Ukraine Reality Check

by Stephen Lendman

Hyperbolic MSM claims about Ukraine managing to turn the tide of battle by retaking Kharkov Region territory omit what's most important to explain.

Areas retaken were thinly manned by Russian National Guard forces and Donbass freedom fighters because they lacked strategic value.

Little fighting occurred except for a few days of heavy resistance by Russian and Donbass defenders.

No lightning Ukrainian offensive pushed Russian forces out of retaken Kharkov areas, as MSM falsely reported.

Regime troops entered towns and villages without battling for them.

No Russian units were eliminated. Nor did they abandon weapons, munitions and equipment when redeployed to Donbass.

Most important, events on the ground since late last week were no regime game-changer, no turning of the tide of battle.

With small numbers of forces in Kharkov, Russia inflicted heavy losses on regime troops, killing and wounding many thousands.

It was a stiff price to pay for very little gained, at most a pyrrhic victory way short of anything strategically meaningful.

At the same time, minimal losses of Russian Federation manpower and weapons occurred.

Its forces in eastern and southern Ukraine, as well as in Donbass, continue to inflict heavy daily losses on regime troops, their weapons, munitions and equipment.

According to Russia's Defense Ministry on Tuesday:

Its "Air Force, missile troops and artillery are conducting massive strikes on units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces across all operational areas."

High-precision strikes targeted the regime's 95th airborne assault brigade in eastern Ukraine, as well as its 53rd and 115th mechanized brigades in Donbass.

Ukrainian units near Kharkov were also struck.

In the last 24 hours, regime losses of manpower and foreign mercenaries exceeded 800 killed or wounded, according to Russia's Defense Ministry.

The Ministry also reported the following on Tuesday, saying:

"Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile and artillery troops hit twelve Ukrainian command posts in…Donetsk, (as well as in) the Zaporozhye (and) Nikolayev 

Region(s)."

A total of "47 artillery units, manpower and military equipment (were also struck) in 152 areas."

And 5 regime munitions depots were destroyed.

Separately, head of the We Stand with Russia movement, Vladimir Rogov, said the following on Wednesday:

Large numbers of regime troops, including special operations fighters and mercenaries were deployed along the Zaporozhye Region's contact line.

Controlled by Russian forces, an attempted regime assault would likely be suicidal.

According to a Russian official in Kherson, the "region is quite stable."

Its borders "are reliably secured by the armed forces of Russia."

"We have enough forces and means to prevent any attempts by the Ukrainian side to advance towards Kherson" city or region.

Regime attempts to advance toward strategically important areas will face punishingly destructive Russian strikes on its troops, weapons, munitions and equipment.

Throughout Russia's liberating SMO, Ukrainian troops failed to advance into areas of strategic importance, ones controlled by Russian Federation forces.

Nor is that reality likely to change ahead.

Given events since last week, Russian rules of engagement may likely stiffen somewhat ahead — short of what would cross the line to full-scale war.

Most likely, they'll include strikes on more Ukrainian targets than so far, including regime command posts staffed with US/NATO personnel involved in directing things on the ground. 

Given their control over regime operations, they're fair game.

Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, signaled what's coming, saying:

There's "no prospect for negotiations."

"Unfriendly forces are targeting us, and we must take the initiative to succeed in confronting them."

And this from Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman, Dmitry Medvedev, calling for:

"(T)he total surrender of the Kiev regime on Russia's terms."

A Final Comment

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said the following about Kiev's proposed Security Compact:

It "would get EU countries caught in such a knot, tying their hands so that they would end up hellishly enslaved and subsequently never restore their economic growth and development, nor even their former glory for that matter."

"A total commitment to supporting the Kiev regime would simply mean (bloc) immolation" by continuing to supply it with military and financial aid.

Their troubled economies aren't sure if "they can (get) through the winter" without Russian energy.

Bending to the will of their US master is making the lives and well-being of their people "colder, poorer and harder."

Hegemon USA's "diabolical plan (aims) to destroy what was previously called the common European space."

Backed by the empire of lies and forever wars on invented enemies, it aims to continue using Ukraine as a weapon for perpetual war on Russia until formally joining NATO's killing machine — what the Kremlin won't tolerate because of the threat it would pose to its security.

As a previous day's article explained:

Russia's Security Council Deputy Chairman, Dmitry Medvedev, warned that if puppet Zelensky's sought security guarantee to maintain Kiev's military supplied with Western weapons and munitions in perpetuity — with hegemon USA, Britain, the EU and Australia its guarantors — it'll be "prelude to World War Three" if implemented.