Home
Latest images
Register
Log in
ALAMO
... yeah ... boring ... going chemical?
+71
mr_hd
caveat emptor
Gazputin
limb
TMA1
Krepost
billybatts91
diabetus
marcellogo
lancelot
andalusia
crod
PhSt
teh_beard
Sujoy
nero
nomadski
mavaff
magnumcromagnon
LMFS
ATLASCUB
littlerabbit
GunshipDemocracy
flamming_python
Airbornewolf
Hinex1988
0nillie0
RTN
lyle6
zorobabel
ludovicense
SolidarityWithRussia
mnrck
franco
Werewolf
Tolstoy
Firebird
Big_Gazza
GarryB
Scorpius
Dr.Snufflebug
Eugenio Argentina
kvs
Kiko
VARGR198
Belisarius
JohninMK
sepheronx
Podlodka77
ucmvulcan
mnztr
Erk
Isos
Odin of Ossetia
Azi
ArgentinaGuard
ALAMO
Hole
Stealthflanker
Ispan
Mir
chinggis
par far
owais.usmani
PapaDragon
Arkanghelsk
Broski
Mig-31BM2 Super Irbis-E
Regular
Serberus
d_taddei2
75 posters
Russian special military operation in Ukraine #11
ALAMO- Posts : 7478
Points : 7568
Join date : 2014-11-25
... yeah ... boring ... going chemical?
GarryB likes this post
JohninMK- Posts : 15620
Points : 15761
Join date : 2015-06-16
Location : England
Wow 
Challenging logistics in a country with little fuel.
Chris Cavas
@CavasShips
·
25m
Latest US defense aid package for Ukraine as just announced by the Pentagon. Included are 11 Mi-17 Russian-built helicopters originally earmarked for but not transferred to Afghanistan; 5 were trf'd earlier. Package also includes 18 155mm howitzers, the 1st transfer of artillery
Steve Herman
@W7VOA
·
28m
This will be the first time for the US to provide #Ukraine with 155 mm howitzers and associated rounds, confirms @PentagonPressSec.
Challenging logistics in a country with little fuel.Chris Cavas
@CavasShips
·
25m
Latest US defense aid package for Ukraine as just announced by the Pentagon. Included are 11 Mi-17 Russian-built helicopters originally earmarked for but not transferred to Afghanistan; 5 were trf'd earlier. Package also includes 18 155mm howitzers, the 1st transfer of artillery
Steve Herman
@W7VOA
·
28m
This will be the first time for the US to provide #Ukraine with 155 mm howitzers and associated rounds, confirms @PentagonPressSec.
Last edited by JohninMK on Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:22 pm; edited 1 time in total
par far- Posts : 3496
Points : 3741
Join date : 2014-06-26
JohninMK wrote:par far wrote:This question is to the posters that are more educated about geopolitics and more informed about what is happening in the world on a geopolitically level.
We can know that the Russia is winning militarily(despite what the western lying media says), it is not easy, it is hard fought battle but the Russians are winning.
The question I have for posters that are more educated about geopolitics and more informed about what is happening in the world on a geopolitically level.
We have seen what is happening in Pakistan regarding Imran Khan(this is a coup), this happened because Imran Khan was "too pro Russian according to the Muricans".
If Russia wins out right in Ukraine militarily, will this change the stance of world governments and will it be hard to do the mischief things that are happening in Pakistan right now?
We have seen the Solomon Island situation with China, we can some glimpse of it happening.
Does this question really belong here in the military (in the main) info thread?
Surely it would be better in the 'effects of sanctions' which is our economic/political effects thread on this event?
This is a war on multiple fronts as stated before.
owais.usmani likes this post
par far- Posts : 3496
Points : 3741
Join date : 2014-06-26
"Days of war. Soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed south of Izyum, trophies."
https://t.me/voenacher/15155?single
https://t.me/voenacher/15155?single
JohninMK- Posts : 15620
Points : 15761
Join date : 2015-06-16
Location : England
par far wrote:JohninMK wrote:
Does this question really belong here in the military (in the main) info thread?
Surely it would be better in the 'effects of sanctions' which is our economic/political effects thread on this event?
This is a war on multiple fronts as stated before.
Doesn't alter the validity of the point I made.
owais.usmani dislikes this post
par far- Posts : 3496
Points : 3741
Join date : 2014-06-26
JohninMK wrote:par far wrote:JohninMK wrote:
Does this question really belong here in the military (in the main) info thread?
Surely it would be better in the 'effects of sanctions' which is our economic/political effects thread on this event?
This is a war on multiple fronts as stated before.
Doesn't alter the validity of the point I made.
The question was about the Ukraine war, read it again.
owais.usmani likes this post
Dr.Snufflebug- Posts : 1131
Points : 1129
Join date : 2017-12-27
- Post n°582
Re: Russian special military operation in Ukraine #11
Dr.Snufflebug Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:29 pm
JohninMK wrote:Wow
Chris Cavas
@CavasShips
·
25m
Latest US defense aid package for Ukraine as just announced by the Pentagon. Included are 11 Mi-17 Russian-built helicopters originally earmarked for but not transferred to Afghanistan; 5 were trf'd earlier. Package also includes 18 155mm howitzers, the 1st transfer of artillery
Steve Herman
@W7VOA
·
28m
This will be the first time for the US to provide #Ukraine with 155 mm howitzers and associated rounds, confirms @PentagonPressSec.
Towed howitzers (as if UA doesn't already have tons of them, and haven't been able to use them very effectively), M113 deathtraps (seriously, they are horrible), humvees, etc.
500 Javelins, after they already supposedly sent 10 000 of them. Sounds odd.
This seems like they're just getting rid of some remaining junk, that may or may not even work in the first place, nor be effectively utilized. Much like those faulty ex-DDR MANPADs, those Czech BMP1s, and the Leo 1 plan.
Perhaps the loitering munitions could pose an issue, but so far all drone-related stuff has proven to be a bit of a dud (except for arty spotting and laser designation).
Those SPGs that ...Austria (?) sent on the other hand are quite potent, but I am almost willing to bet most will be destroyed very soon if pressed into frontline service.
Again, these shit tons of weapons will inevitably inflict some casualties on RU/LDNR forces, just by pure mathematics, but effectively so? Turning the tide? I highly, highly doubt it.
Prolong things a bit, though. And target practice and trophy collecting, of course.
Last edited by Dr.Snufflebug on Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:36 pm; edited 1 time in total
d_taddei2, magnumcromagnon, par far, kvs, ALAMO, Hole, lancelot and like this post
magnumcromagnon- Posts : 8138
Points : 8273
Join date : 2013-12-05
Location : Pindos ave., Pindosville, Pindosylvania, Pindostan
- Post n°583
Re: Russian special military operation in Ukraine #11
magnumcromagnon Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:36 pm
In the Ukrainian city of Irpin, a curfew was introduced for staged filming, similar to the "events in Bucha"
A provocation is being prepared in Ukraine, similar to the one that was revealed by the Kiev regime earlier in Bucha. This was announced on Tuesday by the head of the National Center for Defense Control (NTsUO) of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev. According to him, pseudo-evidence of Russia's guilt is being collected "under the patronage of the countries of the collective West led by the United States."
"Especially for this, from 6 am on April 12 to 9 am on April 15, a curfew was introduced in Irpen and, accordingly, a complete blockade of the city. At the same time, representatives of law enforcement agencies and "incomprehensible" volunteers will be allowed to enter. time will be used by Kiev to prepare a provocation - cynical staged filming and further promotion of the fake by the Western media," the NCUO said in a statement.
General Mizintsev noted that the Russian side was warning "the so-called civilized West" in advance about the impending provocation.
The Kyiv regime, in his words, once again showed "the true criminal nature and complete disregard for all norms of international humanitarian law."
https://vpk-name.translate.goog/news/594735_v_ukrainskom_irpene_vveli_komendantskii_chas_dlya_postanovochnyh_semok_analogichnyh_sobytiyam_v_buche.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US
GarryB, kvs, GunshipDemocracy, Hole, Broski and Podlodka77 like this post
par far- Posts : 3496
Points : 3741
Join date : 2014-06-26
Dr.Snufflebug wrote:JohninMK wrote:Wow
Chris Cavas
@CavasShips
·
25m
Latest US defense aid package for Ukraine as just announced by the Pentagon. Included are 11 Mi-17 Russian-built helicopters originally earmarked for but not transferred to Afghanistan; 5 were trf'd earlier. Package also includes 18 155mm howitzers, the 1st transfer of artillery
Steve Herman
@W7VOA
·
28m
This will be the first time for the US to provide #Ukraine with 155 mm howitzers and associated rounds, confirms @PentagonPressSec.
Towed howitzers (as if UA doesn't already have tons of them, and haven't been able to use them very effectively), M113 deathtraps (seriously, they are horrible), humvees, etc.
500 Javelins, after they already supposedly sent 10 000 of them. Sounds odd.
This seems like they're just getting rid of some remaining junk, that may or may not even work in the first place, nor be effectively utilized. Much like those faulty ex-DDR MANPADs, those Czech BMP1s, and the Leo 1 plan.
Perhaps the loitering munitions could pose an issue, but so far all drone-related stuff has proven to be a bit of a dud (except for arty spotting and laser designation).
Those SPGs that ...Austria (?) sent on the other hand are quite potent, but I am almost willing to bet most will be destroyed very soon if pressed into frontline service.
Again, these shit tons of weapons will inevitably inflict some casualties on RU/LDNR forces, just by pure mathematics, but effectively so? Turning the tide? I highly, highly doubt it.
Prolong things a bit, though. And target practice and trophy collecting, of course.
Another thing is, there might not be enough trained personnel to use this equipment.
With majority of the Ukrainian army surrounded, some getting killed and some surrendering, there might not be enough Ukrainian army left.
If Russia decides to just pound the Ukrainian army in the Donbass, that 60,000 + dead Ukies, this might just break the morale of the Ukrainian army.
Mercenaries also don't want to just come and die for no reason either.
GarryB, d_taddei2, Big_Gazza, JohninMK, VARGR198, Hole, Broski and Podlodka77 like this post
Dr.Snufflebug- Posts : 1131
Points : 1129
Join date : 2017-12-27
- Post n°585
Re: Russian special military operation in Ukraine #11
Dr.Snufflebug Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:19 pm
Ukrainian twitter and news are celebrating two successful strikes on the Moskva guided missile cruiser.
Only proof posted so far are images from an Iranian ship on fire in 2017, and CGI from some US weapons ad.
Mind you, they said they struck Vasily Bykov and Admiral Essen before, both turned out to be BS. So most likely, this is as well.
Only proof posted so far are images from an Iranian ship on fire in 2017, and CGI from some US weapons ad.
Mind you, they said they struck Vasily Bykov and Admiral Essen before, both turned out to be BS. So most likely, this is as well.
Last edited by Dr.Snufflebug on Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
GarryB, magnumcromagnon and GunshipDemocracy like this post
Isos- Posts : 11599
Points : 11567
Join date : 2015-11-06
Situation would be worse for Russia if they sent rpg and soviet made atgms.
Those vehicles and artillery system are easy targets and concentrate lot of troops.
IMO ukrainians are aware that maning such equipement would be a quick death so very unlikely they use it. They will stick at shoot and run tactics with rpg and atgm. Suicide drones can be nasty however. That's the only thing that will afraid russians.
Those vehicles and artillery system are easy targets and concentrate lot of troops.
IMO ukrainians are aware that maning such equipement would be a quick death so very unlikely they use it. They will stick at shoot and run tactics with rpg and atgm. Suicide drones can be nasty however. That's the only thing that will afraid russians.
par far likes this post
Hole- Posts : 11116
Points : 11094
Join date : 2018-03-24
Age : 48
Location : Scholzistan
"Unmanned coastal defence vessels". 
10 counter-artillery and 2 air search radars. Wow. This is enough to secure on district of Kiev.
Mines. Really? If the Bandera lovers got enough of something (except pics of Hitler and such stuff) it is mines.
Storming of the factory where the Marines surrendered.
10 counter-artillery and 2 air search radars. Wow. This is enough to secure on district of Kiev.
Mines. Really? If the Bandera lovers got enough of something (except pics of Hitler and such stuff) it is mines.
Storming of the factory where the Marines surrendered.
GarryB, magnumcromagnon, kvs, GunshipDemocracy, lancelot, Broski and Podlodka77 like this post
sepheronx- Posts : 8839
Points : 9099
Join date : 2009-08-05
Age : 35
Location : Canada
Dr.Snufflebug wrote:Ukrainian twitter and news are celebrating two successful strikes on the Moskva guided missile cruiser.
Only proof posted so far are images from an Iranian ship on fire in 2017, and CGI from some US weapons ad.
Mind you, they said they struck Vasily Bykov and Admiral Essen before, both turned out to be BS. So most likely, this is as well.
We've seen this before. Remember earlier they claimed to have hit a corvette?
