Day 1058 War in Ukraine

 

It’s illegal in Georgia to use a face covering or to shoot off fireworks, so Mariam Sitchinava is doing both! Authorities are getting embarrassed by the situation.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Ukraine. Starmer agrees to provide peacekeeping troops in the event of a peace agreement with Russia.

Authorities in Georgia are poisoning protesters with some unknown substance that’s causing a lot of physical problems.

The people of Georgia feel they must keep going or they can acquiesce in a dictatorship.

“The Russian TOR-M2 air defense system costs around $25–27 million” One system down!

Ukrainian Natalia Vlasova suffers horrible tortures and is now sentenced to 18 years in a Russian prison. She’s waiting to be exchanged.

27 Russians captured in Kursk operation.

“Human Safari” in Kherson continues.

Attacking on the Siversk front results in enormous losses.

Liski oil depot was covered in drone cages. It was burned anyway.

https://balloon-juice.com/2025/01/16/war-for-ukraine-day-1058-a-brief-thursday-night-update/

Day 1056 War in Ukraine

Ukrainians assist at the LA fires.

Russians launching strike fighters to try and get revenge for yesterday’s strike by Ukraine. It involved “drones, missiles, special operations, and intelligence” and hit targets as much as 1,100 km deep into Russia. More than 100 missiles spread across 12 regions.

Putin’s aide has extremely optimistic views concerning Ukraine and Moldova. He thinks both will soon cease to exist. Blogger thinks that If the aide takes over, he might even be worse than Putin.

Apparently, Russia deliberately provoked Trump’s interest in buying Greenland with a forged letter. The blogger describes the operation as a perfect Black PSYO. “The second point is how bad at their jobs Senator Cotton and his staff are.“

Sigh! Biden left $4 billion in aid that was allocated for Ukraine unused. “Drawdown” means we take from US stocks and then procure replacements from the US economy. That can only be done so quickly.

Fireworks and face coverings are both illegal in Georgia, which is why both used widely by protesters.

Georgians honor Sandro Akhmeteli (1886-1937), a theater director who died in Stalin’s purge.

Georgian opposition party member attacked and hospitalized.

Mzia Amaglobeli, CEO of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, is arrested on BS charge of assaulting a policeman. She was sentenced to “preventive detention,” which makes no sense, as she’s not violent.

Major pharmaceutical chain goes on strike for a symbolic five minutes.

Russia attacks with 80 drones. Only one hit its target. Ukraine is getting better at dealing with Russian strikes, in the meantime, Ukrainian effectiveness is improving.

Agree. It’s good to send recruits to experienced units rather than to create new units with them.

https://balloon-juice.com/2025/01/14/war-for-ukraine-day-1056-strike-hard/

Important dates for next few weeks

 Greetings. To paraphrase John Oliver, It has been a busy few weeks.

We are sharing a list of upcoming Actions, Trainings and Webinars we have been organizing and collaborating on.

You can go to two locations on our website.  

Below that - (at the bloom of this message) are a couple of ACTION ALERTS that we implore you to do right away!

1. Our webpage for online stuff here, and -- 
2. Our webpage for in person events and actions, here. (These are sometimes hybrid events but we strongly encourage direct participation.) 

Please take whatever precautions for your health you feel you should and PLEASE mask if you are sick (better yet, stay home and take care of yourself - we need you)

or use the online option if it is available.

Some of these are also available on our calendar

We hope you can take part in as many as you are able and spread the word to others.

--------------------

Please share any local events you may be working on if not in the Philly area.

Jan 18th

People's March Philadelphia 

Saturday, January 18⋅10:00am –3:00pm  

Location: Philadelphia City Hall, 1401 John F Kennedy Blvd, 

Philadelphia, PA, 19012, United States

EVENTS PAGE

Jan 20th

Possible Inauguration Day Actions 

Part of Trump Watch. The Peace & Justice Edition.

