Ukraine War Update NEWS: Overnight & Other News - So Much News!
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This summary has been produced automatically by an AI Large Language Model (LLM) without any human intervention. Whilst every effort has been made to prompt the LLM to produce accurate output, there may be inconsistencies, inaccuracies or hallucinations!
Table of Contents 📖
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"This war on behalf of the US that's happening in Ukraine, this is the best opportunity the US will ever have to spend a reasonable amount of money to achieve a massive geopolitical goal."
Hello Team!
Jonathan provides the latest update on the Ukraine war for 16 February 2023.
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🪦 DISCLAIMER FOR GENERAL STAFF LOSSES DATA
- These are real people with real lives and real families who love them. Don’t let the numbers sap your humanity.
- These numbers probably aren’t accurate but they’re the best we have and we don’t need them to be accurate to be indicative of patterns of activity.
- All losses are estimates. Losses cannot be counted with accuracy because of the conditions on the ground.
- Both sides would see it to be of their advantage to minimize their own losses maximize the other side’s losses.
- Neither side releases their losses but we have enough transparency from the Ukrainian side to have confidence in they are indicative.
- Personnel losses are hard to count. If a soldier gets injured, heals up, and returns to the front line only to get injured again, is that one loss or two? Also, how to deal with losses from PMC’s or soldiers fighting with RF from occupied territories?
- Equipment losses are hard to count. If an AA complex involves several parts and one part gets disabled, is that a loss, or a fraction of a loss? If a tank gets disabled, repaired, back into the fight, then disabled again, is that one lost tank or two?
- All recorded losses are vulnerable to multiple reporting. We have already seen numerous cases of multiple drones in the air reporting the same loss from different angles as multiple engagements.
- Losses are not always reported on the same day they occurred. It is frequent that drone losses are reported at least 24 hours after other terrestrial equipment losses. Certain losses may not be reported for days or weeks for military intelligence reasons.
Russian losses
- 690 Russian personnel were killed, which is above average. If Russia lost this many every day they would be in more trouble.
- Other losses include: 6 tanks, 10 APCs, 3 artillery systems, 3 anti-aircraft warfare systems, 1 helicopter, 1 drone, 6 vehicles and fuel tanks
- Anti-aircraft systems are important targets for Ukraine to gain air superiority
Aircraft losses
- Ukraine claims a Russian KA-52 helicopter was shot down
- Footage shows another Wagner Su-24 aircraft was shot down, the second Wagner aircraft lost in recent days
- An OSA 9K33 air defense system was also destroyed
Russian casualties
- Ukrainian border guards killed 60 Russian soldiers in Donetsk using mortars, grenade launchers and small arms
- 20 trucks full of wounded Russian soldiers arrived at a hospital in Starobilsk, an unusually high number for the area
- A blood bank has been set up in Simferopol, Crimea to collect blood from civilians, suggesting a greater need than before
Russian missile attacks
- Russia launched 32 missiles overnight, with 16 shot down (50% success rate)
- Missiles included Kh-101, Kalibr, Kh-22, Kh-59 and Onyx types launched from bombers, frigates and the Black Sea
- Ukraine struggled to intercept the Kh-22 missiles as they lack air defense systems capable of this. Patriot missile systems should help when in place.
Russian tank losses
- A report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates Russia has lost nearly 40% of its pre-war tank fleet after 9 months of fighting
- This rises to 50% for some key tanks like the T-72B3
- Ukraine has actually gained tanks overall from donations and capturing Russian ones
Fires in Russia
A major fire broke out at an industrial plant 250km east of Moscow that makes gas centrifuges for Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom. The fire spread to multiple buildings at the site.
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97% of Russian army in Ukraine claim
- UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace claimed 97% of the Russian army is in Ukraine
- Jonathan believes this is likely inaccurate as there are reports of Russian troop buildups in other areas that contradict this
- It would leave Russia's long borders undefended which seems unlikely
Geopolitics
- A Russian ship sporting the "Z" war symbol is participating in naval drills with China and South Africa, drawing criticism from South African opposition parties
- China has declared support for Iran, calling them a "counterweight to American power". An axis seems to be solidifying between Russia, China and Iran which is concerning.
- The US is worried about reports of a Russian plot to overthrow the government of Moldova, a Ukrainian neighbor. Russia may try to derail Moldova's EU aspirations.
US aid and public support
- A poll shows US public support for sending weapons to Ukraine has dropped from 60% to 48% in 9 months
- Jonathan argues the raw dollar amounts of aid are misleading, as much is existing inventory and the amounts are small compared to the overall US defense budget
- He believes it is money well spent for the US to achieve a major geopolitical goal of weakening Russia at a fraction of the cost of direct war
Other news
- Ukraine's Defense Minister Reznikov is retaining his position despite a corruption scandal as his expertise is needed
- The EU is preparing a 10th package of sanctions on Russia worth €11 billion
- Germany is frustrated that other countries are not following through on tank promises to Ukraine
- The Netherlands is paying to refurbish Leopard 1 tanks and providing ammunition
- The US has no immediate plans to send fighter jets to Ukraine
- Sweden is sending 51 CV90 IFVs and Archer artillery systems
- France is delivering the first batch of AMX-10 armored vehicles
- The US has signed contracts to produce more 155mm artillery shells to help with Ukraine's high usage rate
- Germany provided Ukraine's border guards with trucks, generators and other civilian equipment
Wrap up
Jonathan asks viewers to like, subscribe, and share the video, and notes all the ways to support the channel are in the video description. He thanks the audience and mentions frontline updates are coming shortly.
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