Isos- Posts : 11599
Points : 11567
Join date : 2015-11-06
sepheronx wrote:Dr.Snufflebug wrote:Ukrainian twitter and news are celebrating two successful strikes on the Moskva guided missile cruiser.
Only proof posted so far are images from an Iranian ship on fire in 2017, and CGI from some US weapons ad.
Mind you, they said they struck Vasily Bykov and Admiral Essen before, both turned out to be BS. So most likely, this is as well.
We've seen this before. Remember earlier they claimed to have hit a corvette?
According to them they hit Bykov and Essen frigate. Which never happened.
I think Zelensky shoud be a man for 1 hour of his life and surrender the Donbas. It will save many lives and it's not like they could win it. He need to be reaistic.
ALAMO- Posts : 7478
Points : 7568
Join date : 2014-11-25
You are trying to apply logic and fact to beliefs.
It won't work.
Today the official media layout is that they have regrouped at Mariupol, and strengthened the lines at Azowstal.
Azov get reinforcements.
This is a new chance&spirit.
There are no POWs.
It was a complicated mission, fully succeded. Dot.
All day long.
They just repeat the shit coming out of Arestovich fingers on Twitter
Now imagine, how brutal will be the landing there. That will be just smashed on the ground ...
It won't work.
Today the official media layout is that they have regrouped at Mariupol, and strengthened the lines at Azowstal.
Azov get reinforcements.
This is a new chance&spirit.
There are no POWs.
It was a complicated mission, fully succeded. Dot.
All day long.
They just repeat the shit coming out of Arestovich fingers on Twitter
Now imagine, how brutal will be the landing there. That will be just smashed on the ground ...
flamming_python, par far, GunshipDemocracy, Hole and Broski like this post
Ispan- Posts : 645
Points : 657
Join date : 2015-07-10
Age : 47
Location : Madrid
Great article about the upcoming battle in Donbass describing from the tactical the terrain, that is complex, it's not just steppe, to the strategic
http://k-politika.ru/bitva-za-donbass-slomaet-xrebet-kievskomu-rezhimu
http://k-politika.ru/bitva-za-donbass-slomaet-xrebet-kievskomu-rezhimu
franco and par far like this post
Erk- Posts : 933
Points : 946
Join date : 2015-04-26
Location : Empire of Lies
Ispan wrote:Great article about the upcoming battle in Donbass describing from the tactical the terrain, that is complex, it's not just steppe, to the strategic
http://k-politika.ru/bitva-za-donbass-slomaet-xrebet-kievskomu-rezhimu
Google doesn't want to translate that URL for me.
Got an English version?
par far- Posts : 3496
Points : 3741
Join date : 2014-06-26
"Prisoners of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the plant named after Ilyich."
https://t.me/boris_rozhin/42170?single
https://t.me/boris_rozhin/42170?single
lancelot likes this post
par far- Posts : 3496
Points : 3741
Join date : 2014-06-26
Erk wrote:Ispan wrote:Great article about the upcoming battle in Donbass describing from the tactical the terrain, that is complex, it's not just steppe, to the strategic
http://k-politika.ru/bitva-za-donbass-slomaet-xrebet-kievskomu-rezhimu
Google doesn't want to translate that URL for me.
Got an English version?
"The battle for Donbass will break the back of the Kiev regime"
"The Russian Armed Forces are preparing to destroy the best-trained and most combat-ready part of the AFU. The Ukrainian regime has already decommissioned its troops, but expects that those that remain will be able to bleed the Russian army and close the road to Kiev with their corpses. Now the largest land battle in Europe since World War II is being prepared in the Donbass. Obviously, this will be the main battle of the entire spring campaign, which will predetermine the course of summer events and allow the end of the Kiev regime before the cold weather begins. Both sides are putting everything on the line. At stake in Donbass.
"Schizniacs" in the cities.
The special military operation has already presented several surprises. The main forces of both the AFU and Russia are now converging on Novorossiya.
What are the peculiarities of the Donbass as a theater of military operations? First of all, it is a historically Russian region, which did not belong to Ukraine before the formation of the USSR and had no sympathy for the "Westerners. Genetically and ethnographically it does not differ from the neighboring Rostov region.
Secondly, it is one of the most urbanized regions in the world. There are few large cities in Donbass, but 90% of the population lives in urban-type settlements. Since the 19th century, the region has been developing as the industrial heart of the empire; in the Soviet Union, this trend has continued.
