TheOldGuy @TheOldGuy@qoto.org

All the Russian personnel changes

Putin removes Shoigu from the post of Minister of Defence Murder

Sergei Shoigu became the new Secretary of the Russian Security Council. The decree was signed by Vladimir Putin.

Shoigu will take the place of Nikolai Patrushev, who has been relieved of his post.

Vladimir Putin proposed appointing former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov to the post of Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council reported.

Lavrov remains in his position.

The full list of those whom Vladimir Putin proposed to appoint:

— appoint Boris Kovalchuk to the position of Chairman of the Accounts Chamber;

- for the post of Minister of Internal Affairs - Vladimir Aleksandrovich Kolokoltsev;

- for the post of Minister for Civil Defense, Emergency Situations and Disaster Relief - Alexander Vyacheslavovich Kurenkov;

- for the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs - Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov;

- for the post of Minister of Defense - Andrey Removich Belousov;

- for the post of Minister of Justice - Konstantin Anatolyevich Chuychenko;

- for the position of Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service - Sergey Evgenievich Naryshkin;

- for the position of director of the Federal Security Service - Alexander Vasilievich Bortnikov;

- for the position of director of the Federal Service of National Guard Troops - Viktor Vasilievich Zolotov;

- for the position of director of the Federal Security Service - Dmitry Viktorovich Kochnev;

- for the post of head of the Main Directorate of Special Programs of the President - Linz Alexander Leonidovich.

From "The Analyst":

Putin has decided to replace the defense minister Sergei Shoigu, Andrei Bilousov is the new Minister of Defence

Reference: Andrei Bilousov, aged 65, previously served as Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation from 2012 to 2013. From 2013 to 2020, he worked as an assistant to the president, and since January 2020, he has held the position of first deputy head of the government.

So the question is why? Incompetence, failure, boredom with hearing the same old stories and lies? Corruption gone too far?
Shoigu hasn’t gone too far, having been appointed to the role as Chairman of the Security Council, a presidential advisory body. Not that it does much advising. It’s often used as a place to put lame ducks out to die. They sit and make odd noises and gain praise - Medvedev is a prime example.
The most obvious thing is that the new defence minister has a background with a deeper economic outlook- and that’s something if the war is to continue at its current pace, that will be needed.
A grip or economics and the realities of supply and demand matter when the economics of the war are shredding economic realities.

ISW Daily Update Summary - Kharkiv Offensive (May 12th, 2024)

Russian forces recently made additional confirmed tactical advances in northern Kharkiv Oblast in the Vovchansk direction (northeast of Kharkiv City) and continued limited offensive operations in this area on May 12.

Geolocated footage published on May 11 shows Russian forces operating in southern Ohirtseve (west of Vovchansk), suggesting that Russian forces have seized the entirety of Ohirtseve.

A Ukrainian officer fighting in the Vovchansk direction noted that the situation is extremely difficult because Ukrainian forces lack adequate fortifications in the area, reporting that Russian forces have surrounded Vovchansk and that meeting engagements are already occurring within the settlement.

Several Russian milbloggers discussed fighting within Vovchansk.

ISW therefore assesses that Russian forces also likely seized Hatyshche (just northwest of Vovchansk) and Tykhe (just east of Vovchansk) given the Ukrainian officer's report that Russian forces have surrounded Vovchansk and Russian milblogger claims of street fighting within Vovchansk.

The Ukrainian General Staff additionally reported that Russian forces attacked near Buhruvatka (west of Vovchansk), suggesting that Russian forces have likely consolidated positions between the international border and the Buhruvatka-Starytsya area.

Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets reported that Russian forces have advanced 2.5 kilometers in the Vovchansk direction and noted that the Russian command has deployed at least four motorized rifle battalions of the 11th Army Corps (Leningrad Military District [LMD]) to the Vovchansk direction.

Russian forces also recently made confirmed advances in the Lytpsi (north of Kharkiv City) direction and continued limited offensive operations in this area on May 12.

Geolocated footage published on May 12 shows that Russian forces advanced up to a windbreak south of Pylna and north of Lukyantsi (northeast of Lyptsi).

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“Destruction for destruction’s sake” is how Farrell described the bombardment. But it’s not. It’s standard practice for Russian warplanes to destroy civilian buildings in front-line communities in order to deprive Ukrainian troops of shelter. That the Russians are glide-bombing Vovchansk could be an indicator they intend to escalate their ground assault on the city.

If Russia’s northern campaign is a feint, then the aim is probably to draw—from the east to the north—Ukrainian brigades defending battleground cities such as Chasiv Yar. If the campaign is a real offensive, then entire regiments might attack Vovchansk in the coming days.

