>

The callous disregard for their own lives as an invading force is what gets to me. This isn't a last stand defense of their own territory.
The smart ones, even if they support the war, fled Russia. Those who didn't, as captured on street interviews, mostly just shrug and say they'll go if the motherland calls.
The easy response is 'well, they're just saying that on camera out of fear.' I'll counter that with the numerous videos of their mobilized peers fighting as if their death is unavoidable, unquestionable, and just the way it is being a Russian
It's an incredibly fatalistic cultural norm; unfortunately, they also seem to treat killing for the motherland, even if they morally don't want to, as unavoidable, unquestionable, and just the way it is being a Russian.
New post can be found here >

FDP and Greens are already in favour and said publicy that the tanks will be delivered. If SPD turns down the request, this would mean a Govermental crisis in Germany. >

How many KA-52's are left at this point?
And I have hardly heard about MI-28 losses. I wonder what the reasoning is behind that? >

They made around 130 if them. 20ish went into the Ka-52M programme, so I would say they had a 100 in operational condition. We have 31 confirmed destroyed, so roughly 70 left. >

Only 11? I remember this is not the first day of multiple Ka-52 losses, though to be fair the last one was Kherson. Still, I thought the total would be higher. >

Apologies - got the wrong number from Oryx - 11 Mi-28, 31 Ka-52. Corrected. >

I feel it's honestly better to just keep quiet until the deal is actually done >

40k dead to take a town with population 10k. >

Not all died and not all casualties are from Bakhmut. Many deserted and Wagner has no idea of their whereabouts. Some POW and WIA 
It was a failure man force wise, but also Moscow saw it as a means to hold the front while mobiks "trained". >

Estimated Russian losses from 24.02.2022 to 24.01.2023 (Day 335):
|Category              |Change*|Total     |
|:---|:---|:---|
|Personnel             |+690      |122170    |
|Tanks                 |+2      |3152      |
|APVs                  |+8     |6284      |
|Artillery             |+2     |2148      |
|MLRS                  |+1      |448       |
|Anti-aircraft Systems |-      |220       |
|Aircraft              |+2      |289       |
|Helicopters           |+4      |281       |
|UAVs                  |+3    |1897      |
|Missiles              |-      |749       |
|Warships / Boats      |-      |18        |
|Other Vehicles        |+8      |4944      |
|Special Equipment     |+1      |194       |
*Change since the previous day.
Source: The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine >

Holy shit, Kreminna/Svatove must be a shitshow for Russia.  Usually they only have their pilots take big risks like this when they're about to lose major areas. >

There's also the failed offensive in the south that was talked up in milblogger circles but has apparently already sputtered out. >

All the aircraft losses were in the east so it means things went poorly for them on 2 fronts. >

It was all Gerasimov attempting a quick PR win by claiming a "victory" this early. 
The reason why not Surovikin or Zaluzhniki ever thought of it was that those villages are completely destroyed and in the middle of the no men's land for months. Any troops there are open to artillery fire, and the front can't be pushed either way without an extremely coordinated campaign that would be telegraphed weeks before. 
But for Russia propaganda machine it doesn't matter. Ru MoD is already saying forces are being "regouped to more favorable grounds" which is falling back after being heavily damaged. 
ISW, Defmon3, and even Strelkov were doubtful of this "offensive" and calling it for what it is a sad propagada attempt at the cost of hundreds of mobik lifes. But in >

Typical Russian tactics. Using untrained meat shields to buffer while they try in vain to fix the endemic structural issues of the Russian military apparatus. End result being needless losses for no gain. Russia needs to be rebuilt from the ground up like we did with Germany. Sometimes the only way to fix things is to start from (roughly) scratch. >

Germany had to literally be rebuilt from scratch after all the Allied raids and firebombing of German cities. Russia has largely been untouched aside from some attacks by Ukrainian forces.  The US and other NATO allies have largely conditioned their aid to Ukraine on the premise that Ukrainians strictly use their aid to defend their country and not attack Russia proper.  Most of the mobilized Russians are from the poor areas of the Russian Federation unable to get themselves exempt from service, ethnic minorities, or prison dregs.   Essentially people that count for nothing in Russia. >

ronpaul.gif >

Oh gosh, oh darn. >

Hilarious, they’ll be the next forcibly mobilized >

Obviously 18 is better, but it would have been nice if they made 17 their initial order. >

