First off, tremendous props to LoBrau, who saw Ukraine coming well in advance and started a record setting thread. May that record stand forever, because nothing would please us more than for there to no longer be anything to talk about.

What has become evident since February of 2022 is that there is a global reshuffling taking place, with three primary players behind most of the conflict in the world today. Discussion of current geopolitics cannot be constrained to one country or conflict.

What this thread is:
News and discussion related to political / military actions by Russia / Iran / China and their proxies, chief among those, North Korea.
News and discussion of the relationships between Russia / Iran / China and their proxies.
News and discussion of responses to Russia / Iran / China and their proxies.
Related Grey Zone / hybrid warfare / “competition short of war.”
Relevant or interesting technical discussion.
Relevant economic / social / historical discussion.
Reliable reporting from Russian / Iranian / Chinese sources.
Russian / Iranian / Chinese perspectives and factual evaluation thereof.
Political topics in the US and / or elsewhere which bear directly on these issues, including the politics of foreign aid.
Current focus is on the Russian war against and in Ukraine, however this could change if the Ukraine war cooled off and Taiwan heated up.  Related topics are always allowed.
Secondary but related topics like Wagner in Africa, uprising in Georgia, or a Third Chechen War.
Reasonable tangents.

What this thread is not:
US and / or foreign political issues which do not directly bear on these topics, including campaigning / advocating for one party or candidate.

General rules:
Discussion is expected to be conducted in good faith and assertions of fact should be substantiated.
In case of a question on whether a subtopic or line of discussion is relevant to this thread, the following members should be considered co-owners with decision making authority- AlmightyTallest, Capta, and SaltwaterHillbilly.

The Axis of Upheaval
How America’s Adversaries Are Uniting to Overturn the Global Order
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Richard Fontaine
May/June 2024
Published on April 23, 2024

In the early morning of January 2, Russian forces launched a massive missile attack on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv that killed at least five civilians, injured more than 100, and damaged infrastructure. The incident was notable not just for the harm it caused but also because it showed that Russia was not alone in its fight. The Russian attack that day was carried out with weapons fitted with technology from China, missiles from North Korea, and drones from Iran. Over the past two years, all three countries have become critical enablers of Moscow’s war machine in Ukraine.

Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Moscow has deployed more than 3,700 Iranian-designed drones. Russia now produces at least 330 on its own each month and is collaborating with Iran on plans to build a new drone factory inside Russia that will boost these numbers. North Korea has sent Russia ballistic missiles and more than 2.5 million rounds of ammunition, just as Ukrainian stockpiles have dwindled. China, for its part, has become Russia’s most important lifeline. Beijing has ramped up its purchase of Russian oil and gas, putting billions of dollars into Moscow’s coffers. Just as significantly, China provides vast amounts of warfighting technology, from semiconductors and electronic devices to radar- and communications-jamming equipment and jet-fighter parts. Customs records show that despite Western trade sanctions, Russia’s imports of computer chips and chip components have been steadily rising toward prewar levels. More than half of these goods come from China.

The support from China, Iran, and North Korea has strengthened Russia’s position on the battlefield, undermined Western attempts to isolate Moscow, and harmed Ukraine. This collaboration, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. Cooperation among the four countries was expanding before 2022, but the war has accelerated their deepening economic, military, political, and technological ties. The four powers increasingly identify common interests, match up their rhetoric, and coordinate their military and diplomatic activities. Their convergence is creating a new axis of upheaval—a development that is fundamentally altering the geopolitical landscape.

The group is not an exclusive bloc and certainly not an alliance. It is, instead, a collection of dissatisfied states converging on a shared purpose of overturning the principles, rules, and institutions that underlie the prevailing international system. When these four countries cooperate, their actions have far greater effect than the sum of their individual efforts. Working together, they enhance one another’s military capabilities; dilute the efficacy of U.S. foreign policy tools, including sanctions; and hinder the ability of Washington and its partners to enforce global rules. Their collective aim is to create an alternative to the current order, which they consider to be dominated by the United States.

Too many Western observers have been quick to dismiss the implications of coordination among China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The four countries have their differences, to be sure, and a history of distrust and contemporary fissures may limit how close their relationships will grow. Yet their shared aim of weakening the United States and its leadership role provides a strong adhesive. In places across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, the ambitions of axis members have already proved to be destabilizing. Managing the disruptive effects of their further coordination and preventing the axis from upsetting the global system must now be central objectives of U.S. foreign policy.

