16 Sep: Russian ARMY BREAKS DOWN. Putin LOST TRUST in MoD and Takes Matters in His Own Hands

I am a Ukrainian. My country has been invaded by Russia. In this video I will tell you what happened on the two hundred and fifth day of the war.

Day 205: September 16

As you know, yesterday the Russians blew up another dam upstream to keep the levels of water in the Inhulets River high and force the Ukrainians to put their counteroffensive on hold. Such desperate measures are not surprising. The Kharkiv counteroffensive has already damaged the reputation of the Russian Ministry of Defense because they missed an attack that even military bloggers have been warning about for weeks if not months. And this is very dangerous when your army consists of separate semi-autonomous units, in this case, regular forces, Donetsk People’s Republic’s forces, Luhansk People’s Republic’s forces, Wagner Group Private Military Company, and of course Chechen forces. Russian military heavily relies on professional and powerful Chechen units, so it was a huge blow when Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov critiqued the Russian Ministry of Defense for its lack of situational awareness and accused it of creating the façade of success. On top of that, as you remember, a protest against the immediate redeployment of LPR forces broke out. The last straw that totally undermined Putin’s trust was an attempt by the Ministry of Defense to frame this failure as a planned regrouping. That is why Putin decided to postpone all the meetings with the High Command and take matters into his own hands and when he assessed the situation, he saw the following picture.

The front line in Kharkiv continues collapsing because of the weak defense, the LPR start to protest, the Ukrainians are reinforcing the Zaporizhzhia front line at a very rapid pace and probably planning another attack, and the Kherson front line is on the verge of collapse. Only the eastern front line is stable, largely due to the Chechens, but now the Chechens basically threaten to refuse to fight if the situation does not improve on other fronts, which means that the whole Ukrainian operation can turn into a complete catastrophe. So, in order to stop the immediate collapse and simultaneously buy themselves more time, the Russians do the following.

Firstly, they hit the Kharkiv Thermal Power Plant which caused a blackout and significant logistical complications in reinforcing the Zaporizhzhia front line, which bought the Russians more time to reinforce the region because obviously this is not a one-stage process – it is a gradual process and the Russian defense here becomes a little bit stronger every day.

Secondly, they needed to deal with the LPR. So, in order to stabilize the front line, they sent some reinforcements to Lyman and Yampil, and in order to localize the problem with the protests, Russian occupation authorities shut off mobile internet in the region. It was supposed to preserve Russian operational security and conceal the regrouping, but given that it was not done in other regions and only in the region where there was a high risk of a growing revolt, I find the operational security argument unlikely to be true.

Lastly, they blew up two dams on the Inhulets River, to stop the Ukrainian counteroffensive. And there are a lot of claims that it had no effect, that the water levels did not increase that much, and that the passages are still operating, but I find these claims largely unsubstantiated. The fact of the matter is, before the attack on the dam, the Ukrainians reportedly continued to actively expand their bridgehead westwards – they entered Novohredevne, they entered Mala Seideminukha, they also tried to expand it further south and engaged in combat near Bezimenne, and they also tried to expand it eastwards and attacked Davydiv Brid from Novohryhorivka that is across the river. Some activity was also reported near Velyka Oleksandrivka and Arkhanhelske, which are situated on the same river. However, after the attack on the dam, the only activity along the river that was reported was the use of helicopters by the Ukrainians to transport some cargo, which is basically never done if your passages are indeed in the operational state. So, the Ukrainian counteroffensive was significantly affected by the increased water levels. However, I have good news as well. Previously, I estimated that the Russians have enough resources for a counterattack but it seems that they don't.

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[RFU]

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[stevendaugherty]

I like how your analyses reports the actual situations on the ground, both favorable & unfavorable developments to Ukraine. It adds greatly to your credibility. As usual, great job! Your channel is the first one I watch daily to stay informed on the situation in Ukraine.

[johnmichaelson]

I'm so proud of the Ukrainian people in the most difficult of circumstances they've shown exceptional bravery every citizen playing a part proving that Ukraine is a sovereign state with a free people who will defend their nation tooth and nail. Slava Ukraine. 🇺🇦🇬🇧🙏

[michaelpedersen]

I actually think that this is the best reporting that I have seen on YouTube, and I have seen a lot… Extremely intelligent!! There are also information that other YouTubers don’t tell us about… Very, very clever!! Thank you who ever you are!! 🇺🇦👍

[Microbex]

Five star Ukrainian special operation. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🇺🇦✌️

[Smetztems]

Putin making the decisions? Best news for Ukraine I've heard this month!

[lt.dashkov]

Your analysis are so well informed that I'm glad I come back everyday to hear your reports

[holgere.]

Thanks for the analysis! It makes me sad that things have to get worse before they can get better. Let's hope Ukraine doesn't fall for the terrible trap of paying back an eye for an eye. You can win this without going down on the same level as the orcs! And you have to. Slava 🇺🇦!

[jefflengyel]

You are the only guy that seems to pronounce these cities properly without needing to pause. Great reporting btw.

[lightweave]

I'm always glad for your analysis, because it puts the news in the right perspective so that it makes sense in the greater context. Most channels only report what can be easily gathered on the internet but they usually don't connect the events or make some fantasy of what-I-would-like-to-have from it (in both directions depending on their loality), instead of looking at the big picture and what certain actions mean in the context of the war.

[jeffreyexposito]

Hitler lost confidence in his generals as well. The similarities between Putin and Hitler are uncanny.

[TheVoiceOfReason]

Putin's decision reminds me of a previous ruler of Russia who tried to sort out the situation at the front himself during a war. What did they say about those who don't learn from history again?

[Zarastro]

So the Russians in Kherson are so bad off against the “failed” counteroffensive that they can’t even capitalize on a golden opportunity to destroy a pocket that threatens their front? I cannot see them holding out past December.

[robertbrooks]

When the "Russian Blitzkrieg" ended up in a forty mile traffic jam of tanks that ran out of fuel it was time for Russia to put it's tail between it's legs and run. It was a omen of what is to

[louisemason]

Thank you for your high quality and unbiased reporting. I haven, t read any other Ukrainian sources mentioning the problem of flooding affecting the southern front. although it is obviously making thing more difficult

[famnyblom]

This is a pure, top quality news and analysis channel which is the best I've found yet covering this conflict.

[Brae]

I really want Ukraine to win this and reclaim all of its land even Crimea and then rebuild and recover and fortify its borders for the future to prevent this happening again.

[charger]

Thank you for the update, blowing up civilian infrastructure targets just prooves how dirty and unfair the enemy fights when things aren't going their way. Be safe out there, the enemy is growing desperate like a cornered wounded predator.

[vassilisworld]

I love your analysis, it clears the fog of war. thank you

[lostbirdsproduction]

This blogger is awesome. Respect Ukraine Military Force.