Vehicle, belonging to local collaborator Valntyna Mamai, has exploded in Berdiansk
Another one bites the dust. >

It's incredible how the flow of weapons supplies perfectly tell the story of this war.
The invasion and defense of Kiev: Javelins, NLAWs and small arms.
The war of attrition: HIMARS and 155 m Howitzers.
The indiscriminate bombing of civilians: Patriot and other anti-air.
And now we're into the Bradley+MBTs stage... Which probably means the big counter offensive. >

So now all of a sudden Germany is delivering Leopards and Switzerland is freeing up ammo. This is a good day. >

Source about Switzerland? >

Money is no use if your home is overun with baby killers. >

And a reminder that for putin's birthday, 
they blew the fuckity out of the Criean bridge
and Luka gave him a tractor >

*salivating* >

Abrams, Leopards, rumors about F16 in February... I guess Russia is soon gonna get a short trailer on what fighting the West might feel like. >

Well, the West of the 80s at least.
More than enough, and should be just enough to put the fear of F-22, F-35, etc. into them for future ideas of invasions. >

Abrams tanks finally get to fulfill their purpose. Blowing up Russian tanks >

Abrams have blown up plenty of Russian tanks... they just didn't have Russian crews. >

So those tanks were probably a bigger threat, better crewed and equipped since they weren't subject to the corruption in the Russian defense ecosystem. >

Abrams wrecked Iraqi Republican Guard T-72s in both Iraq Wars, but the T-72s did not have advanced optics and other bells and whistles we could expect from modernized Russian T-72s. Though in one battle in the the second Iraq War a couple of Abrams engaged 7 T-72s in close range urban combat and destroyed all of them without suffering any losses. >

People need reminders that this war did not begin in February of 2022.  They need to see that appeasement and ignoring Russian aggression does not lead anywhere except more pain and suffering. >

Saw this tweet and held off sharing information on it until casualty numbers are established. >

Added to the Live Thread! >


The application is correct and complete.

The best kind of correct. >

a single f35 just to clarify to russia they cant see much less engage it lolol >

A single F35 to draw sky penises over The Russia? >

"It could take years" for them to arrive. Well, better than never I guess. >

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will announces the delivery of German Leopard tanks to Ukraine. >

And there was MUCH rejoicing. >

“yaaaaay” >

You know you royally fucked up when Switzerland sides against you. >

Bahahaha! Yes. Exactly.
Russia is about to have some really bad days. 🍿 >

Western MBTs won't have an immediate effect due to training and logistical issues, but they will massively increase the Ukrainian Armed Forces' land warfare capabilities in the medium term and, coupled with its considerable number of IFVs and artillery, turn it into one of the stronger militaries in Europe.  Russians should take note and retreat from Ukraine. Sadly, I don't think they will. But they will suffer terribly in the process. >

I wonder if in the short term it will also make the AFU less risk adverse to use their current available tanks if offensive opportunities will manifest themselves in the winter >

It might take time to get the Abrams sorted, but the key thing is this unlocking the leopards, which might appear on the ground much faster. >

Nova Kakhovka is across the Dnipro from the liberated part of Kherson oblast. It's one of the most important crossings.
Ukrainians were able to make it across the water, launch a raid, and swim back with a prisoner. That's an incredible feat for Ukraine, and a yet another giant fuckup for the Russians. >

What is "absorption rate" in this context? >

When an army is influxing new units and new equipment (especially pertinent in Ukraine's case as its getting all this western equipment as opposed to the soviet stuff they have doctrinal and institutional knowledge of) the bottleneck of how much it can take in at any one time usually has to do with how many people they have trained to use it and how many people they have trained to fix, store, transport and maintain it.
If the army in question does not have all that in place then having the equipment will do it no good at best and will be actively detrimental at worst. >

Corruption is bad enough, but there is a special place in hell for those engaging in it while their country is fighting for its very survival. >

