Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[All Along The Watchtower]

Washington Post: Russia has gained more land in one month (April to May 2024), than Ukraine ever did during it's counteroffensive (June to December 2023)

The amount of territory Russia has occupied over the last several weeks is about as large as the territory Ukraine retook during its lackluster spring counteroffensive in 2023.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/17/russia-ukraine-front-line-gains/

Even though Russian sources have said this week that their Troops may have been slowed down by UAF reinforcement, footage clearly indicates that Ukraine is unable to put together a competent defense along the Kharkiv directions, and they expect another spearhead into Sumy.  Faster Russian gains along the entire front is expected at this point, and mappers can't keep up with the changes that occurred in Luhansk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia.  I haven't seen any consistent images or videos of Ukraine inflicting heavy losses on Russia.  None.  I don't even know if they can do it anymore. Meanwhile, the losses Ukraine is suffering on the Kharkiv front are completely unsustainable, and they're defense. They literally cannot move armored vehicles, tanks, or equipment into areas without it getting creamed by drones, planes, or missiles.  They can't even place artillery or anti-aircraft systems outside of Kharkiv City.

Russia has Ukraine on the Ropes.  It's not hyperbole.  It's reality.  They just need one more spearhead through/towards Chasiv Yar, Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, or Velyka to achieve victory in Donetsk, as well as a collapse of defensive lines protecting Luhansk from the South. 

This is certainly not the worst advertisement for a NATO military intervention.

[Woody]

Russian telegram: "Today, the city of Kharkov is within reach of all types of artillery of the Russian Armed Forces."

https://t.me/condottieros/3626

[Woody]

Perpetua and Deepstate's maps have the Russians fighting within Liptsy's boundaries. The battle for the town has started. Back in 2022 when the town was under Russian control it was one of the staging areas for artillery shelling of Kharkiv City and it's outskirts:

https://map.ukrdailyupdate.com/?lat=50.211132&lng=36.431351&z=13&d=19860&c=1&l=0

https://deepstatemap.live/en#13/50.2163/36.4430

[Hindsight was 2020]

https://twitter.com/dim0kq/status/1791888739343429877?s=46
Czech shells are finally coming in

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

A police officer and a volunteer help a Vovchansk resident evacuate to Kharkiv due to Russian military strikes near the town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, May 17, 2024.

Ukraine accused Russia of potential war crimes Saturday, saying their shelling targeted civilians in residential areas of two cities in northeastern Ukraine.

In the first case, a Russian airstrike wounded six people, including two teens and a child in the city of Kharkiv.

In the second case, Russian shelling in Vovchansk, a town 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the Russian border, killed a 60-year-old woman and injured three other civilians. A 59-year-man also was injured in the village of Ukrainske, they said.

Thousands of civilians have been killed or injured since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Moscow denies targeting civilians.

Russia said its forces shot down a Ukrainian Tochka-U ballistic missile on Saturday. A similar missile launched last week on the Russian border town of Belgorod caused the collapse of an apartment building, killing at least 15 people.

Fierce battles continue along the now-longer front line of Ukraine.A police officer and a volunteer help a Vovchansk resident evacuate to Kharkiv due to Russian military strikes near the town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, May 17, 2024.

VOA News

Complete barbarians.