Russia/Ukraine Update: 17 Jan 2024
Russia/Ukraine Update: 17 Jan 2024
The willpower of the Slavs is bigger than Winter. Intense fighting the past 48 hours, losses on both sides, but results clearly in Russia's favour.
600 subscribers - thank you.
“YOU HATE THE ONES YOU HAVE WRONGED”
I wrote about Gonzalo Lira and his death but would like to remind you about his life. Here he answers, “Why do the Europeans hate Russia so much”? I shudder when he lights a cigarette, remembering his bad health and grey hair when he was released on bail (before his escape attempt).
RECOMMENDATION
Tired of mainstream propaganda. Biweekly, the UK Column does an excellent job in covering the news meaningfully. In between, they have a number of other features. Try the latest news edition, and get hooked into truth.
FEATURED QUOTES
“Russian progress is not yet evident on the map, where the battle lines have not moved appreciably over the past year… But this picture is misleading. The Kremlin is almost certainly not seeking such a breakthrough, at least not yet. Rather, it is methodically grinding down Ukraine’s capacity not only to wage war, but also to reconstitute a post-war military, by killing and wounding enormous numbers of Ukrainian soldiers and exhausting Ukrainian and Western arsenals of arms and ammunition. Ukraine is running short of artillery shells, and the U.S. and Europe cannot manufacture new ones quickly enough to meet Ukraine’s needs. Russian barrages of long-range air and missile strikes are increasingly overwhelming the capacity of Ukrainian air defenses, and the West simply lacks the ability to continue providing Patriot missiles or other advanced air defense systems.” – Responsible Statecraft
and
“The West is assisting Ukraine in holding positions and thereby inflicting massive casualties on Ukrainians — future Russian people — with all its social and macroeconomic consequences. This is also inflicting significant casualties on Russia. In other words, the West is encouraging a Russian civil war where Russians are fighting other Russians (Ukrainians) without Western soldiers risking their lives. I have always said this is a vector of success for the West. I cannot put it any other way. The West wins with every dead Ukrainian or Russian. Even though Russia is winning overwhelmingly, the whole war is a losing vector for Russia from a social and humanitarian perspective.” – Black Mountain Analysis
NEWS
Has there ever been such a big change in a country’s trade flow as has happened in Russia the past 2 years? Russia, undoubtedly, is experiencing problems without Western machine and computer parts, and will have shortages of some food types this year, but has, overall, performed well. It’s interesting to see the consequences of Western sanctions because depriving some creates opportunity for others e.g., Chinese automakers sold record 553,000 cars in Russia in 2023. On the ground, in the pubs, Russians cry tears of laughter into their sanctioned German beer.
In response to the USA deciding that North Korean weapons are evil (and not the West’s), Russia is hosting North Korea's foreign minister, Choe Song-hui, for a 3-day visit this week.
MILITARY NEWS
Ukraine, Britain announce security agreement during Kyiv visit by PM Sunak
Russia says Ukraine's security cooperation deal with UK leaves it without chances for peace talks
Surprise: US military failed to properly track weapons to Ukraine
US claims huge portion of the ocean floor, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic
Russia claims to have struck 'Ukrainian military-industrial complex'
Defense Secretary Austin’s presumptive replacement woke deep-stater, Dr. Kathleen Hicks.
Bloodied and exhausted: Ukraine’s effort to mobilize more troops hits trouble
GENERAL NEWS
China Wants to Ditch the Dollar [great article]
Crisis politics in Ukraine: Regime split, pre-coup, pre-revolutionary conditions
How US prostrates in front of Russia for fuel Uranium to keep the lights on
Ex-mayor of Russia city goes to fight in Ukraine after bribery conviction
Russia designates crime author Boris Akunin as ‘foreign agent’
A Step to the Right: Two Weeks with Right Sector, Jan-February 2014
Implementation of Putin-Kim agreements in full swing, says Lavrov
Second phase of Ukraine’s land reform underway, critics say law will hurt small farmers
Five EU members sign letter to Brussels demanding customs duties on Ukrainian food products
RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY REPORT
Which is more likely, Ukraine claiming it killed 30,000 Russians the past month or Russia stating:
“In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery repelled six attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 95th Air Assault Brigade close to Sinkovka (Kharkov region). The enemy losses amounted to up to 160 troops, three tanks (two of them - Leopards), and two pickup trucks.
