaustion!
Washington's reports should be understood to be what congress directly appropriates. They don't include all the pools of funding that are around. A lot of other resources make their way in.
no it seems to be from a different. something about allied tactics against kiev soldiers. i feel it is a flawed translation. originally thought it might refer to a weapon ( as in 'geraniums' etc ) but now think otherwise.
yep, 'cast iron' as 'rock solid' is quite right in our world. but the one I'm referring to is from that world. It pops up in Telegram. I must keep link next time and post. :)
To be honest I rated Reisner at first, then he appreared to have been "got at" and simply repeated the party line. His latest messaging may be just that, albeit accurate. He sounds a clever guy so he must have known from Feb 22 that as long as the Russian home front and morale held together, Ukraine could never win a military victory. I doubt he is being completely honest in his views, but I do think that maybe he represents the official Austrian (ie EU but non-NATO) position. Interesting nonetheless.
My issue with the other situation is that I dislike states that are religious in their basic character, including Israel and many ME states that are effectively sectarian entities. Russia knows better than anyone that Muslim fundamentalism is not where their future lies, even if currently expedient.
Beslan and Dubrovka Theater still burn in my soul, especially Beslan. Did I mention Beslan?
Hard to get behind fundamentalists either way.
I’m with you, that I want defeat of US arrogance, as a US person, but I want that defeat to come from within, not at hands of fundamentalist entities. Okay if Russia puts US arrogance in its place, but not fundamentalists.
Yep. And that's the problem with Islam I believe, isn't it? The religion demands that it control the State. Though there are places where Islam reigns but which does control the State, I think. Can't remember where.
I get it. I've considered it a lot. The main things in favor of one daily thread are :
Nearly all of the people we feature for video commentary are covering both in one show. There's no way to split that out, so we would need to duplicate it.
Most of the Telegram sources that have earned our trust are covering both on their channels as mixed content. We would need to build both reports at the same time to not miss anything.
A lot of web articles are also covering both conflicts in single articles.
Finally, it's a ton of work every day, 7 days a week already just making the single report.
I too preferred a single subject. I was expecting that the middle east would follow its usual trajectory. oppression, Hamas lashes out, Israel strikes back, the world condemns, it ends for a bit. I didn't anticipate Biden going all in for Israel. Now its got the potential to spiral big time.
That said, I am still considering it. I'm just trying to find a way to make it not become another five hours a day!
If you feel comfortable, tell me more about your perspective. Mine is that western policy and meddling is causing both of these messes. NATO expansion in Europe is at the root of the Russia Ukraine conflict. British then American policy in the Middle East caused that mess, and is furthering it.
We could force a peace if we quit funding the fights, and stopped looking at it all like a chess board. The point of this blog was to point out US policy failings that the MSM hides. Both conflicts fit that goal.
I am a low level novice plebeian. Trying to understand. My 'researches' so far seem to indicate the real reason behind everything is monied interests seeking to make money.
Simple as that.
They are a constant lobby like the sea against a dyke.
Constant throughout all time and changes of govt. personnel/party.
They dissociate themselves from responsibility for actions, being merely lobbying.
Their financing ability adds even more weight to their lobbying without a word needing to be said: some things they finance, some they don't.
They have no human morals, ethics, etc. seeing themselves as merely pursuing profit which after all is Economics 101 : 'the goal of a rational investor is always to maximise profit' and actually enshrined in law as the DUTY of corporate directors.
And so on.
I don't see western policy and meddling as being significant compared to this. i.e. even when policy is significant it is only such a policy because of this.
Point being, I suppose, that 'policy' dissociated from this profit motive would be presumably ideology driven. And that ideology, in turn, would be for the welfare of the people.
Well I don't see that our 'leaders' have the faintest knowledge or interest in what would be in the interests of the people. They do not and could not put up such policies.
When will those in Washington and Tel Aviv stop to ask: Why did Hamas do what it did when the immediate consequences for the Palestinian people were so predictably horrible?
I do find it amazing how willing the US Government is to totally trash its relationships with the Arab and Muslim worlds for Israel's sake. If they even made a pretense of being even-handed they could minimize the hostility America will face going forward, but clearly the needs of the Israelis are much more important than the needs of Americans.
To me, it seems like the usual previous US response was to call for restraint, once Israel had killed a few hundred people.
This time, the US sent carrier battle groups to act as their navy. You only do that if you're greenlighting major casualties and expecting it to widen.
