September 4th 23:53 UTC/ZULU Ukraine SITREP: Maybe, just maybe?

Many major developments to report today.  First, though I was trying very hard to contain my excitement over the past days, the level of success the Novorussian Armed Forces (NAF) against the Junta Repression Forces (JRF) appears to be absolutely amazing and, should Mariupol fall, which appears to be likely, I would speak of a strategic victory, something which I am normally extremely reluctant to do, especially when speaking to a force which only recently was a volunteer militia force.  How could that possibly have happened?

Military situation:

I think that there is a second expression which now can be used without exaggeration: all the signs are that the JRF have reached their breaking point: this is the moment when a military force suddenly and completely collapses, like a damn which blows out under the pressure of water.  The JRF is not retreating on one, two or even three directions, it is retreating everywhere (except north of Lugansk).  Entire battalions are leaving the front under orders of their battalion commanders and without the approval of the Junta leaders.  At least one such battalion commander is already being judged for desertion.  The entire Ukie leadership seems to be in a panic mode, especially Iatseniuk and Kolomoiski, while the Nazis are mad as hell at the Poroshenko administration.  There are constant rumors of an anti-Poroshenko coup by outraged Nazi nationalists.  And then, there are the absolutely staggering Ukrainian losses.

[I have stricken out the following section due to protest by it's author who accused me of "grossly exaggerating" and "misrepresenting" his figures]

There is one such list which I reader sent me who, according to my reader, was published on Zero Hedge, but I could not find it there.  I did find it here though:

Ukrainian forces casualties and losses 2 May - 21 August
Casualties
Total: 32.702
Dead and wounded: 20.274
Prisoner, deserters and missing: 12.418
Destroyed or captured materiel:
I. Aviation
Attack
- 16 Su-25 (one captured 7 July)
Bomber
- 7 Su-24
Fighter
- 2 MiG-29
Recon
- 1 AN-30
- 6 drones
Transport
- 2 AN-26
- 2 IL 76
I.a Helicopters
- 20 attack and transport Mi-24, Mi-17 y Mi-8
II. Ground forces materiel
Tanks Total: 347 ( 68 captured )
- 319 T-64 ( 65 captured )
- 2 T-64 Bulat
- 7 T-72 ( 3 captured )
- 19 T-84-U Oplot
Armored vehicles Total: 602 ( 119 captured )
- 163 BMP Infantry Fighting Vehicle, tracked ( 69 capturados )
- 125 BMD IFV Paratroopers, tracked ( 9 captured )
- 312 BTR Armored Personnel Carrier, wheeled ( 39 captured )
- 2 BRDM Scout Vehicle, wheeled ( 2 captured )
Artillery Total: 180 ( 122 captured pieces )
- 4 SO-203 2S7 "Pion" 203mm
- 5 SAU 2S3 "Acacia" 152mm (1 captured )
- 30 SAU 122 2S1 Gvozdika 122mm ( 25 captured )
- 2 Mortars 2S4 Tyulpan 240mm(2 captured
- 6 Mortars SAU Nona 120mm (6 captured )
- 21 Antiaircraft guns ZU 23-2 ( 18 captured )
- 24 Rocket launcher Grad 122mm ( 24 captured )
- 11 Rocket launcher Uragan 220mm (4 captured )
- 45 howitzer D-30 122mm ( 10 captured )
- 32 mortars82mm ( 32 captured )
Trucks and cars Total: 153 (124 captured )
- 5 Hummer
- Jeep
- 25-66 GaZ
- Staff car
- Mobile crane
- 1 ZIL 131
- 2 KrAZ
- 58 Ural trucks
- 69 Kamaz trucks
- 4 UAZ 469
Last edited by von Junzt; 23 Aug 14 at 07:42. 

Now I am not endorsing this list since I don't even know who made it up or on what basis.  

But I will say that it is consistent with.  Check out this list and this one (thanks to GM for the link!!).   Finally, this list is also consistent with all the footage shown on the various video hosting sites such as YouTube.  I will even add that this list is clearly incomplete since it was made before the biggest Ukie losses occurred.  But let's not look at the exact numbers, let's look at the suggested magnitude.  This tells us that:

• 40'000+ Ukrainian soldiers have died.
• 600+ armored vehicles have been lost.
• 200+ artillery pieces have been lost (probably many more in reality).
• Most of the Ukie aviation in flying condition has been lost.

