2022-2024 Russo-Ukrainian War

[Ironduke]

They have been transported this way in the past. The Ukrainians in fact confirmed there was a prisoner exchange scheduled the very day the Il-76 was shot down, and they have also made statements that the Russians previously requested safe passage for the Il-76s carrying POWs, but did not do so on Jan 24.

I think the modus operandi is that once a prisoner exchange was agreed, the Russians would communicate in advance regarding an inbound flight carrying POWs for exchange, provide the time of flight, flight path, and what aircraft would be carrying the POWs. This aircraft would then land somewhere in Russian-occupied Ukraine, at which point they would be loaded onto buses or trucks and brought to the line of contact for an exchange. The Ukrainians would assure safe passage for the incoming aircraft on its way to and from an airfield in occupied Ukraine. Essentially the Russian aircraft would be flying under a flag of truce and not be targeted.

[Officer of Engineers]

Forbes - Russia 1st Guards Tank Army Has Won Its First Battle In Two Years

[Officer of Engineers]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/31/europ...ntl/index.html

Valery Zaluzhny: Zelensky set to announce dismissal of Ukraine’s top commander within days as rift grows over war, source says | CNN

[jlvfr]

Looks like the russians just lost another ship, a Tarantul class corvette... I'd love to know what ships the russian navy has in the area. Also, score another for naval drones. Even if it's a short range/coastal combat scenarion, it's still one heck of a turn of events. I can think of a few spots elsewhere where these could do a lot of damage.

[Albany Rifles]

Video of the attacks


https://x.com/DefenceU/status/1753013182702944594?s=20

It will join the Moskva Battle Group

[Albany Rifles]

[Officer of Engineers]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/31/europ...ntl/index.html

Valery Zaluzhny: Zelensky set to announce dismissal of Ukraine’s top commander within days as rift grows over war, source says | CNN

I think this is Zelansky biggest strategic mistake. Zaluzhny is a competent, maneuver general. Kharkov proved that much. The man knows how to read the ground, the situation, and the enemy. The counter-offensive failed, much to Zelensky's displeasure but what's left unsaid was Zaluzhny did not squander Ukrainian combat power in a futile offensive and it was a futile offensive since Day 1 heavy losses. He read the enemy. The enemy was strong. No amount of Ukrainian propaganda was going to change that.

Zaluzhny did fail to create the conditions for a 2nd Kharkov but he cannot be blamed for realizing wasting men was futile.

[Monash]

I think this is Zelansky biggest strategic mistake. Zaluzhny is a competent, maneuver general. Kharkov proved that much. The man knows how to read the ground, the situation, and the enemy. The counter-offensive failed, much to Zelensky's displeasure but what's left unsaid was Zaluzhny did not squander Ukrainian combat power in a futile offensive and it was a futile offensive since Day 1 heavy losses. He read the enemy. The enemy was strong. No amount of Ukrainian propaganda was going to change that.

Zaluzhny did fail to create the conditions for a 2nd Kharkov but he cannot be blamed for realizing wasting men was futile.

Be interesting to know why there has been an apparent loss of confidence in Zaluzhny's performance. If it's simply that Zelansky is dissatisfied with progress at the front following the stalling of Ukraine's long awaited summer offensive last year I can't really see anyone else being able to do much better given Ukraine's manpower restrictions, the fortifications and mine fields that Russia has managed to put in place and the bottlenecks in Congress and elsewhere regarding ongoing support for Ukraine. The front lines are static (or mostly so) for good reason.

[Officer of Engineers]

There's the disagreement between Zelansky and Zaluzhny about the front lines being stalemated. Zelansky did his damndest to say the lines are not stalemated, and forcing Zaluzhny to state the same when things are viewed from certain POV.

Never mind that NATO expected movement in the counter-offensive, so did the Ukrainian populace. When it failed to materialize, it was Zelansky who took the blame, not Zaluzhny who always stated this was going to be a long and bloody affair. The fact that it was not as bloody as expected put Zaluzhny in a more positive PR light than Zelansky. Bad thing for any military officer in front of a politician looking for a scape goat.

[Monash]

There's the disagreement between Zelansky and Zaluzhny about the front lines being stalemated. Zelansky did his damndest to say the lines are not stalemated, and forcing Zaluzhny to state the same when things are viewed from certain POV.

Never mind that NATO expected movement in the counter-offensive, so did the Ukrainian populace. When it failed to materialize, it was Zelansky who took the blame, not Zaluzhny who always stated this was going to be a long and bloody affair. The fact that it was not as bloody as expected put Zaluzhny in a more positive PR light than Zelansky. Bad thing for any military officer in front of a politician looking for a scape goat.

Figured it could be something like that. We'll see. The thing is you'd think Zelansky should be smart enough to realize this is not going to help his popularity at all, it's just going to make him look vindictive and petty while generating even more support for Zaluzhny. So if the General resigns and goes into politics?

[tbm3fan]

Figured it could be something like that. We'll see. The thing is you'd think Zelansky should be smart enough to realize this is going to help his popularity at all, it's just going to make him look vindictive and petty while generating even more support for Zaluzhny. So if the General resigns and goes into politics?

Did his essay have anything to do with what is happening now?

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documen...ign-of-war.pdf

[Officer of Engineers]

Figured it could be something like that. We'll see. The thing is you'd think Zelansky should be smart enough to realize this is not going to help his popularity at all, it's just going to make him look vindictive and petty while generating even more support for Zaluzhny. So if the General resigns and goes into politics?

Zelansky was the wartime President who saved Kiev. That is a hell of a hurdle for Zaluzhny to overcome.

Did his essay have anything to do with what is happening now?

That was the start of it, Zelansky publically told Zaluzhny to shut up.

[S2]

Congress and the Presidency could take a lot of pressure off these good men by getting off their azzes. I blame America for this friction.

[Albany Rifles]

Congress and the Presidency could take a lot of pressure off these good men by getting off their azzes. I blame America for this friction.

The Biden Administration and the Senate have done just about all they can do. It is the House which is the road block. Everything we can do legally we have done. The Administration has done some work declaring some blocks of items in our inventories surplus. We can give to certain allied countries. We are doing this...and asking 3rd party countries to then forward to Ukraine. But this is very limited and may in fact be illegal. Case in point is the 100 Bradleys going to Greece.

Their has to be new legislation and funding authorized to do anything else.

[jlvfr]

Video of the attacks


https://x.com/DefenceU/status/1753013182702944594?s=20

It will join the Moskva Battle Group

Italian WWII frogmen would approve.