>

A lot of people are criticising the Russians being allowed to use cell phones. 
Please remember this is a byo war, where Russians seem to be expected to supply their own gear.
So if you are a Russian being sent to the front lines, what do you use for communication?
Of course, people smarter than I will point out that perhaps you shouldn't start a war if you can't even equip your own troops properly...
Hmm, I blame forcefully occupying Ukrainian territory as the root cause of this. >

Also this bit of fake news was hilarious

The ministry also suggested that in return, it launched airstrikes launched at a "hardware concentration" near Druzhkivka railway station in Donetsk, killing up to 200 Ukrainian personnel, and destroying four HIMARS launchers and more than 800 rockets.

Russia - “trust me bro” >

How many times have they blown up the 20 HIMARS systems the US has given to Ukraine now? >

About 35 HIMARS ago. >

On May 2nd 2011, 24 elite navy seals raided a compound in Pakistan and killed Osama bin Laden.
Since then I’ve had the good fortune of meeting over 200 of them. >

That's a lot of Bin Ladens. >

I believe it’s Bins Laden >

But what are all the bins laden with? >

Coconuts. >

Coconuts? In England? >

The strike killed 68 people.
No more than 89 people. 
At most 110 people. 
((Meanwhile Russia buries 200 bodies) >

And cremates another 150 >

And leaves under rubble another 300. >

The Mariupol theatre approach >

I recently heard a concerning story about compensation for families of deceased soldiers. It appears that families are only given compensation if they can identify the bodies. Though I do not have the exact numbers, I understand that the Russian Army frequently reports bodies as unidentifiable or missing in action (MIA) or declares individuals as absconded, leaving the families without the proper closure or monetary compensation for the service of their loved one. >

How tf is putin still sustaining this war
Edit: alright guys i am reading your replies which basically say shit tons of armament and bodies but what i really meant to say was how are russian soldiers still pushing themselves into literal meat grinders for putin. What drives them? because what im gaining from media is that it is not motivation that is propelling the russian soldiers. Putin looks weak, the war he instigated is unjustified, he isn't remotely close to winning. What does putin say to his generals that convinces them to keep at it and don't complain. Why isn't the russian soldiery defecting to ukrainian side en masse? >

Sadly, for the majority if the last 100+ years, willingly or unwillingly, a culture  was cultivated in Russia where the state does not answer to its citizens. Its more like weather - you can't choose it, you can only live with it. And since the fall of the curtain most of the people who disliked this system, simply elected to emigrate, leaving very few people inside the country willing to enact change. And then the quite extensive repression machine made sure that those willing would be unable to do so. >

I was born the year the Soviet Union fell, so I grew up not understanding why the adults disliked it when no one I talked to seemed to know anything about it or Russia deeper than "they have nuclear weapons and communism". Actually, more than the dislike, Russia stood out as a curiosity BECAUSE of the blindspot of knowledge it represented. 
So I had to teach myself, and started reading about the Soviet Union. And it quickly became obvious why salt-of-the-earth americans couldn't explain it, because even a giant history nerd like myself couldn't get a grip on understanding the Soviet Union without going back farther, to the 1800s. But then that still wasn't enough so I kept putting books down and going earlier, until I picked up a FAT one that started with the Mongol invasion of Kiev. Then I could finally work my way up through Russian history without constantly being confused at the way things were and the systems that the people inexplicably accepted otherwise.
Sorry, that was a long-winded way to agree with your first statement, and offer that as far as I've been able to determine via amateur historical obsession, Russia was doomed after the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881 and the reactionary proto-fascism that came from the tsar that followed him. When the rest of the world was shrugging off slavery and its forms, Russia clung to it by reinstating serfdom after it had been abolished.
And it's been in a perpetual cycle of destruction since. The joke that Russian history can be summed up as "and then it got worse" is entirely accurate. >

What’s the name of the phat volume?
There’s a very recent Yale Open Course on the history of Ukraine that touches on Russia a lot. >

I'm so glad you asked, it's Land of the Firebird by Suzanne Massie. It still occupies a front and center place in my library. >


it's Land of the Firebird by Suzanne Massie. It still occupies a front and center place in my library.