If, as it appears likely, the real number of dead JRF soldiers is anywhere near the 30'000+40'000+ figure, then this is something absolutely unique in modern warfare.  There might be an exception to this I have missed, but as far I can know in every single conflict since WWII (and including WWII), civilians have died in far greater numbers than combatants.  This is also absolutely true of NAF soldiers who have died in far smaller numbers than Novorussian civilians.  So unless these figures are completely off the mark, and I see no reason to believe this, the Junta forces were absolutely massacred in an horrible butchery which cannot completely be explained by the superb fighting skills of the Novorussians: clearly the Junta has used these forces as cannon fodder with not even a modicum of care, nevermind support, for them.  Yes, the Novorussians had God, morale, common sense, the Truth, the GRU, history, decency, international law, covert support from Russia and whatever else on their side but that does not explain the mind-boggling casualty figures of the Ukie side.

To me a life is a life, and a Ukie life is no less precious than a Russki life.  Yes, I am delighted and relieved that the JRF were defeated and that the horrors which the Novorussians had to live through will possibly end soon.  But I feel heartbroken and immensely said for the thousands of innocent Ukrainians who were used by their Junta and sent to die in the process of a criminal operation whose goal was the ethnically cleanse the entire Donbass of its population.  And I am proud and happy by the way Russia and the Novorussians have treated the Ukie deserters and POWs.  Even the worst ones, the artillery crews, which were shown videos of whom they murdered and of what they destroyed, they were confronted with their victims and sometimes they were ordered to work to rebuilt, as much as can be, the buildings which they had destroyed (some broke down in complete hysterics, by the way).  But they were no shot, tortured, mistreated in any way.  They received medical attention, they were washed, clothed, fed and eventually sent back home.  I consider that treatment another huge moral victory for the Russian Orthodox side whose effects it will take many years to fully access.

The bottom line is this: Poroshenko promised a victory in a matter of weeks and his forces suffered one of the most total defeats in the history of warfare.  Can the Ukies rearm?  Yes, to some degree.  Do they still have huge weapons stores?  Yes, but all the (comparatively) better gear has been used by now.  Can they still conduct a 4th, 5th and 6th mobilization?  Possibly.  Though the public mood is ominous at this time.  Can the AngloZionists send them instructors, equipment and money?  Yes.  Will that turn the tide?  Probably not.  Unless the Ukies have held back and secretly trained a large number of soldiers over the past 3-4 months (like the Novorussians have done in Russia) and unless these soldiers are now ready to be sent in, fully equipped and ready to go, I don't see the JRF bouncing back for a very long time.  But the most likely thing is that this ridiculous "Banderastan" experiment has seriously begun sinking now and that many rats are leaving the ship.  Last, but not least, for the very first time some mentally sane voices are being heard on Ukie TV.

For example, I have seen very interesting footage of a Ukie general (possibly retired) who, speaking in Russian, told a press conference that enough people had died and that it was wrong that people born in the same country, having the same culture and the same language (yes, he really said that!) were killing each other.  He concluded "we are not only tired of shooting, we are tired of killing".  That kind of talk was never heard only weeks ago on Ukie TV.  Sure, that creep Savik Shuster is still inviting Nazis on his 3 hour long weekly program, but I bet you that he has already made his suitcases and has an exist strategy ready (a move to Israel is what I suspect he will do).

NATO summit: the mouse that roared

It's too early to call this one since it's not over yet, but so far hot air and a general impression of irrelevance seems to be the only result from this summit.  First, the US and the UK have announced more sanctions which makes me wonder about the other countries.  Now they say the that US and EU will impose sanctions, but we know that the Czechs and Slovaks have promised to veto any such move.  But even if they do, this will be more of the kind of symbolic nonsense like banning Russian banks (who are leaving anyway) or Russian officials (who now see that as a mark of great honor).  The goofiest idea came from, what else, the British who want to cut Russia off the SWIFT network.  Which makes the Russians wonder how the EU wants to pay for its gas.  Oh, and then there is this 10'000 men rapid reaction force whose creation is supposed to terrify the Kremlin.  Let me tell you, as a military analyst, that rapid reaction forces are - by definition - not something you can use in a conventional war against a continental power like Russia with large number of men, artillery and armor.  That is absolutely laughable.  But even better is this: while the US and EU are discussing the creation of this force, Putin has already given the order to DOUBLE the size of the Russian Airborne Forces which, by the way, are superior (in training, equipment and capabilities) to any comparable western force, bar none.

