https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/u...nazi-symbols-helmets-ukraine-soldiers-n198961
it's so impossible to hide that even NBC has to admit the Ukrainians are Nazis
Ukrainian soldiers with Nazi symbols on their helmets, including the swastika and the SS runes of Hitler's infamous black-uniformed elite corps.
Germans were confronted with images of their country’s dark past on Monday night, when German public broadcaster ZDF showed video of Ukrainian soldiers with Nazi symbols on their helmets in its evening newscast. In a report on the fragile cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, Moscow correspondent Bernhard Lichte used pictures of a soldier wearing a combat helmet with the "SS runes" of Hitler’s infamous black-uniformed elite corps
it's so impossible to hide that even NBC has to admit the Ukrainians are Nazis
German TV Shows Nazi Symbols on Helmets of Ukraine Soldiers
In a ZDF report on the fragile cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, images were shown of soldiers wearing combat helmets with SS insignia and swastikas.
Ukrainian soldiers with Nazi symbols on their helmets, including the swastika and the SS runes of Hitler's infamous black-uniformed elite corps.
Germans were confronted with images of their country’s dark past on Monday night, when German public broadcaster ZDF showed video of Ukrainian soldiers with Nazi symbols on their helmets in its evening newscast. In a report on the fragile cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, Moscow correspondent Bernhard Lichte used pictures of a soldier wearing a combat helmet with the "SS runes" of Hitler’s infamous black-uniformed elite corps
The commander that oversees US nuclear forces delivered an ominous warning by calling the war in Ukraine a “warmup” for the “big one” that is to come.
“This Ukraine crisis that we’re in right now, this is just the warmup,” said Navy Adm. Charles Richard, the commander of US Strategic command. “The big one is coming. And it isn’t going to be very long before we’re going to get tested in ways that we haven’t been tested [in] a long time.”
Not only does Richard appear to believe that a hot war between major world powers is a foregone conclusion, he has also previously stated that a nuclear war with Russia or China is now "a very real possibility."
So let's get real clear about this here and now: if there is a hot war between the US and a major power, it will not be because that war was "stumbled into". It will not be like an earthquake or other natural disaster. It will not be something that happens to or is inflicted upon the US empire while it just passively stands there in Bambi-eyed innocence.
It will be the result of specific choices made by the managers of empire. It will be the result of the US choosing escalation over de-escalation, brinkmanship over detente — not just once but over and over again, while declining off-ramp after off-ramp.
This isn't 1939 when war is already upon us; if anything it's more like the early 20th century precursors to World War I and all the stupid aggressions and entanglements which ultimately gave rise to both world wars.
“This Ukraine crisis that we’re in right now, this is just the warmup,” said Navy Adm. Charles Richard, the commander of US Strategic command. “The big one is coming. And it isn’t going to be very long before we’re going to get tested in ways that we haven’t been tested [in] a long time.”
Not only does Richard appear to believe that a hot war between major world powers is a foregone conclusion, he has also previously stated that a nuclear war with Russia or China is now "a very real possibility."
So let's get real clear about this here and now: if there is a hot war between the US and a major power, it will not be because that war was "stumbled into". It will not be like an earthquake or other natural disaster. It will not be something that happens to or is inflicted upon the US empire while it just passively stands there in Bambi-eyed innocence.
It will be the result of specific choices made by the managers of empire. It will be the result of the US choosing escalation over de-escalation, brinkmanship over detente — not just once but over and over again, while declining off-ramp after off-ramp.
This isn't 1939 when war is already upon us; if anything it's more like the early 20th century precursors to World War I and all the stupid aggressions and entanglements which ultimately gave rise to both world wars.
Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky published a photograph on his social media channels showing one of his personal security guards wearing a Nazi patch referencing the personal bodyguard unit of Adolf Hitler — and quickly moved to scrub the image from the internet when it drew criticism in the West.
