An analyst on a defence and security podcast has said that there are a lot more civilian targets in Ukraine than military ones, and the Russians will continue to target them.

Renowned open-source intelligence specialist @Osinttechnical said:

“Iranian-supplied drones and Iranian-supplied assets have replaced the existing or depleted stock of Russian cruise missiles and other long-range assets. I don’t think there have been Russian calibre strikes for weeks now. It’s at a very significantly declined rate. So we’re very likely to see sort of this reduction and this, this lack of, of attacks. Moving into the future, these strikes against Ukrainian civilian targets, against civilian infrastructure, especially power generation infrastructure, are aimed at disturbing the ability of the Ukrainian Homefront to actually operate for people to go around their daily lives for the past few months before these resumed, these renewed strikes started, people were effectively living a normal life.

There were, you know, wartime considerations, but people were able to work, people were able to sort of actually live and operate, and Russia, obviously with their new Iranian supplied drones, their Iranian supplied strike assets are attempting to disturb that and attempting to sort of end that normalcy for the civilians in Ukraine.

I expect that to continue, and I expect them to, especially if they acquire these ballistic missiles from Iran, a strike targets even deeper into Ukraine, and it’ll be even harder for the Ukrainians to actually counter it, which certainly is a threat for the Ukrainians that I, you know, they might be able to counter it, they might not be able to counter it. Right now, their current air defence assets are able to counter a number of the drones and various weapons that the Russians are sending.

But again, just due to the nature of those swarming attacks, and of those saturation attacks, they’ll saturate, you know, any sort of integrated air defence network, which the Ukrainians are trying to put together right now to, you know, protect against civilian targets. There are a lot more civilian targets in Ukraine than military ones, and the Russians will continue to target them.”

You can listen for yourself by clicking here.

What is the OSINT Bunker?

The OSINT Bunker is a defence and security-based podcast aimed at expanding people’s knowledge of the geopolitical landscape using open-source intelligence. It fills a niche that most people (most people reading this anyway) have for up-to-date, accurate and balanced information on ongoing conflicts.

What is OSINT? For those who don’t know, OSINT stands for open-source intelligence, which refers to any information gathered from public sources about an organisation, event, individual etc. In practice, that tends to mean information found on the internet, but technically any public information falls into the category of OSINT, whether it’s books or reports in a public library, articles in a newspaper or statements in a press release.

Episodes typically cover the UK and international defence matters.

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George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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farouk
farouk
1 year ago

Personally I feel that the switch to terror tactics and targeting civilians has more to do with Putin’s rage that the Ukrainians haven’t capitulated as his yes men experts informed him they would with his main audience not the Ukrainians who we have seen are in this for the long haul, but rather Putin is targeting the liberals in the West, who shocked at the increase in civilian deaths, will push for a ceasefire thus saving Putin from any further embarrassments, which if it continues will see him ousted from power. It also has the added benefit that if as… Read more »

Chrislondon
Chrislondon
1 year ago
Reply to  farouk

I am a Liberal and my reaction to all this is we should arm the Ukraine to hit back.

So far the main opposition to funding them seems to be the elements of the US right that want Trump back. He of course stopped military aid for almost three years to blackmail Ukraine into making up evidence against Biden.

farouk
farouk
1 year ago
Reply to  Chrislondon

Chris L wrote: “”He of course stopped military aid for almost three years to blackmail Ukraine into making up evidence against Biden.”” Actually that’s not exactly correct timewise, The time between the Pentagon stating it would provide $390 million in Aid, Trump placing a hold on that aid and that hold getting lifted was 85 days, Please find as follows a chronological breakdown as reported by the media in Nov 2019 regards that hold on aid as reported during the two weeks of the House intelligence committee’s public impeachment hearings: 18th June 2019: The Pentagon announces plans “to provide $250… Read more »

Last edited 1 year ago by farouk
Chrislondon
Chrislondon
1 year ago
Reply to  farouk

My mistake. I thought the block on aid continued for the whole period he spent pressing them for ‘evidence’. Thank you for the correction.

Simon
Simon
1 year ago

I would guess that Putin thanks that subjecting the Ukraine population to a cold winter without power will break there will and/or divert there attention from an offensive to trying to restore power.

Andrew D
Andrew D
1 year ago

God let it end 🙏

Jacko
Jacko
1 year ago
Reply to  Andrew D

The Orcs can end it tomorrow if they wanted!

Bringer of Facts
Bringer of Facts
1 year ago
Reply to  Andrew D

Forget Praying and address your comments to Russia ….they can end this war by withdrawing their army from Ukraine territory.

Andrew D
Andrew D
1 year ago

Some how don’t think Russia will listen to me but will give Putin a call away 😉

Monkey spanker
Monkey spanker
1 year ago
Reply to  Andrew D

Oh can you remind him I’ve moved so send my Christmas card to my new address. I will address his to the gulag he will be in by Christmas. 😂😂😂

Last edited 1 year ago by Monkey spanker
Darren hall
Darren hall
1 year ago
Reply to  Monkey spanker

😀😂

Bringer of Facts
Bringer of Facts
1 year ago

A brutal and stupid tactic

DaveyB
DaveyB
1 year ago

No, not really. Surprised that hadn’t done it a lot sooner. By targeting Ukraine’s infrastructure and in particular its power generation along with its supply and distribution network. Not only makes life worse for the civilian population, but also the military. It can have both a direct and indirect effect. As you now have to look at sourcing diesel gensets to back up everything, including the constant resupply of fuel. Which not only increases the logistical burden, but also how it is paid for. Without the gensets, there will knock on effects, with the loss of refrigeration to keep food,… Read more »

Chrislondon
Chrislondon
1 year ago
Reply to  DaveyB

All the more reason to give the Ukraine the power to hit back.
It is the only thing that will make the Russians stop.

