War

[DIY-HP-LED]

yeah i see a nice little bloc, with China, Russia, and NK all being within that bloc, now if you can get the rest of the oblates to rise up, that will block that

All those regimes stand on shaky ground without the support of their populations, who are largely unrepresented and misinformed by propaganda. Do you see Iran, Russia or North Korea making any friends? China is a bit different an autocracy which generally stays inside the international rules and system that has benefitted it tremendously over the past several decades. They are making diplomatic efforts in undeveloped countries and will rival Russia in central Asia, taking over Russian influence in the regions of central and eastern Asia. Eventually this won't go down well in imperialist Russia to have another empire encroaching on it's turf.

China can have confrontation with the allies over Taiwan and the south China sea, or it can move into central Asia where resources like oil and gas are along with markets because they will have lot oil and gas and therefore will have money. They can do it all in central Asia using soft power and have no trouble from the allies. When they become a liberal democracy there will be no need for allies, but as long as they are an autocracy, liberal democracies will keep them at arm's length.

 

[BudmanTX]

All those regimes stand on shaky ground without the support of their populations, who are largely unrepresented and misinformed by propaganda. Do you see Iran, Russia or North Korea making any friends? China is a bit different an autocracy which generally stays inside the international rules and system that has benefitted it tremendously over the past several decades. They are making diplomatic efforts in undeveloped countries and will rival Russia in central Asia, taking over Russian influence in the regions of central and eastern Asia. Eventually this won't go down well in imperialist Russia to have another empire encroaching on it's turf.

China can have confrontation with the allies over Taiwan and the south China sea, or it can move into central Asia where resources like oil and gas are along with markets because they will have lot oil and gas and therefore will have money. They can do it all in central Asia using soft power and have no trouble from the allies. When they become a liberal democracy there will be no need for allies, but as long as they are an autocracy, liberal democracies will keep them at arm's length.

Iran could be in the bloc so to speak, but when you look at it, the 3 main ones are those 3. Iran is on shaky ground as it is, especially being in a region that is growing from the 12th century to the 21 century, and from the early 80's dark lock to the 21st century....wiether you know it or not it's gotta deal with Iraq, UAE, Armenia, Ajarbajian, and the Saudi's, while in the north, Russia, China and NK are one single bloc

 

[Fogdog]

Cedar will make more creosote in a damped down airtight stove than almost any other wood. Lots of oily sap in cedar that makes it smell so good. We burn a lot of cedar and pine at the cabin as that's what most of the trees are up there. Stuff a bunch of alder in there in the morning and leave the vent open to burn it all out and warm up the cabin fast. Get that old percolator hopping too.

Damn I miss it up there and hope to get out this year and do some decent trout fishing. Got more fur and feathers so will be tying up some new flies to try out on grandpa's old fly rod when I go.

View attachment 5255083
View attachment 5255084

The pitch in pine is what I've been warned about.

But too funny that I was just reciting what somebody I trusted told me without first checking. I know better too -- always check your sources.

According to this site, Pine and Cedar are both not recommended. Alder too.

Worst Firewood Types to Use
Not all wood is created equal. Just as there are firewood types we recommend, there are also several we do not recommend using. Most of these are not recommended because they are either softwoods, highly resinous, or both! Softwoods burn quickly in,efficiently and produce harmful chemicals. Resinous woods produce thick oils that blacken glass and foul the inside of your stove. We do not recommend using the following firewood types:

• Pine
• Poplar
• Cedar
• Eucalyptus
• Alder

Then again, there is this on cedar:

Fire quality, amount of smoke and creosote
Well seasoned Cedar is considered one of the cleanest burning evergreens by some with a moderate amount of smoke. That being said, you still need to be aware of creosote build up in your chimney. Creosote can clog your chimney and make a dangerous fire hazard. Be sure to clean your chimney once a year.

Cedar burns without too much effort and produces high intensity heat. It’s an oily wood which make it a more volatile fuel. It’s ideal for getting the stove heated up quickly on a cold morning and then switching to something else that burns longer.