In Krasny Liman [Lyman] direction, the Tsentr Group of Forces, supported by artillery fire, repelled four attacks launched by assault groups of the 63rd mechanised and 25th air assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic), and Yampolovka (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy losses amounted to up to 250 troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, and six motor vehicles.
In Donetsk direction, the Yug Group of Forces, supported by artillery, repelled five attacks launched by assault groups of the 10th mountain assault and 24th mechanised brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces close to Veseloye and Bogdanovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
In addition, artillery and heavy flamethrowers hit the enemy's manpower and military hardware near Kurdyumovka (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy lost up to 280 troops, one tank, two infantry fighting vehicles, and four motor vehicles. During the counter-battery warfare, the following were hit: one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, as well as one D-20 gun.
In South-Donetsk direction, the Vostok Group of Forces in cooperation with artillery and heavy flamethrowers, inflicted fire damage on the 72nd mechanised and 79th air assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine close to Vladimirovka and Novomikhailovka (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy's losses amounted to 120 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, two pick-up trucks, one U.S.-made M777 artillery system, and one MT-12 anti-tank gun.
In Zaporozhye direction, units of the Russian Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery defeated clusters of manpower and military hardware of the 82nd Air Assault Brigade and the 116th Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine close to Verbovoye and Rabotino (Zaporozhye region). The AFU lost up to 115 troops killed and wounded, three armoured fighting vehicles, one D-20 howitzer, and two D-30 guns.
In Kherson direction, as a result of the Russian Group of Forces actions and artillery, the AFU losses amounted to up to 65 Ukrainian troops, four motor vehicles. Moreover, one U.S.-made M777 artillery system, one M-109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system, and three Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems were neutralised in counter-battery warfare.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged AFU manpower and hardware in 112 areas during the day.
Air defence systems have shot down 69 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles during the day, including close to Novaya Mayachka, Golaya Pristann (Kherson region), Pologi (Zaporozhye region), Staromikhailovka, Peski, Spornoye, Maryinka, Lipovoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Belogorovka, Nyrkovo, Topolevka, Verkhnekamenka, and Krivosheyevka (Lugansk People's Republic), as well as 13 HIMARS MLRS projectiles.
In total, 567 airplanes and 265 helicopters, 10,758 unmanned aerial vehicles, 450 air defence missile systems, 14,645 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 1,202 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 7,750 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 17,507 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.”
MILITARY ANALYSIS
NEWS VIDEOS
PODCASTS
Blocked & Reported: Actually, Substack Doesn't Have a Nazi Problem
Gold, Goats & Guns: Mark Wauck and the Meanings in Historical Context
INTERVIEW WITH TOM LUONGO
ILLUMINATE
Let’s end powerfully, with MLK making an exceptional speech about the U.S. military being the greatest exporter of global violence.
* * * * * *
LOOKING BACK AT WHY THIS SUBSTACK STARTED
Putin Isn’t the only Monster in Ukraine series (each can be read as standalone):
Dangerous Propaganda: I'm going to try make you as uncomfortable as I feel...
Does South Africa Love Russia More Than Ukraine? You can bomb people... just not the white ones...
Is it NATO’s Fault? Europe and the USA were warned by their own people...
Ukraine Has Lost the War: Are you witnessing a victor in the rubble?
From Nazi History to Civil War: How can we fight Nazism without saying 'Nazi'?
Nazis Are Convenient: Is the right-wing hero or opportunist in war?
Bloody Bakhmut is Falling… into Zelensky’s Shame: "Forward", the General yelled from the rear…