Russia invades Ukraine

[Cheese]

Avdiivka fighting is grim

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758547596472156355

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758551987161813503

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758519339190218896

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758466314107068454

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758566184880844856

[curves2000]

Some of the language in a lot of these videos must just be making some people's head ready to explode but they don't say anything cause they don't want to rock the boat so to speak. I am not one of them, just saying.

Another observation from a lot of these videos I see online, it's shocking to me to see how little protection a lot of these Ukrainian defenders have from their clothing and armor. Virtually no facial protection, a lot of lower body shrapnel wounds and more. I would have thought they would have been sent or been equipped with vastly superior Kevlar protection from head to toe. Ukraine can't afford to lose more and more men to smaller injuries that could be avoided.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by curves2000

Sobering look at the Russian military industrial complex and it's production which appears to be shocking even veteran experts.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...n-war-planners

Pretty much a mandate to run 12 hour shifts, twice a day for a lot of companies to turn out what is needed in order to win the war.

While the west, NATO and EU dither on assistance, stuck in the mud so to speak, Russia is ramping up and in a big way.

Scary to think that they can produce this while other countries can barely deliver the crumbs. In Putin's interview with Tucker Carlson he indicated that if the west stopped arming Ukraine, it would be over in a few weeks and that may actually be the case if things don't improve.

Godspeed to the Ukrainian Defenders

The article states that military spending in Russia is no 7.5% of GDP, but the Estonian president said recently that Russia is planning to ramp it up to 40% based on their intelligence reports.

For context, at the height of WW2, the USSR was at 62% of GDP on military spending. During the Cold War, they varied between 10-20% depending on the year. Poland spends the most money on the military of all NATO countries relative to GDP (3.9 % of GDP), and the average in NATO is ~2.7%.

[Leondros]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

The article states that military spending in Russia is no 7.5% of GDP, but the Estonian president said recently that Russia is planning to ramp it up to 40% based on their intelligence reports.

For context, at the height of WW2, the USSR was at 62% of GDP on military spending. During the Cold War, they varied between 10-20% depending on the year. Poland spends the most money on the military of all NATO countries relative to GDP (3.9 % of GDP), and the average in NATO is ~2.7%.

But how efficient is 7.5%? Based on reports of corruption I wouldn't be surprised if half of that number finds its way into personal pockets.

[Leondros]

Russia’s military spending in 2016 was $69.2 billion, an increase of 87 per cent since 2007, which has enabled Moscow to modernize its armed forces and use them in the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. However, the increased spending is a heavy burden on the Russian economy, which is in serious trouble due to low oil and gas prices. And despite these increases, NATO member states collectively spent over 12 times more on the military in 2016 than Russia. Together, the European NATO members spent $254 billion in 2016—over 3 times more than Russia.

https://natowatch.org/newsbriefs/201...pri-data-shows

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by curves2000

Some of the language in a lot of these videos must just be making some people's head ready to explode but they don't say anything cause they don't want to rock the boat so to speak. I am not one of them, just saying.

Another observation from a lot of these videos I see online, it's shocking to me to see how little protection a lot of these Ukrainian defenders have from their clothing and armor. Virtually no facial protection, a lot of lower body shrapnel wounds and more. I would have thought they would have been sent or been equipped with vastly superior Kevlar protection from head to toe. Ukraine can't afford to lose more and more men to smaller injuries that could be avoided.

Personal protection is an odd thing for a soldier.

You run a fine line between being “safe” and being mobile and affective.

Most soldiers will opt for something that allows maximum mobility while still protecting vital organs.

Very minor example, I never wore hearing protection, because I couldn’t hear. I choose to ride around in M113 all day with nothing to stop that noise so I could hear other noises.

Also, Kevlar pants sound……….not cool.

I’d suggest this soldiers are making similar decisions based on their personal risk acceptance for the theatre they are in.

[CaptainCrunch]

God I'm old. In my day there no personal protection besides the condom you got in the ration pack and your helmet. No ballistic vest, or kevlar face covers, or built in knee pads in your combat pants.



Its the stupid term drilled into us from the start. you're either quick or dead. Smart of a slab.



Hell in the glorious days of the late 80's in the broke Canadian armed forces when we had to take the NBC training course, your protection against nerve agents, was your rain gear and a vintage gas mask that took away your ability to see and hear. But you could hilariously suffocate your trench mate during a drill by ramming your hand against the air intake hole on the mask filter and then laugh as the mask sucked in around his face and he couldn't breath. Did rain gear and a mask offer you protection in a gas environment . . . . nope, but there was this little handle on the back of your rain gear so they could easily haul your corpse out of a vehicle or trench.

[CaptainCrunch]

I don't know why Ukraine is throwing away so much at Avdiivka I think its a political decision instead of a military decision. A pride decision but not a prudent decision. You can't break your army over a single point on a map.



