[kellyhound]

Fighterbomber tells a story about a Russian Mi-8 helicopter that got lost and apparently landed on the Ukrainian airfield in Poltava a few weeks back. Once they tried to take off again, they were shot.

[kellyhound]

The occupiers are sinking ferries to protect the illegal Kerch bridge
August 22, 2023
In the area of ​​the Kerch Strait, near the illegal bridge between Russia and the temporarily occupied Crimea (coordinates: 45.2432237; 36.5845773), the Russian invaders are conducting preparatory work to sink the second ferry.

According to the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the occupiers plan to sink at least six watercraft of the specified type in order to create a protective lane in front of the Kerch Bridge.

The Russians intend to install barrier barriers between the sunken ferries.

In this way, the enemy seeks to protect the Kerch Bridge from damage.

Periodic successful attacks by the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine on this legitimate military target resulted in serious damage to the bridge's structure, including its road and rail tracks.

The recent strikes on the Kerch bridge once again worsened the situation for the enemy's grouping of troops in the south of Ukraine and provoked a hysterical reaction from the military and political leadership of Moscow.

The Kremlin demanded anything to secure the facility, which is critically important for the military logistics of the Russian army of occupation.

The simple measure of protection of the nineteen-kilometer bridge in the form of flooding of ferries testifies to the feverishness of the enemy's decisions and the intellectual crisis within the military-political leadership of terrorist Russia.

[Guns N' Coffee]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

Fighterbomber tells a story about a Russian Mi-8 helicopter that got lost and apparently landed on the Ukrainian airfield in Poltava a few weeks back. Once they tried to take off again, they were shot.

Too bad they seemed unaware of the "Cash for Copters" program

[Guns N' Coffee]

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ge...00ef435e59a076

A top Russian general linked to the head of a rebellious mercenary group is reportedly dismissed

Gen. Sergei Surovikin, a former commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine who was linked to the leader of a brief armed rebellion, has been dismissed as chief of the air force, Russian state media reported Wednesday after weeks of uncertainty about his fate.

Surovikin has not been seen in public since June 23-24, when Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, sent his men to march toward Moscow. In a video released during the uprising, Surovikin — who was believed to have close ties to Prigozhin — had urged him to pull the mercenaries back.

The Wagner uprising posed the most serious challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s 23-year rule and reports circulated that Surovikin had known about it in advance. Prigozhin called off the rebellion short of reaching Moscow after he said he wanted to avoid bloodshed.

Surovikin’s absence has been one of several enduring mysteries surrounding the rebellion. During his absence, Russian media have speculated about Surovikin’s whereabouts, with some claiming he had been detained, but his daughter told the Russian social media channel Baza in late June that her father had not been arrested.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing an anonymous source, reported that Surovikin has been replaced as commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces by Col. Gen. Viktor Afzalov, who heads the main staff of the air force.

The agency frequently represents the official position of the Kremlin through reports citing anonymous officials in Russia’s defense and security establishment.

The Russian government has not commented on the report, and The Associated Press was not able to confirm it independently.

The Russian daily newspaper RBC reported that Surovikin is being transferred to a new job and is now on vacation.

Alexei Venediktov, the former head of the closed radio station Ekho Moskvy, and Ksenia Sobchak, the daughter of a Putin-linked politician, both wrote on social media Tuesday that Surovikin had been dismissed.

Sobchak said Surovikin was removed from his post Aug. 18, “by a closed decree. The family still has no contact with him.”

Surovikin was dubbed “General Armageddon” for his brutal military campaign in Syria and led Russia’s operations in Ukraine between October 2022 and January 2023. Under his command, Russian forces unleashed regular missile barrages on Ukrainian cities, significantly damaging civilian infrastructure and disrupting heating, electricity and water supplies.

Both Surovikin and Prigozhin were both active in Syria, where Russian forces have fought to shore up President Bashar Assad’s government since 2015.

Surovikin was replaced as commander in Ukraine by Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov following Russia’s withdrawal from the southern city of Kherson amid a swift counteroffensive by Kyiv’s troops, but the air force general continued to serve under Gerasimov as a deputy commander.

Prigozhin had spoken positively of Surovikin while criticizing Russia’s military brass, and suggested he should be appointed General Staff chief to replace Gerasimov.

While the reports circulated about actions against Surovikin, Prigozhin, appears to be still in charge of the mercenary group, which won a key battle to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut earlier this year. Prigozhin said he launched the rebellion to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other military leaders who he accused of mismanaging the war in Ukraine.

Shortly after the rebellion, the Kremlin confirmed Putin had a three-hour meeting with Prigozhin and Wagner commanders shortly before they apparently agreed to depart for exile in Belarus. In July, Prigozhin was seen on the sidelines of a Russia-Africa summit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, and this week he posted his first video address since the mutiny, saying he was seeking “bogatyrs” — courageous and strong men — to work for Wagner in Africa.

[WhiskeyOutpost]

Almost everything the Russians have been doing recently have been reactive rather than proactive... where's that momentum?

[WhiskeyOutpost]

Who knows at this point... very early in all this.

[b0g]

Yevgeny Prigozhin was on passenger list of plane that crashed in Tver region.
If he indeed was on that plane , that is another matter, and has to be verified 3 times. I saw a recent video of him in African grounds, so somethg is badly timed...

[kellyhound]

alleged passengers list.

Operative services in the Kremlin received video from cameras of Prigozhin and Utkin boarding the downed plane, Russian media reported.

Today is exactly 2 months after infamous Prigozhin's march to Moscow

[kellyhound]

The second plane owned by Prigozhin just landed at the Ostafyevo airport near Moscow.

[WonderMomma]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

Fighterbomber tells a story about a Russian Mi-8 helicopter that got lost and apparently landed on the Ukrainian airfield in Poltava a few weeks back. Once they tried to take off again, they were shot.

I just found this post but I don't think it's related? This one landed in Kharkiv region.

"Recently, a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian Armed Forces ended up in Ukraine as a result of a long-lasting special operation by the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, according to high-ranking sources in the special services.

The special operation lasted more than 6 months. Ukrainian intelligence lured the Mi-8 AMTSh pilot to Ukraine. The plane was flying between two airbases and transporting parts for Su-27 and Su-30 SM fighters.

Along with the pilot, there were two crew members on board who did not know where the helicopter was actually going. The Mi-8 landed in Kharkiv region.

As a result of the special operation, two crew members were killed. The pilot and his family are in Ukraine, and the family was taken out of Russia in advance. The Mi-8 remained in Ukraine, as well as the parts for the fighter jets."