re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Moscow airports again closed right now, because of Ukrainian drones.

I said it the other day and I'll say it again: airlines such as Turkish, Emirates, Qatar, etc. are going to get tired of losing money with all the delays and hassles involved in flying to Moscow. This is not something that can continue indefinitely.

Might as well just close down the Moscow airport. They're having big closures on a daily basis now.

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Mainly quoting this for the Crimea comment. That reads as though Ukraine is already planning on not reclaiming it. Not overly shocking in and of itself more shocking hearing come from Zelensky


The likely solution in Crimea is something like independence or de facto independence, with UN supervision.

So, Russia would have to abandon its military bases, but both Russian and Ukrainian would be official languages, the Kerch Bridge could remain, etc.

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The Kerch Bridge is done for once Ukraine builds enough drone attack boats. Just one hit knocked it down to one usable lane of traffic. The supports for the main arches were rumored to be poorly designed and construction was rumored to be rushed by Russia. 3 or 4 drone hits could bring it the arches down especially if Ukraine hits them in the winter when the arches are coated in thousands of pounds of ice.

Massive material support from the USA also played a big role is the soviet victory over the Nazis in ww2.

It'll be interesting to see what Ukraine does with these new cardboard kamikaze drones they got from Australia. They were used in the recent attack on the Russian planes at Kursk. Seems like they would be ideal for partisans to use on attacks deep inside Russia.

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On the night of 26-27 August, the military counterintelligence service of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) struck Russian Su-30 and MiG-29 aircraft, as well as S-300s and Pantsirs, at the Kursk airfield with 16 drones.

Source: Sources of Ukrainska Pravda in SSU

Details: Ukrainska Pravda's sources indicate that kamikaze drones attacked four Su-30 and one MiG-29 aircraft.

Also, S-300 radars and two Pantsirs are among the struck targets.

SSU reported that almost all the drones reached their targets.

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LINK

You can't tell anything from that shitty pic.

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Massive material support from the USA also played a big role is the soviet victory over the Nazis in ww2.

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Though many revisionists today want to downplay the role of American aid to the Soviets during WWII, simply put, without it, the Soviets would have collapsed. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union they overran the vast majority of their food producing regions, along with a massive chunk of their natural resources. During the first 6 months of the invasion, German forces managed to occupy or isolate territory which prior to WWII accounted for over 60% of total coal, pig iron, and aluminum production. Nearly 40% of total grain production and 60% of total livestock was lost. Really, from summer 1941 to summer 1944, the only resource the Soviets had in abundance was crude oil. But crude oil is worthless without refineries. And the Soviets were short in this area, but there were many others. Here is a short list off the top of my head that the Soviets were either entirely or at least heavily reliant on from the US:

Aviation fuel
Grain
Meat (we sent over 100M pounds of Spam)
Aluminum
Iron
Steel
Rubber
Leather
Cotton
Wool
Trucks
Communication equipment
Batteries
Ball bearing
Surgical equipment of all sorts

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The bottom line is this, without US aid, by late 1943 the Red Army would have been a foot-born mob of starving, disease riddled, barefoot men. Their tanks and artillery would be abandoned due to lack of fuel. The Red Air Force would be grounded due to lack of an aviation fuel. Meanwhile, all the factories the Soviets managed to evacuate to beyond the Urals would be idled due to lack of of things like steel and aluminum, not to mention the fact there would be no way to feed the factory workers. And whatever they were able to produce would be left sitting uselessly at the factory because, due to a lack of fuel, there was no way to send whatever they made to the front.

This is a really fascinating read from @solonko1648 via Tatarigami.

It explores the accomplishments and difficulties Ukraine has faced in its attempts to break through Russia defences in the south and confirms many of the conclusions that have already been made here, especially in relation to the role of aerial reconnaissance and its impact on artillery fire. It also highlights just how well fortified Russia has made their defensive lines.

https://twitter.com/Tatarigami_UA/status/1695563964158025974

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Translation:

Much has been written about the battles in the South. I wouldn't say that this is the case where it's better to see once (or multiple times) than to hear/read about it many times. Especially through the eyes of the frontline units. A thread about battles from the perspective of aerial reconnaissance:

Environment. Steppe. Fields, tree lines. Slight elevations and dips, villages, small rivers. Minefields. Whoever you may be, an armored assault group, evacuation team, aerial or infantry reconnaissance, your movement is visible from afar. The enemy has long been preparing.

