пятничный брифинг американского минобороныSENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL: Thank you. Good to be with you again today. Today, I'll be very brief with my opening comments and then hand it off to [Senior Military Official].
First observation is that, although we continue to see Russia failing -- failing on the battlefield, paying a high price for very little gain, and suffering domestic failures at home, I was really struck this week by how Russian rhetoric was trying to mask these losses, and what we saw was really very expansionist rhetoric coming out of Moscow.
A couple of examples of this -- we heard Foreign Minister Lavrov reversing his government's earlier denials that they were seeking regime change in Kyiv, and -- and he talked this week of getting rid of the regime in Kyiv. We also saw former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev post a map on his Telegram channel depicting a Ukraine that has been swallowed up by Russia and its neighbors, leaving only a sliver of the country in Kyiv Oblast.
And even as we have heard this really imperialist rhetoric, we've learned more about how Russia is (inaudible) in the areas of Ukraine that it occupies. The National Intelligence Council released a chilling report that described at least 18 so-called filtration camps, where Ukrainians are subject to inhumane conditions, including abuse, and in some cases, executions.
So I'll conclude by, you know, highlighting that even as Russia is talking a big talk, even as Russia is menacing the Ukrainian population, the Ukrainians continue to bravely advance, they're making tremendous use of the $8.2 billion in equipment we've provided thus far.
официальное лицо минобороны: я сейчас прокомментирую и передам слово [военному официальному лицу]
Во-первых, хотя мы видим, что раша продолжает терпеть неудачи - на поле боя, платит большую цену за крошечные победы, у себя дома тоже всё в говне - меня поразило на этой неделе, как они агрессивно развякались, пытаясь замаскировать своё лузерство.
Например, лаврун, вопреки прежним утверждениям, что они не собираются менять режим в Киеве, - опять начал вякать про смену режима в Киеве. Бывший медвед вообще запостил "карту", как от Украины ничо не осталось, кроме Киева.
Одновременно с этой империалистической риторикой мы узнаем, как раша в оккупированных территориях [непереводимая брань]. Национальный совет по разведке обнародовал леденящий кровь отчёт с описанием как минимум 18 фильтрационных лагерей, где украинцев держат в нечеловеческих условиях, жестоко обращаются с ними, казнят.
Подытожу я тем, что хотя раша хвастается и угрожает, хотя она запугивает украинское население, украинцы продолжают храбро продвигаться, они используют наше оборудование, которое стоило 8.2 мильярда, на все сто.
SENIOR MILITARY OFFICIAL: Thanks, [SDO]. First of all, good afternoon, everyone. Happy to be back with you on day 156 of Russia's illegal and unprovoked large scale invasion of Ukraine.
Like [SDO], I don't have a significantly large kind of a set of initial comments. I would -- you know, certainly, you all are tracking the missile strikes outside of Kyiv over the week and I know you're strike -- you're tracking the missile strikes down in Odesa, even in the midst of the -- you know, the attempt by the world to get grain moving.
I would highlight, and you all have been reporting on the advances that the Ukrainians are making around Kherson -- and we have seen -- and they're not large, giant advances but they are certainly advances against the Russians.
военное официальное лицо: мне особо нечего добавить. Вы все знаете про ракетные удары около Киева, и в Одессе - как раз когда собирались зерно перевозить.
Я хочу подчеркнуть, и вы все тоже сообщали про наступление украинцев в районе Херсона. Они небольшие, но всё-таки наступления.
Q: Could -- yeah, thank you. I just wanted to ask, can you indicate or provide any description of Russian force strength in the south, around Kherson, and to what degree are they sending in additional troops or resources? And could you kind of convey what the scale of that reinforcement is?
SENIOR MILITARY OFFICIAL: Hey, Dan, I don't have -- I don't have particulars on the size. We have -- like you, heard of the Russians moving forces around. It would make sense, from a military perspective, as I had mentioned before, you know, the Ukrainians are giving it to them pretty good and I think they're looking for ways that they can reinforce, you know, their failures here.
- можете рассказать, сколько силы у рашистов на юге, у Херсона? и шлют ли они подкрепление и сколько?
- У меня нет данных, сколько их там. И мы тоже слышали, что рашисты перемещают свои силы. Это логично, конечно, с военной точки зрения, если учесть, как украинцы им наподдали, что им нужно подкрепление.
Q: Hi, thank you. Just to get it out of the way, can you update us on the claims from both Ukraine and Russia that the other side attacked this prison with prisoners of war -- Ukrainian prisoners of war?
SENIOR MILITARY OFFICIAL:
As to the prisoners of war, we -- again, we're -- we're hearing the same reports you are. I guess what I'd tell you is, I don't have any definitive information in terms of, you know, what happened in particular.
I would ask, you know, as you all look at this, that we apply some caution specifically to what the Russians are telling us, just because we know that they have made several claims in the past that have not been close to correct. So I'll leave it at that.
- про атаку на тюрьму с украинскими пленными, обе стороны обвиняют друг друга, у вас есть инфо?
- мы слышим те же сообщения, что и вы. У нас нет информации, что конкретно произошло.
Но верить рашистам, после всего вранья, что мы от них слышали?
Q:
Thanks, everybody, for doing this briefing. As we go into this now, this fifth month, how much longer can this last in the Donbas up in the north with such very small incremental gains? And just moving to the left there, in Kherson, are you really seeing signs that the Kherson counteroffensive that the Ukrainians have been talking about is actually happening? Are those attacks on the bridges shaping operations? Is Kherson really cut off from the rest of the Crimea? Thanks.