It's certainly not what you would do if your goal was to deescalate a dangerous situation. What's particularly scary is that a lot of US politicians seem to want a war with Iran.
I don't think it's fair to tar all Jews with this brush. (There are fairly large groups of US Jews protesting the war - for example. ) The problem is with the racist, messianic Zionism embraced by so many Israeli politicians.
While it has been demonstrated that both sides can play “Defense” quite well, it is not clear that either side can do “Offense” very well at all. Russia also has a very difficult time advancing through UKR lines. It’s not clear how attrition, played out over the next 12 months, would possibly change this. On a “Probability” lens it seems a 50% chance the lines stay as they are for a very long time.
My guess is that Russia is letting Ukraine deplete itself. Once sufficient, Russia will roll over them until it reaches the Dnieper River in the north, and Odessa in the south.
The orthotists and prosthetists sure have giant queues and a bright future. I can see such wounded try to get to germany still, free healthcare is pretty amazing when you need expensive prosthetics besides the quality might be better here.
I know this only from the last big wave when the million ukraine invader came who are now in germany, all dentists had mega queues cause ukrainians go fixing their teeth on german health care cost.
A Skeptic, you're page isn't getting ruined by self-advertising, off-the-topic Nazi loving, Clarence Spangle. His bigotry attempts to fuck up every page involving Ukraine, thinking that white-loving-Jew-hating people will visit his page.
Once you accept Putin’s stated goals, the logic becomes apparent. He wanted to de-militarize and de-Nazify Ukraine.
When America did the Iraq War, American tactics were big arrow stuff. Bypass resistance and roll in to Baghdad. The goal was Saddam. When they did that to Baghdad, they left a lot of militants behind. The militants they bypassed formed up to be a a source of unending problems and capability.
Russia it seems would prefer to grind down military capability and soldiers. After taking their claimed territory, they formed up defensive lives to hold it, and lure Ukraine to fight the defensive line. Meat assaults being pushed by Ukraine are achieving demilitarization.
The bridges are needed by Russia to help get all that new Ukraine gear from Poland to Russia's preferred theatre for destruction. Once there, it is destroyed all piecemeal. Russia is demilitarizing Ukraine by destroying their gear and their troops in an area where it is easiest to do. An added benefit is that the west sees it as being stuck, and feels less inclined to get directly involved.
If the bridges were all down, a backlog of gear would be in the western area. Over there, it could be accumulated to the point where it might be effective for a later all out assault.
Any thoughtful plan against Russia would have involved amassing all of this gear in the west for a big push east, once stocks were high enough. Instead it came in in dribs and drabs and went straight to the east.
Once the gear and guys are all destroyed, a big arrow move bypasses nothing and has no resistance.
This makes sense to me got the most part/ but at some point, will Russia hit these bridges, cut off fuel and re-supply lines to the front, and roll the front line back to the river? This provides a greater buffer for RU territory, and holding Kiev hostage via massed artillery could be the key to keeping a frozen conflict cold- see Seoul and the cold peace w N Korea…
Those Rus special forces border area guys are some serious bad ass dudes. I'm not some blood lust fiend but I can take seeing seriously violent videos. What is striking, and I'm sure a message they want to send, is that if your cross our border, there will be no prisoners, you will all die. The DC bubble idiots and their corporate media lackeys have inhaled way too much of their own shit to think that Russia isn't a serious country. Ole John McCain, with his "its a gas station posing as country" just shows how dumb he was. Between his daddy being a WWII admiral (a minor one) and his 2nd wife's beer wholesaling business, little ole John didn't have much claim to fame besides getting shot down by the Vietnamese. However, the people in DC survive on inhaling each other's farts so believing their own bullshit on most occasions i sort of the norm. Its truly sad that a nation of 340 million people produces such lightweights for our ruling class but then again, most of us just leave things on auto pilot when it comes to our own governing and nature (and scum) abhor a vacuum...
A correction to my post. McCain's grandfather was a WWII admiral. McCain's dad was a Vietnam era admiral, commander of U.S. naval forces in the Pacific.
The impartial Mitch Mitchell Mcconnell clip suggests hacksxxxine injextions needlerape viruganda bioweapon injury from big Harma, Harmacide scamdemic seems to have killed Mitch's drumming for a while, but have no fear because tucker C assures in an interview mentioned in today's Alex C that America is such a dumb shit nation that we America will start a war with we of Russia, sob, heartbreak, disaster and betrayal by folks like Mitch brought that all about
What are everyone's thoughts on Prigozhin's crash?
