200s.

 As was stated non-stop by me (and others), the number of ukie KIAs is astonishing. Here is the latest: 

By 2025 the number of 404 families asking Red Cross about their missing VSU relatives reached 400,000. MIA=400,000. 

Meanwhile, ukrop laments the burial of VSU 200s. Russian Army while moving ahead encounters hundreds of such unmarked graves. 

Well, Ukrainians wanted that, let them enjoy. The estimates so far are at around 1.5 million KIAs in VSU. By the time the final number will be counted and announced--combined West will feel proud of disposing of a nation. Have you heard invocation of "brotherly people" lately? There you go. 

How Ceasefire Looks Like.

While media morons and chihuahuas from NATO try to wrap their brains around of what just have happened. Russia continues to observe "ceasefire". Here are the remnants of Chasov Yar and how Russian forces calm things down there. 

In related news VSU losses are going back where they have been for the last five months. 

And if this is not enough for the proponents of "Minsk-3 is coming", here is an ominous development (for NATO). The Commander of the Ground Forces of Russia General Salyukov has been given new assignment (as the aid to the deputy chair of Russia's Security Council) while the new commander of Russian Ground Forces ... well ... there is a smell of excrement in NATO staffs. 

Colonel-General Andrei Mordvichev is appointed new Commander of Russian Ground Forces. Look him up--even if it is a lying POS Wiki. Avdeevka, Central Military District et al. 

Some "Math" ...

 ... from official sources. 

КУРСК, 10 апреля. /ТАСС/. Российские военнослужащие занимаются в том числе эвакуацией тел солдат Вооруженных сил Украины из приграничных районов Курской области, счет идет на десятки тысяч. Об этом ТАСС рассказали в российских силовых структурах. "Киевский режим даже не пытался эвакуировать тела уничтоженных вэсэушников. Более того, многие украинские военнослужащие скончались от полученных ранений, брошенные "побратимами". В настоящее время российские военнослужащие занимаются в том числе эвакуацией тел украинских солдат. Счет идет на десятки тысяч", - сказал собеседник агентства. Он добавил, что российским бойцам после освобождения Гуева осталось выбить ВСУ из населенных пунктов Олешня и Горналь Курской области.

Translation: KURSK, April 10. /TASS/. Russian servicemen are also evacuating the bodies of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers from the border areas of Kursk Oblast; the number is in the tens of thousands. This was reported to TASS by Russian security agencies. "The Kiev regime did not even try to evacuate the bodies of the killed Ukrainian servicemen. Moreover, many Ukrainian servicemen died from their wounds, abandoned by their "brothers." At present, Russian servicemen are also evacuating the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers. The number is in the tens of thousands," the agency's source said. He added that after the liberation of Guyev, Russian fighters still have to drive the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of the settlements of Oleshnya and Gornal in Kursk Oblast.

This is to merely remind everyone the statistics on Kursk "operation" by NATO, which today is counted in 72 990 of personnel (most are KIAs, not just "casualties"), 405 tanks, 331 BMPs, 300 APCs, 2260 armored vehicles, 597 artillery pieces et al. That makes this image, if anyone wonders, a rather timid affair, especially when it MUST be considered it was done to surrendering and defenseless Iraqi troops.

Here, in Kursk and now Sumy oblasts, the affair is entirely different, and it does not fit General Cavoli's numbers. Just doesn't. And we all should keep in mind that Russian MoD's modus operandi in terms of reporting 404 losses is extremely conservative, bordering on understatements. As I already stated--sometimes Russians simply do not (and often cannot) count those killed in all kinds of tanks, APCs and armored cars and they just leave it be, leaving to already tactical rear medics and funeral teams deal with sorting out mangled bones, burned flesh and whatever is left after the visit by artillery, Kornets or loitering munitions.

E.g. After this thing hits your position (RSZO Tornado) with thermobaric warheads (constantly used in SMO) --there is very little left of human (euphemism for VSU personnel) to even count or consider a "unit" of 200 (very few live as 300s after Tornado and it is not a good life). That is why not only Russians have to evacuate tens of thousands of VSU corpses and remains, but the uncovering of VSU's shallow mass graves will also only drive these statistics higher, much higher. And then--this is just ONE of many operational axes in SMO. That also partially explains the animal cruelty of VSU and NATO personnel (Poles and French are especially noted) towards POWs but especially towards Russian civilians--mass executions, especially of children, rapes, robberies et all--those are all hallmarks of European "civilization". Everything, every single instance is documented and attached, and (war) criminal cases are opened by Investigative Committee, among others. 

This guy--he is safe now and should count his blessings being Russia's POW--talks about what kind of "training" British military provided him. 

Even he admits--it was shit. Twice taken to range to shoot, the rest--theory. Yes, this is what British military is--all theory and no skills and understanding of modern war, The guy also complains how he was treated in British hospital after he fell sick. Of course, for British he is a Ukrainian subhuman, a cannon fodder to be used against hated Russians. Western "elites" lost all remnants of their humanity, and Russians MUST count their blessings when seeing what Europe is and why the way it exists the only thought in Russian mind today is: Europa delenda est. The US is a different game. 

They Wanted It ...

... I am not even sure that this is fresh, but that's around Kharkov. 

Hey, CIA (and MI6) also celebrated the fall of Assad. Why don't they send their wives and daughters to visit there, I am sure Russians at Khmeimim will be surprised at the gates ... But then again, there is no atrocity these guys will not commit as long as their precious universe is untouched. 

