Russians Massacre Azov Fighters in Olenivka

 A few days ago the Russians posted a video of the castration and subsequent shooting of a Ukrainian POW. It went viral and drew huge condemnation on Russian from all over the world. They also posted a video of  the head and hands of a Ukrainian POW impaled on a fence.

Yesterday 53 POWs from Mariupol were murdered and 75 injured by the Russians in Olenivka DNR. A new prison was constructed and prisoners moved into it. The guards and other Russians all withdrew from the area. That night a thermobaric bomb they had hidden inside the building exploded and burned to death the prisoners. The Russians fired three salvos of grad rockets to cover the noise of the explosion.

The last holdouts in the siege of Mariupol were ordered to surrender to save their lives. These were the Azov Battalion, the so-called Nazis. The expectation was that they would be traded for Russian POWs. There was no intention to do so. The prisoners were taken to Donbas and have been tortured since their surrender. To return them alive would destroy the Russian story of the Nazi Battalion.

A few days ago Russian "war correspondents" began circulating their "interviews" with these prisoners. They confessed to every horrible crime imaginable all carried out under the direct orders of Zelensky. 

On the morning of July 29th, the story was that the POWs had been destroyed by Ukraine with a HIMAR strike on the orders of Zelensky for telling the truth.

There was no missile strike, no one heard any incoming sound at all. The small amount of damage to the building, burn marks on the building and victims were all indicative of a thermobaric weapon. 

The result of the castration video and the murder of the POWs will mean that surrender is now out of the question for both sides. The no quarter flag has been flown, and it is war to the knife.

Wing of the prison where the explosion took place

Inside view showing how everything was burned

Translation of SBU intercepted phone call

A War of Attrition with High Losses and Little Movement so far.

 It has been a busy couple weeks around here. Last week Tanya finished her English class for the summer. I went to Saskatoon to visit my daughters and friends and relatives. Friday was a general reunion of Agriculture Graduates at the University of Saskatchewan. I got to visit with dozens of people I had not seen in years. Mostly grads from the 60s and 70s, some from the 80s. All retired of course. The younger grads are all gainfully employed.

This week both Tanya and I are doctoring, making use of our good Canadian medical system to catch up on long time problems that go with age. We both have good doctors. Tanya's speaks fluent Russian. 

On the Ukrainian front not much movement since the Russians took Lysychansk. Russians have no success in taking Bakhmut, Sloviansk or Siversk. Attacks are repeatedly driven back with high losses. In fact reports are that 25 Battalion Tactical Groups have been pulled back into Russia because they are no longer able to operate with any effectiveness. Ukraine is making good use of the HIMARS and 155 mm artillery to hit ammunition dumps and command centres. This has dramatically slowed the Russian ability to use WWI tactics of  carpet shelling an area to oblivion then moving in.

In response to Ukrainian pinpoint targeting, the Russians have retaliated by increasing attacks on civilian targets, including those far from the front. They have admitted that if they do not bomb schools, hospitals, malls, and residential areas they cannot win the war. The terror bombing is intended to force the Ukrainians to sue of peace. Won't happen.

On the southern front, Ukraine has been slowly moving forward and are preparing for a major counter offensive, likely Kherson. Russians have reportedly moved 15,000 troops from Melitopal to Kherson. HIMAR rockets have hit the Antonovsky bridge across the Dnepr River which is now closed to traffic. It is the only retreat for Russians on the west side of the river including Kherson. If Kherson can be taken then the way is open to take Crimea. For that they need 300 km range rockets which I hear they are getting from America.

The logistics of maintaining supply and repair of the wide assortment of Equipment supplied by various countries to Ukraine is overwhelming when I think about it. More HIMARS are useless unless the rocket pods can keep up. All the countries are trying out their new equipment. I have not kept track of all the different artillery platforms provided.

One sour note. Canada has been blackmailed by Germany to return a repaired turbine for Nord Stream I. Germany says either return it or we will no longer support Ukraine. I wish Trudeau had told them GFY. 

Detailed daily reports can be found at Euromaidan Press website. 
https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/07/21/russo-ukrainian-war-day-148-ukraine-continues-to-destroy-russian-ammunition-depots/ 

Ukrainian wheat fields and Russian ammunition dumps burn

 The heavy weapons that Ukraine needed, 155 mm howitzers and HIMARS (Hi Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) (now 9), are arriving and being put to good use on the various fronts. In the past two weeks over 20 Russian ammunition dumps and command headquarters have been taken out with pinpoint accuracy. Russians have plenty of 152 mm howitzers and ammunition from Soviet times and are using WWI tactics of complete destruction, Ukrainians are using intelligence from various locations to destroy Russian logistics including deep in Russian held territory. 

