Each Time Ruzzkies Try to Build a Tractor, They End Up with a Tank
Ukraine and Russia exchange long-distance blows as spy war intensifies.
There's an old Soviet joke that says no matter how hard Russian workers try to build a tractor in their backyard workshop using spare parts stolen from their factory, they somehow always end up with a tank. Well, it seems like Ukraine's HIMARS operators might be in on the joke, as they've been targeting the Chelyabinsk Russian tractor factory...
Russian Tractor Plant Goes Boom!
That’s Hot, But there is also a Cold Part of War Update
The Black Sea Cyclone is wreaking havoc, affecting not only Odessa
But also Russian railroad infrastructure.
And that according to the Former US Defense Department employee Trent Telenko affects significantly Russian military capabilities in the area:
The Institute for the Study of War notes that this cyclone has been a major disruptor in the last 24 hours, causing infrastructure damage on both sides of the conflict, with Russian-occupied Crimea taking the brunt.
A cyclone in the Black Sea and southern Ukraine caused infrastructure damage in many areas of coastal southern Russia and occupied Ukraine and is impacting the tempo of military operations along the frontline in Ukraine, but has notably not stopped military activity entirely. Russian sources posted images and footage of the impact of the cyclone on civilian and transportation infrastructure in coastal areas of Krasnodar Krai, including near Sochi, Anapa, Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk, and Taupse. Ukrainian and Russian sources also noted that coastal areas of occupied Crimea, occupied Kherson Oblast, and much of Odesa Oblast were heavily impacted by heavy snow and high winds, leaving large swaths of the population without electricity. The Ukrainian Navy and Ukraine's Southern Operational Command notably reported that dangerous weather in the Black Sea forced Russia to return all of its naval vessels and missile carriers to their base points.
As The Cold Cyclone Hits, The Spy War Heats Up
As Oleksy Danilov, Ukraine’s national security adviser said in The Times, Moscow has activated a network of sleeper spies in Ukraine in the past two months as Putin tries to destabilise society further in the face of military deadlock, The Times reports on sleeper agents operating in Ukraine:
Oleksiy Danilov said in an interview with The Times that:
Russian agents embedded in public institutions including the SBU, Ukraine’s domestic security service, were being ordered to undermine the country’s unity. “They realise they cannot win this militarily so attempts at internal destabilisation have become the priority,” he said. Danilov said Russian agents were looking to exploit “so-called tensions” between Zelensky and Zaluzhny by spreading “false narratives” to drive a wedge between the political and military leaders. They were also trying to incite anti-government sentiment among the population, he said. Russian agents were targeting female relations of Ukraine soldiers and prisoners of war as well as trying to organise anti-war rallies.
Budanow’s wife poisoned
In the meantime news from the Ukraine’s head of military intelligence Budanow broke the headlines recalling memories from the times when the former Ukraine president Victor Yushchenko was poisoned and other Kermlin enemies like Aleksander Litvinienko or Sergiey Skripal were treated with KGB lab manufactured poisons:
The military intelligence representative confirmed Babel's report in a comment for the Kyiv Independent. Budanova had reportedly been hospitalized after a prolonged deterioration of her health, Babel wrote. "The course of treatment is now being completed, and then there will be a check-up by the doctors," Babel's source said. "These substances are not used in any way in everyday life and military affairs. Their presence may indicate a purposeful attempt to poison a specific person."
Trench Warfare in Avdiivka
Ukrainian filmmaker and soldier Oleh Sencov just delivered a unique first person battlefield perspective. His 30 minutes GoPro footage of battle of Avdivka is a video hard to compare to any other wartime footage that was published during this war so far. We see there people being hit by Russian fire, Ukrainian soldiers being watched and spotted by Russian drones, calling drones of its own to answer the enemy fire. We got the Russian tanks passing by few meters from the trench the unit is fighting from :
The author - Oleh Sencov was sentenced for long term prison by Russia after being detained in 2014 in Crimea. Sencov was exchanged for Russian prisoners of war five years later in 2019 and then… joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Since then he fought in the Battle of Kyiv, using an NLAW to destroy Russian tanks. Sentsov claims he takes part in the war to "return the Ukrainian flag to Crimea." After the Kyiv offensive Sentsov fought in Bakhmut, Balakliia and Kupiansk. As of July 2023, he is an infantry lieutenant in 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade fighting on the Zaporizhzhia front, where he was lightly wounded during offensive operations.Last week Sentsov posted a video on Facebook showing him taking part in the Battle of Avdiivka.
CNN Talks to Sencov
And while we're absorbing all this, the situation in Avdiivka remains tense, with Ukraine reportedly losing a significant portion of its positions.
Rip’s take
We analized Oleh’s video with Col. Hunter Ripley Rawlings, former Marine officer on latest #RockRachon episode:
The Battle Continues
Chuck Pfarrer - former NAVY Seals Tem Six commander’s daily report shows AVDIIVKA AXIS /1400 UTC 28 NOV. According to him:
