The next cartoon you will see is Liz Truss with little boy Putin across her knee getting the spanking he deserves. And here is a reminder of how things are going for Russia in Ukraine. You would think that Putin would at least pay his troops. Morale and discipline problems with Russian troops in Ukraine, analysts say https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/sep/4/morale-and-discipline-problems-russian-troops-ukra/
We have discussed this before, so I will keep it short but one of Putin's biggest problems on the eastern front is related to another- of many- planning disasters. The plan was to bring in all the new recruits and regiments from far flung parts of the country and beef up the Russian troops in the east. But the other part of that plan was to have Belarus move on Kiev- not to take it because they are worthless- but to tie up Ukrainian troops. Problem is. Lukashenko won't do it. He paces around the border and talks bigger and scarier but he isn't doing it. Lukashenko has tried to stay in Putin's camp by agreeing to let Russia place more and more missiles in Belarus as a substitute for sending troops. But Putin needs the troops, and the missile placements have just led the Americans to give bigger and better missiles to the Ukrainians, many now pointed directly at Belarus. Some pundits think that Ukraine is not actually trying to take Kherson City (versus the oblast), but instead is just trying to kill the troops that are now trapped in the area. If so, that would make sense. Ukraine does not have the troops to do house to house and should avoid getting drawn into something troop-intensive prematurely just to have a victory to claim. Take the Russians down a few more notches and then see what's what. Trapping troops, good. Cutting off supply lines, good. Taking out ammo dumps, good. Let that work a little more and avoid a major assault. It is bloody enough as it is.
Why hold a referendum in Kherson when the city shortly will no longer be in your hands. Ukraine war: Russia postpones referendum in occupied region https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62795976 The Russian occupation authorities in Ukraine's strategic southern city of Kherson have postponed a referendum on joining Russia, on security grounds. "This is being paused because of the security situation," said Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-appointed administration there. The Ukrainian army has launched a long-awaited counter-offensive in the south, where Russia plans referendums in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. A key Kherson bridge has been shelled. Speaking on Russian state TV, Mr Stremousov said Ukrainian shelling had damaged the Antonovskiy Bridge to such an extent that vehicles could no longer cross it. He said barges transporting civilians across the Dnieper (Dnipro) river were also coming under Ukrainian fire, as was the city's infrastructure. The Russians have relied on the bridge to bring troops and hardware in and out of Kherson. Ukraine has deployed US-made Himars multiple rocket launchers in its drive to push the Russians out of the city - the first to fall to them after their 24 February invasion. Russia has announced plans for referendums in captured territory similar to that held in Crimea after its troops seized the peninsula in 2014. Ukraine and its Western allies have denounced the referendum plans as illegal. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has urged civilians to leave Kherson as fighting intensifies in the area. She has also warned that any who participate in the planned Russian referendum are liable to face Ukrainian prosecution. Russia's invasion has destabilised life in Ukraine to such an extent that it is not clear who could vote in such referendums anyway. The Crimea vote in 2014, held under military occupation, was not recognised internationally. =========================================
LOL -- the Russians are clowns. They attempt to alter reality to claim Ukraine rather than Russia is firing missiles at the nuclear plant. Fortunately the nuclear inspectors want no part of their mass delusion. Video shows Russian official trying to convince nuclear inspectors a rocket turned 180 degrees before landing near Ukraine's nuclear plant https://news.yahoo.com/video-shows-russian-official-trying-120557935.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
We are in an informational warfare landscape. Mis/disinformation has been weaponized against liberal democracies. While propaganda has been used for decades, the rise of social media has added an entirely new dimension that the west was unprepared for. The base mechanism honed by the KGB is the use of microblogging and viral memes.
Does not have a good look to it. Russia Recruits Soldiers From Mental Health Unit to Make Up Troop Shortfall Russia is recruiting volunteers for Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine from a mental health unit in St. Petersburg, offering cash incentives and more to encourage people to fight. The website of the Psychoneurological Dispensary No. 2 in St. Petersburg has a poster calling for military recruits for the volunteer battalions "Kronstadt", "Neva" and "Pavlovsk" on its homepage. An advertising banner also details how to pass a psychiatric examination for a permit to carry a weapon. https://www.newsweek.com/russia-recruiting-soldiers-mental-asylum-ukraine-war-1739963
Russian soldiers in Kherson apparently are buying inflatable stuff, just in case they have to cross the Dnjepr thru the water. ROFLMAO. Instead of wooden HIMARS maybe make inflatable ones?