Location of targeted ammunition dumps. More added since this map

Ukrainian army has withdrawn from Lysychansk to previously prepared defense areas. Their tactics in the Donbas are to delay and destroy the Rashists, then withdraw and do it again. The Donbas front has advanced very little in the past two months at great cost in Russian lives and equipment. Ukrainian losses have also been high. 

Heavy shelling continues and all Russian attacks are repulsed. Russia is taking an operational break to regroup and strategize after recent advances 

Russia is running out of soldiers and has raised the recruitment age to 65 and is press ganging citizens of occupied territory. The Duma is subtly creating a war state by passing laws requiring firms to meet military demands. Russia is trying to reach total militarization without declaring it. 

It is July and the winter crop harvest is in full swing. Russians are mining the fields and dropping flares to set the wheat on fire (https://twitter.com/i/status/1543212713177976833)  (https://twitter.com/i/status/1544719391283109889). Scorched earth tactics are as old as warfare and starvation as a weapon also. They are destroying grain in storage and stealing the rest for export. At the request of Ukraine, Turkey held a ship of stolen grain but recently released it. Erdogan is playing both sides with impunity as Turkey controls the only access to and from the Black Sea.

Burning fields

Harvest is under way in the blue areas of which 20+ percent are in Russian controlled areas

The southern and western front is where Ukraine is concentrating its counterattacks. It is a long front in open country so advances must be all along it and incremental. Russia is moving troops from one location to another to shore up weak spots but in doing so they create opportunities for Ukraine.

Ukraine is attacking all along the front and slowly [pushing the Russians back. They are close enough to make a major push to free Kherson at some point soon.

The MSM are ignoring this front completely. Do not trust anything in the New York Times or Washington Post. They focus only on Donbas and spin everything into bad news to turn Americans from supporting Ukraine. Ukraine is not beaten, is not discouraged, and is not running out of soldiers. As more heavy equipment arrives from America and other allies, they are in position to take the war to the Russians

See also: https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/07/07/russo-ukrainian-war-day-134-russians-take-an-operational-pause-in-donbas/

The Long Long Weekend

 Canada and United States celebrate their independence on either end of a four day weekend. 

American's didn't have much to celebrate since half the population lost their independence thanks to SCOTUS and the other half are rapidly losing theirs. Sadly about 1/3 of Americans think that is a good thing. And of course yesterday was celebrated in typical American fashion with several mass shootings. Reading the Twitter threads is heartbreaking. The gun nuts were out in full force with the usual nonsense arguments that AR15s are not military weapons and the carnage could have been carried out with a deer rifle. Except it never is. I am sure the dead and wounded destroyed by AR15 bullets appreciate the difference. And of course police put 60 bullets into an unarmed black man but captured the White shooter alive. Canada has the same problem, maybe not as deadly but just as racist.

One of my readers suggested that Tibit Taliban was incorrect as Tim Horton's is no linger Canadian owned. I think it is still accurate as the Free Dumb Convoys are not Canadian owned either. They spout the same lines as the American pretend Patriots yelling about freedoms they never lost. The Federal investigation into the February occupation of Ottawa, and the border crossings is revealing that the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) and all the provincial conservative parties were in it up to their eyebrows. The purpose of the occupation was to over throw a duly elected government. Isn't it fun? 

The Ottawa police had their act together this time and the Timbit Taliban never got a vehicle near the downtown. They had to do their protesting on foot. Two of the leaders of the February occupation (Lich and King) could not attend as they were in jail, Lich for breaking her parole conditions. But wannabe leader of the CPC Pierre Poilievre (aka PP, Pierre Polysporin, Peter Polliwog and many more) marched with them in style. But their protests got virtually zero traction and PMJT returned from Europe in time to make a very good speech reclaiming the Canadian Flag for the rest of us (https://youtu.be/53bSV1n2XUQ). PP made a creepy video of himself stroking his wood  and telling white Canadians to reclaim that which had always been theirs (https://twitter.com/PierrePoilievre/status/1543585267403014145). 

Canadians laugh at this at their own peril. Americans laughed until it was too late. The racism in this country is far stronger than you think and once it is given mainstream credibility will grow rapidly.

Hard to keep up

 So much going on the past couple weeks that it is hard to keep up. I'm sure my reader(s) keep up with the J6 committee news which is getting more incredible every day. The Republican SCOTUS is rapidly destroying  America.  Canada's Timbit Taliban Freedumb Convoy is headed to Ottawa to create havoc on July 1st. More on that another time.

The ground war in Ukraine grinds on. The Ukrainian military finally have the weapons they need, with more coming. They are successfully targeting critical Russian sites well behind the lines and sometimes across the border into Russian Federation (RF) itself. This will only increase. The 2.5 minute video below with retired Lt Gen Hodges explains the situation on the Donbas front.

