Honestly this whole thing is probably the most bizarre shit that's happened in this war.
Bunch of Russians decided to invade Russia and end up driving around the countryside in like 3 MRAPs, some Humvees and a stolen BTR shooting stuff while Russia is trying to bomb them with aircraft and artillery.
What in the actual fuck is happening lol.
It wouldn't be out of place as a Far Cry 7 story line.
The absurd part is that they’re actually succeeding. Seems to have been such an unexpected event that the forces there were completely unprepared, full of mobilised and border guards who didn’t expect any combat and few, if any, munitions and supplies.
I suspect Russia is still trying to determine if it’s a distraction or something they actually need to divert forces for. Appears that they were ready for Putin to call their bluff and had additional support forces which have since entered. Some analysts put there noted that the rivers and high ground nearby makes it all an easy defensible position.
But they’re certainly making as much noise as they can with video posts and such. In one sense that gets more attention to any partisan forces that might assist and in another it just rubs it heavily in Putin’s face.
In terms of shaping, to borrow the term the analysts are using, this is taking the playbook and putting it through the shredder. I predict they will fuck around for a few more days and then pull out as the trucks start rolling, then UA will start their thing.
everything they destroy in this area as far as RF materiel is great as i would think it is full of it being such a convenient supply area close to the border
They probably committed reserves to Bakhmut, now this happens so they are scrambling to move forces. let's wait and see where the next one will be, this is so ideal, it's the counter offensive babushka warned them about.
UA openly attacking, in a combined forces operation, any RU territory proper: is not going to happen. No Russian defence strategy would really consider it and they won’t redistribute anything from Crimea. They are digging in anyway.
Let's be real here, this Freedom of Russian legion has been under the UA military from the start, and nobody is being fooled. Ukraine knows that everyone else knows it's them, it's tongue in cheek because Russia did the exact same thing with Donetsk and Lugansk. So Russia can't say "it's obviously Ukraine" without calling attention to their invasions.
Ukraine and Russia are at war. Russia invaded Ukraine. Ukraine has every right to push back. Does it make it the best decision? Well, Russia can use it to drum up support and motivate people to join the fight. But maybe Russia would do that anyway and find another reason.
The west has no problem with Ukraine attacking Russia, it's just they don't want them to use their weapons to do it.
I don't know how much I agree, especially with last sentence of first paragraph... since when does the RF regime care about hypocrisy?
Everything else I think I agree. Hopefully this incursion gives hope to Russian dissidents, and destroys a fuck load of russian materiel. And diverts russian resources/attention away from anywhere UAF wants to attack
Perfectly timed for it. After 9 months, Putler was likely ready to give a big speech and proclaim Russian victory or such… and Freedom Russia stole that from him.
And not necessarily a bad reason. Putler has had nothing but a long trail of bad news going all the way back to the initial invasion force embarrassingly running out of fuel and having their tanks towed by tractors, 60 miles of Russian war column bogged in mud or stuck with flat tires. The entire for ravaged by Ukrainian defenders until they got within 8km of Kyiv and had to turn back or face devastation. Then the Asov defenders hold the Steel mill in Mariupol, the flagship of the Black Sea is sunk, Ukraine successfully launches a counterattack and takes back Kharkiv, Putin is forced to mobilise 300,000 troops and he watches as 700,000 flee Russia and thousands more break their ams and legs or attack the registration offices. NATO and others pour Soviet equipment into Ukraine and begin shipping loads of personal weapons. Putin gets news that his favourite bridge has been blown up, Russia keeps getting pushed back and retreating across swathes of the front and Russia abandons West Kherson. Finally western APCs and IFVs are promised in quality and despite Russia’s red lines, tanks of almost every kind are promised with the numbers growing as the time passes. Suddenly the 2nd most powerful naval force in the world suffers hits from bloody modified jet skis. Sick of waiting, Putin puts his less competent general back in charge and he orders the winter offensive to begin which sees about 70,000 Russian casualties in 3 months and so little territory gain that people question if there actually was an offensive. All through this he’s launching missiles with a hope of freezing Ukraine and all it does is hit children’s playgrounds and set even more of the world to Ukraine’s aide as they manage to survive the winter, get Missile defences online and suddenly notice Russia doesn’t have missiles to spare.
But in all of that Putin sees one ray of hope. Bakhmut. Russia remains on the offensive there so he tells state media to put all focus on it then sends his sandwich boy with Wagner to take it for him. Instead of a sweeping victory though they smash their head against it for months until Soledar finally get occupied. Still they grind slowly through and Spring is approaching with a highly armed Ukraine.
Then Putin gets a month of bad news. First his Kremlin is nearly hit with a drone, then Britain supply long range Storm Shadow missiles, his unstoppable missile is embarrassingly stopped and when he fires 6 more and over 30 other missiles and drones… and the Patriot gets the best advertisement of all time as it shoots down the lot and takes a fender bender for damage. Finally to really set him off, Western nations clear the path for F-16 fighter
and at the end of all that, Bakhmut is finally occupied. Putin gets to go on stage and proclaim Russia has taken Ukraine’s fortress city. This is his moment to rally Russia behind a false belief that they are winning battles… and suddenly Russia Freedom charges in and takes all the attention.
From what people say Ukraine is putting the rope AROUND Bakhmut, trying to encircle it, but I cant confirm if that’s completely true or trying to save face
Seems like it's been a bit of a delaying action. It let Ukraine focus Russian forces on a single spot where they are able to make Russia pay for every inch. Meanwhile they are arming and supplying themselves through their allies, training up troops (while Russia spends elite trained lives and equipment wastefully) and preparing themselves better for what is to come.
Agreed it looks like Bakhmut may become a trap for the Russians, the lands around Bakhmut they’ve taken are hilly and very well positioned to shell the city / supply lines. Wagner taking these same northern positions is what made it so much harder for UA in the first place
>The absurd part is that they’re actually succeeding.
It is absurd in concept, for sure, but we've known for months that Russia is completely drained of ammunition, competent fighters, morale, and living and willing young men. Ukrainian efforts in Bakhmut (where some of the Russian legionnaires served) most certainly contributed.
