Russian invasion of Ukraine

[PhaelixWW]

Per NYTimes:

As Russia ramps up its offensive in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force has returned more than 20 of its fighter and bomber aircraft back to operational flight status over the past three weeks, as a result of receiving spare parts shipments coordinated by the United States, a senior U.S. defense official said on Wednesday.

In addition to that boost of warplanes, more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers are being trained on 155-millimeter howitzers outside of the country, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss military aid from the United States as well as assessments of Russia’s recent actions.

That training is expected to last a week, and then the soldiers will return to Ukraine and train more artillery troops how to use the 18 howitzers that the White House has pledged to send to the Kyiv government as the war in Ukraine shifts to the contested Donbas region of Donetsk and Luhansk, the official said during a briefing to reporters.

More than 20 fighters and bombers back in service? That's fairly big news.

[Flarelaine]

While the discussion of Russian Army practices is appropriate, note that rape jokes are discouraged.

[Forogil]

To be fair, that's more or less how the Romans viewed things. There was a general (I don't recall which one) whose political enemies spread

One such case was the dictator Gaius Julius Caesar - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar has that story, but also indications that it was a pretty common rumor.

However, regardless of that Caesar seems to have been an efficient military leader (even if some was propaganda), and a decent author. Putin seems to be neither. Caesar's downfall was the senators that stabbed him in the back, chest, etc.

[Unholyground]

Russia is not winning this period.

[Santti]

Russia is not winning this period.

Hard to say... They still might get a Pyrrhic victory out of this, but yeah, it's not much of a win.

[Corvus]

Daily Kos paraphrases the Pentagon - they think the big offensive must not have started yet as the current effort is lame.

https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2022/...r-this-is-lame

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If it is the offensive they chose a bad time for it as it has been raining heavily over the last few days, bringing with it mud.

https://mobile.twitter.com/visegrad2...PxC7OHW2Ur9XqA

[Edge-]

If it is the offensive they chose a bad time for it as it has been raining heavily over the last few days, bringing with it mud.

https://mobile.twitter.com/visegrad2...PxC7OHW2Ur9XqA

Russian armor's greatest enemy: Mud.

[Zaydin]

Russia is not winning this period.

They lost nearly two months ago when they failed to rapidly conquer Ukraine like everyone thought they would. The best Russia gets out of this now is a pyrrhic victory that Putin will desperately spin as a huge victory for Russia and proof that Russia is still STRONK.

[Corvus]

Russian armor's greatest enemy: Mud.

And tractors.

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Oryx is now listing Russian vehicle losses at over 3000. Actually, on twitter they said the backlog puts the number at 3300. And that's just visually confirmed losses.

[Vladier]

Russian armor's greatest enemy: Mud.

Is there even a type of armor that can resist mud? Mud is more or less liquid, so you would need something that can swim rather than rely on wheels or even tracks.

[Corvus]

Is there even a type of armor that can resist mud? Mud is more or less liquid, so you would need something that can swim rather than rely on wheels or even tracks.

Something that can swim. Comrade, we have just such thing. Moskva.

[Breccia]

Russia is not winning this period.

Hard to say... They still might get a Pyrrhic victory out of this, but yeah, it's not much of a win.

Leaning towards Santti's clause. Russia has already "lost" in that they dropped their trousers and showed the world they're impotent. but they can make themselves feel better by murdering and raping a bunch of civilians.

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Is there even a type of armor that can resist mud?

Armor that's there in winter or summer? Surely the ground would be harder in those seasons.

[Corvus]

Latest supervillain rant from Russian state tv - Europe and NATO won't have enough people and weapons to defend themselves when Russia's special operation in Ukraine is finished.

https://mobile.twitter.com/JuliaDavi...83853431955456

This is the guy that is still salty Italy took away his two villas there.

[Edge-]

Latest supervillain rant from Russian state tv - Europe and NATO won't have enough people and weapons to defend themselves when Russia's special operation in Ukraine is finished.

https://mobile.twitter.com/JuliaDavi...83853431955456

This is the guy that is still salty Italy took away his two villas there.

Man, Russia has the biggest "small man" energy. When you spend that much time boasting about the might of your military, especially when you're literally not displaying said might over the past month, maybe your military ain't so mighty.

I'll pour one out for his two Italian villas.

[Fantomen]

Is there even a type of armor that can resist mud?

A tank on treads can defeat mud, but it need a huge wheel-based logistic train to operate, and that is decisive defeated by mud.

[Afrospinach]

And tractors.

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Oryx is now listing Russian vehicle losses at over 3000. Actually, on twitter they said the backlog puts the number at 3300. And that's just visually confirmed losses.

It is also possible that there are as many as 20,000 killed 60,000 wounded which falls somewhat in line with the purported ~>70 BTGs the Russians have right now vs their invasion force plus reinforcements.

They have been doing a lot of air raids though, BBC mentioned the Russians claimed to have hit 1000 military targets last night and I assume they are not talking about a group of people lined up in a square for bread.

You need to add on top of this that Russia does not appear to have any long term plan. There has been no strategy change, they are not lining up hardware across the border nor are they mobilizing more troops. Also, apparently the separatist regions are tapped out. By contrast Ukraine is being fed hardware albeit painfully slowly and they have something like 200-300k troops on the ground or being trained.

I almost do not want to say it out loud but things do not look great for Russia. I think the Mariupol land bridge is the most up in the air thing. The Russians have pushed south of Izium and north of Mariupol but this have been expensive gains.

Is there even a type of armor that can resist mud? Mud is more or less liquid, so you would need something that can swim rather than rely on wheels or even tracks.

I was going to post "what about the sherp", AND it's Russian. Not that it would be any good in combat but it is the ultimate mudslide machine.

I have been learning recently that everything redeemable about Russia happens to be Ukrainian.

[PhaelixWW]

I have been learning recently that everything redeemable about Russia happens to be Ukrainian.

Which is probably why Putin is so desperate to bring Ukraine back into the fold.

[Breccia]

Europe and NATO won't have enough people and weapons to defend themselves when Russia's special operation in Ukraine is finished.

I don't get it. It's a statement so completely contrary to reality, it doesn't even make sense in Russia state media terms. Was he ordered to say this at gunpoint?

[Zaydin]

Latest supervillain rant from Russian state tv - Europe and NATO won't have enough people and weapons to defend themselves when Russia's special operation in Ukraine is finished.

https://mobile.twitter.com/JuliaDavi...83853431955456

This is the guy that is still salty Italy took away his two villas there.

So just how small do we think his d1ck is to be that insecure and deluded?

[Vladier]

I don't get it. It's a statement so completely contrary to reality, it doesn't even make sense in Russia state media terms. Was he ordered to say this at gunpoint?

I think our state propaganda is meant to make us believe that NATO supplies Ukraine with the entirety of arms they would use in the event of war with Russia. On top of "Europe is crumbling under its own sanctions" spiel.