Ukraine just invaded Russia. Currently occupying a Russian city
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Nkrumah Was Right
Superstar
Babble
The Kremlin is close to crushing a vital Ukranian town
It's so hard to speak to the Coli's armchair generals about the war in Ukraine because the Coli's American jingoists are uniquely coc00ned and insane, in comparison to a lot of Western media.
Which says a lot!
The crossroads town of Pokrovsk, population 59,000, has had a front-row seat on the full-scale Russian invasion since 2022. But it is only in the past month that its future has come under serious threat. Russia views its capture as a strategic goal, opening up advances towards the big cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhia. Ukraine’s great hope was that a surprise Kursk offensive would relieve the pressure. If anything, Russia’s advance has accelerated.
This is not Nina Uvarova’s first evacuation. The first time, she fled the advancing Wehrmacht as a two-and-a-half-year-old. Now, aged 84, she is running from Vladimir Putin’s army. The retired teacher has packed her most valuable belongings into five bags, which her son lifts onto the 14.10 evacuation train to Lviv. The emotions of the day bring back memories of her first escape. “The explosions, the shooting, the hiding in basements, I still remember it all.” The decision to leave agonised her, but Russian artillery landing in Pokrovsk’s southern district left no choice.
The crossroads town of Pokrovsk, population 59,000, has had a front-row seat on the full-scale Russian invasion since 2022. But it is only in the past month that its future has come under serious threat. Russia views its capture as a strategic goal, opening up advances towards the big cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhia. Ukraine’s great hope was that a surprise Kursk offensive would relieve the pressure. If anything, Russia’s advance has accelerated.
Read more of our recent coverage of the Ukraine war
Pokrovsk is readying for a nasty, new phase of war. The regional police and local administration have moved out. Two supermarkets have closed, and the rest will probably follow. Locals queue outside banks and pension offices, rushing to do business while they still can. Inside the town, cars race at high speed. On August 19th authorities urged residents to leave. Many are heeding the advice, departing with roof racks full of family heirlooms, fridges, Christmas trees, sofas, chairs, mattresses, with grandmothers squashed on the back seat.
Ukraine’s withdrawal from Avdiivka in February and a bungled rotation in nearby Ocheretyne in May set the stage for the charge on Pokrovsk. Russia is now 10km from the town. At the station platform, the sound of sobbing competes with squeaks from pets squeezed into bags and boxes for the journey west. One question is enough to trigger tears. Yulia Kostynova breaks down as she recalls how a Russian bomb on August 11th destroyed the meat-processing plant were she worked. “Constant stress, explosions, doors and windows that blow open by the shock waves,” she says. “Everything inside you tightens. You hear the rocket, and you wait, and you ask if it will land near you and your home.”
Map: The Economist
Ukrainian commanders give different reasons for the Russian advance. Some say there aren’t enough shells, with the enemy firing up to ten times as many. Others point to Russian tactics—small infantry assaults, glide bombs, new types of electronic warfare. But exhaustion and manpower issues seem to be at the heart of the collapse. “People aren’t made of steel,” says Colonel Pavlo Fedosenko. Ukrainian troops, outnumbered 4:1, aren’t getting any rest, he says. Some stay on the front lines for 30 or 40 days at a time, cramped in foxholes inches from death. “Dublin,” a fighter attached to the 59th brigade south-east of Pokrovsk, knows soldiers who have been in place for more than two months. Two had strokes. Ukraine’s problems are compounded by “idiotic” orders, he says.
Ukraine’s surprise mini-invasion of Russia provokes mixed feelings. Dublin says early successes lifted morale. But it didn’t last. The hope that Russia might respond by moving troops from Pokrovsk has been supplanted by the realisation that it has not. Ukrainian security sources confirm that while Russia has moved troops from other sections of the eastern front line, it reinforced around Pokrovsk. Ukraine meanwhile redeployed special forces units to Kursk, and is patching up the Pokrovsk front with untested formations. “The Russians have figured things out and aren’t taking the bait,” complains Dublin.
It's so hard to speak to the Coli's armchair generals about the war in Ukraine because the Coli's American jingoists are uniquely coc00ned and insane, in comparison to a lot of Western media.
Which says a lot!
Nkrumah Was Right
Superstar
1/1
Georgians change the name of Lenina and Komsomolskaya streets in the occupied Kursk region.
Citizens will live like never before
#Georgianlegion
To post tweets in this format, more info here: https://www.thecoli.com/threads/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-the-coli-megathread.984734/post-52211196
Georgians change the name of Lenina and Komsomolskaya streets in the occupied Kursk region.