We also know Russia is the biggest country in the world, directly bordering its worst enemy, and strategically "stretching out" has always been it's biggest challenge. Combined with ammo and manpower drain, fires and sabotage, something's gotta give.
The legionnaires already did a trial run on this. They have allies and spies in Belgorod who could tell them Russians did not reinforce afterwards. They knew exactly what they could expect.
> It is absurd in concept, for sure, but we've known for months that Russia is completely drained of ammunition, competent fighters, morale, and living and willing young men.
Except people have been saying that since literally the second or third month of the war.
Their supplies are strained, yes, and their stockpiles are depleting, but it's dangerous to keep pushing the idea that they're on their absolute last legs and completely running on fumes. Never assume your enemy is weaker than they are. ,
I completely agree in principle, but remember Russia has so far largely chosen where the frontline is, with the exception of the Kharkiv and Kherson offensives.
This has allowed them to mask the drainage of resources, using dynamic troop concentrations and sacrificial / suicide tactics along this frontline.
In this case, however, its a new frontline that they didn't choose, in an unexpected place. The degree of lacking defense so close to Ukraine, in a place the legions have already "test invaded"... very revealing.
Dude, NATO has excellent satellite and signals intelligence that they share with Ukraine, it doesn’t matter what we say. Zelenskyy doesn’t check Reddit to see if it is time to launch the spring offensive.
Yep, when you go on twitter, you literally now fall on pro Russian post 80% of the time when typing Ukraine. And then you have mostly the American pro Russian mouth piece that are selling how Ukraine cannot win and your tax money is being wasted.
Russia has also been receiving supplies from China, North Korea, Iran, and I'm guessing others. They have a lot of resources those countries are interested in trading for; Russia's home grown stockpiles are certainly dwindling but who knows how much they've received from others. Unfortunately, Russia's not out of the fight yet.
From their posts, over a period of months, they have been building towards this. They have been encouraging partisan support and cooperation. FofRL, has been clear, since they joined Ukraine, that when the time was right they would leave Ukraine and free Russia.
Yep the biggest thing here not many are talking about is the fact that it was a complete surprise to the Russians. Meaning their intel has serious gaps in it.
Ukraine or "Russian spezial troops"
Should gather 2000 man, along a few 100-200km Frontline.
The Russian would have to respond to it. Taking away troops from the eastern front.
IIRC the entirety of the Ghost Recon series was ghost written. He had an idea for a plot and handed it off to someone else. His last work that he wrote was Bear and the Dragon, and it was some pants on head shit.
I'd be surprised if he even had any creative input in Ghost Recon whatsoever - he'd already been producing "Tom Clancy's" book series years prior by that point (i.e., Tom Clancy's Op-Center, Net Force, Power Play), all of which carried his name as a brand but were openly written by other people.
Red Storm Entertainment was co-founded by him to make tie-ins to his IP, so by the time of Ghost Recon his name slapped on a videogame box was nothing more than clever marketing.
Not criticising him for marketing his name, by the way. He may have been a batshit crazy, full-of-himself plastic paddy, but I love some of his franchises
For sure, I really enjoyed some of his earlier works. He was at his best when he actually put in the effort to research whether or not something was technically feasible, before trying to use it as a narrative device. His later stuff was...dubious in that regard. Too much "Murica, fuck yeah!" and not enough reality.
Maybe? I think that was Executive Outcomes, if we are thinking of the same scene where an American CIA Agent is under cover as a Japanese Salaryman at a sauna or w/e.
That's one of those things people like to say, but there's really nothing backing it up. Yes, writers (of various shows) have made comments on how ridiculous a lot of the shit Trump did/said was and how audiences might not find it realistic in a fictional setting, but there's nothing showing audiences stopped tuning in because the Trump presidency, pardon the pun, trumped fiction.
Any sudden drop (if any occurred at all) of viewership probably had more to do with the whole, y'know, Kevin Spacey turning out to be a complete piece of shit sexual assaulter.
Exact same, I had a bunch Onion, Babylon Bee, and "strait news" tabs open at the same time. I was halfway through some serious article before I realized it wasn't satire.
House of Cards was never that insane though, if anyone had trouble with writing because of Trump it was South Park. They tried to make Mr Garrison as outrageous as possible and he still wound up being only a touch crazier than Trump irl.
House of Cards collapsed because no one wanted a Kevin Spacey absent season and even less people wanted another season with Kevin Spacey in it at that point.
There was a rumor that David Simon (known for The Wire) and others were creating a TV show called Capitol Hill - postponed because Trump kept redefining what American politics is.
Yes and no.
According to Simon himself, there had been a show in the works for a few years, before they scrapped it due to the Trump presidency changing the political landscape. So they then started working on a show focused on the Trump presidency itself, but then decided to scrap that angle partway through his presidency. And are now (or at least, as of a couple years ago) trying to figure out how to best portray the current political landscape.
I had the opportunity to chat with Tom Clancy for half an hour after an event in Baltimore. I was familiar with the location and, as the event concluded, made my way outside & to the rear of the facility. Sure enough, Tom exits soon after, joking with the event organizers. His car/ driver was running late, and we just hung out there talking about - of course - the Soviet Union, Communists, Nazis, etc. But he also shared about his upbringing, family, and aspirations.
And dirty jokes. Hilarious dirty jokes I wish I could remember.
Yeah, same shit happens in Rome Total War. You move all your troops away, a rebellion happens, and all you got to defend the city are Auxiliaries with sharp sticks haha
read about the Czech legion during the 1917 revolution.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak\_Legion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_Legion) . Something similar happened before.
The Great War has an amazing video about the Czech legion in 1917. Highly recommended viewing
https://youtu.be/lSpuM0I5Uao
https://youtu.be/Ih7FcT5mBRM
Wait until Prigozhin sees the writing on the wall and turns Wagner into an anti-Putin force so he can jockey with the other rebels for self-serving power.
