Hope you are all staying cooler - it is 75 degrees here on the beach, but the humidity is 90 percent, so it's still yucky, at least for me.
Before we get into the Ukraine, go here abouts for all of the details on the Queen's funeral:
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| Precious |
For Mexico News:
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The Ukraine Is Smoking
It has all been happening so quickly; here are two maps from the Washington Post of the Ukraine advances and their report:
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| Ukraine Liberates Kupian |
~ From The Washington Post:
These Maps Show Ukraine's Latest Victories Against Russia
September 12, 2022 at 5:09 p.m. EDT
"In less than a week, Ukraine’s military made startling gains against Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, potentially changing the tide of a war that has raged for more than half a year and changed the geopolitical fabric of Europe.
In a stunning counteroffensive, Ukrainian troops pushed east, seizing Balakliya on Thursday. Forces then continued toward Izyum and Kupyansk, areas which were under Russian control for months. By Sunday, Russian troops retreated, leaving more than more than 1,100 square miles back in the hands of Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Commander in Chief Valery Zaluzhny. Russia’s defense ministry said troops were “regrouping.” In the last five days, Ukraine has recaptured more territory than Russia has taken since April, according to the the Institute for the Study of War, which closely tracks the conflict.
The advance could be partly attributed to savvy messaging said Joel Hickman, deputy director of the Transatlantic Defense and Security program at the Center for European Policy Analysis.
Ukraine had said it was planning to target Russian-held Kherson in the country’s south, Hickman noted. Russia repositioned equipment and reinforcements there, where they were expecting a counteroffensive.
“What they actually did was lure Russians from places in the north,” Hickman said. “That created vulnerabilities that they were able to exploit.”
Additionally, Hickman said, “Ukraine has had more motivated troops than Russia.” People in liberated towns told The Washington Post that Russians dropped their guns and fled on stolen bicycles disguised as civilians when they realized they would have to retreat.
The seizures of two big cities dealt a blow to Russian supply lines in the region. Kupyansk’s railway was used to resupply Moscow’s forces in Russian-held Donetsk. Izyum also proved a vital link to Donbas.
While momentum may have shifted analysts are not convinced these gains mark a seismic shift. Seizing territory is one thing, but holding it is another challenge, especially for a military like Ukraine’s which has not engaged in many counteroffensive operations since the invasion started in February.
Russia still holds a significant chunk of Ukrainian territory.
Moscow also has more damaging capabilities in its arsenal it could deploy, like cluster munitions and thermobaric weapons.
“We shouldn’t be dismissive of what Russia can still do in this conflict,” Hickman said."
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More Maps from the BBC:
And more reports:
~ From the BBC:
Ukraine War: We've Retaken 6,000 sq km From Russia, Says Zelensky
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Since I do not trust Putin, I worry about several things:
1. All of Putin's talk of bringing in thousands more ground forces over the past months: if deployed (if he really has them) could they sweep in behind the Ukrainians, surrounding them like the Battle of Little Bighorn ?
2. The Nuclear Power Plant at Zaporizhzhia: Despite having been somewhat shut down, could it once again become a Russian target ?
~ From AP:
EXPLAINER: Ukraine's Nuclear Power Plant Shutdown Cuts Risks
3. Renewed Russian hostilities and bombing to the North as retribution.
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Still, here's more on the 18 Russian Districts who came out against Putin and the war, and importantly Col. Cedric Leighton on the Ukrainian Counter Offensive:
~ From CNN: (Video)
Sep 12, 2022
Officials From 18 Russian Districts Call for Putin To Resign
Well, I think we all know what is going to happen to the officials who signed the petition from the 18 Russian districts.
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And yet another version of «Ой у лузі червона калина» translated to English lyrics here.
Over and Out For Now.
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