Russia on Sunday claimed its forces killed over 600 Ukrainian troops in missile strikes, while Kyiv denies that there were any casualties at all.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that missile strikes hit two facilities in Kramatorsk, Donetsk, that were housing 1,300 Ukrainian troops as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes that used US-provided HIMARS rocket systems and killed at least 89 Russian soldiers last week.
“As a result of a massive rocket strike on these temporary bases of Ukrainian units, more than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed,” said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov.
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian military claimed to AP that the strikes only damaged civilian infrastructure and said the “armed forces of Ukraine weren’t affected.” Local Kyiv-backed officials also insisted that there were no military casualties in the strikes.
Vastly different claims between the Russian and Ukrainian sides have been common throughout the war. After Ukraine launched HIMARS strikes on Russian soldiers last week, Ukrainian officials claimed they killed over 400 Russian soldiers. But Moscow only confirmed 89 were killed, which still makes it one of Ukraine’s deadliest attacks against Russian forces of the war.
Without wishing to sound repetitive, I am very concerned where all of this might lead to… Nuclear war or potential nuclear war is not something I want for anyone to have to experience. I hope it’s not in the cards…
Same here, but Biden has made it clear that we will keep provoking the Russians until something really blows up.
There is no other possible interpretation given that Biden himself has made it clear that there is no basis for negotiation and that we will throw in everything but the kitchen sink – as long as it takes.
Problem is there is a flash point out there that will cause the Russians to take drastic action against the west.
The gun is loaded for this game of Russian roulette. There are no empty chambers.
Will Biden sacrifice the Poles? the Rumanians? Moldovans?
Are you proposing that Putin intends to invade Moldova, Poland or Rumania?
If, after the Ukraine is beaten, Nuland & Co continue to escalate the conflict using all or any of the others, Russia would be forced to counter.
So that would be a yes? As you can be sure that they will keep the sanctions on the Russians – actually they will likely have to increase them and they will continue to deliver weapons to any Ukrainians being able to go to the west to get them.
You’re not addressing the proposition.
You answered me that the Russians would only attack any of these countries if ‘provoked’ I answered that they would be provoked, that is if the claim is that the west provoked them to attack Ukraine.
How does this not address the proposition? Maybe it is my English skills that is at fault, if so please indicate what it is that you say I’m failing to address.
The problem is with your lack of intellectual honesty. Are you an Irish lawyer?
I don’t think the odds favorable for a Nuland surrender. Therefore, Russia must be ready to counter a NATO attack from across another border even before the corpse of Ukraine is cold, … the most likely patsy being the one most Russophobic.
You have to make your case for my lack of intellectual honesty – otherwise it can be hard to address your complaint.
I do not know that Nuland has to surrender or her doing so would change anything, what I do know is that if Russia was/is to win in Ukraine there is no reason to think that the west will end its sanctions on Russia, quite the opposite, and I’m also fairly sure that the west would continue to support any Ukrainians willing to continue the resistance.
This is why I wrote (pretty honestly if I do say so myself) that if you believe that the west provoked the war in Ukraine then most likely you will believe that the west will provoke Putin to attack Moldova, Poland and Rumania. My bet would be on Moldova, as it is not a NATO member, but that is just me with that honesty thing again.
Neither Poland, nor Rumania is going to attack Russia – no NATO member is – the west is winning any post Russian victory in Ukraine in the same way as they won the cold war – simply by being better at out producing the corrupt Russian economy.
At least you’re now letting in a little honesty. As you say, Nuland will continue the sanctions and continue to attack. If she needs a breather it will be Transnistria, the while preparing Poland to attack Belorus. And any Russian counter will of course be unprovoked-and-illegal.
I’m not saying that Nuland will do anything, as I do not believe that Nuland controls much anything of what the west decides to do, so with or without Nuland the west is going to continue to do what it as done so far – and none of that involves attacking Russia.
neither NATO nor Poland is going to attack Belarus or any other state on the NATO’s eastern borders – they do not need to do so – sanctions is what will break the Russian side – a war with Russia has a much more uncertain outcome.
