Fighting has been taking place since Tuesday, with footage showing smoke rising in some areas.
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On Wednesday evening, Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko said the Ukrainian army had established control over the Sudzha gas hub - a major gas facility involved in the transit of natural gas from Russia to the EU via Ukraine, which has continued despite the war. It is the only point of entry for Russian gas into the EU.
Although this has not been verified by the BBC, Mr Honcharenko's comment was the first confirmation of an incursion into Russian territory by a Ukrainian official. Kyiv had previously not commented on reports of a cross-border attack.
Fucking Russian psychos use the majority of their missiles on civilian targets and now suddenly Putin has a problem with (alleged! I frankly don't believe it for one second) “indiscriminate shooting from various types of weapons, including missiles, at civilian buildings, residential buildings, and ambulances.”
This is mobile warfare with a veteran, armored brigade using a mix of latest and greatest Western gear. If they had trouble before, this is going to be a nightmare for them. Oh and those F-16s just got into service.
Hamburg's name derives from the Hammaburg whose name is thought to derive from *ham- "angle, angular terrain by rivers, bay", as well as burg, "elevated fortification, settlement". Here is it overlaid on the current terrain, constructed in the 8th century, though settlement is attested to the 4th century BC. First mentioned in writing 834, likely previously seat of local Saxon nobility, then taken over. Previously known to the Romans as Treva. That early 800s date matches the direct aftermath of Charlemagne's Christianisation-by-genocide of the Saxons, with the first church being constructed in 810. Also, the writ it was first mentioned in happens to be the one that sets up Ansgar as Bishop of Hamburg.
Republic since 1292. Trade-wise where the Ossenpadd and Elbe meet, in case you wonder who had the genius idea of building a harbour city inlands: Since about the bronze age (2000BC thereabouts) up until industrialisation it has been a vital trade route, going straight through Hedeby where you also get a competitive connection to the Baltic Sea, a role which was later inhabited by Lübeck.
This will be interesting. Either Putin goes back on his word and mobilizes more people into his special military operations to bolster the defenses. Or he seems weak for allowing Russia to be invaded.
Putin goes back on his word and mobilizes more people into his special military operations to bolster the defenses
This would be easy to spin, it's no longer a special operation it's become a war of survival against the Ukrainian Nazis and their gay Jewish NATO allies, the very thing our lord and saviour Putin was trying to prevent with the special operation!
Sure it could be.. but still... It would require moscovites to be drafted.. and that would make the whole war more real for them. I'd imagine Ukraine would then spend some extra attention to these battalions, to drive the point home.
I wonder how many operatives they're going to sneak into the country through this raid to do longer term damage via reconnaissance and sabotage. Plenty of opportunity with all this chaos and the ability to bring a large amount of supplies to stash things.
Thats most likely the main reason, but they don't get many opportunities like this to slip some people in. It seems like it'd be a waste to not leave behind a team or two to go deeper and gain intel/sabotage things.
Not sure what you mean? This is a proxy war. The objective is to bleed Russia and end up owning a big chunk of Ukrainian assets (or our banks will). But mess with the gas supply of the EU and support is going to turn hard on Ukraine.
It's possibly this is going to turn into a long turn problem between the EU and the Ukraine left bitter by the war. Of course, every crisis is a great opportunity to make money! Even a hypocrisis
Weirder than that, it can't be easily bombed without permanently disabling Russia's ability to earn revenue. If Ukraine just sits on it they can hold Russia economically hostage indefinitely.
The gas is transiting via Ukraine already (which... what?!) so they could have cut it off anytime before, I don't see how gaining control over one station more changes anything... I'm sure there's some info we are missing here.