comment: >
  
  
  Destroy the launch sites, not the missiles in flight!
  
  These bombers could essentially take off from anywhere in the world and get to within the 600km required to fire them. There's not much chance of destroying all the launch sites that they could operate from.
context: Added to the Live Thread
  P.S. Used some of our community coins to give you the highest award we have (and premium for 3 months) due to your sustained efforts to update these threads. It's but a small token of the appreciation and thanks I can personally offer on behalf of the r/WorldNews mod team and the community. >
  
  Well deserved! >
  
  I wish we could throw a little Live Thread party for everyone.
  Out of hardship and loss, suffering and sacrifices, we carved out a community and found within these threads kindred spirits united by common cause! >
  
  Good morning from Donetsk.  Just after 6 am here and sunrise won't be for about  another 2 hours.  Totally quiet out.  I haven't heard any explosions since leaving Dnipro yesterday. >
  
  Wait are you talking Donetsk Oblast or city? Going from Dnipro to Donetsk would require going through an active war zone. >
  
  The Oblast.  I'm currently located safely behind the lines not too far from Kramatorsk.  Passed through a lot of checkpoints but no active combat zones. >
  
  All the best to you! Stay safe! >
  
  One more thing on the war crimes bingo >
  
  It’s not the first time or last. They did this early on idk exact date, June/July maybe? 
  Anyways, by doing this they technically forfeit any pow/prisoner status they might be able to receive. Straight to jail/trial etc, and are no longer considered “pows”, not on the exchange list. 
  There is a specific name for this that eludes me atm. >
  
  Summary Execution?
  From Wikipedia:
  Soldiers who are wearing uniforms of the opposing army after the start of combat may be considered illegal combatants and subject to summary execution. Many armies have performed that kind of false flag ruse in the past, including both German and US special forces during World War II. However, if soldiers remove their disguises and put on proper insignia before the start of combat in such an operation, they are considered legal combatants and must be treated as prisoners-of-war if captured. That distinction was settled by a military tribunal in the postwar trial of Otto Skorzeny, who led Operation Greif, an infiltration mission in which German commandos wore US uniforms to infiltrate US lines during the Battle of the Bulge. >
  
  Good news!
  That is why psychological warfare and sanctions are so important. People get desperate, they slowly lose their minds. The more Russians turn on Russians, the sooner this war will be over. >
  
  Previous post
  Day 325-326 of my updates from Kharkiv.
  These past 2 days were just horrible, as they usually are after a new missile strike happens. Here in Kharkiv the situation is stable right now. Yesterday we lost electricity around 3:40pm, but it was restored pretty fast, some places already had it back up after a couple of hours, for us specifically it took until 11pm, which is still very fast. By this morning the electricity was already restored everywhere in Kharkiv oblast, but there is still a big energy generation deficit in the system because Russians managed to hit 2 of our thermal power plants, so some cities will have longer blackouts for some time until those are fixed/rerouted.
  While the electricity problems do suck, the missile strikes on civilians yesterday are much worse, and they hurt much more than sitting without electricity for a couple of hours. It’s not something that would ever break our spirit or make us surrender, but seeing innocent civilians killed by the fucking Russian terrorists is just enraging. 
  And Russians were extremely happy when the news about apartment block in Dnipro being hit were released, they want more of it. It disgusts me that so many people defend Russians, saying they are “innocent”, while those “innocent Russians” gloat about our civilians being killed by missiles every single time it happens. How the fuck can you be happy about our civilians being killed and innocent at the same time? I’ll never be able to understand that. >
  
  It's embarrasing and sad how the Russian population is not rebelling. They've been beaten down, hopeless, defeated. Their only joy is when others are suffering as well. The world will be a better place when that culture vanishes from the earth. >
  
  Being meek and spineless is almost understandable in Putin's Russia, but cheering on civilian deaths removes any of that previous understanding. >
  
  I just want to point out that since February 24,  it is not even a year. We went from being afraid to supply anything more than infantry based AA and AT weapons. To towed and self-propelled artillery systems, drones, advanced anti-air system complexes and batteries, long range MLRS systems, IFVs and AFVs, mortar systems, radar system including country battery capabilities, HMMWVs, ambulances, Soviet based tanks and helicopters, parts for Soviet and Russian based jet systems, maintenance and repair stations for all of the above in friendly NATO countries. 
  Now we get to check off Western main battle tanks as well.
  Outside of increased volumes of all the aforementioned things. Conventionally all the lines left to cross are Western helicopters, jets, and long range armaments.
  Meanwhile Russia continues to use up all is equipment and supplies and struggles to get their supply chain up to speed. Europe is completely or almost completely off of Russian gas, it's oil is forced to sell at heavy discount to India and China, it's super toned down the nuclear rhetoric, and lost 40% of all the territory it initially took. Men have fled in the hundreds of thousands from the Russian mobilization and conscription, and along with them many educated people. They've almost certainly experienced 100,000+ casualties, dwarfing the Soviet Afghanistan war estimates. 
  I do not see how Russia can afford to carry this conflict on at this intensity or more for all it's cost them and the little gain they've gotten. I will be surprised if 2024 hits and there's not peace talks being seriously considered by the Russians. >
  