Personally, and with no better insight than most, I doubt Putin had a hand in it. It was at 30,000 feet, so a SAM would have to be pretty high end, with a very noticeable launcher. So far the most reasonable theories to me are a bomb in the landing gear compartment. The culprit could be anyone, but I don't think Putin would order this. It's too public, and seems designed to divide Russians.
Is it possible for you to copy the links to the Telegram posts you're screen-capturing? It would be great not to have to search through all the Telegram posts to find the image you reference in your posts.
"They also highlighted other changes, including the “speed with which Russian infantry dig, and the scale at which they improve their fighting positions.” Russia’s armor tactics were altering as well, as they began using tanks to offer supporting firepower for infantry units from safe distances, rather than amassing them for bungled shock-and-awe attacks, and utilizing thermal camouflage to mask them."
After WW2 the western allies employed ex-Nazi officers who wrote a series of papers on the then Red Army. Our current view of Russian fighting abilities is largely based on those [prejudiced] briefings. However one thig that did come out was that if you gave Ivan 24 hours to dig in, you could rarely evict him later. I fail to see why this is a surprise in 2023, especially given that the Russians seem only to be armed with shovels...
And the Russians have not been using their tanks as suggested here since the first few weeks of the war, except in isoltaed incidents.
Basically more BS from the western MSM, maybe quoting military and intelligence experts who should know better and appear in full ar*e covering mode.
You might also list out seperately the unpaywalled pro-Ukraine stuff that comes out. Not all of it as you have to sleep. But it might spark a lively debate vis a vis who can debunk it all the fustest and the mostest - to paraphrase a notorious CSA general.
Take care and I will buy you a coffee in due course.
"An unusual aftermath remained: we ceded Urozhaynoye, yet the damage inflicted was so severe that a part of our consciousness struggles to comprehend the motives of the Ukrainian command. Only those who harbor greater hatred than we do could subject their own forces to such a massacre."
Yes. The West is using the Ukrainian troops as a weapon against Russia and the West no more care for their lives than they would a used condom.
The air defence video from Odessa on the last update was intersting. What exactly though was I looking at? Seemed to be automatic tracer rounds shooting stuff down?
The UK press seems full of stories about the UAF winning a slow but costly victory, because they take the odd village here and there for a couple of days maybe. If that is winning, I'd hate to see what losing looks like. Of course Russian losses are much higher than those of Ukraine..... according to the British media. Something to with superior UAF artillery or something??
ISW was my go to source for week one of the conflict. Then I looked at their sources, (UAF). Then I looked into ISW and found Vicki all over it. They are all about producing news that will generate western support is all.
Hi all - I am totally unfamiliar with the way this all works. I just wanted to thank A Skeptic for recommending my Ukraine Weekly Update. I have been recommending the Skeptic for some time. I don't get involved in the Substack community very much because I am too busy. For the same reason, I don't get involved in debate very much. Forgive me.
Adding in your link here Rob
https://robcampbell.substack.com/
Congrats A Skeptic on meeting your goals!! Besides my annual subscription, you will be getting additional "Buy Me a Coffee" tips to keep your site going from me :)
“This makes Ukraine an enormous contributor to [USA] security because they have the most experience in fighting THE WAR THAT IS COMING.”
That’s what Ambassador James O’Brien said at a meeting with the German Marshall Fund. What began as a copy and paste of the transcript of a meeting took me down a rabbit hole to disturbia.
Meet some of the players who aren’t Victoria Nuland, and note that the President of the German Marshall Fund was diplomatically skeptical of some of O’Brien’s propaganda, as if she’s expecting the USA to disappoint Europe.
https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/ukraine-war-propaganda-by-the-usas
The ICJ's risk of genocide ruling - https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/icj-rules-risk-genocide-israel-against-palestine
Hamas has released 'Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood' but it's not getting fair coverage, so I posted it at https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/oct-7-hamas-tells-their-side-of-the
Thank you brother "A Skeptic". you are a righteousness man on a lonely crusade. Keep up the good work!!
Thanks for sharing the Lavrov pussy video in your latest report. I'm definitely going to steal it.
The land-based leg of the US nuclear triad is not only a sitting duck in the event of an attack, if they are launched, they cannot be recalled. Subs and planes stand a better chance of error correction. Best to dismantle the Minuteman missiles.