Citizens will live like never before
#Georgianlegion
To post tweets in this format, more info here: https://www.thecoli.com/threads/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-the-coli-megathread.984734/post-52211196
CaCanada
Kremlin Tells State Media to Portray Occupation of Kursk as ‘New Normal’
An independent news site says Russia’s administration has instructed its propagandists to prepare the population for the fact that resolution of the Kursk “situation” may take some time.
www.kyivpost.com
Kremlin Tells State Media to Portray Occupation of Kursk as ‘New Normal’
An independent news site says Russia’s administration has instructed its propagandists to prepare the population for the fact that resolution of the Kursk “situation” may take some time.
by Steve Brown | August 22, 2024, 8:08 am
The aftermath of Ukrainian shelling on the border town of Sudzha on Aug. 6, 2024. Photo: Telegram
The independent news site Meduza, citing sources close to the Kremlin, reports that Russian state propaganda outlets have been instructed to play down the significance of Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region. At the same time, they should prepare their audience for the fact that, although the area occupied by Kyiv will eventually and inevitably be recovered, this could take time – measured in weeks or even months.
According to its inside sources Moscow’s propagandists should present the “temporary” occupation as a “new normal” and to avoid portraying the situation as shocking or dangerous.
“It is necessary for people to consider what is happening not as a deviation, but as a new norm, albeit temporary. This should be soothing. It is difficult to exist deviating from the norm. The norm, even if it’s a new one, is simpler [for people to accept],” a media expert with close ties to the presidential administration told Meduza.
This could also explain why President Vladimir Putin has been portraying it as “business as usual” with his official activity over the last week, although some say his “hands off” approach is as much to do with him distancing himself from attempts to recover Kursk should it all go wrong.
The Kremlin’s plan is for the print and broadcast media to channel the initial shock the loss of territory in Kursk caused “into a positive direction” – to explain that the return of the territories will happen, but it can take time and people need to be patient and “wait.”
It's unclear if Modi could be an effective dealmaker. He still has good relations with Putin, giving him a hug last month on the same day Russia bombed a children's hospital in Kyiv.
This follows on from the findings of a survey by Russia’s Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) that suggested the level of anxiety among Russian citizens was now higher than it was during the Wagner PMC “mutiny” in July 2023.
At the same time, the authorities have instructed regional governors to organize the collection of financial and other assistance for the Kursk region. Meduza’s sources say this may include the forced deduction of a proportion of the earnings of state employees and state corporations, sources from the offices of regional officials told Meduza.
Another Meduza source said that inside the Kremlin it was believed it could take several months to recapture the lost territories near Kursk, but the interlocuter thought even that could be “quite optimistic,” even “if everything works out [well]” for the Russian military.
On the evening of Aug. 20, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Alexander Syrsky, claimed that Ukraine’s forces controlled 93 settlements in an area of 1,300 square kilometers (502 square miles) in the Kursk region. This is likely to increase even further as the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has cut off areas south of the Seym River, after they blew up three bridges in the Glushkovo district.
Abbas Gallyamov, a Russian political scientist in an essay on the PointMedia website dismisses the Kremlin plan as little more than a sticking plaster that is covering up the growing fatigue and negativity that the Russian people are feeling towards the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine. He feels that the “new reality” approach will reinforce the view that Putin is no longer able to defend his country and it is actually that thought that will become the “new normal.”
Russian ambassador to U.S. says Putin has plan of action for Kursk incursion
By Reuters
August 23, 20245:28 AM EDTUpdated 6 hours ago
Ukrainian service members of the 33rd Separate Mechanised Brigade practice firing an anti-tank guided missile weapon system MILAN as they attend a military drill near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine June 13, 2024. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Aug 23 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has formulated a response to the ongoing Ukrainian incursion in the Kursk region and those responsible for attacking Russia will be punished, Russian ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov said.
"I tell you sincerely that the president has made a decision," the TASS state news agency quoted Antonov as saying late on Thursday. "I am firmly convinced that everyone will be severely punished for what has happened in Kursk region."
The comments by Antonov, who did not provide further details on Putin's plans, came after the Kremlin leader held a meeting on Thursday with senior officials, including the governors of border regions, over two weeks after Ukraine launched its lightning attack, the biggest incursion into Russia by a foreign power since World War Two.
Antonov, who has served in his post since 2017, also warned in comments published by the RIA state news agency that the U.S. will at some point remove all restrictions on the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine.
"The current administration behaves like a person who extends one hand and holds a dagger behind their back with another one," Antonov said, describing Washington's recent comments about Kyiv not being allowed to use U.S. weapons for strikes deep into Russian territory as "goading".
"They are, essentially, laying ground (for a decision) to simply remove all the existing restrictions at a certain point, without much thought," he said.