Stay tuned

Jan 25th

Grassroots lobbying 101

Sponsored by the Dviest Philly from the War machine Coalition

Saturday, January 25 at 2:00pm-4:00pm 

prepare for the struggles to come

Where: Independence Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia 

18 S. 7th Street) How to Join: Sign up here! 

Feb. 1st

2025 WILPF PHILLY PEACE and JUSTICE DOVE AWARD

Saturday, February 1⋅1:00 – 3:30pm 

Location: Germantown Friends Meeting at,47 W Coulter St, Philadelphia, PA 19144

Gather to celebrate and learn about the life-long commitments of two incredible local activists: Maati Yvonne Platts and Sylvia Metzler

Feb 2nd

Champions of Human Rights: Voices and Action for a Just World

Sunday, February 2⋅3:00 – 4:30pm 

Organized by Coalition for Peace Action

Register for the online event here.

Feb 16th

How Do Social Movements Win?

and What Does “Winning” Mean?

DATE: Sun, Feb 16
TIME: 1 PM—5 PM
Southampton Friends Meeting
 710 Gravel Hill Road, Southampton PA 18966
Childcare available on request
Co-Sponsored by
Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW!
and
Hold The Line Bucks County

Register here.

--------------------------------

ACTION ALERTS!!

# 1

Divest from Israel Bonds, stop funding genocide.

SIgn up for our campaign to divest Pennsylvania from Israel Bonds which help fund genocide in Gaza.

You can sign our petition here.

We are collaborating with a sister effort with Jewish Voice for Peace. You can sign their petition here.

# 2

And a new effort, Trump Watch, The Peace & Justice Edition

Since Trump is hard to pin down, this will be a moving target but ...

We pledge to do our best to respond and resist quickly and strategically as he continues to create chaos.

In particular, a real danger is this time he and his MAGA force are better organized. 

One urgent threat is a slew of really bad appointments as presidential advisors to head up the national security state. 

    Here is our first Action Alert for this effort:

    Here is our first Action Alert for this effort:

Day 1054 War in Ukraine

Fifth day of the Russian Engels air base burning.

“Serbian president offers to host Trump-Putin meeting in Belgrade.”

Zelenskyy says that they’ve captured two North Korean soldiers. One wishes to be returned, one does not. They’re being saved for prisoner swaps.

He also expressed an interest in sending 150 firefighters to California to help battle the fires there.

Ukraine is also willing to help Moldova with the recent cut-off of Russian natural gas.

German Foreign Minister advises sending more aid to Ukraine.

Not sure where the restaurant is in relation to where Georgian protesters were gathered, but it was quickly discovered that a judicial corporate banquet was being held there. Attendees fled, being pelted with eggs. Police respond with brutality. In response to reports of protesters spitting into the food of the judges, that behavior is blamed on Lithuanians.

Mzia Amaghlobeli was arrested for holding a certain sign. Protesters show solidarity by holding up similar signs.

Members of the administration know they’ll never be able to clear their names. “From today on, the judicial rot in Georgia knows that people want them all sacked.”

Ukrainian serviceman Volodymyr Demchenko feels that North Korean soldiers are formidable antagonists.

North Koreans launch assault lasting eight hours. No Ukrainians harmed.

https://balloon-juice.com/2025/01/12/war-for-ukraine-day-1054-those-boots-wont-lick-themselves/

 

Day 1051 War in Ukraine

 

Not at all surprising. The closer a country is to Russia, the more money they’re willing to send to Ukraine to hold Russia back.

The Ukrainian Contact Group has been meeting since the full-scale war broke out in February 2022. With Trump taking over, Zelenskyy attends what is likely their final meeting.

Secretary of Defense Austin is right that tremendous damage has been done to Russia’s military resources, but Russia shows no signs of slowing down.

Trump has extended his pledge to end the war in Ukraine from a single day to 100 days. .

If Trump withdraws support for Ukraine, the EU says it is ready to pick it up again.