Excellent Representation ...

 ... of proceedings in Kursk since August. Which also explains why NATO managed to kill a whole combined arms army, which is more than was the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) during Cold War 1.0. 

As of today, VSU (and NATO) lost 58, 230 KIAs (consider that field "medicine" of VSU returns only 13% of wounded, as opposed to 96% by Russia). VSU continues to throw reserves into the meat grinder.  In comparison, BAOR numbered 53,000. 

This DRG (Diversionary Recon Group) Of NATO...

 ... is a toast now. Artillery (and RUK) is a bitch. 

This is not Hollywood--if you are detected, you have a very few precious seconds to run, if not--152 mm is incoming and then (depending on the range) mortars. Then loitering munitions. These Anglo (one American, few others probably British-Australian) guys have chosen a wrong warrior path. 

Meanwhile...

In a case of sheer military stupidity, khohol drives lonely T-72M with full (and most likely old and susceptible to detonation) Combat Load and encounters, surprise, surprise, a Zala product. The result is dramatic. Russian MoD yesterday gave the number of VSU losses at 6,600 personnel. Today it is highly likely above 7,000 and Pokrovsk drive continues. I talk about it in my today's video.

About Global Hawk...

 ... which was allegedly "shot down" by Russia. No, nobody shot down anything, but this rumor has originated in Russian TG channels belonging, and you have guessed it already, to all types of BSers aka military "bloggers". Highly likely this BS came from notorious Fighterbomber who sells BS and air force porn to fanboys. That's the type of lowlifes who wouldn't miss any opportunity to make a buck (or Ruble) on emotional high or low, depending on POV, such as cluster munitions attack on Sevastopol's beach. Considering the level of Western so called military bloggers who think that scanning Russian TG channels somehow is OSINT--they are largely in no way better than their Russian counterparts. So, the recycle of BS not only continues, but amplifies. 

Per Russian response to the US. Russians are professionals and will continue to do what they do with the remnants of VSU, such as today's statistics: 

Which terrifies Washington and every single Pentagon "warrior", plus--G(R)U and SVR most likely know the identities of American servicemen who operated ATACMs. They better run, because now they are classified as terrorists, who they are, and they will be hunted down and eliminated. Their best bet will be to return to the US and stay here for the rest of their lives, preferably after plastic surgery and live under the conditions of witness protection program or something similar. For those emotionally unstable and prone to knee jerk reaction, I can only repeat--Russia here is in for demolition of Pax Americana and it proceeds as planned, and even better. Hence hysterical rhetoric from the West and resorting to pure terrorism. US military bluff has been called. Like Al Bundy from Married With Children whose brightest achievement was his four touchdowns in the high school football game, the US still grasps at the last straw of its unimpeded turkey shoot in Gulf in 1991 against pathetic enemy. 

What is happening now is a big league and the US ain't in it militarily, bar its nuclear deterrent. And once this became clear to everyone but the "strategists" in Washington, we have the situation which we all observe now. Terrorism will continue--this is the only "capability" Washington (and London) have. Well, these losers too:

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday reassured NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Paris is determined to “unequivocally” help Ukraine “in the long term.” Stoltenberg was visiting the French capital in preparation for the NATO summit in Washington next month. According to the military bloc’s chief, more support to Ukraine is NATO’s “most urgent task.”

Declining, disintegrating and militarily impotent nations capable only, at best, of pinpricks of terrorism and pathos-ridden grandiose statements. That's what West has become. Meanwhile:

During an interview with Chinese media ahead of Li’s visit to Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declared his intention to apply to the bloc after it doubled in size this year by luring Global South nations — partly by offering access to financing but also by providing a political venue independent of Washington’s influence. Thailand — a US treaty ally — last month announced its own bid to join BRICS, named after members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bloc “represents a south-south cooperative framework which Thailand has long desired to be a part of,” Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa told reporters last week.

You see, this is the result of Russia standing up to and beating the crap out of the combined West. So, yeah, let's shoot down some Global Hawk to satisfy "emotions" of immature people.

25,000 x 30=750,000

Of the VSU personnel as Putin describes it as irretrievable losses today. And then, of course, there are simply wounded. 30 is the number of months of SMO. 25,000 are "at least" of VSU losses which are... well, done and are never coming back.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are losing at least 50,000 service personnel a month, five times more than the Russian military, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. Putin was speaking with reporters from international news agencies on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). “According to our estimates, the Ukrainian army loses about 50,000 people every month,” Putin said in response to a question, adding that the ratio of sanitary and irrecoverable casualties was “about 50-50.” While not specifying the number of Russian casualties, Putin said the number of irrecoverable losses was at least five times less than those incurred by Kiev's forces. There are currently 1,348 Russian servicemen held in Ukraine as prisoners of war, while 6,465 Ukrainian servicemen are in Russian captivity, the president revealed. Ukraine is capable of mobilizing about 30,000 troops a month and “there aren’t very many volunteers,” Putin explained.

