that gives quite a lot of ashes - good fertilizer for ukraine soil.
Russia & Ukraine
- Thread starter UsualName
- Start date
that gives quite a lot of ashes - good fertilizer for ukraine soil.
Grow some sunflowers
Speaking of sunflowers, some of y'all may remember the old Ukrainian woman with balls of steel at the beginning of the war. Telling the Russians to put the sunflower seeds in their pockets so that they will sprout after they are killed and buried.
You gotta admit. She told them how it was going to be.
Russians cut and run and leave 30 "armored vehicles" to the Ukrainians.
Inexperienced Russian Troops Ditched 30 Vehicles After Failed Assault: U.K.
https://www.newsweek.com/inexperien...-30-vehicles-after-failed-assault-u-k-1780435
Inexperienced Russian Troops Ditched 30 Vehicles After Failed Assault: U.K.
https://www.newsweek.com/inexperien...-30-vehicles-after-failed-assault-u-k-1780435
So much Russian "winning". Darth Putin remains a master strategist.
As Russia’s Losses in Ukraine Spike, Those Tracking the Deaths Are Overwhelmed
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023...se-tracking-the-deaths-are-overwhelmed-a80173
Wagner gives up on recruiting Russian prisoners for the military; is now directly recruiting alt-right MAGA Republicans (the so called "American Patriots") to fight in Ukraine. Oh, OK... just give them some shovels and let them be cannon fodder like the prisoners then.
Bizarre video with Russian subtitles employs 'Trumpian' tactics to recruit US veterans for the war in Ukraine, Russia expert says
https://news.yahoo.com/bizarre-video-russian-subtitles-employs-022136410.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
A brazen Russian recruitment video targeting American citizens comes as both Russia and Ukraine prepare massive offensives after a slow but violent winter. Russia is placing its hopes in tens of thousands of new conscripts as it aims to turn the tide of a so-far failing war in neighboring Ukraine.
In the minute-and-a-half video clip that's been circling social media in recent days, a thick-accented Russian voice seems to speak directly to disillusioned American vets as Russian subtitles roll over images of US warfare and global chaos.
"You were a hero to your country, giving your best years in the army. You dreamed of defeating evil, you dreamed of doing much to make America great again," the narrator says in an apparent reference to former President Donald Trump's slogan.
"But in reality, you saw criminal orders, the destruction of nations, the death of civilians, and all for the will of a bunch of families, who thought they were earthly gods — deciding who would live under their rule and who would be destroyed," the dramatic voice-over continues.
It is unclear who produced the video, but one expert on US-Soviet relations told Insider the advertisement could be the brainchild of the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary group that has provided tens of thousands of soldiers to Russia's war effort in Ukraine thus far.
"It's bonkers," Simon Miles, an assistant professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and a historian of the Soviet Union and US-Soviet relations, said of the advertisement. "It's very Trumpian."
The video, which first began circulating last week, comes amid reports that Wagner has stopped recruiting prisoners as increasing numbers refuse to join a suicide mission. The group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, confirmed that Wagner had ceased its efforts in a Thursday Telegram statement.
Tens of thousands of incarcerated prisoners apparently took the initial offer of freedom for fighting, but the majority of them died while fighting, according to investigations by The New York Times and Reuters.
Politico reported last month that the Wagner Group is expanding its reach outside of Russia, launching influence operations in Africa and other parts of Europe.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Insider's questions about whether the government was aware of the video.
Several international experts told Task and Purpose, a military news outlet, that the Wagner Group or one of its associates could likely be behind the propaganda video.
"The video is fitting with the high-end productions the group has produced in the past," Jason Blazakis, director of the Middlebury Institute's Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, told the outlet. "It is also a propaganda piece aimed at American audiences – and we know that this is a common Prigozhin tactic dating back to the 2016 elections."
The recruiting video features an image of a Wagner Group logo
In a Thursday Telegram post, Prigozhin's press service acknowledged the existence of a Wagner Group advertisement aimed at an American audience, falsely claiming the organization had received more than 10 million applications from US citizens wishing to join Wagner's fight after the video was released. CNN noted that the claim was likely sarcastic.