  The other side of the story is Putin seems willing to send the whole russian population to their deaths before he stops the war. All the while it seems his grip over russia is still stable. >
  
  Pure terrorism >
  
  500+ a day being normal is surreal. >
  
  But at least it means that Ukraine is tearing through the Russian troops. Every KIA is another body Russia can't throw against Ukraine anymore. >
  
  Yeah, but Russia's disregard for life can sustain 500 a day for too long. 
  They could go through 500 prisoners a day for a year and still have 250,000 still sat in cells. >
  
  New mobilization waves also trigger new waves of emigration fleeing the country. Millions fled at the last mobilization, once posh Moscow residents start receiving draft notices they will flee en masse.
  The Russian economy can only survive for so long. >
  
  I just wanted to make a comment about one continuous aspect of Russia’s propaganda.
  After 326 days, Russia still seems to be chasing that “one defining win” that will somehow break the back of Ukraine’s military.
  On the same note, the Russian media is still searching for a cleaver change of tactics that will create a path forward for Russia to win.
  This kind of propaganda is very engaging and exciting, but it has a time limit. Eventually people become skeptical.
  For example, with every change of top Russian generals there were discussions on both sides about how this will effect the progress of the war. The latest shuffling of the deckchairs with putting Gerisamov in charge, has made barely a ripple.
  As time goes on, it’s becoming apparent Russia does not have any answers, other than hoping that somehow the west will lose interest and walk away. >
  
  Yes, very good point. At some point war fatigue is going to kick in among the Russian population (happened in America too during Vietnam War). Especially as the burden of sanctions and war expenditure becomes heavier and heavier. Russia can't afford this in the long run. The Soviet Union insisting on doing something it couldn't afford is what led to its break-up. >
  
  Yeah, I know the Russians are used to the “Firehose of falsehood”, but after this long it’s all starting to look a bit the same. Soon, this won’t be enough to distract Russians from their country going down the toilet.
  I know Russians are apathetic about Ukraine’s plight, but I doubt they will feel the same when the pinch really starts happening at home. >
  
  Most mentally stable vatnik >
  
  Hey, at least he has his life target clearly described /s >
  
  Just for the Russian bots who count the numbers of reactions when something horrible happens in Ukraine due to the Mafia boss Putin and his Russian goons.                                
  Let me remind you that I completely despise these terrorist attacks.             
  They don't change our resolve to support democratic governments and defend Ukraine !!!                 
  Get the F... out of Ukraine and let us live in peace !!! >
  
  Give Ukraine cruise missiles to destroy the sources of these attacks. Russia cannot escalate any more than they are. They are doing all they can to kill civilians. >
  
  But escalation. Need wait few years and then give it Ukraine >
  
  Too real >
  
  "We didn't know it was there despite us being there for almost an entire year"
  Militant disabled children are legitimate targets obviously >
  
  well, thats were they would put military objects >
  
  Ukrainians training on Bradleys >
  
  Bradley with 25MM chaingun and TOW might be the answer to breaking the trench warfare that seems to be developing. >
  
  He'll be dead in 2 minutes. Obviously a right nutjob, so can't imagine he'd do well on a front line. >
  
  This is the second incident in Belgorod, right?
  Cost them three+ soldiers plus ammunition. 
  As well as mutual trust. 
  Pretty good. >
  
  The count keeps going up. Last I saw was 3 dead, 16 wounded, and 8 missing.
  Apparently, once again, the ammo dump was right there, the explosion caused a fire, the fire spread to the ammo . . . 
  Was Belgorod where the Islamic soldier opened fire and killed a bunch of people? >
  
  Jagga jagga >
  
  They take pride in suffering. Which is dumb.
  After the suffering of WW2 Western Europe set about rebuilding and healing from it. Russia went about making suffering a national aspect to be proud of. >
  
  The less wealth you give to the population, the more they suffer and the more they suffer, the more willing they are to join the army. 
  Net gain = more soldiers and more wealth for you and your cronies. >
  
  I am not shocked.. they daid they would send the E version which is one of the more modern ones.
  Realistically sending F16s or similar aircraft would have a bigger effect and be safter thrn sending the apaches.
  Generally apaches are good as a combined warfare arm but lets be honest here they would be a juicy target and the maintenance alone is heavy.
  F16s would have a far bigger impact with a lot less risk of life >
  
  That is the inside of a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle for sure. Must be training on them already, which is great news. >
  