Project HARD, you Nazi SCUM. Do you notice that YOU are the only one lately, besides Roll Turds, a moron extraordinaire, flapping his gums about what was supposed to be an quick and easy Russian victory? You're sooooooooooooo stupid, lol.
Meanwhile, more "good news" for Vlady, Vlady (who, reportedly
Putin’s ‘Fierce’ Navy Stranded in Hiding After Devastating Attack
Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty and Wikimedia CommonsThe Russian Navy is still sheltering in its base in Crimea after a sweeping Ukrainian drone attack last week.On Oct. 29, Ukraine launched 16 air and naval drones at Russian ships in the bay of Sevastopol, causing damage to at least one ship...
Putin’s ‘Fierce’ Navy Stranded in Hiding After Devastating Attack
61
Wed, November 9, 2022 at 1:40 AM·5 min read
Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty and Wikimedia Commons
The Russian Navy is still sheltering in its base in Crimea after a sweeping Ukrainian drone attack last week.
On Oct. 29, Ukraine launched 16 air and naval drones at Russian ships in the bay of Sevastopol, causing damage to at least one ship and leading Russia to temporarily pull out of the lauded grain export deal in retaliation. According to a recent analysis by the U.S. Naval Institute, Russia’s fleet in the Black Sea has been timid since the attack, which is the latest in a series of setbacks since the invasion in February.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet dwarfs the remnants of the Ukrainian Navy and should by all accounts be able to launch missiles and amphibious landings off Ukrainian shores with relative impunity. But for all their strength on paper, the Russian navy has gone from disaster to disaster since the start of the war.
In March, Ukraine hit a Russian landing ship in the port of Berdyansk with a ballistic missile, forcing the crew to scuttle the vessel. Ukrainian forces also sank the Russian flagship Moskva with two anti-ship missiles in mid-April. While not as spectacular as sinking a flagship, Ukrainian missiles and drones destroyed smaller Russian naval vessels throughout the conflict.
Russia has a large navy, but its losses in the Black Sea are difficult to replace.
Moscow cannot simply send more ships to the Black Sea, since Turkey controls the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and has the legal right to restrict access during wartime. Turkey’s refusal to let naval vessels through means that the vessels currently there are all Russia has in the short term, and is why the Oct. 29 drone attack was so detrimental. Ukraine was able to put a large number of explosive drones near Russia’s prized vessels, including one Kilo-class submarine. While it isn’t clear how much damage was inflicted, that any of the drones were able to penetrate Russian defenses makes it uncertain if Russia’s ships are truly safe when not in port.
Watch: Infighting between Russian troops leads to deadly friendly fire, reports say
Scroll back up to restore default view.
That drone attack was the first time air and sea drones attacked simultaneously in this conflict, but both had been used in the area separately. Ukraine’s one-way attack drones, which have seen infrequent use since June against Russian military and oil facilities, targeted the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in mid-August. In September, a previously unseen Ukrainian Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) washed up on a Crimean beach. Using both at once was an attempt to overwhelm Russian defenses and complicate future efforts to defend Crimea.
USVs, even if they don’t end up doing much damage, are a tricky problem for navies to deal with. In the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia has struggled to prevent USVs operated by Houthi rebels from reaching their ports. The need to defend ships and ports from cheap USVs and other fast-attack craft is part of the reason the U.S. Navy has invested so heavily in directed energy weapons and why the U.K. procured Martlet missiles for its ships and helicopters.
To make matters worse for Russia, Ukraine’s Navy is slowly starting to grow again. Ukraine is receiving patrol boats from the United States and the Royal Navy is training Ukrainian sailors. The patrol boats are small and lightly armed, but they can still help Ukrainian naval and Special Operations forces along Ukraine’s rivers and coastline. Given Ukraine’s unexpected successes at sea, its partners are likely to continue and increase their support. And considering Russia’s struggles to adjust to new threats on land and sea, Moscow will struggle to cope with the growing threat of Ukraine’s missiles, drones, and new vessels.