Third, the flat character of the area is very relative. The Donetsk steppe is very different from the Volgograd or Kazakhstan steppes. Geologically it is a ridge - elevation, which was formed on the site of ancient mountains, destroyed by erosion. The landscape is cut by numerous ravines, near the mines hundreds of waste heaps - artificial hills of rock. Their height can reach hundreds of meters. Most of them are bald, but some have been planted or overgrown with trees over the years. In addition, groundwater is constantly pumped out of the mines and drained into small storage ponds called stakes (emphasis in the first "a").
This pattern is most common in the eastern and northeastern parts of the region. As one moves southwest, the topography flattens somewhat. More fields appear. But the farmland is cut into rectangles by numerous plantings that intersect each other and ravines, creating a large-mesh green labyrinth through which you can drive equipment and infantry for many kilometers with little to no open space.
So what significance will these facts have for the unfolding battle? The answer is direct.
Ukrainians have never considered locals as their own. This is reflected even in the vocabulary adopted in Ukraine. Long before 2014, derogatory nicknames and insulting labels were invented for the "shidnyaks" ("orientalists," translated into Russian).
After the beginning of the Russian Spring and the return of Crimea to Russia, the residents of Donbass were universally declared "vata" and "coloradas," who should be "crushed and burned. It is noteworthy that the genocide of the Tutsi people in Rwanda began with a similar call to "exterminate the cockroaches. In other words, Ukrainians, who have always shouted that "Ukraine is Europe," were and are mentally at the African level of development.
Accordingly, for the AFU, the current battle is not just a battle against the Russian army, but also an operation to clear territories from a population that is foreign to them. The Ukrainian Tochka-U strike on Kramatorsk, which is still under the control of the AFU, and the explosion of tanks with dangerous chemicals clearly show how events will develop further. The Ukrainian side will seek to maximize the number of casualties and destruction.
It will only be possible to stop the genocide by completely destroying the Nazi troops.
It is also worth considering the factor of the urbanized landscape. Combat in urban areas is the most difficult type of combat for infantry and the most dangerous for armored vehicles, especially those built within the Soviet school of tank building. There are hundreds of settlements in the Donbass that literally touch the edges, flowing from one to the other. This provides enormous opportunities for ambushes and covert deployment of equipment.
The naturally occurring spoil heaps and mountains above the terrain allow a view of the terrain for many kilometers around. One of the most famous hillocks from the events of 2014, Mount Karachun, rises about 180 meters above Slaviansk, allowing the party holding it to effectively correct artillery fire. And it is not the only mountain in the region.
At the same time, the terrain between the settlements and waste heaps is not at all conducive to maneuvering and quick jerks. The movement of equipment is hampered by ravines, streams, artificial stakes and residential buildings.
Taken together, this means that Russian artillery will play a key role in the fighting in the Donbass. Accordingly, the side that can grind down the enemy's howitzers, long-range guns, and MLRS (multiple rocket launchers) will ultimately win.
For local residents, this means exactly one thing: their hometowns risk severe damage.
Ukrainian gambit
The possibility of cutting the ledge, where the most combat-ready Ukrainian grouping is located, was discussed on both sides of the border long before active combat operations began. Immediately after the start of the special operation, some experts (including those with extensive combat experience) expressed fear that the AFU General Staff would have time to pull the main forces out of the hypothetical trap and take them to Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia and other cities, forming a solid line of defense along the western bank of the Dnieper.
However, the events of March showed that the Ukrainian command does not intend to withdraw its forces from Donbass, but on the contrary - considers this territory as the most convenient battlefield for itself.
What is the AFU General Staff hoping for? First and foremost, a deeply defensive line, fighting in urban areas and Russian army losses in manpower and equipment. This is the Ukrainian course to victory. More precisely - to such a costly defeat that Russia simply will not be able to move the fighting to the right bank of the Dnieper after the end of the Donbass battle.
Apparently, the Ukrainian command is trying to repeat, on a larger scale, the battles for the Debaltsevo protrusion of 2015. Back then, the militia's strikes on the flanks of the Ukrainian grouping were stuck in a deep defense, and success was achieved because the DNR people's militia found a weak spot near Uglegorsk and managed to cut the bulge in two with a decisive strike, causing a panicked flight of the Ukrovermacht.
Russian Advantage
The Russian side is facing difficult tasks. The width of the line Izyum-Gulyaypole is about 180 km. If the offensive is not carried out strictly along the axis north-south, but with the entrance into the operational rear of the enemy, for example, to close the encirclement ring in the area of Pavlograd, the troops will have to pass with the fighting almost 250 km.
