(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Russian stuff blowing up: More Russian refineries on fire [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-02-09 Why is it that Russian soldiers become outraged that they are treated like cannon fodder, are even told that they are meat, and their response is to make a video? Who do they think is going to see the video and fix things? x While the kremlin ripper is spinning a yarn with tales of ancient Rus', his soldiers reveal details of meat assaults they're thrown into. In the infamous 155th brigade, which is trying to take Novomikhailovka, discontent is growing. The soldiers here are sent for slaughter by… pic.twitter.com/k56VF815XU — WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) February 9, 2024 A Russian soldier surveys his camp after a Ukrainian strike. Finding the gas tank is a priceless moment. x Russian serviceman demonstrates the result of a fresh strike on his camp. pic.twitter.com/oPlzNRSU3n — WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) February 9, 2024 Two more Russian refineries on fire. Probably just a big ole coincidence that a bunch of refineries have combusted spontaneously. Krasnodar is east of Crimea. x The Russian Ilsky refinery in Krasnodar suffered an explosion tonight, with a fire breaking out at one of the process units. pic.twitter.com/CoPYbzrLRL — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 9, 2024 x Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked not one but two oil refineries in Russia, specifically the Ilsky and Afipsky refineries in the Krasnodar Territory. A significant fire erupted at the Ilya Refinery, affecting a primary processing plant crucial for producing diesel fuel for… pic.twitter.com/k7g0kfS22q — NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) February 9, 2024 I wonder if this huge fire in Moscow was caused by residents starting fires to stay warm because the heat is off. x Moscow - huge fire engulfed several residential buildings near "Aeroport" metro station. Dozens of firefighting vehicles are involved, while the roof started collapsing. pic.twitter.com/RBoMQ95nHM — WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) February 8, 2024 We do know what caused these fires. x Fires in Kharkiv region after drone attack On the night of February 9, Russia attacked Ukraine with 16 Shahed drones, 10 of which were shot down, the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said. The drones were shot down within the Mykolaiv, Kherson and Kharkiv regions.… pic.twitter.com/ycJYq739tg — Oriannalyla 🇺🇦 (@Lyla_lilas) February 9, 2024 This is a sobering analysis of the military situation in Ukraine now and for the year ahead by the Twitter user Tatarigami. It emphasizes that while a defensive posture is the best plan for 2024 for Ukraine, it creates problems too — such as deteriorating morale. Here is a snippet: When it comes to mobilization challenges, the fundamental truth is that it is hard to join an army that is facing a myriad of setbacks. While media narratives may emphasize the destruction of the Black Sea fleet as a substantial victory for Ukraine—a viewpoint our team agrees with—the perspective of soldiers in the trenches paints a different picture. The everyday reality remains marked by a lack of personnel and ammunition, and an inability to counteract enemy artillery and Airforce, perpetuating the perception of an unending struggle for the nearest tree line. This situation makes prospective recruits view themselves as mere placeholders, tasked with dodging grenades dropped from drones or incoming projectiles from tanks and artillery. Consequently, the enthusiasm of people to voluntarily join the troops is waning. …. Another uncomfortable truth is that the casualties endured by Ukraine during the Bakhmut operation and the counter-offensive in the south continue to haunt many Ukrainians. For instance, amid the Bakhmut operation, there were reports of individuals being dispatched to Bakhmut - the epicenter of the most intense urban battle in 2023, after undergoing only a basic, one-month training. Although obtaining precise numbers to determine the frequency of such occurrences is almost impossible, rumors and accounts of minimally trained individuals being sent to the semi-encircled Bakhmut began widely circulating in society. While Bakhmut initially unfolded as a success story for Ukraine, with Russians sustaining significant casualties, at times reaching a ratio of 1:7 or 1:10, the situation swiftly changed. Once Russian forces managed to seize Ukrainian flanks and disrupt supply routes, the casualty rates almost equaled. Essentially, Ukraine's most skilled and motivated soldiers were exchanged for Wagner soldiers mostly recruited from prisons. When considering the context