So, it's like everything else. Which is firewood is best? It depends.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Getting back to the OP. Ukraine should listen to the US when they say to use jet fuel for Abrams M1 A2 tanks. As part of the delivery of tanks, US is planning to ensure the supply chain can provide enough high quality jet fuel to supply those tanks. General Zaluzhnyi should not take advice from internet and burn whatever in those 8 million dollar tanks.

Then again, it's interesting that a troll would bother to try to seed doubt about that. Seems that seeding doubt is the main objective, not anything else. A common story throughout these times is people seeding doubt on anything the US government does. Hicks who live in broken down trailer homes, telling us that the CDC doesn't know as much as he does about vaccines, for example.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

The pitch in pine is what I've been warned about.

But too funny that I was citing what somebody who should have known better without first checking. Always check your sources.

According to this site, Pine and Cedar are both not recommended. Alder too.

Worst Firewood Types to Use
Not all wood is created equal. Just as there are firewood types we recommend, there are also several we do not recommend using. Most of these are not recommended because they are either softwoods, highly resinous, or both! Softwoods burn quickly in,efficiently and produce harmful chemicals. Resinous woods produce thick oils that blacken glass and foul the inside of your stove. We do not recommend using the following firewood types:

• Pine
• Poplar
• Cedar
• Eucalyptus
• Alder

Then again, there is this on cedar:

Fire quality, amount of smoke and creosote
Well seasoned Cedar is considered one of the cleanest burning evergreens by some with a moderate amount of smoke. That being said, you still need to be aware of creosote build up in your chimney. Creosote can clog your chimney and make a dangerous fire hazard. Be sure to clean your chimney once a year.

Cedar burns without too much effort and produces high intensity heat. It’s an oily wood which make it a more volatile fuel. It’s ideal for getting the stove heated up quickly on a cold morning and then switching to something else that burns longer.

So, it's like everything else. Which is better, pine or cedar? It depends.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Getting back to the OP. Ukraine should listen to Fields when he says to use jet fuel for Abrams M1 A2 tanks, which the US is planning to ensure the supply chain can provide enough to supply those tanks. General Zaluzhnyi should not take advice from internet itself and burn peanut butter in those 8 million dollar tanks.

Then again, it's interesting that a troll would bother to try to seed doubt about that. Seems that seeding doubt is the main objective, not anything else.

i've found it to be true that any wood that has a strong smell or any sticky sap oozing out of it, isn't a good choice. a little to get things going, then switch to much cleaner, longer burning hardwood.

Tanks are obviously meant to be in battle, and in a running battle, being capable of burning multiple types of fuel is an advantage, but that in no way means that it is the preferred method of operation.
I have an old school mechanical sewing machine that i can take to a stable or barn with no power, and run it with a hand crank. i also have a small electric motor i can hook to it and run it that way...it's nice to be able to operate without power in an emergency, but it's not my preferred method.

 

[BudmanTX]

The pitch in pine is what I've been warned about.

But too funny that I was citing what somebody who should have known better without first checking. Always check your sources.

According to this site, Pine and Cedar are both not recommended. Alder too.

Worst Firewood Types to Use
Not all wood is created equal. Just as there are firewood types we recommend, there are also several we do not recommend using. Most of these are not recommended because they are either softwoods, highly resinous, or both! Softwoods burn quickly in,efficiently and produce harmful chemicals. Resinous woods produce thick oils that blacken glass and foul the inside of your stove. We do not recommend using the following firewood types:

• Pine
• Poplar
• Cedar
• Eucalyptus
• Alder

Then again, there is this on cedar:

Fire quality, amount of smoke and creosote
Well seasoned Cedar is considered one of the cleanest burning evergreens by some with a moderate amount of smoke. That being said, you still need to be aware of creosote build up in your chimney. Creosote can clog your chimney and make a dangerous fire hazard. Be sure to clean your chimney once a year.