Putin gives here the numbers of Russian MoD which, as I state ad nauseam for two years, provides ONLY numbers which it can objectively confirmed. The actual number of VSU's irretrievable losses can easily be multiplied by coefficient anywhere between 1.5 to 2.0. Let's take a lower 1.5.  750,000 x 1.5 = 1, 125,000 irretrievable losses of VSU. Add here sanitary losses of about the same--and you have 2.5 million people who have been lost and wounded in 404. That's the scale of SMO. There is not a single officer in NATO who can grasp, let alone handle such numbers as a lower estimate for possible NATO operations against Russia in real war. I will merely repeat:  

And NATO is falling behind technologically with every passing day since at least 2014.

Getting The Math Right...

 ... I repeat--Russian MoD gives numbers of VSU losses based on objective control. That is physically identifying bodies of VSU KIAs and wounded primarily at the line of combat contact. Russian MoD does not give estimates of KIAs and wounded in the tactical, let alone operational rear of VSU because it cannot reliably count them. E.g. couple of days ago VKS dropped two 1,500 kg KABs on top of Kraken Nazi battalion. The only thing which was known is that there have been 300 of them--nobody survives two KABs, so MoD stated with a degree of reliability that UP TO 300 of Nazis have been wiped out. But, as I repeat ad nauseam--the real number of VSU KIAs is much-much higher than total number of losses Russian MoD estimated at 444,000. 

And here is the professional who says the same, and he is from NATO. 

Ukraine’s losses in the conflict with Russia should be counted “in the millions,” the former chief of the Polish General Staff, Rajmund Andrzejczak, has claimed. Kiev “is losing the war” and does not have the resources to sustain the fight against Moscow, he added. In an interview with the Polsat broadcaster on Monday, the retired general described Ukraine’s battlefield situation as “very dramatic” and insisted that “there are no miracles in war.”

And here is the part which matters:

“They are missing over 10 million people. I estimate that the losses should be counted in the millions, not hundreds of thousands. There are no resources in this country, there is no one to fight.”

The point I make non-stop. Considering forces involved, fire density, stand off weaponry, duration and length of front it is clear that KIAs alone are above one million. How much above--I don't know, but the same way that "Stalin" couldn't have killed or imprisoned "tens of millions" people in the USSR, because it defies basic statistical methods and math and empirical evidence of 150 million living Russians, the same is true for the numbers by Russian MoD which are issued strictly on confirmed data with any, even highly justified, assessments removed due to insufficient probability. Numbers will change and will grow dramatically, the more Russian Army moves to the West.  

Meanwhile RUSI's US Army's Lt.Colonel Vershinin has a DUH! moment--LOL)) 

"In attritional wars, military operations are shaped by a state's ability to replace losses and generate new formations, not tactical and operational manoeuvres," retired US Army lieutenant colonel Alex Vershinin explained in a Royal United Services Institute commentary, "The Attritional Art of War: Lessons from the Russian War on Ukraine," published Monday. Unlike maneuver warfare, which is aimed at quickly and violently defeating an enemy, the attritional fight takes time, maybe years. "The side that accepts the attritional nature of war and focuses on destroying enemy forces rather than gaining terrain is most likely to win. The West is not prepared for this kind of war," he said. Vershinin noted that Western militaries have long seen attritional conflicts as exceptions to be avoided at all costs in favor of the shorter, maneuver-focused clashes. Rather than a "decisive battle" through maneuver warfare, "attritional warfare focuses on destroying enemy forces and their ability to regenerate combat power, while preserving one's own," he wrote, noting that a successful attritional strategy "accepts that the war will last at least two years."

I have news for Vershinin, in conventional war with Russia there will be NO NATO maneuvers--there will be wiping out of C2 in operational and strategic rear and after that, after mighty F-35s will be shot down, any large enough formations will be detected and then annihilated by stand off weapons. Thus for the US Army alone 3,600 casualties a day--well, good luck sustaining this for more than two weeks. I repeat: Gulf War was anomaly sold to unsophisticated public through media as some kind of future warfare which it was not. One cannot learn real war from that turkey shoot. And they didn't.

P.S. An immensely important statement by Putin today:

Путин: Россия помнит о преступлениях власовцев и не простит новых предателей

Putin: Russia remembers crimes of Vlasovites and will not forgive new traitors.

Somewhere Solzhenitsyn choked in hell. 

About Krinki.

It is over with--Krinki is under full control of Russian forces. Yes, anticlimactic and as was predicted. Shoigu also summarized the VSU "counteroffensive" with freshest numbers.

МОСКВА, 20 февраля. /ТАСС/. Вооруженные силы Украины (ВСУ) потеряли в ходе своего контрнаступления 166 тыс. военных, более 800 танков, заявил министр обороны Сергей Шойгу. По его словам, потери украинских войск составили "166 тыс. убитыми и ранеными, более 800 танков, почти 2 400 боевых бронированных машин". "Фактически из того, что у них есть сегодня, больше половины Leopard уничтожены, они потеряли 123 самолета и вертолета", - рассказал министр в интервью главному редактору ТАСС Михаилу Петрову.

Translation: MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) lost 166 thousand troops and more than 800 tanks during their counteroffensive, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. According to him, the losses of Ukrainian troops amounted to “166 thousand killed and wounded, more than 800 tanks, almost 2,400 armored combat vehicles.” “In fact, of what they have today, more than half of the Leopards were destroyed, they lost 123 aircraft and helicopters,” the minister said in an interview with TASS editor-in-chief Mikhail Petrov.

The losses of VSU in the last 48 hours around Avdeevka are 2,400, so you get the drift, right? And then a peculiar report from TASS. 