art: Josetxo Ezcurra

Please understand me right: I am not dismissing NATO at all.  As a militarized political organization its capability for malevolence is immense, but this is primary a problem for the EU countries which, at best, are something between a US protectorate or colony, and who have to put up with the ugly consequences of being subservient to this fully US-controlled supra-national enforcement instrument.  For Russia the problem is the castrating effect NATO has on EU politicians as shown by the grotesquely stupid move by Francois Hollande to cancel (probably only *delay*) the delivery of the Mistrals to Russia.  That kind of nonsense is the real by-product of NATO membership, but that hardly makes NATO a credible military threat.

Speaking of Hollande and his decision to delay the delivery of the Mistrals, the BBC gave some figures of the costs involved for France:

A French diplomat earlier said the contract was suspended until November, and the delay "could cost us 1bn euros".  The deal is worth 1.2bn euros - and Russia is reported to have paid most of it, so breach of contract would mean France having to reimburse that money.  In addition, France would be liable for an extra 251m-euro penalty payment, French news website LCI reports. 

Of course, the real costs of this debacle is a huge loss of credibility for France and its international image.  It's is all very well to proudly say "la France! la France!" but when you act as a poodle you get treated like one.  In the polite world of international diplomacy nobody will say much, but everybody will know that everybody knows.  And, of course, none of that hurts Russia one bit.  At the most, the full complex of western "sanctions" against Russia are a short-term mild annoyance and a fantastic opportunity to finally tackle some much delayed and most urgently needed reforms.  Frankly, I think that these sanctions are a blessing and, apparently, so do most Russians (according to recent opinion polls).

The EU - finally getting a little fed up?

There is no doubt that the EU's abject subservience to AngloZionists has really hurt European economic and political interests.  Not only that, but from an EU point of view, the situation in Banderastan is getting worse and worse and even worse.  There are some signs that both the Poroshenko regime and the EU are finally becoming aware that unless they do something really, really, soon things might get much worse.  And, exactly as Oleg Tsarev had predicted it, as soon as the NAF scored its first major victories the EU and Poroshenko suddenly became interested in negotiations.  And, right on time, Putin offered his peace plan.

Putin's 7 point peace plan

As peace plans come, this one is pretty much a no-brainer and contains only rather obvious points.  Hardly earth shattering, but still a very good basis, especially when combined with a clear message to the Ukies that Russia is not a part to this conflict and that everything must be negotiated in direct talks with Novorussia.  As for the Novorussians, they have already basically agreed to a slightly amended version of the plan.  Interestingly, so apparently has Poroshenko.  In contrast, Iatseniuk is enraged and apparently wants to built a wall along the Russian border (he really seems off his meds recently).  Finally, it appears that Merkel and the OSCE are fully backing the plan, while Fabius is very reluctantly "not opposed".

Of course, we all know that the Ukies and the EU have broken every single agreement they ever committed to since this war started, but this time there is no doubt left whatsoever about the outcome should no negotiated agreement be reached.  And since the Ukies and the EU need this peace plan much more than Russia, they might want to stick to their word this time.  Maybe.

An important thing about this plan is that it contains only immediate to short-term elements.  There is nothing at all in it about any final status for Novorussia or, for that matter, of the rest of the Ukraine.  And this exact how this should be.  Why? Because what is important in this plan is not what it says, but what it implies: "you have lost and we can restart this one anytime we want".  Yes, I know, neither the Novorussians nor the Russians have said any such thing, but remember that making threats is not the Russian way.  Russians do not promise, they do not threaten - they just act.  And if Obama, Cameron or Hollande are too stupid to understand this, Poroshenko (being, as any other Ukie "oligarch", a Mafia boss) knows that very well.  I promise you that there is a deep level of mutual understanding between Putin and Poroshenko which no western leader will ever imagine.