Robert, darlin’, he’s Danish. Please don’t insult the awesome Irish! 😉
Robert, darlin’, he’s Danish. Please don’t insult the awesome Irish! 😉
I share your worry. But the US has got itself into a struggle to maintain and extend its unipolar military and economic domination of the world. It’s a massive Great Powers contest, and I believe the US will go right up to the brink of nuclear war to prevail. I just hope there will be enough sane heads in the room to not go over the edge.
So do I CD, so do I….
I loathe war in all of its forms but I am very concerned about the direction this is heading in.
I understand your concern about the war in general, but I’d like to point out that this does not seem like a major change of direction or escalation – it is the kind of strikes the Russians were always supposed to carry out – and as such represents (even if it is what they claims it to be) a non escalatory move.
Whereas there were pictures from Donetsk of Russian trucks losing bodies of their back transporting the dead away from the Makeyevka strike, there has been no leaks of any similar pictures or other indications that this Russian strike actually killed any number of Ukrainian soldiers.
So if it had been a successful strike it would not have represented an escalatory change of direction, it appears that it was not successful or the Ukrainians have much better OPSEC that long from the front, either way it would not seem to be one of those cases where things take a turn for the worse.
ByeDone:
“What, me worry?”
A resolution where the invader is defeated. Where aggressive war as a means of rearranging agreed upon borders fails? Oh that is just terrible.
Ukraine is right where the neocons want it to be. Their goal is to break the will of Putin and break up Russia and put it under American control. Putin is targeted for assassination by Biden and Lindsey Graham. Nuclear Shmuclear, who cares? The corrupt MIC is fat and happy. That’s all that matters.
If Lt Gen. Igor Konashenkov’s reports over the last 10 months were accurate, Ukraine should’ve been fighting with sticks and stones by now, definitely no HIMARS after Russia destroyed 44 of them last August (Ukraine only had 16), plus the almost 4 thousand tanks destroyed when Ukraine barely had less than 900 at the beginning of the war, and all those West supplied weapons the Russians destroyed before they even arrived in country.
Hard to believe his reports.
I would go more with the Russian version.
A man told a jackal to go and poke the bear and he would be rewarded. The jackal poke and then bit the bear. The large bear just looked around and with one mighty swipe ended the jackal’s life.
The man who started it shrugged shoulders and walked away. It meant nothing to him.
Over 10 months into the war… that one mighty swipe, when is it going to happen?
Unlike US/UK, Russia gives a damn who they bomb. They could’ve used nukes but chose to minimize the loss. But stick around, maybe US will call Russias hand and force them to use a tactical nuke.
Nukes are not of much use in Ukraine – troops are not concentrated enough to justify it and using them would lose Russia the tacit support of the few nations that have not yet condemned its actions – so no there is not much of a case for using nukes in places like Bakhmut – they may do so, but that would be a true sign that they have lost the plot.
Great analogy, CT…
Considering Russia has satellite imagery, Im giving the point to Russia and say carry on.
“Kyiv”?
Don’t you mean “Kiev”, which is how it is spelled in the English language?
Not anymore, been to Peking lately or Bombay?
It’s been “Keeeeev” ONLY since the inception of ZelBoy’s war, John.
It’s been “keev” in Russian since there’s been, well, Russian.
It’s been “kee-yuh” in Ukrainian since there’s been, well, Ukrainian.
For some reason, it’s been “kee yev” in English until recently. Sort of like “Beijing” was “Peking” in western languages from the time a missionary spelled it that way in an atlas in the 17th century until recently.
All I can say, Thomas, is that it’s been Kee-ehv until just about a year ago.
Oh well.
Yes, in the US. Now the US pronunciation has been changed to the Russian pronunciation, presumably because Zelenskyy is a Russian speaker and the fanboy/fangirl media want to sound just like him.