I wasn't sure where this Israel, Iran and China debacle should go, so I thought I would start a new thread and post it here:

Interesting article disusing Israel's actions in trying to destabilize Iran and how it monumentally backfired and brought China into the Middle East... it's kind of crazy

 

"To the extent that Netanyahu played a role here, his plot has backfired monumentally. If the China deal goes through, Iran is much strengthened and its hard liners are entirely unleashed. The positioning of Chinese security forces in Iran will make it increasingly risky for other countries such as Israel or the US to strike Iran, lest they come into conflict with nuclear-armed China."

Edited September 10, 20196 yr by wanna-b-fanboy

Ukraine 'Appears To Have Won Battle Of Kharkiv,' Entering New Phase Of War

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops are withdrawing from Ukraine’s second-largest city after weeks of heavy bombardment, the Ukrainian military said Saturday, as Kyiv and Moscow’s forces engaged in a grinding battle for the country’s eastern industrial heartland.

Ukraine’s general staff said the Russians were pulling back from the northeastern city of Kharkiv and focusing on guarding supply routes, while launching mortar, artillery and airstrikes in the eastern Donetsk province in order to “deplete Ukrainian forces and destroy fortifications.”

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine was “entering a new - long-term - phase of the war.”

After failing to capture Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, the Russian military decided to concentrate on the Donbas, but its troops have struggled to gain and hold ground. Before the war, Ukraine had its most highly trained soldiers in the region to stave off the Russia-backed rebels.

Russia has captured some villages and towns during its invasion. The Ukrainian military chief for the Donbas’ Luhansk province said Friday that Russian troops had nearly full control of Rubizhne, a city with a prewar population of around 55,000.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s forces had also made progress, retaking six Ukrainian towns or villages in the past day.

Western officials said Ukraine had driven Russian forces back around Kharkiv. The largely Russian-speaking city was a Russian key military objective in the early phase of the war, when Moscow was still hoping to capture and hold major Ukrainian cities.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Ukraine “appears to have won the Battle of Kharkiv.” It said, “Ukrainian forces prevented Russian troops from encircling, let alone seizing Kharkiv, and then expelled them from around the city.”

Regional governor Oleh Sinegubov said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that there had been no shelling attacks on Kharkiv in the past day.

He said Ukraine had launched a counteroffensive near Izyum, a city 125 kilometers (78 miles) south of Kharkiv that has been under effective Russian control since at least the beginning of April.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/russia-kharkiv-withdraw_n_627f935fe4b050d9519247f3

More details on the above story:

Quote

 

If you want detailed info about the fighting in Ukraine this ISW outfit is the place to go (the BBC uses them a lot):

https://www.understandingwar.org/

 

Bucha: April 7 and May 10

 

 

russo ukrainian warukrainebucha

 

 

                                      

If Putin is removed or dies how long will it take for Trump to take credit and say he didn't like him and barely knew him

If he dies, he dies!

Russian Troops Are Now Deliberately Wounding Themselves to Get Out of Putin’s War

Almost 90 days later By Vladimir Putin “Special Military Operations” in Ukraine, Russian Army apparently becoming demoralized and desperate to quit, they began intentionally injuring themselves.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on Saturday announced the sound of what it says is a blocked call reveal new trend batshit.

A man identified as a Russian soldier in the assault brigade based in the Kherson region of Ukraine can be heard venting his frustrations to his mother and explaining why he wants to give up the war.

“Why do they [the Ukrainians] not surrender? We are on their land,” the soldier told his mother. “This is not going to end anytime soon. What do I need this for? At the age of 20… I have no interest in Ukraine at all. I need to come back and resign,” he said.

His mother asked in surprise why there were no Russian troops in Ukraine determined to continue fighting for “patriotism”, but soldier Nikita simply scoffed.

“I have a commander… who shot himself in the foot just to get out of here. And that’s right from the start! What to talk about? He served in Chechnya. ”

His shocked mother went on to argue that someone must “defend Russia” to prevent the West from attacking, echoing the Kremlin’s dominant narrative on Russia’s state-controlled news that Russia’s war Putin was launched to prevent an impending NATO attack.

“They will kill us all, it will be World War 4 and Russia will lose!” she declared.

“Well, then Putin might change his mind… No people, no ammunition,” he said, adding that his commander had sent letters trying to withdraw his brigade but to no avail.

 

 

 

                               

The 227th battalion of the 127th troop brigade reached the borders of the state border of Ukraine and Russia today in the Kharkiv region. The  moment of installation of the boundary pillar was reported to the President of Ukraine by video.