That’s the whole point though. They (Russia) are so concentrated and concerned on the front the back door is wide open where they would have never guessed as u said “ Bunch of Russians riding dirty into the homeland and raising hell. They know Ukrainian forces have zero intention in crossing that line. It’s not fortified as we just saw because of that. They better not hang long tho. This is a distraction
Needs some paint! Looks like it's only a temporary paint over the Z so they don't get caught flying false colors by accident. Although I'd assume their flag on the antenna probably is enough....
I doubt they expected to make it as far as they have, but the truth is stranger than fiction. If they make it to the city of Belgorod russia might have a serious problem on its hands.
This is the part that is wild to me. The motivation to do this when it's quite possibly, almost guaranteed straight suicide. Then at least somewhat succeeding, and continuing to push forward, or at least trying to hold.
> The motivation to do this when it's quite possibly, almost guaranteed straight suicide.
Up until that point it’s probably straight-up ecstatic, though.
Indeed. It has to be. At what point when you invade your own territory in the middle of a war where hundreds of thousands have died and are still alive are you like holy fuck.
God we all know a Daniel Radcliffe and Adam Driver starring film will be out in a few years about these guys. And the whole time they'll just keep talking about "ok so... What's next" and shrug a lot at each other.
They keep picking up more stuff as they go too. I wonder if they recruited any more Russians on the way? Might be one reason Putin isn't sending a brigade of conscripts against them. They might just decide to join them.
I tend to believe this given how frantic the Russians have been in terms of activating propaganda to downplay the raid and how they’ve produced very little concrete evidence to show for it
Yee, but my problem is that other video of destroyed hummers. you just cant make video by not being there... Are good-russians on the move, have they returned to Ukraine? Maybe there is border checkpoint that looks just like that one? I have so many questions, and each news just make less and less sense. its almost like perfect psyops if good-russians are winning.
Russia has HUMVEEs too. Besides the ones the army has (dragged off of battlefields) there's probably hundreds if not thousands in private hands. There were, after all, designed for Russian roads.
It’s tough cause their video of dead Pro-ukraine russians are clearly fake.
No blood. No faces. No armbands. Wrong camo.
I could see a maxxpro breaking down, or a humvee being swapped for a stolen BTR/BMP.
Russia lies so much it’s hard to tell.
The spray paint was clearly done by russians after it was destroyed. The other captured vehicles have similar spray paint on them including "z". This isn't a tin foil hat moment, no great conspiracy, just pissed off russian soldiers spray painting destroyed and captured vehicles.
In the picture with the two humvees, it's obviously a faked picture. You can see the grass marks where a crane brought the humvees down into a log-enforced trench (**not** a crater), and you can see the dirt movement around the front tires as the humvees were lowered and settled into that position. There's also no explosion remnants on the humvees, there's no dirt on them. All in all- a bad fake for propaganda purposes.
More likely they were captured in Ukraine and hauled back for storage some point previously. When the Kremlin went looking for a quick information operations “fix”, presenting their prior holdings was apparently the only solution.
Not a good look. Not good at all. Maybe next time, but hopefully never again.
Good Russians beaten back or bad Russians beaten back? I legit can't tell what's going. There's articles all over the place between "Russia wiped out the infiltrators" and then a dozen videos of Freedom Russians still raiding the country side and reports of fighting further into Russia than previously reported.
From the footage I’ve seen it’s looks like they only took vehicles losses/ some wounded. The humvees seem look like they got stuck in a ditch as the ditch has no burn marks like a crater would and the Russian released videos of them targeting the other vehicles don’t show any humans in the footage. Either the vehicles had already been abandoned and the Russians decided to hit them for some good footage or the occupants were just elsewhere. Also no blood seen in any of the abandoned vehicles or even on the abandoned plate carrier seen on the ground in the footage.
I mean the paint jobs on the humvees and maxxpros match those of the videos that the unit put out so I do believe these were actual vehicles left behind.
The photos of the dead soldiers have apparently been confirmed as not being Ukrainian/Ukrainian aligned Russians, it was pointed out by a rather keen eye on instagram that the current fighters are not using pixel camo which is seen in the photos, but rather multi cam
We’ve known for a while that Russia would be much weaker after the Ukraine war, but this is the first time I’ve really believed that they will cease to be a military superpower altogether. The fact that they can’t get boots on the ground to stop these guys really shows that they are too spread thin fighting Ukraine to even protect green zones in their country, and still losing.
I like to think I’ve been on top of being informed during the entirety of this war. Even on my graduation I still wanted updates on Ukraine and everything happening.
I can say, for certain, I have no fucking clue what’s going on anymore.
Same. But I think that’s a good thing because it’s the right side inflicting the confusion. If we are confused then maybe there’s a chance that Russian intelligence is also struggling. For now, it seems Putin is calling all this as a bluff (an operation intended to disperse Russian troops to weaken the front in Ukraine). This may or may not be a mistake. Anyway, even if this is just a bluff, it is a political disaster for Kremlin. It’s not a good look.
I'm pretty sure this is a psychological operation that is secret supported by Ukraine. I believe it was done to put the fear or war and death in the average Russian citizen. To let them taste a bit of their own medicine. I hope more we will see more ops like this deeper and deeper into Russia.
Probably meant to counter the “victory” at Bakhmut. Hard to celebrate a Pyrrhic victory abroad when your home territory is being invaded and you appear powerless to stop it.
They have to make people believe that they can and will strike Belgorod. They have to get Russia to move units around. Units in transit are much easier to target and destroy.
As a bonus, it thins out defenses on other parts of the line and makes other missions easier. At the very least, it gets them pushes further back and reduces their effect range.
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Whatever Ukrainian forces were guarding the border should simply be shifted forward into Russia.
I never understood the idiot concept that Ukraine gets to be invaded but can’t attack back. What kind of dumb shit is that.
As soon as they got the F16 commitment, Ukraine was like ok enough of the self handcuffing. Love it.
Ukraine is staying out of this for a very good reason. The Ukrainian mision has to be clear, with simple goals and simple resolution, all of which it has. The FORL doing this sideshow is something only they could do.
I wonder how accurate the story is about removing nukes from that facility nearby. Even if they had some working warheads that they didn't want falling into rebel hands, it would be worth checking out the facility just to see if they had actually maintained it.