Ukraine’s innovative use of missiles and drones to fight the Russian Navy has made it challenging for Russia to operate at sea. The strategy has helped Ukrainian soldiers and civilians on land while keeping the grain export deal alive. Without good options for preventing future attacks and an eroding grip on the Black Sea, the Russian Navy will likely stay cautious.
The U.S. Naval Institute analysis notes that Russia’s smaller patrol boats have recently been replaced by larger vessels more capable of stopping attacks, and some vessels have been moved from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, which is further from the fighting.
The naval war is nowhere near won. Russia still has a much larger navy and can still launch missiles such as the Kalibr at Ukrainian cities from its vessels. Ukrainian missiles and drones might be able to seriously damage Russian ships, but sinking Russian ships will be difficult if Moscow decides to keep them out of range of Ukraine’s missiles at sea, and defended from drones when in port.
Still, for all Russia’s advantages, it’s unlikely that Putin and his admirals will find an easy answer to Ukraine’s strikes any time soon.
You've started this stupid ass thread over 5 months ago, and, I've noticed you haven't "contributed" to it lately, you pea brain putz; any particular reason for that, Scumbag? Hey look at this story from today, which contains, almost as an afterthought, the following little story within a story:
Watch: Infighting between Russian troops leads to deadly friendly fire, reports say
Putin’s ‘Fierce’ Navy Stranded in Hiding After Devastating Attack
Marcel PlichtaWed, November 9, 2022 at 1:40 AM·5 min read
Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty and Wikimedia Commons
The Russian Navy is still sheltering in its base in Crimea after a sweeping Ukrainian drone attack last week.
On Oct. 29, Ukraine launched 16 air and naval drones at Russian ships in the bay of Sevastopol, causing damage to at least one ship and leading Russia to temporarily pull out of the lauded grain export deal in retaliation. According to a recent analysis by the U.S. Naval Institute, Russia’s fleet in the Black Sea has been timid since the attack, which is the latest in a series of setbacks since the invasion in February.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet dwarfs the remnants of the Ukrainian Navy and should by all accounts be able to launch missiles and amphibious landings off Ukrainian shores with relative impunity. But for all their strength on paper, the Russian navy has gone from disaster to disaster since the start of the war.
In March, Ukraine hit a Russian landing ship in the port of Berdyansk with a ballistic missile, forcing the crew to scuttle the vessel. Ukrainian forces also sank the Russian flagship Moskva with two anti-ship missiles in mid-April. While not as spectacular as sinking a flagship, Ukrainian missiles and drones destroyed smaller Russian naval vessels throughout the conflict.
Russia has a large navy, but its losses in the Black Sea are difficult to replace.
Moscow cannot simply send more ships to the Black Sea, since Turkey controls the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and has the legal right to restrict access during wartime. Turkey’s refusal to let naval vessels through means that the vessels currently there are all Russia has in the short term, and is why the Oct. 29 drone attack was so detrimental. Ukraine was able to put a large number of explosive drones near Russia’s prized vessels, including one Kilo-class submarine. While it isn’t clear how much damage was inflicted, that any of the drones were able to penetrate Russian defenses makes it uncertain if Russia’s ships are truly safe when not in port.
Watch: Infighting between Russian troops leads to deadly friendly fire, reports say
Scroll back up to restore default view.
That drone attack was the first time air and sea drones attacked simultaneously in this conflict, but both had been used in the area separately. Ukraine’s one-way attack drones, which have seen infrequent use since June against Russian military and oil facilities, targeted the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in mid-August. In September, a previously unseen Ukrainian Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) washed up on a Crimean beach. Using both at once was an attempt to overwhelm Russian defenses and complicate future efforts to defend Crimea.
USVs, even if they don’t end up doing much damage, are a tricky problem for navies to deal with. In the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia has struggled to prevent USVs operated by Houthi rebels from reaching their ports. The need to defend ships and ports from cheap USVs and other fast-attack craft is part of the reason the U.S. Navy has invested so heavily in directed energy weapons and why the U.K. procured Martlet missiles for its ships and helicopters.