Denmark & Norway purchase arms directly from Ukrainian manufacturers for immediate, local use.

Canada pledges $305 million to Ukraine. That includes $138 million for large-caliber ammunition.

Salome Zourabishvili claims to be the only legitimate president of Georgia and will attend Trump’s inauguration and conduct diplomacy while in the US.

Protesters in Georgia risk fines by wearing face masks.

Million dollar Russian BM-21 Grad MLRS destroyed by an FPV drone that costs from $200 to $500.

Ukraine repels massive assault in Kursk region.

“Russia launched an airstrike on residential neighborhoods in Kherson in broad daylight.”

Russian forces only two km from Kupiansk. Russia conducted 12 attacks in one day.

Gifts were distributed to children in a village in Kherson that hardly ever sees visitors.

https://balloon-juice.com/2025/01/09/war-for-ukraine-day-1051-president-zelenskyy-addresses-what-is-likely-to-be-the-last-ukraine-contact-group-meeting/

Day 1046 War in Ukraine

When a guided bomb hits a residential building, that means the Russians knew EXACTLY what they were aiming at!

How the Ukrainian air defense did in 2024.

Germany’s “Chancellor Olaf Scholz could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before Germany’s parliamentary elections on Feb. 23.” Ukraine does NOT wish to be the subject of their conversation.

The Georgian singer Nutsa Buzaladze performs in a heavily government subsidized concert, with protesters shouting “Shame!” at her.

Beatings of woman Georgian protesters has begun. Foreign nationals who take part in Georgian protests are being expelled. Nationwide general strike scheduled for 15 January for three hours.

Carnegie Endowment does an assessment of the war in Ukraine. Many areas have improved, but Russia is gaining ground. The Kursk offensive has helped, but has not changed the basic trajectory of the conflict. Drones serve as a force multiplier. “Given observed constraints, Russia can’t sustain this intensity of combat operations either, and faces significant headwinds in the latter half of 2025.”

Russians using soldiers disguised as civilians to bypass Ukrainian positions.

A Ukrainian photographer documents what has happened on one park bench over a decade.

Ukrainian drones target sea port in in Leningrad Oblast. Most are shot down.\

Russian factory that produces solid-fuel rocket motors was attacked by drones.

https://balloon-juice.com/2025/01/04/war-for-ukraine-day-1046-sumy/

 

Day 1040 War in Ukraine

Blog post shows the extent of the many cables and pipelines crisscrossing the seabed of the Baltic Sea. Yeah, the only way to protect them from ships dragging their anchors is to immediately take on ships that drag their anchors. “Since autumn 2023 11 cables and pipes have been damaged by ships dragging their anchors in Baltic Sea.“

The off-going President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, will take the legitimacy of the office wih her. She plans to have a very active post-presidency, including meetings with other nations.

Georgian police are roughing up protesters.

In just one week, Russia launched “more than 280 KAB guided bombs, nearly 370 attack drones, and over 80 missiles” at Ukraine.

A while ago, I gave figures on Ukraine’s “Ruta” drone. Figures are more accurate here, but the basic point is the same. It costs much less to hit targets at a considerable distance with a Ruta or a Trembits than with a full-blown cruise missile. This also means that the American refusal to permit Ukraine to hit targets in Russia (a ban that was very recently mostly lifted) becomes irrelevant. Trump’s ability to tell Ukraine not to do something therefore shrinks a great deal.

Russia suffers a major loss of telecommunications equipment in occupied Ukraine.

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/12/29/war-for-ukraine-day-1040-a-brief-sunday-afternoon-update/

 

Day 1038 War in Ukraine

Andriy Yusov explains to a reporter how drones can fly up to 2k km into Russia.

Summary of past few nights of War in Ukraine:

For comparison, an anti-tank mine carries 5.4 to 13.6 kg of explosives. A 155 mm shell generally has about 45 kg.

