Operation Bloodhound - Red Shadow Air Cushion Landing Craft

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With the intensified battles of the last 48 hours and new Russian armour and troops arriving in central Donetsk, as well as more counter battery fire by Ukrainian forces, paranoia ruled in Donetsk itself yesterday, including fear of all-out air attacks by Ukraine or Russia - so a lot of people fled in cars for Ukraine government-held territory.

This was the result:

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Russian reinforcements deploying north east near Ryasnoye 20km from the Ukrainian border. Russian locals know where they are headed ...

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Someone finally got half-decent footage of a Russian TOS-1 Buratino thermobaric MLRS launcher inside Ukraine near Shaktersk/Shaktarsk the other day.



This system allowed Russia to crack the airport in Donetsk. Deployed in theatre about fourteen days ago.

File footage of it in action.



Soviets/Russians kept it under wraps and away from public display for many years although it was used in the Afghan war.

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Last week Sir Humphrey again briefly put his head above the parapet (missed opportunity given some of the other unique kit used over nine months ago, oh well...)

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Life on the eastern edge of Mariupol this morning.

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Russian footage of fighting still ongoing on at Donetsk airport yesterday suggesting some UA troops had survived the major Russian counter-attack against the evacuation corridors. Flat-ish column of smoke in the distance is apparently from the fire that started after the collapse of the airside part of the new terminal.

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Russian forces on site at the airport at some point in last 36 or 18 hours, no resistance. Can't post pic as it's a panorama. You can see the collapsed back of the terminal on approaches to most of the gates where a lot of the last defenders were KIA.

http://www.dermandar.com/p/atXaqB

Apparently a lot of (not shown here) UA KIA in one corner higher above and to the left of the destroyed tank and the two Russians walking next to it below the gate bridges.



Seems to be a pic of the same crew walking in, lifenews are close to Russian military intel and SF.

For anyone familiar with Euronews, the text appearing on the right "BEZ KOMMEHTARNEB/byez kommentariev" is "No/without Comment" so they were just showing the raw feed and some was ripped and put in an edited panorama format.

Seems the back of the terminal had burned out so maybe pics definitely from today.



Front of the terminal had fallen in a while back but now worse, more footage from last days to follow.

If the full-scale assaults north-west of Luhansk and on the southern front to Mariupol are on then Russian air will be out in force again from Murmansk to Egypt to Sakhalin, no sleep for Paul463 on the Arctic approaches. Also and SSBN boomers out of Murmansk if not already deployed in the Firth of Forth and Clyde against the Royal 'home in time for tea' Navy.

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Clearer pics of the aftermath of the terminal collapse.









Lifenews have decided to put up video of the UA KIA referred to earlier up on youtube. Confirmed lack of corpse degradation and blast wounds fit within the previously described timeline.

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Remains of one of the Ukraine columns that tried to breakthrough to the airport 48 hours ago.



Some of the recently paraded POWs seem to be from this unit.

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Russian T80s confirmed today inside Ukraine by the OSCE Monitoring Mission. Unmarked, apparently.

More than 50 WIA MEDEVAC from Donetsk airport by the last relief convoys have symptoms consistent with nerve gas exposure. Somehow no Western nation seems fit to confirm and assist, despite paying the wages of the OSCE Monitoring Mission who have confirmed the symptoms. Perhaps they could pay the Monitors to say the opposite.

All kinds of other Russian kit in theatre, confirmed yesterday by NATO who also note similar proliferation of heat and radar signatures as per incursions in August-September and the April-May prep.

And there are still some Ukrainians alive in the basements under the rubble of the new terminal at Donetsk Airport. The Muscovites can use their last nerve gas reserves to gas them out as the SS did to those holding out in the coal mines near Kerch, Crimea, in 1943. And now that circle is complete.

In the interim, the Russians are advancing gradually north and shelling everything that moves in about five other locations across the frontline.