"Западные спонсоры киевского режима увязывают продолжение поставок Украине боевых ракет повышенной дальности с эффективностью их практического применения, - обратил внимание источник. - Страны НАТО, передающие такие вооружения, прекрасно осознают, что режим [президента Украины Владимира] Зеленского применяет террористические методы, нанося этими ракетами удары по гражданским объектам на территории России, убивая невооруженных российских граждан". "От Киева требуют предоставлять перечень целей на территории России и обосновывать целесообразность нанесения по ним ударов. Эксплуатацию и боевое применение поставляемых Украине ракет надлежит осуществлять под контролем натовских специалистов, которые фактически превращают киевский режим в террористическую организацию наподобие ИГИЛ (ИГ, до 2014 года - "Исламское государство Ирака и Леванта" - ИГИЛ, запрещена в РФ). Все это свидетельствует о прямой вовлеченности НАТО в боевые действия против Вооруженных сил Российской Федерации", - отметил собеседник агентства. 

Translation: “Western sponsors of the Kyiv regime link the continued supply of extended-range military missiles to Ukraine with the effectiveness of their practical use,” the source noted. “NATO countries that transfer such weapons are well aware that the regime of [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky uses terrorist methods by inflicting these missiles on attacks on civilian targets on Russian territory, killing unarmed Russian citizens." "Kiev is required to provide a list of targets on Russian territory and justify the feasibility of striking them. The operation and combat use of missiles supplied to Ukraine should be carried out under the control of NATO specialists, who are actually turning the Kiev regime into a terrorist organization like ISIS (IS, until 2014 -" "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" - ISIS, is banned in the Russian Federation). All this indicates the direct involvement of NATO in hostilities against the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," the agency's interlocutor noted.

Correct--it is all about petty vengeance and impotent hysteria. Obviously those people in NATO can only fight defenseless civilians. In Russian case--not so defenseless with Air Defense dramatically mitigating the damage, but you cannot stop 100% of everything, some will "leak". In other "yawn" news:

The Biden administration will unveil a “major sanctions package” targeted at Moscow on Friday in response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday. The sanctions will “hold Russia accountable for what happened to Mr. Navalny, and quite frankly, for all its actions over the course of this vicious and brutal war that has now raged on for two years,” Kirby told reporters during a call. He wouldn’t provide more detail about the package when asked.

Yes, Kremlin is quaking in its boots from these sanctions, LOL. Do you know when it is over? When the world starts laughing at you, albeit not without sadness. As was expected:

U.S. Vetoes Proposal for Humanitarian Cease-Fire in Gaza at U.N. Security Council. Washington says unconditional cease-fire would prolong conflict in Gaza. 

Do you need any comments here? I thought so.

It Is Almost Not A News Anymore.

Putin nonchalantly stated obvious: 

The latest Russian weapons are superior to analogues produced in NATO countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with participants of the forum "Everything for Victory!" Putin noted the good pace and quality of the work of the Russian defense industry and said that the latest weapons produced in Russia are superior to those of NATO. And if we compare "modern NATO weapons, weapons of the last period of the Soviet era, they are inferior in some ways, but not always," he added.

That's not a hot air akin to Trump's "super-pooper missiles" or Obama's "the finest fighting force in history" proclamations. This is empirically proven statement.  It is also remarkable how Russia keeps mum on the issue of this "sunk missile boat". Evidently there is nothing to report so far. For comparison recall the sinking of Moskva with MoD reporting on the issue almost hourly. Same goes for amphibious ship damaged and sunk in Mariupol. Make your own conclusions. Again, VSU, which has been called today by Putin a terrorist organization, which it is, and Kiev regime can subsist only on PR stunts--such as recent BS story about "shot down" A-50 AWACS plane and circulating year old photos of the empennage of IL-22 damaged slightly by shrapnel from a drone. 

As Shoigu reported today, VSU lost in January more than 23,000 KIAs and wounded (in Russian). These are events which undeniably create a horrendously grim emotional atmosphere in Pentagon, not to mention Washington's lapdogs from London and Berlin, exacerbated with a severe case of a professional envy. The only military fodder they have now is what Larry masterfully described as a Groundhog Day:

Joe Biden is pulling a page from Donald Trump and has authorized a strike that is going to be touted as massive retaliation. Except the targets of those attacks already know it is going to happen and are taking evasive steps. Biden is doing this for sheer political benefit to try to calm the chorus of members of Congress and the neo-con class demanding action while presenting himself to the American public as a man of action. At the same time it looks like Biden and his team wisely decided to avoid actually killing Iranians or their proxies. As I have written previously, a serious attack on Iranian interests will provoke significant retaliation from Iran and face the United States with the dilemma of launching a new war in the Middle East during an election year. I suspect that the U.S. General at the CAOC will be making some phone calls to Russian counterparts to ensure that there is no chance of any confrontation between Russian and U.S. air assets. Hence, deja vu all over again aka Ground Hog Day. Just like the U.S. and U.K. bombings in Yemen, this is sound and fury signifying nothing. It is not going to improve the sagging strategic fortunes of the United States in the Middle East.