The American “Switchblade” drone travels at 113 to 185 km/h and carries 15 kg of munitions.

The American “Tomahawk” cruise missile travels at 920 km/h, with 450 kg of munitions.

The Ukrainian “Ruta” travels at 700 km/h, with 100 kg of munitions.

The REALLY important point is that the Ruta costs about $300k whereas the Tomahawk costs around $2 million. You can strike the bad guys with six Rutas for the same cost as a single Tomahawk!

Blogger on the next two incidents: “It appears that we are inching closer to awareness that there is an actual world war underway.”

Russians shot down a civilian airliner with a surface-to-air missile. How do we know it was deliberate? “the damaged aircraft was not allowed to land at any Russian airports despite the pilots’ requests for an emergency landing“

A Russian-linked oil tanker appear to have been dragging its anchor and thereby cutting an underseas cable connecting Finland with Estonia, was loaded up with spy equipment. “’They were monitoring all Nato naval ships and aircraft,’ Lloyd’s List was told. ‘They had all details on them. They were just matching their frequencies.’”

The opposition in Georgia is getting more and more together and organized. They are demanding that prisoners be released and new elections held. Different groups and professions are taking turns leading the nightly marches. The government is using a special organization called “Khareba” to violently suppress protests. Government is also firing any civil servants who criticizes them.

Russians release a video where they consciously, deliberately, with malice and forethought, shoot down Santa Claus.

Russians continue to absolutely rain down missiles and drones on Ukrainian civilians as well as on Ukraine’s power grid, so as to make heating homes very difficult.

North Korean soldiers woefully unprepared for fighting in Ukraine, running across open fields with no armor or air support. Losses are massive.

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/12/27/war-for-ukraine-day-1038-inching-closer-to-awareness/

 

Day 1025 War in Ukraine

 

Crowd flying both Georgia and EU flags.

Ukraine sends food to Syria in order to prevent a crisis there.

Zelenskyy announces that North Koreans are taking part in assaults in Ukraine. “The Russians include them in combined units and use them in operations in the Kursk region.” This is an obvious escalation of the war. There are roughly 10k NK troops in the Kursk region.

“Friendly fire” incident between NK troops and Kadyrov’s Chechen soldiers.

Ukraine arranges for Trump to be able to take credit for an agreement that was the result of Biden’s actions. Ukrainians “have done a key leader/operational psychological assessment of him and determined the best way forward for dealing with him.” They’ve decided they need to play on his ego.

The Georgia Dream Party (the people are against them, but they have a majority in the parliament) is conducting a presidential election without the current incumbent. Young people make fun of the fellow running for president by playing with football (soccer) balls, “saying that Kavelashvili is as much a president as they are football players.”

Crowd prevents lighting of Christmas tree. Government couldn’t assemble enough pro-government people to convince anyone they were in the majority.

A central neighborhood in Dnipro suffers an explosion.

NK troops just attack in the open. No armor, no air support.

Ukraine reinforces Pokrovsk, which was beginning to crack. “The fighting is extremely fierce. The Russian invaders are throwing all available forces forward, trying to break through the defense of our troops.” It’s a serious problem that drones provide close intelligence on supply routes and troop positions.

Ukrainian saboteurs burn an Su-30 fighter jet. Railway locomotives also hit.

Many hours later, oil depot at Oryol still burning.

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/12/14/war-for-ukraine-day-1025-a-brief-saturday-night-update/

 

 

 

 

Day 1023 War in Ukraine

Mobile air defense groups are small teams that battle drones with machine guns.

Zelenskyy visits a school built in a bomb shelter. It can hold 1k students. The frontline is only 30 km away, but students are studying.

Ukrainian lawmakers want an assessment of how Ukraine will cope if US cuts off aid.

Trump thinks the Middle East is n easier problem to solve than Ukraine-Russia. The blogger strongly disagrees. All that has to happen in Ukraine is that Russia withdraws. Boom, problem solved! Middle East is compromised by decades of failed strategies. Trump feels that for Ukraine to send missiles into Russia is “just escalating this war and making it worse.”