To isolate the Ukrainian troops on the left bank and destroy them in the cauldron, our army needs to cut R-79 highway, E-50 highway and N-15 highway.
The first of these runs through the Kharkov region, connecting the western end with the road network of the Poltava region. East of Izyum the highway abruptly turns to the north and finally connects with the roads of the Belgorod region. The E-50 highway in the region of interest goes from Dnepropetrovsk, through Donetsk to the Rostov region. H-15 is even further south, connecting Donetsk with Zaporozhye.
These routes are intertwined with a dense network of roads running from north to south, creating a very branched road network that will be difficult for Ukrainian troops to block.
The situation is made easier by the fact that, having taken Berdyansk and Mariupol, our troops have cut the M-14 highway that runs along the Azov Sea coast and partially blocked the R-37 highway that runs from it to Energodar.
Considering that the northern grouping of our troops will have to break through the large Kramatorsk agglomeration, and that there are more open and less populated areas in front of the units coming from Kherson, which give more room to use aviation and artillery, it can be assumed that the interception of communications will take place faster in the southern phase of the ridge.
In the near future, the position of the southern grouping of the Russian army will improve due to the end of fighting for Mariupol. This will free up large forces that are now constrained by urban fighting; in addition, it will be possible to run supplies not through Crimea and the port of Berdyansk, but directly from mainland Russia, from Rostov-on-Don and Taganrog.
Top Secret: Numbers and Timeline
At present, the main content of combat operations in the northern phase of the Donbass protrusion is to knock out Ukrainian artillery. If our artillerymen and rocket launchers manage to win this trump card, the VsEU will have to rely on handheld anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons supplied to them by Western patrons. The ability to inflict casualties on our troops would be reduced manifold, and the resilience of Nazi units would be significantly reduced.
According to British Intelligence, given to the Ukrainian side, our offensive could begin between April 12 and 19. The Russian Armed Forces themselves have not reported any information about their offensive intentions.
It is also practically impossible to establish the number of troops of the sides according to open sources. Some observers believe that each side is deploying about 90,000 troops. However, it is impossible to find any objective confirmation of this figure.
A few days before the start of the special operation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to the president that just over 59,000 Ukrainian troops were concentrated in the Donbass. Over the past month and a half, this group has suffered serious losses: it was partially pushed back to Volnovakha and further west, and partially blockaded and destroyed in Mariupol. However, all this time the AFU was able to move its troops across the Dnieper River, and therefore the risk that there are more troops in Donbass now than before the campaign began cannot be ruled out. Especially since there is a total mobilization in the country: men are literally being grabbed in the streets and stores.
Russia's forces can also only be estimated approximately. Our command has not only withdrawn large forces from the Kiev direction, but is also actively pulling in formations from deep inside the country. Russia has not announced mobilization, but since the middle of March it is recruiting volunteers through military enlistment offices. At the same time, in parallel with breaking the AFU defense south of Izyum, our army has stepped up its actions in the vicinity of Kharkiv. The prioritization between these two tasks will predetermine (or rather, has already predetermined) the composition in which our troops will go to cut the northern front of the Donbas grouping of the AFU. However, we will learn the details much later: for now it is a military secret.
KP military observer, retired colonel Viktor Barants, estimates that the Ukrainian side has between 60,000 and 90,000 troops in Donbass. Russia, according to his data, has between 120,000 and 150,000 troops, including units of the people's militia of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics.
Burning oil depots, wrecked trains
Victory, as you know, is forged on the home front. And this is where Ukraine has obvious problems.
Since the first week of the clashes, our Aerospace Forces (AAF) and rocket launchers have been systematically hitting oil depots. Considering that before the start of the special operation Ukraine received about 60% of its fuel from Russia and Belarus, these strikes significantly complicated the situation of the Ukrainian army, causing a serious shortage of fuel and lubricants.
For a long time, however, our military did not strike the railroad infrastructure. Naturally, the Ukrainian command began to take advantage of this opportunity to move units over long distances, and Russian society began to worry about another "gesture of humanism," which could cost our army dearly.
Judging by recent events, the worst fears have not been justified. Russian troops have begun hitting the railroads; in particular, on April 7, a missile strike was launched against the Lozovaya railway station in the Kharkov region. The Defense Ministry reported that a large batch of foreign military equipment was destroyed on the tracks.
