KYHorn

nm

Welp, time to pack it up, boys. Ukraine is done for. Shoigu reported that Russian air defense units shot down 37 Ukrainian planes - just a week after shooting the previous 24. He has already made calculations for destroying F-16s that aren't in Ukraine yet. Russian defense ministry has reported destroying all Ukrainian aircraft in the first week of war, by the way.

We obviously already know this, but it's interesting research. Japanese researchers have claimed two "Putin doubles" Japanese experts in facial recognition and voice identification have concluded that the theory of Vladimir Putin's doubles, who replace him at public events, is gaining popularity. This information was published by the British tabloid The Sun. By analyzing Putin's various speeches with the use of modern artificial intelligence technology, Japanese experts have concluded that the Russian president probably has at least two doubles. One of the doubles was identified as the "real" Putin, who attended the Red Square parade in May 2023. After comparing the facial features of this Putin with the one who drove across the Crimean Bridge in a Mercedes car in December 2022, the Japanese experts found only 53% similarity. An even smaller resemblance, just 40%, was found between the "parade Putin" and the president who visited Mariupol in March 2023. Videos on state television showed this Putin driving through the ruined city, touring the construction site of an apartment complex, talking to residents, and visiting what was said to be a three-room apartment while giving instructions to Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin. The similarity between Putin's facial features in Mariupol and Putin on the Crimean Bridge was only 18%, according to Japanese researchers. Their artificial intelligence-based analysis "clearly indicates" the likelihood of at least two Putin doubles.

Just spectacular New clearer look at “one of the greatest destructions of Russian columns filmed from start to finish” Or as the Kyiv Post put it today: “Russian Armored Column Attacks Near Avdiivka, Immediately Flees in Face of Devastating Ukrainian Fire” The ToBeOr_Official channel did an epic play-by-play of the brilliant artillery and aerial recon work of the 🇺🇦 31st, 110th, 116th and Presidential Brigades, which I posted about a few days ago (and got mentioned in two Kyiv Post stories 😎) ⬇️ My translation (this is for the entire astonishing four-minute video of the column demilitarization I’ll add in the thread) 🔥The assault begins. A Russian column of armored vehicles advances across a field covered with frost. Everything is according to science: there is a mine trawl ahead… it paves the way for equipment through the minefield 0:32. The first artillery strikes are made on the column. 0:41. The first unit of equipment is burning, the third in the column. 0:47. The fifth unit also smokes, but the column continues to move. 0:55. Before reaching the forest belt, the mine trawl leading the column begins to turn around. 1:02. The column is divided into two parts. The first six cars continue moving. The seventh is hit and loses speed. A traffic jam forms behind it. 1:08. The third unit finally loses speed. Only the mine trawl and the vehicle following it manage to turn around and continue moving. The fourth unit goes around the third. The sixth one goes around the fifth one that has lost its speed. Cars making a turn try to fire at the forest belt. 1:26. Massive fire damage is inflicted on the tail of the column. The cars are no longer trying to get to the turning point of the trawl and the path it laid. They’re trying to turn around wherever they happened to get to. 1:44. Apparently there was a tie-up. In this frame we see how four vehicles from the tail of the column still manage to turn around and leave the battlefield. Three cars are less fortunate; they are hit and immobilized. 1:59. The retreating vehicles are hit. Here you can see there are five of them, and the first one is smoking. 2:03. Strike on the third of the five retreating vehicles. It stops. The two cars behind are trying to go around it. 2:07. The Ukrainian forces finish off one of the three vehicles from the column that did not have time to turn around. 2:36. Another series of finishing strikes, including cluster munitions. 2:55. Zooming in, we can see that three units of equipment in front of the column are smoking, the fourth is simply immobilized. 2:59. Tail of the column. The personnel of the Russian Armed Forces abandon the damaged equipment. What happens next is without comment. One of the greatest destructions of Russian columns filmed from start to finish. This is just one of several videos from near Avdiivka that have appeared today