  For most of the major weapon systems that have been given to Ukraine you can assume that they started training months before the announcement and the decision to give it to them was made even before that. The only exceptions were the M777 which was given very early in the war and Germany because they announce some things well ahead of time, and even they were training Ukranian troops on the Pzh 2000 self propelled artillery way before they announced they would be giving it to them.
  The best example of this is HIMARS where it was admitted that they were operational two weeks before they were announced they were delivered at the end of June. And they only announced they were giving them to Ukraine at all on June 1st. So did they train Ukrainian soldiers on use and basic repairs, move spare parts and the launchers and ammo to Ukraine all in two weeks? No, they decided to do it months before anything was announced and that's when they started training.
  People seem to forget NATO is playing the information war game too. They boil the frog with a constant stream of will we/won't we waffling over new weapon systems to undercut Russia's ability to claim escalation. When you've seen a dozen stories on whether they'll give something or not it doesn't make as much news when they actually announce it. Plus with systems that have new capabilities you don't want to let your enemy get ready for it.
  The decision to give Bradley's was made months ago. The training of Ukranian soldiers and the pre placement spare parts started months ago. They were probably already in Ukraine when they made the announcement they were giving them. Any press conference is an exercise in PR, that's what they're for, they don't necessarily have anything to do with what is actually being done. Some time years from now we might start hearing about when they actually decided on some of these things, it's already very obvious they don't announce everything when it actually happens, and why would they. >
  
  Estimated Russian losses from 24.02.2022 to 15.01.2023 (Day 326):
  |Category              |Change*|Total     |
  |:---|:---|:---|
  |Personnel             |+630      |115290    |
  |Tanks                 |+2      |3106      |
  |APVs                  |+10      |6183      |
  |Artillery             |+4      |2094      |
  |MLRS                  |-      |437       |
  |Anti-aircraft Systems |-      |219       |
  |Aircraft              |-      |286       |
  |Helicopters           |-      |276       |
  |UAVs                  |+5      |1872      |
  |Missiles              |+26      |749       |
  |Warships / Boats      |-      |17        |
  |Other Vehicles        |-      |4846      |
  |Special Equipment     |+1      |187       |
  *Change since the previous day.
  Source: The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine >
  
  Ah a fancy table, thanks and take my upvotes! >
  
  Mobliks will not do well against them. >
  
  I doubt the Russians care too much. Their entire national identity seems to be formed by PTSD & domestic violence. >
  
  And Fetal Alcohol Syndrome >
  
  Yes that too. >
  
  Lunatics…absolute lunatics.  Lobbing a massive ballistic misfile at a civilian building.  Unfortunately this missile killed my nieces classmate.  We heard just now.  
  Fuck Putin. >
  
  Fuck russians as a whole. I'm sure there are a few who are anti-war, but as long as majority are anti-Putin and pro-war, or pro-imperialist culture, they can all fuck off.  
  Putin isn't alone in that worldview, their whole society must change. >
  
  Putin positive about 'military operation' progress in Ukraine
  Russian President Vladimir Putin is positive about the progress of what he calls the "special military operation" in Ukraine. "Everything is going according to plan."
  Russia claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities on Sunday, which killed 28 people, according to Ukrainian media. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 with the aim of quickly eliminating the government and seizing parts of the country. The war has been going on for much longer than Russia had previously thought and it is also costing more money, weapons and people.
  “We see a positive dynamic,” Putin said. "I hope that our troops will satisfy us even more and get more results soon." >
  
  Them Baghdad Bob vibes have me bobbin’ >
  
  I love it when he's mad. UK should give UA the Apaches now. >
  
  And finally next year knife missiles and the co ordinates of Putin's location. >
  
  Might not be in Ukraine, might be training elsewhere. I hope it's in Ukraine though. The sooner the better. >
  
  Correct, the Bradley’s are not in Ukraine yet. They’re training with them in Germany as we speak. They should be ready to roll a couple platoons out with the Bradley IFV’s in the coming weeks. I’m sure they will fast track their training, otherwise it could be a couple months. >
  
  /u/dieyoufool3 
  The debunked apache story is still on top of the live thread >
  
  Just woke up - removed it and added a correction >
  
  In all honestly I am surprised the parents hadn't already decided it was in their and their childs interest to leave by that point. If I'm in a place that is getting shelled I'm getting my family the fuck out at first chance. In any case good that they are safe now. >
  
  Does anyone know the current status of the Crimean bridge?  I know the roadway was supposed to be repaired, but what about the rail tracks? >
  
  General Staff:
  
  "According to the available information, as of January 12, only 10 units of T-80BV tanks remain in serviceable condition in one of the tank battalions of the 26th tank regiment of the occupiers, participating in hostilities in the Kupyansk direction. The rest were either destroyed or are out of order and withdrawn.
  Of the personnel in the battalion, only about 30 invaders remain." >
  
  For anyone else not familiar with the arcane details on Russian formation sizes.. I tried to Google it and found inconclusive results between 30 and 80 tanks in a battalion.
  Wish they'd just say the numbers, or agree a common description vocab. >
  
  Battle Order gave a pretty comprehensive breakdown on whats in a tank battalion. Take note that its pre-war so the current situation might be different. >
  
  "You cannot pay teachers in armoured personnel carriers. And even if you could I would recommend against it,  unless you want the next teacher strike to be that much more interesting"
  ~Perun. >
  
  Perun didn't choose war. War chose Perun. >
  
  There's a painting still hanging on the wall in the flat below. Maybe someone was sitting there enjoying their coffee when the missile struck and finished them. Fuck everything about this. >
  
  Rebuilt for wartime use?  What use were they built for, then? >
  
  The stocks he's talking about have been decommissioned by the Bundeswehr and then bought back by Rheinmetall. Mainly for disposal or spare parts. They were never intended to get into active service again. >
  
  Ukraine has access to good quality equipment from supply lines that cannot be cut! 
  Meanwhile, most of Russia's stock has not been properly maintained. They are also under heavy sanctions so many of their equipment losses are basically irreplacable. 
  The real problem is Putin. He will keep the war going as much as he can. >
  
  This doesn't really make sense, 29543 of 38244 is 77%. The 29543 number is killed, wounded, missing, or captured. Then it says the death rate is 77%. Unless the wounded, missing, and captured number is 0, then the death rate isn't 77%, the casualty from all causes is 77%. >
  
  You are correct. It's a mistranslation. It's "loses" as in people that were taken out of service for above mentioned reasons. Only 106 people got their contract fulfilled and got their amnesty. >
  
  
  Bilohorivka
  
  The site of that great summer Special Tank Crossing Pontoon Operation >
  
  Trying to forcibly remove equipment sold to someone else would be quite the political shit show. If Qatar doesn't agree what would Germany do? >
  
  It's being implied in that tweet that they haven't been delivered yet. >
  
  The Gepards are already stationed in Quatar and were used during the soccer worldcup... >
  
  Tanks are awfully slow and heavy for football. >
  
  Makes for some spectacular goals though. >
  
  Goal keeper is one-time use only though >
  
  The strike on the resedential building in Dnipro shows one thing: Russia is in full total war mode. They are basically like Nazi Germany in 1944. The nazis launched their rockets against Britain against civilian targets.
  But in 1944 the war was already lost. >
  
  War already lost for putin too >
  
  Multiple analysts and Ukrainian leadership are saying whether Russia has lost will be clear after spring offensive. >
  
  Even if the spring offensive fails, I doubt the Ukrainians and western Allies will just throw the towel in and sue for peace. They will simply prepare more aid and send another in the summer/autumn. >
  
  Yeah, but let's not upset him too much :) >
  
  To clarify, Armenians, not the government. So far they haven't asked russia to pack up >
  
  It's a thorny situation: Russia is the only possible partner in the region that can protect them from their genocidal neighbors: Turkey who commited the first mass extermination of the XXth century against Armenians and still won't admit it, and Azerbaidjan, which is openly undertaking ethnic cleansing of Nagorni-Karabakh. >
  
  It shouldn't have been up in the first place. >
  
  I can only think it was some automated process that included it, as anyone with half a mind shouldn't have believed it, or at least should have waited for better sources than a tabloid that usually discusses fake tits and drunk football players.
  And it being up this long as the main item is also a whole issue. >
  
  Not automated.
  The Live Thread is updated more or less by just me these days and I was out all of yesterday with the boys.
  So the issue with the update and time it was up falls squarely on me. >
  
  I appreciate you. :) Thank you for what you're doing.
  I guess you touch more people's lives than you can imagine. >
  
  Your comment made my day. Thank you for the kind words. :-)
  I'm just doing what I can from where I am to help and support Ukraine through this, until the end. >
  
  I find it funny that the loss of Soledar, something that has little chance of influencing the war is being highly hyped, but the fact that Ukraine now has a toe-hold in Kreminna, a city which if it falls could cause a domino chain of Ukrainian victory is being ignored. >
  
  Ukraine should not undersell the loss. Never waste a crisis. If the loss of an insignificant town can convince Ukrain’s backers they need more material and support, play up the loss as catastrophic. >
  
  I expect they're using their ballistic missiles before the Patriot system(s) arrive. >
  
  That would be my guess, also. >
  
  Mobilisation never ended in the first place. Putin never cancelled the decree >
  
  This 100%. Idk why people are overlooking this fact >
  
  There is ICC but some nations in the west undermine it because it doesn’t fit their interests. In my view if the USA and the likes were signatories of the International Criminal Court such issues would be better handled but alas. >
  
  Its quite "amazing" how a lot of pro russia accounts have gone from calling everything fake to simply cheering every terrorist act.
  Just half a year ago they would have claimed the building was full of NATO spies or something. >
  
  They have begun to drop the facade that they give a fuck about Ukrainian civilians and are there as liberators. They now openly cheer their death, likely because they have realized that well over 90% of Ukrainians despise them with every fiber of their being. >
  
  The Apache claim is so damn bizarre that like, you wouldn’t even make it up. 
  🤞 >
  
  British tabloids have a long and proud history of making things up >
  
  Hard to feel bad about him. >
  
  Even harder to believe the story >
  
  I love this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it! >
  
  Former Merkel advisor shilling for Russia again >
  
  Russia here. 
  Sadly you can’t trust or understand anything even here on the ground. 
  Besides the closest friends at kitchen tables, anyone against, unsure, or even neutral are not speaking or even suggesting or questing for clear reasons. 
  Making a very big quiet room for the minority or possibly majority to scream their support into.
  I suspect in 10 years everyone will rewrite their personal stances. I know several people that were neutral/supportive one year ago, but now are not. When they retell the start of this shitshow, “I know from the first moment that this was bad and I was completely against” … I think quietly, yes that’s why you were calling me a fool as my family fled the country in the first week. >
  
  Thank you for your insight. I think comments like these are super valuable. >
  
  One thing that has surprised me is how low the intensity on the Zaporizhzhia front seems to be, apart from the HIMARS strikes. >
  
  Seems like how Kherson started, HIMARS picking apart Russian bases and gathering points, once weakened i expect a push from Ukraine. >
  
  Yeah, though the situation is quite different since Kherson had a natural barrier to trap russians within, making it impossible to hold long term. Zaporizhzhia will probably just be a slow slog unless russia collapses >
  
  any ~~discourse~~ discord between Russian forces is good. let there be more anger between the attacking forces, sometimes they attack eachother. >
  
  Are these people ethnic Russians or ethnic minorities (Bashkirs) from that region? Putin doesn't give a fuck if you're a minority. >
  
  He doesn't give a fuck either way, he isn't rational. >
  
  Trending today on Google Play Store
  Category: Tower defense games >
  
  Fully reviving slavery, then? >
  
  Apparently, some rich kids are being recruited into the Wagner group, having their prison sentences commuted because of it, and are then sent to the Wagner groups black sea resort to serve out their time, because their parents paid for it. >
  
  This is the most Russian thing I have heard in quite some time. 
  Of course they are. I bet Prigozhin charges the FSU for them at officer rates on the flip side too. The Grift is Life. Life is the Grift. They are one and the same. >
  
  Never trust a tabloid as a source. >
  
  Michael McKay is not a reliable source. >
  
  The Apaches have only been reported by a couple of extremely suspect tabloids, that's not a rumour worth repeating and is very unlikely. >
  
  I wish there would be some semblance of source criticism in the live thread. >
  
  I mean, there is in the sense that people saw it being posted and immediately replied with what amounts to: "Yeah, but it's being reported by The Mirror, so..." >
  
  Ukraine should drop leaflets on the mobilized convicts telling them that the few who survive are sent back to prison. Lets get the crazies to go after their officers >
  
  Cheetah aka Gepard, for people who might not understand >
  
  In case this hasn't been shared yet 
  A detailed first look at improvised RPG rounds used by Anti-Russian Checens in Ukraine. >
  
  LOL, also LOL at the Russian Bots saying this is allowed because Russia is a democracy, people were imprisoned for holding a blank piece of paper >
  
  "Of course Russia is a democracy! One man, one vote. Putin is the man, and he's got the vote!" >
  
  
  Member of the Commission on National Security and Foreign Policy of the Islamic Council Shahriyar Heydari said that Russia will supply Iran with Su-35 fighters in early spring this year. According to him, Iran will also receive helicopters, tanks and other equipment from Russia.
  
  I'm not a military man, but aren't all those things Russia needs more?
  If you had said in exchange for drones Russia was supplying oil/gas/fuel/food/nuclear tech etc. I would be like yep, that makes sense. But land war stuff when they aren't doing so great in a land war at the moment... Huh. >
  
  They don't have much use for these jets. UA air defense is too dense for them to operate and RU air defense is too dense for UA jets to freely operate, so air to air combat is not really a thing anymore. >
  
  What is happening in Ukraine right now, the damage we suffer, horrors that Russia is unleashing upon us…
  Our story will be a lesson to the world. Never disarm yourself, or you will invite trouble. Weapons are defence, they are there for a reason, they serve as a deterrences against bad actors who will want to take away everything from you.
  This is a great article on how foolish we were when we disarmed and how Ukraine gave Russia the very weapons, planes, and missile they use against us today. And this article contains just some of examples, of how Ukraine naively and foolishly followed with disarmament programs in order to become part of the west. From Kravchuk and Kutchma giving up our nukes to avoid sanctions and pressure, to Kutchma and Yushenko giving up strategic weapons and planes to please west or Russia, or how Yanukovich disarmed us even more, destroying last of R-17 Elbrus missiles…
  All of this is a warning and a lesson to all. If you want peace, you must be strong enough and have enough deterrence to keep it.
  I hope Ukraine will be strong enough, and have enough deterrence to prevent future war with Russia. I hope we learned our lesson well. >
  
  Putin tried literally every dirty trick in the book to try to subjugate you all, but you just wouldn’t let them work. Now he’s trying the last tool in his toolbox, and it still isn’t working.
  Ukrainians defiant insistence on being masters of their own fate is an inspiration. You will be free and secure. You will run the Russians out, and then when NATO asks you to join them, because Ukraine joining will make NATO so much stronger, and you are a part of a strong defensive alliance? We will all be able to sleep better at night. You will sleep better knowing that I have your back, and I will sleep better knowing that you have my back. >
  
  I hope it all will be as you said. 
  Thank you. >
  
  Video and reports of an explosion and power outage in Shebekino, Belgorod.
  Can't link the Twitter account. :/ >
  
  Does anyone know how many bradleys Ukraine is getting? >
  
  Give you Ukraine everything they need at this point. Russia isn't going to do shit about the west's escalation because they know we would fuck them up. >
  