There's a special place in hell for websites that do force redirects back to the original page when you try to do a google translate page. >

50 as a start would be good if the keep on delivering more like with the Bradley's. >

US Set to Provide Ukraine with M1 Abrams Battle Tanks - Bloomberg headline >

I guess if WSJ, Politico and Bloomberg are all talking about this, then it's pretty much all but confirmed >

It's tanking time boys.
Der Spiegel reporting that Germany is going to deliver tanks, and allowing allies to hand out theirs too.
This will most likely include Americans to send out theirs too. Possibly some Leclercs too? >

These are Leopard 2A6's thats great before everyone talked about 2A4's thats a 20 year upgrade thicker armour more damage and better Systems >

Seems like there’s a massive spring offensive coming if these, Challengers and Abrams are rolling across the border. 
Could this be a sign for jets too? Western doctrine is pretty much focused on the synergy of jets and tanks right? >

I think it will pass, but it's going to take time. There's a built in waiting period even after passage to allow opponents to correct signatures for a referendum. >

There have been rumors of an offer to Russia to withdraw to the de facto borders of 23 feb 2022. It seems Putin has turned this down. >

The problem with returning to pre-23 Feb 2022 borders is that both sides know it won’t stay that way. Ukraine wants all their territory back as they should. >

Ukraine can not rest on any security as long as Crimea is held by Russia.   Ukraine MUST control Crimea, or they will simply get invaded again.  It's a strategic sink-hole. >

So the corruption sweep feels very satisfying. I don't see a lot of resources that list the people along with the allegations, so here's what I can find:
The only one with no allegations or details I can find is the Deputy Minister of Social Policy Vitaly Muzychenko. 
Deputy Defence Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov resigned following reports he oversaw the purchase of military food supplies at inflated prices from a relatively unknown firm.
Deputy Prosecutor General Oleskiy Symonenko went on a 10-day European vacation for New Years, driven in a G-class owned by a rich guy from Lviv.
Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories Ivan Lukerya and Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories Vyacheslav Negoda both went down for their connection to Deputy Infrastructure Minister Vasyl Lozinskyi, who was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of accepting a bribe worth over $350,000 (£285,000) over the supply of electricity generators. 
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Zelensky's deputy head of office, drove around in a Chevy Tahoe that had been donated for humanitarian purposes, and took excessive trips for photoops while overseeing the restoration of destroyed housing and infrastructure. Note that he switched to the Tahoe after earlier in 2022 he was accused of driving around in a Porsche Taycan given to him by some other rich businessman. 
Four out of five regional heads, Valentyn Reznichenko from Dnipro, Oleksandr Starukh from Zaporizhzhia, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi from Sumy, and Yaroslav Yanushevych from Kherson all went down for their ties to Kyrylo Tymoshenko and his photoops. 
The firth regional head, Kyiv's Oleksiy Kuleba, is the only one with no allegations. He's resigning so he can take Tymoshenko's post. >

Tymoshenko was also involved in the "Grand construction" project before the war, in which a lot of money aimed at building roads and highways was embezzled instead >

Can't wait for the deluge of tanks to finally happen. Then we can move into jets >

F-16's and Typhoons hopefully. Then the Ukrainians can get a good mix of US and European weapons. >

This is confusing.  Why would the US announce a preferred strategy to the South, and also announce that President Zelensky still wanted to pursue Bakhmut?  Is this like the 4D chess Pootin thought he was playing a year ago? >

Remember when everyone was hyping Kherson and the offensive happened in Kharkiv. Even the US was part of that deception. >

Solovyov is fuming at Germany. Calls for destruction of Berlin. >


Solovyov is fuming...