It was not clear whether the American advertisement referenced in Prigozhin's statement is the same video circulating online.
The video's narration is accompanied by visceral images and video footage of US soldiers both in training and on the battlefield, as well as a flurry of clips of far-right Ukrainian demonstrations, American protests, World War II-era Nazi soldiers, and photos from the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The advertisement suggests that all are part of a "sight of evil" spurred by America, accusing the country of becoming the "focus of the evil that is destroying the whole world." The advertisement then proposes a nonsensical conclusion: "The only country fighting this evil is Russia," the narrator says.
In one still from the video, a Wagner Group arm patch can be seen on a Russian soldier's uniform. Moments later, Prigozhin is seen standing among battlefield ruins. The final moments of the advertisement feature a nuclear detonation to drive the message home.
"If you're a true patriot of the future Great America, join the ranks of the warriors of Russia," the video commands. "Help defeat evil or it will be too late for everyone."
If the Wagner Group did produce the video, it's unlikely the organization genuinely believes American expat vets will help fill their ranks, according to Miles.
"The targeting of Americans is largely a propaganda ploy, and not something that will yield significant numbers," he told Insider.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Bizarre video with Russian subtitles employs 'Trumpian' tactics to recruit US veterans for the war in Ukraine, Russia expert says
https://news.yahoo.com/bizarre-video-russian-subtitles-employs-022136410.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
- A bizarre Russian-subtitled video appears to be trying to recruit US soldiers to fight in Ukraine.
- One Russia expert told Insider the video could be linked to the Wagner Group.
- The Russian paramilitary group said this week that it had stopped recruiting Russian prisoners.
A brazen Russian recruitment video targeting American citizens comes as both Russia and Ukraine prepare massive offensives after a slow but violent winter. Russia is placing its hopes in tens of thousands of new conscripts as it aims to turn the tide of a so-far failing war in neighboring Ukraine.
In the minute-and-a-half video clip that's been circling social media in recent days, a thick-accented Russian voice seems to speak directly to disillusioned American vets as Russian subtitles roll over images of US warfare and global chaos.
"You were a hero to your country, giving your best years in the army. You dreamed of defeating evil, you dreamed of doing much to make America great again," the narrator says in an apparent reference to former President Donald Trump's slogan.
"But in reality, you saw criminal orders, the destruction of nations, the death of civilians, and all for the will of a bunch of families, who thought they were earthly gods — deciding who would live under their rule and who would be destroyed," the dramatic voice-over continues.
It is unclear who produced the video, but one expert on US-Soviet relations told Insider the advertisement could be the brainchild of the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary group that has provided tens of thousands of soldiers to Russia's war effort in Ukraine thus far.
"It's bonkers," Simon Miles, an assistant professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and a historian of the Soviet Union and US-Soviet relations, said of the advertisement. "It's very Trumpian."
The video, which first began circulating last week, comes amid reports that Wagner has stopped recruiting prisoners as increasing numbers refuse to join a suicide mission. The group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, confirmed that Wagner had ceased its efforts in a Thursday Telegram statement.
Tens of thousands of incarcerated prisoners apparently took the initial offer of freedom for fighting, but the majority of them died while fighting, according to investigations by The New York Times and Reuters.
Politico reported last month that the Wagner Group is expanding its reach outside of Russia, launching influence operations in Africa and other parts of Europe.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Insider's questions about whether the government was aware of the video.
Several international experts told Task and Purpose, a military news outlet, that the Wagner Group or one of its associates could likely be behind the propaganda video.
"The video is fitting with the high-end productions the group has produced in the past," Jason Blazakis, director of the Middlebury Institute's Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, told the outlet. "It is also a propaganda piece aimed at American audiences – and we know that this is a common Prigozhin tactic dating back to the 2016 elections."
The recruiting video features an image of a Wagner Group logo
In a Thursday Telegram post, Prigozhin's press service acknowledged the existence of a Wagner Group advertisement aimed at an American audience, falsely claiming the organization had received more than 10 million applications from US citizens wishing to join Wagner's fight after the video was released. CNN noted that the claim was likely sarcastic.
