Article

2022-03-25 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Russia signals scaled-back war aims as Ukrainians advance near Kyiv

[Yahoo] Moscow signalled on Friday it was scaling back its ambitions in Ukraine to focus on territory claimed by Russian-backed separatists as Ukrainian forces went on the offensive to recapture towns on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv.

In the first big sign that Western sanctions on Moscow were impacting investment from China, sources said state-run Sinopec Group, Asia's biggest oil refiner, halted talks on a petrochemical investment and a venture to market Russian gas.

In the month since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops have failed to capture any major city. Their assault has met stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces and has been halted outside Kyiv.

The Russians have instead been bombarding and encircling cities, laying waste to residential areas and driving around a quarter of Ukraine's 44 million people from their homes.

More than 3.7 million of them have fled abroad, half to neighbouring Poland. U.S. President Joe Biden travelled to Poland on Friday, meeting soldiers from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division bolstering NATO's eastern flank and getting a look at efforts to help refugees.

"I'm here in Poland to see first hand the humanitarian crisis," Biden said.

Battlelines near Kyiv have been frozen for weeks with two main Russian armoured columns stuck northwest and east of the capital. A British intelligence report described a Ukrainian counter-offensive that had pushed Russians back in the east.

"Ukrainian counter-attacks, and Russian forces falling back on overextended supply lines, have allowed Ukraine to reoccupy towns and defensive positions up to 35 km east of Kyiv," the report said. Britain has given Ukraine arms and military training.

In an announcement that appeared to indicate more limited goals, the Russian Defence Ministry said a first phase of its operation was mostly complete and it would now focus on "liberating" the breakaway eastern Donbass region.
Walking back the conquest of the Ukraine.

Posted by DarthVader 2022-03-25 14:35|| || Front Page|| [11139 views ] Top

#1 "I'm here in Poland to see first hand the humanitarian crisis," Biden said.

But what about ... oh, wait -- he sent Kamela to address the southern boarder humanitarian crisis.

Problem solved.

Posted by Bobby 2022-03-25 16:04|| 2022-03-25 16:04|| Front Page Top

#2 War tourist.

Posted by Sheba Barnsmell9965 2022-03-25 16:08|| 2022-03-25 16:08|| Front Page Top

#3 Russian troops have failed to capture any major city.

I am seeing this meme a lot lately. Looking at a map, I would retort, "Yeah, so?".

Posted by SteveS 2022-03-25 18:20|| 2022-03-25 18:20|| Front Page Top

#4 Taking the fort/castle/city is kind of the last thing to do, and only if necessary.

IIUC the most effective sieges are when the attackers make life so miserable for the population they overthrow the defenders. That involves first cutting off supply routes.

Posted by swksvolFF 2022-03-25 18:58|| 2022-03-25 18:58|| Front Page Top

#5 For the Russians, this is basically WWII with them playing the role of the Nazis, and the Ukrainians in the role of the Soviets. The locals hate the invader's guts. The Ukrainians are being supplied by the West. The Russians are being strangled economically, like their WWII Nazi counterparts.

What happened to the Nazis in Soviet territory - initial advances followed by defeat after defeat - could well happen to the Russians in Ukraine. Except the Russians don't even have significant initial victories as a buffer. There is an outside possibility that Ukraine not only drives the Russians out of pre-war Ukraine - it also drives them outside of Crimea and the occupied parts of Donetz and Luhansk.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2022-03-25 19:53|| 2022-03-25 19:53|| Front Page Top

#6 I am seeing this meme a lot lately. Looking at a map, I would retort, "Yeah, so?".

The example I use for Russian military incompetency is the city of Kharkiv. 20 miles from the Russian border... 35-40% of the city is ethnic Russian... and the Russians can't capture it.

If you can't capture or even fucking surround a city that is supposed to be mostly friendly and that close, you are a fucking disgrace.

Posted by DarthVader 2022-03-25 21:13|| 2022-03-25 21:13|| Front Page Top

#7 The example I use for Russian military incompetency is the city of Kharkiv. 20 miles from the Russian border... 35-40% of the city is ethnic Russian... and the Russians can't capture it.

If you can't capture or even fucking surround a city that is supposed to be mostly friendly and that close, you are a fucking disgrace.

Kharkov is close, but not particularly friendly. There's a long thread here that explains why.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2022-03-25 21:41|| 2022-03-25 21:41|| Front Page Top

#8 If you can't capture or even fucking surround a city that is supposed to be mostly friendly and that close, you are a fucking disgrace.

A good point. However, the enemy always gets a vote...

It is hard to find info on the disposition of Ukrainian forces to know what is going on, but if I were playing the Ukie side, I would support Kharkiv heavily. A Rus breakthru there allows them to encircle forces in the Donbass OR drive to Kiev from the southeast. Neither is good.

I'm guessing the Russian end game at this point is control of everything east of the Dnieper, so both of those things will eventually happen.

Posted by SteveS 2022-03-25 21:50|| 2022-03-25 21:50|| Front Page Top

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