When Math Is An Issue...

 ... and a serious one, I would say. Dmytro Kuleba went into the imaginary numbers not of mathematical nature, not understanding that actual imaginary units when squared produce a negative value. Speaking of which:

Ukraine is already planning for its next ‘counter-offensive’ using the US-made Abrams tanks, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba told state broadcaster Suspilne on Thursday. Washington promised Kiev about 30 Abrams tanks back in January. Asked whether they might arrive in time for the current operation, Kuleba said Ukrainians should look to the future instead. “There is hope, but one should not think only in terms of this counter-offensive,” he said. “You should not look at this counteroffensive as the last and decisive one. There will be so many counteroffensives, as many as is needed to expel Russia from our territory.” The Abrams is a “much more complex design” than the German-made Leopards that Ukraine was provided in the spring, Kuleba added. 

I agree, Abrams IS a much more complex design and with its nearly 70 tons, the necessity to be fueled every 2 miles and shining in IR  like the Christmas tree decorated in lights--it is a very desirable target for Russian anti-tank crews. Generally speaking the only thing which is left for NATO (US, really) is to supply ATACMS, Abrams and F15, 16 or 35 and see those too go up in flames in industrial quantities. 

Also, judging by the fact that out of 60,000 of a strategic reserve in the last two weeks around 40,000 ended up KIAs, MIAs or wounded, and now even Kiev goes into full mobilization mode, well... you have to admit--there are issues not just with VSU top brass, but, as Ria notes...

По мнению западных экспертов, одна из главных причин катастрофы "контрнаступа" — стремительная деградация высшего военного руководства Украины, которое за время СВО трансформировалось из системы реального боевого управления и планирования фактически в бэк-офис штаб-квартиры НАТО. Наблюдатели отмечают полную безынициативность и тотальную зависимость от приказов из ставки НАТО, в результате чего ВСУ показали неспособность к ведению успешных масштабных наступательных действий с привлечением разнородных сил в условиях активного огневого противодействия ВС России. 

Translation: According to Western experts, one of the main reasons for the catastrophe of the “counterattack” is the rapid degradation of the top military leadership of Ukraine, which during the time of the NMD was transformed from a system of real combat control and planning into, in fact, the back office of NATO headquarters. Observers note complete lack of initiative and total dependence on orders from NATO Headquarters, as a result of which the Armed Forces of Ukraine have shown an inability to conduct successful large-scale offensive operations involving diverse forces in the face of active fire opposition from the Russian Armed Forces.

What do you expect--people who lost all their wars (in reality high intensity police actions) to be good at combined arms (aka multi-domain) operations of scale? In related news, Russian Navy gleefully rubs its hands for a number of very serious reasons, one of them is this:

Admiral Golovko is finishing state trials and will be transferred to fleet shortly. It is the third ship in series of pr. 22350--fully Russian-made in terms of propulsion and it has 3M22 Zircon as its main weapon. Five more are in different stages of readiness at shipyards, after that the series of pr. 22350M starts. So, is Kharkov next? People in the know think so. And always remember i^2 is still -1.

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...

About This "Leak"...

 ... of Pentagon "documents" related to VSU. OK, I am not going to beat around the bush here--the only real interest in those "documents" is their "origin" in purely internal American game of shells with the catastrophe it is getting, when their plan was to triumph and humiliate Russia. Period. In terms of valuable military information those "documents" contain none, other than confirmation of Pentagon being at a complete loss while facing the facts of SMO. Peskov's response to this "leak" is right on the money. 

“We don’t have the slightest doubt about direct or indirect involvement of the US and NATO in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” Dmitry Peskov told CNN in a statement. “This level of involvement is rising gradually,” he added. “We keep our eye on this process. Well, of course, it makes the whole story more complicated, but it cannot influence the final outcome of the special operation.”

And it warrants reminding everyone that Russia has an extremely advanced ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) complex ranging from human intel on the ground, electronic means to satellite constellations which provide excellent situational and tactical, operational and strategic awareness. In terms of war correlates and combat statistics--I wouldn't touch anything coming from Pentagon with a long stick. As Larry correctly notes:

This document, if true, removes any doubt that the United States and its NATO partners are involved heavily in helping Ukraine plan its upcoming offensive. What puzzles me is why the U.S., NATO and Ukraine are talking so openly about the upcoming Counter Offensive. Normally, professional military planners keep their plans SECRET and use deception to mask their true intentions. Well, these documents are classified SECRET, which is what you would expect. What does not make sense is that so many Western leaders are flapping their gums about the “SECRET” counter offensive.

Exactly, let us be very clear, in terms of operational and strategic planning NATO is not even in the same league as Russia's General Staff. The problem, in the end, is not just military--it is cultural and it is incomprehensible for the combined West. Especially when one considers what kind of Russia "experts" advise the military block designed only for beating up weak and defenseless victims. 

As my good acquaintance and REAL war correspondent who is constantly on the front lines, Marat Khairullin, correctly noticed:

Военный корреспондент Марат Хайруллин объяснил промедление российских сил в штурме Артемовска (украинское название — Бахмут) в ДНР. Своим мнение он поделился YouTube-канале PolitWera. Хайруллин считает, что российские войска взяли курс на уничтожение лучших резервов украинской армии и предотвращении наступления, поэтому они не спешат идти вперед. По мнению военкора, ситуация с удержанием Артемовска стала для Украины настоящей головной болью, поскольку удержание города приобрело для Киева прежде всего политическое значение. Хайруллин добавил, что российские силы создают для украинских войск перенапряжение на некоторых участках фронта, чтобы они туда бросали все новые и новые резервы для удержания.

Translation: War correspondent Marat Khairullin explained the delay of Russian forces in the assault on Artemovsk (Ukrainian name - Bakhmut) in the DPR. He shared his opinion on the PolitWera YouTube channel. Khairullin believes that Russian troops have set a course to destroy the best reserves of the Ukrainian army and prevent an offensive, so they are in no hurry to move forward. According to the military correspondent, the situation with the retention of Artemovsk has become a real headache for Ukraine, since the retention of the city has acquired primarily political significance for Kyiv. Khairullin added that Russian forces are creating an over-strain for the Ukrainian troops in some sectors of the front, so that they throw more and more reserves there for retention.

For the last 5-6 months, Vera, Vladimir Trukhan, Marat and yours truly have been discussing Russian Forces' deliberate strategic defense configuration non-stop. It is also absolutely clear that Artemovsk is now a real headache for NATO. The fact that NATO generals couldn't see what has become obvious after Russian Forces abandoned Kherson--effectively luring VSU into the slaughterhouse--is stupefying. It also demonstrates a complete detachment of West's military and political elements from each-other and this creates one catastrophe after another because Western political top is utterly, disastrously incompetent not only in basic military matters but lacks even rudimentary governing skills. Russians, meanwhile, are eagerly waiting for VSU's "counter offensive". I am sure with Pentagon's planning it will be a... crushing success, if you know what I mean.