Cedar burns without too much effort and produces high intensity heat. It’s an oily wood which make it a more volatile fuel. It’s ideal for getting the stove heated up quickly on a cold morning and then switching to something else that burns longer.

So, it's like everything else. Which is firewood is best? It depends.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Getting back to the OP. Ukraine should listen to the US when they say to use jet fuel for Abrams M1 A2 tanks. As part of the delivery of tanks, US is planning to ensure the supply chain can provide enough high quality jet fuel to supply those tanks. General Zaluzhnyi should not take advice from internet and burn whatever in those 8 million dollar tanks.

Then again, it's interesting that a troll would bother to try to seed doubt about that. Seems that seeding doubt is the main objective, not anything else. A common story throughout these times is people seeding doubt on anything the US government does. Hicks who live in broken down trailer homes, telling us that the CDC doesn't know as much as he does about vaccines, for example.

Cedar works in a pinch, personally i like using it as a mulch instead, i use in my fireplace oak, mesquite, and wesach......

and when it comes to the Abrams, in 89 the army from what i've read changed it over to PJ8 fuel primarily, and i think the Aussies use a Desial variation, even though it can use all variations of fuels...even moonshine

 

[cannabineer]

The pitch in pine is what I've been warned about.

But too funny that I was just reciting what somebody I trusted told me without first checking. I know better too -- always check your sources.

According to this site, Pine and Cedar are both not recommended. Alder too.

Worst Firewood Types to Use
Not all wood is created equal. Just as there are firewood types we recommend, there are also several we do not recommend using. Most of these are not recommended because they are either softwoods, highly resinous, or both! Softwoods burn quickly in,efficiently and produce harmful chemicals. Resinous woods produce thick oils that blacken glass and foul the inside of your stove. We do not recommend using the following firewood types:

• Pine
• Poplar
• Cedar
• Eucalyptus
• Alder

Then again, there is this on cedar:

Fire quality, amount of smoke and creosote
Well seasoned Cedar is considered one of the cleanest burning evergreens by some with a moderate amount of smoke. That being said, you still need to be aware of creosote build up in your chimney. Creosote can clog your chimney and make a dangerous fire hazard. Be sure to clean your chimney once a year.

Cedar burns without too much effort and produces high intensity heat. It’s an oily wood which make it a more volatile fuel. It’s ideal for getting the stove heated up quickly on a cold morning and then switching to something else that burns longer.

So, it's like everything else. Which is firewood is best? It depends.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Getting back to the OP. Ukraine should listen to the US when they say to use jet fuel for Abrams M1 A2 tanks. As part of the delivery of tanks, US is planning to ensure the supply chain can provide enough high quality jet fuel to supply those tanks. General Zaluzhnyi should not take advice from internet and burn whatever in those 8 million dollar tanks.

Then again, it's interesting that a troll would bother to try to seed doubt about that. Seems that seeding doubt is the main objective, not anything else. A common story throughout these times is people seeding doubt on anything the US government does. Hicks who live in broken down trailer homes, telling us that the CDC doesn't know as much as he does about vaccines, for example.

this may be a bit frivolous, but “cleanest-burning evergreen” strikes me a bit like “dually pickup with highest fuel economy”.

On a less frivolous note, manzanita (an evergreen) burns extremely clean and hot. Hot enough to damage a stove made of the usual iron if one isn’t careful. It also has the endearing quality of burning clean and hot even when soaked.

 

[printer]

the russians can't pick off a country one tenth their population, in fact they're losing to them badly...that just doesn't seem like much of a threat to me.

Not militarily but things like cyber attacks, cutting off oil to the countries that still rely on it from Russia. Nobody wants to be the nail that sticks up, if the American nail is sticking up beside theirs the politicians feel a little

the hill.

No, Pew poll.

 

[cannabineer]

^^I'm so glad we solved this.

