The Peanut Gallery: Kremlin Threatens Potentially Bullshit Counteroffensive.
January 14, 2024
Welcome to the Peanut Gallery! Your daily dose of unfounded speculation.
Please remember that I know nothing.
I was bumming around the Hundred Acre Woods the other day when I came across a half-filled pot of honey. I reached for it, but the moment my finger brushed the lip, Winnie the God damn Pooh wrenched my arm behind my back and slammed me against a tree. The dude’s an animal. I shouted a question at him about his plans regarding Taiwan, and he just shoved a letter of marque into my face: signed, Christopher Robin. And under that lay stamped the image /u/Capt_Blackmoore with a shit eating grin and two thumbs up.
Anyway, that’s why he’s got his flair.
Russian sources claimed that Russian forces are preparing to launch a new offensive in the coming weeks once the ground freezes in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Okay...big scare, bro.
Maybe it’s just my knee-jerk pessimism, but I can’t see how the Kremlin tactically justifies publicly announcing the timeframe of their next big offensive. “Oh, it could totally happen between now and mid Feb., so beware!”
I call bullshit. I think the Kremlin is desperate for a chance to catch its breath. After Ukraine’s summer-fall offensive, and this disaster in Avdiivka, they’re exhausted. The situation is bad on the Russian side of the lines. Yesterday we saw infighting within the VDV.
This is why Ukraine built defenses in Kup’yans’k in the first place: allow a smaller force to hold against whatever bullshit Russia might try. They’re ready on this front, so I don’t know what Russia is trying to achieve—publicity, perhaps? Keep the audience hyped while they ready their next flashy fuckup? They were fools to attack Avdiivka and it’d be twice-so to attack Kup’yans’k.
Russian forces likely continue to experiment and adapt their missile and drone strike packages against Ukraine in an effort to penetrate Ukrainian air defenses.
Of course they do. Such is the nature of war—the question is which side adapts faster. And considering Ukraine neutralized 20 missiles exclusively through EW, I’d say they’re the ones in the lead.
Representatives from 83 countries met to discuss the implementation of Ukraine’s Peace Formula on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 14.
There seems to be a concerted effort behind closed doors to hash out a peace agreement, almost entirely devoid of Russia’s input. It’s fascinating, really. Ukraine is participating, and they’re not complaining overly much, so they seem to be, more or less, moving in their direction. At least that’s my interpretation of these tea leaves; if anyone else wants to squint at the cup they’re more than welcome to it.
The Russian Investigative Committee will officially open a case into the fire that destroyed a large Wildberries warehouse in St. Petersburg.
Don’t worry guys. The Kremlin’s on the case.
Positional engagements continued along the Kupyansk-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut and Avdiivka, in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area, in western Zaporizhia Oblast, and on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast.
It’s too friggin’ cold out, apparently. And that’s the excuse the Kremlin continues to go with regarding flying aircraft over Kherson Oblast. I mean, I looked at the thermometer and if your jets can’t fly in 0 c. then you’ve got other problems than the weather.
Otherwise the front is more or less static.
Moscow-based international exhibition-forum “Russia” opened the Russian Ministry of Defense’s (MoD) “Army of Children” exhibit on January 14 to educate children about the military and careers in the Russian Armed Forces.
Man, in like fifty years these kids are going to be telling their stories about their time in the Putler Youth. Just think about it: they are living the stories they’ll use to bore their children to sleep.
The circle of life.
Swedish Defense Materiel Administration announced on January 14 that it had signed an agreement with Nordic Ammunition Company (Nammo) to increase the production and deliveries of 155mm artillery ammunition to support Ukraine’s needs.
Woot! Go Sweden!
Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko confirmed that Russian authorities have deported over 2,100 Ukrainians, including 500 children, to Russia for medical reasons in 2023.
Please give Ukraine what they need to bring this to an end.
'Q’ For the Community:
Scale of 1-100: what's the likelihood of Russia launching an offensive to take Kup'yans'k between now and Feb. 14th?
Join the conversation over on /r/TheNuttySpectacle.