20 Aug: Unbelievable Footage: Drunk Russian Helicopter Pilots Burn To Ashes Own Ground Forces - Reporting from Ukraine

[TexasTowelie]

Today there are a lot of updates from the Kursk direction.

Here, as the Ukrainian offensive continued to penetrate deeper into Russian territory, the Russian high command scrambled to fill the gaps with a patchwork of disjointed units. The resulting chaos within the Russian ranks, compounded by a breakdown in communication between these fragmented forces, led to a series of disastrous incidents, allowing Ukrainian forces to capitalize on this disarray, further accelerating their advance.

The inception of the problem occurred when Russian officials reacted to the Ukrainian incursion by declaring a counterterrorist operation in the region under the leadership of the Russian Federal Security Service. This decision directly conflicted with the fact that the Kursk region was already part of the responsibility area of the Northern Grouping of Forces which is led by the Russian Ministry of Defense. This disjointed command structure, involving several decision-making centers, has immediately led to friction and inefficiency. On top of that, the hastily assembled and under-strength units that Russians scrambled from various fronts and military groupings had no communication with each other, and this lack of coordination caused operation breakdowns, chaos, and disorganization. This problem has amplified the already weak Russian defense in the area, allowing the Ukrainian forces to take advantage of these problems and make significant gains. Even more, this complicated and bureaucratic command structure has reduced the overall combat effectiveness of the Russian armed forces and caused a serious record of deadly mistakes.

One of the earliest and most telling examples of the command-and-control failures within the Russian military is illustrated by a video published by Russian military bloggers. The footage was intended to showcase a Russian Ka-52M attack helicopter successfully engaging a column of armored and transport vehicles, which propagandists claimed to be Ukrainian. However, the narrative quickly unraveled, revealing a major blunder and highlighting the severe communication issues plaguing the Russian army. Ukrainian drone operators soon released their own footage, proving that the targeted column was, in fact, Russian. The helicopter pilots had unknowingly destroyed their own troops and equipment. Subsequent images of the aftermath emerged, showing the charred remains of Kamaz and Ural trucks, as well as an MSTA-S self-propelled howitzer. In a shocking twist, the Russian pilot responsible for the attack was later punished by his commanders, who removed him from his position and transferred him to an infantry regiment to fight as a regular soldier. This decision, as reported by Russian military bloggers, was met with outrage, as the punishment is similar to a death sentence and will further weaken Russian aviation forces in the region, which have already suffered significant losses due to Ukrainian anti-aircraft measures.

A similar incident unfolded just days later near Korenevo, where yet another Russian armored column was mistakenly struck by their forces. The attack was initially celebrated as a successful hit against Ukrainian troops, with Russian bloggers quickly boasting about it. However, perhaps learning from previous mistakes, they were more cautious this time. Although they rushed to declare victory, they deliberately avoided releasing any video footage, recognizing that the event was another tragic and humiliating misfire for them.

The challenges facing Russian aviation soon escalated further, highlighted by the next geolocated video broadcast by a major Russian TV station. Correspondents had been sent to cover defense preparations in the town of Lgov, but while filming on one of the streets, a massive explosion suddenly rocked the area, forcing them to scramble for cover. The reporters later returned to the scene of the blast, speculating that the city had come under attack from Ukrainian HIMARS-launched missiles. However, military analysts later debunked this claim, confirming that the explosion was yet another mistake by Russian air forces in the region. The blast was caused by an aviation bomb accidentally dropped by a Su-Thirty-Four combat jet, further underscoring the ongoing issues within Russia's air operations. All uncensored footage of Russians assaulting their own forces can be found on our Telegram channel...

[ColinC]

1. I don't care why they say

That fire was not very friendly

[niyad]

2. Slava Ukraini. Thank you for the update.

[czarjak]

3. Long Live Ukraine