To make matters worse for Russia, Ukraine’s Navy is slowly starting to grow again. Ukraine is receiving patrol boats from the United States and the Royal Navy is training Ukrainian sailors. The patrol boats are small and lightly armed, but they can still help Ukrainian naval and Special Operations forces along Ukraine’s rivers and coastline. Given Ukraine’s unexpected successes at sea, its partners are likely to continue and increase their support. And considering Russia’s struggles to adjust to new threats on land and sea, Moscow will struggle to cope with the growing threat of Ukraine’s missiles, drones, and new vessels.
Ukraine’s innovative use of missiles and drones to fight the Russian Navy has made it challenging for Russia to operate at sea. The strategy has helped Ukrainian soldiers and civilians on land while keeping the grain export deal alive. Without good options for preventing future attacks and an eroding grip on the Black Sea, the Russian Navy will likely stay cautious.
The U.S. Naval Institute analysis notes that Russia’s smaller patrol boats have recently been replaced by larger vessels more capable of stopping attacks, and some vessels have been moved from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, which is further from the fighting.
The naval war is nowhere near won. Russia still has a much larger navy and can still launch missiles such as the Kalibr at Ukrainian cities from its vessels. Ukrainian missiles and drones might be able to seriously damage Russian ships, but sinking Russian ships will be difficult if Moscow decides to keep them out of range of Ukraine’s missiles at sea, and defended from drones when in port.
Still, for all Russia’s advantages, it’s unlikely that Putin and his admirals will find an easy answer to Ukraine’s strikes any time soon.
????Project HARD, you Nazi SCUM. Do you notice that YOU are the only one lately, besides Roll Turds, a moron extraordinaire, flapping his gums about what was supposed to be an quick and easy Russian victory? You're sooooooooooooo stupid, lol.
Meanwhile, more "good news" for Vlady, Vlady (who, reportedly
Putin’s ‘Fierce’ Navy Stranded in Hiding After Devastating Attack
Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty and Wikimedia CommonsThe Russian Navy is still sheltering in its base in Crimea after a sweeping Ukrainian drone attack last week.On Oct. 29, Ukraine launched 16 air and naval drones at Russian ships in the bay of Sevastopol, causing damage to at least one ship...news.yahoo.com
Putin’s ‘Fierce’ Navy Stranded in Hiding After Devastating Attack
61
Marcel Plichta
Wed, November 9, 2022 at 1:40 AM·5 min read
Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty and Wikimedia Commons
The Russian Navy is still sheltering in its base in Crimea after a sweeping Ukrainian drone attack last week.
On Oct. 29, Ukraine launched 16 air and naval drones at Russian ships in the bay of Sevastopol, causing damage to at least one ship and leading Russia to temporarily pull out of the lauded grain export deal in retaliation. According to a recent analysis by the U.S. Naval Institute, Russia’s fleet in the Black Sea has been timid since the attack, which is the latest in a series of setbacks since the invasion in February.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet dwarfs the remnants of the Ukrainian Navy and should by all accounts be able to launch missiles and amphibious landings off Ukrainian shores with relative impunity. But for all their strength on paper, the Russian navy has gone from disaster to disaster since the start of the war.
In March, Ukraine hit a Russian landing ship in the port of Berdyansk with a ballistic missile, forcing the crew to scuttle the vessel. Ukrainian forces also sank the Russian flagship Moskva with two anti-ship missiles in mid-April. While not as spectacular as sinking a flagship, Ukrainian missiles and drones destroyed smaller Russian naval vessels throughout the conflict.
Russia has a large navy, but its losses in the Black Sea are difficult to replace.
