Dear friends,I have a bad case of repetitive stress injury (RSI) due to too much keyboard and mouse use (even though I use an ergonomic keyboard and mouse). I need to type less today, but I want to confirm that Ilovaisk, the city featured yesterday in this video, has been freed.Now I must take the rest of the day off.Open thread!Cheers,The Saker
A lot of people are wondering what the deal is with the so-called “cauldrons” in which the Ukie forces seem to get surrounded over and over again. Are the Ukie generals simply stupid, or what is the deal? I will try to explain.Remember that that Ukie forces are typically “heavy”. They have lots of tanks, lots of artillery, lost of ammo, lots of soldiers, etc. At least initially. They are
Dear friends,Since many of you have asked for it – here is the transcript in 3 languages:Frenchhttp://www.vineyardsaker.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/20140824-press-conference-formation-of-as-state.fr.txtGermanhttp://www.vineyardsaker.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/20140824-press-conference-formation-of-as-state.de.txtEnglishhttp://www.vineyardsaker.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/20140824-press-conference-formation-of-as-state.en.txt It would be very helpful if some of you could make transcripts in other languages. If you do – please email me the link to the transcript, or send me the text, and I will post them here. Many thanks and kind regards, The Saker UPDATE1: here is the download link for the
1. The situation has improved in Novorossiya but is still quite serious. The enemy still has an overwhelming advantage in hardware and men and in some instances shows they know how to use that preponderance. 2. As the Army of Novorossiya goes about it’s task of freeing cities, towns and villages they are followed by what relief is available for the newly freed citizens. Also in the follow up are
Did the Ukrainians really catch 10 Russian paratroopers?Maybe.For one thing, this time around the Ukies have provided names, a unit number (331st Regiment, 98th Guard Airborne Division) and even a video of their interrogation. So this might be real.If it is, I hope that it will at least shut up the choir of naysayers who constantly accuse Russia of doing nothing, of betraying Novorussia, of selling out the Donbass and
Dear friends,There is no overstating the importance of this press conference by by Alexander V. Zakharchenko, Chairman of The Council of Ministers of The Donetsk National Republic. As as soon as I saw it myself, I asked two of our Teams (Russian and Oceania) to work together on a translation as fast as possible. They did as stellar job and I can now share this video with you. I want
Dear friends,Blog migration to new servers First I would like to update you on the migration of this blog to dedicated servers in Iceland. The short version is this: it is happening, we have already backed up the data, the server is up, WordPress has been installed, and the very kind IT specialists who are helping me are working on a few more matters. It might take a little longer,
18th Aug: Yazidi volunteers are being trained by the Kurds to fight Daash. The Kurds are providing the Yazidis with arms, training, and uniforms. 22nd Aug: An attack on the Sunni Musab bin Omair mosque in Diyala during Friday prayers has left 68 worshippers dead. Locals are blaming Shia militias for the attack. They state that the attack followed the deaths of Shia militiamen in an IED attack and that
Note: today I am happy to share with you a report written by a friend and reader, ‘Y’, who asked that I convey to you his words that “I am not presenting myself as an expert on the involved history and politics of Transcarpathia. My intention is just to point out the importance of this under-reported region and that not all Ukrainians are fascist supporters“. I am immensely grateful to
As soon as I finished my post about why the Novorussians cannot go on the counter-offensive they did. Right?No, no really. Sorry. I don’t want to rain on anybody’s parade, but we have to carefully assess what is going on. I have listened very carefully to the reports from Novorussia and here is what I think has happened:From guerrilla to combined-arms:The Novorussian military command has announced that from purely guerilla-type
I friend just sent me this in an email and I thought that the best thing to do what to reply with a post. Here is what he wrote: I’ve been wondering something for some time now regarding the “war” in Ukraine and Novorossiya. Occasionally I hear mutterings from the NAF about “going on the offensive” sometime soon (supposedly when a certain turning point has been reached or some unnamed
It appears that the Russians got tired of waiting. I suggest that you all carefully parse the Statement of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs I posted earlier today. This is an interesting document because besides an explanation of the Russian decision to move it, it is also, potentially, a legal defense or an unprecedented Russian decision: to overtly violate the Ukrainian sovereignty. Let me explain.First, the case of Crimea
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT ON THE START OF THE DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN RELIEF AID TO SOUTHEASTERN UKRAINE The endless delays hampering the initial deliveries of the Russian humanitarian relief aid to southeastern Ukraine have become intolerable. A lorry convoy with many hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian relief aid, urgently needed by the people in these regions, has been standing idle for a week now on the Russian-Ukrainian border. Over this
NB: The term Salafi may refer to a Puritan Sunni (or rarely Shia) but in these SITREPs is being referred synonymously with Wahabi Takfiris. The titles Farooq and Siddique were originally those of Ali ibn Abi Talib (as), but over the ages, for whatever reasons, have been associated with Omar ibn Khattab and Abu Bakr (the second and first Caliphs). Similarly the term Salaf may have referred to a pious
Dear friends,I will spend most of the day tomorrow on the road. God willing, I will be back tomorrow evening. In the meantime, please feel free to discuss anything except the topic of global warming which (by popular demand) I am banning just because it would really burden this blog. I will try to moderate the comments as often as possible from my van.Also, one reader told me that the
John Mearsheimer just published a piece in Foreign Affairs entitled “Why the Ukraine Crisis Is the West’s Fault – The Liberal Delusions That Provoked Putin“. It is a typical “establishment” piece in style and assumptions – along with some rather misleading statements about the war in Georgia – but I still recommend that you read it. Here is the interesting excerpt: There is a solution to the crisis in Ukraine,
