December 4Dec 4 Popular Post 9 hours ago, atomheartbevo said: We need to stop trying to make a peace deal until Moscow wants to. This is ridiculous. This. Full stop. I've negotiated with plenty of irrational, maximalist opposing parties. And once they have given you enough indications that is their approach, your only appropriate response is "fine. You know how to reach us when you're ready to talk." Then, you do two things. First, you stand fast against everything they throw at you. Don't back down. Second, counter-attack and score some wins: bloody their nose. Opposing parties like this don't come to the table until their pain threshold is exceeded. It is the only thing that will motivate them to seek a deal. Any moment until then doing anything else -- and any moment that you are not devoting to doing the only thing that will advance the ball (that is, punching them in the nose repeatedly) -- is a waste of time. Russia will deal either when Russia breaks/Putin dies, or when the pain becomes too much to bear. And they can bear a lot of pain, so you need to inflict a lot of pain. Well-to-do Russians freezing in their apartments in Moscow this winter, that sort of shit, is how you advance the ball.
December 4Dec 4 3 hours ago, Ghost of LL said: 1) Russian dressing is the only proper dressing on a Reuben. Putting Thousand Island on it just turns it into a kosher Big Mac. 2) Russian dressing isn't proper Russian dressing unless it has caviar in it. 3) Aside from Katz's, the best Reuben I've ever had is at Scholz's. Damn--I'm hungry. Katz's is great. Langer's in LA ftw. Better bread and more tender pastrami. there was a holy shit moment in Dublin Do Trump's negotiators listen mainly to Russia? SPIEGEL has the transcript of a crisis switch, which shows how deep the distrust is among Europeans - also among Chancellor Merz and President Macron. https://archive.is/k0bq8
December 4Dec 4 Popular Post 23 minutes ago, Chopper said: Do Trump's negotiators listen mainly to Russia? SPIEGEL has the transcript of a crisis switch, which shows how deep the distrust is among Europeans - also among Chancellor Merz and President Macron. https://archive.is/k0bq8 Is this even a real question? They literally took Russia's "peace" plan, put it on WH stationary, and sent it out as the US plan. You tell me.
December 4Dec 4 Popular Post Putin apparently clarified his 'peace plan' today: "Give us what we want, or we'll continue to try to take it by force." Fuck this guy. And fuck anyone who tries to justify taking his side. What kind of fucked up simulation are we in where we don't even pretend to be the champion of democracy or the rule of law anymore? 😡😡😡
December 4Dec 4 1 hour ago, morehornsepower said: Putin apparently clarified his 'peace plan' today: "Give us what we want, or we'll continue to try to take it by force." Fuck this guy. And fuck anyone who tries to justify taking his side. What kind of fucked up simulation are we in where we don't even pretend to be the champion of democracy or the rule of law anymore? 😡😡😡
December 4Dec 4 1 hour ago, Chad Fuck said: Is this even a real question? They literally took Russia's "peace" plan, put it on WH stationary, and sent it out as the US plan. You tell me. I think they refrain from assuming that the reader knows everything alleged about the machinations, and provide the perspective you're looking for. I'd say that's a good thing. Quote While the Europeans always publicly praise Washington's new initiative, the paper shows that in addition to Merz and Macron, other participants of the Schalte do not trust the two US emissaries.
December 4Dec 4 59 minutes ago, Chopper said: in addition to Merz and Macron, other participants of the Schalte do not trust the two US emissaries. I'd think poorly - as in, so poorly they could never recover in my eyes - of anyone who DID trust those two absolute in-over-their-head clowns.
