OT: Putin's War in Ukraine

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Raellus

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...manys-approval

What are the odds that this goes through? I doubt it'll happen, but I hope it does.

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Goose eggs, for the reasons given in the article, and since Germany hasn't seen fit to contribute anything useful to the Ukraine effort besides attaboys.

[kcdusk]

So Russia is withdrawing forces east. But looks like mounting a new attack in the south, with forces cueing up again along highways.

I wonder if their tactics will be different this time, if they learnt anything from the resistance they received from their initial thrusts. Or if it will just be the same grinding advance.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by kcdusk

So Russia is withdrawing forces east. But looks like mounting a new attack in the south, with forces cueing up again along highways.

I wonder if their tactics will be different this time, if they learnt anything from the resistance they received from their initial thrusts. Or if it will just be the same grinding advance.

It does seem that the Russians don't learn from their mistakes, doesn't it?

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by kcdusk

I wonder if their tactics will be different this time, if they learnt anything from the resistance they received from their initial thrusts. Or if it will just be the same grinding advance.

One of the big reasons for the failure of the first phase of the Russians' offensive (around Kiev) was that their tanks were operating in wooded and/or urban areas, were Ukrainian infantry armed with ATGMs and RPGs could effectively use ambush and hit-and-run tactics. Russian tactics don't necessarily need to change for them to have success in the east. The terrain there is much more open. The landscape is much more conducive to massed tank formations and artillery fires operating at range, negating many of the advantages that Ukrainian forces had during the Kiev campaign. The Russians will also have much shorter supply lines in the Donbass (and more local support). This article does a good job of explaining this in a bit more detail:

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ains-of-donbas

In more positive news,

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ine-by-the-u-s

I wonder why Slovakia's MiGs are OK, but Poland's were too risky to transfer.


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[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Raellus

One of the big reasons for the failure of the first phase of the Russians' offensive (around Kiev) was that their tanks were operating in wooded and/or urban areas, were Ukrainian infantry armed with ATGMs and RPGs could effectively use ambush and hit-and-run tactics.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ains-of-donbas


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We used to do that at all the units I was stationed at -- get the tanks to follow us into the woods, where they couldn't turn their turrets without being blocked with a tree and the TC had to pop up in his hatch to use the commander's machinegun. He usually died fast and we could pelt the tanks as much as we wanted with AT-4s and ATGMs. One brave soul even snuck to the rear quarter of an M1, climbed up on the engine deck without the crew noticing, and set a (simulated) thermite grenade on top of the engine deck. The M1 was called by the referees a total loss.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Raellus

I wonder why Slovakia's MiGs are OK, but Poland's were too risky to transfer.


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Maybe the Polish wanted too much in return -- much more than simply F-16s, but something else that was not advertised. The Slovakians may have given NATO a better deal.

[Top-Break]

Putin's current strategy may go something like this.

1. Take hammer.

2. Bash objective with hammer.

3a. If objective breaks, move on to next objective.

3b. If hammer breaks, put in requisition for a larger hammer.

Repeat until all objectives have been broken, or the supply of hammers has been exhausted.

Putin ran short of hammers trying to take Kyiv, so he's taking his remaining hammers east where he intends to whale away at the Ukrainians in the Donbas and along the Azov coast.

[Tegyrius]

Originally Posted by Raellus

I wonder why Slovakia's MiGs are OK, but Poland's were too risky to transfer.
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The political difference seems to be a direct transfer versus the US acting as a passthrough.

There may also be technology transfer issues. I seem to recall another War Zone article stating that Poland's MiGs have received some upgrades not present in the Slovakian fleet.

- C.

[Targan]

For the Ukrainians to manage to sink a Russian cruiser, that's quite an achievement. Fair to say that would be the most expensive individual piece of hardware the Russians have lost as a result of Putin's current folly?

[kato13]

Originally Posted by Targan

For the Ukrainians to manage to sink a Russian cruiser, that's quite an achievement. Fair to say that would be the most expensive individual piece of hardware the Russians have lost as a result of Putin's current folly?

I work with marketing teams all the time and the timing of the announcement of this stamp and the sinking, is more than you can ask for. I hope they sell 10s of millions of those stamps.







Edit the website is overloaded and they would not be available yet but giving them a link. http://pm.ukrposhta.ua/nishop.php (Ukrainian postal service)

edit 2 removed ?? from sinking. Russia admitted it.

[Bestbrian]

Originally Posted by kato13

I work with marketing teams all the time and the timing of the announcement of this stamp and the sinking?? is more than you can ask for. I hope they sell 10s of millions of those stamps.

That's gold, Jerry! GOLD!