Weds - Aren't Russians Pretty Good At Synchronized Swimming?

mhbruin
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Weds - Aren't Russians Pretty Good At Synchronized Swimming? Oct 5, 2022 9:08:53 GMT -8

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Post by mhbruin on Oct 5, 2022 9:08:53 GMT -8

700,000 Fled From Putin

On the ground, Russia’s war effort is reeling. Ukrainian forces accelerated their advances on territories occupied by Russian troops and their separatist proxies, liberating towns in the southern Kherson region while also moving toward Luhansk in the east. After taking back Russian-controlled areas in the northeast Kharkiv region in a lightning campaign last month, Ukraine is hoping to remove Russia’s last footholds north and west of the Dnieper River, which will cripple the Kremlin’s already-waning ability to mount its own campaign on the strategic Ukrainian port of Odesa.

“The Ukrainian armed forces commanders in the south and east are throwing problems at the Russian chain of command faster than the Russians can effectively respond,” said a Western official who briefed my colleagues about sensitive security information on the condition of anonymity. “And this is compounding the existing dysfunction within the Russian invasion force.”

Morale and unit cohesion among the Russian brigades on the front are in tatters, with Ukrainian strikes on Russian ammunition and supply depots exacting a critical toll. At home, it’s getting equally grim. Some estimates found that 700,000 people — about 1 out of every 200 Russians — left the country in the space of less than two weeks since President Vladimir Putin ordered a “partial mobilization” of troops to reinforce his faltering invasion.

mhbruin
Executive Member

Posts: 13,183

Weds - Aren't Russians Pretty Good At Synchronized Swimming? Oct 5, 2022 9:10:59 GMT -8

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Post by mhbruin on Oct 5, 2022 9:10:59 GMT -8

NASA: The Litterbugs of the Solar System

A new image shows that an asteroid which was deliberately struck by Nasa's Dart probe has left a trail of debris stretching thousands of kilometres.

A telescope in Chile captured the remarkable image of a comet-like plume spreading behind the giant rock.

The probe was crashed last week to test whether asteroids that might threaten Earth can be nudged out of the way.

Scientists are still working to establish whether test was a success, and the asteroid's trajectory altered.

The extraordinary image was taken two days after the collision by astronomers in Chile, who were able to capture the vast trail using the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (Soar).

It stretches for more than 10,000km (6,200 miles), and is expected to get even longer until it disperses completely, and looks like other space dust floating around.

"It is amazing how clearly we were able to capture the structure and extent of the aftermath in the days following the impact," said Teddy Kareta, an astronomer involved in the observation.

The trail of debris would be monitored over the coming weeks and months, Michael Knight of the US Naval Research Laboratory said.

mhbruin
Executive Member

Posts: 13,183

Weds - Aren't Russians Pretty Good At Synchronized Swimming? Oct 5, 2022 9:13:14 GMT -8

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Post by mhbruin on Oct 5, 2022 9:13:14 GMT -8

Aren't Russians Pretty Good At Synchronized Swimming?

To avoid getting trapped, the Russian paratroopers—part of Russia’s 49th Combined Arms Army—soon might face a choice. Either ford the Inhulets River on the western edge of the sector, or the Dnipro River on the southern edge.

Considering how adept the Ukrainian army has become at dropping bridges and destroying river lodgments, both options are unhappy ones for the Russians. It’s possible “the entire 49th CAA will have to find a way … to swim,” quipped Tom Cooper, an author and independent expert on the Russian military.

“They are going to end up with a much bigger encirclement than I thought originally,” commented Mike Martin, a fellow at the Department of War Studies at King's College in London.

There are two ways out for the Russians. One—ford the Inhulets and reach Kherson city to join the rest of the 49th CAA. Two—cross the Dnipro at Nova Kakhovka. The former would be a brief reprieve, as Ukrainian brigades including the 17th Tank now are bringing Kherson city into artillery range. The latter amounts to quitting the battlefield, for now.

And to be clear, either way out is a perilous one. River-crossings are complex and dangerous even when no one’s shooting at you. The Russians might have to cross the Inhulets or Dnipro while the Ukrainians are dropping artillery and rockets on their heads.

It’s still possible for the Russian army to escape the encirclement forming east of Kherson. But the escape could be a bloody one that further weakens the 49th CAA.