December 5Dec 5 15 minutes ago, B00M said: How much of Russias gold reserve has been sold? How much money do they have left? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_reserve Note that while Russian gold reserves are listed as 2,332.7 tonnes, of the 405.7 tonnes held by the National Wealth Fund at the beginning of the war, only 173.1 remained as of November 2025. From November Russia started selling physical NWF gold on the internal gold market, whereas it had previously sold it to the Central Bank, to maintain NWF liquidity while preserving physical reserves Supposedly $215 billion earlier this year on hand. Edit: last month it was mentions they had to dump a shitload of money into their rail infrastructure because it was losing a lot of money. They probably had more gold than publicly known, but things are probably worse than publicly known. Edited December 5Dec 5 by atomheartbevo
December 5Dec 5 covering a jeep in mines/C4 charges and ghost riding it into a bunch of enemies is PEAK BattlefieldFormer Battlefield dev here: Can confirmOnly thing that comes close is ejection seat + RPG + return to plane
December 5Dec 5 1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said: That has to be the fourth or fifth drone strike on Syzran since August. I think that name has been coming up an awful lot the last six months
December 5Dec 5 30 minutes ago, Gatorubet said: That has to be the fourth or fifth drone strike on Syzran since August. I think that name has been coming up an awful lot the last six months They hit it multiple times in 2024, and hit it this year starting in February Russia's Syzran oil refinery suspended operations following a drone attack, sources say | Reuters - February this year Drones attack energy facilities in Russia, Syzran Oil Refinery hit - November this year Quote The Syzran Refinery in Samara region is part of the Samara group of refineries acquired by Rosneft in May 2007. The plant’s crude distillation capacity equals 8.5 mln tons (65.1 mln barrels) per year. The refinery processes West Siberian crude (produced by Yuganskneftegaz) as well as feedstock from Rosneft’s oil fields in the Samara region (Samaraneftegaz). The plant’s deep conversion facilities include catalytic reforming, fuel hydrotreatment, light hydrocracking, catalytic and thermal cracking, isomerization, bitumen production, and gas fractioning units. Syzran Refinery produces a wide range of petroleum products, such as high-quality motor fuels, jet fuel, bitumen, etc. The construction of the Syzran Refinery began before the Great Patriotic War, and the first batch of oil products was produced in 1942. In early 1970’s, the plant capacities were expanded and modernized: the crude oil distillation capacity grew by 40%, hydrotreatment and bitumen production capacities grew by more than 70%. Quote The enterprise continues implementing activities aimed at reduction of non-recoverable losses. As a result, non-recoverable losses have been reduced to 0.66% of the summary processing volumes. In 2014, 7.14 million tons of oil were processed at the Syzran Refinery, an increase by 3.8% versus 2013, and 6.8 million tons of marketable commodities were produced. The refining depth was 65.99%. Gasoline and diesel fuel of the grade Euro-4 and 5 are being manufactured. Edited December 5Dec 5 by atomheartbevo
December 5Dec 5 So they may have been trying to hit the FSB building, and some electronic interference sent it into the building on the 500 ruble bill, lol. Edited December 5Dec 5 by atomheartbevo
December 5Dec 5 6 hours ago, atomheartbevo said: So they may have been trying to hit the FSB building, and some electronic interference sent it into the building on the 500 ruble bill, lol. Again. Faster.
December 5Dec 5 22 minutes ago, Parliament said: Again. Faster. I'm guessing their strategy here is a little payback for Chechens torturing Ukrainian POWs, a little payback for the TikTok Brigades pretending to fight in Ukraine and filming themselves attacking Ukraine for Mother Russia and flooding Chechen social media with the videos, and probably more about telling the Chechen people "Hey, your leaders are backing this war in Ukraine, and Putin is not willing to spend on air defenses for you, why would you send your sons and husbands off for this?"
December 5Dec 5 Way to out yourself as an America-hating traitor al qaeda terrorist member of Asian Dawn. Geez.Asian Dawn?
December 5Dec 5 https://www.threads.com/@_nickmelnick/post/DR4v9hKDJY6?xmt=AQF0OjxG7bz7qHRLJVckqEOYZu9v0gL3rMxShGhts56amg ⚡️Ukrainian kamikaze drones strike a Russian "Su-24M" bomber in Crimea.As part of the operation, the following were also hit: - an antenna inside a radome; - a 39N6 “Kasta-2E2” radar station; - an “Orion” UAV; - two 48Ya6-K1 “Podlyot” radar stations; - a freight train and a Ural truck.
December 5Dec 5 48 minutes ago, Eskimohorn said: Asian Dawn? The 90s porn actress? 9 minutes ago, MillerEP said: https://www.threads.com/@_nickmelnick/post/DR4v9hKDJY6?xmt=AQF0OjxG7bz7qHRLJVckqEOYZu9v0gL3rMxShGhts56amg ⚡️Ukrainian kamikaze drones strike a Russian "Su-24M" bomber in Crimea.As part of the operation, the following were also hit: - an antenna inside a radome; - a 39N6 “Kasta-2E2” radar station; - an “Orion” UAV; - two 48Ya6-K1 “Podlyot” radar stations; - a freight train and a Ural truck. The train and the truck can be replaced easily enough (maybe not the train engine). Everything else? Probably not.