THE ANTI-WESTERN CLUB

Collaboration among axis members is not new. China and Russia have been strengthening their partnership since the end of the Cold War—a trend that accelerated rapidly after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. China’s share of Russian external trade doubled from ten to 20 percent between 2013 and 2021, and between 2018 and 2022 Russia supplied a combined total of 83 percent of China’s arms imports. Russian technology has helped the Chinese military enhance its air defense, antiship, and submarine capabilities, making China a more formidable force in a potential naval conflict. Beijing and Moscow have also expressed a shared vision. In early 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping signed a joint manifesto pledging a “no limits” partnership between their two countries and calling for “international relations of a new type”—in other words, a multipolar system that is no longer dominated by the United States.

Iran has strengthened its ties with other axis members as well. Iran and Russia worked together to keep Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power after the onset of civil war in 2011. Joining Russia’s efforts, which include major energy agreements with Iran to shield Tehran from the effects of U.S. sanctions, China has purchased large quantities of Iranian oil since 2020. North Korea, for its part, has counted China as its primary ally and trade partner for decades, and North Korea and Russia have maintained warm, if not particularly substantive, ties. Iran has purchased North Korean missiles since the 1980s, and more recently, North Korea is thought to have supplied weapons to Iranian proxy groups, including Hezbollah and possibly Hamas. Pyongyang and Tehran have also bonded over a shared aversion to Washington: as a senior North Korean official, Kim Yong Nam, declared during a ten-day trip to Iran in 2017, the two countries “have a common enemy.”

But the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 hastened the convergence among these four countries in ways that transcend their historical ties. Moscow has been among Tehran’s top suppliers of weapons over the past two decades and is now its largest source of foreign investment; Russian exports to Iran rose by 27 percent in the first ten months of 2022. Over the past two years, according to the White House, Russia has been sharing more intelligence with and providing more weapons to Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies, and Moscow has defended those proxies in debates at the UN Security Council. Last year, Russia displaced Saudi Arabia as China’s largest source of crude oil and trade between the two countries topped $240 billion, a record high. Moscow has also released millions of dollars in North Korean assets that previously sat frozen in Russian banks in compliance with Security Council sanctions. China, Iran, and Russia have held joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman three years in a row, most recently in March 2024. Russia has also proposed trilateral naval drills with China and North Korea.

The growing cooperation among China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia is fueled by their shared opposition to the Western-dominated global order, an antagonism rooted in their belief that that system does not accord them the status or freedom of action they deserve. Each country claims a sphere of influence: China’s “core interests,” which extend to Taiwan and the South China Sea; Iran’s “axis of resistance,” the set of proxy groups that give Tehran leverage in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere; North Korea’s claim to the entire Korean Peninsula; and Russia’s “near abroad,” which for the Kremlin includes, at a minimum, the countries that composed its historic empire. All four countries see the United States as the primary obstacle to establishing these spheres of influence, and they want Washington’s presence in their respective regions reduced.

All reject the principle of universal values and interpret the West’s championing of its brand of democracy as an attempt to undermine their legitimacy and foment domestic instability. They insist that individual states have the right to define democracy for themselves. In the end, although they may make temporary accommodations with the United States, they do not believe that the West will accept their rise (or return) to power on the world stage. They oppose external meddling in their internal affairs, the expansion of U.S. alliances, the stationing of American nuclear weapons abroad, and the use of coercive sanctions.

Any positive vision for the future, however, is more elusive. Yet history shows that a positive agenda may not be necessary for a group of discontented powers to cause disruption. The 1940 Tripartite Pact uniting Germany, Italy, and Japan—the original “Axis”—pledged to “establish and maintain a new order of things” in which each country would claim “its own proper place.” They did not succeed, but World War II certainly brought global upheaval. The axis of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia does not need a coherent plan for an alternative international order to upset the existing system. The countries’ shared opposition to the present order’s core tenets and their determination to bring about change form a powerful basis for collaborative action.

Fissures do exist among members of the axis. China and Russia vie for influence in Central Asia, for instance, while Iran and Russia compete for oil markets in China, India, and elsewhere in Asia. The four countries have complicated histories with each other, too. The Soviet Union invaded Iran in 1941; Russia and China settled their long-standing border dispute only in 2004 and had both previously supported efforts to limit Iran’s nuclear programs and to isolate North Korea. Today, China may look askance at North Korea’s deepening relationship with Russia, worrying that an emboldened Kim Jong Un will aggravate tensions in Northeast Asia and draw in a larger U.S. military presence, which China does not want. Yet their differences are insufficient to dissolve the bonds forged by their common resistance to a Western-dominated world.