Yes, same as Ukie "counter-offensive", the bombing is announced days in advance. Well, there is an upside to it too--neither Iran nor the US want a real war. So, let the USAF bomb some empty shit in desert and call it a day, or two. US neocons are so dumb militarily that their understanding of war is reduced to this:

As long as something explodes it gives those morons a satisfaction. What do you expect from Ivy League political "scientists", lawyers and "government"--dumbed down specialists whose only loyalty is to Israel. As Phil Giraldi tells Judge:

It is pretty much over for American governance and whatever feeble so called "intellectual" elite which is wholesale uncultured and ignorant. Having a fat bank account and a tenure in some Ivy League degree mill or knowing the difference between Monet (Claude) and Monet (Edourad) doesn't make one "cultured", it merely makes one refined, such as some single cask Scotch compared to a half-gallon bottle of Johnny Walker Red Label from COSTCO--in the end, after consumption of a fifth the hangover is the same. American "elite" is uncultured and militarily utterly incompetent. So, it is the fate of Frito's car from Idiocracy. 

Meanwhile Russian Navy received two days ago the newest, second, and first serial, SSK of pr.677  Kronshtadt.

Next hulls of this class of subs will be with AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) which is nearing completion. These subs have a state-of-the-art sonar complex and are extremely quiet. So much for "failed" sub, eh? I guess Western media lied, again. Yawn. 

P.S. Still waiting for info on the missile boat. 

I Don't Think It Was A Mistake.

Truth is, I am on record--once SMO is concluded and the numbers of losses of VSU will be revealed with any degree of certainty, the world will be stunned and there WILL BE questions to London and Washington. The Ukrainian TV Channel 1+1 accidentally did put out real numbers of KIAs and MIAs. Yes, recall that MIA category is a favorite one for VSU and Kiev regime--it is an artificial statistics for avoiding paying compensations and keeping whatever is left of population of 404 in the state of hypnosis. So, here it is:

1, 126,652 KIAs and MIAs for VSU. Somebody will have to answer for this atrocity and the main puppet masters sit in Washington and London and their names will be named at the Ukraine War Crimes Tribunal. Many will also be charged with crimes in absentia. In related news--this number is larger than US losses in all XIX, XX and XXI centuries wars combined. They are beyond comprehension of any US military, let alone, political figure. 

The office of a 404 "president" reacted immediately and forced 1+1 to retract the story, but it is too late. It is also a number which many of us here played with based on available data. 404 is done as a state and as a nation. Washington now shifts blame to UK for sabotage of negotiations in Istanbul. Of course, when one has a cretin such as BoJo it is not difficult to do, but Washington doesn't understand that real politics is done in real world, not in PR universe. Russia knows the names of puppet maters.  SMO continues and Avdeevka is being mopped up, including Russian forces capturing Yasinovataya-2 station--an abscess which existed since 2014 and was used by NATO forces to shell civilian areas of Donetsk. It was also the most fortified area of all 404 front. The meat-grinder in Avdeevka for VSU continues and probably another couple VSU brigades will perish in coming days. Adds to the score and record of US and British operational "brilliance". But then again, when one studies Zapp Brannigan's operational art and strategy what do you expect? 

As many noticed, they love to talk about "human waves" by the Red Army--a BS concocted by Wehrmacht which "taught" Anglo world how to "fight". Talk about projection.

The Road To Verbovoe (Verbove)...

 ... just a reminder to NATO planners what REAL war is. 

Just a teeny-weeny fraction of VSU losses in the area of about 5 by 5 kilometers. 

Now, project that on a single operational axis of Zaporozhie, then project that roughly on the whole length of the front and you will get some ideas. The Piece in WaPo about CIA and 404 and murders of civilians is directly related to it. WaPo is CIA's outlet and somebody in Langley finally got the message that things might come to the results CIA really doesn't want to face. Especially when it comes to War Crimes Tribunal against 404 and NATO, and it is coming and many names which do not sound Slavic at all will be named and charged. Playing such games with Iraq--it is one thing, playing this with FSB, G(R)U and SVR is totally another. As Pentagon generals learned the hard way. They should have studied real war. M1 Abrams should expect a very warm reception...

This And That.

1. Attack on Novorossiysk. The amphibious landing ship--it is clear that a couple of water-tight compartments have been damaged and she was towed to dock, while listing to port, where she will be repaired. The rest of drones have been destroyed. Not the first time, not the last time. The repairs, meanwhile, shouldn't take too long. I think visits from Mr. Kalibr and Mr. Geranium are in store. I am also sure that CO of the landing ship will be asked about organization of the outside watch and where the nigh vision, a standard issue on ships, equipment was. It is a failure on the account of ship's command. 

2. Russian MoD gave the number of VSU losses (without foreign mercenaries and "advisers") and, WITHOUT VSU losses in the rear (get it?), since the start of "counteroffensive"--43,000 (in Russian). Here is the point I make constantly--MoD's data is extremely conservative and ONLY about what MoD can visually confirm. Many thousands of VSU personnel annihilated in the rear, such as bases, depots, barracks, command posts et al are not even counted in MoD losses reports. Now recall those hundreds of rear positions hit by Russian Army and you will get the idea on the scale of losses of VSU. 

Here is one out of very many examples from 6th July this year--the destruction of VSU academy in Lvov (in Russian). 8 3M14 Kalibrs visited the facility which could house up to 800 personnel and parked some tanks. Those inevitable losses are NOT counted until they are confirmed (corroborated). There could have been 100 KIAs, could have been 400 KIAs. Everyone in Lvov reported huge number of ambulances. In related example--how many personnel was KIA during obliteration of Patriots? Exactly. So, this explains the count. Russia reports only what she can reasonably count and confirm and that means immediate frontline with visual identification of corpses. Plus, we don't know how many actually die in the rear after evacuation. Reports suggest a huge number and with 404 medical facilities being overwhelmed. Make your own conclusions. 