It was not clear whether the American advertisement referenced in Prigozhin's statement is the same video circulating online.
The video's narration is accompanied by visceral images and video footage of US soldiers both in training and on the battlefield, as well as a flurry of clips of far-right Ukrainian demonstrations, American protests, World War II-era Nazi soldiers, and photos from the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The advertisement suggests that all are part of a "sight of evil" spurred by America, accusing the country of becoming the "focus of the evil that is destroying the whole world." The advertisement then proposes a nonsensical conclusion: "The only country fighting this evil is Russia," the narrator says.
In one still from the video, a Wagner Group arm patch can be seen on a Russian soldier's uniform. Moments later, Prigozhin is seen standing among battlefield ruins. The final moments of the advertisement feature a nuclear detonation to drive the message home.
"If you're a true patriot of the future Great America, join the ranks of the warriors of Russia," the video commands. "Help defeat evil or it will be too late for everyone."
If the Wagner Group did produce the video, it's unlikely the organization genuinely believes American expat vets will help fill their ranks, according to Miles.
"The targeting of Americans is largely a propaganda ploy, and not something that will yield significant numbers," he told Insider.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Last edited:
Kremlin Deploys Air Defense Systems On Rooftops In Moscow
https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Eu...ir-Defense-Systems-On-Rooftops-In-Moscow.html
https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Eu...ir-Defense-Systems-On-Rooftops-In-Moscow.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/12/europe/wagner-convicts-eastern-ukraine-pleitgen-intl/index.html
‘Just to survive’: Wagner fighters recount the horrors of battle in eastern Ukraine
By Tim Lister and Frederik Pleitgen, CNN
Published 3:49 AM EST, Sun February 12, 2023
03:18 - Source: CNN
Kyiv, Ukraine CNN —
Two former fighters of the Russian private military company Wagner have told CNN of their horrific experiences on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, and how anyone who faltered was immediately shot by their own commanders.
The two fighters were captured by Ukrainian forces late last year. CNN is not disclosing their identities for their own safety. Both are married with children and were recruited while in prison. One was serving a 20-year sentence for manslaughter.
For security reasons, the Ukrainians kept a presence in the room where the interview took place. CNN told the fighters that they could end the interview at any time they wished. But they spoke in detail for more than an hour.
The two fighters told of hideous losses in “first wave” assaults reminiscent of World War I charges.
“There were 90 of us. Sixty died in that first assault, killed by mortar fire. A handful remained wounded,” said one, recalling his first assault near the village of Bilohorivka. “If one group is unsuccessful, another is sent right away. If the second one is unsuccessful, they send another group.”
The other fighter was involved in an assault lasting five days, through a forest near the city of Lysychansk on the Luhansk-Donetsk border in eastern Ukraine.
“The first steps into the forest were difficult because of all the landmines spread out. Out of 10 guys, seven were killed immediately,” he said.
“You can’t help the wounded. The Ukrainians were firing heavily on us, so even if their wounds were minor, you’ve got to keep going, otherwise you’re the one getting hit by the fire.
“You are at it for five days, people dying right next to me, praying to God, begging for water. You think that you can put down your weapon and nothing else will happen. And then the fight starts again 10 minutes later, and [the Ukrainians] keep coming after you. There is no feeling attached to it. Just wave after wave.”
“Four hundred [Wagner fighters] were brought there, and then more and more, all the time.”
Graves of Russian Wagner mercenary group fighters are seen in a cemetery near the village of Bakinskaya in Krasnodar region, Russia, January 22, 2023.
The prisoner said a self-preservation instinct had kicked in for him, but others froze. “Some stop right there in the forest and drop their weapons. But to drop your weapons is to come under sniper fire and die.”
There was no evacuation of the wounded, he added. “If you’re wounded, you roll away on your own at first, any way you can, somewhere neutral where there’s no fire, and if there’s no one around, you administer first aid to yourself,” he said.
Casualties piled up by the dozen, the men said. “When the casualties arrive, you get orders to load them, and you don’t really think who’s dead and who’s wounded,” one of the fighters said.
