Millions of us might be **** if we ignore the Russian-Ukraine war

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

The Christmas tree in Lviv has an anti-tank hedgehog on top this year!

https://mstdn.social/@noelreports/111529359748085382

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Russia has announced the evacuation of citizens from Nova Khakovka, on the Left Bank, next week

https://mstdn.social/@noelreports/111539410853839976

The centre of Nova Khakovka is only 10 miles from where we know the Ukes are in Krynky, and it's possibly only 5 miles from where the Ukes may be to the near edge of Nova Khakovka.

Russian bloggers, based on reports from their mates at the front, say that there are now so many Russian corpses around Avdiivka that it's impeding further attacks, and that the high command aren't interested in clearing those bodies.
The Ukes have been claiming over a thousand Russians killed a day for a couple of weeks now, and the UAV videos are pretty grim. I won't post.

The Russians are clearly intent on making Avdiivka into Bakhmut 2.0. It would appear than putin demands another city be captured, and the Army high command has decided it is Avdiivka. However, Avdiivka has been defended since 2014, and the defences are much better organised than Bakhmut's were. Additionally, the access corridor is considerably wider than Bakhmut's was, with at least four routes in rather than one.

[tango15]

I gather that someone has broken into the Kremlin and stolen next year's election results...

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Which? The USA, UK, or the Russian? ;))

[Dushan]

Fox, that was my first thought too. Add Canada to the list.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Well, you said next year...or is Trudymandias's little empire going to crumble early?

[Dushan]

Cracks are starting to appear in the J/J coalition. I am hoping the writ is dropped before April 24, because if it is after the election will be using the new electoral district boundaries which is always a pain in the first election.
Isn't there gong to be a budget in March? Perfect opportunity...

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Sticking on topic, is this likely to affect support for Ukraine in any way?

p.s. first time I've seen J/J. I was trying to work out what it stood for, and immediately though one of the J's must be 'Jerk'.
Then I realised they both were

[Karearea]

... J/J ...

I need to be told what this stands for...

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Justin and Jagmeet, I presume.
Leaders of the Canadian Government Coalition (Liberal and NDP respectively)

[Karearea]

^ tks Fox3

[admin2]

Back on topic, please folks, or there'll be trubble at t'mill

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Could also be Jagga Jagga - catchphrase of Magyar's Ukrainian UAV force

Their latest here, destruction of Russian AFVs around Krynky.

https://mstdn.social/@noelreports/111546635486657608

Doesn't look like the Russians will be pushing the Ukes off the Left Bank any time soon.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Destruction of Russian armour around Avdiivka.

https://mstdn.social/@noelreports/111558037645019743

Cross-checked with other sources, this video represents 122 Russian AFVs lost, including 34 MBTs and 36 APCs...

..in the last 3 weeks of October only, in an area only 5 km x 6 km just NE of Avdiivka.

The Russians continue to throw everything at Avdiivka, likely as putin needs another victory for his just-announced re-election bid.

n.b You will remember that Bakhmut was the 58th biggest city in Ukraine, well Avdiivka is the 131st biggest. Russia has quite likely lost more soldiers trying to capture it than the pre-war population of the city.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

putin's back to his usual pre-election BS of saying how wonderful things are, and taking questions from the "public"
Looks like a real question snuck past the censors

russian reality.jpg (90.79 KiB) Viewed 2352 times

Why is your reality different from our reality?

Official inflation is 8%, putin just announced the minimum wage will increase by 18% in January. That's on top of a 26% increase since the war started nearly two years ago.
Real inflation is however estimated at between 40% and 60% this year alone.

Car sales have dropped by three quarters since before the war, and obviously everyone who is buying is now getting a Lada, not a Kia or a Merc.
However, car sales conveniently doubled from September to October, and maintained that last month. Convenient for putin's election blurb, that is.
No one knows why. Which is, of course, because they didn't.

The Russian economy is screwed. The only question is whether putin can hang on longer than the western economies can support Ukraine despite their failing economies.
It may be a close run thing.
And as for the Chinese economy, the banking/real estate fantasy accounting is also on its last legs.

To quote the last Professor of Statistics I spoke to, all government statistics are now "Total B0LL0CKS" (her emphasis).

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

putin really is a master debator.

He even does comedy!

Putin even talked about the front on the left bank of the Kherson region.

"A pocket has been created on the territory of the bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro in Krynky. This Ukrainian bridgehead was purely created for media support and only for political reasons.

I ordered the General Staff not to rush to push out the enemy in order to preserve the pocket and continue to destroy the enemy."

Obviously, this is faked Ukrainian footage, otherwise it would be Russians getting destroyed

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

putin finishes his election pitch by again denying he has body doubles, and launching 6 Kinzhal missiles at Ukraine. Half were aimed at Kyiv, with the rest at an air base in western Ukraine.
Air raid warnings were issued in time, damage and shootdowns currently unknown.
Hypersonic Kinzhal shootdowns have been claimed by Ukrainian Patriot batteries, but not often. This is probably why they were chosen.

[boing]

OK, if you can't shoot down the missiles go for the launch aircraft, if you can't reach the launch aircraft go for the airfields they operate from. Now is the time for the allies to make a difference before Putin gets "re-elected". Whatever weaponry is required supply it and take the gamble.

Putin can react badly but he has shown no inclination to this before apart from the relatively ineffective missile strikes. He won't escalate the fight before re-election if it obviously involves more military deaths, more economic problems and more mobilisation. What he will do is to try to apply using more pressure using his old tactics but if his bombers can't launch missiles he doesn't have any alternatives left.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

After they lost 8 aircraft when the Ukes sneakily shifted a Patriot battery up to the border, the Russians now ensure they always remain outside this envelope.
Russia appears to have now concentrated its launch aircraft in several distant bases which themselves are quite isolated, thus making the Ukes task next to impossible.
For example, the Bears are coming down from one of the bases up near Archangelsk, in the middle of some tundra.
It costs them a lot in fuel and maintenance, but they are not short of either.
The only plus is that Russia produces very few Kinzhals per month, and needs to keep a high proportion of its remaining stock for use in a possible nuclear war.

It looks like the Ukes may have intercepted one of the six Kinzhals with Patriot, possibly one of the three launched at Kyiv. This is in line with previous engagements.

I think the Ukes are now concentrating on railways and factories inside Russia, which I think makes more sense.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Orban has done a Diane Abbott and absented himself from a vote on the accession process for Ukraine and Moldova to the EU.
The process will now commence. All other EU members voted in favour.


That'll spoil putin's day.