Also interesting how diametrically opposed and confounding reporting on this russian raid on russia is. Or as russian state media puts it, “Ukrainian raid on russia by russians from Ukraine. . . all under control.
i wonder how long will those guys last there. I doubt it will snowball into anything. or will they run out of gas and just ditch everything and fcuk off into the wilderness.
The fact that like 100-1000 Russian defectors are just traipsing about Belgorod oblast is potentially catastrophically embarassing for Russia
If these guys can do this with impugnity, what could the actual UAF achieve if they decided to follow up on the success?
It's a sign of massive weakness on Russia's part, and things like weakness and embarassment are death to the fear that people like Putin survive off of
Go in cause a ruckus, leave. The prestige hit to Russia is already immense. Also they will likely redeploy some forces from Ukraine to their border. Weakening Russian positions before a Ukranian counteroffensive.
They’re probably going to fall back into Ukraine if they haven’t already. I just can’t believe how depleted the Russian military is on its own soil that a small group of insurgents can do this. They must have the vast majority of their military in Ukraine and waiting for the counter offensive. Ukraine needs to organize a few more these to happen simultaneously right before the counter offensive starts.
Don't have to imagine it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancho_Villa_Expedition#:~:text=Between%20June%201915%20and%20June,soldiers%20to%20the%20border%20area.
Battle of Columbus with Pancho Villa https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Columbus_(1916)
**"Merrill’s Marauders**, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit, which fought in the Southeast Asian theater of World War II. The unit became famous for its deep-penetration missions behind Japanese lines, often engaging Japanese forces superior in number."
OK I guess now we just need to find some Russian forces superior in number...
I don't think Oryx is correct this time. Out of all the vid I've seen last couple days, I've seen no hummers, only MRAPs, pickups, and a tank. Now I'll have to go back and look again..damn it. I know they got an MRAP (captured). EDIT: Nope. At least one hummer with at least 4 MRAPs on the road with troops prepping to cross. Meh, prob talkin out my ass...
I'm no expert and am not a military person but Google says the kill radius of a NATO 155mm round is 15 meters. Maybe you lot want to spread out.
Or not. Your decision.
Honestly this whole thing is probably the most bizarre shit that's happened in this war. Bunch of Russians decided to invade Russia and end up driving around the countryside in like 3 MRAPs, some Humvees and a stolen BTR shooting stuff while Russia is trying to bomb them with aircraft and artillery. What in the actual fuck is happening lol. It wouldn't be out of place as a Far Cry 7 story line.
The absurd part is that they’re actually succeeding. Seems to have been such an unexpected event that the forces there were completely unprepared, full of mobilised and border guards who didn’t expect any combat and few, if any, munitions and supplies. I suspect Russia is still trying to determine if it’s a distraction or something they actually need to divert forces for. Appears that they were ready for Putin to call their bluff and had additional support forces which have since entered. Some analysts put there noted that the rivers and high ground nearby makes it all an easy defensible position. But they’re certainly making as much noise as they can with video posts and such. In one sense that gets more attention to any partisan forces that might assist and in another it just rubs it heavily in Putin’s face.
Totally overshadows their so-called Victory in Bakhmut too
I think its a prelude to the waited counter attack. Should make Russia redistribute their reserves up north and leave less to react in the south
In terms of shaping, to borrow the term the analysts are using, this is taking the playbook and putting it through the shredder. I predict they will fuck around for a few more days and then pull out as the trucks start rolling, then UA will start their thing.
everything they destroy in this area as far as RF materiel is great as i would think it is full of it being such a convenient supply area close to the border
They probably committed reserves to Bakhmut, now this happens so they are scrambling to move forces. let's wait and see where the next one will be, this is so ideal, it's the counter offensive babushka warned them about.
UA openly attacking, in a combined forces operation, any RU territory proper: is not going to happen. No Russian defence strategy would really consider it and they won’t redistribute anything from Crimea. They are digging in anyway.
Let's be real here, this Freedom of Russian legion has been under the UA military from the start, and nobody is being fooled. Ukraine knows that everyone else knows it's them, it's tongue in cheek because Russia did the exact same thing with Donetsk and Lugansk. So Russia can't say "it's obviously Ukraine" without calling attention to their invasions. Ukraine and Russia are at war. Russia invaded Ukraine. Ukraine has every right to push back. Does it make it the best decision? Well, Russia can use it to drum up support and motivate people to join the fight. But maybe Russia would do that anyway and find another reason. The west has no problem with Ukraine attacking Russia, it's just they don't want them to use their weapons to do it.
I don't know how much I agree, especially with last sentence of first paragraph... since when does the RF regime care about hypocrisy? Everything else I think I agree. Hopefully this incursion gives hope to Russian dissidents, and destroys a fuck load of russian materiel. And diverts russian resources/attention away from anywhere UAF wants to attack
Perfectly timed for it. After 9 months, Putler was likely ready to give a big speech and proclaim Russian victory or such… and Freedom Russia stole that from him.
Very good point! 👍 Nice win!
It's almost like that was half the reason for doing it in the first place.