Throughout their several weeks on the front lines, the two men said they had only one instinct.
“Just to survive. I just had the desire to survive, no matter what the cost,” said the prisoner involved in the forest attack.
They became numb to the casualties and the killing of the Ukrainian soldiers they faced. “You’d think you’d feel something [after killing someone], but no, you just keep going.”
The alternative to walking through minefields towards Ukrainian artillery was just as lethal, according to the men’s accounts.
“We couldn’t retreat without orders because if we don’t comply with the order, we will be killed,” said one of the prisoners.
“One man stayed at a position, he was really scared, it was his first assault. We received an order to run forward. But the man hid under a tree and refused. This was reported to the command and that was it. He was taken 50 meters away from the base. He was digging his own grave and then was shot.”
The other fighter reported a similar situation: “Our commander was told that if anyone gets cold feet, he would have to be eliminated. And if we failed to eliminate him, we would be eliminated for failing to eliminate him.”
The promise of freedom
The two men described how they were recruited by Wagner. In August and September last year, the group’s chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, arrived by helicopter at the prisons where they were held, offering six-month contracts in return for being pardoned.
One of the men still had 10 years of jail time ahead after a manslaughter conviction.
“I weighed that six months was better than the 10 or 11 years I could still spend in prison… I just wanted a fresh start in life,” he said.
At the time, Prigozhin’s recruitment campaign in Russia’s prisons was in full swing. It’s estimated by Western intelligence officials and prison advocacy groups that between 40,000 and 50,000 men were recruited.
On Thursday, Prigozhin said the prison recruitment drive was over but gave no reason.
“Only a handful in my unit came for money, most came because they had long sentences,” said one of the fighters. “But there were also some who had only 12 days of their sentence remaining, and they went anyway.
“They lined everyone up in the yard and Prigozhin started recruiting people,” he said. “[Prigozhin] said he had the authority from higher-up bodies to take anyone from the prison, regardless of the crimes or the prison term. The ideal candidates are murderers, robbers.”
The selection process was so rudimentary that older prisoners only had to show they could march a few yards, one of the prisoners said. “They took almost everyone.”
“Some of them were head cases … the crazy ones, the ones who when they get a weapon in their hands they wouldn’t know how to handle it,” he added.
For prison inmates with years to serve, the offer was tempting.
One of the prisoners said: “For our freedom we had to fight for six months in Ukraine, to fight the Nazis. At the same time, he promised us wages, repayment of loans, and a clean history.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly pushed the groundless rhetoric of “denazification” as justification for his invasion of Ukraine.
Soon after Prigozhin’s visits, hundreds of prisoners were taken by bus and plane to a training ground in the Rostov region of Russia, according to the two men.
There was a strict ban on drugs and alcohol, one of the prisoners said. Some of the commanders said they had fought for Wagner in Africa and Syria.
The training was brief and basic – handling guns for the terrible assaults they would soon be ordered to carry out. The men said it was clear they were being prepared for missions they’d not signed up for.
Now they are bitter about the deceptions in Prigozhin’s sales pitch.
“He did not mention anything about danger,” one said. “He talked about expunging all convictions, we would serve six months, all convictions would be expunged, an advance payment of 240,000 roubles (around $3,300) and also that our task was to hold the defense on the second line.”
Military academy cadets cover the coffin with flags during the funeral of a Wagner Group mercenary killed in Ukraine at a cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 24, 2022.
The two men also feel deceived about the nature of the conflict.
“We thought we’d be fighting Poles and various mercenaries. Germans. We didn’t think anyone was left in the Ukrainian army there. We thought they’d left the country,” said one.
“So it became clear they were just spinning lies to get us to enter into battle with the Ukrainians. No one really thought that the AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine] would actually fight for their own country, for their loved ones. We only learned this after going in there.”
It was almost a relief to be captured, the prisoners said.
One said he and a wounded comrade were the only survivors in his group, caught “between two Ukrainian mortars and a sniper.”
“The command ordered me to dig in at my position, so I dug in at my position, awaiting evacuation. They sent one group of 10, and the sniper eliminated all 10,” he recalled.