Moscow cannot simply send more ships to the Black Sea, since Turkey controls the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and has the legal right to restrict access during wartime. Turkey’s refusal to let naval vessels through means that the vessels currently there are all Russia has in the short term, and is why the Oct. 29 drone attack was so detrimental. Ukraine was able to put a large number of explosive drones near Russia’s prized vessels, including one Kilo-class submarine. While it isn’t clear how much damage was inflicted, that any of the drones were able to penetrate Russian defenses makes it uncertain if Russia’s ships are truly safe when not in port.
Watch: Infighting between Russian troops leads to deadly friendly fire, reports say
Scroll back up to restore default view.
That drone attack was the first time air and sea drones attacked simultaneously in this conflict, but both had been used in the area separately. Ukraine’s one-way attack drones, which have seen infrequent use since June against Russian military and oil facilities, targeted the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in mid-August. In September, a previously unseen Ukrainian Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) washed up on a Crimean beach. Using both at once was an attempt to overwhelm Russian defenses and complicate future efforts to defend Crimea.
USVs, even if they don’t end up doing much damage, are a tricky problem for navies to deal with. In the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia has struggled to prevent USVs operated by Houthi rebels from reaching their ports. The need to defend ships and ports from cheap USVs and other fast-attack craft is part of the reason the U.S. Navy has invested so heavily in directed energy weapons and why the U.K. procured Martlet missiles for its ships and helicopters.
To make matters worse for Russia, Ukraine’s Navy is slowly starting to grow again. Ukraine is receiving patrol boats from the United States and the Royal Navy is training Ukrainian sailors. The patrol boats are small and lightly armed, but they can still help Ukrainian naval and Special Operations forces along Ukraine’s rivers and coastline. Given Ukraine’s unexpected successes at sea, its partners are likely to continue and increase their support. And considering Russia’s struggles to adjust to new threats on land and sea, Moscow will struggle to cope with the growing threat of Ukraine’s missiles, drones, and new vessels.
Ukraine’s innovative use of missiles and drones to fight the Russian Navy has made it challenging for Russia to operate at sea. The strategy has helped Ukrainian soldiers and civilians on land while keeping the grain export deal alive. Without good options for preventing future attacks and an eroding grip on the Black Sea, the Russian Navy will likely stay cautious.
The U.S. Naval Institute analysis notes that Russia’s smaller patrol boats have recently been replaced by larger vessels more capable of stopping attacks, and some vessels have been moved from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, which is further from the fighting.
The naval war is nowhere near won. Russia still has a much larger navy and can still launch missiles such as the Kalibr at Ukrainian cities from its vessels. Ukrainian missiles and drones might be able to seriously damage Russian ships, but sinking Russian ships will be difficult if Moscow decides to keep them out of range of Ukraine’s missiles at sea, and defended from drones when in port.
Still, for all Russia’s advantages, it’s unlikely that Putin and his admirals will find an easy answer to Ukraine’s strikes any time soon.
You've started this stupid ass thread over 5 months ago, and, I've noticed you haven't "contributed" to it lately, you pea brain putz; any particular reason for that, Scumbag? Hey look at this story from today, which contains, almost as an afterthought, the following little story within a story:
Watch: Infighting between Russian troops leads to deadly friendly fire, reports say
Putin’s ‘Fierce’ Navy Stranded in Hiding After Devastating Attack
Marcel Plichta
Wed, November 9, 2022 at 1:40 AM·5 min read
Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty and Wikimedia Commons
The Russian Navy is still sheltering in its base in Crimea after a sweeping Ukrainian drone attack last week.
On Oct. 29, Ukraine launched 16 air and naval drones at Russian ships in the bay of Sevastopol, causing damage to at least one ship and leading Russia to temporarily pull out of the lauded grain export deal in retaliation. According to a recent analysis by the U.S. Naval Institute, Russia’s fleet in the Black Sea has been timid since the attack, which is the latest in a series of setbacks since the invasion in February.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet dwarfs the remnants of the Ukrainian Navy and should by all accounts be able to launch missiles and amphibious landings off Ukrainian shores with relative impunity. But for all their strength on paper, the Russian navy has gone from disaster to disaster since the start of the war.