3. Irina Alksnis penned a decent piece in Ria (in Russian) about Washington getting ready to throw 404 under the bus due to shifting focus in financing for Taiwan. I would say--reasonable assumption:

Китай — действительно для американцев противник номер один. То, что Штаты оказались втянуты в украинский кризис гораздо сильнее, нежели планировали, только осложняет для них ситуацию, но никак не меняет существо дела. И полноценно переключаться на азиатское направление им придется, потому что сил и ресурсов на участие в двух масштабных конфликтах у них просто физически нет. При этом Вашингтон оказался в ловушке собственной политики. Государственные системы, тем более столь гигантские, обладают колоссальной инерцией. Они очень медлительны и неповоротливы, когда встает вопрос о кардинальной смене стратегии и направления движения. Их первоначальные планы в отношении России предусматривали стремительное обрушение нашей страны, причем относительно небольшими усилиями и затратами. Вместо этого за полтора года они постепенно погрузились в конфликт куда глубже, нежели планировали и хотели.

Translation: China is indeed the number one enemy for the Americans. The fact that the United States was drawn into the Ukrainian crisis much more than planned only complicates the situation for them, but does not change the essence of the matter. And they will have to fully switch to the Asian direction, because they simply do not physically have the strength and resources to participate in two large-scale conflicts. At the same time, Washington found itself trapped in its own policy. State systems, especially such gigantic ones, have colossal inertia. They are very slow and clumsy when the question arises of a radical change in strategy and direction. Their initial plans for Russia called for the rapid collapse of our country, and with relatively little effort and expense. Instead, over a year and a half, they gradually plunged into the conflict much deeper than they planned and wanted.

 

Yes, just buttresses my long standing, and now hardened, point: there is no strategic assessment and planning in the US as such. Those who can do this--they are not allowed in the policy shaping and decision making circles. Unsurprising, seeing a cabal of Ivy League pseudo-academic frauds with soft degrees running the circus. So, here is your primer for Friday.

Sullivan Is Absolutely Correct...

... when speaking to ABC: 

Speaking to ABC, Sullivan said that accepting Ukraine into the alliance now would mean a direct confrontation between the bloc and Russia. “Having Ukraine come into NATO while the war is going on would mean that NATO was at war with Russia, it would mean the United States was at war with Russia. And neither NATO nor the United States were prepared to do that,” he said.

It is precisely because of that the US and UK are involved in the terrorist activity in Russia. Terrorism is a weapon of the weak.  So, the saga with Crimean Bridge continues, US stooges from Kiev killed two civilian people and left a little girl an orphan. The span of the bridge will be fast repaired and railroad traffic has already resumed. 

Meanwhile scumbags from UN squeal:

KYIV, July 17 (Reuters) - Russia halted participation on Monday in the year-old U.N.-brokered deal that lets Ukraine export grain through the Black Sea, spreading a sense of dread in poorer countries where people fear price rises will put food out of reach. Hours earlier, a blast knocked out Russia's bridge to Crimea in what Moscow called a strike by Ukrainian sea drones. Russia said two civilians were killed and their daughter wounded in what Moscow cast as a terrorist attack on the road bridge, a major artery for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.

So, what did they expect? In the end, this BS about "UN brokered" something has to stop. UN is a useless organization which today is nothing more than a platform for PR activity, it cannot broker shit without big honchos agreeing on something. This cabal of sinecure abusers in UN should be dispersed and present UN shut down as a seat of the corruption. The UN Charter should remain and it could be considered in the new global power arrangement. Consequently, the UN HQs should be moved to some country other than US. How about Hungary? What about Mongolia? I heard Ulaanbaatar is lovely in Winter. I mean it. 

So, here we go again with PR activity on part of NATO and its stooges in Kiev which changes absolutely nothing in terms of outcome, and Kiev may expect some visits from unidentified Russian flying objects soon. Medvedev today stated what is needed to be stated and I stress it non-stop--the real war crimes tribunal is coming (it is in the works as I speak) and some interesting dynamics of coming indictments in relation to NATO officials and media whores is expected. 

Here is the aggregate (as of today, July 17) Butcher's Bill for VSU and someone will pay for it, and I don't mean Kiev bottom feeders.

Butcher's Bill.

Mr. Ze continues to increase the intake of special substances and declared today that all Ukie Patriot PAC3 are fine and continue to shoot down Rooskie missiles in huge numbers, including yet another six Kinzhals. But while AD of 404 continues to shoot down all kinds of things, including UFOs and interstellar ships from Independence Day movie franchise, Russia MoD reports today:

Ukrainian military forces have sustained heavy casualties across the frontlines during the last 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry has said. Russia’s Zaporozhye and Donetsk regions have seen the most intense fighting, with Kiev losing more than 800 soldiers in those regions. “Over the past day, enemy losses in the Southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions amounted to more than 800 Ukrainian servicemen, 20 tanks, four infantry fighting vehicles, [and] 15 armored fighting vehicles,” the military stated on Sunday during a daily media briefing. The ministry did not elaborate on whether its figures for casualties includes those killed and injured or fatalities exclusively. As well as these setbacks in personnel and equipment, Ukrainian troops also lost two US-made M777 howitzers and several Soviet-made artillery systems, the military added.

