Posted on 09/09/2022 8:29:26 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
This falls under the category of too good to check. As Ed Morrisey pointed out this morning, the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the east seems to be shaping up as a genuine disaster for Russia. I came across this animation which shows the territory Ukraine has retaken in the past few days.
AFU 🇺🇦 counter-offensive in Kharkiv region for the last three days 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8Mpj3fVPqB
— Tarmo Juntunen 🇨🇿 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 NAFO (@TarmoJuntunen) September 9, 2022
Wednesday there were reports of an even bigger loss for Russia. This has not been confirmed yet but it’s possible that Ukrainian forces have captured a Russian Lieutenant General.
Images closely resembling Lieutenant General Andrei Sychevoi, commander of the Russian Federation’s (RF) Group of Forces West, appeared on Ukrainian social media, and then on independent news platforms on Wednesday, September 7.
A widely-reported video shows a bound RF officer with facial features closely resembling Sychevoi’s official photographs, being interrogated by Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF) soldiers. By the evening of Thursday, September 8 independent Ukrainian news sources were reporting Sychevoi’s capture as likely, but not confirmed.
The kneeling man is shown wearing a standard-issue Russian army camouflage uniform and Lieutenant Colonel rank, without other markers. He is bleeding from a cut on his brow and does not answer UAF soldier questions.
Were General Sychevoi to be in UAF hands, he would become the highest-ranking Russian officer to become a prisoner of war since World War Two.
Did they really get him? Here’s the video clip of the captured soldier.
The Lieutenant Colonel of the Russian Army was captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine 🔥#Ukraine #UkraineRussiaWar #Russia #RussiaUkraineWar #RussiaIsATerroristState pic.twitter.com/4gQQFuTw2s
— Ukrainian Babushka 🇺🇦 (@vic_top555) September 7, 2022
Some observers have claimed the soldier’s nose doesn’t quite match that of Lt. General Sychevoi. They may have a point but it’s a bit hard to tell because the angles are different. What does appear to match, at least based on what I see, is the chin and the ears. Does the soldier have that same mole on his left cheek? I really can’t tell.
As mentioned he’s dressed as a lieutenant but there have been reports that Russian soldiers are responding to the Ukrainian counterattack by ditching their uniforms and trying to blend in as civilians:
…some Russian troops in the Kharkiv region have deserted and abandoned their uniforms due to Russia’s “significant losses,” the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said, adding that the soldiers are hoping to blend in while wearing civilian clothing.
“Personnel of the occupying forces in civilian clothes resort to desertion and try to return to the territory of the Russian Federation,” the General Staff said in a situational update Friday, claiming that 15 such cases had been observed.
There’s also another possibility. I see some people on Twitter claiming that Lieutenant General Sychevoi was fired recently for poor performance.
Correction: it seems he was replaced a month ago. 2/https://t.co/R6o55Lilsa
pic.twitter.com/XXyt9dkRDF— Rob Lee (@RALee85) September 8, 2022
Maybe the Lt. General was busted to a lower rank because he wasn’t advancing quickly enough? Or maybe this really is a Lt. Colonel. This is the best case I’ve seen that this is not the general.
#Ukrainian officials have not yet confirmed if yesterday's POW is Alexander #Seliverstov, who was the head of the #LPR local Police, or Lieutenant General Andrei #Sychevoi. #UkraineWar #UkraineRussiaWar #UkraineRussianWar #UkraineKrieg #Fellas #Russiahttps://t.co/dvT4ABvSYv
— Jokes4Ukraine🇺🇦 (@Carmelides) September 9, 2022
Anyway, let’s just admit there’s a huge grain of salt here and instead of dwelling on that, consider what it would mean if Ukraine really did capture a Lt. General. This guy’s bio describes him as a retired DoD civil servant.
People on Twitter haven't really begun thinking through the implications of the capture of Russian Lieutenant General Andrei Sychevoi.
If Ukraine got him, they overran his headquarters and all the paper & electronic records held there…intact.
— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) September 9, 2022
It has all the filtration lists, the kill lists, all the information on who & what to ethnically cleanse.
It also has all the various Russian government ministry directives on what to steal from Ukraine and who to sent it to.
3/8
— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) September 9, 2022
It will have ongoing political appreciations of Western governments that were applicable to the Front's operations.
This will provide Ukraine considerable leverage against a whole lot of EU & US politicians for decades.
5/8
— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) September 9, 2022
And it has copies of lists of all the Russian agents of influence/collaborators in the Front area of operation.
These will include lists of individuals in non-government organizations, journalists & media organizations operating in Ukraine.
7/8
— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) September 9, 2022
In short, if they really found all of this stuff it would be a huge blow to Russia and their allies on the ground. And that’s why I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up because if a story sounds too good to be true, it usually is. At a minimum, we need to wait for a confirmation or a denial from one side or the other.
This can’t be true because I read just the other day how the Ukrainian counteroffensive was a complete disaster. /s
If this counter offensive against the exposed “Kherson beachhead” is truly successful, then the Ukrainians should be taking thousands of Russian prisoners and the photos would be widely publicized. Solid, reliable information regarding this campaign is simply not available. BTW Western intelligence agencies could quickly identify this prisoner if it so chose.
No..... because all this is retarded.
#3. The Ukrainian counter offensive is operating under tight operational security. Through out the conflict Ukraine has not shown off massed POWs. To get western aid they have to abide by the Geneva convention. Faking videos of treating POWs well or claiming the other side abusing prisoners happens. Violating the convention on POWs would make getting aid harder. The best way to avoid any controversy and bad press is to show POWs as little as possible.
This battle has been compared to Stalingrad. In late 1942 a sizable Russian force defending Stalingrad was apparently outgunned, poorly supplied and had its backs to the Volga river with no reliable means of resupply or withdrawal. Yet the Russians in a master stroke attacked the German flanks, surrounded VonPaulus’ army forced it to surrender. The startling pictures of tens of thousands German POWs could not be censored by the Nazis. The German people and high command then knew that the war was lost.
If the Ukrainians actually win and take such pictures, the effect would be equally devastating. But then again would not quite rule out the Russians just yet.
Check out the shape of the ear. To my eye the general’s and the ‘colonel’s’ look the same.
You are correct to point out the ears. They can be as distinctive as fingerprints. I would put money on them capturing a Lt. General.
Capturing a field Lt. Colonel isn’t small potatoes!
It will be “you talkski or we shootski”!
“This will provide Ukraine considerable leverage against a whole lot of EU & US politicians for decades.”
So I am supposed to cheer about blackmail of unnamed US politicians?
Is this Ukraine expecting the US to give it billions more?
Disgustingz.
It’ll be a success again tomorrow or maybe not. Ukraine is definitely winning or losing and Russia has definitely lost or is winning because Putin is showing signs of illness or it could have been his double.
My bet is on Guam which is about as accurate as the reporting on this war.
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