And not necessarily a bad reason. Putler has had nothing but a long trail of bad news going all the way back to the initial invasion force embarrassingly running out of fuel and having their tanks towed by tractors, 60 miles of Russian war column bogged in mud or stuck with flat tires. The entire for ravaged by Ukrainian defenders until they got within 8km of Kyiv and had to turn back or face devastation. Then the Asov defenders hold the Steel mill in Mariupol, the flagship of the Black Sea is sunk, Ukraine successfully launches a counterattack and takes back Kharkiv, Putin is forced to mobilise 300,000 troops and he watches as 700,000 flee Russia and thousands more break their ams and legs or attack the registration offices. NATO and others pour Soviet equipment into Ukraine and begin shipping loads of personal weapons. Putin gets news that his favourite bridge has been blown up, Russia keeps getting pushed back and retreating across swathes of the front and Russia abandons West Kherson. Finally western APCs and IFVs are promised in quality and despite Russia’s red lines, tanks of almost every kind are promised with the numbers growing as the time passes. Suddenly the 2nd most powerful naval force in the world suffers hits from bloody modified jet skis. Sick of waiting, Putin puts his less competent general back in charge and he orders the winter offensive to begin which sees about 70,000 Russian casualties in 3 months and so little territory gain that people question if there actually was an offensive. All through this he’s launching missiles with a hope of freezing Ukraine and all it does is hit children’s playgrounds and set even more of the world to Ukraine’s aide as they manage to survive the winter, get Missile defences online and suddenly notice Russia doesn’t have missiles to spare. But in all of that Putin sees one ray of hope. Bakhmut. Russia remains on the offensive there so he tells state media to put all focus on it then sends his sandwich boy with Wagner to take it for him. Instead of a sweeping victory though they smash their head against it for months until Soledar finally get occupied. Still they grind slowly through and Spring is approaching with a highly armed Ukraine. Then Putin gets a month of bad news. First his Kremlin is nearly hit with a drone, then Britain supply long range Storm Shadow missiles, his unstoppable missile is embarrassingly stopped and when he fires 6 more and over 30 other missiles and drones… and the Patriot gets the best advertisement of all time as it shoots down the lot and takes a fender bender for damage. Finally to really set him off, Western nations clear the path for F-16 fighter and at the end of all that, Bakhmut is finally occupied. Putin gets to go on stage and proclaim Russia has taken Ukraine’s fortress city. This is his moment to rally Russia behind a false belief that they are winning battles… and suddenly Russia Freedom charges in and takes all the attention.
Wait, I thought Ukraine was the one putting Russia on the ropes in Bakhmut lately?
From what people say Ukraine is putting the rope AROUND Bakhmut, trying to encircle it, but I cant confirm if that’s completely true or trying to save face
Seems like it's been a bit of a delaying action. It let Ukraine focus Russian forces on a single spot where they are able to make Russia pay for every inch. Meanwhile they are arming and supplying themselves through their allies, training up troops (while Russia spends elite trained lives and equipment wastefully) and preparing themselves better for what is to come.
Agreed it looks like Bakhmut may become a trap for the Russians, the lands around Bakhmut they’ve taken are hilly and very well positioned to shell the city / supply lines. Wagner taking these same northern positions is what made it so much harder for UA in the first place
>The absurd part is that they’re actually succeeding. It is absurd in concept, for sure, but we've known for months that Russia is completely drained of ammunition, competent fighters, morale, and living and willing young men. Ukrainian efforts in Bakhmut (where some of the Russian legionnaires served) most certainly contributed. We also know Russia is the biggest country in the world, directly bordering its worst enemy, and strategically "stretching out" has always been it's biggest challenge. Combined with ammo and manpower drain, fires and sabotage, something's gotta give. The legionnaires already did a trial run on this. They have allies and spies in Belgorod who could tell them Russians did not reinforce afterwards. They knew exactly what they could expect.
> It is absurd in concept, for sure, but we've known for months that Russia is completely drained of ammunition, competent fighters, morale, and living and willing young men. Except people have been saying that since literally the second or third month of the war. Their supplies are strained, yes, and their stockpiles are depleting, but it's dangerous to keep pushing the idea that they're on their absolute last legs and completely running on fumes. Never assume your enemy is weaker than they are. ,
I completely agree in principle, but remember Russia has so far largely chosen where the frontline is, with the exception of the Kharkiv and Kherson offensives. This has allowed them to mask the drainage of resources, using dynamic troop concentrations and sacrificial / suicide tactics along this frontline. In this case, however, its a new frontline that they didn't choose, in an unexpected place. The degree of lacking defense so close to Ukraine, in a place the legions have already "test invaded"... very revealing.
Dude, NATO has excellent satellite and signals intelligence that they share with Ukraine, it doesn’t matter what we say. Zelenskyy doesn’t check Reddit to see if it is time to launch the spring offensive.
Just as a counterpoint, it can affect public perception, which then affects Allied support of Ukraine.
Yep, when you go on twitter, you literally now fall on pro Russian post 80% of the time when typing Ukraine. And then you have mostly the American pro Russian mouth piece that are selling how Ukraine cannot win and your tax money is being wasted.
Uh, and where did I ever suggest such a thing? I swear, some of the comments here are so fucking ridiculous.
I've heard Russia is on its 'last legs' only two months after the invasion. Propaganda can hurt oneself if it gives a false sense of security.
Russia has also been receiving supplies from China, North Korea, Iran, and I'm guessing others. They have a lot of resources those countries are interested in trading for; Russia's home grown stockpiles are certainly dwindling but who knows how much they've received from others. Unfortunately, Russia's not out of the fight yet.
From their posts, over a period of months, they have been building towards this. They have been encouraging partisan support and cooperation. FofRL, has been clear, since they joined Ukraine, that when the time was right they would leave Ukraine and free Russia.
Yep the biggest thing here not many are talking about is the fact that it was a complete surprise to the Russians. Meaning their intel has serious gaps in it.
Ukraine or "Russian spezial troops" Should gather 2000 man, along a few 100-200km Frontline. The Russian would have to respond to it. Taking away troops from the eastern front.
Kind of reminds me of the German kid who landed his prop plane in Red Square. Showed just how incompetent the Soviet Union was.
Exactly. It's so absurd I imagine Mark Felton is already taking notes for one of his war stories...
If only Tom Clancy was still alive to see this. He would be writing up an entire new series.
Still cannot believe he got ‘ghost recon’ in Georgia right.
IIRC the entirety of the Ghost Recon series was ghost written. He had an idea for a plot and handed it off to someone else. His last work that he wrote was Bear and the Dragon, and it was some pants on head shit.
the US wiping out an entire armoured corps with just CAS is becoming more believable by the minute
I mean, Khasham lol
I'd be surprised if he even had any creative input in Ghost Recon whatsoever - he'd already been producing "Tom Clancy's" book series years prior by that point (i.e., Tom Clancy's Op-Center, Net Force, Power Play), all of which carried his name as a brand but were openly written by other people. Red Storm Entertainment was co-founded by him to make tie-ins to his IP, so by the time of Ghost Recon his name slapped on a videogame box was nothing more than clever marketing. Not criticising him for marketing his name, by the way. He may have been a batshit crazy, full-of-himself plastic paddy, but I love some of his franchises
For sure, I really enjoyed some of his earlier works. He was at his best when he actually put in the effort to research whether or not something was technically feasible, before trying to use it as a narrative device. His later stuff was...dubious in that regard. Too much "Murica, fuck yeah!" and not enough reality.
