Update On Russia War 8/30/24: CIA, Kursk, Donbass

Yesterday after updating developments in the Anglo-Zionist war on Russia I linked in the comments to a Zerohedge account of the CIA spin on NATO’s Kursk disaster. In light of the latest news, it seems worthwhile to quote from that account.

CIA Lays Out Its View Of Kursk Operation For First Time

First of all, it seems that the classified briefings are painting a pretty gloomy picture, otherwise the Anglo-Zionist dominated CIA wouldn’t be going on record with such transparent spin.

In rare comments, a top CIA official has given the US spy agency's view of Ukraine's ongoing Kursk incursion which began on Aug.6 and which has resulted in hundreds of square miles of Russian territory coming under Ukrainian military control. It undoubtably marks the single biggest escalation in the war to date, given Kiev is seeking to 'return' the war to Russia.

CIA's number two, deputy director David Cohen, said it is going to be a "difficult fight" for the Russians as they try to wrest their territory back. He was addressing the Intelligence and National Security Summit in Washington on Wednesday.

"We can be certain that Putin will mount a counteroffensive to try to reclaim that territory," Cohen said per Reuters. "I think our expectation is that that will be a difficult fight for the Russians."

The escalation was by NATO—this was a NATO operation. Russia knows it.

No doubt every fight is difficult, but the NATO/Ukro-Nazi forces are being systematically decimated—more below. The claim that Ukraine “controls” these areas is pure spin, as we’ll see below. They are scrambling simply to stay out of Russian sights at this point.

Cohen’s certainty is belied by the facts. The Russians have not launched a counteroffensive but are instead increasing the tempo of their Donbass offensive (as well as other fronts). They are dealing with the Kursk incursion mostly with local troops.

In the remainder of the excerpt we see that the real goal of the CIA—and, yes, this is a CIA op—was to play the magical Neocon (yes, I refer to the top two at the CIA, Avril Haines and David Cohen) “destabilization” card. The aim has been to “humiliate” Putin. How many times have we heard this twaddle, that some hare-brained scheme will lead to Putin’s overthrow? These people are not dealing from a full deck. Even Russian “doomers” have already calmed down.

He described that the challenge for Putin and military leadership is that they have to deal with a "front line now within Russian territory" but also the "reverberations back in his own society that they have lost a piece of Russian territory."

Cohen further revealed the CIA has been discussing and analyzing Ukraine's goals and aims of the operation: "They are remaining in Russia, building defenses, and, as best as we can tell from our conversations, there seems to be intent on retaining some of that territory for some period of time," he explained.

Part of Kiev's aim with the high-risk cross-border offensive has been to humiliate and distract the Kremlin, possibly leading to destabilization of Moscow's Ukraine operations. Yet so far Russia has continued to make clear gains in the Donbass, where the front-line fighting is.

The CIA's Cohen in the new remarks admitted that Russian gains have been steady but that this has come at an "extraordinary cost" in terms of lives and resources expended.

"But at the end of the day, none of it is a game changer in a strategic sense," for the Russians, he went on to emphasize. The same could more easily be said about Ukraine's Kursk incursion, but as expected for a US intelligence official he only kept the negative remarks for Russia.

To illustrate the degree to which this is whistling through the graveyard, reports are now coming out that show dissension both in NATO as well as in Ukraine over the results of the Kursk debacle. Ukraine is attempting to extricate combat capable troops, but is encountering difficulties due to Russia’s air control:

Olga Bazova @OlgaBazova

Military and analysts criticize Zelensky for decision to invade Kursk border area

The Financial Times criticized Zelensky's decision to send troops to Kursk, leaving Pokrovsk without adequate defense. Since the start of the Kursk operation on August 6, Russian troops have accelerated their advance on Pokrovsk, liberating more than 20 settlements with virtually no resistance. They are now just 8 km from the city.

 Ukrainian military, journalists and analysts speak of systemic failures and "chaos" in the army's command structure. Officers note that many positions are being abandoned due to a lack of people and ammunition. The strategically important Pokrovsk could fall in the near future, opening the way for Russian forces to the Dnieper and threatening the logistics of the entire region.

Experts from Frontelligence believe that the Ukrainian leadership still has a chance to strengthen the front, but if Pokrovsk falls, the consequences could be catastrophic for the entire eastern line of defense of Ukraine.

Lord Bebo @MyLordBebo

 Kursk front: After costly battles without any advance and the Russian breakthrough in Donbass, the Ukranian army circles out the battle capable units out of Kursk.

They’re rotated out and replaced with territorial defense troops, which are less trained, experienced and equipped.

