Russia Has No Reserves Left As Ukrainian Troops Surround A Key Eastern Town

[RandySF]

May 27 was a dark day for Ukraine. That was the day Lyman, the last free town north of the Donets River in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas River, finally fell to Russian forces. Capturing Lyman helped the Russian army to consolidate its position in Donbas and secure supply lines across the region.

Lyman was a domino. As it fell, it knocked down Severodonetsk, the last free city east of the Donets. And as Severodonetsk fell, it toppled Lysychansk, its twin city on the opposite side of the river.

Nearly four months later, the dominos are falling in the opposite direction. A Ukrainian counteroffensive that kicked off east of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city 100 miles northwest of Lyman, in a heady two weeks has liberated a thousand square miles of northeast Ukraine.

Fleeing a dozen eager Ukrainian brigades, Russian forces in Kharkiv Oblast —including the once-elite 1st Guard Tanks Army—have fled east across the Oskil River, leaving behind hundreds of vehicles and potentially thousands of casualties.

The Ukrainians’ momentum, weighted by aggressive air and artillery support, has carried them a short distance across the Oskil and south toward Lyman. Now several of Kyiv’s brigades—a mix of paratroopers and territorials—also are closing on Lyman ... from the opposite direction.



https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/09/18/russia-has-no-reserves-left-as-ukrainian-troops-surround-a-key-eastern-town/?sh=332ef1573126

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Putin has exposed the weakness of his military

[TheBlackAdder]

7. Enter China, now that Putin pantsed Russia.

.



.

[COL Mustard]

10. Is that where the song title comes from?

Putin on the Ritz?
https://m.

[Wicked Blue]

12. Putin on the fritz nt

[Warpy]

14. The fact that he's cleaned out the prisons to get soldiers

shows his real desperation.

He knows if he callus up the reserves (and they haven't trained since they've been out, it would take time to train them), people who are already voicing support only because they go to prison if they don't are going to say to hell with it and start rebelling outright.

What a waste. What a god awful waste.

One hopes the end of this regime and its colossal blunder of a war come soon.

[AllyCat]

2. This is such good news.

[lpbk2713]

3. This is encouraging.

I hope the Ukrainian troops keep in mind the Russian murderers executed women and children with their hands tied behind their backs.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

5. Oh I'm quite sure the Ukrainian troops are keeping that in mind

and their burning desire to exact revenge on the Russians are front and center.

[SergeStorms]

4. Here's hoping....

that these will be Russia's "good old days". I hope there's nothing but increased pain, poverty, turmoil, and defeat for Russians from here forward.

The Russian people probably don't deserve all of that, but they're responsible for the madman who initiated the invasion of Ukraine, so they must pay that price. After Putin is dead and gone - and I hope it's very, very soon - they must be sure that no one close to Putin's temperament leads their country again.

[keithbvadu2]

6. The Mighty and Macho Russian Army praised by Cruz (never served) and MTG while denigrating American

The Mighty and Macho Russian Army praised by Cruz (never served) and MTG while denigrating American Troops

[niyad]

8. Slava Ukraini! Thank you for the update.

[grantcart]

9. The last formed divisions that were sent to reinforce Kharkiv

"lost a few skirmishes then joined the wider Russian retreat".

Of course Russia has more divisions that could be moved to the front. They can't be moved because Putin needs them to put down urban unrest.

Those St. Petersburg city councilman going public against the war help to freeze movement of key divisions.

[maxsolomon]

16. "Urban unrest"?

where are you getting that? is it ?

[grantcart]

20. How familiar are you with Russian/Soviet history?

Last edited Mon Sep 19, 2022, 11:35 AM - Edit history (1)

Both Czarist Russia and The Soviet Union lost their legitimacy and we're overtaken by the eruption of flash points that went country wide very quickly. Once the regime was seen as having a crack in the veneer then all of the pent up frustration explodes nationwide.

In 1905 a single isolated incident showed the country that the Czar was fallible. The Czar lost absolute rule, a people's Duma took over legislative control and ten years later Imperial Russia collapsed with hardly a shot fired.

At the end of the SU the elimination of the Berlin Wall showed the vulnerabilities of the central government and spontaneous public demonstrations brought down the government.

What triggered the first Russian Revolution of 1905?

The mutiny of a single ship, the Potemkin.

Why did they mutiny? Russia refused negotiations with Japan and Japan attacked Russia. Russia moved it's most experienced officers to the war in the Pacific. After Russia began losing key battles morale in the ships in the west plummetted.

What was the last straw on Potemkin?

The morning Borscht had maggots. The ship mutinied and went to Romania and nationwide strikes erupted.

I have witnessed a half dozen coups and it doesn't take much in a country where power goes from top to bottom to trigger an eruption. The most important person in maintaining stability in Russia tomorrow morning is the mid level officers who commands the loyalty of the tanks kept in the barracks around Moscow. Once the tanks roll in the capital there is almost no turning back. You can bet that officer is a personal favorite of Putin and will never see action in Ukraine.

[femmedem]

24. Thanks for the history lesson, grantcart!

I didn't know any of this.

[maxsolomon]

25. I didn't mean historically.

I mean now. Is there "urban unrest" in Russia today? I haven't read any reports even hinting at it. Have you?

My impression was that their Police State (and State Media) is quite effective, and dissent is effectively suppressed.

[grantcart]

26. You mean beside the St. Petersburg Council members charging Putin with Treason?

No, but you missed my point, Putin cannot move his most loyal divisions because he needs them to stay in the urban areas to prevent urban unrest not that it has started.

The current situation closely parallels the First Russian Revolution and the fall of the SU. There were no public protests until something exposed the weakness and fragility of the despot and then they were everywhere.

Today we reached another key turning point in the war; British analysts state that Russia has lost Air Superiority in Ukraine which means that Russian front lines are significantly more exposed than before.

[maxsolomon]

28. I'm not missing your point.

Certainly that's feasible; I just don't understand where you're getting that information.

How do you know Putin's "most loyal divisions" are stationed in urban areas to suppress possible civilian unrest? I'm not familiar with where the Russian military is deployed.

[OAITW r.2.0]

17. New Russian Front: keeping Putin in the Kremlin. Nt

[Raine]

11. 💛 Glory to Ukraine! 💙 nt

[MarineCombatEngineer]

13. Looks like Putin opened a can of this

[BigmanPigman]

15. So what does Putin do now...save face?

Last edited Mon Sep 19, 2022, 03:08 AM - Edit history (1)

Kill himself or pledge to blow up all Western Ukrainian allies with threats of nukes as his swan song?

[grantcart]

21. His only option is to declare victory and leave.

China invaded Vietnam in 1978 and suffered massive loses and after 6 months of huge loses declared they had taught Vietnam a lesson and left.

[BigmanPigman]

22. That is one way to "save face"

We'll see soon enough.

[grantcart]

23. It won't be enough especially if he loses Donrtsk

[Botany]

18. The Russians are now gonna be left with only ..

... Crimea. The Donbas, Karkeiv, and Kharastan have either fallen to the Ukrainian or will very likely fall. And very soon the only way out of Crimea will be the bridge to
Russia. I hope the Russian soldiers go home and kill
Putin.

[moondust]

19. And it's 1...2...3...

what are we fighting for?

[grantcart]

27. UK analysts have now concluded that Russia has lost Air Superiority.

Russian front lines are significantly more exposed than they were last week.