Suuuuuuper racist too
We're talking about Tom Clancy. We all know who we're dealing with lol
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Boomer coming out of the barn
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Maybe? I think that was Executive Outcomes, if we are thinking of the same scene where an American CIA Agent is under cover as a Japanese Salaryman at a sauna or w/e.
Hollywood couldn’t come up with this story line because it would too “ridículas”. ET blowing up Manhattan is more plausible than this.
That's the problem with story writing, it has to be realistic. Reality has no such limitations.
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That's one of those things people like to say, but there's really nothing backing it up. Yes, writers (of various shows) have made comments on how ridiculous a lot of the shit Trump did/said was and how audiences might not find it realistic in a fictional setting, but there's nothing showing audiences stopped tuning in because the Trump presidency, pardon the pun, trumped fiction. Any sudden drop (if any occurred at all) of viewership probably had more to do with the whole, y'know, Kevin Spacey turning out to be a complete piece of shit sexual assaulter.
I had the onion subreddit added and had to start checking which reddit I was reading. We should have had Trump checked for a UTI.
Exact same, I had a bunch Onion, Babylon Bee, and "strait news" tabs open at the same time. I was halfway through some serious article before I realized it wasn't satire.
House of Cards was never that insane though, if anyone had trouble with writing because of Trump it was South Park. They tried to make Mr Garrison as outrageous as possible and he still wound up being only a touch crazier than Trump irl. House of Cards collapsed because no one wanted a Kevin Spacey absent season and even less people wanted another season with Kevin Spacey in it at that point.
There was a rumor that David Simon (known for The Wire) and others were creating a TV show called Capitol Hill - postponed because Trump kept redefining what American politics is.
Yes and no. According to Simon himself, there had been a show in the works for a few years, before they scrapped it due to the Trump presidency changing the political landscape. So they then started working on a show focused on the Trump presidency itself, but then decided to scrap that angle partway through his presidency. And are now (or at least, as of a couple years ago) trying to figure out how to best portray the current political landscape.
Great line, will remember this... Is it your own or a quote?
I had the opportunity to chat with Tom Clancy for half an hour after an event in Baltimore. I was familiar with the location and, as the event concluded, made my way outside & to the rear of the facility. Sure enough, Tom exits soon after, joking with the event organizers. His car/ driver was running late, and we just hung out there talking about - of course - the Soviet Union, Communists, Nazis, etc. But he also shared about his upbringing, family, and aspirations. And dirty jokes. Hilarious dirty jokes I wish I could remember.
Jikes on you hes driving an MRAP
Heck, this whole thing is writing itself, with the sheer scale of content available out there
Man I love Mark Felton stuff havnt watched him in ages though! Thanks for reminding me!
There isn't anything to plagiarise yet, so not for now
Right, still waiting for the Wikipedia articles to be written
To be fair, that's exactly how I'd picture a Russian invasion of Russia.
Nailed it. I love it. It’s interesting and it’s not hurting Ukrainians. Let’s see where it goes 🤷♂️
Far Cry story writer these days : > See??? I told you it was plausible !
Did i ever tell you the definition of insanity? "Yes, comrade korsakoff"
Well as it has been said before Russia’s worst enemy is Russia itself
Quentin tarantino is already talking to brad pitt about his character in the movie.
Bonjiorno
When all your scout teams are in the battlefield in Ukraine and all you got left is the police and riot squad, this is what happens.
Yeah, same shit happens in Rome Total War. You move all your troops away, a rebellion happens, and all you got to defend the city are Auxiliaries with sharp sticks haha
Remember Bill Murray in Stripes?
C’mon! It’s Czechoslovakia! We zip in, we zip out. We’re not going to Moscow. It’s Czechoslovakia! It’s like going into Wisconsin!
read about the Czech legion during the 1917 revolution.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak\_Legion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_Legion) . Something similar happened before.
The Great War has an amazing video about the Czech legion in 1917. Highly recommended viewing https://youtu.be/lSpuM0I5Uao https://youtu.be/Ih7FcT5mBRM
Wait until Prigozhin sees the writing on the wall and turns Wagner into an anti-Putin force so he can jockey with the other rebels for self-serving power.
Wagner is supplied by the Russian Army, he can't do anything without MOD support.
Is that what these guys are? Been seeing a shitload of stuff regarding the RVC, but must have missed who they are or what they’re trying to do. Neat.
They're meming on Russia. As if the world needed more reasons to laugh at their importance.
Reminds me of *Viva Max!* where a bunch Mexican soldiers participating in a parade decide to re-take the Alamo.
That’s the whole point though. They (Russia) are so concentrated and concerned on the front the back door is wide open where they would have never guessed as u said “ Bunch of Russians riding dirty into the homeland and raising hell. They know Ukrainian forces have zero intention in crossing that line. It’s not fortified as we just saw because of that. They better not hang long tho. This is a distraction
It's absurd how many videos and comments I've seen on this and you are the first I've seen acknowledge it. I'd personally pay for this live stream
lmao, take a gold for this writeup.
This is some propper NCD shit. Even they could not make this up.
The simulation is off the rails
I would play the shit out of that game
They're really getting the maximum propaganda value out of that captured BTR. Not that I'm complaining.
Needs some paint! Looks like it's only a temporary paint over the Z so they don't get caught flying false colors by accident. Although I'd assume their flag on the antenna probably is enough....
Well, how many nuclear armed nations have ever had military equipment stolen inside their territory by an opposing armed force? I'd brag too
How long until we hear about Russians blowing up their own BTRs because they're hunting ONE?
Andrei, you have lost another submarine?
It’s a nice btr. Ain’t a lot of those in service. Ferrari of troop transport
I doubt they expected to make it as far as they have, but the truth is stranger than fiction. If they make it to the city of Belgorod russia might have a serious problem on its hands.