The dilemma, for Ukrainian leaders, is that a feint can turn into an offensive with little notice—as long as the Russians can spare the forces from their operations in the east. “It is a shrewd approach, considering Ukraine's manpower constraints,” Finnish analyst Joni Askola wrote.

*The Ukrainian military isn’t taking chances. Elements of several brigades, including the 59th Motorized Brigade and the 93rd Assault Brigade, are already in Vovchansk—or on the way. Notably, the 93rd Assault Brigade is bringing its best CV90 IFVs.*

Ukrainian commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi insisted his troops would deploy and redeploy to match the Russians’ moves. “We are aware of the enemy's plans and can respond flexibly to all of his actions,” Syrskyi said.

But even Syrskyi’s optimism concedes one important fact: Russia is acting; Ukraine is reacting. That means the Russians have the initiative.

- David Axe, Forbes

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Joyce Vance

https://open.substack.com/pub/joycevance/p/the-week-ahead-40a?r=70k1h&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

Ukraine’s CV90 Fighting Vehicles Are Rolling Into Vovchansk, Their Crews Expecting A Russian Invasion From The North

Russian forces captured Vovchansk in the early days of the wider Russian invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian forces liberated the city seven months later as part of their first counteroffensive. Now thousands of residents are fleeing—some for the second time in just over two years—as elements of three Russian regiments close in on the city.

The battle for Vovchansk could be one of the first big fights of Russia’s new campaign in the north. After several days of probes, the main dynamics are taking shape.

It’s possible Ukrainian defenses in and around the city are thinner than they should be. “The first line of fortifications and mines simply did not exist,” Ukrainian army officer Denis Yaroslavsky claimed, partially blaming Ukrainian territorial troops who previously held the purportedly incomplete defenses.

Russian commandos are deliberately probing for gaps in Ukrainian lines like might be present in and around Vovchansk. And they’re concentrating their probes in sectors where the geography is advantageous to Russian moves.

In the case of Vovchansk, that means approaching the city from the northwest, where the Donets River forms a protective barrier on the Russians’ right flank. Hugging the river on the way to Vovchansk “allows the enemy to conserve forces,” the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies explained.

Having identified a vulnerable settlement on favorable terrain, the Russians direct their satellite-guided glide bombs at the settlement as a prelude to a wider attack. According to volunteer Francis Farrell, 20 glide bombs struck Vovchansk on Saturday. “Most of them that we saw just flattened random civilian houses, killing and injuring people and animals,” Farrell wrote.

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https://t.me/noel_reports/11833

An airliner flew over Bahkmut

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/32557

✉️Ukrainian postal service 'Nova Poshta' has opened its first two branches in the capital of Great Britain, London, as reported on the company's website.

In addition, 'Nova Poshta' has launched courier delivery services there. This is already the 13th European country where the company has begun operations.

The delivery time from Ukraine to Great Britain is five days. Later, they plan to also offer the option to send and receive parcels through the InPost parcel locker network.

One of the branches in London is a postal office located at 42 Fleet St, Temple, EC4Y 1BT. The other branch is a freight office located at Unit 7, Falcon Court, St. Martin's Way, SW17 0JH.

Worried about his reputation. Good thing he didn’t say "good reputation" because he does not have one.

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/clarence-thomas-is-rattled/56046/

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/donald-trump-has-unhinged-late-night-meltdown-about-whoopi-goldberg/56058/

Good morning Resisters everywhere. Looking like rain here. But warm enough for cargo shorts at 65⁰.

Goodnight Resisters everywhere

The 47th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has announced its results on the Avdiivka direction - over 7,000 destroyed Russians, over 100 units of equipment (including two T90 tanks), and 25 drones (ZALA, "Lancet", SuperCam).

In addition, the artillery of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade struck 3 command posts, 12 warehouses, 16 mortar teams, 6 cannons, and 18 trucks. The brigade continues to repel the Russian advance

Other news from the world:

🇬🇧 In Great Britain, for the first time in the world, a person's hearing was restored with the help of gene therapy.

18-year-old Opal Sandy has been deaf since birth due to auditory neuropathy. She was injected with a working copy of the OTOF gene into her ear. The operation lasted only 16 minutes - now the girl hears almost perfectly.

Doctors believe that the trial is just the beginning of gene therapy and marks a new era in the treatment of deafness.

@ukrainejournal

Floods continue in Putinistan. In the Omsk region, a dam broke, in the Tomsk region - 12 settlements were flooded.

Spring floods continue in Russia. In the Ust-Ishim district of the Omsk region, a dam broke again a few days ago, residents are being evacuated from the nearest territories. The village of Ashevany was completely flooded, the water hid cars and the first floors of houses. According to local media, 13 settlements are now flooded on the territory of Kailinsky, Orekhovsky, Slobodchikovsky and Ust-Ishimsky rural settlements. Also, the water washed away 4 roads of district significance, residents are forced to travel by boat. In addition, the Tevrizsky and Tarsky districts were under the threat of flooding.