When I hear folks speak trash about how the Putin and Russia will invade thru Spain, the yUK, the coast of nantucky on thru Kentucky and eventually take over SF killafornia, I think to myself. What a wonderful world. I mean, I wish. If I only we can seriously hope for a Russian invasion, like the British invasion, it sure is time for some better music and culture , and gratitude and God. We can only wish and pray that Russia will invade the Russian river and Sebastopol and take over killafornia and buy back SF from China, whom Gavin sold it to for one dollar. He want d two, but Xi said he was only willing to pay one dollar for SF, which advertises in the East cut sic for a Reset on the garbage bins. Reset means the city is destroyed, and Russia hasn't been able to invade, but we can only hope....
Merry Christmas
Don't forget about the invasion of space, and that only a Russian and aliens will survive - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuFyjV7LaQc
In the most recent report, "War Reports - 2023-12-10", a video from Gaza is listed twice and once incorrectly attributed to Ukraine.
Thanks. I fixed that.
A large update on the war: https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/russia-ukraine-update-8-dec-2023-xmas-gift-putin
https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/boxing-zelensky-zaluzhny-klitschko-poroshenko
https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/article-99-invoked-for-gaza-by-united-nations
I don't know how many of you are A Skeptic but I know how hard it is to aggregate war news yet you've done so consistently for a long time. I thank you for your exhaustion!
Interesting coverage of PTSD in the ex-Wagner veterans. Obvious when you think about it, but clearly the Russians have missed a trick here...
Two things:
1. What is meant by 'cast iron' in these war reports
2. Isn't it a bit naive to imagine that Washington's reports regarding military aid are truthful?
I would imagine cast iron is ESL for rock solid.
Washington's reports should be understood to be what congress directly appropriates. They don't include all the pools of funding that are around. A lot of other resources make their way in.
no it seems to be from a different. something about allied tactics against kiev soldiers. i feel it is a flawed translation. originally thought it might refer to a weapon ( as in 'geraniums' etc ) but now think otherwise.
yep, 'cast iron' as 'rock solid' is quite right in our world. but the one I'm referring to is from that world. It pops up in Telegram. I must keep link next time and post. :)
To be honest I rated Reisner at first, then he appreared to have been "got at" and simply repeated the party line. His latest messaging may be just that, albeit accurate. He sounds a clever guy so he must have known from Feb 22 that as long as the Russian home front and morale held together, Ukraine could never win a military victory. I doubt he is being completely honest in his views, but I do think that maybe he represents the official Austrian (ie EU but non-NATO) position. Interesting nonetheless.
Glad to hear the update of the app resolved the issue. Thanks for your support!
I agree, NATO caused Ukraine problem.
My issue with the other situation is that I dislike states that are religious in their basic character, including Israel and many ME states that are effectively sectarian entities. Russia knows better than anyone that Muslim fundamentalism is not where their future lies, even if currently expedient.
Beslan and Dubrovka Theater still burn in my soul, especially Beslan. Did I mention Beslan?
Hard to get behind fundamentalists either way.
I’m with you, that I want defeat of US arrogance, as a US person, but I want that defeat to come from within, not at hands of fundamentalist entities. Okay if Russia puts US arrogance in its place, but not fundamentalists.
Yep. And that's the problem with Islam I believe, isn't it? The religion demands that it control the State. Though there are places where Islam reigns but which does control the State, I think. Can't remember where.
I don’t understand why you have to mix the Middle East and Russia stuff. Many of us have a very different level of interest and perspective on these.
Pretty please separate. Takes nothing away from those who want to read both but takes a lot away from those who.
Nope. I like it. Provides a little relieve, shift of attention for a while.
Hi Dawg,
I get it. I've considered it a lot. The main things in favor of one daily thread are :
Nearly all of the people we feature for video commentary are covering both in one show. There's no way to split that out, so we would need to duplicate it.
Most of the Telegram sources that have earned our trust are covering both on their channels as mixed content. We would need to build both reports at the same time to not miss anything.
A lot of web articles are also covering both conflicts in single articles.
Finally, it's a ton of work every day, 7 days a week already just making the single report.
I too preferred a single subject. I was expecting that the middle east would follow its usual trajectory. oppression, Hamas lashes out, Israel strikes back, the world condemns, it ends for a bit. I didn't anticipate Biden going all in for Israel. Now its got the potential to spiral big time.
