re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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Those are SU-25 close air support jets.

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to both of you

That is one of the best meltdowns ever

Nothing more pathetic than lying on a random message board pretending to be a Hero for fricking Ukraine

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Why don’t you remind the board who you served with during combat operations during OIF/OEF since you’re such an expert at pointing out inconsistencies with what weewee has posted thus far. Oh that’s right, you excel at drive-by shite posting, incel behavior that resulted in your arse being banned for weeks.

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STD got served

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why do yall even engage with this poster?

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Need something to do while pooping.

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They need to make a decision on what aircraft they are going to send soon because it will take 6 months at the very minimum to train their pilots on the aircraft systems and proper tactics. The f-16 is the obvious choice because of its numbers and neighboring countries to Ukraine are already flying them so parts aren’t an issue either. On the other hand I think they should really give the Swedish Gripen a serious look as well. The Gripen is renowned for being an easy aircraft to work on compared to the f-16 and most importantly it is capable of using short or rough takeoff and landing areas like highways or even fields while the f-16 needs longer runways to land and isn’t suited to operate out of areas that aren’t well maintained airfields as the Gripen has a more robust landing gear than the f-16. In a war where Ukraine really could use the capability to operate in areas other than air bases this is important. It’s a little bit of a conundrum. As a long term point of view there is no question the f-16 is the better choice but for this war right now you can make the case that the Gripen fits the Ukrainian’s needs more. In the end I think they end up getting 2 squadrons of older block f-16 aircraft and possibly one squadron worth of A-10’s just so the military can write off some of those older airframes and save money but the Gripen should be given a hard look.

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I took care of a few injured pilots and have some drinks with some pilots (who had been to see their families) on the train ride from Lviv to Kyiv when I was in Ukraine earlier this month and I asked them about it. They said that there is no perfect fit for their situation. The F16 is the most plentiful and they would love to have it. However, they also said it had some major drawbacks for them. The main one being that Ukrainian airbases are not a good fit for it because they don’t have to do fob walks or anything like that to keep the tarmacs clean since soviet made fighters have fob screens over their intact ducts. Plus the F16s landing gear wouldn’t allow it to operate from their runways for long before it needed repairs. Repaving the runways and tarmacs for the F16s to operate from would be a giveaway to the Russian satellites about which airbases were operating F16 and they would quickly be attacked by cruise missiles. The Gripen solves that problem by being able to operate from improvised runways and being easy to maintain, but they are not enough of them to be spared. Hungary operates 14 leased from Sweden but Hungary’s president is a friend of Putin’s. The Czech Republic also operates 14 leased from Sweden but they doubt the Czechs strip their air force of fighters. Sweden can’t afford to take any fighters away from its air force because they are needed on Russia’s northern flank. The pilots said that they have heard some rumors about the retired USMC F18s since they are both plentiful and have a robust landing gear. However, they are more difficult to maintain but the Ukrainian Air Forces is used to maintaining and restoring old USSR era fighters so that doesn’t really bother them. If they had to put money on it they figured they would eventually get F16s because they are the most plentiful and because the USA has been the nation that has been the most reliable in supplying Ukraine. However they also said that thanks to SAMs being able to stay back out of range and cover the battle field and keep the fighter jets closer to the ground and Russian jets are no longer flying in Ukrainian air space looking for a fight so they have not engaged in much air to air combat since March. They have mostly been engaged in close air support missions. Some of the pilots didn’t like the idea of flying close air support missions in an F16 or Gripen because it only has one engine. They know how the F16 has worked well for the USA in close air support missions but the USA hasn’t had to face modern Russian SAMs and MANPADs in its war. So those pilots favored the F18s because they had two engines. However they would gladly take the F16s and they were confident that they could learn to fly them and learn the tactics in less than two months. After all they have actually been flying combat missions against a first world opponent for months.

With all that being said I think that will get F16s and they will surprise us with how quickly they learn to use them and probably come up with new ways to use them.

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It has the tanks

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Not a rhetorical question, but do tanks still matter, or is this war doing to tanks what the pacific theater in WWII did to battle ships?

Based on what we’ve seen so far it’s not clear to me what role tanks play in offensive warfare anymore. Their primary purpose at this point seems to be as an urban demolition crew that drives around blasting away at largely abandoned buildings.

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Russia is bleeding money with a pissant 3rd world economy. Heck, even Saudi Arabia has as much diversified economy.

Tanks are useful more so in that they are another form of self propelled artillery than actual tank to tank combat. I’m sure there will eventually be some tank to tank battles but nothing like Kursk in WW2. This is why General Dynamics won a contract to develop a new light tank for our military. Today’s battlefield is all about speed and ease of maneuverability more so than going head to head with main battle tanks. Giving fire support for infantry is the #1 priority.

Today’s roundup from Malcontent News:

Luhansk and Northeast Donetsk
Russian forces attempted to advance on Hryhorivka from Bilohorkiva. They suffered heavy losses, and their defensive line was overrun as they retreated.