Why haven't such strikes been carried out before? First, there may have been a political moment. In the first weeks our troops acted as delicately as possible, trying to minimize the destruction. Since it became clear in the first month and a half of the campaign that Kiev was staking on an all-out war, there was no point in being shy now. However, it is more likely that the choice of targets was more influenced by the setting of priorities. At the beginning of the campaign it was important for our forces to pin down the enemy, not to allow him to transfer mobile units and concentrate his forces. Destroying fuel was an excellent way to deprive tank and motorized units of mobility.
In addition, the panic-stricken Ukrovoyalists themselves blew up bridges en masse, including in their own deep rear. Perhaps they also took into account such a factor as the ability of the railroad troops to repair the damaged track. Both poorly equipped Red Army and Wehrmacht, acting on a huge logistical shoulder, coped with this problem perfectly well during the Great Patriotic War. That is, the damage from strikes on the railroad is always temporary, but the fuel burned at the bombed out oil depot is lost forever.
However, war, like politics, is the art of the possible. Changing conditions change the behavior of the sides. The prerequisites are now in place for Ukrainian troops to get on trains and for our military to start "working out" the trains. A fuel crisis has matured and taken shape in Ukraine; and the strategic maneuvering of our army is forcing the AFU command to redeploy troops over long distances. The combination of these two prerequisites literally forces the Ukrainian military to use the railroad. Accordingly, the importance of railway stations will change in the eyes of our commanders. Bombing empty rails is a low-impact activity, but destroying trains of equipment and ammunition is quite another matter.
Approximately the same situation is observed with regard to bridges over the Dnieper River. If the goal of our command was to prevent Ukrainian troops from approaching the theater of operations, then the bridges should have been bombed before the battle began. But if the objective is to destroy as many Ukrainian troops as possible, then the bridges should be destroyed after the battle begins, when all Kiev's available reserves will be transferred to the eastern bank.
"Everything will depend on the situation. If giant columns of Western armored vehicles - any equipment - will cross the bridges over the Dnieper, there may come a moment when we will have to tear these bridges," Baranets believes.
At the same time, the expert noted that in the future the destruction of these bridges will not create significant obstacles for forcing the Dnieper and transferring the military actions to the western bank, as our army has the means, allowing to build a bridge across any river very quickly, including the one-kilometer wide ones.
So what?
In the next few days, maybe within a week, a huge, extremely fierce battle will begin in the Donbass. The Ukrainian side will try to squeeze everything it can out of terrorist tactics and favorable defense terrain. Russia may not have a significant superiority of forces (for an offensive it is considered a three-to-one ratio in favor of the offensive), but it holds the initiative and is capable of striking at strategic depths. The defeat of the Ukrainian railroad network and fuel shortages should give our artillerymen an advantage in terms of ammunition supply. Consequently, there is a good chance that strikes on transport infrastructure during the Battle of Donbass will break the back of both the AFU and all of present-day Ukraine."
GarryB, Firebird, flamming_python, d_taddei2, Erk, GunshipDemocracy, Hole and like this post
JohninMK- Posts : 15620
Points : 15761
Join date : 2015-06-16
Location : England
Isos wrote:sepheronx wrote:Dr.Snufflebug wrote:Ukrainian twitter and news are celebrating two successful strikes on the Moskva guided missile cruiser.
Only proof posted so far are images from an Iranian ship on fire in 2017, and CGI from some US weapons ad.
Mind you, they said they struck Vasily Bykov and Admiral Essen before, both turned out to be BS. So most likely, this is as well.
We've seen this before. Remember earlier they claimed to have hit a corvette?
According to them they hit Bykov and Essen frigate. Which never happened.
I think Zelensky shoud be a man for 1 hour of his life and surrender the Donbas. It will save many lives and it's not like they could win it. He need to be reaistic.
I'm pretty sure she is tied up in harbour under repair/upgrade.
magnumcromagnon, GunshipDemocracy, Arkanghelsk and ucmvulcan like this post
kvs- Posts : 15850
Points : 15985
Join date : 2014-09-11
Location : Turdope's Kanada
No English translation but worth watching.
1) Blue arm bands are useless since they become hard to discern through tank optics under poor lighting conditions.
2) Two tanks arrive to the scene both of them T-64BV operated by the Ukrian side. It is clear that the soldiers about
to be sent to Bandera are not wary and treat them as their own.
3) Tank commander on the first tank was not using tank optics and should have been able to determine that the
soldiers were Ukrian. But he did not and it appears that seeing the "V" on the BMP-2 he lost his brain function.