December 5Dec 5 58 minutes ago, Eskimohorn said: Asian Dawn? I read about them in Time magazine Edited December 5Dec 5 by Jameslaw121
December 5Dec 5 Way to go Putin! You got Sweden and Finland off the fence and joining NATO and now Germany is ramping their military back up!
December 5Dec 5 Popular Post 4 minutes ago, MissingInAction said: What could go wrong? Well, Trump is wanting the US to partially pull out of NATO by 2027, because Russia won the Cold War I guess. Exclusive: US sets 2027 deadline for Europe-led NATO defense, officials say
December 5Dec 5 1 hour ago, MillerEP said: https://www.threads.com/@_nickmelnick/post/DR4v9hKDJY6?xmt=AQF0OjxG7bz7qHRLJVckqEOYZu9v0gL3rMxShGhts56amg ⚡️Ukrainian kamikaze drones strike a Russian "Su-24M" bomber in Crimea.As part of the operation, the following were also hit: - an antenna inside a radome; - a 39N6 “Kasta-2E2” radar station; - an “Orion” UAV; - two 48Ya6-K1 “Podlyot” radar stations; - a freight train and a Ural truck. Where you been man? Welcome news.
December 5Dec 5 What a load of shit. Being located in Europe is a requirement for all new members. As such, the alliance cannot, by definition, be composed of a majority of non-European nations and, therefore, cannot be "perpetually expanding," since the list of non-NATO countries is now somewhat limited. Edited December 5Dec 5 by bolverk
December 5Dec 5 6 minutes ago, bolverk said: What a load of shit. Being located in Europe is a requirement for all new members. As such, the alliance cannot, by definition, be composed of a majority of non-European nations and, therefore, cannot be "perpetually expanding," since the list of non-NATO countries is now somewhat limited. Having no knowledge of this, does that mean Mexico can't join?
December 5Dec 5 2 minutes ago, Jameslaw121 said: Having no knowledge of this, does that mean Mexico can't join? Correct. They cannot. Edit: It's the same reason Japan and South Korea haven't joined. Edited December 5Dec 5 by bolverk
December 5Dec 5 29 minutes ago, bolverk said: Correct. They cannot. Edit: It's the same reason Japan and South Korea haven't joined. Japan and South Korea Make sense. But Mexico is actually in the North Atlantic. Not that it really matters, just learned something new today.
December 5Dec 5 32 minutes ago, bolverk said: Correct. They cannot. Edit: It's the same reason Japan and South Korea haven't joined. And Australia. Those three would join if they could, We used to have SEATO which was the Asian equivalent of NATO.
December 5Dec 5 https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/germany-russia-war-nato-secret-plan-8ce43a8d?st=gZjMt3&reflink=article_copyURL_share Interesting article from the journal last week. The section regarding the bridge closing in northwestern Germany, which cut off the only railway link serving the North Sea port of Nordenham, really drives home just how critical infrastructure protection is during war.
December 5Dec 5 20 hours ago, Schulz2.0 said: "Overnight on 4–5 December, Ukrainian long-range drones reportedly struck the gas terminal at Russia’s Temryuk port on the Sea of Azov, just across the Kerch Strait from occupied Crimea. Russian regional authorities themselves confirmed a UAV attack and subsequent fire that damaged port infrastructure, while videos from the scene show large fuel fires and secondary detonations. Open-source analysis indicates the blaze centered on a gas terminal used for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), with OSINT accounts suggesting that a nearby Gazprom-linked oil terminal may also have been within the target area. Temryuk is a key logistics hub handling LPG, oil products, and petrochemicals—commodities that help fuel Russia’s war machine and sustain its occupation of Ukrainian territory." The Temryuk NGL Terminal is ~ 50 miles from the Kerch Strait, on the Sea of Asov. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is a commercial term, either the purity Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) products, or some combination of them. The terminal receives NGL's via rail, has ~ 100,000 bbl (4.5 MM gallons) of NGL storage on site, and loads the LPG tankers. More evidence of Ukraine's approach to systematically "degrade" the Russian Oil & Gas Infrastructure. Good for them in choosing a location that is relatively remote, though it has a smallish footprint. The orientation of the storage tanks, or bullets, are pointed towards each other, rather than away. Not the ideal orientation, but changing that would point the tanks at the rail rack and tanker loading/unloading berth. Either way, it's a juicy target. Edited December 5Dec 5 by PTINS typo
December 5Dec 5 1 hour ago, Vertuzzi said: https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/germany-russia-war-nato-secret-plan-8ce43a8d?st=gZjMt3&reflink=article_copyURL_share Interesting article from the journal last week. The section regarding the bridge closing in northwestern Germany, which cut off the only railway link serving the North Sea port of Nordenham, really drives home just how critical infrastructure protection is during war. Critical infrastructure is not designed to be war proof. A single drone with a grenade is a scary thought. Yes, I understand and support Ukraines targeting of Russian O&G export infrastructure to cripple the war machine. But longer term, removing 10% of the world oil production, and the closest source of natural gas to Europe, is going to have longer term effects, on everyone. The coupling of war reparations and lifting of sanctions is going to be a thorny issue that will take time.