That one's well up the list of "Ways you know you're doing things right". >

I'd rather he be smoking, preferably near critical assets. >

Ukraine is showing Russia how raids are done. Russia just throws people into impossible situations, while Ukraine attacks cleverly. >

I'm not sure why this stuff is allowed to be shown before the war ended >

Nothing here isn't a known and expected entity, 'Adam' is known and infamous in the war. >

It took me about 15 minutes to geolocate the outside takes. I hope the center is located elsewhere... >

That’s a lot of helicopters. >

To call it a devolution in tactics would be an understatement. The trajectory is not looking good for ruzzia. >

At last the tank dam is breaking. >

I’m bewildered at how many Russian soldiers are willing to go on suicidal attacks. Tactically senseless, strategically meaningless. But still they go. >

They are being briefed with shit Intel or outright lies. 
Wtf you gonna do when you'll be shot for not following orders based on bad Intel? >

Frag. >

Air raid alerts in the entire of ukraine
Apparently Mig-31's and tu-95s in the air >

Posted already but since its new news and a new thread...
Ukraine expects to get 100 Leopard tanks from 12 countries, pending Germany approval of transfers, per senior Ukranian official.
"It started to be realistic after the decision in the UK. (UK Defense) Minister Wallace broke through this wall," the official said.
Source: ABC News
Talk amongst yourselves. I'm verklempt. >

This is all just drip feed.
The logistical chains are worked out. >

Russian media* are already reporting on one of the first Prigozhin's get-out-of-jail customers. A 54 y.o. realtor who killed his wife and children under a 22 years sentence now relaxing in Turkey a free man. 
*few independent outlets in the Runet >

Why would Turkey even let him in? >

Would they know unless they do extensive background checks on all incoming Russians? Turkey is still totally open to Russian tourists. I doubt they run criminal background on every traveller. >

Lets hope this is true. I'll believe it when Germany confirms they got the formal requests.
I'm all for building public and political pressure on Germany but the last days have been ridiculous. Theres a fine line between political games and straight up lying. The latter is really not doing any good in a situation where trust between allies is so important. >

This is what happens if you press ahead and publicise these kind of things instead of talking about them in the international coalition. >


Wonder if Reznikov survives

He does, but his deputy (responsible for backend logistics) resigned >

Can’t wait to see the F-16s providing air support.  This is probably the most important deployment in the history of the aircraft. >

Hurricane in WW2 begs to differ. Or Spitfire if you like that plane more. >

The Czechs have given a ton of aid to Ukraine. I don't blame them for not wanting to part with their fleet of main armored vehicles. >

In comments, article writer says that the amount could be 30-50. I'd assume that would be the first"wave", like with Bradleys >

Erdogan is a child. >


RT_com's account has been withheld in Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Germany, Greece, Romania, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Austria, Luxembourg, Latvia, United Kingdom, Denmark, Lithuania, Croatia, Estonia, Cyprus, France, Spain, Belgium in response to a legal demand. >

If anyone ever wondered where we were with supporting Ukraine. The destination is settled, question is how to get there. >

It makes me proud to be a westerner when I see that despite all of our problems, mistakes, divisions and issues, we can still manage to unite when needed and fight for what's right. Hugs to my fellow westerners, allies from the pacific and co. :) >

That’s democracies for you. We expect, demand even, a lively public debate before decisions get made. 
“democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried.” >

Saw this snippet, hope its true:  U.S. Is moving towards sending abrams tanks to Ukraine - U.S. Officials tell reuters >

Everyone's excited over 100 Leopards, 30 Abrams, 200 extra T-72s, 50 Bradleys, 50 CV90s, 100 Strykers, 50 Marders, 30 British SPARTs, 20 American SPARTs, 19 Danish Caesars, 12 Swedish Archers, Estonia's full stock of Howitzers, 200 Hummers and 200 Canadian Senators, and 300,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition.
But I don't see anyone talking all two of Russia's operable T-14 Armatas. They're gonna stop this fleet of Western decadence in its tracks. >


all two of Russia's operable T-14 Armatas

One's been reserved for parades. >

The other one is reserved for towing the one reserved for parades. >

What actually is the Adam tactical group? I see a lot of combat videos of them popping up as of late, but I'm not actually sure what their organizational structure is. Is there a credible source on this or is it mostly classified info? >

As I understand it is SOF ("ССО" in Ukrainian) >

If Turkey has a bone to pick with Sweden, why don't they just ratify Finland's bid? >

Because Finland tied their entry to Sweden’s. Realistically though, they can afford to wait out Turkey since they’ve already gotten defensive pacts with the main players in NATO anyway. >