In the Tomsk region, the most tense situation has developed in the Chainsky district, 12 settlements are flooded there. In the Kolpashevsky, Molchanovsky, Krivosheinsky, Teguldetsky and Bakcharsky districts, some sections and roads are flooded.

The administration of the Chainsky district notified that ten settlements were cut off from the "mainland" due to the flood.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, a total of 317 residential buildings and 467 adjacent territories remain flooded in the Ust-Ishim district of the Omsk region.

According to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Tomsk region, more than 100 residential buildings are flooded in the region. The water level in the Tom and Ushayka rivers continues to rise. In addition, the fire season has already begun in the region.

Source

@freerussia_report

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The 47th Brigade’s Bradley crews have been fighting hard. One crew recently scored one of the longest direct tank-kills of the Russia-Ukraine war when it hit a Russian T-80 tank with a wire-guided TOW missile from a mile away under the cover of darkness.

This year of fighting has cost the 47th Brigade nearly 80 Bradleys that the analysts at Oryx have identified: 37 destroyed and dozens more damaged, abandoned or captured. Some of the damaged and abandoned vehicles are recoverable and fixable; some surely are write-offs.

All that is to say, the 47th Brigade was burning though its reserves of M-2s fast—until fresh U.S. aid finally arrived.

Now there are enough replacement M-2s in Ukraine, or on the way to Ukraine, to bring the 47th Brigade back up to full strength, make good another year’s worth of losses and also equip a second brigade with the tough IFVs with their powerful 25-millimeter auto-cannons and tank-killing TOW missiles.

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The United States Has Given Ukraine a Hundred M-2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Just Two Weeks

In two weeks, the United States has shipped around 100 M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

That’s a lot of Bradleys: enough to replace all the 33-ton, 10-person M-2s the Ukrainian army’s 47th Mechanized Brigade—so far Ukraine’s only Bradley-operator—has lost in a year of non-stop combat in southern and eastern Ukraine.

And there should be enough M-2s left over to equip a second brigade with the type.

The U.S. Defense Department has announced two aid packages for Ukraine since the U.S. Congress finally approved $61 billion in fresh financial support for Ukraine on April 23.

Russia-friendly Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives managed to delay that vote for six month before caving.

The two aid packages together are worth $1.4 billion and include ammunition, vehicles and air-defense equipment. Both mention fresh shipments of M-2s without specifying how many M-2s Ukraine would get.

*But when the Pentagon updated its main Ukraine fact sheet on Friday, the new language described “more than 300” M-2s. The previous version of the fact sheet, dated April 26, mentioned “more than 200” M-2s.*

The 47th Brigade equipped three 30-vehicle battalions with Bradleys from the initial consignment of 200 M-2s and deployed the vehicles in combat starting with Ukraine’s southern counteroffensive, which kicked off in early June 2023.

Six months later, the [seasoned] brigade sped east to bolster Ukrainian defenses west of Avdiivka. After Avdiivka fell in February, the 47th Brigade fought a rearguard action for a few weeks and, in late April, was preparing to withdraw for its first brigade-wide period of rest and reset in nearly a year.

But then the Russian 30th Motor Rifle Brigade broke through Ukrainian lines east of Ocheretyne and advanced several miles, compelling the 47th Brigade to rush back to the line.

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Every year, on the second Sunday of May, Ukrainians celebrate Mother's Day.

Iryna's son volunteered for the war in the spring of 2022 and has been in the war zone for two years.

His mother made the decision to join the ranks of the Armed Forces a little later.

Iryna knew that not everyone would understand her choice, but in December 2022, she returned from abroad and applied to the TCC .

Why are there so many heroes in Ukraine?

Because every Ukrainian mother is a heroine.❤️

Happy holiday to you! And thank you for everything.

Armed forces of Ukraine.

🇺🇦@ukraine_report 🇺🇦🔱

Interesting information from Agents Atesh.

The African Mercenary Corps is involved in the attack on the Kharkiv region.

Agents of the ATESH movement from the headquarters of the 44th AK report that Russia is using the African Corps in an attack on the Kharkiv region. They are already suffering huge losses.

The mercenaries were not ready for such a war. The Russians send them to the advanced pens, knowing that most of them will not return from the assaults.

We could see all the preparation of this corps at the parade, where 20 people performed their traditional war dance.

There is evidence that there are also mercenaries in the Kharkiv region who have already fought in Mali and Libya.

The Russians are recruiting and using mercenaries from poor countries in an attempt to recoup their losses. All countries in the world should consider whether it is worth interacting with such a country.

🇺🇦@ukraine_report 🇺🇦🔱 Liz