December 5Dec 5 https://www.threads.com/@u24.gov.ua/post/DR5Cc7_DKcV?xmt=AQF0_oK-3IYcHv7ZgxLxI_kL7cWfk5OhIUT0Wn0pdC9P3A In the frontline town of Bilozerske, Donetsk region, a message appeared on a building destroyed by russian shelling: “russia killed my family here. will avenge them!”
December 5Dec 5 24 minutes ago, PTINS said: Critical infrastructure is not designed to be war proof. A single drone with a grenade is a scary thought. Yes, I understand and support Ukraines targeting of Russian O&G export infrastructure to cripple the war machine. But longer term, removing 10% of the world oil production, and the closest source of natural gas to Europe, is going to have longer term effects, on everyone. The coupling of war reparations and lifting of sanctions is going to be a thorny issue that will take time. Would you say that Europe’s plan to phase out Russian LNG by 2027 is still obtainable? Imports from the US and Qatar are increasing, just wondering if it would be enough to completely offset the Russian pipeline.
December 5Dec 5 32 minutes ago, Vertuzzi said: Would you say that Europe’s plan to phase out Russian LNG by 2027 is still obtainable? Imports from the US and Qatar are increasing, just wondering if it would be enough to completely offset the Russian pipeline. That is a complex question. "Phasing out" is a price sensitive term, and human nature generally means anybody will do anything for the right price. Putting the LNG "sanctions" aside, at the end of the day, a spot cargo of Russian LNG will be cheaper than others, simply because the transit time from Russia is less than the US Gulf Coast, or the Middle East, or Australia. The capacity of the two Nordsteam Pipelines was ~ 10 BCF/day, which is ~ 4-5 world class LNG Plants. That is a big hole to fill. Russia's total LNG capacity is ~ 5 BCD, some of which was earmarked for Europe. Some of these came on line recently, in the Arctic and St. Petersburg, and how much they can actually produce is kind of a mystery. It is new enough, and given the challenges of the arctic, and Russia business in general, demonstrating reliability is a prerequisite for longer term contracts. In many cases, the companies/countries that need the LNG are also owners in the liquefaction/export facilities, so they take their ownership share of the LNG in-kind, rather than depending on third party sells. LNG is a very different animal than oil or refined products. In some cases, though there is a point to point "contract" for the LNG, that contract is in limbo until the ship docks at the destination. In times past, it was commonplace to have a ship change direction in transit and go to another destination, without any significant contract repercussions. While on the high seas, it is fair game for the highest bidder. Even within the local gas market, that information is closely guarded, because a huge influx of gas moves the market. US LNG costs will become more expensive, because the underlying demand for natural gas will increase. In the early 2000's, gas was expensive, so the US started building LNG import terminals. The Chenier Plant at Sabine Pass started as an import terminal in 2008. We received LNG imports into Louisiana ~ 2010 (I think we received 4 cargo's), and in 2012, Chenier received a FERC permit to building export facilities. The combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing of shale, unlocked the gas resources, and all bets changed. Biden's election in 2020 changed the narrative, and Russia's Invasion and Nordstream's explosion spiked gas prices, for a bit. The Donald, and new reality of the US stepping in to fill the European void from losing Russian gas is not an issue from a resource/capacity perspective. The price of the LNG is the first big question. Domestic gas prices have doubled in the past few months. Cheap oil stops the drilling in the Permian, which is primarily based on oil economics. Appalachia is all gas, much higher near term gas potential than the Permian, but moving gas south to the Gulf Coast is limited by pipeline capacity. Sending US LNG gas to Europe while increasing domestic gas prices is going to leave a mark. The Eastern US is already seeing increased gas bills because of administrative and infrastructure costs. Layering in higher commodity prices will not be well received. And, as we all appreciate, the whims of a new administration in DC, is hard to predict.