that Ukraine's demographics are considerably smaller than Russia's, the loss of Bakhmut, despite the unacceptable human toll for Ukraine, takes on an even more significant and distressing dimension. The reputation of certain Ukrainian generals has plummeted to the point where they are now likened to Russian counterparts known for deploying careless frontal assaults. This situation is exacerbated by the lack of accountability for such failures or misguided approaches. Here’s an analysis by Def Mon about the change in military command. I disagree with his suggestion that political involvement has no place in the war. There is no such thing as a war that has no political objectives or considerations. Politics is always intertwined with armed force in wars. That doesn’t mean politicians should be making tactical decisions, but it would be naive to think the military is just going to get a free hand. x For me it's pretty simple. There should be one goal for the politicians, that is to defend Ukraine the best way possible. That part should then be up to the military to decide. There are ofc a few exceptions to this. — Def Mon (@DefMon3) February 9, 2024 This is not how it's been working. Several times the military decided to withdraw. That later got overruled by politicians. Severodonetsk and Bakhmut are two examples. I dont think it's healthy for the military to be run that way. Ukraine did not fight in Bakhmut because it was the best strategy or to kill of wagner. They fought there because the politicians did not want to let it go because it wasn't popular to lose a city and they thought it would look bad in the eyes of the west. Hopefully this will help get the Republicans to pull their heads out of their asses. The delegation is reported to be Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia; Jason Crowe, D-Colorado; Zach Nunn, R-Iowa; French Hill, R-Arkansas; and Mike Turner, R-Ohio, who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. x A bipartisan delegation of the US Congress arrived in Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/Fkh4W22R96 — NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) February 9, 2024 This is why House Republicans need to quit playing dangerous games. x “'This is really as grave as we have been portraying it'... 'this is a very grim scenario,' the defence official said, adding that the Pentagon was particularly concerned about maintaining Ukrainians’ air defence systems and ammunition supplies."https://t.co/iSiZKPyE9Y pic.twitter.com/ytsnS0FmXJ — Rob Lee (@RALee85) February 9, 2024 Tucker Carlson has posted his interview with Putin. Vlad the Impaler claims that Hitler was provoked by Poland into invading and starting WWII. Does Putin hate Poland so much that he is willing to give Hitler — the boogey man in Russia’s triumphant Great Patriotic War mythology — a pass on starting the war? I guess so. You can find the interview online if you want to listen to a long drawn-out string of lies. The BBC fact checks the interview here. x Hah, I wish it was Wikipedia to begin with. Instead, it’s just an idiotic mess of chauvinistic conspiracy theories, delusional revanchism, and mental gymnastics from a poorly educated megalomaniac who thinks the world mistreats him and owes him big time. https://t.co/hPpZdFsJZr — Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) February 9, 2024 Much is also being made of Putin’s leg, which he pushes back down as if it has a mind of his own. IANAD but that looks like a neurological issue to me. x What is going on with Putin's leg? pic.twitter.com/A8WQetLUer — Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 9, 2024 In another part of the interview Putin makes fun of Carlson for having once been rejected for a job with the CIA. x This is a hilarious shit show. Putin is now 28 minutes into his history lesson. This is the 3rd time Tucker tries to interrupt and Putin mocks Tucker for just being an entertainer and not a serious journalist. Tucker tries to fake laugh it off while Putin emasculates him. pic.twitter.com/ABLG3sVz0Q — Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 9, 2024 Avdiivka only gets worse. Unless something changes, it’s just a matter of time before Ukraine has to withdraw from the razed city. x Novomykhailiivka ➡️After several failed mechanized attacks east of the city, resulting in enormous losses, the Russians still managed to make progress and reach the first streets of suburbs. Fighting continues. pic.twitter.com/0GURCXno2K — NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) February 8, 2024 This is an interesting phone conversation between a Ukrainian soldier and and the wife of a Russian POW. It says a lot about the Russian attitude of resignation to their lot in life and just doing what they are told. x A