In March, Ukraine hit a Russian landing ship in the port of Berdyansk with a ballistic missile, forcing the crew to scuttle the vessel. Ukrainian forces also sank the Russian flagship Moskva with two anti-ship missiles in mid-April. While not as spectacular as sinking a flagship, Ukrainian missiles and drones destroyed smaller Russian naval vessels throughout the conflict.
Russia has a large navy, but its losses in the Black Sea are difficult to replace.
Moscow cannot simply send more ships to the Black Sea, since Turkey controls the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and has the legal right to restrict access during wartime. Turkey’s refusal to let naval vessels through means that the vessels currently there are all Russia has in the short term, and is why the Oct. 29 drone attack was so detrimental. Ukraine was able to put a large number of explosive drones near Russia’s prized vessels, including one Kilo-class submarine. While it isn’t clear how much damage was inflicted, that any of the drones were able to penetrate Russian defenses makes it uncertain if Russia’s ships are truly safe when not in port.
Watch: Infighting between Russian troops leads to deadly friendly fire, reports say
Scroll back up to restore default view.
That drone attack was the first time air and sea drones attacked simultaneously in this conflict, but both had been used in the area separately. Ukraine’s one-way attack drones, which have seen infrequent use since June against Russian military and oil facilities, targeted the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in mid-August. In September, a previously unseen Ukrainian Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) washed up on a Crimean beach. Using both at once was an attempt to overwhelm Russian defenses and complicate future efforts to defend Crimea.
USVs, even if they don’t end up doing much damage, are a tricky problem for navies to deal with. In the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia has struggled to prevent USVs operated by Houthi rebels from reaching their ports. The need to defend ships and ports from cheap USVs and other fast-attack craft is part of the reason the U.S. Navy has invested so heavily in directed energy weapons and why the U.K. procured Martlet missiles for its ships and helicopters.
To make matters worse for Russia, Ukraine’s Navy is slowly starting to grow again. Ukraine is receiving patrol boats from the United States and the Royal Navy is training Ukrainian sailors. The patrol boats are small and lightly armed, but they can still help Ukrainian naval and Special Operations forces along Ukraine’s rivers and coastline. Given Ukraine’s unexpected successes at sea, its partners are likely to continue and increase their support. And considering Russia’s struggles to adjust to new threats on land and sea, Moscow will struggle to cope with the growing threat of Ukraine’s missiles, drones, and new vessels.
Ukraine’s innovative use of missiles and drones to fight the Russian Navy has made it challenging for Russia to operate at sea. The strategy has helped Ukrainian soldiers and civilians on land while keeping the grain export deal alive. Without good options for preventing future attacks and an eroding grip on the Black Sea, the Russian Navy will likely stay cautious.
The U.S. Naval Institute analysis notes that Russia’s smaller patrol boats have recently been replaced by larger vessels more capable of stopping attacks, and some vessels have been moved from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, which is further from the fighting.
The naval war is nowhere near won. Russia still has a much larger navy and can still launch missiles such as the Kalibr at Ukrainian cities from its vessels. Ukrainian missiles and drones might be able to seriously damage Russian ships, but sinking Russian ships will be difficult if Moscow decides to keep them out of range of Ukraine’s missiles at sea, and defended from drones when in port.
Still, for all Russia’s advantages, it’s unlikely that Putin and his admirals will find an easy answer to Ukraine’s strikes any time soon.
Keep on denying facts, Nazi Scum, including the one that YOU are Nazi Scum accusing a large swath of citizens of another country of being Nazis, without a SHRED of proof. Example: Russia turned tail and ran from the largest occupied city, ROTFLMAO!!!!! 