  Seriously. Just get it over with >
  
  We have seen these arrows so many times and the idea is there, but execution is not. In order to consolidate the gains at the flank they will have to bring out the heavy stuff forward, which they either do not have or are getting destroyed on sight. This means that the whole frontline has to move on the pace of foot soldiers, which is slow as hell with huge attrition.
  You just have to admire at the deepstate map and see how the mighty Russia is wiggling around in a very tiny spot, in total war mode no less. >
  
  I love how the arrows get smaller and smaller. Incthe first month they had arrows that would pincer the entire Donbas. Now they just have small arrows around a small town. >
  
  Russian goals get smaller and smaller. Ukraine --> Everything east of the Dnieper --> The Donbas --> Bakhmut --> Soledar >
  
  Ukraine should be urgently given air-defence systems to cover existing gaps. The quicker no Russian missile strike at their target (military, civilian, infrastructure), the quicker the war will end. >
  
  Was reading that the KH-22 can only be intercepted by the newer Patriot variants (PAC 3 & PAC 2 GEM+) which it sounds like Ukraine received. Unfortunately it’s projected to take months for Ukrainians to be trained since they need a fuckton of crew to operate.
  Edit: 1 metric fuckton of crew = ~80 people >
  
  Sweet article and diagram, thanks. From what I can find the troop numbers are based on the standard line battery of 6 launchers the US would use. I’m sure Ukraine will augment that based on their needs so It may end up being less personnel though I can’t imagine by much. Many don’t realize AA batteries aren’t just all-in-one missile trucks and actually have tons of auxiliary vehicles for control and radar.
  Edited some words
  Found this because I wanted to make more sense of the diagram in your article. The diagram shows part of a Line Battery: Fire Control Platoon connected to a Launcher Platoon with 4 Launcher Sections with double the Launching Stations for some reason. Also doesn’t include all the Maintenance Platoon and HQ locations so that’s even more that can be added to the list. 
  Wonder how they’re going to use this system since they only received a single battery which severely limits the ground it can cover. I’m also curious if Ukraine will adopt the same battalion structure the US has if it receives more systems or if it will use the batteries in a more decentralized way. 
  Props to anyone who read this rambling >
  
  One hell of a thief though. Not only has he managed to siphon billions from Russians, he successfully stole their future! >
  
  It took a bunch of thieves to put him in that position in the first place. This started with the Oligarchs >
  
  Started? >
  
  I guess they had to start at some point in the last few dozen decades >
  
  Russia is a terrorist state. 
  Send more arms to Ukraine so they can rid invaders from their land. >
  
  What will they stop being first - terrorists or a state? >
  
  I don’t think they understand life without terror >
  
  Whenever ever people say "Zelenskyy wasn't a good peacetime president" to say that he might not be effective after the war, you have to remember that pre-war, Zelenskyy didn't have much political capital to get the things he wanted to get done, done.
  After the war things will be much different. He has and will continue to have immense political capital. With his approval ratings in the high 80's and an image of being a heroic wartime president, can you imagine a politician saying no to him? >
  
  Sadly, I think the period of rebuilding will be more difficult than winning the war. All the "experts" who ran away at the start of the war will come back and try to steal as much as possible. There will be so much money flowing into Ukraine that it will attract a lot of "professional" bad people. Those who look great on TV and say the right words but steal most of the rebuilding money.
  The amount of corruption could be incredible. I really hope Ukrainians could come up with some methods to avoid that. Maybe hiring Western firms to manage rebuilding, introduce harsh punishment (up to death sentence) for corruption, etc. Ukraine will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become one of the strongest countries in the world. I really hope they will not squander that chance and that the world will steer them in the right direction.
  If Zelensky stays, his team will have a lot of corruption as well, don't think he could do anything about that. I think for him it would be best to leave the post after the war ends and then use his political capital to promote Ukraine and fundraise around the world. Otherwise he is risking badly damaging his image internally and internationally. >
  
  Yeah, money invites corruption, that's a given. Systems must be in places to limit corruption and reduce the acceptance of it as reconstruction starts. >
  
  25 dead in the missile attack on Dnipro. 
  Good times when everyone was worried about escalating. >
  
  Already 30 . Plus 30-40  are stll missing with very very small chance to find somebody still alive. >
  
  The Kadryovites fighting the good fight!
  It’s a bloody war!!! >
  
  Explosions over Sevastopol, but the Russians claims it’s only a drone they shot down >
  
  Some people were stating something was hit of possibly high importance, and that certain Russia milbloggers were seething from it, however none have provided sources and I couldn't find anything yet on the matter. >
  
  If it was a big enough boom it was either a fuel storage facility or a significant ammo cache. If they're still sending planes out of Crimea then the fuel is going to be pretty important for them. >
  
  Another grim update:
  The number of killed has increased to 18, according to the State Emergency Service. 
  
  “As of this morning, we have 18 people killed by a Russian missile in their own house in Dnipro. 73 are injured, including more than 40 of them in hospitals, four in intensive care.
  The rescue operation is ongoing. The fate of more than 40 people remains unknown..." >
  
  Any technology sufficiently advanced will look like magic. >
  
  The whole 'Ukraine is making super soldiers in biolabs' from a few months ago?
  I'm half-convinced that was Russia reacting to seeing firsthand what a military with decent equipment/organization, actual strategic acumen beyond "bomb everything, march on the ashes" and actual determination to fight looks like. To the average Russian, that might as well have looked like super soldiers. >
  
  
  ”From a legal point of view, the use of military force by the Kyiv regime or the invasion of the territory of Belarus or Russia by the armed forces of Ukraine are sufficient grounds for a collective response,” Polishchuk told the state-owned TASS news agency.
  
