1/
A lot of people have tried to figure out what the UA is doing in Kursk . Most say kayos, distraction and PR.

But what if it is something serious?

Rybar shows a much wider front than most on the allied side:

https://twitter.com/WarintheFuture/status/1820962836635627837

2/
There is actually a good defensive riverine area on the Russian side of the Sumy border area.

If Ukraine simply moves the defensive line east, it may not require additional forces.

1/4
Aleksandr Khodakovsky is the commander of the Russian Vostok Battalion and a former commander of Ukraine's Alpha unit of the SBU, who betrayed his country in 2014 during the Russian invasion of Donbas.

The following is his "final solution" for Ukraine in his own words:

https://twitter.com/OPolianichev/status/1705985056114639028

2/4

1/2
If the Russians have blown the dam at Kliuchove, it means they are abandoning the area to the north, and moving into their main defense lines at Heorhiivka.

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1667956676694011906

2/2
According to google earth, the reservoir is only about 2m higher than the Morky Yaly river, so blowing the dam will not do much.

The T-05-18 Road is about 11m = 35ft higher than the river, so it should not flood.

1/ Urazovo - Verigovka thread.

This short message from WarGonzo could be the start of something big.

Even if this turns out to be nothing, this thread will look at an action that can be what a major feint would look like, before the main counter offensive in the south.

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1664576939749781504

2/
If there is a place in Russia perfect an alternative government, Urazovo is it. This town of 6500 is also a foothold in the BNR (Bilhorod People's Republic).

This area can be held and governed by the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) and the Freedom of Russia Legion (LSR).

1/
English version of @ItsArtoir thread on Greyzone watching their impending doom.

https://twitter.com/ItsArtoir/status/1663553986723733510

2/

1/
So why is this border skirmish between Iran and the Taliban happening now?

Sure the big cause is overpopulation of young men with no future, Sunni Shiite hatred, and the command of their Allah god to subjugate all infidels, but this thread has details

spokesman.com/stories/2023/m… 2/
This May 27, 2023 skirmish, was caused by a dispute over water rights. Iran has accused the Taliban of violating a 1973 treaty by restricting the flow of water from the Helmand River to Iran's parched eastern regions.

internationalwaterlaw.org/blog/2015/07/2…

1/
On a cold winter morning, a failing dictator holds a giant rally to whip up support. He collected 100,000 reluctant participants by bussing in workers, students, and government apparatchiks.

No, not that dictator, it was Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1989, and he had 4 days to live. 2/
The speech was typical of Ceaușescu, he named his enemies as "fascist agitators", and called for a "multi-laterally developed socialist society".

But after 24 years, the people of the capital city weren't having it anymore.

1/

Israel may have delivered its first weapons system to Ukraine.

The 'Smartshooter' interception system can be installed on large drones and small aircraft, and is meant for the Shahed-136 Iranian suicide drones.

debka.co.il/%d7%a6%d7%91%d… 2/

We may have seen a video of a test 6 days ago.

https://twitter.com/TpyxaNews/status/1582407228073836544

1/ Svatove thread

The Lyman operation started before the Balakiia one, so the plan must be bigger than the Kupiansk pocket.

How many Russians are here.

They have reportedly already fled from Dvorichna and Svatove.

This means they have basically abandoned some 5000+ Izium rem 2/ The meticulous Swede @DefMon3 has documented a lot more Russians here, but I think a lot of these must be gone.

1/ It turns out the "Colonel" captured yesterday was actually Lieutenant General Andrey Sychevoy, one of 4 commanders of the Russian Invasion force.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre%C3%… 2/ Here is the entire "gang of 4"

West Group: Lieutenant General Andrei Sychevoy.
East Group: Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov.
South Group: Army General Sergey Surovikin
Central group: Colonel General Alexander Lapin.

1/ The Race for Kupiansk!

Russia's bonsai charge war to win yards and small villages is over, and we are back in the war of maneuver.

It would seem there is nothing to stop ZSU reaching Kupiansk.

If so, how many Russians are trapped in the pocket? 2/ @HN_Schlottman (map in #1 of thread) shows 9 BTGs around Izium. 7200 men, at the best of times.

@DefMon3 shows a lot more. These must be who was seen in the area, and most are not now there.

A very uninformed guess would be 9000 counting the frontline trench Russians.

1/
So what happened to the counter offensive?

Russia moved 10+ BTGs to the right bank of the Dnieper, is Putin really a Genius?

It is doubtful that there ever was a Ukrainian plan to go on offensive along the whole Kherson front line. 2/
But there are now 20,000 Russians cut off, on the wrong side of the Dnieper. They are not going anywhere.

1/2 Major General Kanamat Botashev gave a quote to RT before climbing into his Su-25, "You guys are a bunch of cowards, I'll show you it is perfectly safe to fly over Ukraine, so no more excuses after I get back."

His ticket was one way.

https://twitter.com/antiputler_news/status/1528497774735634435

2/2 And before you ask, yes it was THAT Kanamat Botashev, who crashed a Su-27 fighter jet in Karelia (Russian occupied Finnish territory), June 28, 2012, during a vodka fueled late night unauthorized flight.

He was fined $158,030.

rapsinews.com/judicial_news/…