By using ATACMS and Storm Shadows (long-range missiles), the number of glide bomb attacks has greatly decreased as aircraft have to be moved still further away from the front line.

Biography written on Zelenskyy unlikely to be translated into other languages as it’s very heavy in Estonian references. According to the book, Zelenskyy believed that peace with Russia was possible.

In Georgia, the heat was turned off for the Presidential Palace. Lots of fighting over the legitimacy of the current president. The IT community blocks a street and makes demands.

Film om Ukrainian military medics.

Took 46 hours, but the effects of a missile strike on a medical facility are fixed.

A thread with a Ukrainian mobile air defense group.

November set a record of 83 Shaheds launched daily.

In Kherson, Russians bombed a fire truck that had arrived at a fire.

Streets of Kharkiv lit up with Christmas lights.

Ammunition depot near Mariupol targeted.

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/12/12/war-for-ukraine-day-1023-russia-has-unleashed-its-drone-swarms/

 

Day 1015 War in Ukraine

Great weather with which to move around in Kherson as drones can’t hunt people during bad weather.

Russia launched 2,576 kamikaze Shahed drones against Ukraine in November. Putin wants to vastly increase the number of drones that Russia produces. As drones are inexpensive, Ukraine has developed inexpensive ways to fight them. “Using both mobile fire groups and EW, Borsari says that only around 5% of the drones” make it through to Ukrainian targets.

“House Speaker rejects Biden's request for additional $24 billion in Ukraine aid.” $2 billion of that would have gone to restocking US weapons so that we could give older weapons to Ukraine.

How does Trump plan to end the war in Ukraine? Getting Ukraine into NATO is “off the table.” Pressure on Zelenskyy seems very highly likely. People are highly skeptical as to how Russia can be pressured.

US insists that Ukraine draft more people. Blogger blasts this as hypocritical.

Russia used a missile on Dnipro that’s hypersonic and is capable of using nuclear warheads. It was a great propaganda success.

Tibilisi demonstrations – seventh night in a row. Calls for national strikes. Police going after opposition figures.

Russia assembling 300 boats to try and launch an amphibious assault on Kherson.

Russia trying to empty out Kherson using drones to attack civilians. Kherson civilians move around at night and during bad weather. Civilian casualty figures are horrible. Russians enjoy posting videos of drone attacks. The drones “have ranges up to 15km, fly at low altitudes and zip around at speeds of more than 100km per hour, making them difficult to track and take down.”

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/12/04/war-for-ukraine-day-1015-a-brief-wednesday-night-update/

 

Neighborhood meeting on proposed 76ers arena

The meeting concerning the proposed 76ers arena was held in a neighborhood church. Lack of parking meant it pretty much just got a local crowd of people who had walked to the meeting. Mayor Cherelle Parker played a very active role in presenting information and answering questions. Very lengthy meeting. I got there around 5:30pm, left after 8:00 and there were still many questioners left. A great deal of time, maybe an hour & a half, was taken up by the city administrations presentation. At one point during the presentation, an audience member made an accusation and the administration took about five minutes to explain that everyone would get their turn and that they would stay as long as necessary to answer everyone’s questions.

During the questioning, a member of a community group complained that the mayor had never met with her group. Parker went through a list of the groups that she had met with and suggested that somehow, the questioners group had been inadvertently left off the list. One of the problems that the questioners had was that they carried on at great length, were able to ask just one question and weren’t allowed any follow-ups. This was especially aggravating to one fellow who got an answer he didn’t like, tried to clarify his question and was told that he had used up his one question.