  So we can safely assume Belarus is a cordyceps infested arthropod at this point, yes? It seems eminently possible to me that Russia will stage some sort of false flag attack in Belarus, then use it’s current military buildup there to bully the Belarusian army into fighting, and/or oust Lukashenko when he pushes back and replace him with a Russian. 
  They’re being taken over from the inside, and even if Russia ends up losing all their gains in Ukraine, they will ultimately come out with a mass territorial gain in the form of Belarus. >
  
  Every accusation by Putin is an admission.  He say NATO is preparing to join the war he means Belarus.  He says NATO is trying to surround Russia he mean Russia is trying to surround Europe.
  It is alway true. >
  
  yes like when they revealed "610 soldiers died in a successful strike"  - thank you for confirmation >
  
  realistically if Ukraine could pull of a major counteroffensive in Luhansk or Zaporizhizia towards Crimea than any Russian in advances in Bakhmut would be meaningless, giving it up could be the most strategic decision in order to help build resources for that counteroffensive.
  The biggest lost would primarily be propaganda wise, in that Russia would finally have some sort of a victory to sell to its people that the war is going well >
  
  Staying in a situation where Russians are running over ground to do frontal assaults to prepared positions is is ideal for Ukraine.
  The ratio of losses with be in excess of 3 to 1. Possibly 10 to 1.
  It’s basically a free kick for Ukraine. 
  Why give it up when you haven’t been forced to? >
  
  The argument is that the war against Russia won’t be won by killing a mountain of Russians, it’ll be won by recapturing their territory, and the former won’t directly lead to the latter. If they need too many resources to keep the meat grinder going in Bakhmut when those forces would make the difference in e.g. cutting off the Crimean land bridge, it could make sense to give up Bakhmut. >
  
  No. That’s exactly how it’s done.
  Attacking is expensive. The more you shape the area by taking out C&C, logistics and troop concentrations, the more your chances of success.
  Depleting Russia’s resources including troops, supplies and defensive infrastructure the better.
  Having said that, I agree there will be a window prior to the next wave of mobliks becoming available. >
  
  This isn’t hoi4. Meat grinder is bad for Russia but not good for Ukraine.  Meanwhile Russia is digging in the occupied territory. >
  
  At the time, I was only joking. >
  
  Damn, you took your time waiting for this one. >
  
  quite cheeky way to quantify war 
  Russo-Ukraine War 2022 (467 threads) >
  
  Which roughly amounts to 0.47 kilothreads. >
  
  Thanks for this. Really interesting >
  
  Weird thought I’ve had for the past few weeks as the temperatures have been too warm to freeze the ground properly in Ukraine. Did global warming play a role in screwing up Russia’s invasion plans? Russia clearly was planning to invade Ukraine at the beginning of 2022. After Russia missed a window in January, they waited until after the Olympics. I’m pretty sure if you look at historic records that Ukraine is still pretty frozen in late February and Russia counted on it. Instead, the thaw had already started and Ukraine exacerbated it by flooding areas to limit Russian mobility. It would be pretty ironic since one of Russia’s motivations is to control Ukraine’s fossil fuel deposits. >
  
  Oh absolutely. Add to that the propaganda video gazprom released showing how Europe will be freezing this year without Russian gas deliveries. Meanwhile we've had maybe two weeks of freezing temperatures so far this winter and also scored the warmest beginning of January in recorded history. >
  
  Short term this winter is bad for Ukraine's operations, sure. However the long term effect is that it allows the West to get away with this winter without too much energy shortages. That was the most critical one. Next winter we'll have had more time to reorganize.
  Batshit right wing populist nonsense about Europe going back to middle ages is obviously exposed. Their poison isn't going to work that well to spoil our democracies and support will keep being sent to Ukraine.
  In summary: maybe bad in short term because it prevents an immediate offensive on frozen ground, but good in the long term as it counters narratives that Russia wants to push through its right wing populist pawns in the West to discourage support to Ukraine. >
  
  We really need the German people to put pressure on Scholz to give the okay for countries to transfer their leopards to Ukraine. >
  
  The thing about Scholz.. there is a common type of German. A know-it-all person who thinks they have eaten wisdom by the spoon. Arrogant smirk on their face and insisting on the insights they made for themselves. >
  
  The only thing that should be left to negotiate - how far the DMZ will extend into russia. >
  
  Don't forget how much compensation Russia should pay, the de-Nazification of the Russian leadership, handing suspects over for war crimes tribunals..... >
  
  And walking the Russian population through Bucha, the torture chambers and maybe force them to dig up the mass graves of Ukrainian civilians so they can be identified and returned to their families. >
  
