Ukraine War Upd. EXTRA: Stories of Heroism, Russian Police Woes, US Mil Procurement

"You can't let hope seep in. At one point, he realizes that there is no hope."

Hello Team!

Jonathan introduces this Ukraine War Update Extra video which will cover stories of heroism, daring attempts, and give extra tidbits and nuggets to provide a greater understanding of the war in Ukraine.

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Daring Ukrainian missions to liberate gas rigs and land in occupied Crimea

• On Ukraine's Independence Day (24th August), Ukrainian soldiers conducted an audacious operation by briefly landing in occupied Crimea and raising the Ukrainian flag
• In September, Ukraine launched another bold operation to gain control of four gas rigs off the coast known as the Boyko Towers, which Russia had seized control of in 2015 shortly after its illegal annexation of Crimea
• A Ukrainian commander using the pseudonym Timur shared details of these daring missions, mentioning that the biggest challenge for his team was the open seas
• Russians manned all the gas platforms, but when Ukrainian special forces approached to retake the rigs, the Russian troops offered little resistance
• Timur's unit utilised more than just inflatable boats to reach the platforms, contrary to some media reports at the time. A Russian fighter jet also participated in the battle but this clash took place later as the unit was heading to the next mission after the gas rigs
• Many troops were eager to participate in the Crimea landing mission on Independence Day but there was limited space on the boats used
• Russia has been using the Boyko Towers platforms as helicopter landing sites and for deploying radar equipment, exerting control over the Black Sea. Ukraine retook control of the gas platforms on 11th September

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Incredible survival story of Ukrainian soldier Gina in Mariupol

Jonathan shares the story of Gina, a Ukrainian soldier likened to Rambo or Jason Bourne, as told by John Spencer (urban warfare specialist):

• Gina had served in the Ukrainian army as a paratrooper and marine. He was living in Mariupol when the full-scale invasion started
• He took up arms and fought the Russians in Mariupol. His group gets cut down to two and they try to make a run towards the Azovstal steel factory but get blown up by a landmine
• Gina gets captured and tortured for weeks. He manages to escape by chewing through his bondages and falling out of a second-story building
• He helps a man rescue his pregnant wife and two daughters from a burning building, then passes out in a basement
• The man reports Gina to the Russian military. Gina is captured again but escapes a second time
• Severely wounded, Gina realizes he can't make it to the Azovstal factory so he crosses the river and enters a life of survival, living in a basement in Mariupol for 9 months
• He survives by eating pigeons and animals, low crawling at night to a landfill to find food. He filters water in bottles as he can't risk cooking fires
• A Ukrainian girl starts leaving food for him, and eventually a Russian phone. Gina contacts an old friend from the Marines on Instagram who puts him in touch with the Ukrainian Navy
• The Navy tells Gina they have a plan to extract him with a 1% chance of success. Gina chooses to take the chance rather than continue living like an animal
• Gina says you can't let hope seep in when in a situation like this. His military training and mindset of never quitting kept him going. He just focused on surviving one day at a time

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US military procurement and support for Ukraine

Thomas Theiner shares details from US military procurement documents:

• $187.4 million for a classified army emergency missile procurement (not GMLRS)
• $71.3 million for GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System)
• $389.9 million for Javelins ($148.5 million for Ukraine, rest to replace US stockpiles)
• $681.6 million for new M2A4 Bradleys to free up M2A2 ODS and M113 for Ukraine
• $61.9 million for Bradley ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) tiles to improve armor of Ukraine's Bradleys
• $215.7 million for 25x137mm ammo for Bradley's gun (doubles US production for 2023)
• $134.5 million for M1147 rounds for Abrams tanks (designed to butcher enemy infantry in trenches)
• Ukraine also receiving M4A1 carbines, M240B machine guns, M2HB machine guns, Mk19 grenade launchers, M249 machine guns, night vision and thermal sights
• $130.4 million to replace Patriot AN/MPQ-65 radars sent to Ukraine (allows 360-degree coverage)
• $53 million for AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radars for NASAMS air defense system
• Hydra rocket pods, Javelin launchers and ammo, Mk13 sniper rifles also being sent
• $80 million of RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles provided to integrate with Ukraine's Buk air defense system

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Crisis in Russian police forces

Chris Owiki reports on the dire situation in Russia's police forces:

• Russia has become a police state but is facing a crisis in policing due to the war in Ukraine
• Despite having 900,000 police (630 per 100k people, twice that of US/UK), it's not enough
• Lack of funding means police have to use their own money for cars and equipment. Many leaving to become taxi drivers or couriers instead
• Political purges of experienced policemen believed to support Navalny
• War has led to police being diverted to investigating "endless charges" of people "discrediting the army" (e.g. curtains that look like Ukrainian flag) instead of dealing with serious/violent crimes
• Resulting in surge of police violence, corruption, and brutality to meet quotas
• Affecting Russia's ability to control occupied areas of Ukraine (e.g. need extra 40k officers just for Donetsk/Luhansk)

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Wrap up

Jonathan notes how the situation with Russian police is another example of how the country is struggling across the board, yet they are still throwing men into the trenches to defend against the Ukrainian counteroffensive. He thanks viewers for their support and encourages them to like, subscribe and share the video.

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