December 5Dec 5 https://www.threads.com/@militarynewsua/post/DR5dUahiKqX?xmt=AQF04wylzu6q5PH-wlI1ni2PXTykDVS1i4m8bcT8tRZW4g ❗️Right now, kamikaze drones are attacking targets in 🇷🇺Ryazan. 1 / 2 https://www.threads.com/@militarynewsua/post/DR5iJdviBbo?xmt=AQF0tahQ--5YsDpnVeHqEJ-VjhcKjv_OvnPYRY3Tn6fwHQ ❗️It is reported that kamikaze drones attacked the 🇷🇺Ryazan Oil Refinery. 1 / 2 ^Hitting it again Edited December 5Dec 5 by MillerEP
December 5Dec 5 1 hour ago, PTINS said: That is a complex question. "Phasing out" is a price sensitive term, and human nature generally means anybody will do anything for the right price. Putting the LNG "sanctions" aside, at the end of the day, a spot cargo of Russian LNG will be cheaper than others, simply because the transit time from Russia is less than the US Gulf Coast, or the Middle East, or Australia. The capacity of the two Nordsteam Pipelines was ~ 10 BCF/day, which is ~ 4-5 world class LNG Plants. That is a big hole to fill. Russia's total LNG capacity is ~ 5 BCD, some of which was earmarked for Europe. Some of these came on line recently, in the Arctic and St. Petersburg, and how much they can actually produce is kind of a mystery. It is new enough, and given the challenges of the arctic, and Russia business in general, demonstrating reliability is a prerequisite for longer term contracts. In many cases, the companies/countries that need the LNG are also owners in the liquefaction/export facilities, so they take their ownership share of the LNG in-kind, rather than depending on third party sells. LNG is a very different animal than oil or refined products. In some cases, though there is a point to point "contract" for the LNG, that contract is in limbo until the ship docks at the destination. In times past, it was commonplace to have a ship change direction in transit and go to another destination, without any significant contract repercussions. While on the high seas, it is fair game for the highest bidder. Even within the local gas market, that information is closely guarded, because a huge influx of gas moves the market. US LNG costs will become more expensive, because the underlying demand for natural gas will increase. In the early 2000's, gas was expensive, so the US started building LNG import terminals. The Chenier Plant at Sabine Pass started as an import terminal in 2008. We received LNG imports into Louisiana ~ 2010 (I think we received 4 cargo's), and in 2012, Chenier received a FERC permit to building export facilities. The combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing of shale, unlocked the gas resources, and all bets changed. Biden's election in 2020 changed the narrative, and Russia's Invasion and Nordstream's explosion spiked gas prices, for a bit. The Donald, and new reality of the US stepping in to fill the European void from losing Russian gas is not an issue from a resource/capacity perspective. The price of the LNG is the first big question. Domestic gas prices have doubled in the past few months. Cheap oil stops the drilling in the Permian, which is primarily based on oil economics. Appalachia is all gas, much higher near term gas potential than the Permian, but moving gas south to the Gulf Coast is limited by pipeline capacity. Sending US LNG gas to Europe while increasing domestic gas prices is going to leave a mark. The Eastern US is already seeing increased gas bills because of administrative and infrastructure costs. Layering in higher commodity prices will not be well received. And, as we all appreciate, the whims of a new administration in DC, is hard to predict. Appreciate the info, mate. Certainly not my area of expertise but looking forward to researching more. Will be interesting to see if the Europeans are actually able to boost their renewable power output as significantly as they project through the end of this decade, which would supposedly offset LNG demand. Feels a bit too aggressive to me, though I’m certainly no expert on this matter.