“Then the command told us on the walkie-talkie: Get out any way you can, you’re on your own.”
It was then, he said, that Ukrainian soldiers “came up and fired a shot next to my foot, said ‘hands up,’ and that was it.”
When asked if they would make the same decision again, the prisoners paused for a moment.
“I think it was the wrong choice… I’d never participated in any military operation, especially fighting against the AFU, which refuses to give up its land. They brought us here under the wrong pretext. And so we are at war, but I don’t think it’s a just cause,” said one.
The other prisoner agreed. “I don’t think it was worth it. Now I am hoping I can turn over a new leaf.”
He said he had managed to reach his family since being taken prisoner.
“They thought that I was dead, until I had contacted them. They cried and were surprised that I was alive.”
Both men said they wanted to return to Russia.
Said one, “I don’t care about Russia, but I just want to go home.”
‘Just to survive’: Wagner fighters recount the horrors of battle in eastern Ukraine
By Tim Lister and Frederik Pleitgen, CNN
Published 3:49 AM EST, Sun February 12, 2023
03:18 - Source: CNN
Kyiv, Ukraine CNN —
Two former fighters of the Russian private military company Wagner have told CNN of their horrific experiences on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, and how anyone who faltered was immediately shot by their own commanders.
The two fighters were captured by Ukrainian forces late last year. CNN is not disclosing their identities for their own safety. Both are married with children and were recruited while in prison. One was serving a 20-year sentence for manslaughter.
For security reasons, the Ukrainians kept a presence in the room where the interview took place. CNN told the fighters that they could end the interview at any time they wished. But they spoke in detail for more than an hour.
The two fighters told of hideous losses in “first wave” assaults reminiscent of World War I charges.
“There were 90 of us. Sixty died in that first assault, killed by mortar fire. A handful remained wounded,” said one, recalling his first assault near the village of Bilohorivka. “If one group is unsuccessful, another is sent right away. If the second one is unsuccessful, they send another group.”
The other fighter was involved in an assault lasting five days, through a forest near the city of Lysychansk on the Luhansk-Donetsk border in eastern Ukraine.
“The first steps into the forest were difficult because of all the landmines spread out. Out of 10 guys, seven were killed immediately,” he said.
“You can’t help the wounded. The Ukrainians were firing heavily on us, so even if their wounds were minor, you’ve got to keep going, otherwise you’re the one getting hit by the fire.
“You are at it for five days, people dying right next to me, praying to God, begging for water. You think that you can put down your weapon and nothing else will happen. And then the fight starts again 10 minutes later, and [the Ukrainians] keep coming after you. There is no feeling attached to it. Just wave after wave.”
“Four hundred [Wagner fighters] were brought there, and then more and more, all the time.”
Graves of Russian Wagner mercenary group fighters are seen in a cemetery near the village of Bakinskaya in Krasnodar region, Russia, January 22, 2023.
The prisoner said a self-preservation instinct had kicked in for him, but others froze. “Some stop right there in the forest and drop their weapons. But to drop your weapons is to come under sniper fire and die.”
There was no evacuation of the wounded, he added. “If you’re wounded, you roll away on your own at first, any way you can, somewhere neutral where there’s no fire, and if there’s no one around, you administer first aid to yourself,” he said.
Casualties piled up by the dozen, the men said. “When the casualties arrive, you get orders to load them, and you don’t really think who’s dead and who’s wounded,” one of the fighters said.
Throughout their several weeks on the front lines, the two men said they had only one instinct.
“Just to survive. I just had the desire to survive, no matter what the cost,” said the prisoner involved in the forest attack.
They became numb to the casualties and the killing of the Ukrainian soldiers they faced. “You’d think you’d feel something [after killing someone], but no, you just keep going.”
The alternative to walking through minefields towards Ukrainian artillery was just as lethal, according to the men’s accounts.
“We couldn’t retreat without orders because if we don’t comply with the order, we will be killed,” said one of the prisoners.