My recommendation is that questioners write their questions down beforehand, not so much to get every point in, but to make sure that their questions are as concise and as to-the-point as possible. Yes, it would be nice to have follow-ups. Perhaps a group could arrange for member #1 to ask a question, then for member #2 to say “Y’know, a previous audience member asked (---) and I’d just like to get a clarification about your answer…”

The city administration tried very hard to make the case that the area in which the arena would be built really needed the economic boost and that as the area was at the center of city traffic and as games would end after the regular traffic had departed anyway, that it was a good investment.

Day 1009 War in Ukraine

Demonstrators in Tbilisi, Georgia, still believe the election was stolen and that a majority wants to conduct a Maidan revolution, to seize power and to turn against Russia. Tens of thousands of protesters have gathered in multiple cities.

Massive attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Energy providers have to shut down until damage is fixed. This was the 11^th large-scale attack this year.

Zelenskyy concludes Putin wants to escalate before Trump takes office. Putin brags about the Oreshnik missile, which hits with temperature of 4k degrees, turning everything under it to dust. Experts believe Putin is exaggerating, but it’s part of a psyop, trying to freak out Europeans.

Putin has a deeply paranoid point of view towards the West. He feels Ukraine is an artificial construct put together by Lenin. “There is a sense in Moscow that the West has become too comfortable with the war…” To those who know Russia best, their answer is “Keep calm and carry on.”

German intelligence chief suggests NATO invoke Article 5, to go to war in answer to Russia’s provocations.

It is a category error to think we can negotiate peace at this point. Russia began this in 2007 and has mostly pursued it in non-kinetic ways, but war is definitely Russia’s objective.

The reason the US authorized long-range missile launches is “that US officials have concluded that Putin’s nuclear threats were just hollow saber rattling.”

Lots of weaponized pushback from Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainians still had their Thanksgiving feasts!

$5m Russian radar destroyed.

Oil refinery hit.

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/11/28/war-for-ukraine-day-1009-russia-attacks-ukraines-energy-infrastructure-in-the-small-hours-of-the-night/

 

Day 1007 War in Ukraine

 

Yeah, imagine people being so gullible today! Sigh!

Russia launches a staggering 188 drones. Not many got through to their targets, but the Ukrainian air defense forces had to work very hard.

Zelenskyy cites the nearly 200 drones and missiles as proof that Russia isn’t interested in peace.

Biden is working to strengthen Ukraine, but Trump might very well push them to accept a bad deal from Russia.

Russia’s testing the US and Europe with attacks on defense companies to see how far it can go. Those companies have been warned to increase their security. “Putin considers that he is at war with the West.”

Unidentified drones have flown over three U.S. Air Force bases in the U.K. in the past week

Very interesting. British have some cool anti-drone systems.

Europe reacting to Trump’s election to continue helping Ukraine.

Good! Germany will get air defense systems to Ukraine before Christmas!

Interview with Andrii Biletskyi, the commander of the Third Assault Brigade. The motivation of Ukrainian troops is fine, but they could use more people and equipment. Very lengthy interview, video with subtitles supplied.

Interesting! Ir strike hits building from the side instead of falling straight down.

Five unarmed Ukrainian soldiers captured and executed.

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/11/26/war-for-ukraine-day-1007-russia-throws-188-drones-4-iskanders-at-ukraine/

Day 998 War in Ukraine

Nataliia Hrabarchuk left her job as a preschool teacher to become an anti-aircraft gunner. She “downed a Russian cruise missile on her first attempt.”

Russia launches a very broad, deep and wide assault of drones and missiles that it takes an enormous amount of space to document it all. “120 missiles and 90 attack drones. “ F-16 jets were used to repel some of the missiles.

NY Times reports that Ukraine can now use ATACMS missiles to strike targets in Russia. Ukraine can at first use the missiles in Kursk province, but that might be expanded later.

Many Ukrainians welcome having permission to strike Russian targets, but feel that permission should have been given over a year ago. Ukraine doesn’t have enough missiles to hit all the worthwhile targets in Kursk. Our blogger is less than impressed.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Russia’s latest attack against Ukraine proved the ineffectiveness of telephone diplomacy.

