The War in the Ukraine

Military leaders had put pressure on politicians to ditch a draft amendment that allowed troops who had served for more than 36 months in war a chance to be discharged

The draft law passed its first reading in parliament in February. That draft included the demobilisation plans, after debating its recruitment policy for more than a year.

But that clause was removed ahead of its second reading on Wednesday, after an appeal from the chief of the army and defence minister, said Iryna Friz, a member of the parliamentary defence committee, in a Facebook post.

The reversal immediately spread anger across , a country exhausted by years of war, and has risked sapping morale in the stretched armed forces.

Yevgen, a paratrooper fighting in eastern Ukraine, said he had not seen his wife, who lives abroad, in two years.

Last year, he was on leave for only 10 days, which he spent on treatment. “Those soldiers who have been fighting for a long time, for more than a year … They are already very tired,” he said. “Families are falling apart because the husband and wife are not together for six months or a year.”
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It seems like the Ukrainian leadership are determined to lose popular support for the war. I wonder if we will see an uptick in desertions and surrenders following the passage of the bill.

Russia destroyed one of the largest thermal power plant in Ukraine today during a large wave of air strike.

S-300 launcher struck by unidentified missile near Odessa. There goes the local air defense. Recent string of S-300 kills likely to come from the Greeks donating their systems to the Ukrainians.


Tracks of Russian missiles attacking deep into Ukraine.


Kyiv's TTPP burning.


TOS-2 in the battlefield. Confirmation the system is in the SMO.


Su-34s take off somewhere in the South Donetsk to drop FABs and ODABs. It's already more than obvious by now recent attacks on the Morozekh air field, which is the airfield closest to the region, didn't work.


Arrival in Kharkhiv takes out a major ammo depot in Alekseeva.


ODAB-1500 lands at Krasnogorovka.


Ukrainian T-64BV subjected to artillery fire in Chasiv Yar, targeted by Sever-V.


Lancet takes out a Ukrainian tank in the forest.


Ukrainian Centerenergo loses 100% of it's electrical power.


M777 gets taken out by a Lancet from the 238th.


Russian oil trading far above G7 price cap.


Eight MiG-31s with Kinzhals hit a strategic gas facility in Stryi in the Lyiv region.


FPV drone attacks Bradley M2.


Polish Krab SPG taken out by a Krasnopol fired from a MSTA-S.


Russian artillery takes out an M109 Paladin after it was spotted by a drone.


Russian MT-12 Rapier anti tank gun working on Ukrainian fortifications. Turns out the direct fire anti tank gun can still be useful. The Ukrainians also use this gun.


Daily FABing of the Ukrainian side of Kherson. Recently a Ukrainian special forces attempt to land when bad, and it's senior officer was captured.


Woman in Odessa attempts to use sorcery to bring down attacking drones and missiles. She might have better luck than the local air defense, noting the local S-300 system getting destroyed in one of these attacks.


Africans in the Russian military.

Temstar said:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1778312486699033067

Russia destroyed one of the largest thermal power plant in Ukraine today during a large wave of air strike.

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Seems this time they fully obliterated the generators, instead of the transformers and ancillary stuff like in previous strikes.

As reported by Financial Times, Russia has shifted its focus from targeting substations to outright destroying power generators. The latter will take years to repair.

According to the same article, Ukraine managed to intercept just 18 out of 42 cruise and ballistic missiles launched by Russia. The Trypilska thermal power plant 50km south of Kyiv (largest in the region) was completely destroyed in the attack. The shortage of missile interceptors is becoming painfully apparent.

I thought that it would be hard for Russia to take the large Ukrainian cities without an actual mobilization. But since they started taking down the large power plants, the cities will become unlivable and people will move closer to the Western border, migrate out of Ukraine, or move into the countryside. Which means assaulting the cities will become easier.

gelgoog said:

I thought that it would be hard for Russia to take the large Ukrainian cities without an actual mobilization. But since they started taking down the large power plants, the cities will become unlivable and people will move closer to the Western border, migrate out of Ukraine, or move into the countryside. Which means assaulting the cities will become easier.

Click to expand...

They will not be able to keep the population in place for next winter without these. Doing that during spring give the population the chance to get away during warm season. It will be difficult for Ukrainian people evading mobilization to get out of this situation without getting sent to the front. Borders administration will be a mess.

I believe this is having an impact on the way eastern people view Russians. These people are increasingly passing on sensitive information to the Russians, it is becoming clear that they are not only disapproving of Kiev's measures but are also seeing the way the conflict is shaping up as a defeat for Ukraine. Many have no choice: Either they flee the east and die at the front when the call-up occurs, or they stay in the city until the Russians arrive, but if they survive the bombings and the intensity of the battle. In Chasov Yar there were still more than 900 residents/civilians and this was information after the offensive towards Chasov Yar. Watching some videos of VICE's propaganda content on YouTube you can see this, there are many there who are already pro-Russians and others who are becoming and are waiting for the arrival of the Russian army, because they really have nothing to lose, either by choosing a side or another, but many still prefer to stay in their own homes because they were given no choice other than death on one side or the other, but the chances of staying at home are much greater when the Russian army begins to advance towards to them, they are not seen as liberators but they will remain in their homes, in fact, I don't know what I would do in their situation, having children or not, it would be a very difficult choice that they are having to make.

Centrenergo says the latest wave of attacks destroyed 100% of the company's generation capacity

Bunch of Ukrainian UAV operators in a makeshift hut had an unexpected visit from another drone, a Lancet. The Lancet came in just as one of the operator's drones was returning.


FPV drone attacks an immobilized Bradley.


HIMARS rockets intercepted by Buk-M1 and Tor-M2 systems. One rocket broke up into two pieces, the warhead unexploded and had to be deactivated by sappers.


Smoke after missile arrival in Sumy.


Global gas prices go up after Kinzhals struck Ukrainian gas storage facilities.


T-90Ms get additional protection on the bottom of the bow area against mines.


Ukrainian tank north of Chasiv Yar knocked out by artillery from the Sever-V unit.


Huge fire in Kharkhiv.


Two abandoned Ukrainian T-72 in Tonensky including previously captured T-72B3 from the Russians. Both will be repatriated for Russian use after repair.


MSTA-S knocks out a Ukrainian 2S1 Gvozdika with a Krasnopol.


Ukrainian deployment point struck near Karlivka dam.


Knocked out Bradley and Russian T-80BVM in the same area in Petrovsky after many battles taking place in the same area. The Bradley and the tank might get retrieved. Russian soldier poses with trophy Bradley.


Daily FABing across the Dniepr.


Drone drop finishes off an abandoned M113.


Lancet from the 305th Artillery Brigade knocks out a Ukrainian MSTA-B howitzer.


X-69 cruise missiles were in destroying Kyiv's TTPP. This is according to Ukrainians that examined the wreckage.


Ukrainian tank hidden in a barn gets taken out by Krasnopol.


Ukrainian deployment point in the Kupyansk front falls under heavy artillery fire.


Four rockets arrive at Kharkhiv CHPP-3.


Baba Yaga shot down by small arms fire in the Avdeyevka sector.


Lancets of the 200th Brigade takes out a T-64BV in Slavaynsk and a howitzer in the Chasiv Yar area.


Lancet set on a fire a Ukrainian tank in the Avdeyevka front.


Destroyed Humvee in Chasiv Yar.


Destroyed Saxon in the Donbass.


FABs arrive in Ukrainian positions near Ivaniske.