Getting back to what the trog was doing. He was just casting doubt. Turned out he knew nothing and was just citing what we all could look up on the internet. As with wood stoves, the Abrams M1 A2 tanks the US is providing MAY use alternate fuels in a pinch but what kind of message would that be?

"The M1 A2 tank can use kerosene, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel but for long term use and due possible issues with maintenance if substandard fuels -- which may or may not be provided by an unknown supplier -- are used in the Abram's gas turbine engine, said maintenance may be difficult to manage in battlefield conditions, and while some of those fuels might be just fine in the summer, at -10 C, there may be problems with the Abrams M1A2 tank's fuel and combustion system providing enough power to achieve the speed which may be necessary under certain battle conditions using specific blends of kerosene, especially given the mixed and uncertain quality of kerosene among Ukraine's suppliers, also given the need for other Leopard and T72 tanks of various description to use diesel, and that adequate supplies of diesel fuel is currently difficult to provide in enough quantity during the near constant state of battle along the front lines, after reviewing all of these factors the US has decided to choose the most expensive option which we feel is probably best and recommend jet fuel."

Rather than make everybody confused, the US chose to not only recommend the best fuel for the Abrams M1 A2 tank but to guarantee an adequate supply and then Field said:

"Abrams tanks run on a "gas turbine engine which needs jet fuel," Kirby said. "So there's a specific type of fuel that powers the Abrams, and we've got to make sure that pipeline—literally and figuratively—is available to Ukraine."

The US recommends jet fuel and will ensure enough jet fuel is available in the quantity needed. Does anybody have a problem understanding that?

The trog (whose posts have been deleted, btw, lol) and others can debate that statement. Nobody can argue that the US intends to deliver our best tanks with an adequate supply chain to ensure that high quality fuel is available in quantity. Why would one argue with that (unless one is a Putin dick licking sock troll with the lifetime of a mature Oregon Rain Beetle)?

Military minds love contingencies. And corporate liaisons tank salesmen love to point out features that are unlikely to be needed except in a serious pinch. So the argument is not entirely sterile, notably for the export models.

Turbine power plants are fuel sluts. They’ll burn just about anything so long as there is a buttload of it. (Maintenance interval will probably be affected, primarily by injector erosion. Jet fuel is spec’d low for particulates.) I was a bit surprised when it was pointed out that for the various quite congeneric fuels, the Honeywell turbine needs specific fuel management hardware. I’ll bet the corporate liaisons talk quickly and briefly about that end of it.

 

[Fogdog]

Top 10 PSYCHEDELIC Soviet cartoons (VIDEOS)

From iconic and philosophical to obscure and moronic - what did these trippy Soviet cartoons of the late USSR look like?

www.rbth.com

Top 10 PSYCHEDELIC Soviet cartoons (VIDEOS)

1. Hedgehog in the Fog (1975, Yuri Norstein)

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

Drone footage shows Belgian warehouse full of tanks which trader says could help Ukraine

 

[BudmanTX]

interesting little article

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

www.bloomberg.com

 

[Sativied]

Was just watching / listening to this guy, commander of last dutch(-german) tank division. His whole demeanor made me feel safer in the world…


… but then he started explaining the use of leopards against Russians by using soccer analogies. Because, of course.



“A Leopard needs 2 seconds to shoot accurately at a target the size of a pizza box 4km away” (that’s roughly 2.5miles for metric-challenged people). If you ever seen how small european pizza boxes are…

Looks like we will be sending the last 18 tanks we have, but, we’ll also be buying more new ones for ourselves, or more specifically, for the Dutch-German army. The what? Yes, you did not slide into a different timeline where Germany did not invade NL not long enough ago for everyone who lived through it to die. Unique in Europe and NATO, Dutch and German army are going to merge completely. More like complete the merge. It’s weird. But then last time Germany invaded us it took 5 days and Rotterdam so…

Netherlands to integrate last brigade into German army this year: NRC - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands and Germany have taken a big step towards combining their armed forces with the integration of the last Dutch brigade into the German army, NRC reported on Thursday. The 13th Light Brigade, based in Oirschot, will come under the command of Germany’s 10 Panzer Division, creating...

www.dutchnews.nl

Belgium, our southern neighbors, and Dutch navy work very closely together but the Belgian army is more aimed at cooperating with France, their southern neighbors. This move by Germany and NL is not something Macron would prefer, he wants an integrated EU army. Now Belgium is having doubts, should they merge with France or join the - geez this will take some time getting used to - German Panzer divisions too.