In the same time, the aggregate for June is reflected here in Russian MoD SitRep:

It is 14,125 KIAs and if dynamics remains, by the end of this month Russian Armed Forces would have completely erased the force the size of field corps. This is supported by the desperate attempts of Kiev regime to conduct mobilization already in Western provinces, such as Ivano-Frankivsk--a hot bed of Ukie Nazis and Bandera worshipers. Well, desperate times--desperate measures. But those too will be annihilated. As Spiegel reports, many VSU Leopard-2 tank crews refuse to go into battle, while some are trying to sabotage tanks altogether. Totally expected. 

Just to demonstrate how all this influences the world outside increasingly insulated West. Here is Indonesian news service, with almost 7.4 million subscribers on YT alone. 

Reaction of Indonesians in the past year was openly and overwhelmingly supportive of Russia. And this is just ONE example out of many. The first rule for any military strategist is to recognize the NATURE of war--a task no people in Washington are up to. When even one of the greatest Russophobes and falsifiers, late Richard Pipes noted:

We have no general staff; we grant no higher degrees in “military science”; and, except for Admiral Mahan, we have produced no strategist of international repute. America has tended to rely on its insularity to protect it from aggressors, and on its unique industrial capacity to help crush its enemies once war was under way. The United States is accustomed to waging wars of its own choosing and on its own terms. It lacks an ingrained strategic tradition. In the words of one historian, Americans tend to view both military strategy and the armed forces as something to be “employed intermittently to destroy occasional and intermittent threats posed by hostile powers.”

Enough said...

It Never Was "If"...

 ... it always was "when", against the background of Russian Army full "economy of force" mode of SMO. So, Soledar is now in mopping up mode. 

Units of Wagner Group have taken control of the “entire territory” of Soledar, the head of the private military company Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed on Tuesday evening. Fighting is still going on in the center of town, where an unknown number of Ukrainian soldiers has been encircled. “There is a cauldron in the center of town, where urban fighting is taking place,” Prigozhin said in a statement released to the media. “We’ll announce the number of prisoners tomorrow.” He added that only Wagner “and no other units” had taken part in the storming of Soledar.

What is known about VSU losses in Soledar alone, even Ukie sources admit that they are catastrophic. If to believe Ukie sources--they lost 14 battalions in Soledar. 

So, we are talking around  9,000-10,000 (average battalion is usually between 500-700 to even 1,000 personnel) KIAs. Bakhmut (Artemovsk) is next. There are also large numbers of POWs taken in and around Soledar. We'll get more accurate numbers fairly soon, but chief of the police of one of the West Ukrainian oblasts reports today massive number of funerals for KIAs in her (she is a woman) jurisdiction. She laments that it is de facto depopulation. Well, what can I say, at least they can look at the bright side of the deal--unlike civilians in Donbass who have been shelled relentlessly by Nazis, including from her jurisdiction--Russia hits only military and war-supporting infrastructure. Ah, those high-precision stand-off weapons, which Russia is running out for the last 9 months. Russians may be primitive and backward people, who have to cannibalize washing machines for chips and do not know what modern indoor plumbing is, but boy, these uncivilized brutes are really good at producing top of the line stand off weapons and providing targeting for them, if you know what I mean, wink, wink.

Me Talking.

 Today. 

Both on 9/11 and Kharkov. The announced losses of VSU are already horrendous and currently the information is streaming in that air sirens are all over 404 and critical electric infrastructure is being attacked with many Ukraine cities having no electricity. Make your own conclusions. 

 

If You Ever Needed Any Proof...

A whorehouse filled with former spooks, Amnesty International, suddenly, after four months noticed:

Amnesty International has accused Ukraine of war crimes during its ongoing military conflict with invading Russian forces. The humanitarian organization said in a release on Wednesday that the Ukrainian military's tactics "violate international humanitarian law and endanger civilians" by operating weapons out of bases established in residential areas while civilians are present.

Oh, please.  You can read the whole report here. The hypocrisy of this is so obvious that one really has to question main reasons behind this "discovery" by enablers of West's war crimes. The main reasons, however, are very easy to spot. The stream of documents confirming almost compete demolition of regular VSU continues to gain strength, and it is also coming from... Ukraine itself.

We may only extrapolate the losses of VSU but even brief acquaintance with the reports tells us that we are looking at around 300,000 KIAs and MIAs. It is a catastrophe for Ukraine, while the bulk of fighting on Russian side is done by LDNR militias. Another proof of that is absolutely ridiculous behavior of Mr. Ze.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Thursday he would like to speak “directly” with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, as he urged Beijing to use its economic and political leverage to stop the conflict in his country. In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post, Zelensky noted that he had not spoken to the Chinese leader since the start of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine. “I would like to talk directly. I had one conversation with [President] Xi Jinping that was a year ago,” he said. “Since the beginning of the large-scale aggression on February 24, we have asked officially for a conversation, but we (haven’t had) any conversation with China even though I believe that would be helpful.” According to Zelensky, Xi is one of a handful of world leaders who have been to Ukraine “at least once,” adding that the Chinese president warmly recalled his ties with Kiev during a call between the two leaders last year. Zelensky stressed that he wants to see China redefine its stance on Russia, but understands why Beijing is seeking a “balanced” approach.