Settlements around Siversk were shelled by artillery and rockets, with the Russian air force attacking Siversk and Spirne.

The August 26 HIMARS strike on Kadiivka killed up to 200 Russian airborne (VDV) troops, according to Serhiy Haidai, exiled Luhansk People’s Republic Administrative and Military Governor.

In Staroblisk, Askyar Laishev, a Ukrainian defector and the head of security for occupied Luhansk, was killed when a bomb planted in his SUV exploded.

Russian forces have set up an airbase for Mi-8 transport and Mi-52 attack helicopters in Luhansk.

Bakhmut
Chechen Kadyrovites reappeared, claiming to have an active role in the fighting for Soledar. The Russian air force, PMC Wagner, the 2nd Army Corps of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR), with Kadyrovites taking the distant rear but claiming glory, launched a large attack on Soledar and Bakhmutske. Neither advance was successful, and it was reported that Russian troops suffered major losses.

A significant attack was also launched on Bakhmut from the east. It was reported that Russian proxy forces suffered severe losses.

In the Svitlodarsk bulge, Russian forces continued their attack on Kodema, supported by artillery and the Russian air force. Russian troops also tried to advance on Zaitseve. Fighting around the railroad yards continued in Mayorsk.

Southwest Donetsk – Zaporizhia
The Donetsk People’s Republic 1st Army Corps only tried to advance on Nevelske, making two attempts – positional fighting to improve their tactical positions and then an advance, which failed.

Marinka was shelled and repeatedly hit by air strikes. Video released by Russian state media shows that DNR separatists were pushed out of the center of Marinka, with Ukraine holding most of the city again.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, Donetsk Oblast Administrative and Military Governor, reported that Pisky was shelled. We maintain the settlement is contested.

Near the Donetsk-Zaporizhia administrative border, Russian forces tried to advance on Prechystivka and were unsuccessful.

In Berdyansk, gauleiter Alexander Kolesnikov, the deputy police chief and head of traffic enforcement, was killed when a car bomb exploded in his vehicle.

Kherson
North of Kharkiv, Russian forces attempted to capture Dementiivka – again – and ended with the same result as the last four attempts, returning to their starting point.

The Azov Battalion shelled Russian positions in Ternova, destroying an ammunition depot.

Russian missiles hit the central district of Kharkiv city and the suburb of Derhachi.

Izyum
A small group of Russian infantry attempted to advance on Karnaukhivka, over 7 kilometers south of the established line of conflict. They were met with small arms fire and retreated.

The General Staff reported that Russian forces had reestablished electronic warfare arrays near Izyum that disrupt GPS signals.

Russian forces fired artillery and rockets south of Izyum from Brazhkivka to Tetyanivka, while the Russian Ministry of Defense claims that Ukraine fired rockets from HIMARS into Izyum.

Kherson
Ukraine struck the Kahkovka, Antonovsky, and Dariivsky bridges with rockets fired by HIMARS. The same section of the Antonovsky bridge has been repeatedly targeted by Ukraine, causing progressively worse damage. The Dariivsky bridge appeared cratered in a low-resolution satellite image, and Russia reinstalled the pontoon bridge across the Inhulets River.

The Kahkovka Bridge, which was already badly damaged, was struck while a Russian military convoy was crossing the structure. An extremely graphic video showed multiple body parts and torsos in Russian uniforms scattered across the bridge, with the smoking remains of military vehicles in the distance.

Russian forces have dug in defensive positions in Blahodatne [Mykolaiv] and are heavily shelling Ukrainian positions north of the Inhuletskyi Channel.

Dnipropetrovsk
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Ukraine shelled the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant twice but didn’t provide evidence.

Valentyn Reznichenko, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Administrative and Military Governor, reported that Nikopol was hit with seven artillery shells knocking out power to 5,000 and damaging a school and several homes. Marhanets was hit by 20 Grad rockets, and an area of dachas (second homes, typically a cottage) was badly damaged in Zelenodolsk.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that they would be sending a team of inspectors to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the coming week.

Sumy and Chernihiv
Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, Sumy Oblast Administrative and Military Governor, reported that Russian forces shelled the settlements of Esman, Shalyhyne, Khotin, Myropillia, and Bilopillia. Four civilians were wounded in Bilopillia and required hospitalization.

Daily Assessment

1. Our assessment in early July that Russia had an inadequate number of troops to provide security and administration in occupied Luhansk was accurate, as an increasingly violent insurrection across a third of the oblast is gaining momentum.

2. The mood of the Russian milblogger community has notably shifted to quiet resignation in the last 24 hours after a series of devastating HIMARS attacks this week and the realization that the Russian military has no solution for their “as advertised” performance.

3. We maintain that Russian forces within Ukraine are combat destroyed – two small attempted advances in Donetsk and Kharkiv ended in failure, and Russian positions were overrun when they retreated, resulting in a territorial loss.