Ffs can someone take out Putin already.

 

[cannabineer]

Was just watching / listening to this guy, commander of last dutch(-german) tank division. His whole demeanor made me feel safer in the world…
View attachment 5255347

… but then he started explaining the use of leopards against Russians by using soccer analogies. Because, of course.

View attachment 5255350

“A Leopard needs 2 seconds to shoot accurately at a target the size of a pizza box 4km away” (that’s roughly 2.5miles for metric-challenged people). If you ever seen how small european pizza boxes are…

Looks like we will be sending the last 18 tanks we have, but, we’ll also be buying more new ones for ourselves, or more specifically, for the Dutch-German army. The what? Yes, you did not slide into a different timeline where Germany did not invade NL not long enough ago for everyone who lived through it to die. Unique in Europe and NATO, Dutch and German army are going to merge completely. More like complete the merge. It’s weird. But then last time Germany invaded us it took 5 days and Rotterdam so…

Netherlands to integrate last brigade into German army this year: NRC - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands and Germany have taken a big step towards combining their armed forces with the integration of the last Dutch brigade into the German army, NRC reported on Thursday. The 13th Light Brigade, based in Oirschot, will come under the command of Germany’s 10 Panzer Division, creating...

www.dutchnews.nl

Belgium, our southern neighbors, and Dutch navy work very closely together but the Belgian army is more aimed at cooperating with France, their southern neighbors. This move by Germany and NL is not something Macron would prefer, he wants an integrated EU army. Now Belgium is having doubts, should they merge with France or join the - geez this will take some time getting used to - German Panzer divisions too.

Ffs can someone take out Putin already.

I wonder if the Germans have the analogous proverb to “if you can’t beat’m, joim’m.”
Probably not. It would risk spontaneous Teutonic combustion.

 

[PadawanWarrior]

As China and Russia get "closer" and Beijing invests in nuclear weapons, NATO focuses on new "friends"

"China is not our adversary," Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, "but we must understand the scale of the challenge and work together to address it."

www.cbsnews.com

 

[BudmanTX]

As China and Russia get "closer" and Beijing invests in nuclear weapons, NATO focuses on new "friends"

"China is not our adversary," Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, "but we must understand the scale of the challenge and work together to address it."

www.cbsnews.com

interesting article, thanks for the read

couple of things to point out....1: China already has the bomb, they've had it since the mid 60's, and hydrogen in the late 60's.

2: NK are still idiots "NATO was trying to put its "military boots in the region" , umm Nato already has boots on the ground in SK, js, most drills or excersies are usually US and SK though

3: Asian version of Nato, now that might be possible......

 

[BudmanTX]

get this guy to the Hague and stat

Russian army officer admits: 'Our troops tortured Ukrainians'

The former senior lieutenant tells the BBC he witnessed the mistreatment of prisoners.

www.bbc.com

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

Steven Seagal calls Russian TV anchor live on-air

The actor has been a Russian citizen since 2016 and was recommended to be put on a sanctions list for his support of Russia's war efforts.

www.newsweek.com

 

[printer]

Ukraine warns Russia massing 500,000 troops on border for offensive
Ukraine is warning that Moscow is re-grouping hundred of thousands of troops on the border for a massive new offensive, just weeks before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday gave a stark message to the West when he forecast that the Kremlin was building up its forces to take “revenge.”