In related news, I want to directly talk to God and I demand it immediately, while reading famous fairy tale of Fisherman and Gold Fish. Speaking of which, I mean China. 

Upon my video on situation with Taiwan, as was expected, I was bombarded by accusations of "demeaning" China, of "underestimating" her and other sins of this nature. I want to respond to all "critics"--I don't DO pleasantries, I am into business of sober assessment of geopolitical (a euphemism for military-industrial capability) balance. All of those "accusers" miss completely my every praise of China's achievements, but immediately go bananas when I point out things which do define this very geopolitical balance. 

1. Many continue to forget that China still remains a very "good boy" for the US when it comes to sanctions against Russia. Yes, China buys Russia's energy, but so does USA, who exempted it, together with other strategic resources, from sanctions. Should I ignore this fact for the sake of Russian-Chinese friendship? Ask yourself a question why Russia grows her indigenous microelectronics industry with lighting speed? Well, because China is in no hurry to provide Russia with it. I can sit here and write this list for 24 hours. 

2. Many still do not understand that militarily and technologically China lags behind both US and Russia. It is a hard cold fact which many prefer to ignore. Yet, the list of crucial military and dual-use technologies where China lags, not to speak of operational and strategic experience, is vast. It takes a lot of effort to explain to people what it takes to build and operate effectively such huge military organizations as advanced submarine force, carrier task groups or air force, among many others. Sorry to break it for you, China lags here, and this is not just my opinion, it is opinion of Russian military professionals who were directly involved militarily with Chinese. China still has a long way to go here. 

And that is why it explains this today, as was predicted:

ПНОМПЕНЬ, 5 авг - РИА Новости. Китайские власти готовы укреплять стратегическое сотрудничество с Россией на фоне все более усиливающейся напряженности в Тайваньском проливе, заявил в пятницу министр иностранных дел КНР Ван И на встрече с российским коллегой Сергеем Лавровым."Россия неизменно придерживается принципа "одного Китая", выступая против любых посягательств на суверенитет нашей страны", - подчеркнул он на встрече с Лавровым в Пномпене."В свою очередь Пекин готов усилить стратегическое взаимодействие с РФ, чтобы сообща мы могли еще более эффективно отстаивать международную систему, в которой ключевую роль играет ООН, а также порядок, опирающийся на нормы общепринятого международного права", - добавил Ван И.

Translation: PHNOMPEN, August 5 - RIA Novosti. Chinese authorities are ready to strengthen strategic cooperation with Russia amid growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday at a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. "Russia invariably adheres to the One China principle, opposing any encroachment on the sovereignty of our country," he stressed at a meeting with Lavrov in Phnom Penh. "In turn, Beijing is ready to strengthen strategic cooperation with the Russian Federation so that together we can more effectively defend the international system in which the UN plays a key role, as well as the order based on the norms of generally accepted international law," Wang Yi added.

 

It took obvious humiliation, largely self-inflicted by Chinese, of this bimbo Pelosi visit to Taiwan for China to start recognizing that maybe there should be more than just buying of energy and some mil.tech from Russia and verbal support in a strategic partnership. Time for CPC to start cleaning its decision-making circles from people from Chinese Komsomol, a precise contingent, which keeps its vast fortunes, families and real estate in the United States and Canada and continues to exercise this illusion that China can substitute the United States as global hegemon and become... the US 2.0. Hopefully this humiliation gives Comrade Xi a necessary tool for removing these people who believed that fantasy. The reaction from China in regards to Russia is really instant, but still, let's wait and see how it will translate into practical actions. Russia fully supports China and will continue her support but it is about time China also undertook very substantive steps, not just declarations, towards real alliance and adjustment of China's economic aspirations to the realities of the Eurasian integration, whose strategic security rests with Russia. Ah yes, Chinese recognition of Crimea as part of Russia would have been nice, but...you know.

Ha, Who Would Have Thought...

 ... that British tabloid would publish something resembling truth. But Daily Mail did, wow!

Conscripts are being given call-up papers on the beaches of Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky's army suffers heavy losses. 

What do ya know, DM of all media outlets. They proceed with this:

This restriction of movement for men aged 18 to 60 was criticised by President Volodymyr Zelensky and revoked, but it highlights the struggle for a nation suffering more than 20,000 casualties a month – officials admit up to 200 troops are killed and 800 wounded daily. But there are mounting concerns about Kyiv’s recruitment tactics, with almost one million men already in uniform, amid fears that the true scale of losses is being understated to keep up morale. One woman complained that officials even chased an 18-year-old riding his bicycle to serve his call-up documents. ‘It’s like some kind of wild boar hunt,’ she said.

Exactly, we know only order of magnitude  of losses of VSU--tens of thousands monthly--but most likely they are grossly understated. Hence a desperate propaganda "counter-offensive" with million-men "army". Again, and I am on record from the start, demilitarization means a complete annihilation of Ukraine's (or what is going to be left of her) ability to fight any war. Part of demilitarization is annihilation of mobilization (personnel) potential and it is being carried out in full. Even Daily Mail has to admit this. 

In related news, thank to WHAT for pointing this out, as Ria reports (in Russian) India introduced the mechanism for trade in Indian Rupees, and that is a mirror image of Russia's Ruble based trade system. Yes, it is not just de-Dollarization, it is also de-Euroization too. Nations which matter in the global scheme of things understood where the winds of history blow long ago. They just needed a sign and it was given.