December 6Dec 6 15 hours ago, MillerEP said: https://www.threads.com/@militarynewsua/post/DR5dUahiKqX?xmt=AQF04wylzu6q5PH-wlI1ni2PXTykDVS1i4m8bcT8tRZW4g ❗️Right now, kamikaze drones are attacking targets in 🇷🇺Ryazan. 1 / 2 https://www.threads.com/@militarynewsua/post/DR5iJdviBbo?xmt=AQF0tahQ--5YsDpnVeHqEJ-VjhcKjv_OvnPYRY3Tn6fwHQ ❗️It is reported that kamikaze drones attacked the 🇷🇺Ryazan Oil Refinery. 1 / 2 ^Hitting it again Been hit more that South Austin's mom. 5 hours ago, atomheartbevo said: They’ve hit that one oil refinery 9 times, Guess not. Not even close. Serious question. Why not put an M2 on every hard point and kill them WW2 style? https://united24media.com/latest-news/ukraines-f-16s-just-got-a-new-add-on-and-its-shredding-enemy-drones-14058
December 6Dec 6 6 minutes ago, Parliament said: Been hit more that South Austin's mom. Guess not. Not even close. Serious question. Why not put an M2 on every hard point and kill them WW2 style? https://united24media.com/latest-news/ukraines-f-16s-just-got-a-new-add-on-and-its-shredding-enemy-drones-14058 They're laser guided rockets, so they've got a way higher PK than gunsgunsguns
December 6Dec 6 Terrible article from the NYT: Battlefield Picture Worsening for Ukraine as Trump Pushes Peace Plan Russian forces have advanced on several fronts recently. President Vladimir V. Putin signaled after talks with U.S. officials that he was not budging from demands. Listen to this article · 7:52 min Learn more The 148th Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Army in October in the Zaporizhzhia region of eastern Ukraine.Credit...Tyler Hicks/The New York Times By Cassandra Vinograd, Oleksandr Chubko and Maria Varenikova Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine Dec. 6, 2025, 5:33 a.m. ET It was a clear attempt to project Russian power. Hours before meeting U.S. officials in Moscow this past week about their plan to end the war, President Vladimir V. Putin claimed that Russia’s forces had seized the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk after a monthslong fight. The reality was murkier. Slivers of the city were still contested, according to battlefield maps and the Ukrainian military. But Mr. Putin’s claim, even if premature, reflected a trend shaping his unbending approach to negotiations: Russian forces are on the march. “The Russians do have the upper hand,” said Emil Kastehelmi, a military analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group. Ukraine is not yet at the point where it must capitulate, he said, but it “is looking weak enough that the Russians think that they can impose demands.” Mr. Putin has ordered the Russian military to prepare for winter combat, signaling after the talks with U.S. officials that he is not budging from his hard-line demands. Mr. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has since held a series of discussions in Miami with Ukraine’s delegation — with another expected to take place on Saturday — that both sides called “constructive.” As these statements were being released, Russia unleashed more than 650 drones and 51 missiles on towns and cities across Ukraine in an assault that began overnight on Friday and stretched through Saturday morning, Ukrainian officials said. Image Ukrainian soldiers last month near Pokrovsk, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.Credit...Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters In recent weeks, Russian forces have advanced on several fronts. They are on the brink of capturing Pokrovsk, a onetime logistics hub in the eastern region of Donetsk, and have nearly encircled its neighbor, Myrnohrad. They are moving quicker in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia. They are pressing closer to the northeastern city of Kupiansk, and they are making gains around the eastern city of Siversk, according to battlefield maps, analysts and soldiers. The advances have been slow and costly, in both lives and equipment. Ukrainian officials and analysts say Mr. Putin could still be years away from achieving his territorial goals. Chief among them is capturing the rest of the Donetsk region, which would give Russia all of the broader eastern Ukrainian area known as the Donbas. But Russia’s pace is quickening, and incremental moves have started to add up. Moscow’s forces captured 505 square kilometers, or nearly 200 square miles, of territory in November, up from 267 square kilometers, or about 100 square miles, in October, according to the battlefield map maintained by DeepState, a Ukrainian group with ties to the military. “The future looks really, really grim for Ukraine,” said Mr. Kastehelmi, the analyst. “I don’t see a clear path out.” For now, Ukraine appears to have enough resources to keep the front line from collapsing. But it is bending. Mr. Putin has suggested that Ukraine, facing manpower shortages and uncertainty about Western aid, should concede to his demands before the war gets even worse. The Russian leader, in an interview with an Indian news outlet that was published on Thursday, said Russia would take additional