DaveyB
DaveyB
1 year ago
Reply to  Chrislondon

Agreed, but Ukraine are playing it very carefully. If for instance they were to get something like Tomahawk, which had the range the range to reach Moscow. Or if Ukraine made a concerted effort to take out the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. How would Putin immediately react? By not using strategic weapons, there is less of a chance that Mad Vlad will use Nukes. There is a very strong chance that Ukraine will take back Kherson in the next couple of weeks, which will be bad for Russian morale. But not as bad if they loose the Nova Kakhovka… Read more »

Jon
Jon
1 year ago
Reply to  DaveyB

Zelenskyy has warned that Putin will blow the dam rather than lose it, destroying huge populated areas downstream. I don’t know if that’s a Putin bluff to stop Ukraine even trying, or what the consequences would be if he actually did it. What level of war crimes is the world willing to tolerate? In particular China, India, etc.

Last edited 1 year ago by Jon
DaveyB
DaveyB
1 year ago
Reply to  Jon

Mad Vlad’s rage won’t just affect the area around Kherson. The dam is holding back a huge body of water. If that dam id blown, the tidal wave it will generate will be felt at Odessa and all along Ukraine’s southern coastline, which is only a few metres above sea level.

Jacko
Jacko
1 year ago
Reply to  DaveyB

Supposedly Kherson would not be completely flooded it would mainly be the south bank. Held by the Orcs at the moment! Also that dam supplies water to Crimea so IF he did blow it will be pretty damn stupid!

JohninMK
JohninMK
1 year ago
Reply to  Jacko

Not only the critical water supply to Crimea but also cooling water for their NPP further up the reservoir. If it were destroyed then the major beneficiary would be Ukraine, cutting off the Russians west of the river and destroying their bridges.

Monkey spanker
Monkey spanker
1 year ago
Reply to  JohninMK

So you have to ask why does Russia have 2 trucks parked on top of the dam loaded with explosives? Satellite imagery confirmed they have been there for a while.
The other reports of more explosives within the dam are credible from 2 workers that left the area recently on top of the other reports.
Why kind of professional soliders and officers would conduct this kind of operation?
I can see the response now. A himars blew up the dam.

Airborne
Airborne
1 year ago
Reply to  Monkey spanker

He won’t respond as it will mean a reply which will be challenged. He just moved on to the next Russia/Ukraine story to peddle more nonce chuff!

Monkey spanker
Monkey spanker
1 year ago
Reply to  Jon

What kind of war crimes will countries tolerate? China does plenty of its own and doesn’t care. India isn’t interested if it doesn’t effect them.

Tom
Tom
1 year ago

Just a question… why doesn’t Ukraine hit back with the same tactics?

JohninMK
JohninMK
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom

They do but not on the same scale. They have been shelling civilian targets in Donetsk for years, often random houses using 122mm mortars. More recently using anti personnel ‘butterfly’ mines and HIMARS.

Monkey spanker
Monkey spanker
1 year ago
Reply to  JohninMK

Oh stop pedalling this old nonsense. The supposed civilian targets that have been hit were shown to be being used for military purposes and it’s not even close to the civilian targets the Russians have hit. We have all seen which side is the worst offender against civilians. Even if it was true the fact the news comes out of Russia can’t be believed because they constantly lie about everything. Russia can end this any time they like. Withdraw home. Simple. Anyone who wants to go to Russia can go also. The west would happily pay them a few million… Read more »

Airborne
Airborne
1 year ago
Reply to  JohninMK

Give yourself a bullshit tea break! You sing that sad tune continuously, desperate to try to justify your hero Putins invasion. And HIMARS has an accuracy unknown off by your orc rapists and therefore is used effectively and sparingly! Hardly gonna drop a valuable highly expensive guided munition on grandma’s house, unlike your dumb ordnance dumb military orc efforts at killing civvies.

Monkey spanker
Monkey spanker
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom

To use Russian terror tactics just makes you as bad as them and nobody wants to be like that. The Ukrainians goal is simple. Stop Russia trying to take over there country. They are doing very well and Russia is increasingly using desperate tactics as nothing else works. Russia spent the last 2 months getiing 2km closer to bachmut. Ukraine pushed them back those 2km in 2 days. Ukraine’s tactics are working and from history we know that attacking the civilian population just reinforces their resolve to fight. Nazis bombed U.K. it didn’t take our will. Allies bombed Germany. Same… Read more »

JohninMK
JohninMK
1 year ago
Reply to  Monkey spanker

Looks like Bakhmut news could be wrong. A couple of sources are now reporting that the AFU posted a video from SINIAT cement plant claiming they recaptured it from Wagner (it was never under RU control). Then a twitter user got the cement plant & asphalt factory mixed up & celebrated recapturing the latter (which didn’t happen).

Airborne
Airborne
1 year ago
Reply to  JohninMK

Interestingly enough I see Wagner is doing better than your rape squads, recruitment is up (obviously dross and prisoners) and is now effectively an Army within the Army and is being considered a threat to Putin by many in the Russian Nazi regime! Wagners head shed (Pooptins oligarch mate) is now a threat to your bed wetting Putin. Bit like Himmler, the SS and Hitler. The parallels with the Nazis continue!

Monkey spanker
Monkey spanker
1 year ago

If Ukraine can get in position that it pushes Russia out or Russia withdraws or it can have stability in most of the country they have a very strong case for saying to nato let us join and be protected by your nuclear weapons or we will need to get our own for deterrent value. This case only gets stronger the more russia mentions nukes or god forbid uses them. I would say they would need a bit of stability to build them as the west’s support may dip of they went that way. If it’s what’s needed to keep… Read more »