I sense that even at the early stages of the war, the Russian Army was chronically short of experienced soldiers, with most of the half-decent fighters long since departed to make better money as part of Wagner or other PMCs. I remember especially seeing stories of surprisingly senior army brass getting KIA near the frontlines. It appeared that the generals were so short of any command staff that they had to travel to the frontline to manage the fighting personally, thus earning many of them an AFU bullet to the head for their trouble.
I can't imagine it got any better over time. Now their more experienced soldiers are simply those who haven't died yet, and are likely keeping themselves that way by safeguarding a position as rear-guard executors. They can shovel mobniks into the meat-grinder and hold position at a safe distance while shooting anyone who retreats back. I suspect that Russia's war so far has done little to create actual leaders or professional soliders. Wagner was possibly their best shot of a coherant fighting force, but they've gone a pissed that away.
Yet again, time is not on the Russian's side. As time progresses, their army becomes more & more reduced to untrained mobniks and unthinking slave-drivers.
We've been hearing for quite some time that there aren't many experienced officers left in the Russian armed forces. It would certainly explain the extraordinary casualty rates they've been experiencing of late. Seems their only real input at this stage is to shoot their own troops who try to retreat / refuse to advance.
Kulyk was the prosecutor the EU went after. Well, just charged with treason and being Putins guy. Oh, linked to Trump's lawyer too.
The losses of equipment and men must be very apparent to Russian troops on the ground. Word would get around and infiltrate all ranks which has to be having effect on morale. Maybe they are told that the Ukrainian forces are taking even greater losses? We don't hear a lot about mutiny and soldiers abandoning their units/ surrendering etc but this must be an ongoing factor for the Russians. Maybe this is why they conduct their operations as they do, with less room for individuals adapting on the ground, they can't trust their own. If so, puts a high price on the Russian officer class, take them out and their forces are a rabble.
I think that might be. Add this the fact that (if accurate) the Russian death-rate has been consistently hovering around the 1000 per day mark for quite a while.
I hate to imagine the grim human-wave tactics being used to create such totals. There must be a tipping-point eventually for the Russians where this simply won't work anymore. Even on a good day I can't see how they can create 1000+ mobniks a day, deliver them to the killing fields and keep that rate up forever.
Seems Finland has closed the border with Russia.
Putin couldn't help himself. The Kremlin were flying in refugees from Africa and Middle East and sending them towards the border on bicycles.
How Putin wasted €100's of thousands on individual western journalists for propaganda.
1330.
Is this a new daily record?
We'll see russians charging the front on bicycles yet
Where the Americans have been producing and flying new design Stealth aircraft since the 70s each one individual and unique to the next the Russians went with lets cheat a little and took an su27 fighter and modified it's airframe and and pancaked fuselage and blended it's wings into a single shape and decided it was a 5th generation stealth fighter, with the radar cross section 1000 times larger the the F35 , meanwhile the US are flying the 3rd generation stealth bomber and at least 2 other unidentified new stealth aircraft,
I dont know much about it, but it does seem that the Su57 is vaporware. Much like most of the superweapons announced by Putin in 2016, not even the Russian armed forces are spending money on them. Their claim that it is better than the F35 but 1/3rd of the cost leads to the old addage that if it sounds too good to be true.....
They tried to get India to part fund the original Sukhoi Su57 programme until the Indians realised that there older Sukhoi aircraft could detect the Russian Su 57s even though they are supposed to be a 5th gen stealth aircraft
I guess it's also a side-effect of the fact that Khrushchev's secret speech following Stalin's death never led to any larger scale attempt to process the atrocities of the Stalin era. Once Khrushchev was gone and Brezhnev took over, that was it, any attempt at properly dealing with this was done. The uncomfortable discussions that happened in many German living rooms in the 1960s (including in my grandparents' home) never really happened in Russia, neither in the 1960s, nor after the collapse of the USSR.
Further down on that thread on Twitter, the same scenes are shown again, but with English subtitles. It seems that the two guys getting hammered had given drugs to other members of their unit and another one, and most of the other unit were subsequently killed in a fight. This was their punishment. The guys digging the pit had used drugs, and were being taught a lesson. They had also invited the survivors of the other unit to come and take part.
True there. I was more annoyed that India were doing deals with Russia in regards their military. But least Ukraine are showing the world just how crap Russian made weapons can be so their will be a pivot in the futire that countries will never buy from them again even when this conflict is over.
Rather disturbing to read a story like this, but considering the state of the place under Putin, not surprising I suppose.
India are buying their airplanes from Raffale, so the point is that the Russian military airplanes (as opposed to SAM systems) are not in high demand is valid. The fact that confidence in Russia is so low that there was even a questionmark over whether India would buy SAM systems from them, is also telling.
Someone from Wales came over and picked up mine on a trailer and drove their donated 4wd and trailer to Ukraine.
They're looking for 4wds and it's better again if you can drive it over in the convoys to Ukraine. But they'll take a 4wd without driver.
Basically, they will take any vehicle, provided its in good working order. 4 x 4s, with a good reliability history, ( Toyota ) would be especially welcome, spare parts in good supply, and easily procured. They should come with a good supply of standard service parts, engine oil, filters ( both air and oil ) Brake pads, Tyres, brake fluid and anti-freeze for the model supplied. Given the winter conditions now, a set of snow chains would be essential. I've seen donated vehicles which worked well, until they had a breakdown, and that was that, no spare parts readily available. This may sound like a wish list, but I've been there and those are basics. A reliable, dependable make, and enough standard service items to see it through its first year of service.
Have you a link to what kind of vehicles they would take?
Jesus, fair play. I hope your handywork survives the war and gets to take part in a victory parade some fine day in the future.
Report that Ukraine continues to progress its liberation of the east bank of the Dnipro river:
Number 8 wire mentality. I give you an upvote :)
Nice touch!!! A lot of well meaning people donate (amongst other things) vehicles, and for sure, vehicles of all shapes and sizes are badly needed in Ukraine, but 4 x 4's fitted with wider wheels and rough terrain tyres are especially welcome. I wish it a long and safe life. Well done!
I did the tyres myself.
The concept was started by a New Zealand dairy farmer in buying Kei 4wd trucks in Japan and fitting atv tyres and rims and selling them to NZ farmers.
I bought that one in this country from a garage who imported it from Japan and fitted atv wheels. I added wider rims and tyres again for the land on farm here. This can float on ground and climb any incline with 4wd hi low box. Travel 80km/hr.
And not just the paint either...Those tyres are definitely not standard issue, unless it was a special issue off roader for the ESB, Forestry etc.
Moving their cash out of Russia? To protect it from Putin maybe? At one stage, he called the oligarchs together and told them that he expected more financial support for the war IE: Time to cough up boys, you have had it very good for a long time now.
As the great Irish philosopher Johnny Logan once said “What's Another Year?”
Something tells me were this to become law or the norm, this lady would consider herself exempt from any ceilings imposed on Russian women. I guess the demographic crisis and emigration caused by mobilisation is starting to bite?
Worth noting that this sentiment is identical to the American Conservative/Right, with speakers at the most recent CPAC forwarding the same suggestion, and that women abandon education and careers in lieu of motherhood. Is it any wonder parts of the GOP in America see Russia as friends?
True but India seems to be happy to.
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