territory in Donetsk by whatever means necessary. The Kremlin’s summer offensive, which was aimed at capturing all of Donetsk, produced limited gains. But starting in the fall, the tide there started to turn in Russia’s favor. After months of bombarding Pokrovsk with artillery, drones and glide bombs, Russian forces punched through a string of villages and settlements to fight their way into the city. “Things started to fall apart a bit on our side” starting in September, said Ihor, a Ukrainian drone pilot in the area who gave only his first name, according to military protocol. “The line just began collapsing from exhaustion.” Russian forces are sending fixed-wing Molniya drones and waves of mini kamikaze drones that carry explosives, he said, adding that Ukraine had nothing comparable in mass production. The current push for a peace plan is “all bluff,” he said, adding that as long as the Russians have “the ability to press us, they will keep pressing.” At the same time, Russian forces have taken aim at other critical cities in Donetsk, including Kostiantynivka and Lyman. Credit... Oleh Voitsekhovskyi, a Ukrainian captain whose unit is near Lyman, said Russian forces were attacking “all the time” and “along all directions.” Drone strikes, shelling — it never stops, he said. “In the last two months,” he added, “you can feel an increase in the intensity of hostilities.” Russian forces move in small groups, he said, as Ukrainian drones keep watch overhead. Heavy fog has made it harder for the drones to fend off the Russians. Russia’s push toward Kostiantynivka, though, has so far failed to yield much in the way of territorial gains, the DeepState map shows. The same can be said for Lyman. That has put more emphasis and urgency on Pokrovsk. A thick fog descends there every day, accompanying “the smell of burned coal and the smell of gunpowder that has a hint of manganese, like at a firing range,” said Maksym Bakulin, who is with the 14th Operational Brigade of the National Guard. While the city was “alive” a year ago, he added, Pokrovsk’s once bustling streets now have “civilian bodies and military bodies mixed together, with no possibility to retrieve them.” Russian forces see Pokrovsk as a steppingstone toward Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, two heavily fortified cities in Donetsk that Ukraine still controls. Some analysts have questioned Ukraine’s decision to keep fighting in Pokrovsk and incur heavy losses there. Analysts and some Ukrainian soldiers have said Kyiv may be trying to hold on to avoid feeding Russia’s narrative of inevitable victory as peace talks heat up. Staying in Pokrovsk could also increase Russian forces’ losses. As Ukraine concentrated so many resources on that battle, analysts say, Russian forces spotted an opportunity elsewhere on the 75-mile-long front line, in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. Russian forces made a relatively quick march there in recent weeks, seizing about 75 square miles around the city of Huliaipole in November, nearly 40 percent of Moscow’s total territorial gains last month, according to DeepState. Ukraine has sent some reserves to the area, which has helped slow the advance, “but still the pace there is relatively alarming,” said Mr. Kastehelmi, the analyst. The onset of winter could reduce the pace of Russia’s advances along the broader front, and also Ukrainian movements. The preponderance of drones is slowing things down even further, forcing a shift away from infantry-heavy attacks. Because of the drones, the front line is less of a line and more of a patch of land, what soldiers call a “kill zone,” up to 15 miles wide in places. But Russia has a seemingly endless spigot of soldiers and a willingness to absorb heavy losses in a style of warfare that has been likened to a meat grinder. “Russia has committed itself to a war of attrition, and they are currently trying to militarily break Ukraine, slowly,” Mr. Kastehelmi said. As the 18-month battle for Pokrovsk seemingly enters its final stages, fears have risen for the neighboring city of Myrnohrad. Russia is storming Ukrainian positions there daily, said Oleh, a sergeant platoon commander in the area who also would give only his first name per military protocol. Drones have turned the roads in and out into death traps. “Neither by day nor by night do they give us peace,” Oleh said. He marveled at Russia’s resources, including night vision, resupply aircraft and soldiers. “If we have three people, they have 30,” he said. “How much manpower they have is just unreal.” “But,” he added, “they also did not expect that we would fight for so long.” Maria Varenikova covers Ukraine and its war with Russia. Edited December 6Dec 6 by Bevo
December 6Dec 6 12 minutes ago, Bevo said: Terrible article from the NYT: The NYT Pitchbot twitter account exists for a reason. Meanwhile, Russia having problems getting hard cash
December 6Dec 6 Just now, atomheartbevo said: The NYT Pitchbot twitter account exists for a reason. Can you explain this to me?
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