The Ukrainians don't have the man power to fight a war of attrition there.

[8 Ball]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I don't know why Ukraine is throwing away so much at Avdiivka I think its a political decision instead of a military decision. A pride decision but not a prudent decision. You can't break your army over a single point on a map.



The Ukrainians don't have the man power to fight a war of attrition there.

The Ukrainians have just pulled out apparently.

[Cheese]

Looks like the Ukrainians shot down 3 more Orc jets today.
It is noted that two Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers and one Su-35 fighter were shot down.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758853809936482439

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758810431777333457


Wonder what the right moment is?

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758842483231051917


Zelenskyy has offered to take Trump to the front
(If accepted maybe he could leave him there)

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758828641629167863

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758795834206887975


Orks smoking again

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758790391808004201


and another Oil Plant

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758741783469560265

[Cheese]

Another SU-34 shot down overnight.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1759212742475415668

https://twitter.com/user/status/1758949109325602837

https://twitter.com/user/status/1759202860498145630


Denmark transferring all of its artillery to Ukraine!

https://twitter.com/user/status/1759115524511002947

[BloodFetish]

Good for Denmark. They don't need artillery to defend their land or prosecute a war, so either a) they're shipping artillery to the eastern front after Russia invades a NATO country, or b) they're shipping it to Ukraine. Might as well do it now.

[CaptainCrunch]

It's somewhat of a surprise that the Soviet Air Force is struggling like it is as its considered one of the more competent of the Soviet service arms. Mind you that's not saying much.



We know that Russian pilots don't get a lot of flight training time, and we've got older planes going up against more modern NATO supplied anti-air weapons.



The SU-34 and 35 (upgraded 27's) are decent enough planes but they're not showing that they're front line planes anymore.



I was reading that the Russians are having significant communication problems over their tactical nets for both the army and the air force.



Its going to be interesting to see if there's a Russian tactical shift as planes like the F-16''s hits the theatre.



In 3 or 4 years time when this war is continuing on its going to be fought with sticks and rocks.

[BloodFetish]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

It's somewhat of a surprise that the Soviet Air Force is struggling like it is as its considered one of the more competent of the Soviet service arms. Mind you that's not saying much.



We know that Russian pilots don't get a lot of flight training time, and we've got older planes going up against more modern NATO supplied anti-air weapons.



The SU-34 and 35 (upgraded 27's) are decent enough planes but they're not showing that they're front line planes anymore.



I was reading that the Russians are having significant communication problems over their tactical nets for both the army and the air force.



Its going to be interesting to see if there's a Russian tactical shift as planes like the F-16''s hits the theatre.



In 3 or 4 years time when this war is continuing on its going to be fought with sticks and rocks.

That's when Canada's military donations to Ukraine will really shine. We can match Russia's stick and rock production, if only the politicians will stay out of the way.

[Brendone]

Originally Posted by BloodFetish

That's when Canada's military donations to Ukraine will really shine. We can match Russia's stick and rock production, if only the politicians will stay out of the way.

Sure, we could send them our expiring munitions, which they want…. but here are some helmets. Least we could do is send some surplus Roots mittens to go with those hats.

[Brendone]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

It's somewhat of a surprise that the Soviet Air Force is struggling like it is as its considered one of the more competent of the Soviet service arms. Mind you that's not saying much.



We know that Russian pilots don't get a lot of flight training time, and we've got older planes going up against more modern NATO supplied anti-air weapons.



The SU-34 and 35 (upgraded 27's) are decent enough planes but they're not showing that they're front line planes anymore.



I was reading that the Russians are having significant communication problems over their tactical nets for both the army and the air force.



Its going to be interesting to see if there's a Russian tactical shift as planes like the F-16''s hits the theatre.



In 3 or 4 years time when this war is continuing on its going to be fought with sticks and rocks.

Off topic, but what’s with the spacing you use between paragraphs? Reads like Captain Kirk style dramatic pauses.

[CaptainCrunch]

Its a weird firefox thing, I've put in the fix that was suggested elsewhere on this forum, and no joy.

For the most part I remember to do an edit to take out the extra spaces, but I'm old man, and sometimes I forget.

[Cheese]

Two more jets downed by Ukraine.. That's 6 in the last 3 days

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/stat...1TTmqkO7w&s=19

[CaptainCrunch]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1759467627410260416


Depending on the accuracy of this, This allows for the Russians to create buffer zones in front of their offensive lines, and could open the way for a summer offensive by the Russians.

[Cheese]

Russia's staggering casualties it sustained attempting to capture the now totally destroyed town of #Avdiivka

https://twitter.com/user/status/1759612027935367667


Putin's assassins murdered Russian helicopter pilot defector Maxim Kuzminov in Spain

https://twitter.com/user/status/1759639100917973026