SENIOR MILITARY OFFICIAL: So, Luis, I would -- and I think I've said this in the past, but I'd be -- I'd really hesitate to give any thoughts on how long that can last. And I'd just go back to, you know, February when everybody was essentially reporting that -- to include us in some cases, that this was not going to last very long. You know, we had the full might of the Russian army applied to just about every side of the Ukrainian -- of Ukraine. And here we are five months into it and, you know, a gigantic strategic failure on the side of the Russians where they had to reposition their people out from the north around to the east to try and make some gains. And those gains, as you've seen, have been relatively small at a gigantic cost. So I'd really hesitate to give you an idea of how long this lasts. It certainly looks like it's going to last as, you know, the Ukrainians are able to go toe-to-toe.
So going back down to Kherson, I don't know if it's a part of a counteroffensive. I know they're making offensive gains. And they are doing so, you know, against a Russian force that, as we were talking earlier, looks like they are ill-prepared for it. So, anyways, I'll leave it at that, Luis.
- Уже пятый месяц войны, сколько ещё это будет продолжаться на Донбасе с таким слабым продвижением? А Херсон? украинцы в самом деле пошли в наступление там? Эти удары по мостам - это [формирующие операции]? (не знаю как перевести shaping operations) Херсон уже отрезали от Крыма?
- Луис, я уже говорил, я бы не стал давать прогнозы, сколько что продлится. В феврале все рапортовали - и даже мы - что долго это не продлится. Ну, понимаете, рашистская армия всей типа мощью наступает со всех сторон, ааа.
И вот уже пять месяцев, раша облажалась, сдристнула с севера, перебросила своих уродов на восток, чтоб хоть что-то захватить. И эти захваченные земли - маленькие, дались им гигантской ценой.
Трудно давать прогнозы, но похоже это будет продолжаться, т.к. украинцы могут.
Насчёт Херсона, я не знаю, контрнаступление ли это. Я знаю, что у них есть наступательные победы, а рашисты, похоже, плохо подготовлены. Больше мне нечего сказать.
Q: Yeah, can you talk a little bit more about what we're seeing in the east, where the Russians are moving, where they're hunkering down? Any -- any more detail ...
... for Senior Military Official, of course.
SENIOR MILITARY OFFICIAL: So we -- we're -- I don't want to say that it's a complete standstill because that would be inaccurate. There are gains on both sides but very -- back and forth, very small. You know, we've been talking -- and -- and so I'll go back -- I think it was probably three or four weeks ago -- in fact, it was probably the first time I did one of these pressers, we were talking about Severodonetsk and I had mentioned to you that, you know, they were -- the Ukrainians were withdrawing but they were withdrawing in a way that I thought we would probably study.
You know, they've gotten to a point now and have -- have created a level of defense that really has the Russians at a standstill, they've stopped. There are probably a lot of reasons for that. You know, we mentioned morale, we mentioned casualties. Those are certainly reasons that the Russians may have stopped. The other reason may be the Ukrainians have become very effective in finding and killing, you know, Russian command and control and destroying large levels of Russian materiel.
So I think what -- what we're seeing on the east is a result of that. And then if you know, if you just look at the axes from Izyum, those defenses have been stalwart now for coming up on three weeks. So the Russians again have been able to make very little progress.
You wonder, in the Russian leadership perspective, if they look at the small level of ground -- and again, as I said then, if you're a Ukrainian and you give up a foot, that's a big deal to you, but if you look at the small amount of ground, miles, that they advanced from Severodonetsk to the west, the Russians, and the gigantic costs they pay for that, you wonder if the Russians now are thinking to themselves "hey, is it worth another few miles?"
So we'll see where this goes.
- я хочу спросить, что мы видим на востоке, куда рашисты двигаются, где они засели? побольше подробностей
- Что мы видим... не скажу, что это полный застой, потому что это не так. Есть продвижение у обеих сторон, но очень маленькое, туда-сюда. Ну вот например месяц назад я говорил, как украинцы отступили из Северодонецка, но очень классно и умно, войдёт в учебники.
В общем, они добились того, так выстроили оборону, что русские практически остановились. На это наверно много причин. И боевой дух, и потери. Логически понятные причины, почему русские могли остановиться. Другие причины могут быть, что украинцы стали более эффективно долбить по ихним центрам управления и запасам оружия.
Ну, вот что мы видим на востоке. Если смотреть на Изюмское направление, там всё застряло уже три недели.
Интересно конечно, что думают там рашистские лидеры, когда видят такое черепашье наступление - нет, конечно для украинцев каждый метр это потеря! - но для рашистов-то. Вот они отхапали ещё три метра, понесли такие потери, неужели они не задумаются "разве это того стоило"?
Ну, посмотрим, что дальше будет.
Q: Any other specific towns you're seeing, movement or static?
SENIOR MILITARY OFFICIAL: So, you know, we, like you all, you know, we're watching the east, I mean, you know, around Bakhmut. We -- we do know that the -- the Russians around Bakhmut have -- took control of the Vuhlehirsk power station last week. You know, that -- that's a big deal, right? I mean, it gives them the opportunity to use power or not use power, literally in this case. And, you know, the indications are not that they are concerned about the Ukrainian people. And so that's certainly a big deal.
But really, you know, in Kharkiv or, you know, around Kharkiv or, as I mentioned, Slovyansk, that axes down from Izyum, back over towards Siversk, we're not seeing any real, you know, substantive change.
- ну а какие конкретные города?
- мы, как и вы, наблюдаем, что под Бахмутом на прошлой неделе рашисты заняли углегорскую электростанцию. Это конечно серьёзное дело, они могут шантажировать отключить энергию, и мы знаем, что им насрать на благополучие украинцев.
Но вот например вокруг Харькова, Словянска, изюмское направление, Сиверск - там вообще ничего.