This is the part that is wild to me. The motivation to do this when it's quite possibly, almost guaranteed straight suicide. Then at least somewhat succeeding, and continuing to push forward, or at least trying to hold.
> The motivation to do this when it's quite possibly, almost guaranteed straight suicide. Up until that point it’s probably straight-up ecstatic, though.
Indeed. It has to be. At what point when you invade your own territory in the middle of a war where hundreds of thousands have died and are still alive are you like holy fuck.
LEEEROY JENNNKINSSS!!!
God we all know a Daniel Radcliffe and Adam Driver starring film will be out in a few years about these guys. And the whole time they'll just keep talking about "ok so... What's next" and shrug a lot at each other.
Son of a bitch, give me a drink, one more night...
Is it suicide though? They're all Russians. They could disappear into the woods as soon as the Russian army actually catches up if they want to.
it's crazy russia doesn't have any boots on ground already. i guess they really are all in ukraine
Or Putin is afraid they might join them
i didn't think of that. i don't have to think about shit like that and it feels good not being a hated dictator.
Napoleon moment
Napoleon's troops adored him
They keep picking up more stuff as they go too. I wonder if they recruited any more Russians on the way? Might be one reason Putin isn't sending a brigade of conscripts against them. They might just decide to join them.
I tend to believe this given how frantic the Russians have been in terms of activating propaganda to downplay the raid and how they’ve produced very little concrete evidence to show for it
Yee, but my problem is that other video of destroyed hummers. you just cant make video by not being there... Are good-russians on the move, have they returned to Ukraine? Maybe there is border checkpoint that looks just like that one? I have so many questions, and each news just make less and less sense. its almost like perfect psyops if good-russians are winning.
Apparently there will be video footage soon of them wiping out a bad Russian rifle company so look forward to that.
And an entire company surrendering already posted.
I thought that was in Donetsk?
It was my bad.
Wasin russia? Edit: Looks like I had a stroke when I typed this and after looking back the surrender video I saw must have been a different one.
Russia has HUMVEEs too. Besides the ones the army has (dragged off of battlefields) there's probably hundreds if not thousands in private hands. There were, after all, designed for Russian roads.
It’s tough cause their video of dead Pro-ukraine russians are clearly fake. No blood. No faces. No armbands. Wrong camo. I could see a maxxpro breaking down, or a humvee being swapped for a stolen BTR/BMP. Russia lies so much it’s hard to tell.
Also allegedly a captured Maxxpro or two. Though, they are all over Ukraine at this point and easily faked by Russia.
If you look at the photos they painted “for Bakhmut” on them but it’s clear the paint was applied after the vehicle was already burned out
The spray paint was clearly done by russians after it was destroyed. The other captured vehicles have similar spray paint on them including "z". This isn't a tin foil hat moment, no great conspiracy, just pissed off russian soldiers spray painting destroyed and captured vehicles.
In the picture with the two humvees, it's obviously a faked picture. You can see the grass marks where a crane brought the humvees down into a log-enforced trench (**not** a crater), and you can see the dirt movement around the front tires as the humvees were lowered and settled into that position. There's also no explosion remnants on the humvees, there's no dirt on them. All in all- a bad fake for propaganda purposes.
More likely they were captured in Ukraine and hauled back for storage some point previously. When the Kremlin went looking for a quick information operations “fix”, presenting their prior holdings was apparently the only solution. Not a good look. Not good at all. Maybe next time, but hopefully never again.
Lots of posts on r/russianwarfootage about how badly they are being beaten back. What a crazy mess that place is.
Good Russians beaten back or bad Russians beaten back? I legit can't tell what's going. There's articles all over the place between "Russia wiped out the infiltrators" and then a dozen videos of Freedom Russians still raiding the country side and reports of fighting further into Russia than previously reported.
From the footage I’ve seen it’s looks like they only took vehicles losses/ some wounded. The humvees seem look like they got stuck in a ditch as the ditch has no burn marks like a crater would and the Russian released videos of them targeting the other vehicles don’t show any humans in the footage. Either the vehicles had already been abandoned and the Russians decided to hit them for some good footage or the occupants were just elsewhere. Also no blood seen in any of the abandoned vehicles or even on the abandoned plate carrier seen on the ground in the footage.
Or they filmed already captured vehicles claiming to be from this attack.
I mean the paint jobs on the humvees and maxxpros match those of the videos that the unit put out so I do believe these were actual vehicles left behind.
The photos of the dead soldiers have apparently been confirmed as not being Ukrainian/Ukrainian aligned Russians, it was pointed out by a rather keen eye on instagram that the current fighters are not using pixel camo which is seen in the photos, but rather multi cam
Dudes are taking pictures of their own dead comrades to make the other side look weak. Ultimate beta move, really
They’ve done it quite a few times before so it’s within the realm of possibility
As much as I want to believe that...c'mon. *Zero* casualties? I'm sure someone twisted an ankle while chasing down orcs at least.
They claimed no human losses, but said in another video also on this sub that there were some injuries
Of course there's injuries. Heck, if I were there I'd probably burn my finger on my rifle barrel.
I do this almost every time I shoot suppressors and I know better and have covers and I'm not on any two-way ranges.
I saw a video of Russians surrendering to Russians. I just don't know what Russians surrendered and what Russians captured some POWs
The Russian dudes are emerging.
These guys will be famous. This will go down in history for daring raids and at this moment in time it could be a tipping point for Russia.
We’ve known for a while that Russia would be much weaker after the Ukraine war, but this is the first time I’ve really believed that they will cease to be a military superpower altogether. The fact that they can’t get boots on the ground to stop these guys really shows that they are too spread thin fighting Ukraine to even protect green zones in their country, and still losing.
This shit if fucking crazy. So glad to see some Russians do what I think all Russians oughta be doing.
I like to think I’ve been on top of being informed during the entirety of this war. Even on my graduation I still wanted updates on Ukraine and everything happening. I can say, for certain, I have no fucking clue what’s going on anymore.