That said, I am still considering it. I'm just trying to find a way to make it not become another five hours a day!
If you feel comfortable, tell me more about your perspective. Mine is that western policy and meddling is causing both of these messes. NATO expansion in Europe is at the root of the Russia Ukraine conflict. British then American policy in the Middle East caused that mess, and is furthering it.
We could force a peace if we quit funding the fights, and stopped looking at it all like a chess board. The point of this blog was to point out US policy failings that the MSM hides. Both conflicts fit that goal.
I am a low level novice plebeian. Trying to understand. My 'researches' so far seem to indicate the real reason behind everything is monied interests seeking to make money.
Simple as that.
They are a constant lobby like the sea against a dyke.
Constant throughout all time and changes of govt. personnel/party.
They dissociate themselves from responsibility for actions, being merely lobbying.
Their financing ability adds even more weight to their lobbying without a word needing to be said: some things they finance, some they don't.
They have no human morals, ethics, etc. seeing themselves as merely pursuing profit which after all is Economics 101 : 'the goal of a rational investor is always to maximise profit' and actually enshrined in law as the DUTY of corporate directors.
And so on.
I don't see western policy and meddling as being significant compared to this. i.e. even when policy is significant it is only such a policy because of this.
Point being, I suppose, that 'policy' dissociated from this profit motive would be presumably ideology driven. And that ideology, in turn, would be for the welfare of the people.
Well I don't see that our 'leaders' have the faintest knowledge or interest in what would be in the interests of the people. They do not and could not put up such policies.
Agreed on the money factor. Listening to Michael Hudson makes it all pretty clear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQkwnczhObQ
Yep, just so. That (him) is where I got my ideas from, very largely.
It is hard to find truth today and especially so for folks such as myself.
But this simple idea appeals to me very much. Simply because it is simple.
Simple to the extent of being perfectly 'natural' and natural to the point of being predictable.
It requires no super evil cabals or wicked hidden international societies, not hidden evil ambitions for subjugation of the whole human race.
And yet explains immediately how events and instances can occur that could be interpreted in those ways.
Similar perhaps to destruction of the bison in North America. No evil machinations there at all, were there? Simple greed and stupidity.
Greed resides maybe in all of us but more especially in the 'higher' reaches of our social organisations. Stupidity just the same.
It all fits.
:)
Exactly. No evil cabals, just follow the money. Might doesn't make right, it just makes money.
A great read if you haven't already is
https://billmoyers.com/2014/02/21/anatomy-of-the-deep-state/
Sorry, answered above instead of here. Thanks for reaching out and asking!
Clarence, thankful and always, is the litmus test for what deserves to live in the toilet bowl. Moron and troll = shit.
When will those in Washington and Tel Aviv stop to ask: Why did Hamas do what it did when the immediate consequences for the Palestinian people were so predictably horrible?
https://bruceohara.substack.com/p/doing-exactly-what-your-enemy-wants
I do find it amazing how willing the US Government is to totally trash its relationships with the Arab and Muslim worlds for Israel's sake. If they even made a pretense of being even-handed they could minimize the hostility America will face going forward, but clearly the needs of the Israelis are much more important than the needs of Americans.
To me, it seems like the usual previous US response was to call for restraint, once Israel had killed a few hundred people.
This time, the US sent carrier battle groups to act as their navy. You only do that if you're greenlighting major casualties and expecting it to widen.
It's certainly not what you would do if your goal was to deescalate a dangerous situation. What's particularly scary is that a lot of US politicians seem to want a war with Iran.
Moron + troll + narcissist + troll = shit = Clarence Wilhelm Spangle.
Moron + troll + narcissist + troll = shit = Clarence Wilhelm Spangle.
I don't think it's fair to tar all Jews with this brush. (There are fairly large groups of US Jews protesting the war - for example. ) The problem is with the racist, messianic Zionism embraced by so many Israeli politicians.
While it has been demonstrated that both sides can play “Defense” quite well, it is not clear that either side can do “Offense” very well at all. Russia also has a very difficult time advancing through UKR lines. It’s not clear how attrition, played out over the next 12 months, would possibly change this. On a “Probability” lens it seems a 50% chance the lines stay as they are for a very long time.
My guess is that Russia is letting Ukraine deplete itself. Once sufficient, Russia will roll over them until it reaches the Dnieper River in the north, and Odessa in the south.