“One man stayed at a position, he was really scared, it was his first assault. We received an order to run forward. But the man hid under a tree and refused. This was reported to the command and that was it. He was taken 50 meters away from the base. He was digging his own grave and then was shot.”
The other fighter reported a similar situation: “Our commander was told that if anyone gets cold feet, he would have to be eliminated. And if we failed to eliminate him, we would be eliminated for failing to eliminate him.”
The promise of freedom
The two men described how they were recruited by Wagner. In August and September last year, the group’s chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, arrived by helicopter at the prisons where they were held, offering six-month contracts in return for being pardoned.
One of the men still had 10 years of jail time ahead after a manslaughter conviction.
“I weighed that six months was better than the 10 or 11 years I could still spend in prison… I just wanted a fresh start in life,” he said.
At the time, Prigozhin’s recruitment campaign in Russia’s prisons was in full swing. It’s estimated by Western intelligence officials and prison advocacy groups that between 40,000 and 50,000 men were recruited.
On Thursday, Prigozhin said the prison recruitment drive was over but gave no reason.
“Only a handful in my unit came for money, most came because they had long sentences,” said one of the fighters. “But there were also some who had only 12 days of their sentence remaining, and they went anyway.
“They lined everyone up in the yard and Prigozhin started recruiting people,” he said. “[Prigozhin] said he had the authority from higher-up bodies to take anyone from the prison, regardless of the crimes or the prison term. The ideal candidates are murderers, robbers.”
The selection process was so rudimentary that older prisoners only had to show they could march a few yards, one of the prisoners said. “They took almost everyone.”
“Some of them were head cases … the crazy ones, the ones who when they get a weapon in their hands they wouldn’t know how to handle it,” he added.
For prison inmates with years to serve, the offer was tempting.
One of the prisoners said: “For our freedom we had to fight for six months in Ukraine, to fight the Nazis. At the same time, he promised us wages, repayment of loans, and a clean history.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly pushed the groundless rhetoric of “denazification” as justification for his invasion of Ukraine.
Soon after Prigozhin’s visits, hundreds of prisoners were taken by bus and plane to a training ground in the Rostov region of Russia, according to the two men.
There was a strict ban on drugs and alcohol, one of the prisoners said. Some of the commanders said they had fought for Wagner in Africa and Syria.
The training was brief and basic – handling guns for the terrible assaults they would soon be ordered to carry out. The men said it was clear they were being prepared for missions they’d not signed up for.
Now they are bitter about the deceptions in Prigozhin’s sales pitch.
“He did not mention anything about danger,” one said. “He talked about expunging all convictions, we would serve six months, all convictions would be expunged, an advance payment of 240,000 roubles (around $3,300) and also that our task was to hold the defense on the second line.”
Military academy cadets cover the coffin with flags during the funeral of a Wagner Group mercenary killed in Ukraine at a cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 24, 2022.
The two men also feel deceived about the nature of the conflict.
“We thought we’d be fighting Poles and various mercenaries. Germans. We didn’t think anyone was left in the Ukrainian army there. We thought they’d left the country,” said one.
“So it became clear they were just spinning lies to get us to enter into battle with the Ukrainians. No one really thought that the AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine] would actually fight for their own country, for their loved ones. We only learned this after going in there.”
It was almost a relief to be captured, the prisoners said.
One said he and a wounded comrade were the only survivors in his group, caught “between two Ukrainian mortars and a sniper.”
“The command ordered me to dig in at my position, so I dug in at my position, awaiting evacuation. They sent one group of 10, and the sniper eliminated all 10,” he recalled.
“Then the command told us on the walkie-talkie: Get out any way you can, you’re on your own.”
It was then, he said, that Ukrainian soldiers “came up and fired a shot next to my foot, said ‘hands up,’ and that was it.”
When asked if they would make the same decision again, the prisoners paused for a moment.
“I think it was the wrong choice… I’d never participated in any military operation, especially fighting against the AFU, which refuses to give up its land. They brought us here under the wrong pretext. And so we are at war, but I don’t think it’s a just cause,” said one.
The other prisoner agreed. “I don’t think it was worth it. Now I am hoping I can turn over a new leaf.”