The United States has provided Ukraine with more than $55 billion worth of military aid since 2022, but has limited the use of its weapons to Ukrainian soil and counterfire, defensive crossborder operations.
Kyiv has said it has used U.S.-made weapons in Kursk, including glide bombs and HIMARS rocket systems.
Washington has not commented directly on the use of U.S.-made weapons in Kursk region but has said that U.S. policies have not changed and that Ukraine is defending itself from Russia's invasion.
Invasion? What invasion? Putin is downplaying Ukraine’s Kursk offensive
Vladimir Putin's efforts to downplay Ukraine's invasion of Russia have severely dented his strongman image and make a mockery of the West's escalation fears, writes Peter dikkinson.
www.atlanticcouncil.org
UkraineAlert
August 21, 2024 • 7:38am ET
Invasion? What invasion? Putin is downplaying Ukraine’s Kursk offensive
By Peter dikkinson
In the space of just two weeks, Ukraine has claimed more Russian land than Putin’s army managed to seize in Ukraine since the start of 2024. Kyiv’s bold summer offensive caught the Kremlin completely off-guard and has transformed perceptions of a war that many believed was moving slowly but surely toward an inevitable Russian victory. Rarely in the history of modern warfare has any military succeeded in pulling off such a stunning surprise.
Since Ukraine’s invasion of Russia first began on August 6, it has dominated the international headlines and has been one of the top news stories around the world. Everywhere, that is, except Russia itself. While the global press has been reporting breathlessly on the first invasion of Russia since World War II, the Kremlin-controlled Russian media has been instructed to minimize the significance of Ukraine’s offensive and convince domestic audiences that the presence of Ukrainian troops inside Russia’s borders is the “new normal.”
This strategy has been all too evident on Russia’s federal TV channels throughout the past fortnight, with comparatively little coverage of Ukraine’s cross-border operation. Any mentions have typically been accompanied by euphemistic references to “the situation” or “events in Kursk region.” The Kremlin’s intense discomfort was perhaps most immediately obvious on last weekend’s episode of Russia’s flagship current affairs TV show, Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, with Russian MP and studio guest Andrey Gurulyov declaring, “the most important thing is for everyone to shut up.”
Russia’s propagandists are taking their lead from Putin himself. The Kremlin dictator has remained remarkably tight-lipped over Ukraine’s invasion, and has limited himself to only a handful of public statements. Notably, there have been no attempts to rally the Russian people against the invader or engage in the kind of historical grandstanding that Putin normally favors. On the contrary, he has opted for a strikingly understated approach. Putin initially branded the invasion a “large-scale provocation,” and has since compared the advancing Ukrainian army to “terrorists.”
In recent days, Putin has sought to underline his apparent lack of concern over the invasion of Russia by embarking on a series of routine trips. First, he flew to Azerbaijan for a two-day visit that focused on strengthening bilateral trade ties. Next, he paid his first visit to Chechnya for thirteen years. Neither journey was urgent or in any way connected to Ukraine’s ongoing offensive.
Despite this very deliberate show of indifference, there have been numerous indications that Putin is in reality extremely rattled by the Ukrainian invasion. His evident disdain over the past fortnight while listening to Russian military commanders reporting fake battlefield victories has inspired multiple memes. In one particularly revealing exchange, Putin angrily interceded during a televised government meeting when the acting governor of Kursk region dared to disclose the scale of Ukraine’s territorial gains.
This behavior is nothing new. Indeed, Putin has long been notorious for going missing during times of national crisis, and has added to this unwanted reputation with numerous disappearing acts throughout the invasion of Ukraine. Nevertheless, the unprecedented nature of Ukraine’s own counter-invasion makes his recent posture particularly revealing.
Problematic Pat
Superstar
Getting packed up. Geez who didn't see this coming?! 
Getting packed up. Geez who didn't see this coming?!
What are the credentials of the "weeb union" guy..
I cant find anything referring to him having any actual relevant military experience/credentials...
Georgiamuscle
Superstar
There are none. He’s just posting a shill’s videos. More than likely he’s a western Russia boo fakkit. According to them, Ukraine has been getting “packed up” for years yet they’re still standing
east
Screwed up... till tha casket drops!!
a lot of the vids are just fake, he often says settlements have been captured by the russians when it's their milbloggers waxing doom and gloom about how the ukrainians have an impenetrable position there and are running up the scoreThere are none. He’s just posting a shill’s videos. More than likely he’s a western Russia boo fakkit. According to them, Ukraine has been getting “packed up” for years yet they’re still standing
also he has a linktr.ee and no associated onlyfans, teasing like that is diabolical work
Dorian Breh
Veteran
as discussed: @Problematic Pat sees angry white faces in the thumbnail and must repost and believe in it
