Ukraine War Kicks Off 2023 with a Bang

The Ukraine War started off the 2023 New Year with a bang. A HIMARS missile strike killed many Russian “mobiks”, who were just being mobilized in Makiivka.

According to the Wall Street Journal, it’s the “single most fatal strike known in months.”

We’ll be hearing more about this stupid war over the next few weeks, but that’s all for today’s news.

Monday’s WSJ reported that the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that 63 new soldiers were killed in a blast by four HIMARS-launched missiles that struck a training facility. The former vocational training center was apparently also used for ammunition storage, which would have amplified the missile strike’s effects.

Reuters reports that HIMARS has been hit by “demands from nationalist blogs for commanders to face punishment for housing soldiers alongside an ammo dump.” Igor Girkin, a pro-war Russian nationalist, complained that this is “not the first such case” in which troops and ammunition were kept too close within HIMARS range.

Telegram, a popular social media platform for pro-Russian milbloggers, reports that at least 70 mobiks were killed and more than 100 were injured while rescue crews searched through the rubble.

Ukraine War HIMARS Strike:

This strike came after another night of heavy Russian missile strikes on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.

Kyiv asserts that the HIMARS strike resulted in “hundreds” of Russian recruits being killed, possibly as many as 400.

ISW reported Saturday that Sunday’s attack was close to a “Ukrainian HIMARS Strike from December 27” that “hit an army-level command point in Kherson Oblast and killed twelve Russian officers.”

HIMARS, a powerful, fast-moving missile system that can hit hard, was designed and manufactured in the United States. It is well-known for its precision and speed. Up to now, Kyiv has received 20 truck-based missile launchers. Moscow claims that it has destroyed more than 40.

This is not a joke.

Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s intelligence chief, claimed Friday that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin would launch another round of mobilization similar to September’s call-up of 300,000 civilians to the military. It is not clear if the Russian military was able to absorb this first wave of mobiks. For now, Budanov’s claims are worth every drop of salt.

Russian forces are still putting everything into taking Bakhmut east of Makiivka. This is a place that more than 71,000 Ukrainians used to call home before the Russian invasion. It is believed that there might be 2,000 to 5,000 people still living in the area.

The Battle of Bakhmut has become so desperate that Ukraine is using old tanks as artillery, a role they are not well-suited for. The Russian forces were forced to do the same elsewhere in Ukraine.

Both sides are short of ammunition.

How about negotiations to put an end to this vile slaughter?

Instapundit linked to an earlier today George Friedman column that showed why this is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Friedman outlined the conditions that most wars can be ended.

When one side runs out of war material, the first is it. Russia is capable of war-making, and the West’s larger resources support Ukraine. Until Russia collapses or the West becomes bored, neither side will have to give in.

The second refers to when “one side is exhausted”. This is a situation in which Ukraine is fighting for its survival, and Russia is enslaved by powerful nationalist forces.

War can end if one side cannot see a way to “radically increase its military power” and is not open to foreign intervention. This condition is also unlikely, as long as the West continues to support Ukraine in its fight.

“A war ends when civilians can bear the consequences of defeat.” Perhaps someday, Russia will stop fighting endless wars. However, Ukrainians may not be able to tolerate renewed Russian control over Ukraine.

It seems that Ukraine may end 2023 in the same manner it started: with more big bangs.