Moldova complains that their airspace was violated.

A European coommenter blames German Chancellor Scholz’s phone call to Putin and Trump’s criticism of Zelenskyy for the massive aerial assault as both demonstrated weakness. Strength doesn’t provoke Putin. Weakness does.

Russian aerial assault was aimed at Ukraine’s energy grid. The attack was aimed at the “cities of Kropyvnytskyi, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk, Cherkasy, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, as well as in the Khmelnytskyi and Volyn oblasts.”

Counting up the damage to civilians as a result of the mass aerial assault. The missiles and drones were “targeting not for victory but for deprivation – aiming to plunge the nation into darkness and cold.”

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/11/17/war-for-ukraine-day-998-sumy-burns/

Day 994 War in Ukraine

 

Heartbreaking! Ukrainian children rush to school in the bomb shelter as air raid sirens sound!

Kyiv has denied that it seeks nuclear weapons and with the nuclear materials available to it, it could only build a very small bomb anyway. Ukraine’s Foreign ministry says that it’s committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. All that being said, it would be quite possible for Ukraine to obtain nukes if Trump seriously threatened to stop funding Ukraine’s war against Russia’s war of aggression.

Biden Administration would like to see additional funding for Ukraine in 2025 budget. It will increase funding in the meantime.

Tulsi Gabbard is being nominated for director of National Intelligence. NATO countries are likely to stop sharing intelligence with the US if she takes that position.

Ukraine will get 6^th German air defense system.

Candidates for German Chancellor differ on getting long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

Pretty good score against Russian aerial attack, but some got through.

Molniya drones hitting in Kharkiv.

Some attacking Russians near Kupiansk violated laws of war by wearing Ukrainian uniforms.

Russian counter-offensive near Kursk doing poorly, suffering heavy losses. Ukraine takes out “1,950 personnel and 104 destroyed armored vehicles” in a single day.

Pion is Soviet-era self-propelled 203 mm cannon (18 kg of explosive) that Ukraine is using.

Explosion kills Russian officers.

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/11/13/war-for-ukraine-day-994-a-brief-wednesday-night-update/

Day 990 War in Ukraine

Press exploring a city that embodies resilience.

Zelenskyy spoke with Trump and was pleased, but an aide of Trump’s warned that Crimea is los to Ukraine forever. So the situation is as clear as mud.

Zelenskyy reports that Ukraine’s military factories are in good financial shape. He wonders why Europe has plenty of air defense systems sitting idle, while Ukraine could really use some of those.

Estonia, at least, is offering more air defense.

Biden Administration trying to get $7 billion worth of weapons out the door to Ukraine prior to the inauguration. They’re concerned that many of these weapons will still be en route when Trump takes office, but somehow many more weapons were supposed to have been delivered than were ever actually delivered.

Russia will be able to produce 30% more artillery shells than all EU member states combined next year

Another Ukrainian POW executed.

Would it actually help Ukraine to get restrictions on use of ATACMS lifted? Tatarigami’s Frontillegence has concluded that Russia has move strategic assets back from the front lines, but that many assets remain within range.

Ukrainians have recovered a downed, but intact, Russian Shahed drone with a thermobaric warhead.

Russian oil refineries in Saratov hit.

Schools in the Voronezh region of Russia received a prank demand that they make tinfoil hats to protect against NATO signals. Some complied.

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/11/09/war-for-ukraine-day-990-mixed-signals/

Day 988 War in Ukraine

 

Trump wants a quick, simple answer to war in Ukraine. Not gonna happen.

Kyiv was placed under a nine-hour drone assault. Now the Shahed drones are equipped with thermobaric warheads. Again, these drones are hitting civilians areas of the city.

Trump wants to delay Ukraine’s entry into NATO by 20 years. In return, Ukraine would continue to be armed. Not sure how the war gets solved “in 24 hours” then. Of course, that means freezing the current front lines, which is no solution at all. Neither side agrees with Trump’s idea of peace in 24 hours.