The orthotists and prosthetists sure have giant queues and a bright future. I can see such wounded try to get to germany still, free healthcare is pretty amazing when you need expensive prosthetics besides the quality might be better here.
I know this only from the last big wave when the million ukraine invader came who are now in germany, all dentists had mega queues cause ukrainians go fixing their teeth on german health care cost.
Russia's Global Policy Position - Does Putin have his finger on the vodka pulse of our Nuclear armageddon? https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/russia-global-policy-position-united-nations
A Skeptic, you're page isn't getting ruined by self-advertising, off-the-topic Nazi loving, Clarence Spangle. His bigotry attempts to fuck up every page involving Ukraine, thinking that white-loving-Jew-hating people will visit his page.
Antoinetta III are you out there?
Why are the bridges of the Dnipro river still intact? Any thoughts?
Once you accept Putin’s stated goals, the logic becomes apparent. He wanted to de-militarize and de-Nazify Ukraine.
When America did the Iraq War, American tactics were big arrow stuff. Bypass resistance and roll in to Baghdad. The goal was Saddam. When they did that to Baghdad, they left a lot of militants behind. The militants they bypassed formed up to be a a source of unending problems and capability.
Russia it seems would prefer to grind down military capability and soldiers. After taking their claimed territory, they formed up defensive lives to hold it, and lure Ukraine to fight the defensive line. Meat assaults being pushed by Ukraine are achieving demilitarization.
The bridges are needed by Russia to help get all that new Ukraine gear from Poland to Russia's preferred theatre for destruction. Once there, it is destroyed all piecemeal. Russia is demilitarizing Ukraine by destroying their gear and their troops in an area where it is easiest to do. An added benefit is that the west sees it as being stuck, and feels less inclined to get directly involved.
If the bridges were all down, a backlog of gear would be in the western area. Over there, it could be accumulated to the point where it might be effective for a later all out assault.
Any thoughtful plan against Russia would have involved amassing all of this gear in the west for a big push east, once stocks were high enough. Instead it came in in dribs and drabs and went straight to the east.
Once the gear and guys are all destroyed, a big arrow move bypasses nothing and has no resistance.
The west has no plan!
This makes sense to me got the most part/ but at some point, will Russia hit these bridges, cut off fuel and re-supply lines to the front, and roll the front line back to the river? This provides a greater buffer for RU territory, and holding Kiev hostage via massed artillery could be the key to keeping a frozen conflict cold- see Seoul and the cold peace w N Korea…
That's what I'm thinking.
https://askeptic.substack.com/p/a-skeptics-best-guess-on-final-map-02f
A "zillion" pieces of bad news with much on the war and empire - https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/substack-sitrep-18-september-2023-russell-brand
Morons can't dream.
Great blog
Those Rus special forces border area guys are some serious bad ass dudes. I'm not some blood lust fiend but I can take seeing seriously violent videos. What is striking, and I'm sure a message they want to send, is that if your cross our border, there will be no prisoners, you will all die. The DC bubble idiots and their corporate media lackeys have inhaled way too much of their own shit to think that Russia isn't a serious country. Ole John McCain, with his "its a gas station posing as country" just shows how dumb he was. Between his daddy being a WWII admiral (a minor one) and his 2nd wife's beer wholesaling business, little ole John didn't have much claim to fame besides getting shot down by the Vietnamese. However, the people in DC survive on inhaling each other's farts so believing their own bullshit on most occasions i sort of the norm. Its truly sad that a nation of 340 million people produces such lightweights for our ruling class but then again, most of us just leave things on auto pilot when it comes to our own governing and nature (and scum) abhor a vacuum...
A correction to my post. McCain's grandfather was a WWII admiral. McCain's dad was a Vietnam era admiral, commander of U.S. naval forces in the Pacific.
People still think Washington is trustworthy. Despite the Iraq fiasco being so universally exposed.
Thanks for linking to Mearsheimer's piece. Makes me realise he does understand war.
https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/germany-no-war-is-our-war-sevim-dagdelen
The impartial Mitch Mitchell Mcconnell clip suggests hacksxxxine injextions needlerape viruganda bioweapon injury from big Harma, Harmacide scamdemic seems to have killed Mitch's drumming for a while, but have no fear because tucker C assures in an interview mentioned in today's Alex C that America is such a dumb shit nation that we America will start a war with we of Russia, sob, heartbreak, disaster and betrayal by folks like Mitch brought that all about
https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/transcript-tucker-carlson-viktor-orban-interview
"The plane is being examined by two prospective buyers" whats the bet these guys planted a bomb.