There are partisans inside Russia who are successfully blowing up and burning key facilities sometimes deep inside RF.

An exchange of 144 prisoners included 95 Ukrainian soldiers from the siege of Mariupol. 

Today's update from Euromaidan Press provides details available that can be published. There are too many people publishing stuff that should not be published and endangering the Ukrainian military.

https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/06/29/russo-ukrainian-war-day-126-russia-is-more-dangerous-than-its-ever-been-in-our-lifetime/

General overview. 

Detailed map of the battle ground for Lysychansk

The Ukrainian armed forces (UAF) are fighting a holding battle aimed at destroying as much of the enemy soldiers and equipment as possible, then retreating to another defensive position when there is nothing left to hold. RF are simply destroying everything in front of them before moving in. Putin is unconcerned about their losses, only concerned with total destruction as they go. Russian progress is measures in inches.

RF has fired over 2800 missiles worth several billion dollars at Ukraine, sometimes randomly, sometimes deliberately targeting civilian structures and civilians. Whenever the West holds an event of any significance, the rockets increase 'because they can' to send a message that Ukraine is helpless and should surrender unconditionally. They are targeting every major city and a couple days ago deliberately destroyed a crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk. Kyiv has also been targeted as has Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Krivii Rih.

UAF counter offensives in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts are winning back territory. Putin seems determines to draw Belarus into the war down the West side of Ukraine but so far Lukashenko has resisted, knowing that he will face a full revolt if he does. Russia is moving more troops and equipment into Belarus including short range missiles which can be armed with nuclear weapons.

July and August may be the turning point in the war as Ukraine strengthens and Russia weakens. Putin may escalate into NATO territory just to prove that RF is under attack from the West (USA). Who can predicts the actions of a diseased mind?

Are there any News? . . . Not a New

Keeping up with the War in Ukraine and the Dumpster Fire that is America  takes up a great deal of my time. Add to that something called the Klondike Papers in Canada and I have neglected blogging for two weeks. If anyone noticed.

The Klondike Papers, apuffofabsurdity.blogspot.com/2022/06/klondike-papers.html indicate that an organization called the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church is behind much of the ideology and activities of the Canadian Conservative Party. They are currently being investigated by the RCMP for their role in an alleged assassination attempt on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the FluTruxKlan convoy in Ottawa. The Government is holding hearings on the invocation of the Emergencies Act to bring an end to the Occupation of Ottawa. The Conservatives are opposed as it will bring to light their involvement in it.

No comments on the Jan 6th hearings as they well are covered by everyone. Scary things we learn. I will say one thing, when the extreme religious right gain full control of America, turning it into Gideon and the gas chambers and ovens are working overtime, Ukraine is going to look pretty good.

Speaking of, In the early days of the war intended to "denazify" Ukraine, Russian rockets aimed at a TV tower slammed into Babyn Yar in NW Kyiv. Babyn Yar is a sacred site to the Jews of Ukraine and from 1941 to 1943, the Nazis filled Babyn Yar with the bodies of about 100,000 Jews, Roma, Ukrainian political prisoners, Soviet prisoners of war and psychiatric patients. A museum to the Eastern Holocaust was in process of being built there.

After the war the ravine was leveled by the Soviets to erase all sign and memory of its victims. "Soviet" Jews were simply lumped in with all losses of the USSR during the war and given no recognition. In fact it was forbidden to even talk about it. This article, complete with maps tells the story of the  history of Babyn Yar and its meaning in the current war on Ukraine. www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/06/13/opinion/ukraine-russia-babyn-yar.html.

On Twitter, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine wrote that the strike illustrated the world’s failure to prevent genocidal atrocities from recurring. “To the world: What is the point of saying ‘never again’ for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babyn Yar?” he wrote. “History repeating …”

“Every town here has its own Babyn Yar,” Ukrainians have told me again and again in my years reporting from the country. Killing fields where Nazis shot Jewish civilians, sometimes with assistance from local collaborators, dot the land. The Russian missiles that have been falling all over Ukraine for the past 110 days, murdering civilians and destroying cities, have been exposing old, barely healed historical wounds. On Saturday, March 26, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that a Russian missile strike had directly hit a Jewish memorial in a ravine called Drobytsky Yar, outside Kharkiv, where approximately 15,000 Jews were killed in 1941. “The Nazis have returned,” the ministry stated in a tweet.

