[lead82]

Lots of pro-Kremlin talking points there. Destroying a ton of infrastructure in Kursk is useful. As is the ability to flank behind Russia's Eastern Grouping. Lastly, it's more than just embarrassing for Putin. Russia is sending literal teenagers (conscripts) to fight the Ukrainians and thousands of them are ending up as POWs. This is creating a whole bunch of political problems in Russia. If their moms get pissed off enough, Putin will have no choice but to pull back elsewhere to reinforce Kursk, which creates openings elsewhere. It was protests movements of conscripts' mothers that ended the Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan.

No Pro-Kremlin talking points just reality on the ground. What you say is true but the small damage being done in Kursk won’t have much impact on the strategic lands Russia is slowly gaining in Donetsk oblast. Yes Russia is sending teenagers but it cares not as they have more men to churn through. Putin doesn’t care about people’s lives at all so this is not in this thinking. Mothers protests won’t matter to Putin and while it may have had a role to play in Afghanistan Ukraine is different story. Afghanistan was pointless endeavour. Ukrainian land and Crimea are strategic for Russia to control the Black Sea and to gain access to rich minerals in Ukraines eastern industrial heartland.

I’d be curious to see what happens next. Putin doesn’t seem to care about Kursk incursion. He may even be willing to give it up for Crimea and Donetsk. Ukraines next step will tell if this incursion was justified for any long term gain or just a waste of manpower while losing key lands in the east.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Putin doesn’t seem to care about Kursk incursion. He may even be willing to give it up for Crimea and Donetsk.

At times of invasion Russian leaders have always traded land for time or later leverage. Putin knows that Ukraine doesn't have the stomach to harm Russian civilians in Kursk and that its NATO backers won’t allow Russian territory to be annexed postwar. So unless the people rise up, there's no harm to Putin. Instead he’s focusing on the main goal in south-east Ukraine, including yesterday’s capture of Zalizne.

 

[DSC]

Kyiv Post from today: SEE: https://www.kyivpost.com/

US President Joe Biden spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday and announced a new round of military aid for Kyiv that the Pentagon valued at $125 million.

The call between the two leaders came ahead of Ukraine’s independence day, and on the same day that Washington announced sweeping sanctions against hundreds of individuals and companies tied to Russia’s invasion of the country.

“I am proud we will announce a new package of military aid for Ukraine today,” Biden said in a statement.

and

The Norwegian government reported through its official website on Friday that it was “paving the way for the transfer of Norwegian defense technologies to Ukraine,” by licensing the Nordic Ammunition Company (Nammo) to set up a 155mm artillery ammunition production facility in Ukraine.

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said: “Our government has taken several steps to increase the production of artillery ammunition in Norway. At the same time, we recognize the importance of strengthening the capacity of Ukrainians to produce modern ammunition in Ukraine.”