Do you think UA sent some pilots and maintance personel to the US to train on F16? With 11 months of this already passed and no end in sight, there was/is more than enough time to provide/teach Ukrainians to use them >

Not yet but my guess is soon. The problem with training aircrew and maintenance to use and maintain them is that you absolutely CANNOT cut corners unlike with other gear sent. It has to be by-the-book or else people will die especially in a high-stakes environment like a full-blown war. It’ll be 6 months or longer before we ever see them grace Ukrainian sky. >

Unless they have been in training already, and are nearing the end of the training cycle, hence the recent statement by the Dutch.
I hope we eventually find out that during Ukraine's initial mobilization they skimmed a few new recruits that had relevant experience (either vehicle maintenance or aircraft maintenance) along with some experienced maintainers already in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and sent them off to get started on the long lead training. >

Swedish gov just announced press conference in 15minutes with the background being the NATO process and security of Sweden >

THANK YOU SCHOLZ and THANK YOU GERMANY for making the right decision. You will not regret it, and you will earn a lot of respect for your country thanks to this move. This is a fight for freedom, for democracy! Germany is on the right side of history this time! As a defender, not as an aggressor! >

I was off reddit for like 3 hours, and seems that I have missed one of the most important moments of the last months. Is it confirmed, Germany 100% officially sends tanks? Very cool. >

Most probable are more MiGs, and later F-16, since those can carry all the various US-produced munitions (HARM, JDAM, etc.). I'm not sure if Eurofighter or Gripen can do that. Plus, the quantity of F-16, and therefore maintenance capabilities are most common >

Eurofighter can carry European weapons that the F-16 is not integrated with.  
For example Meteor, Brimstone (which the UK has provided for ground launch), Storm Shadow etc.   
Meteor is much more deadlier than AMRAAM which the F-16 can carry.   
I strongly suspect Ukraine is going to get a bunch of F-16's from nations that are in the process of replacing them with F-35's and probably a handful of Eurofighters for some European weapons. >

"Meteor, Brimstone, Storm Shadow" sounds like an X-MEN spinoff. >

Brimstone definitely seems superpowered >

Yep, makes sense. Lot of older F-16's out there that don't have the latest tech in etc.   
Plenty of current F-16 operators in the process of replacing their F-16's with F-35's.. perfect storm of Ukraine getting the F-16. >

Well, there’s some F-16’s that Turkiye wanted that should be immediately available for someone else now. >

Also very much looks like Scholz got his wish of a combined allied investment, with everybody sending tanks including the US. >

Mark Hertling makes a couple of good points in one tweet

If true (sending Abrams to Ukraine) -and I believe it is- it will take significant time to not just train the crews & units (as stated in the article) but also even more time to “set” logistics & support infrastructure. This is part of long-term plan to help transform Ukraine’s Army. >

Yes, it is the lookahead for Russian army getting their ass pummeled. Russians better be finding the parts for new attack helicopters and T-90s, because that is what it takes to take out an brigade of Abrams/Leopards.
Russians in Ukraine are like those people after 60 000 years when all information is lost from previous civilization, coming accross a nuclear disposal site. They think they are digging into a treasure without understanding the warning signs encountered in the process. >

Don't forget about the Bradleys and the Strykers (and European counterparts). The American military's networked battlefield ethos is going to play a big role in the liberation of Crimea. And those Bradleys and Strykers will be key. >

I don’t claim to be the smartest, but can Sweden just sign defense pacts with all the members of NATO barring Turkey basically bypass Turkey’s rhetoric? Sweden can contribute X amount of dollars to defense and if a member nation of the pact is attacked (barring Turkey again) Sweden would be required to respond? >

Yes.  And even more so, if they sign an agreement to fight all defensive European wars with the US in exchange for station a small US force in Sweden then they are de facto 100% NATO.  Because an attack on a US force in Europe would certainly trigger the self defense clauses of NATO.
And if not, 90% of the NATO guarantee is just the US anyways.
Also, though this war highlights the steep difference between formal/informal ally, it also reinforces the idea that ALL of the advanced democracies act as a semi organized security alliance even in the absence of treaty obligations.
Countries like Japan, S. Korea, Australia, and N. Zealand have been 100% on board with Ukraine since day 1 despite no conceivable Russia theat to them.  (Well maybe Japan). >

