The reservoir is going to drain, leaving behind a muddy lake bed that likely has quite a bit of silt build up.
Ukraine attempted to drive vehicles across a known minefield.. End result is 9 smoking hulks that barely made it across the first line of mines. I am sure there was a perfect reason for sending one third of a Ukrainian Battalion into a known Russian minefield, without air, artillery, or infantry cover and lose eleven armored vehicles one by one in the “probing attack” vs. the Zaporizhzhia village of Novodarivka on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/hhlSAXUZg4— Julian Röpcke🇺🇦 (@JulianRoepcke) June 7, 2023
They just need to cross around the reservoir. Russia may denied them the direct way to the Krim but was it worth for them? Looks a bit like a panic move tbh.
A gif of Kherson before the flooding and after the flooding.... Before / after shots of the flooding in the Kherson City and the Dnirpo River Delta south of Kherson where Russian and Ukrainian forces were conducting raids for several months. The island deltas are entirely submerged. June 5 vs June 7Location: 32.5577948°E 46.5929331°N pic.twitter.com/cWuvVvZ4jV— George Barros (@georgewbarros) June 7, 2023
While true, I made a joke about Ukraine being able to drive around the Russian defenses through the newly drained reservoir.
It is a panic move. But it also cuts off that front for at least several weeks as the water in the reservoir drains. Obviously Ukraine was not going to be making a large scale offensive across the Dnipro, but they've been sending small unit sabotage teams across the Dnipro for ages. In theory, this should free up Russian resources to be used against the counter-offensive.
Agreed. Make it criminal to do any business with them unless expressly permitted, and arrest anyone promoting russian interests including non-russians. I think Biden should declare the russian state a terror org and apply anti-terror powers against anyone helping them. I know that is complicated but what the hell Do we really care if Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi get mad?
According to pro-Ukrainian sources, Ukrainians living on the Russian held side of the Dnipro have been abandoned by the Russians and the Ukrainians have taken to Telegram to beg for someone to save them (or a family member). 1/ A tragic situation is unfolding as the dam destruction by russians has left many residents of Oleshky and other riverside areas trapped in floodwaters. Urgent pleas for help from hundreds of people in a Telegram channel shows the dire need for immediate evacuations. pic.twitter.com/6m1h7Phcdk— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) June 7, 2023 There have been several rescue attempts by Ukrainians crossing the river to get them, but it is a risky endeavor as the rescuers come under fire from Russian forces if they are seen.
It looks like the Swiss military industry is starting to make inroads with Swiss politicians to do something about their laws that prevent re-exports of weapons (or parts/ammunition) built in Switzerland for another country. Switzerland's upper house has amended the law to allow the re-export of Swiss weapons. Of course, nothing is ever that simple in Swiss government, so it is still not clear if we'll start seeing them flow into Ukraine or not. ⚡️⚡️ Switzerland will be able to supply weapons to UkraineThe upper house of the Swiss parliament approved an amendment to the law allowing the re-export of weapons. pic.twitter.com/SMuCN8lbiY— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 7, 2023
I think it's fair to say that 99.99% of people in the U.S. have no idea who either of those people are; so no, it doesn't matter if they get mad. On the other hand, 45% of the U.S. population will get mad at whoever Trump tells them to be mad at.
It would appear that Russia did not warn their troops before the dam collapsed and, as a result, Ukrainian forces are reporting that they witnessed a number of Russian troops being swept away by the flood waters. ⚡️BREAKING: Ukrainian soldiers witnessed Russian soldiers being swept away in flood waters. Many drowned in the process according to sources.They attempted to flee the east bank of the Dnipro River after the collapse of the Nova Khakovka dam.— The Enforcer (@ItsTheEnforcer) June 6, 2023
We had 2.5 acres of woods 10 years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed splitting wood with maul and wedges. Therapy and a bit of a work out.
That's actually one of the issues. The flood waters were strong enough that mines were repositioned. There's even a few videos of mines detonating in the flood waters as they hit things.
I'm with you...I had 27 acres 10 yrs ago and I thoroughly enjoyed watching my kids splitting wood with my neighbors hydraulic splitter. I supervised the stacking.
Under normal circumstances, that would be strong evidence that the Russians didn’t blow it up. With Russia, who knows? It might mean that. It might be more evidence that their ability to coordinate is at pre carrier pigeon levels. Or it might mean they were willing to sacrifice a few dozen drowned soldiers to put the blame on Ukraine.
So basically it's everybodies guess now where mines are, most likely not in their old places, where you could imagine where they should be.
I dream of having acreage and spending my days felling trees and splitting wood. Followed by quality time at the firepit. Alas, the closest I can manage in Columbus is looking for "free firewood" (i.e., "I had a tree cut down bit didn't want to pay to have the wood taken away") posts on Facebook. I'll drive over, chainsaw in hand (a Jonserud) to cut the pieces into small enough chunks to haul them away. Months later, I attack them with a manual, hydraulic splitter, if I can't make progress with an axe. I have ten axes. I don't in any way need ten axes. "Every man looks at his wood-pile with a kind of affection. I love to have mine before my window, and the more chips the better to remind me of my pleasing work. I had an old axe which nobody claimed, with which by spells in winter days, on the sunny side of the house, I played about the stumps which I had got out of my bean-field. As my driver prophesied when I was plowing, they warmed me twice -- once while I was splitting them, and again when they were on the fire, so that no fuel could give out more heat. As for the axe, I was advised to get the village blacksmith to "jump" it; but I jumped him, and, putting a hickory helve from the woods into it, made it do. If it was dull, it was at least hung true." - Thoreau
Russia actually had placed their second defense-line just outside the flooding danger zone, I'm sure well knowing that they were going to blow up the dam at some point, but obviously not having told their first line of defense, that was dug-in where they would be flooded so fast, and in the most horrible way, with little to no chance of escape if the dam was to break or blow up, so just by deliberately placing them there, it prove that the Russian top-brass could not care less about their own troops.