Equipment and personnel can be spotted from a distance and targeted. Both sides understand that there are limited places for positions and deployment. Most likely, there's something to shoot at in almost every tree line. Confirmation is needed, of course. Primarily, it's necessary to determine the priority of the target

There's a limited number of access roads, logistical routes. Everything's been calibrated and fired upon repeatedly every day. You certainly can be spotted. Carrying out the mission while maintaining complete concealment from the enemy is mostly impossible

There has been a great deal of talk about fortifications and minefields. Every tree line has been dug up. On one stretch of the Mariupol highway, anti-tank fortifications have been installed. We're not just talking about trenches. There's an entire system of trenches, dugouts, and even undeground tunnels in some places



In each tree line, there's a network of trenches and firing positions for various weapons. AGS, DShK, ATGMs. Anti-tank ditches and mine obstacles stretch across the fields. From regular TM and POM mines to more "sophisticated" ones, all lying in wait for infantry.

Once again, it's crucial to emphasize that we're specifically discussing a system of trenches, interconnected by passageways and pathways. These pathways facilitate the movement of personnel, weaponry, and ammunition. As for what remains unexcavated, it's mined. All of this must be navigated to make progress forward.



For those who are "overly smart" and believe that the Ukrainian Armed Forces took an incredibly long time to drive the Russians out of the village of Robotyne, they must have missed the defense system that needed to be overcome in order to push the russians away from the Mariupol highway and gradually approach the village, encircle it, and finally seize control. Truly, a monumental task has been accomplished.


The russians are establishing firing points (AGS, heavy machine guns), and they mine the routes to them. They themselves move along designated paths. Our positions in the liberated territory are surrounded by mines and tripwires. Paths are cleared for ingress, and sappers gradually clear the area.

Frequently, the hidden "surprises" detonate during shelling, triggered by fires that start due to the shelling (weeds, shrubs, and trees catch fire, setting off tripwires). At times, we ourselves discover and call in sappers to clear specific areas.

There's much talk about armored vehicle losses, I'll skip the topic of initial setbacks. In the long run, it's impossible to entirely avoid armor losses, especially due to the enemy's advantage in the air. However, armor serves a specific purpose that entails risks.

These actions are justified by the fact that they save lives. I spoke with a soldier who survived two direct hits on a Bradley during shelling. Even the most critically damaged equipment is recovered and taken for repairs. You can replace a piece of metal, even if it's expensive, but you can't repair a human life

Enemy ATGM operators position cameras in advance of their positions. This way, they can spot targets (all types of vehicles) in advance and engage them effectively. If successful, artillery finishes off the targets. Alternatively, they might start with air force, followed by artillery.

They hunt for evacuation teams – both vehicles and stations. Right under our noses, they hit an armored vehicle, and an evacuation vehicle arrived for the guys. They had to maneuver in a tight spot, moving very slowly on a narrow road, avoiding going off-road into a mined field. Taking risks as well. Fortunately, they managed to get them out.

KAB's are one of the biggest fears. The russians use them extensively. I can't speak to their accuracy, but the weaponry is powerful. They attempt to target logistics and command centers, just as we do. They don't hesitate to simply fire on roads. Forward defenses in settlements are constantly under shelling.

The aerial reconnaissance linked system Orlan-Zala-Supercam is effective and causing issues. They identify targets and launch Lances, releasing them in swarms along with KAB's. They attempt to break through and hunt down vehicles.

The recaptured positions are even more calibrated. Bombs are not spared. No lack of mines either. The tree line where one of the crews was operating was simply leveled. Only a palisade remained, and a well-made trench ceased to be usable.

The russians use a standard tactic for their armor. The route to the firing position is determined, usually in a way that keeps the vehicles under visual cover of the tree lines and eventually positions them in an open space for shooting. They quickly expend their ammunition and retreat

Vehicle cannot be completely concealed. Dust clouds are visible during movement, and the vehicles can be seen shifting between tree lines, while drones provide visibility as well. The main task here is to execute the firing mission quickly enough to prevent artillery targeting or counterattacks using FPV or ATGMs.

I understand why the russians are intensively butthurt due to the loss of the village with six streets. They put in significant effort to prevent the Ukrainian Armed Forces from advancing. Defending is easier according to all norms. On the other hand, we're putting in a tremendous effort to break through. And when we succeed, it shows that our efforts are paying off

Thank you for your attention. I might continue sharing in the future. Meanwhile, I invite you to follow on Facebook and TG (Telegram): https://facebook.com/osolonko

https://t.me/silukr/122

Postscript: The original thread can be found here: https://twitter.com/solonko1648/status/1695525388670095804

If you're interested in updates, I highly recommend following him.

Translation by
@Tatarigami_UA

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Edit: Added further comment

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The fate of every Russian military officer who has had success in Ukraine.

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Good article. As we know, with dictators competence is seen as a danger.