“Now Russia is concentrating its forces. We all know that. It is preparing to try to take revenge, not only against Ukraine, but against a free Europe and the free world,” Zelensky said at a press conference alongside EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov told French media on Wednesday that Russia had 500,000 troops ready for an attack to come in weeks. That number is far higher than the 300,000 newly enlisted soldiers Russian President Vladimir Putin called up this past autumn.
“Officially, they announced 300,000, but when we see the troops at the borders, according to our assessments it is much more,” Reznikov said.

And senior Ukrainian defense ministry official Yuriy Sak told NBC News Thursday that officials are worried Moscow’s military is preparing for a soon-to-come assault aimed at turning the war in the Kremlin’s favor.

“We should understand that the threat of a new and another offensive will remain until we defeat Russia,” Sak said.
Western and Ukrainian officials have long warned that Russia is planning a renewed spring offensive after a series of embarrassing defeats last summer and fall and a near stalemate over the winter.

But the warnings are picking up ahead of the war’s one-year anniversary on Feb. 24.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, tweeted Thursday he had spoken with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley about a new Kremlin offensive.

Russian forces, who have made significant advances around the eastern city of Bakhmut over the past two weeks — their biggest gain in the war since summer — are looking to finally take the city and push past the incremental gains into bigger battlefield wins.

Moscow is hoping the hundreds of thousands of reservists and new conscripts it called up in the fall will allow it to reconstitute military units depleted last year.

Driving the timeline forward is a small gap between newly pledged Western battle vehicles and tanks and when Ukraine will actually take possession of the weapons, experts predict

Both the U.S. and Germany last month agreed to send tanks to Kyiv’s forces, including 31 M1 Abrams tanks from Washington.

Zelenskyy in his nightly video address warned that Ukrainian defense officials will have to make some difficult choices as the battle over Bakhmut continues to grind, saying the situation “has become tougher” in the region.
“The enemy is trying to achieve at least something now to show that Russia has some chances on the anniversary of the invasion,” he said.

Ukraine warns Russia massing 500,000 troops on border for offensive

Ukraine is warning that Moscow is regrouping hundred of thousands of troops on the border for a massive new offensive, just weeks before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian …

thehill.com

Until a Western source confirms Russia is amassing 500,000 then I would say Zelensky may just be trying to drum up more excitement.

 

[cannabineer]

Ukraine warns Russia massing 500,000 troops on border for offensive
Ukraine is warning that Moscow is re-grouping hundred of thousands of troops on the border for a massive new offensive, just weeks before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday gave a stark message to the West when he forecast that the Kremlin was building up its forces to take “revenge.”

“Now Russia is concentrating its forces. We all know that. It is preparing to try to take revenge, not only against Ukraine, but against a free Europe and the free world,” Zelensky said at a press conference alongside EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov told French media on Wednesday that Russia had 500,000 troops ready for an attack to come in weeks. That number is far higher than the 300,000 newly enlisted soldiers Russian President Vladimir Putin called up this past autumn.
“Officially, they announced 300,000, but when we see the troops at the borders, according to our assessments it is much more,” Reznikov said.

And senior Ukrainian defense ministry official Yuriy Sak told NBC News Thursday that officials are worried Moscow’s military is preparing for a soon-to-come assault aimed at turning the war in the Kremlin’s favor.

“We should understand that the threat of a new and another offensive will remain until we defeat Russia,” Sak said.
Western and Ukrainian officials have long warned that Russia is planning a renewed spring offensive after a series of embarrassing defeats last summer and fall and a near stalemate over the winter.

But the warnings are picking up ahead of the war’s one-year anniversary on Feb. 24.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, tweeted Thursday he had spoken with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley about a new Kremlin offensive.

Russian forces, who have made significant advances around the eastern city of Bakhmut over the past two weeks — their biggest gain in the war since summer — are looking to finally take the city and push past the incremental gains into bigger battlefield wins.

Moscow is hoping the hundreds of thousands of reservists and new conscripts it called up in the fall will allow it to reconstitute military units depleted last year.