The smile which says it all

For all the bullshit about nationalism and politics, they are both Russian strongmen, clan bosses, and even if Poroshenko is a tiny little insect in comparison to Putin, they still have that "clan boss" culture in common and that means that Putin has absolutely no need to make any threats to Poroshenko simply because Poroshenko already knows.  For example, I heard on Ukie TV that Putin had allegedly told an OSCE official that "if he wanted he could take Kiev in two weeks".  Whether this is true or not (I doubt it - it can be done is less time) is not the point.  The point is that this is exactly the kind of "explanations" which Putin does not need to convey to Poroshenko, but that he might need to "clarify reality" to some western diplomat of the "intellectual caliber" of, say, Hollande or Rasmussen.

So are the Europeans waking up?  Is the Russian strategy to push a wedge between the EU and the US working?  I think that this is too early to tell, but I am becoming cautiously optimistic.  The way Merkel immediately endorsed the "Putin plan" might be a sign that at least Germany is starting to seriously feel the heat.

Tomorrow in Minsk?

Tomorrow will be huge.  Not only is the NATO summit concluding, but the Ukies are meeting with the Novorussians under the watchful eyes of Russia and Belarus.  Apparently topics will range from energy to the peace plan (the EU probably will want guarantees for its gas in exchange for supporting the plan).  The biggest threat now is that the AngloZionists and their Nazi allies in the Ukraine will be very very angry if a deal is made.  Frankly, Poroshenko is taking a big personal risk, but since his situation is already very precarious, he might have figured that an 11th hour "rebranding" of himself as a "peacemaker" might not be the worst possible outcome, especially if the Germans try hard to protect him.  As for the US, it might turn to its time-honored tradition and simply dump Poroshenko.  My biggest concern are the bona fide Nazis a la Iarosh, Timoshenko, Iatseniuk or Tiagnibok who will be absolutely outraged at any deal made with Putin.  Likewise, the oligarchs like Akhmetov and Kolomoiski (who hate each other) will also be furious, as will Hunter Biden.

art: Josetxo Ezcurra

The sad fact is that there is a entire clique of Ukrainian Nazis and oligarchs who much rather continue the war against Russia (because this is, of course, what this is really all about!) to the last Ukrainian soldier if need be rather than accepting a deal, especially a very bitter one like the one presented to Kiev right now.  Because, let's be honest here, this will be packaged in all sorts of noble and lofty words, but we are talking about a capitulation and not some kind of meaningful compromise, at least form the Ukie point of view.

What the Ukraine really needs right now is a real process of denazification.  There is another "Ukraine" out there, at least potentially if not historically, which could be very different from the Banderastan the AngloZionists have created.  Yes, Ukrainian nationalism is the product of centuries of west European machinations and conspiracies, but this does not mean that it has to forever remain hostage of the hateful forces which have created it.  For one thing, this conflict has constantly obfuscated the fact that most Ukrainians and most Russians want an independent Ukraine to exist.  This will be hard to prove at this point, but I believe that the only region of the ex-Ukraine which really wanted to join Russia was Crimea.  The Donbass would have settled for much less.  I am absolutely convinced that the stupid Nazis really did it to themselves, that blinded by their rabid hatred of everything Russia or Orthodox they simply could not help act the way they did, because it was "in their nature".  Now it is too late to turn things around, you cannot magically undo that horrible and crazy civil war.  But it might be possible to use the reflexion about the causes and results of this outcome to push for a real denazification of the Ukraine.  After all, no matter how brainwashed they currently are, most Ukrainians will come to realize that it took the crazy Ukie nationalists only 6 months to completely destroy their country and that all that this sick ideology of hatred and ignorance brought them is poverty, violence, humiliation and death.  But I am looking way to far ahead.

Let's see what tomorrow brings (or not) and then where this might lead us.  What is certain is that even if tomorrow brings a vapid and meaningless NATO summit and a peace deal in Minsk, this will be way way way too early to celebrate.  At best, it will be one first step in the right direction, but only one step on a long and still very dangerous road.

Stay tuned, I will try to keep you informed the best I can.

Kind regards,

The Saker