Ukraine: Russian Invasion

[Nordstern]

Still haven't managed to have a crash or flat tire, but let me tell you there's some roads in Ukraine that are literal potholes in potholes on potholes.

[dzajic]

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/08/p...sia/index.html

And in the meantime a Pentagon spokesman shot down the "MiGs for Ukraine" deal with a lot of lawyerease and diplo speech that come down to "not ever". I'm fairly certain a certain red telephone was used.

What is to prevent that same red telephone from ringing when Russia comes for the Baltics, or for Finland, or Poland or any other Warpac country...

Only truly independent nations in Europe are UK and France.

[Maximillian]

Gives a small indication of Russian losses geo-located.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adE5GlQ2Ly4

You can assume Ukrainian losses are equally high. A lot will come down to who controls the battlefield and can recover the damaged and abandoned vehicles.

[El Capitano]

You can assume Ukrainian losses are equally high. A lot will come down to who controls the battlefield and can recover the damaged and abandoned vehicles.

As far as I can tell, Ukrainian farmers now have one of the largest mechanised forces in the world.

[rufuske]

Gives a small indication of Russian losses geo-located.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adE5GlQ2Ly4

You can assume Ukrainian losses are equally high. A lot will come down to who controls the battlefield and can recover the damaged and abandoned vehicles.

Can be but unlikely. In deep defense models usually assume 1:5 ratio.

[Sarp]

Apparently Javelin in action.

Getting these to frontline units whilst training called up reserves in their use is a priority for UKR forces right now.

[Duckslayer]

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/08/p...sia/index.html

And in the meantime a Pentagon spokesman shot down the "MiGs for Ukraine" deal with a lot of lawyerease and diplo speech that come down to "not ever". I'm fairly certain a certain red telephone was used.

What is to prevent that same red telephone from ringing when Russia comes for the Baltics, or for Finland, or Poland or any other Warpac country...

Only truly independent nations in Europe are UK and France.

im pretty sure here in the UK we are entirely a client state of the USA and cant release a fart without their approval

[VARRAKK]

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/08/p...sia/index.html

And in the meantime a Pentagon spokesman shot down the "MiGs for Ukraine" deal with a lot of lawyerease and diplo speech that come down to "not ever". I'm fairly certain a certain red telephone was used.

What is to prevent that same red telephone from ringing when Russia comes for the Baltics, or for Finland, or Poland or any other Warpac country...

Only truly independent nations in Europe are UK and France.

im pretty sure here in the UK we are entirely a client state of the USA and cant release a fart without their approval

When it comes to weapons and specialized tech.
If you purchase it, you still don't have the rights to hand it off to another party.
You have to obtain a export license from the country of origin.

When Denmark promised to send 2000 M72's to Ukraine, they would first have to get approval from Norway before they could actually be shipped.

[rufuske]

I was waiting for this to appear.

[Maximillian]

Apparently Javelin in action.

Getting these to frontline units whilst training called up reserves in their use is a priority for UKR forces right now.

Turns out that mocern Russian tank design is a death-trap against top-attack missiles like the Javelin. The Ammo for the autoloader is stored around the turret floor in a circle. Even with the grill hat and ERA the top turret armour is so thin that part of the jet from the warhead still penetrates as a spray. The ammunition which isn't in a protected bustle gets hit by the spray igniting the propellant, incinerating the turret crew before cooking off which blows off the turret and destroys the tank.

Most of the intact KOed tanks were hit on the engine deck or suffered mobility hits with non top-attack ATMs.

[El Capitano]

Even with the grill hat and ERA the top turret armour is so thin that part of the jet from the warhead still penetrates as a spray.

I guess that's why the call it the cope cage!

[Sarp]

Apparently Javelin in action.

Getting these to frontline units whilst training called up reserves in their use is a priority for UKR forces right now.

Turns out that mocern Russian tank design is a death-trap against top-attack missiles like the Javelin. The Ammo for the autoloader is stored around the turret floor in a circle. Even with the grill hat and ERA the top turret armour is so thin that part of the jet from the warhead still penetrates as a spray. The ammunition which isn't in a protected bustle gets hit by the spray igniting the propellant, incinerating the turret crew before cooking off which blows off the turret and destroys the tank.

Most of the intact KOed tanks were hit on the engine deck or suffered mobility hits with non top-attack ATMs.

Absolutely. There's a reason Javelin and Spike have been invested in and proliferated throughout Western militaries - those that can afford them - so heavily.

[Lancehot]

Going there tomorrow again. This is probably gonna be my last week of making runs, since I gotta go work too. I hope as fuck that the situation deescalates, because there's, for obvious reasons, an increasing amount of tension in the air compared to the first time I went - everyone's more nervous, from the border guards and customs officers and the refugees waiting on the border to the police/military on the checkpoints. And nervous people with guns are never a good mix.

Still haven't managed to have a crash or flat tire, but let me tell you there's some roads in Ukraine that are literal potholes in potholes on potholes. The parts I drive through are in a really sad state even though no war damage was inflicted there at all yet - it looks like the time stopped sometime around 1970 and not during the best of times either. Ukraine needed help and assistance even before this war, and I dread to think how fucked up it's all gonna be even if the war stopped and rebuilding started literally now.

And the situation in the Balkans is also heating up. Welcome to resource wars!!!1!

God fucking dammit. I can already see that i'll be back to doing this in a month and a half when I'm done with the job. God fucking dammit.

Out of interest, your supply runs being done through an org that can be donated to, or anything like that?

[Dorvil Barranis]

Stay safe Lief!

[Lallante]

Well done Lief.

[Womble]

Reuters are reporting that Russia bombed a maternity hospital.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...es-2022-03-09/

Edit: Updated to say children's hospital instead of maternity.

[rufuske]

Not the first one. Hospitals here are starting to get dangerously crowded.

[VARRAKK]

Reuters are reporting that Russia bombed a maternity hospital.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...es-2022-03-09/

Edit: Updated to say children's hospital instead of maternity.

They are just going through the War Crimes check list at this point.

[Malcanis]

Mam they're really salty about not being greeted as liberators huh

[VARRAKK]

https://www.businessinsider.com/russ...-yachts-2022-3

Russian ex-minister says invasion of Ukraine is stalling because officials stole from military budget for 'mega-yachts in Cyprus'