25 votes

Weekly megathread for news/updates/discussion of Russian invasion of Ukraine - August 31

Automatically posted
Tags: russia, ukraine, military conflict, war, geopolitics, 2022 russian invasion of ukraine, recurring.weekly

This thread is posted weekly on Thursday - please try to post relevant content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Especially significant updates may warrant a separate topic, but most should be posted here.

If you'd like to help support Ukraine, please visit the official site at https://help.gov.ua/ - an official portal for those who want to provide humanitarian or financial assistance to people of Ukraine, businesses or the government at the times of resistance against the Russian aggression.

18 comments

  1. smoontjes
    Link
    New APN video: Fear is the new normal in Russian politics I particularly liked what he had to say about what this means for the culture in Russian politics:

    New APN video: Fear is the new normal in Russian politics

    I particularly liked what he had to say about what this means for the culture in Russian politics:

    Putin is actually taking ownership for this assassination in a way that is unusual. It looks like a very clear message to the Russian elites that there is now a new normal. We have entered into a new political reality where these kinds of things happen, where there are different rules to the game. And in this new reality, political assassinations are part of the toolkit Putin will use without discretion if he feels you are a problem. With this assassination of Prigozhin, we are moving one step up the repression ladder. Closer to the Stalinist level of oppression, and Putin is taking ownership of it.

    14 votes
  2. [2]
    skybrian
    Link
    Drone strikes hit military aircraft deep inside Russia (Washington Post, August 30) ... ... ...

    Drone strikes hit military aircraft deep inside Russia (Washington Post, August 30)

    Drone strikes overnight hit at least six Russian cities, including Pskov, more than 370 miles from Ukraine, where an attack on the military and civilian airport destroyed two Il-76 cargo planes and damaged four others, according to Baza, a Russian media outlet with links to the country’s law enforcement.

    The overnight swarm of drones, presumed to have been launched by Ukraine, temporarily forced some of Russia’s biggest airports to halt operations and left soldiers firing at the unpiloted aerial vehicles with small arms, demonstrating the ability of Kyiv or its proxies to attack deep within Russian territory. The airstrikes were the largest by Kyiv since President Vladimir Putin ordered his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

    ...

    Russian state television, the Kremlin’s main tool for shaping public opinion on the war, barely mentioned the attacks, although the drones temporarily closed six Russian airports, including major airports in Moscow, which also was targeted. Drone strikes and airport closures in the Russian capital have practically become a nightly event as Ukraine has stepped up its efforts to make sure the war is felt by Russian citizens who live closest to the Kremlin.

    ...

    In Bryansk, a city in western Russia near the Ukrainian border, the office of the Investigative Committee — a federal law enforcement agency — was damaged in a drone attack, which also set off a fire at the Kremniy EL microelectronics plant, which produces parts for Russian missiles, according to Russian media.

    ...

    Drones also hit the Oryol, Ryazan and Kaluga regions, and maritime drones attacked the port of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Ukrainian Crimea, where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is based. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed to have destroyed four speed boats carrying Ukrainian paratroopers in the Black Sea. Ukraine denied that the boats were destroyed.

    7 votes
    1. Raspcoffee
      Link Parent
      Curious to see how Russia will deal with this. If their air defenses won't be able to deal with this Ukraine will be able to slowly strangle parts of their military and economy. If Ukraine can...

      Curious to see how Russia will deal with this. If their air defenses won't be able to deal with this Ukraine will be able to slowly strangle parts of their military and economy. If Ukraine can manage to damage or even destroy more ammunition (production) the attrition will favour Ukraine more, slowly but surely.

      4 votes
  3. [7]
    Raistlin
    Link
    In the middle of the Prigozhin thing, Ukranians are advancing faster and faster. I'm seeing a level of fear on the Russian side that I haven't seen in a while.

    In the middle of the Prigozhin thing, Ukranians are advancing faster and faster. I'm seeing a level of fear on the Russian side that I haven't seen in a while.

    4 votes
    1. [6]
      domukin
      Link Parent
      If I may ask, where are you seeing this chatter? Can you share any sources that are relatively trustworthy? I follow a couple of Ukrainians on telegram but have sworn off Twitter / X.

      If I may ask, where are you seeing this chatter? Can you share any sources that are relatively trustworthy? I follow a couple of Ukrainians on telegram but have sworn off Twitter / X.

      6 votes
      1. [4]
        ChingShih
        Link Parent
        I'm not OP, but I want to suggest that people check out a couple sources of information. The Institute for the Study of War has been doing an excellent job of providing information based on...

        I'm not OP, but I want to suggest that people check out a couple sources of information.

        The Institute for the Study of War has been doing an excellent job of providing information based on primary source information/videos/etc and creating detailed maps on what seems to be a daily or sub-daily basis. The ISW has regularly been cited by the media and by academics and they're the go-to source of info for almost every YouTuber and podcaster talking about Ukraine on a regular basis.

        Oryx has been providing a lot of useful information and insight as well. I think the most well-known bit of information they've produced has been that chart of Ukrainian equipment where not long after the war started they had recovered or captured more BMPs than they had started the war with. Oryx reports on a number of military-related topics, but Ukraine features frequently in their articles.

        The Guardian's Ukraine coverage has been good since the war started. It's neither alarmist nor pushing a rose-tinted view. There are too many people online claiming that every tactical success spells impending doom for the Russians. They have a daily "live thread" where all the latest bits are posted and if they expand something into a full article then they provide a link. You don't have to endlessly F5 the World News section or anything like that for updates.

