Unlike in Lyman, where there is a mix of Russian reservists, separatists and regular army forces, the area around Bakhmut is largely controlled by the Wagner Group, an infamous paramilitary force that reports directly to the Kremlin.
Ukrainian soldiers near the front say that Wagner’s ranks are bolstered by prison inmates from the separatist regions who were drafted into service. One Ukrainian soldier, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for security reasons, said Wagner’s forces attack only so far before sending inmates with little support forward to face Ukrainian guns like “cannon fodder.”
These tactics have left Ukrainian forces in the region with a flood of prisoners as the inmates frequently surrender. Another soldier, who also spoke anonymously, said Russian forces would not trade captured Ukrainian forces for inmates: the onetime Russian prisoners, now Ukrainian prisoners, are seen as deserters.
Ukrainian commanders in Bakhmut said recently that even the presence of U.S.-supplied rocket systems, known as HIMARS, have failed to put much of a dent in the Russian supply chain. That’s a marked change from Ukrainian commanders’ accounts over the summer when the weapons first arrived — suggesting that Russia had adapted to the strikes by better dispersing its ammunition stockpiles.
you can tell two different gas leaks on the video. also, this creates a spot where ships should not enter. the gas lowers buoyancy in water, and ships sink. tagging the seafaring @jmakin
so far most analysts are saying, russia is the only known state actor who has shown capability of doing this. norway-poland baltic pipeline opened today, so the timing is suspect.
fwiw, nord stream 2 isn’t pumping any gas (but there is still gases in the pipeline), so economically the blast isn’t an immediate problem. nord stream 1 was still pumping some gas, and rational considerations would dictate russia doesn’t necessarily want to blow it up.
oh, i suppose with a tinfoil on, and accounting for russia’s absolute dogshit record at doing special operations with submarines, maybe they planned on blowing nord stream 1 only, and force EU to unsanction nord stream 2. but blew up both in the process. yeah, i guess that’s the simplest explanation