I've already seen historians trace its kleptocratic tendencies and over-concentration of wealth to their contact with Mongolian raiders, does that cover most of the same material? >

I knew this was going to be Kraut before I even clicked on it.  Good choice, kudos. >

They conscript civilians and put zero effort into creating a system of discipline among them and then complain when they act undisciplined.  Crimea river. >

The Russians don't have a well established Non-Commissioned Officer Corps, like we do in the West.
Part of the job of an NCO in a Western military is to maintain discipline and training for the enlisted serving under them. The Russians don't have that.
In a Western military, the NCO's probably would have either already seized everyone's phones (and checked everyone's belongs) and set them aside in a secure location, or has already heavily drilled into the minds of the enlisted serving under them to not use their phones during operations. >

I loved my LT when I was in the military. Super smart and had a dry sense of humor. He never once disciplined anyone but when he would see something, would just calmly say “god dammit FeoWalcot, hey Sgt D, wanna handle this?”
He knew me so well. >

Then… how would you handle it? >

Depending on what I did, usually varied from my Sgt calling me a dumbass to them absolutely smoking my ass. (Figuratively smoking my ass, as to not be confused with Russians literally getting their asses smoked) >

Time to go mop up the rain >

Or cut the grass with scissors >

Time to paint the red rocks blue, the blue rocks white, and the white rocks red again. >

I’mmmm colorblind, kid. >

The colors, Duke! The colors! >

Wow so they've now destroyed about 60 out of the 16 HIMARS launchers we sent them. Impressive! Pretty good OPSEC to never include any photo evidence as well. >

What I especially love is (I read) that Ukraine has made a bunch of fake HIMARS launchers built out of plywood. I thought that was a brilliant idea!
Has Russia destroyed any HIMARS at all? >

The allies did this in WWII as well. There was an entire fake army, "commanded by Patton", that was made of plywood and balloons. >

Yeah and was crazy effective back then too >

Even after the invasion of Normandy was well under way the Germans were absolutely convinced it was a feint and the real attack would land at Pas-de-Calais.
Something that is rarely acknowledged is just how completely the Allies won the information war. >

Didn’t the uk turn like every German agent? >

Pretty much.
Literally the head of the German Abwehr was working against the Nazis.
This would be like if the CIA was actually run by the Soviets. >

Wilhelm Canaris 

Wilhelm Franz Canaris (1 January 1887 – 9 April 1945) was a German admiral and the chief of the Abwehr (the German military-intelligence service) from 1935 to 1944. Canaris was initially a  supporter of Adolf Hitler, and the Nazi regime. However, following the German invasion of Poland in 1939, Canaris turned against Hitler and committed acts of both passive and active resistance during the war. Being the head of Nazi Germany's military-intelligence agency, he was in a key position to participate in resistance.

^([ )^(F.A.Q)^( | )^(Opt Out)^( | )^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)^( | )^(GitHub)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5) >


Russia blames ~~'massive,' illicit cellphone usage by its troops for Ukraine strike that killed 89~~ it's subordinates for leaderships failure in housing troops near ammunition stores... >

The point that’s been shared on telegram that they refuse to admit is it’s unlikely cell phones actually caused this, but rather civilians in the area tipping off the Ukrainian army. To admit that civilians are spotting for artillery is to admit they don’t fucking want you there, and that runs counter to Russias domestic narrative that they’re liberators. >


they refuse to admit is it’s unlikely cell phones actually caused this

Actually this is incredibly likely depending on technology Ukraine is using.  We used a type of technology like this to track taliban. I’m sure different unit’s call it different thing but we referred to it as “air hammer”. Intelligence would see a spike of cell phone traffic in an area.  Then we would use a modified Blackhawk and just go fly circles and intercept phone calls and figure out what they were doing.   Call in 64s and go from there. >


We used a type of technology like this to track taliban. I’m sure different unit’s call it different thing but we referred to it as “air hammer”.

that's pretty interesting. is there somewhere i can read more about air hammers? did some cursory googling. couldn't find anything related. >


The ministry also suggested that in return, it launched airstrikes launched at a "hardware concentration" near Druzhkivka railway station in Donetsk, killing up to 200 Ukrainian personnel, and destroying four HIMARS launchers and more than 800 rockets.

Hahahaha so such a target was suddenly immediately available after this incident for them to destroy, or they knew about it but did nothing until they got their sht pushed in and only then decided to destroy it?
How many HIMARS launchers have they destroyed now?
They are not even trying to be believable with their lies anymore. 
All they did was bomb an ice-rink storing humanitarian aid. They struggle to find any military targets and they are yet to destroy one HIMARS launcher. We know this because Ukraine doesn't have many but they are able to use them to devastating effect all across the frontline. >


How many HIMARS launchers have they destroyed now?

