A “goodwill gesture” is also possible near Tokmak.
30.09.2023
The American think tank experts report with a reference to Russian insiders that head of the Russian GS Valery Gerasimov is willing to withdraw forces from Bakhmut and prefers to defend Melitopol to prevent Ukrainian forces from bringing artillery closer to the Crimea.
The Russian military command is presumably ready to sacrifice some positions in the south and east in order to strengthen Melitopol and Berdyansk. As stated in a report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), this is claimed by one of the Russian insider sources.
A Russian insider source claimed on September 4 that Gerasimov wants to conserve Russian forces for the defense of Melitopol and Berdyansk, possibly at the expense of defending Tokmak.
“Social media sources circulated this rumor on September 27 and 28 after which the Russian insider source claimed that Gerasimov is also willing to withdraw forces from Bakhmut and prefers to defend Melitopol to prevent Ukrainian forces from bringing artillery closer to the Crimea,” the ISW analysts write.
Herein, the American experts point out that the “claim that Gerasimov intends to withdraw Russian forces to Melitopol to strengthen Russian defenses there is far outside of Gerasimov’s pattern of observed behavior.”
“ISW has no evidence to confirm the insider source’s claims, however. If these claims are false, it could indicate that there is a concerted effort in the Russian information space to discredit Gerasimov,” ISW writes.
They state that these allegations may be part of an information war between the Russian leadership, since, according to some Russian sources, Gerasimov removed the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky, from his post as deputy commander in Ukraine.
Therefore, it is possible that these statements about Gerasimov’s readiness to make concessions at the front are intended to strengthen Teplinsky’s positions, according to ISW.
*I put the word “might” into the title. The original title was too misleading.
https://charter97.org/en/news/2023/9/30/565826/
“The American think tank experts report with a reference to Russian insiders that head of the Russian GS Valery Gerasimov is willing to withdraw forces from Bakhmut and prefers to defend Melitopol to prevent Ukrainian forces from bringing artillery closer to the Crimea.”
There’s of course a slight possibility for this to happen, but I doubt it. The cockroach generals haven’t shown themselves to be prudent or caring for their own forces. They’d rather throw their grandmothers and grandfathers into the trenches than voluntarily give up territory. Kherson last year was a big exception to this rule.
The kill rate is thought to be slightly less than 2-1, in Ukraine’s favour.
The putinaZis will be happy with this, because they can sustain this loss ratio indefinitely.
Ukraine can’t.
With thousands of long range fires, 300 more MBT’s, several hundred more pieces of modern artillery, 100 F16’s with long range AAM’s and ASM’s and more attack drones, Ukraine can win big.
We have more than what you listed sitting around in our depots, doing nothing but bake in the sun. We know why it’s not doing what it’s designed and built for.
The stuff sitting around baking in the sun would need major work if not an overhaul to be combat ready. But as you mentioned the sheer numbers way more could be cobbled together and sent to Ukraine.
If we had sent a bunch of them a year ago, running or not, the Ukrainian would’ve cobbled them together all on their own.
I hear ya Sir Facts, we are way behind in soooo much Ukraine needs and could have used.