4) The second tank appears to have fired off a shot about half a minute after the first tank killed the soldiers. What
it was shooting is not clear and may have been the first tank.
5) Likely a cumulative round designed to attack light armour was used by the first tank. A fragmentation round would
have spread lethal shrapnel to the position of the cameraman sitting in the car.
Werewolf, Regular, magnumcromagnon, zepia, VARGR198, Eugenio Argentina and Broski like this post
JohninMK- Posts : 15620
Points : 15761
Join date : 2015-06-16
Location : England
Is this verified anywhere?
GEROMAN --
-
@GeromanAT
·
1h
On the evening of April 13, 22, 1,350 servicemen of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade surrendered in Mariupol
GEROMAN --
-@GeromanAT
·
1h
On the evening of April 13, 22, 1,350 servicemen of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade surrendered in Mariupol
d_taddei2, magnumcromagnon, VARGR198, Broski, Arkanghelsk and ucmvulcan like this post
ucmvulcan- Posts : 1352
Points : 1350
Join date : 2022-02-26
- Post n°598
Re: Russian special military operation in Ukraine #11
ucmvulcan Wed Apr 13, 2022 10:55 pm
Breaking, the guided missile cruiser Moskva has been severely damaged. . . . Wait, I need to clarify that, my 1/700 scale model of the ship of the same name was severely damaged when it tumbled off the shelf in my study when I was dusting them this past weekend. . . . I am pretty sure the Moskva currently in service with the Russian Navy is undamaged outside of the Goebbelsesque Ukrainian Twitter sphere
GarryB, flamming_python, magnumcromagnon, kvs, Broski, Arkanghelsk and Serberus like this post
flamming_python- Posts : 9523
Points : 9581
Join date : 2012-01-30
- Post n°599
Re: Russian special military operation in Ukraine #11
flamming_python Wed Apr 13, 2022 10:57 pm
Isos wrote:sepheronx wrote:Dr.Snufflebug wrote:Ukrainian twitter and news are celebrating two successful strikes on the Moskva guided missile cruiser.
Only proof posted so far are images from an Iranian ship on fire in 2017, and CGI from some US weapons ad.
Mind you, they said they struck Vasily Bykov and Admiral Essen before, both turned out to be BS. So most likely, this is as well.
We've seen this before. Remember earlier they claimed to have hit a corvette?
According to them they hit Bykov and Essen frigate. Which never happened.
I think Zelensky shoud be a man for 1 hour of his life and surrender the Donbas. It will save many lives and it's not like they could win it. He need to be reaistic.
He's been hired out for 'not one step back!' and 'scorched earth!' and 'fight until the last Ukrainian!'
Giving out 'Hero of the Ukraine' medals to the beseiged in Mariupol, like Von Paulus was promoted when he was besieged in Stalingrad.
His priority is not saving lives, it is fulfilling the orders of Washington and London. As soon as they smelled that negotiations were going well in Istanbul, they told him to back out of it and then together orchestrated the Bucha hoax.
d_taddei2 and ucmvulcan like this post
flamming_python- Posts : 9523
Points : 9581
Join date : 2012-01-30
- Post n°600
Re: Russian special military operation in Ukraine #11
flamming_python Wed Apr 13, 2022 11:01 pm
kvs wrote:
No English translation but worth watching.
1) Blue arm bands are useless since they become hard to discern through tank optics under poor lighting conditions.
2) Two tanks arrive to the scene both of them T-64BV operated by the Ukrian side. It is clear that the soldiers about
to be sent to Bandera are not wary and treat them as their own.
3) Tank commander on the first tank was not using tank optics and should have been able to determine that the
soldiers were Ukrian. But he did not and it appears that seeing the "V" on the BMP-2 he lost his brain function.
4) The second tank appears to have fired off a shot about half a minute after the first tank killed the soldiers. What
it was shooting is not clear and may have been the first tank.
5) Likely a cumulative round designed to attack light armour was used by the first tank. A fragmentation round would
have spread lethal shrapnel to the position of the cameraman sitting in the car.
The tank commander was out of the hatch but it's the gunner that fires on his orders. And in principle there is nothing to prevent him firing by himself. The gunner's sight of course has a much narrower field of view.
It's been speculated that the flash or infra-red on one of the phones was mistaken by the tank's systems for an ATGM laser or some such.
kvs and Mir like this post