Of the 20 HIMARS supplied to Ukraine, the Russians have destroyed 27.  I kid you not. >

Genuine question: Where do you get the number 27 from? Is there a webpage or Twitter account somewhere that jeeps track of Russian Himars kill claims? >

Even if Russians don't use cell phones at all they will be ratted out by patriotic Ukrainians. UAF probably got 50 messages about that barracks. >

Someone pointed out there were many reports of sabotage and such against Russians & their Ukraine Quislings in Russian occupied Ukraine, which indicates strong support for Ukraine in the  Russian occupied areas. There are no reports I’m aware of about sabotage and killings by Russian sympathizers in newly liberated Ukraine. Which highlights the lie that Russia is a welcome liberator fighting Nazi aggression. >

In the "pro-Russian" separatist areas, like where much of the current fighting is, the popularity of Russians has taken a nose dive ever since real Russians showed up. It's crazy how the rape and pillage squads Putin sent to defend ethnic Russians aren't more popular in those areas. Of course the Ukrainians in those areas are reporting Russian troops movements, but I wonder how many ethnic Russians have decided Zelensky will be kinder than Putin? >

Can't imagine the locals were too keen on feeding a bunch of newly arrived conscripts either. >

They are probably even less keen on becoming conscripts. >

“It’s a good thing they are so fucking stupid” >

When in fact the blame rests entirely with the tiny little man boy named Putin, who started the fucking war. >

He's likely blaming it on illicit phones, because his troops keep recording videos of themselves committing war crimes, using them to surrender, or telling people back home what it's really like.
He just wants his troops to only have official Russian communications so he can control what they tell the world, and what they know about the war. >

In addition to that, other people are suggesting that it was actually Ukrainian partisans on the ground passing along info about this huge Russian troop buildup, and nothing to do with phones. 
But admitting that version of events to the public shows that the Ukrainians they’ve “saved” actually fucking hate them and they aren’t being treated like the liberators they’re pretending to be, which undermines the whole narrative Russia is telling its citizens. >

If they admit to 89, then you can at least safely triple that number for an accurate estimate >

Because their shit military can't even setup secure communications in an active war they started! Fucking Russian losers! >

World’s No 2 military my ass. Even random civilians can understand using unsecured cellphones in an active war zone would be catastrophic. Have these clowns not watched a single war movie in the last century?? >


Have these clowns not watched a single war movie in the last century??

Considering that the 2014 Sochi Olympics revealed that toilets were a luxury... yeah. >

What’s that about toilets being luxury? Did the Russians not have any toilets or something? >

Outside of big cities they don't even know what it's for >

Same with paved roads. Fair percentage of the conscripts have never seen tarmac. >

Imagine getting yourself and your unit killed by upvoting a post on r/bigtiddygothgf >

He died happy >

News has been reporting on Ukraine picking up on Russian communications on insecure lines since the war began. Figured that this type of stuff has happened all the time in the war. Wonder why they haven't made sufficient changes? >


Wonder why they haven't made sufficient changes?

trained soldiers wouldn't do this.
conscripts don't know any better.
​
​

"It is already obvious that the main reason for what happened was the switching on and massive use — contrary to the prohibition — by personnel of mobile phones in a reach zone of enemy weapons," the ministry said in a statement. >

Oh please. Ukraine doesn't need cellphone signals to track Russian troop movements. They know every building on their land and they get alerts for everything the Russians do e.g move hundreds of soldiers into said buildings. It was only a matter of time, opportunity and available ammunition. 
Russians main problem imo is that they can barely sneeze without the Ukrainian army knowing about it and attacking them. The home advantage allied with advanced weapons is doing a number on them. >

Ukraine also has NATO surveillance satellites to support them. >

That too. They can't hide big movements but I imagine those strikes where they know everything about the location, who was there, how many, names, rank etc then how many died and what hospital the survivors were taken is down to human on the ground intelligence. >

Let’s make a bunch of poorly trained and armed citizens go to war and then blame them for being poorly trained and armed.  Bold move…. >

"One man carries the rifle, one man takes the rifle when the other guy falls" I saw this on Enemy At The Gates >

Cellphone use wasn't needed to let the cat out of the bag regarding this target, but they are letting folks back home and beyond know about what's really going on the front line, and contradicting the BS state media is peddling. They pin it on the troops, and take their phones, so they can try to keep the shell game going a little longer.