Will Putin Invade Ukraine?

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Russian repair base (junkyard) in Luhansk goes boom

At least 100 vehicles and 50 invaders eliminated.

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It's even funnier the second time:  Ukraine bombs Kahovka bridge again, right after it had been repaired from a previous attack

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are the sponsors of 'fireworks' for the orcs. Our forces again hit the bridge at the Kakhovka HPP, which the Russians managed to restore. It seems that there will be no grand opening, but there's already been 'fireworks,'" the deputy wrote.

Man, I love their sense of humor!  It's so sardonic and acrid, like salt on a wound.

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Meet the Engineer: Ukrainian machinegunner abandons his position, operates it remotely to Ruscist surprise

Quite the ingenious move, and great for solving practical problems.

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Something to bear in mind when Russia talks of its good intentions in the future.

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Black Sea Fleet HQ in Sevastopol hit by  drone attack

occupation official Oleg Kryuchkov posted on Telegram that "attacks by small drones continue" in various locations around Crimea and urged civilians to "remain calm."

"The goal is not military but psychological," he wrote. "The explosives are minimal and not capable of inflicting significant harm."

Videos of the aftermath of the strike shared on social media showed a plume of smoke rising into the air above the building near the waterfront.

If the blast is powerful enough to create a plume of smoke visible from a significant distance, it's definitely capable of inflicting serious harm.  And striking enemy military buildings is indeed a military objective, so I have no idea what he's on about.

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Ukraine exploits Russian blunders in Crimea

But Svetlana was not the only person to notice that soldiers had begun dumping crates of ammunition on the grounds of the farm.

The troops she spotted seemed nonchalant, far from the frontlines. One truck driver on her street corner even left the engine running as he popped to the shop for a beer.

"The way they handled it - it all appeared so careless. They did everything in the open and didn't bother to make any secret of it," Svetlana said.

She saw a lorry filled with ammunition for the Grad multiple grenade launcher parked near the village shop.

"The guy went into the shop to get beer, and no one was guarding it."

Locals inside Crimea recounted stories of flagrant negligence by Russian soldiers that would make any such attack surprisingly easy to pull off.

"I often see drunk soldiers walking around," Anna, who works at a holiday resort and asked her identity to be concealed for fear of repercussions, said.

"Do you think it's difficult to trade a bottle of vodka for a grenade from them?"

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Ukraine hits invader base in Melitopol, invaders fire back ...at residential buildings, injuring a civilian

Either Moscow gave them civilian-seeking rockets, or they're incompetent and just panic-firing randomly.

Either way, they should know that every civilian they pass wants them dead and knows where they sleep at night.

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Emergency security measures are being put into effect in Crimea, restricting travel and notably, prohibiting smoking within a kilometer of critical military infrastructure (I assume they mean ammo depots and airfields)

If these rules are followed, then I expect these areas to be unguarded in the future.

Also, it seems that Russia will no longer be able to chalk up mysterious explosions to careless smoking and will instead have to openly admit to their people that their ammo depots and bases and warehouses are exploding because of enemy activity and that they cannot assure the security of any site within Ukraine, even those far from the front lines.

Kudos to them for having the courage to admit the truth.

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Daughter of close Putin ally killed with car bomb

Apparently, they were supposed to be traveling together, but he made other plans.  That bomb was most likely intended for him, probably as part of a power struggle within Putin's inner circle.

Strange how people who rely on murder to grow their wealth and power so quickly resort to it on each other.  What a world they could build together! - a world safe only for one.

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The Russians are advancing

Not fast, and disembarking might be a challenge, but they're definitely advancing.

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Red on Red: Russian ethnic minorities (Buryats and Chechens) shoot at each other, significant casualties on both sides

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No reinforcements:  Russia unable to recruit enough people to form new unit

Military authorities in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast have failed to form a tank battalion, though the procedure has been going on since the beginning of July.

Of the required 160 people, only about 30 signed a contract for service.

Apparently, they've been trying to entice the poorest Russians into joining a new tank battallion by offering them a whopping $168 per month.  What a cheapskate dictator.

Coincidentally, these regions are the most likely to agitate if hypothetically, the war didn't go well and Russia suffered crippling sanctions to boot.  In that case, it'd make sense to premptively send them to the meatgrinder to preclude that problem.  Of course, they'd know this too, and therefore it would be in their best interests to reject a call to arms and not-too-subtle attempt to sell their lives cheaply.

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Partisans in Melitopol cut the throat of child molester

[SGOS]

I can't think of anything more hideous than being trapped in a burning tank, and I've seen a lot of videos of that lately.  It's seems to me tanks have gone the way of the spear and the bow.  It's like taking a knife to a gunfight.

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Tanks aren't obsolete, but they are much more vulnerable than they have been in the past.  And if all you have are tanks, and the enemy is bristling with anti-tank weapons, then things won't go well.

As always, combined arms is extremely important.  Tanks can only be part of the solution.