The bodies of dead Russian soldiers are collected in a refrigerator car at the Voznesensk railway station in Ukraine on March 16.
* Death toll was published by a pro-government website, but quickly taken down
* There was speculation that it was uploaded by a pro-Ukrainian employee
* The figures said 9,861 soldiers had died in Ukraine and a further 16,153 injured
* This comes as satellite phots showed Putin's forces may be going on defensive
* However, it comes amid signs that the war is beginning to turn Russia's way
Russia has lost almost 10,000 soldiers in less than four weeks in Ukraine, according to its own figures.
The death toll – an incredible tally for a war that the Kremlin believed would be over within days – was published by a pro-government website, but quickly taken down.
There was speculation that it was uploaded by a pro-Ukrainian employee. Russia had previously admitted to 498 deaths – but that was on March 2.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Komsomolskaya Pravda is a pro-government tabloid. If this news story came from RT, Tass, or Sputnik, I would say that this is a major disclosure from the Kremlin.
But Komsomolskaya Pravda? They could be right but considering the source I would be skeptical.
Update #1: Komsomolskaya Pravda is blaming hackers for posting the 10,000 Russian soldiers killed in ukraine .... Russian newspaper accuses hackers of planting fake report on military fatalities (The Hill). More here .... Russian newspaper blames army death toll report on hackers (Reuters).
Update #2: But there is another part of the above Daily Mail story that caught my eye, and that is a UK intelligence report it quotes that says the war is shifting in favor of Russia. I have paste the relevant parts of this story below (see below):
A UK intelligence report – seen by the Daily Mail – said Moscow's forces are making significant breakthroughs.
They have more effectively used drones to strike Ukrainian targets on the ground. Russian forces have also destroyed a number of Turkish-made TB2 drones, which have proved highly effective against its troops and equipment.
Ukrainian ground-to-air defence systems may also have been destroyed, the report suggests, as increasing numbers of missiles have been finding their targets.
Russian rockets have struck a training base for foreign fighters – killing 35 and wounding 134 troops – an aircraft repair facility and underground silos storing Kyiv's stockpile of Western weapons.
The report explains how Russia, after replenishing its artillery supplies, has 'steadily increased its bombardment of various cities, particularly Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv'.
UK defence analysts have also expressed concern that Russia's Kinzhal hypersonic missile can bypass anti-missile defence systems. Analysts also questioned previous Western assessments that Ukrainian air defences remained effective.
The intelligence report says Russia intends its 'total destruction' of Mariupol to 'serve as a warning to other cities'.
Russian Tabloid Says 10,000 Russian Soldiers Have Been Killed In Ukraine In Less Than 4 Weeks
Pro-Kremlin tabloid reports that nearly 10,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine -- Insider
Pro-Kremlin Newspaper Posts Russian Death Toll Of Almost 10,000, Then Deletes It --
RFE Report of 10,000 Russian Deaths Immediately Deleted by Pro-Putin Tabloid -- Newsweek
Pro-Kremlin tabloid reports nearly 10,000 Russians killed in Ukraine before removing figure -- NYPost
8 comments:
Why are they now accepting the reality of the situation all of a sudden?
There hasn't been a TB2 video in 11 days and Russian aircraft have acted with impunity for even longer. So why are the intel agencies only catching up to that now? Or do they actually have a clear assessment of things but don't say so publicly? What changed where they've decided that it's no longer in our interest to keep pushing the myth of daily massive Ukrainian victories onto the rubes?
Does this signal that our leadership class is ready to give Zelensky their approval for peace negotiations? Or is it just about closing the extreme gap between the MSM victory narrative and facts on the ground in order to maintain credibility?
Interviewer: "It sounds as if you are trying to tell me that you are fighting the U.S. in Ukraine - that you are defeating the U.S. - which you call the "unipolar" (power) - in Ukraine. Is this the main reason why you entered Ukraine?"
Dugin: "Yes, exactly. This is a fight against American hegemony, but not only the hegemony of the Americans. Imagine that Donald Trump was still president of the United States. If Trump were still in power, all of this would not have happened. He was realistic and refrained from exerting pressure on us. He did not care too much about Ukraine or the spread of NATO.
A well-known Russian philosopher at
https://www.memri.org/tv/russian-philosopher-dugin-if-russia-loses-there-will-be-no-world
Regardless of the current state of affairs, and whoever it's currently in favor of, this war has been a complete disaster for Russia.
The WNU Editor once claimed that Russian doctrine is to accept mass casualties while it throws everything at the enemy, in some strange feint to suggest that the war is going as 'expected'; but it really isn't. They've suffered far more than they had ever planned to, and there is still no sign that things are going as expected or moving along at a desired pace for them.
No copy. No paste. But Fred notes this:
Putin gained power by reigning in the oligarchs to serve his needs. Told them to keep out of politics and they would be let alone. Told the Russian people that they would have great economy etc, and a rival to the West. He delivered. The symbol of this: McDonalds'. Now, with his invasion of Ukraine, he got sanctions that has turned Russia back some 30 years and will make it a nation scorned as second rate. He is losing the bright who are fleeing the nation. In sum, he is turning a nation of considerable values into a North Korea, a hermit nation, despised and scorned.
I agree, this going anything but in Russia's favour, and when you consider that 1000s of weapons, let alone S300 etc from Slovakia are yet to arise it will get even worse for them
"Putin gained power by reigning in the oligarchs to serve his needs."
Like the oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, whom he imprisoned?
He reigned them in? Did they choose him and they used each other?
How many KGB and GRU colonels (or generals for that matter) were there? Why Putin?
Putin is no different than Hitler or Obama. Or king who urges his regent. People behind head of state are the power, but over time the nominal head of state overtakes them.
Before Putin had political machine in enough cities to win elections or win with help of fraud, oligarchs were spreading bribes and jump starting the machine. Point is the oligarchs are guilty although the US is not making much of case and are hypocritical (e.g. Solyndra).
If a Russian mugs another Russian in Russia does the US have jurisdiction? No
If an oligarch steals property from other Russians in Russia does the US have jurisdiction? No
Should we be concerned? Yes. Have we done the legal legwork? No.
"In sum, he is turning a nation of considerable values into a North Korea, a hermit nation, despised and scorned."
This wrong. Of the Axis powers only Germany and Italy shared a border. The strongest two Axis powers, Japan and Germany did not. This stymied coordination and trade. The current Axis of China, Russia, North Korea, Pakistan and Iran share borders. Of those 5 countries how much of the worlds GNP and world trade do they have? Russia is not isolated.
Do not expect Russians coming to America to fit in. I remember at the university how Mainland Chinese demanded their own separate student housing. Come to a new land and start demanding.
You should read up on Mackinder's Heartland Theory.
When you call Obama no different than Hitler you lose any decent person from paying much if any attention to what you say. A good little student that I am, I go to your link. What do I read not far into the article? "No many people pay much attention to that theory any longer."
When you look at the dynamics of an oligarchy CCP during Mao's time, Hitler, Putin, Obama, various kings etc., you will find the same dynamics. You should be able to name them, if you took sociology.
I put in Obama, because he was criticized for not having few if any news conferences in the first 9 to 12 months. It was enough for the group with him that he could sign EOs appoint people to various federal agencies etc. Obama and the group were afraid of exposure.
Then Obama came out of his shell, had plenty of appearances and seemed okay To a Democrat anyway when he stayed on script. When he talked off the cuff it was a disaster. Like the time that he met with a CEO and claimed that the corporation was hiring and the CEO corrected him and told Obama and the audience they were not. Year later the corporation got raided.
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