TheOldGuy @TheOldGuy@qoto.org
I am a Democrat who supports Ukraine in their battle against The Russian fascist invaders.
I am a 73 year old Covid hermit who
lives on 10 acres in a sparsely populated area of the Ozarks. I heat with wood that is leftover by the lumber industry. When cutting oak for lumber only the trunk is used.
The largest town is population 2993. The county is 13k people scattered over 713 square miles.
Joined Dec 2022
Went shopping at Shetler's. They just got a bunch more of the frozen Stouffer's casseroles. I bought 4. 2 for $5. They are a week past the freshness date.
Yesterday Sammie the outside cat (by choice) came inside about 11AM and spent the day sleeping in front of one of the two window air conditioners. I expect she will be inside again today. During winter she comes in at night when it's 20⁰ or below.
Good morning Resisters everywhere. It's a beautiful morning but headed into a brutal afternoon. Our Heat Advisory starts at noon.
I will be inside today. I am wearing a heart monitor that requires me not to sweat. Bath prohibited and a shower requires taping plastic over it.
They are already starting the ALL CAPITALS alerts sailing across my screen
REPORTING FROM UKRAINE:
During the defense of Avdiivka, Russian forces, under the cover of intense artillery fire, managed to engineer a collector pipe and infiltrate the rear of Ukrainain troops (near the Tsarska Okhota restaurant). A similar pipe exists in Chasiv Yar, and the Russians tried to use it to accumulate forces for attacks on the Novy distric of Chasiv Yar. However, as you can see from the state of the pipe, Ukrainains are systematically transforming it into a collective grave using mortars and drops. Ukrainian mortars penetrate the structure, and from a height of 200-250 meters, drone operators constantly keep the pipe under fire control, accurately dropping surprises for those who like to walk through the filth. Judging by the intercepts, the Ukrainian work pays off.
https://t.me/EveryUkraineWarVideo Subscribe
From "The Analyst":
SEBRIANSKI FOREST - STORMING DRAGONFLY
The Sebrianski forest is no longer filled with the lush green of trees or the dark green of pines. Massive amounts of artillery pounding the area since September 2022 when Ukraine forced the Russians to retreat, have turned most of the eastern end of it into a WW1 style image of stumps and craters.
Ukraine retains possession of most of it, and to the north the Russians have managed to gain a salient that’s almost reached the Sherebets River, but for months Ukraine has held them off from reaching it. Villages such as Terny have become household names for their persistent resistance.
It is however, the Seribianski forest that has contributed hugely to stalling the Russians. From inside it Ukraine carries out debilitating flank attacks north into the salient and the front hasn’t moved for months.
The war here goes like this for the past few months:
The Russians fire more artillery and then send in masses of infantry.
The Ukrainians conduct rapid active defence operations and cut the Russians down. The front stays where it is.
The Ukrainians know how the Russians deal with this, using small fortified zones in circular trenches connected by thinner trench lines. They haven’t broken through any more than the Russians have, but the do stop the Russians building up forces to try.
Ukrainian commanders decided that it was time to straighten out the front in the forest and identified the fortifications in the Russian centre codenamed ‘Dragonfly’.
To do this would take skill and trained troops specialising in assault. The 12th Special Purpose Assault Brigade was brought in.
A platoon of 36 were selected - the best of their unit, trained for just such a mission with the aid of western special forces.
This is one of those operations that must come as a surprise and planning is everything.
Mortars and artillery concentrate their fire on the target as the assault group, all volunteers, make their move. A single tank has been brought up to aid the assault, the way for it being cleared of mines by Ukrainian sappers working with drones and conventional mine clearing equipment for days in advance.
There’s little room in this forest for armour to move and it rarely appears, its presence taking the shocked Russians in their forward foxholes by surprise as it opened fire almost at point blank range. The sun has barely come up, the Russians are shaken.
The assault troops moved quickly in with the tank in support. Russian radio is suddenly flooded with requests for support and demands to be allowed to retreat - even now the Ukrainians can hear everything the Russians say over their open frequencies, still unencrypted after two years of war.
The Ukrainian assessment was that the Russian artillery was still asleep.
As they advanced one Russian managed to get off an ATGM round and stopped the tank, but this had been allowed for, the Ukrainians had gamed out just such an occurrence and knew to maintain their cohesion.
The tank crew were able to evacuate and withdrew.
Every one of the Ukrainians knew what to do, every trench was mapped and every soldier had their designated target.
Overhead the commander was able to see everything from drones, warning of the level of opposition in trenches and if and where supporting Russians were approaching from.
Dragonfly was soon captured, but already a Russian counter attack was incoming from both flanks. This was repulsed.
The Russians then waited a short time for their artillery and typically began a denial operation, shelling the Dragonfly position to render it useless, though not accurately enough.
The Ukrainians managed to take in a daring raid, a vital defence point in the forest that the Russians had used to harass them to the south and north/northwest.
Now the line had been straightened out, and the Russian advantage removed. Just another day on the frontlines, but one small but significant victory, by well trained and motivated troops against which Russia has no real defence. Many more such victories are coming.
Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦!
I am a Democrat who supports Ukraine in their battle against The Russian fascist invaders.
I am a 73 year old Covid hermit who
lives on 10 acres in a sparsely populated area of the Ozarks. I heat with wood that is leftover by the lumber industry. When cutting oak for lumber only the trunk is used.
The largest town is population 2993. The county is 13k people scattered over 713 square miles.
Joined Dec 2022
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