No CR, but I'm betting it was a precondition to getting the support he needed from the reasonable section of his party

The missing anchor has been noted, but not the apparently jostled cargo containers

Probably being naive, but you gotta think this doesn't sit well with Russians. Russian finance minister Siluanov: Russia will double its military spending in 2024. "Total spending on national defense will increase significantly compared to previous years. 29% of all budget expenditures are aimed at our main task today - to ensure our victory. Before the special military operation, national defense expenditures were half as much - 14% of budget expenditures. Now it is 29% of expenditures"

^Metaphor? The White House has learned that the Russian military is executing its soldiers "We have information that the Russian military is actually executing soldiers who refuse to obey orders. We also have information that Russian commanders are threatening to shoot entire units if they try to retreat from Ukrainian artillery fire," White House National Se

Relevant:

In a very interesting development, US Ambassador to Kazakhstan Daniel Rosemblum inaugurated a NATO liaison office in the country's capital. The news has flown under the radar, but it's a very interesting development that's had a lot of resonance in Russia in particular. After Russia, Kazakhstan is the biggest supplier of active troops to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

They did just give them a new round of aid

And here he is, pushing it uphill... and coasting downhill.

https://twitter.com/IhateTrenches/status/1715372233147711862?t=dxSPActVS0MGgDSLNG9Y5w&s=19

When you push your friend into the pool but they pull you in with them.

I actually agree with your previous point about not running off everyone who has a different sentiment about the war, though they should understand that if they bombard the thread with negativity and whataboutism every day, that is not going to be taken well. As Behold said, you have to come here with the understanding that this thread will have a pro-Ukraine slant. However, anyone following the thread over the past year will be aware that the offensive hasn't gone as planned and has made minimal gains in the face of a stout defensive line (and issues raised by Boom above). Many experts were overly optimistic and therefore the sentiment of this thread was generally overly optimistic about the offensive. The overall sentiment of the thread remains hopeful for a number of reasons, some realistic, some still rooted in an abiding belief in the Ukrainian cause. I think most of the regular followers here just wish the US and other allies had given more sooner to avoid the current stagnation and lament the current political hurdles to increasing aid. Yet at the same time, many believe there is still a possibility of limited breakthroughs and gains, so there is a pro-Ukrainian and hopeful slant still. But really, there just hasn't been much information out there for the past month or so. Most of the events of the past month have been a few very positive (explosive) events in favor of Ukraine. Russia has made some limited gains in some areas and the information about that has been posted, but these gains have come at quite a cost so there are a lot of videos of those costs. Ukraine's gains have reportedly come at a high cost as well (probably not nearly as high as Russia's) and that information has been posted here, though I'll grant that it hasn't been emphasized to the extent the Russian losses have, but the reasons for this go back to my previous post: consistently unreliable sources for positive Russian news, lack of a desire to post Ukrainian gore, etc. There are a few Twitter sources out there who will summarize Russian claims and they usually get posted here. It may not be the majority of the content on this thread, but it's present.

I agree. Due to the moral lens through which I see this war, I don't particularly want to post videos of Ukrainian soldiers getting killed and I don't seek these out. However, I'll post information about Ukrainian losses if I see it. An additional factor is that when I have seen or even posted videos of Ukrainian losses, it often turns out to be from months or weeks ago and not reflective of anything current, which diminishes its value even further to the point that there's no reason to post it. The Russians and their supporters on Twitter often seem to be desperate to put out counter-programming, which results in them using old footage or even videos of Russian losses that they claim are Ukrainian.

To the north of Avdiivka, the Russian military lost no less than 63 units of military equipment, - DeepState. Vitalii Barabash, the head of the Avdiivka Military Academy, stated that "this is the largest offensive that has ever been carried out on Avdiivka during all the times of the war, starting in 2014. But this is not the end of the story they started on October 10."

Equality. That's nice.