Redacted with Scott Ritter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFn1rrexwlU
Note, Redacted is a tad sensational with headlines and claims. I go for the guests.
What are everyone's thoughts on Prigozhin's crash?
Personally, and with no better insight than most, I doubt Putin had a hand in it. It was at 30,000 feet, so a SAM would have to be pretty high end, with a very noticeable launcher. So far the most reasonable theories to me are a bomb in the landing gear compartment. The culprit could be anyone, but I don't think Putin would order this. It's too public, and seems designed to divide Russians.
Your thoughts?
I think the CIA paid prygho back, if he is really dead, we'll never know...
Late add for today. Ritter and the Judge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxKDeANGcao
Is it possible for you to copy the links to the Telegram posts you're screen-capturing? It would be great not to have to search through all the Telegram posts to find the image you reference in your posts.
e.g. https://t.me/AussieCossack/9023
Tomorrow's top post:
Tucker Carlson; Ep. 18 Into the abyss: Colonel Douglas Macgregor tells us why the Ukraine war must end now.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1693761723230990509
Added Macgregor clip after posting today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh_R1PXBfX4
"They also highlighted other changes, including the “speed with which Russian infantry dig, and the scale at which they improve their fighting positions.” Russia’s armor tactics were altering as well, as they began using tanks to offer supporting firepower for infantry units from safe distances, rather than amassing them for bungled shock-and-awe attacks, and utilizing thermal camouflage to mask them."
After WW2 the western allies employed ex-Nazi officers who wrote a series of papers on the then Red Army. Our current view of Russian fighting abilities is largely based on those [prejudiced] briefings. However one thig that did come out was that if you gave Ivan 24 hours to dig in, you could rarely evict him later. I fail to see why this is a surprise in 2023, especially given that the Russians seem only to be armed with shovels...
And the Russians have not been using their tanks as suggested here since the first few weeks of the war, except in isoltaed incidents.
Basically more BS from the western MSM, maybe quoting military and intelligence experts who should know better and appear in full ar*e covering mode.
Hi Mr Skeptic
Firstly many thanks for pulling this all together each day in a one stop shop approach. Very helpful.
Also, Alex A's piece today was his best ever I think. Maybe you should promote it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_T0t4v5PtY
You might also list out seperately the unpaywalled pro-Ukraine stuff that comes out. Not all of it as you have to sleep. But it might spark a lively debate vis a vis who can debunk it all the fustest and the mostest - to paraphrase a notorious CSA general.
Take care and I will buy you a coffee in due course.
marcjf
A Zelensky joke with a lesson - https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/zelensky-darya-dugin-faina-savenkova
Added after initial post for today
Ritter & the Judge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vULxpAQambY
Thanks.
"An unusual aftermath remained: we ceded Urozhaynoye, yet the damage inflicted was so severe that a part of our consciousness struggles to comprehend the motives of the Ukrainian command. Only those who harbor greater hatred than we do could subject their own forces to such a massacre."
Yes. The West is using the Ukrainian troops as a weapon against Russia and the West no more care for their lives than they would a used condom.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/08/15/tucker-carlson-interviews-robert-kennedy-jr/
Much to like about RFK but his support for Israel damages my opinion of him.
The air defence video from Odessa on the last update was intersting. What exactly though was I looking at? Seemed to be automatic tracer rounds shooting stuff down?
It looks like they tried everything. Sometime back a Ukraine woman is said to have downed a drone with a jar of tomatoes, so maybe they were tomatoes!
https://twitter.com/Sprinter99800/status/1664394664923869184
The UK press seems full of stories about the UAF winning a slow but costly victory, because they take the odd village here and there for a couple of days maybe. If that is winning, I'd hate to see what losing looks like. Of course Russian losses are much higher than those of Ukraine..... according to the British media. Something to with superior UAF artillery or something??
UK news gobbles up ISW 'news'
https://askeptic.substack.com/p/victorias-secret
ISW was my go to source for week one of the conflict. Then I looked at their sources, (UAF). Then I looked into ISW and found Vicki all over it. They are all about producing news that will generate western support is all.
Yesterday's post wasn't pinned to the home page. It is now. Sorry!
A simple interview on WION which subscribers can share with friends who are on the fence regarding the war - https://youtu.be/3iCBKD1GS9c
https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/is-the-cold-war-heating-up-africa