He said he had managed to reach his family since being taken prisoner.
“They thought that I was dead, until I had contacted them. They cried and were surprised that I was alive.”
Both men said they wanted to return to Russia.
Said one, “I don’t care about Russia, but I just want to go home.”
Prigozhin hopes so. He wants to make lots more money. He's talking his book.
Head of Private Russian military group says war in Ukraine could drag on for years
World Feb 11, 2023 2:41 PM EST
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/...p-says-war-in-ukraine-could-drag-on-for-years
The owner of the Russian Wagner Group private military contractor actively involved in the fighting in Ukraine has predicted that the war could drag on for years.
Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video interview released late Friday that it could take 18 months to two years for Russia to fully secure control of Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland of Donbas. He added that the war could go on for three years if Moscow decides to capture broader territories east of the Dnieper River.
The statement from Prigozhin, a millionaire who has close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and was dubbed “Putin’s chef” for his lucrative Kremlin catering contracts, marked a recognition of the difficulties that the Kremlin has faced in the campaign, which it initially expected to wrap up within weeks when Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Russia suffered a series of humiliating setbacks in the fall when the Ukrainian military launched successful counteroffensives to reclaim broad swaths of territory in the east and the south. The Kremlin has avoided making forecasts on how long the fighting could continue, saying that what it called the “special military operation” will continue until its goals are fulfilled.
The Russian forces have focused on Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk provinces that make up the Donbas region where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014.
Ukrainian and Western officials have warned that Russia could launch a new broad offensive to try to turn the tide of the conflict as the war approaches the one-year mark. But Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman, Andriy Chernyak, told Kyiv Post that “Russian command does not have enough resources for large-scale offensive actions.”
“The main goal of Russian troops remains to achieve at least some tactical success in eastern Ukraine,” he said.
Prigozhin said that the Wagner Group mercenaries were continuing fierce battles for control of the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. He acknowledged that the Ukrainian troops were mounting fierce resistance.
As Russian troops have pushed their attacks in the Donbas, Moscow has also sought to demoralize Ukrainians by leaving them without heat and water in the bitter winter.
On Friday, Russia launched the 14th round of massive strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and other vital infrastructure. High-voltage infrastructure facilities were hit in the eastern, western and southern regions, resulting in power outages in some areas.
Ukraine’s energy company, Ukrenergo, said Saturday that the situation was “difficult but controllable,” adding that involved backups to keep up power supplies but noting that power rationing will continue in some areas.
Ukraine’s military chief, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said that Russian forces launched 71 cruise missiles, 35 S-300 missiles and seven Shahed drones between late Thursday and midday Friday, adding that Ukrainian air defenses downed 61 cruise missiles and five drones.
The Ukrainian authorities reported more attacks by killer drones later on Friday. The Ukrainian air force said the military downed 20 Shahed drones in the evening.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that Friday’s strikes hit all the designated targets, halting the operation of Ukraine’s defense factories and blocking the delivery of supplies of Western weapons and ammunition. The claim couldn’t be independently verified.
Late Friday, Russian military bloggers and some Ukrainian news outlets posted a video showing an attack by a sea drone on a strategic railway bridge in the Odesa region. The grainy video showed a fast-moving object on the surface of the water approaching the bridge in Zatoka, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Odesa, and exploding in a powerful blast.
The authenticity of the video couldn’t be verified. The Ukrainian military hasn’t commented on the attack, and Serhii Bratchuk, a spokesman for the regional administration, wouldn’t confirm the drone attack when he spoke in televised remarks on Saturday.
If confirmed, the attack would mark the first combat use of a sea drone by Russia in the conflict. Igor Korotchenko, a retired colonel of the Russian armed forces who frequently comments on the conflict on Russian state TV, noted Saturday that such drones should be equipped with a more powerful load of explosives to inflict more significant damage.
The bridge, which was targeted by Russian missile strikes early in the war, serves the railway link to Romania, which is a key conduit for Western arms supplies.
In other developments, the governor of Russia’s Kursk region along the border with Ukraine said that a group of construction workers was hit by Ukrainian shelling that killed one of them and wounded another.
