OT: Putin's War in Ukraine

[kato13]

So strange they don't see losing 1000 men a day as not worth the PR.

I guess keeping that Ace always in the hole makes the UKR forces reticent to push when they have a slight advantage. Personally I am not sure Putin could survive the loss of Crimea, if that is threatened that is where I expect to see all cards go onto the table.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by kato13

So strange they don't see losing 1000 men a day as not worth the PR.

I agree, but for the Russians, life is cheap. Literally. A SU-34, on the other hand...

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[Raellus]

In the early days of the war, I saw a lot of stories about how the Switchblade loitering munition was going to make a big impact in the hands of the Ukrainian army. Aside from a couple of videos showing Switchblades in action (including one where it attacked a civilian sedan), I've not seen/heard any references to their use or effectiveness (or lack thereof).

On the other hand, the Ukraine Weapons Tracker Twitter feed regularly shares video clips of Russian Lancet loitering munitions in action. Although they appear pretty accurate, they don't seem to do much damage to hard targets- in many cases the target can be repaired and returned to action relatively quickly. I get the impression that the Lancet's warhead is not very powerful.

Is this evidence of the rare example of a Russian system (Lancet) that is more effective than a comparable NATO one (Switchblade), or is there another explanation?

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[Ursus Maior]

Originally Posted by Raellus

I agree, but for the Russians, life is cheap. Literally. A SU-34, on the other hand...

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Currently any heavy gear, vehicle or airplane, is irreplaceable for the Russians. Men are just forced into service via the prison system - a knack the defense department has copied from Wagner now, apparently - or conscription. Material on the other hand cannot be repaired to pre-war standards, because Russia lacks western supplies or has sold of - often via corruption - parts. Also, planes are either old or extremely rare and sometimes external costumers have rights to being supplied. If Russia doesn't honor these contracts, they loose their last allies.

Als Gen. Miley put it the other day: "Russia has lost strategically, operationally and tactically."

Currently, Russia is thus loosing combatants in record tempo, but only a handful of tanks and armored vehicles per day. Alas, the Ukrainians seem to hunt down SAM vehicles and SPAAGs with priority now. Each day sees about two systems destroyed.