        They've also been good about linking to the occasional video of a drone strike within Russia's border or a missile attack on Kyiv, or something else if they can verify it (and they skip the videos with gore and stuff). Wednesday they shared a video of the recent missile attack on Kyiv. It's a lot safer to view videos posted by The Guardian than to stick your toes into /r/CombatFootage, but the latter has very quick turnaround time on getting videos posted from the front lines.

        15 votes
        1. [2]
          smoontjes
          Link Parent
          Speaking of toes, that sub really makes mine curl. The overlaid music on so many videos is so weird. It basically becomes a bizarre combination of war reporting and music videos and I really don't...

          It's a lot safer to view videos posted by The Guardian than to stick your toes into /r/CombatFootage, but the latter has very quick turnaround time on getting videos posted from the front lines.

          Speaking of toes, that sub really makes mine curl. The overlaid music on so many videos is so weird. It basically becomes a bizarre combination of war reporting and music videos and I really don't know why so many people watch it. And let's not even talk about the bizarre comment sections or the extreme gore. Really makes your skin crawl.

          So yes, thank you for this comment and Guardian link..!

          4 votes
          1. Sodliddesu
            Link Parent
            If I can provide some insight, it's sort of as bad as you think it is but the music isn't being overlaid by Internet people a thousand miles away but usually by the operators or UA. We (Western...

            If I can provide some insight, it's sort of as bad as you think it is but the music isn't being overlaid by Internet people a thousand miles away but usually by the operators or UA.

            We (Western countries, usually) might find it horrific but these aren't videos of men killing men to them. These are videos of them ending the murderers and rapists attempting to take their land and people by force. I've seen Syrian and Iraqi military media types do the same. They'll basically post ISIL heads on pikes and say "This is what's waiting for you." And put their badass music over it to hype up their population. War is a more regular thing and this isn't some gentlemanly war where we only fight in ideal conditions.

            So, oddly in a sort of cultural anthropological way, it doesn't weird me out at all. I get it. They're putting down the monsters at the gate and they love it.

            And, yes, the American military does the same sometimes but knows it doesn't play with the media back home so it never gets released.

            9 votes
        2. domukin
          Link Parent
          Thanks for the links that’s helpful. I’ve been relying on YouTube Ukraine Matters Denys Davydov (also has a Telegram channel). I used to follow some of the Ukraine related subreddits but have...

          Thanks for the links that’s helpful.

          I’ve been relying on YouTube

          • Ukraine Matters
          • Denys Davydov (also has a Telegram channel).

          I used to follow some of the Ukraine related subreddits but have weaned off Reddit.

          2 votes
      2. tibpoe
        Link Parent
        Project Owl, particularly their control map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=180u1IkUjtjpdJWnIC0AxTKSiqK4G6Pez&ll=48.4928698813796%2C31.18946775000002&z=6 The discord channels are...

        Project Owl, particularly their control map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=180u1IkUjtjpdJWnIC0AxTKSiqK4G6Pez&ll=48.4928698813796%2C31.18946775000002&z=6

        The discord channels are also very strictly moderated and have a good mix of news from a variety of sources, as well as informed speculation

        2 votes
  4. [2]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. kjw
      Link Parent
      "For those who wonder why the counter-offensive isn't going 'fast enough' and think this is a videogame. This is how densely mined the area's in the Zaporizhzia region are."...

      "For those who wonder why the counter-offensive isn't going 'fast enough' and think this is a videogame. This is how densely mined the area's in the Zaporizhzia region are."
      https://mstdn.social/@noelreports/110997137213545273

      3 votes
  5. [3]
    unkz
    Link
    https://globalpulsenews.com/putins-colonel-killed-in-drone-strike-while-mowing-lawn-at-his-russian-residence/ Putin’s colonel killed in drone strike while mowing lawn at his Russian residence.

    https://globalpulsenews.com/putins-colonel-killed-in-drone-strike-while-mowing-lawn-at-his-russian-residence/

    Putin’s colonel killed in drone strike while mowing lawn at his Russian residence.

    1 vote
    1. [2]
      mild_takes
      Link Parent
      Global Pulse News... Is this a legitimate news source?

      Global Pulse News... Is this a legitimate news source?

      1 vote
  7. NoblePath
    Link
    Zelensky is replacing his defense minister. npr Because corruption?

    Zelensky is replacing his defense minister. npr

    Because corruption?

  8. streblo
    Link
    Stormbreak: Fighting Through Russian Defences in Ukraine’s 2023 Offensive A pdf of a (long) report in from RUSI detailing some of the events early in Ukraine’s counter offensive and outlining some...

    Stormbreak: Fighting Through Russian Defences in Ukraine’s 2023 Offensive

    A pdf of a (long) report in from RUSI detailing some of the events early in Ukraine’s counter offensive and outlining some of the challenges they are facing. Very interesting read, a lot of new information in here.

  9. asstronaut
    Link
    Finding cause for war Under Putin is easy Coz it’s the way Kindness is not the answer People don’t always agree Unless they get locked up Till the end of their day In jail they die Never to see...

    Finding cause for war
    Under Putin is easy
    Coz it’s the way
    Kindness is not the answer

    People don’t always agree
    Unless they get locked up
    Till the end of their day
    In jail they die
    Never to see light again