Tatarigami adds that Europe would have to do the heavy lifting of arming Ukraine AND to increase aid well beyond what it is. The US has great leverage over Russia, but must be willing to use it and it’s clear Trump won’t.

Russia opposed Trump’s plan for peace in Ukraine. Russia seeks “control over the government in UA, its military and defense industrial capabilities,” in other words, Ukraine’s surrender.

Good! “The U.S. will send Ukraine the full $6 billion” that’s in the pipeline before Inauguration Day.

There’s absolutely NO reason to presume that Trump has ANY desire to aid Ukraine.

A 12-story residential building in Kharkiv is bombed.

Two gas pipelines in Odesa blown up. Russians “targeting port infrastructure and damaging several civilian vessels.”

Russian two-star general killed.

Dagestan is used for Iran to get drones to Russia. Ukraine is hitting that area with drones.

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/11/07/war-for-ukraine-day-988-a-brief-thursday-night-update/

Day 983 War in Ukraine

 

Alexander Malkevich has been extremely active in Russian propaganda and was in Tblisi, the Capitol of Georgia. Looking as though Georgia will follow Belarus in becoming a Russian satellite.

Russia sends Shahed drone against Kyiv for six hours! Total number of Shaheds attacking Kyiv per day has averaged over 60 a day.

Russia stepping up its game against US election with 21 fake videos. Moldova also getting lots of election interference.

US says that if North Koreans engage in combat, they become legitimate military targets. Hard to see what the alternative would be. Is Russia weak because it employs North Korean troops or is it simply solving a problem? Russia is actually advancing in Ukraine.

The fellow running the Kyiv School of Economics feels the US has ben extremely weak in supporting Ukraine. Ukraine can’t strike North Korean troops even though they know where they are, but Israel has no restrictions. Russian aerial attacks on cities have drawn no response from US.

US could show leadership on admitting Ukraine into NATO.

Is the US perhaps waiting until after the election so as not to give Trump an issue? Or does the Biden Administration simply have hubris?

Apparently a poison gassing of Ukrainian troops in Brussels, Belgium. Blogger: "We have a term for these types of things: acts of war.”

Russian attack of 22 units (tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, 120 infantry) stopped

Russia loses another air defense system to Ukrainian heavy night bomber drone.

Russia attacks on 70km wide front. Ukrainian forces might end up being enveloped.

Now Kharkiv residents have to worry about underwater mines as well.

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/11/02/war-for-ukraine-day-983-shaheds-swarm-kyiv/

Day 982 War in Ukraine

North Korean troops are clearly intended for direct combat roles.

Russia launched 2,023 UAVs in October. Ukraine knocked down a really large chunk of them, but a lot got through. Probably about 170k foreign components. Sanctions aren’t nearly tight enough.

Zelenskyy comments on North Korean soldiers that aren’t far from Ukraine. He’s getting really annoyed at his inability to use long-range missiles.

Ukrainian Minister of Defense Umerov knows full well that Ukraine is only getting 10% of what the US has promised, but he has to keep up the pretense. Zelenskyy blames “bureaucracy and logistics.”

The US announced a new package today, which is good. Money for weapons for Ukraine is certainly being spent.

Poland constructing an 700km long Eastern wall, fortifications against Belarus/Russia.

It is possible that the Russian Armed Forces will achieve a local breakthrough in the Pokrovsk, Kurakhovo or Vuhledar areas this year.

South Korea is seriously considering aiding Ukraine. “But the prospect of directly supplying arms to Ukraine has been fiercely opposed by South Korea’s leftwing opposition, which holds a majority in parliament…”

Federal agencies ODNI, FBI and CISA release statement on Russian interference in US election.

Kharkiv is getting hit every day now.

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/11/01/war-for-ukraine-day-982-russia-double-tap-strikes-kharkiv-attacks-odesa-drone-strikes-sumy/