If you follow WaPo and NYT accounts of the war, you will be highly depressed. If there is a negative way to spin the story or headline, they will use it. The situation is grim but certainly not desperate though the Ukrainian army does need all the promised equipment yesterday not in August. The war is currently an artillery duel. The Russians have long range guns in a ratio of 20 to 1 and are using WWI and WWII tactics or simply blasting everything in front of it before moving up. They are firing 50,000 to 60,000 shells per day while the Ukrainians are returning maybe 10% of that number. Very targeted but still not enough to counter the Russians. 

One of the reasons that Ukraine is short of artillery shells is that their Soviet era howitzers use 152 mm shells while the NATO standard is 155 mm which all their new guns use. Former East block countries are making 152 mm shells for Ukraine but cannot supply the volume needed. Also the barrels of the old howitzers are wearing out and there are no replacements.  Hence the urgency for artillery and shells.

In the southwest, Kherson oblast, The Ukrainian counter attacks are driving the Russians back. The Ukrainian army is within a few Kilometers of Kherson and gradually freeing up village after village. In the Northeast, the Russians are back to shelling and bombing Sumy and Kharkiv from Russia, though their troops have been driven back almost to the Russian border. The battles that have everyone's attention are the Russian attempts to close the salient centered on Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. 

So far they have not had much luck. They move forward very slowly if at all and Ukrainian counterattacks have regained some territory in the area around Izium. Severodonetsk is still holding out as the territory controlled by the Russians varies back and forth from 50% to 80%. Both sides operate in small groups. The Ukrainians clean the Russians out at night and they move back in in the day time. Losses on both sides are heavy. WaPo and NYT have been forecasting the immanent fall of the city for a couple weeks now. 

Ukraine needs long range artillery and long range rockets. Once they get what they need, they will push the Russian army back to the border of Russia and reclaim all territory of Ukraine including Crimea. They must not lose or it is the end of Ukraine and the world order as we know it. And Poland, Romania and the  Baltics will be next. Even if Putin dies of his illnesses, his ideology will live on.

Following the Wars

 Russia is at war with Ukraine and America is at war with itself. As a news junkie, trying to keep up is a major effort on a daily basis, though sometimes I just say to hell with it and delete all my news emails and skip all the news items on my Facebook page. But not often.

For news on Ukraine, my first choice is Kyiv Independent kyivindependent.com. They also have a daily newsletter which you can sign up to for free though I support them with $10 per month on Patreon. 

Euromaidan Press euromaidanpress.com/ is another excellent source of up to date news on the war. They also reprint the daily detailed updates from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). I find them on my FB feed.

Reuters www.reuters.com/ is another good source. They also have a daily newsletter at no charge.

See also Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com, Ukrinform www.ukrinform.net and Atlantic Council www.atlanticcouncil.org/category/blogs/new-atlanticist

Twitter is another source of up to the minute news and commentary. There are a few lists of people who post on the war and once you are familiar with the names you can start following individuals.

Substack has several writers who comment on both wars. Timothy Snyder, writing on "Thinking About..." snyder.substack.com  is a well known historian of Eastern and Central Europe. All Substack writers whether you pay or not if you sign up, will be delivered to your inbox.

Other sources are the usual MSM: WaPo, NYT, The Economist but I put more faith in the above.

For the American war, seemingly of all against all as I believe Hobbes put it, the first person I follow is Heather Cox Richardson at Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com. HCR is an American historian with a following on Substack and on Facebook in the hundreds of thousands. She posts 6 days a week tying the days happenings to American history. I have a paid subscription.

Next on the list is TCfromLA (Thomas McKelvey Cleaver) who writes at "That's another Fine Mess"  tcinla757.substack.com. He is an other of several books on the wars in the air of WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War of which I have three so far. He will comment on both American and Ukrainian wars. I am a paid subscriber.

Third would be Thom Hartmann who writes the Hartmann Report at hartmannreport.com Thom is a broadcaster and author. I subscribe for free but would take a paying subscription if I could afford it.

Fourth is Julian K Truscott IV who writes the Lucian Truscott Newsletter at luciantruscott.substack.com He is a fourth generation military man with an incredible pedigree. He writes knowledgeably about anything military including Ukraine. I have a free subscription.

Others that I have free subscriptions to include PREVAIL by Greg Olear gregolear.substack.com, Terri Kanefield, Author and Lawyer at terikanefield.com, John Ganz who writes Unpopular Front at johnganz.substack.com, Spencer Ackerman at Forever Wars foreverwars.substack.com, Ruth Ben-Ghiat at Lucid lucid.substack.com, 

There are several other news letters that are free if you subscribe to The Atlantic (I don't). You can find them here: ww.theatlantic.com/subscriber-newsletters 

Check all these references out and sign up for those you can afford or are interested in. No excuse for saying "I have no idea what is happening". Actually I sign up for all the ones listed and still have no idea what is happening.