Ukraine (finally) begins moving its army.
Very blurry video of an unidentified tank unit leaving Kiev and heading for the Belograd region. I'm assuming it's from the 72nd Mech Brigade.
I'm also hoping that it's from 72nd Mech or one of the new Reserve Tank brigades.
Because...
A: They're moving deeper into the Big and Middle Pincer traps.
B: Ukrainian 1st Tank Brigade is all that holds the northern flank inside of the Middle Pincer.
Massive Russian Navy Armada Moves Into Place Off Ukraine (updated)
Slava-class CG Marshal Ustinov (Project 1164 055) sighted 2.5 hours ago to the SE of Crete bearing 97° at 15.8kn.
Option to bear north to the Bosphorous or continue eastbound to Cyprus or Syria.
I haven't heard anything about the Russians asking Turkey for permission for either of the Med located Slava class to enter the straights but that remains a possibility. Syria (Tartus) would be a refuel/resupply stop only.
Artillery of the 58th CAA in Crimea located about 25 miles from firing range of Ukraine.
They're not parked. They're in movement order. They can be in firing range in about 2hrs (military convoys/task forces on land and at sea move at the speed of their slowest units).
That's a lot of hell getting ready to rain down on the road to the lower Dnieper bridges.
The Big Red One is in the house.
Abrams tanks of 2nd Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, with MAPS navigation system.
Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland.
That's what those C-17's were flying in. The transporter-trailers were probably already in Germany.
They're going to need a lot of white and dark green paint.
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: mobilization of reservists of 18-60 y.o. starts today according to Presidential decree. (might be too late, but worth the effort anyway)
All Ukrainian citizens in Russia are warned to leave Russia (too late, those people are already hostages).
All Russian diplomats in Ukraine have burned their papers and left the country.
Time/date of this video is unconfirmed but reportedly today in the vicinity of Mariupol.
What can be confirmed is that these are not Russian regulars. This is a separatist armored battalion with elderly T-64's and BMP-1's. Neither vehicle is used by the Russian Army but large numbers are held in reserve stockpiles.
Apologies for the (cut-n-paste) all caps to follow.
NOTAM over Kharkiv, Ukraine up to 16,500 ft "POSSIBILITY OF INTERCEPTION FOR OFFENDERS."
E) TEMPO RESTRICTED AREA CENTERED ON 49580N 036243E
WITH RADIUS 10 KM ACTIVATED.
FLIGHTS OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT ARE PROHIBITED.
FLIGHTS OF THE AIRCRAFT WITH MAXIMUM TAKE OFF WEIGHT
*That's above shoulder fired SAM and AA gun range. But well within all other SAM ranges.
There is now a 10 mile traffic jam on the E105 highway to Kharkiv from Russia. And it's all Russian Army vehicles.
In western military terms that's the MSR (Main Supply Route).
Video posted tonight from Crimea. Per video author, caption says, "Hundreds of vehicles go to the border with Ukraine."
In the video is a Russian Naval Infantry unit. Surprisingly the 2nd vehicle seen in the video is an elderly PT-76 amphibious tank. Supposedly the Russian Navy only has about 30 of those remaining in service.
Traffic jams are reported in Crimea on the only road leading north into the rest of Ukraine.
(for once the TicTok music is fitting the occasion)
Russia's Speznaz attack on Ukraine Crimea border posts, more missiles onto Mariupol, and lights out in major cities.
This, Mariupol, is not the main attack. It has objectives, but it is a diversion from the center of gravity. What the Germans called the schwerpunkt (main emphasis) is elsewhere.
It's designed to draw Ukrainian reserves away from that schwerpunkt.
UAV shoot down confirmed.
Fighting in and around Kyiv confirmed.
Odessa strike appears to have taken out most or all of Ukraine's tiny navy.
More bombers reported airborne over Russia.
Most of those are coming from the Engels-2 air base. The range of their missiles means that they have only to take off, reach launch altitude, and fire, before returning to the base landing pattern.
It appears both Mariupol and Odessa being subjected to some form of amphib operation.
1st Guards Tank Army at the gates of Kharkov.
Increasing reports of Russian paratroopers fighting in Kyiv (do the Russians have stealth paratrooper delivery aircraft?) More likely is these are elements of 45th Guards Spetsnaz who have been in place and waiting for days if not longer.
@Render God be with Ukraine
You’re so on top of this Render. CoSo is so lucky to have you.
@Render I had a notable fart recently so...
@Render
A missile accidentally hitting a NATO member aircraft sitting in non-NATO territory constitutes an attack on NATO?
@voltronic The Turks are notoriously violent about such things.
They may just declare war and drag NATO in with them.
@Render
Erdogan for sure is unstable. I keep waiting for him to declare war on northeastern Pennsylvania.
@voltronic @Render Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if Erdogan jumped in feet first.
He's been SPOILING for a war.
@Render
The crackpot theory on the bird I'm seeing is that those Turkish A-400s were actually loaded with Spetznaz, and that's how they were in position so quickly to assault the airport.
@voltronic I'm gonna go with, "nah" on that.
@Render
Can someone slip a note to the UN? Think this is designed to be over before the meeting.
@damselfly59 This is just the start. The lights are going out over Europe again.
That meaning is utterly irrelevant to the proceedings and a tremendous waste of time, energy, and money that will be and already is needed elsewhere.
@Render
Oof I hope his own generals take him out.
@damselfly59 They won't.
@Render you don’t think any of them are sane enough to not want to die for him? @damselfly59
@Thumprhare They're convinced that he's winning. @damselfly59
@Render delusion or alternate reality? Or perspective? @damselfly59
@Thumprhare A little bit of all I suppose. @damselfly59
@Render probably is going to be a few hours and then the incursion
@ketchup9080 It's dawn there. The Russians are already in, in multiple locations.
@Render did you think they can take over the city
@Render Kyiv. Are there military targets in the capital or are they just targeting civilian and businesses?
@Render
I figured it out.
They're after the airport.
Good thing I'm not in command.
🤔 I'm thinking I would have set charges and blown them up at exactly this point in time....🤷♂️
@Render I am so happy that I posted this a few min before you! You are hard to keep pace with!
@Idrake I did post vid of the launchers that fired that barrage two hours ago.
Just sayin...
@Render dang! Yeah man, crazy video of this stuff going down!
@Render wait what? Inside Romania or inside Ukraine? Damn it I need my atlas.
@Render jesus
@Guinness2020 Yeah. Very much so, or the God of your choice.
o7 @Render see the power plant go up?
Like Lebanon, big big explosion.
So fucking sad.
Live stream from Kharkov, Ukraine.
Looks like the camera view is from west of the city looking east. Not sure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7ZbVufqW3s