Driving the timeline forward is a small gap between newly pledged Western battle vehicles and tanks and when Ukraine will actually take possession of the weapons, experts predict

Both the U.S. and Germany last month agreed to send tanks to Kyiv’s forces, including 31 M1 Abrams tanks from Washington.

Zelenskyy in his nightly video address warned that Ukrainian defense officials will have to make some difficult choices as the battle over Bakhmut continues to grind, saying the situation “has become tougher” in the region.
“The enemy is trying to achieve at least something now to show that Russia has some chances on the anniversary of the invasion,” he said.

Ukraine warns Russia massing 500,000 troops on border for offensive

Ukraine is warning that Moscow is regrouping hundred of thousands of troops on the border for a massive new offensive, just weeks before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian …

thehill.com

Until a Western source confirms Russia is amassing 500,000 then I would say Zelensky may just be trying to drum up more excitement.

So far Zelenskyy hasn’t laid it on too thick. In any case I’m sure “national technical means” is providing the relevant intel, and as a matter of prudent policy not commenting.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

Ukraine warns Russia massing 500,000 troops on border for offensive
Ukraine is warning that Moscow is re-grouping hundred of thousands of troops on the border for a massive new offensive, just weeks before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday gave a stark message to the West when he forecast that the Kremlin was building up its forces to take “revenge.”

“Now Russia is concentrating its forces. We all know that. It is preparing to try to take revenge, not only against Ukraine, but against a free Europe and the free world,” Zelensky said at a press conference alongside EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov told French media on Wednesday that Russia had 500,000 troops ready for an attack to come in weeks. That number is far higher than the 300,000 newly enlisted soldiers Russian President Vladimir Putin called up this past autumn.
“Officially, they announced 300,000, but when we see the troops at the borders, according to our assessments it is much more,” Reznikov said.

And senior Ukrainian defense ministry official Yuriy Sak told NBC News Thursday that officials are worried Moscow’s military is preparing for a soon-to-come assault aimed at turning the war in the Kremlin’s favor.

“We should understand that the threat of a new and another offensive will remain until we defeat Russia,” Sak said.
Western and Ukrainian officials have long warned that Russia is planning a renewed spring offensive after a series of embarrassing defeats last summer and fall and a near stalemate over the winter.

But the warnings are picking up ahead of the war’s one-year anniversary on Feb. 24.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, tweeted Thursday he had spoken with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley about a new Kremlin offensive.

Russian forces, who have made significant advances around the eastern city of Bakhmut over the past two weeks — their biggest gain in the war since summer — are looking to finally take the city and push past the incremental gains into bigger battlefield wins.

Moscow is hoping the hundreds of thousands of reservists and new conscripts it called up in the fall will allow it to reconstitute military units depleted last year.

Driving the timeline forward is a small gap between newly pledged Western battle vehicles and tanks and when Ukraine will actually take possession of the weapons, experts predict

Both the U.S. and Germany last month agreed to send tanks to Kyiv’s forces, including 31 M1 Abrams tanks from Washington.

Zelenskyy in his nightly video address warned that Ukrainian defense officials will have to make some difficult choices as the battle over Bakhmut continues to grind, saying the situation “has become tougher” in the region.
“The enemy is trying to achieve at least something now to show that Russia has some chances on the anniversary of the invasion,” he said.

Ukraine warns Russia massing 500,000 troops on border for offensive

Ukraine is warning that Moscow is regrouping hundred of thousands of troops on the border for a massive new offensive, just weeks before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian …

thehill.com

Until a Western source confirms Russia is amassing 500,000 then I would say Zelensky may just be trying to drum up more excitement.

They will be attacking at the beginning of mud season, again and that means being confined to roads for armor and unsupported infantry attacks on defensive positions, Bahkmut X10, it will be a slaughter of epic proportions. I wonder how a half million new troops will be equipped? The last bunch had to buy their own gear.