  Love watching how "news" is spread these days. A crappy tabloid named The Mirror writes story about 4 Apache's with hellfires being provided to Ukraine. Twitter accounts start sharing the story without properly citing their source, some of these accounts just citing other twitter accounts, who themselves didnt provide source. People on Reddit all read about it on a livethread citing twitter account which says "British media" reported it, making it sound credible. Now redditors reading the livethread will share it with their friends as though its real news. >
  
  18 paladins and 30 as90s, has Ukraine achieved artillery superiority by now? >
  
  They will never have superiority when it comes to numbers >
  
  Not in terms of the number of guns, but if you consider that Ukrainian artillery (even their Soviet guns) is a lot more efficient in terms of targeting/accuracy/ammo consumption then when the Russian shell stockpiles run out, which is already happening, that might indeed be the case. Guns are not much use if you've got nothing to fire. >
  
  They might not be able to fire as much but they are never going to run completely out of ammo since they are producing it? >
  
  That is correct, but the production rate is far, far below the consumption rate during their "scorched earth" offensives. It's going to be a competition between Russia's production capacity versus US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, and probably a dozen other countries. Russia's potential should not be underestimated, but they can't seriously hope to outproduce all of those countries combined. >
  
  How does the Leopard 2 tank & the Challenger 2 stack up against the modernized T-72's that Russia is mainly fielding? I get that they're more modern and recent as models but still.
  How big of an impact will sending these have, compared to just sending additional T-72's to Ukraine? >
  
  Who ever gets the first shot. That rule still stands and quite a bit  of tank battles caught on drone footage have been nearly point blank range for very close range. Still the ability to reverse and having tanks that don't instantly turret ring toss on hit is a boon for the Ukranians. >
  
  
  Who ever gets the first shot.
  
  Challenger and Leopard can both see the enemy from farther away, hit it from farther away, and has better sensors.
  Generally, the T-72's wont even know its coming. >
  
  The fog of war in Russia is clouded by a thicker more dense one - the fog of narcissistic tyranny propagated by an overindulged botox rash
  Even worse many feed on that fog and marinate in it
  Until that fog lifts Russians lack any sense of ability to even think of doing anything, they are either in a confused state of hopelessness, or blind faith in the illusion of grandeur and hatred  for the "out-group" >
  
  Ukraine needs more drones and air defense! >
  
  We keep having this daily chat. I keep seeing "Fuck Putin"
  Yes fuck Putin but It's like blaming the foundation for the roof leak.
  The problem isn't Putin, sorry to say. It's Russia.  They won't come onto the streets and protest, like you think they would. Like you wish they would.  Your heart is good, but you're in denial. They don't like Ukraine, they don't like us. They're falling on their own blade and they love it. They love Putin. They hate us. Get used to it. >
  
  Fuck Russia. >
  
  God speed Ukraine armed forces. May this sickening tragedy be the last. >
  
  Several sources (Madyar, Butusov) report that Soledar has finally been completely taken over by the Russians. >
  
  When the Russians look at the butcher's bill, will anyone wonder, was it worth it... >
  
  Small consolation for the probable loss of Soledar, Wagner's convict army allegedly has a 77% casualty rate. Reportedly, of the 38,244 convicts that have been recruited, 29,543 are KIA, WIA, or POW. What a disgusting and needless waste of life. >
  
  Didn’t we get an entirely different number just a few days ago? >
  
  I want Apaches confirmed by someone other than The Mirror. >
  
  Won't happen most likely >
  
  Nope, you’re right.  “Escalation” aside, not only is it too much trouble to field and maintain, this war has shown just how little helicopters can achieve other than relatively low-risk transport.  Both sides are just using them as tilt-back artillery pieces, now.  That whole area is swarming with AA, so unless it’s some kind of stealth helicopter or UA magically achieves air superiority it ain’t gonna last.  2,000 drones get a lot more done. >
  
  Fuck Putin! >
  
  So will Putin really attempt a ''spring offensive'' from all directions? North, south and east? That would be fucking crazy if he did so, but not surprising...He's all in in this war. If he loses, he dies. Not sure how effective such an offensive would be, considering how disastrous the first one was, but we must not underestimate him. The Russians may be learning a few things as the war goes on, although Im not sure how they could supply and feed even more men for such an offensive.
  We must provide more weapons and assistance to Ukraine. They're holding the line, but we must not get complacent. Hurry up, politicians and NATO members and allies, weapons are made for war, and there is a war at the doors of Europe right now. Some of those weapons will never see action or use if you dont send them to this war for the future of Ukraine and Europe. This is a war agains't FASCISM, whether we like it or not. And fascism knows only one language : strength, misery and economic collapse. You let Putin have his way with his land grab, and you will have to deal with an emboldened Russia for decades, >
  
  Given the salvo of missiles last night over Ukraine, would a couple of dozen avengers not give better results than a single patriot battery? These systems seem particularly suited to take out cruise missiles but Ukraine has only received a handful of them so far. >
  
  Avengers have no chance to shoot these down. 
  Patriot may. THAAD could. But I defer to the experts on that. 
  I still think patriots and THAAD are too expensive and cruise missiles offer more ROI. 
  Destroy the launch sites, not the missiles in flight!