Surovikin Replaced

[ichkeria]

https://m.jpost.com/international/article-726356/amp

Another change of general for Russia as the butcher of Syria departs the scene.

Other probably more momentous news is that the US France and Germany are now sending heavy battlefield armour to Ukraine in the firm of Bradley IFVs (infantry fighting vehicles), German Marders and French “light” battle tanks. This is the most significant move since the decision to send long range precision HIMARS systems

[Peter Pedant]

thanks Itch
This means that the weapon of war - flattening the city under attack - is going to decrease.

Good riddance - but will the successor be worse?

I think / thought the end of the war will be when Putin is purged or Putin purges the army...

sleep better to night

[ichkeria]

To be honest the big news is the weaponry. It’s what will make all the difference. If Germany finally releases its Leopard tanks that will be the icing on the cake

[ichkeria]

Rumour has it Putin demanded from Surovikin that in return for the military advisability of abandoning Kherson city he should deliver Bakhmut instead.
This seems unlikely to me: it’s Wagner which seems obsessed with that town - possibly because of the possibility of thefts from the mines around that area: a reminder that this war is being run by organised crime elements not politicians (or possibly even the military)
As for the new guy, he looks less like a potato than his predecessor but other than that it’s all much of a muchness I’d say.
As for the “Christmas ceasefire” - who was Putin kidding?

[LadyCG]

Thank you for the update, Ichkeria. Your posts are much appreciated and make for encouraging reading.

[ichkeria]

The best is yet to come LadyCG believe me :-)

A lot of bad too I guess.

It is great how this news item brings together so many people here who would otherwise be arguing about other stuff!
There was an interesting programme on BBC 2 the other night: Ukraine - the People's War about how Ukrainians from diverse non military backgrounds have come together in a common effort. Striking was the ex-teacher who was reflecting on how she is now a changed person: she celebrated enemy deaths and I know how she feels.
Apart from anything else, it's a great introduction if needed to Ukrainian and Russian swear words :-)

[lankeela]

Thanks for the updates, the only sensible posts in the news section.

[LadyCG]

I do hope so, Ichkeria.

[The Builder]

After dithering for ages over the Leopard tanks, It's great to see that Germany is finally sending them. Pretty good too considering Sholtz is having a bit of a tough time at home.

Also cheering to know that we're getting a General who can't be confused with a vegetable.
Sounds like a classic piece of Ukrainian humour to me :o)))

[Peter Pedant]

vegetable
Plashov makes me think of er something else

Hi buildy
hi itchy mornin'
agree Lankeela

[Gromit]

// the US, France and Germany are now sending heavy battlefield armour //

UK ?

[Peter Pedant]

Yes - no Itch I watched that
tee-vee gold

hummer ( XIMAP) was the vet and had a motley crew to command. The quarrel I thought - 'I am going, ' said one was good for the viewer but made one think "I can see why the Russians are still there'

Policemen usually handing out tickets

and trying to blow up the tank wivda mortar.
As a cadet, I cd see they hadnt anchored the mortar and so it moved each time it was fired invalidating any range estimation

[Peter Pedant]

military advisability of abandoning Kherson city he should deliver Bakhmut instead.

Nixon doubted his generals ( 1970 that is - oh come on its only 50 year ago!) and had Westie ( one of the generals) sign a document that the american army cd hold Khe Sanh

he did - they didnt

[ichkeria]

"// the US, France and Germany are now sending heavy battlefield armour //

UK ?

The UK isn't best placed to deliver this sort of thing as far as I know. But Challenger tanks maybe.
If the German parliament gets its way and the Leopards are freed at last, Scholz IMO should resign. Still, more important he's still in office and the tanks are in Ukraine than both stay put.

[ichkeria]

"hummer ( XIMAP) was the vet and had a motley crew to command. "

Hummer was something else. And there are hundreds if not thousands of Hummers all over the country. As the programme pointed out it's as much because of him and the others that Ukraine is winning.

[Khandro]

just reading up on the German Leopard 2, 'it normally uses two main types of ammunition - the APFSDS-T armor-piercing rounds and HEAT-MP-T multi-purpose rounds. The APFSDS-T round penetrates around 450 mm of rolled homogenous armor equivalency at 2 000 m range.!

Wow, that's nearly half a metre of steel at 2 kilometres distance! can that be true? surely it should be 45mm, either way it sounds a pretty handy piece of kit & I hope the Germans release them.