Blowed up real good

 

This is a surprising turn of events... the retaking of Crimea and Donbas are on the table. USA support on these objectives must mean that they see Ukraine as likely victors in this war.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And wow, this pic:

 

 

Edited May 16, 20223 yr by Babycakes

Looking at the maps, of the North-East, it looks like if the Ukrainians can advance Eastward about another 15 miles - they will be able to block supplies lines to Russians in Donbas, and be in good position to launch flanking attacks, from there. 

North Korea Orders ‘Thousand Tonnes of Salt’ to Fight COVID, Even Though It Won’t Stop Virus
-Reuters
North Korea is battling its first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with salt, honeysuckle leaf tea, and ginger, as it resists aid offers from other nations. While the traditional remedies recommended, including over-the-counter fever relievers, may be some help to people with mild symptoms, those who are severely ill are at a greater risk for complications without antiviral drugs. State media also recommended gargling with saltwater twice a day. The BBC reports that a “thousand tons of salt” was sent to the North Korean capital to make some sort of antiseptic solution. It is unclear how many people are infected or how many have died since the pandemic began. The Hermit Kingdom has rejected all offers of vaccines or other medical assistance.

well it still sounds better than the horse medication

 

 

5 hours ago, iHeart said:

well it still sounds better than the horse medication

Plus, it gives protection from zombies.

15 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Plus, it gives protection from zombies.

I don't like the garden slugs' chances either.

                                                         

                                                    

The war in eastern Ukraine in the Donbas region is not going well for Ukraine now. All of the troops and military equipment that was at Mariupol has been moved north in order to secure the Donbas region. The Russians are using WW2 tactics- throw wave after wave of bodies and equipment at Ukrainian lines expecting that the war of attrition will swing in their favour. Ukrainian military reported than in one day, they killed 500 Russians. Simultaneously, they are forcibly removing Ukrainians to camps in Siberia.

Ukrainian supply lines are stretched with food and war materiel in shorter and shorter supply. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-ukraine-war-day-96-1.6470491

Quote

Russian troops are moving into the city of Severodonetsk from the outskirts, Luhansk region governor Serhiy Gaidai said on Monday.

Severodonetsk, the largest city that Kyiv still partly controls in the Luhansk region of the Donbas, has been the focus of Russia's attacks in Eastern Ukraine.

"Unfortunately we have disappointing news — the enemy is moving into the city," Gaidai told national television.

He said the neighbouring city of Lysychansk was still under Ukrainian control, while the main road into the two cities has been shelled, but not blocked.

"They use the same tactics over and over again. They shell for several hours — for three, four, five hours — in a row and then attack. Those who attack die. Then shelling and attack follow again, and so until they break through somewhere," Gaidai said.

...Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday will address European Union leaders gathering in a new show of solidarity with Ukraine amid divisions over whether to target Russian oil in a new series of sanctions. He has repeatedly demanded that the EU target Russia's lucrative energy sector and deprive Moscow of billions of dollars each day in supply payments.

 

https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1705708/nato-is-no-longer-bound-by-commitments-to-russia-and-will-beef-up-eastern-europe-presence-says-deputy-secretary-general

Quote

The NATO-Russia agreement signed 25 years ago no longer binds the Alliance because Russia itself violated the agreement by invading Ukraine, says NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană, visiting Vilnius.

Under the 1997 NATO-Russia Framework Agreement, NATO has pledged not to permanently deploy significant forces in central and eastern Europe, including the Baltic states.

However, Russia has committed to refrain from aggression against its neighbours and is not complying, Geoană told BNS in an interview on Sunday.

As a result, he said, the Alliance is no longer bound by restrictions on the expansion of forces in its eastern flank.

Russia has essentially withdrawn from the agreement, according to Geoană, “so now we no longer face any constraints to have a strong NATO presence in the eastern flank and to make sure that every square inch of NATO’s territory is protected by NATO’s Article Five and our allies.”

In response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, NATO is considering how to reinforce its members close to Russia.

The Baltic countries are asking for international battalions to be replaced by brigade-sized units several times larger than those deployed there since 2017.

A new Strategic Concept for the Alliance is due to be adopted at the NATO Summit in Madrid in June.

Nearly a hundred days in and it seems like things are only worsening.

1 hour ago, blue_gold_84 said:

https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1705708/nato-is-no-longer-bound-by-commitments-to-russia-and-will-beef-up-eastern-europe-presence-says-deputy-secretary-general

Nearly a hundred days in and it seems like things are only worsening.

Russia is sending as much resources into the Donetsk region as they can, even WW2 equipment and untrained/undertrained troops trying to overwhelm Ukrainian defences with sheer numbers. They are also sending any missiles they can find because they can launch those from hundreds of kms away. The rush is to seize land and dig in before the bulk of game-changing western weaponry arrives.