gzt: I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Well, its happening now, as in pushing them back. 10 days in it was reported everywhere that UKR is showing a great effort but they will lose badly. Exceeded al l expectations by a country mile and still getting better. 

tdgeek, 
Russia are stuck in a cycle of robbing Ivan to pay Vladimir.
So they take troops from one area, maybe leave some ill equipped DPR behind and Ukraine start rolling them up.
Apparently now hitting tougher nuts as Russia stole units from stalled Izium to plug that.
This is more Northward around Kharkiv

This account of Izium seems so bad it can't possibly be true ? Way understrength units no armor.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/5/19/2099028/-Ukraine-Update-A-Russian-volunteer-s-story-lays-waste-to-the-myth-of-the-Russian-BTG

Everything else including Wagner Group seems to be going through Popasna in South East. 
'Artillery is God' goes a Russian saying, they have enough old dumb artillery shells and rockets for several wars.
Kadyrovites seem to be rushing there for victory TikToks. The 'Terminator' has been seen.

Unfortunately this is causing huge problems for Ukraine as its generated some momentum in rear of Severodonetsk
Next few days will be telling, hope traditional problems of Russia running out of steam continue.

Hopefully Ukraine withdrawals are orderly and Russian thrust exhausts itself.

ezbee:

This account of Izium seems so bad it can't possibly be true ? Way understrength units no armor.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/5/19/2099028/-Ukraine-Update-A-Russian-volunteer-s-story-lays-waste-to-the-myth-of-the-Russian-BTG

tdgeek:

 

gzt: I don't see that happening anytime soon.

 

Well, its happening now, as in pushing them back. 10 days in it was reported everywhere that UKR is showing a great effort but they will lose badly. Exceeded al l expectations by a country mile and still getting better. 

 

I'm afraid not.

Eastern Ukraine terrain is mostly flat open ground  - tank country, ideal for Russian armour. 

Ukraine has less than 100 tanks.

K8Toledo:

Eastern Ukraine terrain is mostly flat open ground - tank country, ideal for Russian armour.

ezbee: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/5/19/2099028/-Ukraine-Update-A-Russian-volunteer-s-story-lays-waste-to-the-myth-of-the-Russian-BTG

neb:

K8Toledo:

 

Eastern Ukraine terrain is mostly flat open ground - tank country, ideal for Russian armour.

 

And more than ideal for ATGMs to hit large, slow-moving targets crossing the flat, open ground.

Defensive yes, not offensive. Ukrainian Army won't be encircling Russian tanks with ATGM's.

They're hitting Russian armour with Howitzers mainly, afaik.

The NY Times - The Russian Orthodox Leader at the Core of Putin’s Ambitions

21 May 2022

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unfolded, Patriarch Kirill I, the leader of the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church, had an awkward Zoom meeting with Pope Francis.

 

The two religious leaders had previously worked together to bridge a 1,000-year-old schism between the Christian churches of the East and West. But the meeting, in March, found them on opposing sides of a chasm.

 

Kirill spent 20 minutes reading prepared remarks, echoing the arguments of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that the war in Ukraine was necessary to purge Nazis and oppose NATO expansion.

 

Francis was evidently flummoxed. “Brother, we are not clerics of the state,” the pontiff told Kirill, he later recounted to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, adding that “the patriarch cannot transform himself into Putin’s altar boy.”

 

Today, Kirill stands apart not merely from Francis, but from much of the world.

 

The leader of about 100 million faithful, Kirill, 75, has staked the fortunes of his branch of Orthodox Christianity on a close and mutually beneficial alliance with Mr. Putin, offering him spiritual cover while his church - and possibly he himself - receives vast resources in return from the Kremlin, allowing him to extend his influence in the Orthodox world. ...

 

Kirill’s role is so important that European officials have included him on a list of individuals they plan to target in an upcoming - and still in flux - round of sanctions against Russia ...

 

Yeh Right... Krill. 

You can read more here with Google Translate about the KGB records of ROC, in the 'short' time of openness.
https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2014/01/24/58082-svyaschennik-gleb-yakunin-patriarh-kirill-funktsiyu-kgb-vzyal-kak-by-na-sebya

There is this article based on a book by an ex head of Romanian secret Service, and other info on its role in anti Ukraine propaganda.
https://www.traditioninaction.org/History/F_009_Kyrill_2.html

"" WCC is World Council of Churches.
“A 1989 KGB document boasts: ‘Now the agenda of the WCC is also our agenda.’ More recently, Metropolitan Kirill (agent Mikhaylov), who had been an influential representative to the World Council of Churches since 1971 and after 1975 a member of the WCC Central Committee, was in 2009 elected patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.” (Desinformation, Portuguese ed., Vide Editorial, 2015, p. 31; English ed., WND Books, 2013, p. 3)

Pacepa, the ex-head of Romanian Intelligence, reports how the “Orthodox Church” forcefully incorporated the Catholic Ukrainian Church:
""

Kirill, the Patriarch in league with Putin
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/kirill-the-patriarch-in-league-with-putin

Sorry paywalled, but headline is telling.

Giant new Russian cathedral glorifies Putin and Stalin in mosaic 
Crimea annexation also exalted in Moscow church due to open on anniversary of 1945 victory
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/27/giant-new-russian-cathedral-glorifies-putin-stalin-mosaics

While communists were staunchly anti religion.
Lenin laconically set the number of Orthodox priests to be executed: “The more, the better."  

Stalin allowed Russian Orthodox Church to exist 'with limits' as servant of the state.
In WW2's desperate times Stalin saw that assimilation by spy agencies was better strategy to promote Russian nationalism.
So suppressed, and troublesome eliminated, but not eradicated, as it was uniquely Russian.

K8Toledo:

 

 

 

Ukraine has less than 100 tanks.

 

Pretty sure they have more tanks now than they started the war with. According to Oryx, they've captured over 240 Russian tanks while only losing 176.

SaltyNZ:

 

K8Toledo:

 

Ukraine has less than 100 tanks.

 

 

Pretty sure they have more tanks now than they started the war with. According to Oryx, they've captured over 240 Russian tanks while only losing 176.

 

With the advantage the majority of its soldiers can read Russian, so no problems operating any machinery "acquired" during this campaign.

freitasm:

 

With the advantage the majority of its soldiers can read Russian, so no problems operating any machinery "acquired" during this campaign.

 

And it's mostly even the same equipment, so they don't need any training, just jump in and drive it away.