Russia Abandons Kherson! The Largest Occupied City is Free! 9 November 2022 Ukraine
facts Bajahahaha Ur next fact will be ur first ????. The abandoned fake fraud posting king! ???Keep on denying facts, Nazi Scum, including the one that YOU are Nazi Scum accusing a large swath of citizens of another country of being Nazis, without a SHRED of proof. Example: Russia turned tail and ran from the largest occupied city, ROTFLMAO!!!!!
Russia Abandons Kherson! The Largest Occupied City is Free! 9 November 2022 Ukraine
always wrong my Nazi nut sucking swine bitch
Suck cock, Nazi scum. All you have is photo shopped, irrelevant bullshit, as opposed to:
Putin Hit With Humiliating Retreat—and Mystery Death of Crony
276
Allison Quinn
Wed, November 9, 2022 at 7:40 AM·3 min read
Russian troops have begun to retreat from Ukraine’s Kherson region, just the latest humiliating pullout to leave pro-Kremlin military bloggers and propagandists fuming.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu handed down the order on Wednesday afternoon to pull out to the other side of the Dnipro River. The move came after Russian troops reportedly began blowing up bridges as they pulled out, with Russian flags being removed from buildings in the center of Kherson—the only regional capital captured by Russian forces in the full-scale invasion.
“For us, life and health of the military personnel is always the priority,” Shoigu said in announcing the decision.
Bizarrely, the order came after Sergei Surovikin, Russia's top commander in Ukraine, boasted of Russian troops supposedly suffering seven times fewer losses than the Ukrainian military in Kherson.
It also came just six weeks after Vladimir Putin taunted Kyiv with the declaration that residents of Kherson and other occupied Ukrainian regions “are becoming our citizens forever.”
Pro-Kremlin bloggers had been expecting the pullout—and raging against the decision as yet another “abandonment” by the Russian military.
But in the midst of the humiliating retreat, Kremlin-controlled proxy authorities on Wednesday announced the sudden death of one of the most high-profile leaders in the occupied Kherson region.
Russia Ratchets Up Panic as Civilians Told to Leave Kherson
Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the region, was said to have been killed in a car accident. Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of the region, took to Telegram to announce the news after it was first reported in Russian media.
Russia’s RIA Novosti cited an unnamed source who said Stremousov’s SUV was struck by a truck at an intersection. The driver of the truck was said to have made a “dangerous maneuver” that caused the wreck.
As soon as his death was announced, many pro-Kremlin military bloggers who’d been busy venting about Russia’s “shocking” retreat from the region suddenly shifted to writing condolences for Stremousov.
Few details were initially given on the crash, and Russian-backed health officials in the region where it is said to have occurred refused to confirm that he’d died, saying only that they could confirm there was a traffic accident. Though Saldo said Stremousov had been killed in the Kherson region, some independent Russian media outlets noted that he’d confirmed in late August he had evacuated to Russia.
The murky nature of his reported death—and the speed with which a slew of pro-Kremlin social media channels simultaneously posted condolences—led some Ukrainian authorities to suggest the tragedy had been a deliberate hoax. Yuri Sobolevksy, the first deputy chair of the Kherson regional council, suggested Stremousov’s death may have been “staged” in a statement on Facebook, though he did not elaborate.
It was not clear why he believed it may have been staged, but reports of Stremousov’s death came amid mounting outrage among Russian hardliners about the retreat from Kherson.
And as soon as his death was announced, they briefly shifted from publicly venting frustrations about military failures to penning tributes to Stremousov.
Shoigu’s announcement, however, reignited the wrath of the Russian hardliners fed up with a string of recent retreats.
“The main thing is not victory, but participation,” one popular Russian military channel quipped on Telegram.
“The surrender of Kherson is the biggest geopolitical defeat of Russia since the fall of the U.S.S.R.,” wrote pro-Kremlin political analyst Sergei Markov. “The political consequences of this huge defeat will be really big. The main reason for the defeat is the refusal [to carry out] a real war and the catastrophic delay in making necessary decisions.”