That effectively means the end of the Kursk offensive operation for Ukraine. It’s now another piece of the front, which will collapse soon.

It’s unclear where the elite AFU units will be transferred to at the moment.

DD Geopolitics @DD_Geopolitics

 “We Are Losing a Lot of People There.” - Kursk Safari Reality Check

Ukrainian forces near Kursk are facing severe losses and dwindling ammunition supplies, according to The Times, ...

Prophet noted that his small unit advanced further than their commanders had anticipated despite running low on ammunition. “We were running around, pretending there were far more of us than there actually were,” he said. Another soldier revealed that only five out of 15 in his team survived, highlighting the mounting toll on Ukrainian forces: “We are losing a lot of people there.“

-- GEROMAN -- time will tell -  -- @GeromanAT

#Kursk

small clashes along the contact lines - no significant map changes - Russia is just hunting down the remaining Ukrainian forces - while Kiev is still sending in some reinforcements.

Diana Panchenko @Panchenko_X

Today spoke with ukrainian soldiers in a frontline.

We are retreating. Nobody sends reserves.

Some soldiers suspect Zelenskyy gives territories to russians.

No one can understand why the operation in Kursk was needed.

…

Yesterday, while noting the importance of the Russian breakthrough toward Pokrovsk, we also acknowledged Geroman’s concerns that Ukraine could attack the Russian flanks—while also maintaining that Russia would have covered this possibility. That appears now to be the case—the Ukrainians attempted this move but were too weak to advance, while the Russians appear to have paused the drive toward Pokrovsk for the moment in order to conduct the encircling ops we sketched out yesterday. As usual, the Russian goal is not directed toward occupying territory, but rather toward destroying Ukrainian combat capability. That’s what a war of attrition is about.

First, we see the failed Ukrainian attempts to attack the Russian flanks, followed by rapid expansion by the Russians in those directions, taking key fortifications.

-- GEROMAN -- time will tell -  -- @GeromanAT

Condottiero Rreports:

"08/30/2024 • Krasnoarmeyskoye direction of the RF Armed Forces

In less than three days, the Russian Armed Forces took two large settlements and half of Selidovo from the enemy. Early this morning, after a night of additional reconnaissance, the assault on the urban development continued.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are not abandoning their attempts at flank attacks on the Pokrovsky salient, with the aim of stopping our advance. Reserves are being pulled from Pavlograd through Kurakhovo. But their forces were not enough to simply hold Karlovka and Galitsinovka. Attempts to pull reserves out of Kramatorsk were also unsuccessful; the Russian Armed Forces are currently finishing off another block in Chasov Yar.

All this against the backdrop of a shortage of shells and weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which the enemy command diverted to the Kursk region."

-- GEROMAN -- time will tell -  -- @GeromanAT

The Russian army has completely cleared out Karlovka, destroying the enemy's most powerful fortified area

The fighters of the 114th brigade installed their banner on the western outskirts of the village in the Pokrovsky direction.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces group in this section of the front lost one of its most powerful fortified areas.

http://t.me/RVvoenkor

Very significantly, the Russians are also getting close to encircling the key Ukrainian fortress at Ugledar, which could lead to a new Zaporozhye front heating up

-- GEROMAN -- time will tell -  -- @GeromanAT

!!! "It is reported that assault operations have begun to liberate the settlement of Vodyanoye (Vodiane) in the Ugledar direction.

In fact, this is the last major fortified area on the way of the Russian Army to the beginning of the operation to encircle Ugledar."

The pace of Russian advances is just crazy.

dana @dana916

 Russian forces have captured Ukraine's trench line in the north of Vodyanoe – Ugledar direction.

This puts Russian troops right on the outskirts of the strategic town.

All of this is developing rapidly.

Lastly, we may be seeing signs of the asymmetric responses by Russia to US escalations. Russia may be providing more capable weapons in the Middle East, as Doug Macgregor speculated would happen. What might the Houthis receive?

dana @dana916

Helicopters evacuate US military casualties from base hit by drone in eastern Syria Field and local sources from the area surrounding the illegal US military base in the Conoco gas plant and field north of Deir Ezzor confirmed that a number of soldiers were injured inside the base. stayfreeworld

8:18 AM · Aug 30, 2024

Well, this too—amazing:

Holger Zschaepitz @Schuldensuehner

Good Morning from #Germany where the once-mighty industrial giant ThyssenKrupp is now trading on the stock exchange at no value. The company's shares reflect a negative enterprise value due to a mix of poor management and the challenges of operating in Germany.

2:37 AM · Aug 30, 2024