Instead of trying to encircle Bakhmut and slowly taking it, the Russian High command seems to have decided to launch a frontal attack on the city itself, proving my suspicion that Putin wants the city as fast as possible even when this means highest rate of own casualties. 1/8 pic.twitter.com/TzZsk0SDdR

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) December 9, 2022

Hundreds and hundreds of Russians are dying. Can they Alamo the Ukraine defenders?

Today's SITREP.

M-55s arrive in Ukraine. TANKS

FriscoKid said:

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Instead of trying to encircle Bakhmut and slowly taking it, the Russian High command seems to have decided to launch a frontal attack on the city itself, proving my suspicion that Putin wants the city as fast as possible even when this means highest rate of own casualties. 1/8 pic.twitter.com/TzZsk0SDdR

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) December 9, 2022

Hundreds and hundreds of Russians are dying. Can they Alamo the Ukraine defenders?

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This is a really good thread. Thanks for sharing. It will be interesting to see what happens in the Bakhmut area over the next few weeks.

My question, though: does that mean Russian high command overrode Wagner leadership there, or is Wagner doing other operations here still while Russian troops proper do the frontal assault?

Quote:

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Occupation authorities prohibited movement of trucks over 1.5 tonnes via Kerch Bridge

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https://liveuamap.com/en/2022/10-december-occupation-authorities-prohibited-movement-of

That is not much weight. Here it is in freedom units:

Looks like things got crispy in Crimea.

https://t.me/vanek_nikolaev/10069

Translation:

Quote:

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Crimea, Sovetskoye village

today, at about 6 am,

the barracks are on fire, where several hundred (according to some sources, several thousand) chmobiks were stationed

there are dead and wounded

when I write about weather anomalies - I'm not kidding

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Source is Ukrainian, so keep that in mind. Click the link and translate to English.

https://news.liga.net/ua/politics/news/vsu-zayavili-ob-izmenenii-taktiki-rossiyan-v-bahmute-sozdayutsya-shturmovye-otryady-i-gruppy

Quote:

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The Armed Forces of Ukraine announced a change in Russian tactics in Bakhmut - assault squads and groups are being created

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Quote:

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In the Bakhmut region of the Donetsk region, where the fiercest battles are taking place on the front, the Russians have changed their tactics and are now creating assault units, which are divided into groups and subgroups. This was said by Serhiy Cherevaty, the spokesman of the Eastern Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on the air of the telethon.

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Quote:

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According to him, the occupiers are concentrating their main efforts on the Bakhmut and Avdiyiv directions - attacks there are taking place every day with the use of artillery, rocket launchers, and aviation.

"The enemy has changed tactics. Instead of using company-battalion formations, he is now creating assault squads, which consist of assault groups, and they are already divided into subgroups that directly assault, and others cover them with fire. We study this tactic, and for every such war poison we have an antidote," Cherevaty said.

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Pretty badass statement.

Quote:

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According to him, the Ukrainian troops are intensifying their surveillance of the enemy, in particular with the help of drones, and are trying to preemptively strike the Russians with artillery and small arms as soon as the Russian troops approach Ukrainian positions.

Cherevaty added that despite the change in tactics, there are no "big strategic decisions" on the part of the Russians, and the enemy's goal is to exhaust the Ukrainian forces, break through the defense and achieve "at least some military and political results."

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Quote:

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• Fierce battles are taking place in Bakhmut , but the Armed Forces of Ukraine repulse the attacks of the Russians and inflict "maximum" casualties on them , the Eastern Group of Forces said.
• British intelligence believes that Bakhmut has no special operational value for the Russians, but has become a "symbolic task" for them.
• The Russian occupiers advanced a maximum of 5 km in the Bakhmut area in a few months, the commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said.

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Here's a great video about triage ad casualty evac.

Pentagon gives Ukraine green light for drone strikes inside Russia

Bold title. Article says "tacit endorsement". I would like to see or hear the endorsement language.

Another video of the hit Russian base in Melitopol.

You can say this too often: Russians cannot stop HIMARS. #Ukraine #Melitopol #Zaporizhia pic.twitter.com/jUsu2MzNQu

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) December 10, 2022

Turkish missiles? I'd like to see some corroboration.

This also likely indicates that 🇹🇷 did in fact provide the latest version of the TRLG-230 which upgrades the range from 70 km to 150 km. GMLRS would have required HIMARS/MLRS to get within ~10 km of the frontline to strike this target. pic.twitter.com/BEcdHs10N7

— John Ridge (@John_A_Ridge) December 11, 2022

That's awesome news for Ukraine. Zelensky hinted recently at something coming soon and I guess this was it. Taking out 200 enemy on one attack is huge. Russians are going to have to rethink their tactics again. And this time in the cold of winter and low morale. Keep giving them hell Ukes!!!

docb said:

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That's awesome news for Ukraine. Zelensky hinted recently at something coming soon and I guess this was it. Taking out 200 enemy on one attack is huge. Russians are going to have to rethink their tactics again. And this time in the cold of winter and low morale. Keep giving them hell Ukes!!!

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If they can now double their hit range Russia will be in deep doodoo…. if Russia is amassing large amounts of troops and weapons in the same spots .. gonna get ugly real quick

74OA said:

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M-55s arrive in Ukraine. TANKS

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Interesting. In some ways, the T-54/55 tanks are almost the Hi-Lux of the tank world.

Although the idea of upgrading them with the L7 105mm gun isn't exactly new - the Israelis first did it over 40 years ago, with T-54s and T-55s captured during the 6 Day War - renamed the Tiran-4Sh (T-54) and Tiran-5Sh (T-55). many of these were used against their former owners during the Yom Kippur War.

Today's SITREP.

Interesting look at how the NATO accession of Finland and Sweden restricts Russia's future military options while strengthening Europe's defense posture.

THANKS AGAIN, VLAD!!

A year in and orcs still don't understand spacing. 6 pieces of armor destroyed in a failed attack. Almost all of them touching.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/ziymgw/this_morning_the_russians_tried_to_break_through/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Russia has lost any claim to be a civilized nation.

TRAPS

Precision.

Throwing a gift down the chimney by Ukrainian defenders – Novoselivske. pic.twitter.com/yu2nYvpqt8

— ТРУХА⚡️English (@TpyxaNews) December 11, 2022

From the information I have, the front line in Bakhmut is stabilizing. It is true, Ukraine rotated troops out. The new troops were unable (and likely not expected) to hold the positions held by the departing troops. As a result, the lines shifted, especially east and southeast. pic.twitter.com/2MkmmPByTC

— Andrew Perpetua (@AndrewPerpetua) December 11, 2022

pic.twitter.com/YEt9FvHp5z

— C4H10FO2P (@markito0171) December 11, 2022

🇺🇦retreated or grey zone- unclear status

— C4H10FO2P (@markito0171) December 11, 2022

The quarry being fired upon by Russians after Ukrainians pushed them back. I don't think that Ukrainians will push further South but it is obvious that Russians are totally incompetent to even mount a local successive offensive. pic.twitter.com/TMh2NRz5Lg

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) December 11, 2022

Small but still noteworthy gain in Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian troops must have liberated Lobkove since Russian troops are shelling the town. #Zaporizhzhia #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/3tFqgNJIuE

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) December 11, 2022

Looks like another HIMARS strike on russian quarters in Svatoe.

NSFW a bit of blood for sure.
https://nitter.it/worldonalert/status/1602077621692555264

Partial narration below:

The narrating dude just keeps telling the feller on the bottom of the pile: "Zhenya, are you alive? Just lay there. The guy on top of you is dead, he's cold." Then he moves on to another injured guy, asks him for name several times, then the injured responds "Richard." That's pretty much it, for 2 minutes. Can't see any of the injured being helped, aside from pulling the dead body from the bloodied Zhenya character. The narrator appears more excited than concerned, perhaps due to shock and adrenaline.

Some reported UAF equipment losses on the Donetsk front:

📷Russian troops captured a Ukrainian Sisu XA-185 six-wheeled armored personnel carrier in the east. The APC was donated to Ukraine by Finland.#UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/nWYKvCtEFG

— MilitaryLand.net (@Militarylandnet) December 12, 2022

📷Three damaged/abandoned Ukrainian Mastiff MRAPs near Vodyane, #Donetsk Oblast. They were "lost" during the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the area a few days ago.#UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/WLTAHZnMFp

— MilitaryLand.net (@Militarylandnet) December 12, 2022

#DPR soldiers of the Somali battalion thwarted another attempt of the Armed Forces of #Ukraine to break through to their positions pic.twitter.com/kgWPjjQUix

— Middle East Update (@islamicworldupd) December 7, 2022

Perspective from my Ukrainian friend on transitioning to a third phase of the war.

Quote:

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phase 1: ambush of advancing armor columns.
short to medium range battles with anti-armor and small arms.

phase 2: pure artillery annihilation.
many killed and wounded during that time never saw the enemy and never fired their AK's.

phase 3: more balanced positional warfare.
small arms are back in use as russia is sending human waves of prisoners and recently mobilized.
"in many parts of the eastern front Ukrainian soldiers are going through 30 magazines a day".

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That a lot of foot-mobile logistics to keep that much ammo flowing to the front line.

“Great Russian Culture” covers its war crimes inside the destroyed #Mariupol theatre. pic.twitter.com/ffC3NIUupA

— Дарка Гірна (@DarkaHirna) December 12, 2022

That's some twisted isht.

Russia importing Somalians to fight in Ukraine. Wonder what they're giving Somalia for them to give up some of their people? You know they didn't volunteer unless they were sold a tall pile of BS.

Rossticus said:

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Russia importing Somalians to fight in Ukraine. Wonder what they're giving Somalia for them to give up some of their people? You know they didn't volunteer unless they were sold a tall pile of BS.

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Russia has been importing Africans for years to help with their labor issues, a lot of Africa is rich in resources so Russia and China use their labor throughout the entire process. There is a lot of evidence or torture but most of the world turns a blind eye as long as they can get cheap goods. Russia is probably telling these countries we will take your prisoners and volunteers in trade for grain they have stolen from Ukraine

The battle in the east is going to be brutal, Russia has shelled so much of the forest that there isn't much cover and if they are sending conscripts in wave style attacks then this will be a nasty winter.

The Somali Battalion isn't actual Somalians from Africa. It is a group from the Donetsk region. It is simply a nickname.

cslifer said:

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The Somali Battalion isn't actual Somalians from Africa. It is a group from the Donetsk region. It is simply a nickname.

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A nickname since they are as fearless as "Somalians", not sure if having your people as fearless as someone high on khat when they are a tank battalion

cslifer said:

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The Somali Battalion isn't actual Somalians from Africa. It is a group from the Donetsk region. It is simply a nickname.

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Considering that Russia was hitting up every third world country they're tied to for "volunteers" not too long ago, that's a rather easy mistaken assumption to make. "Somali batallion" is an odd label to take on. "We're reckless cannon fodder" is an odd flex.

It's the first time I've seen anything like this.
🇺🇦 BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle with mounted UB-32 rocket launchers from a Mi-24 helicopter.
Ukrainians are masters of improvisation. pic.twitter.com/XlYwEFR7gS

— Tarmo 🇨🇿 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 NAFO (@TarmoFella) December 8, 2022