North of Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces observed invaders unloading artillery ammo, ukrainian artillery blew the site skyhigh.  A Russian special forces unit was also destroyed.

I'll say it again.  I never expected Ukraine to last more than a week or two.  And I'm still stunned by the inability of Russia to make progress.  It's as if their purpose is no longer to gain control, but to just wreck as much stuff as they can.

I'll also say i imagined russia's economy to hav fully crashed by now.

Quote from: Mr.Obvious on August 09, 2022, 02:15:44 AMI'll also say i imagined russia's economy to hav fully crashed by now.

It hasn't crashed, but its GDP is expected to decrease 6% this year, roughly equivalent to the financial drain at the height of the pandemic.  If it was at peace, its GDP would be increasing by about 5% instead.

Mysterious fire erupts in oil storage facility in Russian city of Yeysk

I'm sure everyone has heard by now about the recent explosions in the Russian military base in Ukrainian Crimea.

Details were sparse at first. HIMARS?  Partisans?  Some experimental Ukrainian weapon? Rough seas?  Today, we know with high certainty that it was actually the work of Ukrainan special forces, apparently catching Russian forces totally unaware, since they only went to high alert after the attack, not before.

Russians said it was an accident (similar to how the sinking of their flagship was an accident) and that no one was injured.  Risable.

They also said that no aircraft were damaged.  There's footage of one military jet and it's a charred ruin except for the nose and some of the cockpit.  I would imagine that qualifies as damage.  In fact, 9 planes and many vehicles have been utterly destroyed, an estimated loss of $1 billion.  A costly loss that cannot be easily or quickly replaced.

Russians are fleeing Crimea, creating large traffic jams, apparently unaware until now that they live in an active warzone and that Ukrainian forces have publically expressed their desire to bomb the Kerch bridge and will do so whenever the opportunity arises.

Some Russians are upset about having to flee their homes in terror.  I'm sure that Ukrainians, especially Ukrainians who just 8 years ago used to live in those homes, can relate.

There is no cause for concern.  After hostilities are over, Russians could potentially  once again enjoy Crimean beaches and the modern marvel of indoor plumbing, so long as they behave themselves. Can't blame a country for expelling murderers and rapists and returning to the civilized practice of being more selective about its visitors.

Russia has deployed state-of-the-art air defense to Crimea

Just kidding, they had a propagandist talk with a stack of empty barrels or inflatables or something in the background, which to the exceptionally uninformed might at first glance appear to be a S-300 air defense missile launcher.



One small difference: the real thing is a lot more rigid and doesn't sway in the breeze.

Many of the real S-300 missile launchers are reportedly being moved closer to the front, presumably to be used as jury-rigged artillery instead of proper anti-air units.

This might be a tacit admission on Moscow's part that their air defense is too weak to shoot down HIMARS or a ramping up of the ground conflict to inflict as much damage as they can, either spitefully or delusionally thinking that one last push will finally break through.

It would be such a shame if Ukraine exploited this tactical error and picked off enough of Russia's remaining air defense to allow for a much more intensive air campaign over russian positions.

Viral video that the reactive armor over at least one Russian tank is just filled with air and a thin strip of rubber

Bear in mind that I'm not a tank expert or anything, but that's not normal.  No wonder these things are getting brewed up and/or jack-in-the-box'ed.  That rubber won't do squat.

Russian army near Kherson panicking, starts to evacuate invader military families

I have no idea why these people thought it was a good idea to bring their families to an active warzone.  Perhaps they were a tad too confident in their chances.  Perhaps they were just stupid.  Perhaps they wanted to show off the magical western toilets.  Who knows.  Now matter how the decision was made, they're starting to regret it.  Ukraine is bringing down the hammer on these idiots, and if they have any sense at all, they'll leave with their families.

Russians tricked into fighting Ukraine

QuoteIn a lengthy complaint, the girlfriend of a soldier from the central city of Ulyanovsk pleaded with prosecutors to help her find her boyfriend she suspects may have been taken prisoner despite the fact that charred remains found outside Kyiv were identified as his.

The woman said her boyfriend's parents would not share burial documents with her or offer DNA samples, apparently because they were happy to receive a hefty compensation for a soldier killed in action.

"They don't want to try to find their son among PoWs or those gravely injured. They're happy with the compensation," she wrote.

"We have no idea who we buried."

W. T. F.

In southern Ukraine, Ukraine Army destroys over 40 invaders, three howitzers, arms depot, command post

After losing its best fighter jets to "rough seas", Russia turns to severely outdated replacements

They're replacing these Su-35 jets:


(probably not the most glamourous shot, but whatevs)

With these Su-24 jets:



I hope they're ready to bulk order those civilian GPS devices.  Gonna need 'em!

Caught em napping: Z sleeps in, wakes up in Ukrainian hands

Now he'll have plenty of time to sleep in to his heart's content.  Plus, he'll live through this conflict.  Imo, the Ukrainians did him a favor.

Burn baby burn: Ukraine releases footage of strike against a Russian Grad multiple rocket launcher and ammo burning up

You can see the rocket launcher firing wildly as its ammo ignites before it's finally consumed in an inferno.

Slava Ukrayini!