The governor of another Russian border region, Belgorod, reported the shelling of the town of Shebekino, saying it damaged two buildings but no one was hurt.
Head of Private Russian military group says war in Ukraine could drag on for years
World Feb 11, 2023 2:41 PM EST
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/...p-says-war-in-ukraine-could-drag-on-for-years
The owner of the Russian Wagner Group private military contractor actively involved in the fighting in Ukraine has predicted that the war could drag on for years.
Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video interview released late Friday that it could take 18 months to two years for Russia to fully secure control of Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland of Donbas. He added that the war could go on for three years if Moscow decides to capture broader territories east of the Dnieper River.
The statement from Prigozhin, a millionaire who has close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and was dubbed “Putin’s chef” for his lucrative Kremlin catering contracts, marked a recognition of the difficulties that the Kremlin has faced in the campaign, which it initially expected to wrap up within weeks when Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Russia suffered a series of humiliating setbacks in the fall when the Ukrainian military launched successful counteroffensives to reclaim broad swaths of territory in the east and the south. The Kremlin has avoided making forecasts on how long the fighting could continue, saying that what it called the “special military operation” will continue until its goals are fulfilled.
The Russian forces have focused on Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk provinces that make up the Donbas region where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014.
Ukrainian and Western officials have warned that Russia could launch a new broad offensive to try to turn the tide of the conflict as the war approaches the one-year mark. But Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman, Andriy Chernyak, told Kyiv Post that “Russian command does not have enough resources for large-scale offensive actions.”
“The main goal of Russian troops remains to achieve at least some tactical success in eastern Ukraine,” he said.
Prigozhin said that the Wagner Group mercenaries were continuing fierce battles for control of the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. He acknowledged that the Ukrainian troops were mounting fierce resistance.
As Russian troops have pushed their attacks in the Donbas, Moscow has also sought to demoralize Ukrainians by leaving them without heat and water in the bitter winter.
On Friday, Russia launched the 14th round of massive strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and other vital infrastructure. High-voltage infrastructure facilities were hit in the eastern, western and southern regions, resulting in power outages in some areas.
Ukraine’s energy company, Ukrenergo, said Saturday that the situation was “difficult but controllable,” adding that involved backups to keep up power supplies but noting that power rationing will continue in some areas.
Ukraine’s military chief, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said that Russian forces launched 71 cruise missiles, 35 S-300 missiles and seven Shahed drones between late Thursday and midday Friday, adding that Ukrainian air defenses downed 61 cruise missiles and five drones.
The Ukrainian authorities reported more attacks by killer drones later on Friday. The Ukrainian air force said the military downed 20 Shahed drones in the evening.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that Friday’s strikes hit all the designated targets, halting the operation of Ukraine’s defense factories and blocking the delivery of supplies of Western weapons and ammunition. The claim couldn’t be independently verified.
Late Friday, Russian military bloggers and some Ukrainian news outlets posted a video showing an attack by a sea drone on a strategic railway bridge in the Odesa region. The grainy video showed a fast-moving object on the surface of the water approaching the bridge in Zatoka, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Odesa, and exploding in a powerful blast.
The authenticity of the video couldn’t be verified. The Ukrainian military hasn’t commented on the attack, and Serhii Bratchuk, a spokesman for the regional administration, wouldn’t confirm the drone attack when he spoke in televised remarks on Saturday.
If confirmed, the attack would mark the first combat use of a sea drone by Russia in the conflict. Igor Korotchenko, a retired colonel of the Russian armed forces who frequently comments on the conflict on Russian state TV, noted Saturday that such drones should be equipped with a more powerful load of explosives to inflict more significant damage.
The bridge, which was targeted by Russian missile strikes early in the war, serves the railway link to Romania, which is a key conduit for Western arms supplies.
In other developments, the governor of Russia’s Kursk region along the border with Ukraine said that a group of construction workers was hit by Ukrainian shelling that killed one of them and wounded another.
The governor of another Russian border region, Belgorod, reported the shelling of the town of Shebekino, saying it damaged two buildings but no one was hurt.