re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Rival generals for power of the government.

China has long been a supporter of Chad, decades long

Italy, like Finland and some other NATO countries, has not publicly announced much of its aid to Ukraine.

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Yesterday at a train station in Udine, around 20 or more Italian M109L’s which were previously revisioned would be spotted. These are definitely going to Ukraine, it seems like Italy is likely going to deliver all the M109L’s they had left in storage to Ukraine.

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At Vincenza earlier today. Another batch of M109L’s.

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The M109L is equivalent to a M109A3. It's an older M109 that got a barrel replacement late in the Cold War, so that it now has a 15-mile range.

Italy is believed to have had just over 100 M109L SPGs left in storage. Italy has fully transitioned to the PzH 2000 and doesn't need these older SPGs, so they are apparently sending them all to Ukraine. As indicated above, two trains that both had over 20 each on them moved through Italy today on their way to Ukraine.

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Are they still low on 155 shells?

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They should have what they need for this offensive, though of course we don't know how much they've been able to stockpile in recent months.

Ukraine was promised a lot of ammo during the last two Ramstein conferences, and the US obviously included more in its last commitment.

The bigger deal is that the EU just approved an ammo package worth 2 billion Euros. The EU is going to reimburse countries for 1 billion Euros of immediate ammo contributions, and the other half of the money is going to production contracts.

But the problem is that Ukraine will use hundreds of thousands of rounds in its upcoming offensive. So, it's not like the problem is gone for good.

I think the one thing we can say about the Germans is that they can ramp up their military very quickly

About 180 Leopard 1 tanks are on their way to Ukraine scrounged from several European nations.

One thing that Ukraine has is a LOT of wheeled vehicles so very speedy and limber when they make a breakthrough at the front. Trenches, especially unmanned ones are really not much of an obstacle. Minefields are the main obstacle. Lot of engineering equipment has flown under the radar as well.

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Is it can’t or won’t? Honest question. We’ve been at this over a year now. They have continued to fail to meet the NATO 2% target. They seem to be able to make everything but military goods.

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German chemical manufacturing never recovered after Covid lockdowns. It was a matter of time after the mega plants in TX and LA were first announced over a decade ago. German steel industry was rocked by Chinese imports 20 years ago. Lots of mills closed down, even brand new ones and liquidated.

German manufacturers of equipment have been able to stay afloat with special Climate Change regs passed in the EU which only their companies have patents on. The special designs do ZERO for climate change.

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All self imposed due to their dumbass social & climate policies. We’ve made some of the same mistakes, but at least we seem to be bringing back some manufacturing and have churned defense production since WWII.

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It was only afloat that long due German banking.

Feedstock cost too high. The Climate Change policies were an attempt to hold on to their economic position. Just think why would ConocoPhillips buy a refinery in Germany in 2006 then announce a major expansion to modernize it to US standards then cancel the expansion and shutdown the refinery before the Climate Change regs ever happened. Some of the equipment purchased are now sitting in Louisiana. Weight per hydrocracker reactor is 1000 tons. They were made in Italy and never saw Germany. Sitting for a over a decade.

How's the CNN narrative going? Please wake up!

No replies just down voting. Ha! I'll come back in another couple months, We'll talk. Please wake fricking up!!!!!! They don't care about you! If they did, you wouldn't have record inflation and gas prices heading north. It's about protecting their investment.

Hopefully we can come together on a couple of months and make America Great.

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I think the one thing we can say about the Germans is that they can ramp up their military very quickly They can't. That's the issue

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It depends, but that’s neither here nor there.