Another argument against straight bombing is that this is a battle of attrition where Russia wants to deplete Ukrainian military assets and morale. If they just bomb the city, Zelensky will just pull back the UAF to more defendable positions, and be able to use the horror of a dead city to encourage more gibs from other countries. The longer the fighting takes while Russia is in an entrenched position, the more the Ukraine depletes its assets and the more the world gets disappointed in the entire war. If the Ukraine is just going to throw good men into a kill box, Russia is better served by sitting out and having woodchipper go brrrrrr.
I think its been unofficially confirmed that it was a general's idea to basically turn Bahkmut into a meatgrinder and let Ukies throw bodies at it. Which is why the West wanted the Ukies to pull back but Z man doubled down and then turned it into a holy site which basically forced the West into holding it.
I suspect the leaks may have been intentionally released by the US to be blamed on Ukraine, just like with Nord Stream.
One of the reasons why is to start softening up the public to the idea of dropping support to Ukraine, making the Ukrainian high command look like a bunch of dumb bastards (kek) who are either a) incompetent or b) ungrateful and leaked it intentionally. Another reason is that it gives Ukraine's handlers a reason to back out of the counterattack, it's propaganda for the internal audience.
Possibly. There's no fucking shot that anyone with half a brain cell believes fucking Ukraine did that shit. Why the fuck would Russia blow up its own pipeline that it paid massive amounts of money for?
EU:
Motive: Uhhh......blow up...their own supply of gas....for....reasons, possibly?
Means: Sure
Opportunity: I mean, sure.
Russia:
Motive: None, they can just turn the pipe off or slow the supply of gas.
Means: Sure
Opportunity: It is one of the most heavily patrolled areas by the West, highly unlikely they'd have the necessary intel to be undetected.
Ukraine
Motive: Destroy Russian Infrastructure
Means: Fucking lol, no.
Opportunity: Without Western Support, none.
USA
Motive: Force EU to rely on gas imports and not Russia to keep them in the war effort
Means: Absofuckinglutely
Opportunity: They know their allies movements intimately, and they could have made subtle adjustments so they wouldn't be detected. They'd have the most access to intel from the area, and the least likelihood of getting caught.
HMMM GUYS THIS IS A FUCKING SCOOBY DOO MYSTERY HERE, REAL TOUGH TO FIGURE OUT. I guess it was the Ukrainians who have no underwater training, frogmen or special forces to carry it out, plus no means to get there without the Russians noticing unless America basically hand held them through it. OR maybe it was Russia, who just chose to shoot itself in the fucking face and blow up a trillion dollar piece of infrastructure. Totally could be anyone, anyone at all!
You have to be fucking mentally retarded to believe the Ukrainians blew that up all on their fucking lonesome. And that Russia would blow up a trillion dollar pipeline. Or the EU would basically put a shotgun in their mouth and pull the trigger with a smile.