happy wife of a Russian PoW shares how she bought an apartment for 3 million rubles - the bloody money her husband "earned" at war. Please watch till the end. Both her and him think it's absolutely normal to kill people in another country and earn a living this way. Do you… https://t.co/HvonTk4EC4 pic.twitter.com/FVNpS3blIq — Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 9, 2024 Norway steps up. Ukraine can’t have enough air defense. The more the better. x The Norwegian Government has recommended to the Norwegian Parliament the acquisition of 10 additional NASAMS launchers and 4 fire control centers worth $320 million in order to provide more to Ukraine, while reacquiring systems for their own defense.https://t.co/Z3kXeDGHje — NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) February 9, 2024 Armenia steps up. x Armenia donated 10 tons of medicines to Ukraine for a military hospital. pic.twitter.com/hUPAraxVjC — NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) February 9, 2024 Finland steps up. x Finland provided Ukraine with a new €190 million package of military aid. This is the 22nd package that Finland has distributed to Ukraine. The content is not reported, as usual by Finland, due to security reasons. https://t.co/XTBvODOgXo — NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) February 9, 2024 My big takeaway from this is how much of a step up the F-16 seems to be for Ukrainian pilots and how the necessary support personnel are also being trained. That last part is very important. It isn’t very sexy, but it’s crucial. x The F-16 exceeded the expectations of Ukrainian pilots during the exercises, — Ukrainian pilot, callsign "Phantom". He shared some of his thoughts with Voice of America: ▪️Western instructors speak highly of Ukrainian pilots, saying that "Ukrainian pilots are very skilled" and… pic.twitter.com/iJjUt12Neb — Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 9, 2024 * Western instructors speak highly of Ukrainian pilots, saying that "Ukrainian pilots are very skilled" and extremely motivated. * The stage of retraining Ukrainians on the F-16 is proceeding as planned. Not only pilots are being trained, but also ground personnel, mechanics, and support units — "a pilot or technician is a small cog in a big system." * Ukrainian pilots are "very impressed." The F-16 has simply exceeded their expectations. * "The F-16 is a new generation aircraft, a more digitalized aircraft, with many systems and programs that need to be introduced during and before the flight." * The retraining program is the same whether it is in the United States, Denmark, Greece, or Turkey as the partners have discussed and agreed upon it. Rest in peace. x Dania Novikov, 21, was a brilliant Ukrainian FPV drone operator. He left Belgium, where he worked & lived, to enlist when Russia invaded Ukraine. He loved electronics. Killed near Bakhmut 30 Nov 2023. “We were two happy people in hell,” wrote his army partner Lesia. RIP pic.twitter.com/0OVcofwYBQ — Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) February 9, 2024 x It was him on this video. He spent two years in captivity. Yuri Galkin returned home on January 31. And on February 8, he was hit and killed by a car in the Dniepro, where he was undergoing rehabilitation. “Neither a war, nor a bullet, nor two years in captivity killed… pic.twitter.com/lIEagwXc57 — Oriannalyla 🇺🇦 (@Lyla_lilas) February 9, 2024 This is what “liberation” by Russia looks like. x New video from Azovstal. pic.twitter.com/ZV2hqx7oZ5 — Oriannalyla 🇺🇦 (@Lyla_lilas) February 9, 2024 Kherson continues to be relentlessly shelled. Even during funerals there is no peace. x Even at a funeral in Kherson, Russian attacks continue. February 8: 82 attacks at Kherson region; 342 shells launched from artillery, mortar, MLRS, tanks, drones and aviation. 2 killed, 1 injured. 114 shells at the city of Kherson.#Kherson https://t.co/GNrAbzAWzQ — Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) February 9, 2024 A few glimpses of Ukraine’s cultural and natural heritage. x 🇺🇦Love this by Panna - The song will be between us. A journey into #Ukraine. Each frame transports us to the picturesque and grandeur of the Ukrainian landscape. This is not just a series of frames, but memories of the past and dreams of the future❤️ pic.twitter.com/7SrNqs7Fxk — Sofia Ukraini (@SlavaUk30722777) February 9, 2024 A deteriorating 150-year-old building on Taras Shevchenko Blvd, a main road in downtown Kyiv. Shevchenko was Ukraine’s foremost poet from the 19th century. x Білий закинутий замок на бульварі Тараса Шевченка, 34. Садиба Івана Терещенка. Зведено протягом 1874–1875 років #Київ pic.twitter.com/JqOPFFHhxA — Красень Κиїв (@adrozd83) February 9, 2024 Happy reunions. 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