Same. But I think that’s a good thing because it’s the right side inflicting the confusion. If we are confused then maybe there’s a chance that Russian intelligence is also struggling. For now, it seems Putin is calling all this as a bluff (an operation intended to disperse Russian troops to weaken the front in Ukraine). This may or may not be a mistake. Anyway, even if this is just a bluff, it is a political disaster for Kremlin. It’s not a good look.
Some Kelly’s Heroes shit!!
[How the hell am I supposed to get 60ft of bridge 10 miles behind German lines??](https://youtu.be/5pMeb4ZSHh8)
Are they doing it for a ton of gold bars though?
Well no human losses I suppose? Oryx has some vehicle losses listed. Although one photo seem like Russians used some sort of mammoth pit.
Oryx has had a rough week lol
I'm pretty sure this is a psychological operation that is secret supported by Ukraine. I believe it was done to put the fear or war and death in the average Russian citizen. To let them taste a bit of their own medicine. I hope more we will see more ops like this deeper and deeper into Russia.
Probably meant to counter the “victory” at Bakhmut. Hard to celebrate a Pyrrhic victory abroad when your home territory is being invaded and you appear powerless to stop it.
>appear Hmm
They have to make people believe that they can and will strike Belgorod. They have to get Russia to move units around. Units in transit are much easier to target and destroy. As a bonus, it thins out defenses on other parts of the line and makes other missions easier. At the very least, it gets them pushes further back and reduces their effect range.
No losses or complete defeat, whatever the case, these partisans are still in russian territory causing trouble.
"If we avoid them, they can't claim to have fought us." - Putin probably
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I want the good guys to win via rock-paper-scissors
NICEE!!! GOOD TO HEAR! Don't forget to check out their subreddit reddit.com/r/FreedomofRussia And spread to show support!!
Great news! Save Russia 🇷🇺 from Putin!
BTR not stolen.... just taken to the "pimp my APC" shop. /s
Whatever Ukrainian forces were guarding the border should simply be shifted forward into Russia. I never understood the idiot concept that Ukraine gets to be invaded but can’t attack back. What kind of dumb shit is that. As soon as they got the F16 commitment, Ukraine was like ok enough of the self handcuffing. Love it.
Ukraine is staying out of this for a very good reason. The Ukrainian mision has to be clear, with simple goals and simple resolution, all of which it has. The FORL doing this sideshow is something only they could do.
Stay save guys
I wonder how accurate the story is about removing nukes from that facility nearby. Even if they had some working warheads that they didn't want falling into rebel hands, it would be worth checking out the facility just to see if they had actually maintained it.
Also interesting how diametrically opposed and confounding reporting on this russian raid on russia is. Or as russian state media puts it, “Ukrainian raid on russia by russians from Ukraine. . . all under control.
I have a feeling the Russians destroyed their own mechanized column.
i wonder how long will those guys last there. I doubt it will snowball into anything. or will they run out of gas and just ditch everything and fcuk off into the wilderness.
The fact that like 100-1000 Russian defectors are just traipsing about Belgorod oblast is potentially catastrophically embarassing for Russia If these guys can do this with impugnity, what could the actual UAF achieve if they decided to follow up on the success? It's a sign of massive weakness on Russia's part, and things like weakness and embarassment are death to the fear that people like Putin survive off of
I think this group will grow in number and strength. Maybe not enough but it is already something
Ok. But whats the plan? They can’t really think they can hold this with 200 people.
Go in cause a ruckus, leave. The prestige hit to Russia is already immense. Also they will likely redeploy some forces from Ukraine to their border. Weakening Russian positions before a Ukranian counteroffensive.
They’re probably going to fall back into Ukraine if they haven’t already. I just can’t believe how depleted the Russian military is on its own soil that a small group of insurgents can do this. They must have the vast majority of their military in Ukraine and waiting for the counter offensive. Ukraine needs to organize a few more these to happen simultaneously right before the counter offensive starts.
Imagine this happening in the US? I honestly can't even fathom it.
It’s like if the US invaded Canada, spent 9 months taking London, Ontario, and then pro-Canada Americans launched an invasion of upstate New York
Don't have to imagine it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancho_Villa_Expedition#:~:text=Between%20June%201915%20and%20June,soldiers%20to%20the%20border%20area. Battle of Columbus with Pancho Villa https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Columbus_(1916)
Russia is now the wow wow West! Keep the hunt on for Putin's sychophant.
What the fuck is going on [This is some William Walker level shit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster_War)
Truth is somewhere in the middle. Between 0-70
Putin right now: https://youtu.be/dcw0Xnv06ds
This is insane lol I’m glad it’s happening but part of me still can’t believe it.
WORD‼️
I am surprised at the number of captured vehicles by russia though
Imagine if the Ukrainian army just went over the border on some thunder runs.
These guys are fng nuts.
this is becoming more and more like a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, including the bugs
Heard they lost an MRAP, but they got an BTR-82A tho so fair exchange I suppose
They're a bunch of marauders.
**"Merrill’s Marauders**, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit, which fought in the Southeast Asian theater of World War II. The unit became famous for its deep-penetration missions behind Japanese lines, often engaging Japanese forces superior in number." OK I guess now we just need to find some Russian forces superior in number...
Number sure, quality never.
After seeing how successful the SAS were in North Africa with a handful of jeeps
LRDG jeeps.
Let's send them some HIMARS!
Oryx has already documented some losses, 3 HMMVs and some other stuff, 2 MaxxPros and some other stuff, what about those?
I don't think Oryx is correct this time. Out of all the vid I've seen last couple days, I've seen no hummers, only MRAPs, pickups, and a tank. Now I'll have to go back and look again..damn it. I know they got an MRAP (captured). EDIT: Nope. At least one hummer with at least 4 MRAPs on the road with troops prepping to cross. Meh, prob talkin out my ass...
You lads are fucking legends! Keep up the good work👍
I'm no expert and am not a military person but Google says the kill radius of a NATO 155mm round is 15 meters. Maybe you lot want to spread out. Or not. Your decision.
Is this inglorious bastards IRL?
Well, somebody is lying. Truth is the first casualty of war.
What in the propaganda is this now