Anyone know what the electronic warfare capabilities of abrams are? >

I'm pretty sure the Abrams shoots you with a tank blast, which then destroys your electronics. >

Comment made my day >


Bet the Russians don't have it like this

What are you talking about?  Russia looks after its soldiers too: they have water in their trenches... and they get to soak in it! >

Old:  The beatings shall continue until morale improves. 
New:  the executions shall continue until morale improves. >

How to structure all these new imminent tank and other various recent heavy equipment provided? Well since you're wondering...
"Forbes: The Ukrainian Army Could Form Three New Heavy Brigades With All These Tanks And Fighting Vehicles Its Getting. 
Forbes complete primer on potential UA brigade and battalion structures >

NEW: The Biden administration is leaning toward sending a significant number of Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine and an announcement of the deliveries could come this week, U.S. officials said. 
*Unzips* >

Was about time >

How long have you been waiting for EvilMonkeySlayer to unzip? /s >

So the Leopards are officially being released or is there still a lot of diplomatic back and forth? >

After watching 100's of videos of combat footage, the Russians are literally lemmings. March right into artillery fire and keep going while their comrade has his torso blown off and do almost nothing to avoid it.
It's quite hard to fathom the mentality. Especially after seeing competent squad/platoon/company tactics practiced by western style forces in Afghanistan.
When does basic self preservation come into play for the average Russian conscript? >

That was the way people fought 100 years ago. Russia never grew past WW1 because they have the numbers and don't care about their people, nor the people care about their own future. >

Can't even think of another nation with the learned helplessness of the Russian federation. Even if one Russian decides to be strong and resist he knows 100% of his neighbors are lemmings and it will go nowhere >


Even if one Russian decides to be strong and resist he knows 100% of his neighbors are lemmings and it will go nowhere

No they will actively pull him down. >

Culture of shared misery >

Crab mentality is a lifestyle there >

Early reports on Biden agreeing to supply Ukraine with 30 Abrams tanks. >

Listening to Russia is, more than anything else, boring. 
The lies are repetitive and predictable, constantly blending the same word-salad of semi-connected ideas to produce today's novel sentences. Which are pretty much the same as yesterday's and the day before that. The most recent addition I've noticed is an uptick on the phrase "Anglo-Saxon". This is just a rehash of the same lazy positioning — not really losing to loser Ukraine, but rather being in a war with the best NATO has to offer, with a small added twist of specifying some countries as running the show. This opens up the possibility of driving a wedge into the coalition and splintering off the ones who don't fit the epithet. Say... Turkie, or... Finland? Or Morocco? How's that suppose to work? 
Nah, I'm overthinking it again, it's grade-school, schoolyard trash talk and about that creative and unoriginal. The Propaganda State News stations are much more varied with their tales of hordes of homosexual black zombies casting voodoo spells but then again they are also batshit insane, which should be clear to anyone with a spinal column. 
The thing about the Russian state communiques, on the other hand, is that they're all reading from the same  handbook of coersion and manipulation for fun and profit, and every single thing they say is some lie of another to advance their narrative. They literally have nothing else to say but how great they are, and how pointless it is to defy them, and how weak their enemies are, and so on, and so on, and so on. Have you ever run into a Crypto Bro, and remember how they just went on and on and on about how much money they were going to make, and how to buy the dip and how they were going to retire and quit this stupid job once and for all? It's tedious, repetitive, but more than anything else, boring. Which is where we came in.
Well Russia is just like that, but with more murder. So much more mindless murder. Somehow Russia even makes that boring. /rant >

At a high level I think there's probably a lot of worth to be had in studying the Russian psyche. It is so so so different to the majority of the world and it has obviously played a key role in that nation ending up where it has. It can serve as a cautionary tale for the rest of us I guess. As a people, they just seem so apathetic towards life. It's quite scary. I recall footage of a moderately injured soldier telling his Ukrainian captor "just end me" or something to that effect.