CATALYST IN THE KREMLIN

Moscow has been the main instigator of this axis. The invasion of Ukraine marked a point of no return in Putin’s long-standing crusade against the West. Putin has grown more committed to destroying not only Ukraine but also the global order. And he has doubled down on relationships with like-minded countries to accomplish his aims. Cut off from Western trade, investment, and technology since the start of the war, Moscow has had little choice but to rely on its partners to sustain its hostilities. The ammunition, drones, microchips, and other forms of aid that axis members have sent have been of great help to Russia. But the more the Kremlin relies on these countries, the more it must give away in return. Beijing, Pyongyang, and Tehran are taking advantage of their leverage over Moscow to expand their military capabilities and economic options.

Even before the Russian invasion, Moscow’s military assistance to Beijing was eroding the United States’ military advantage over China. Russia has provided ever more sophisticated weapons to China, and the two countries’ joint military exercises have grown in scope and frequency. Russian officers who have fought in Syria and in Ukraine’s Donbas region have shared valuable lessons with Chinese personnel, helping the People’s Liberation Army make up for its lack of operational experience—a notable weakness relative to more seasoned U.S. forces. China’s military modernization has reduced the urgency of deepening defense cooperation with Russia, but the two countries are likely to proceed with technology transfers and joint weapons development and production. In February, for instance, Russian officials confirmed that they were working with Chinese counterparts on military applications of artificial intelligence. Moscow retains an edge over Beijing in other key areas, including submarine technology, remote sensing satellites, and aircraft engines. If China can pressure a more dependent Russia to provide additional advanced technologies, the transfer could further undermine the United States’ advantages.

A similar dynamic is playing out in Russia’s relations with Iran and North Korea. Moscow and Tehran have forged what the Biden administration has called an “unprecedented defense partnership” that upgrades Iranian military capabilities. Russia has provided Iran with advanced aircraft, air defense, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and cyber-capabilities that would help Tehran resist a potential U.S. or Israeli military operation. And in return for North Korea’s ammunition and other military support to Russia, Pyongyang is reportedly seeking advanced space, missile, and submarine technology from Moscow. If Russia were to comply with those requests, North Korea would be able to improve the accuracy and survivability of its nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles and use Russian nuclear propulsion technology to expand the range and capability of its submarines. Already, Russia’s testing of North Korean weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine has supplied Pyongyang with information it can use to refine its missile program, and Russian assistance may have helped North Korea launch a military spy satellite in November after two previous failures last year.

Strong relations among the four axis countries have emboldened leaders in Pyongyang and Tehran. Kim, who now enjoys strong backing from both China and Russia, abandoned North Korea’s decades-old policy of peaceful unification with South Korea and stepped up its threats against Seoul, indulged in nuclear blackmail and missile tests, and expressed a lack of any interest in talks with the United States. And although there does not appear to be a direct connection between their deepening partnership and Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, growing support from Russia likely made Iran more willing to activate its regional proxies in the aftermath. The coordinated diplomacy and pressure from Russia and the West that brought Iran into the 2015 nuclear deal are now a distant memory. Today, Moscow and Beijing are helping Tehran resist Western coercion, making it easier for Iran to enrich uranium and reject Washington’s efforts to negotiate a new nuclear agreement.

AMERICA UNDERMINED

Collaboration among the axis members also reduces the potency of tools that Washington and its partners often use to confront them. In the most glaring example, since the start of the war in Ukraine, China has supplied Russia with semiconductors and other essential technologies that Russia previously imported from the West, undercutting the efficacy of Western export controls. All four countries are also working to reduce their dependence on the U.S. dollar. The share of Russia’s imports invoiced in Chinese renminbi jumped from three percent in 2021 to 20 percent in 2022. And in December 2023, Iran and Russia finalized an agreement to conduct bilateral trade in their local currencies. By moving their economic transactions out of reach of U.S. enforcement measures, axis members undermine the efficacy of Western sanctions, as well as anticorruption and anti-money-laundering efforts.

Taking advantage of their shared borders and littoral zones, China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia can build trade and transportation networks safe from U.S. interdiction. Iran, for example, ships drones and other weapons to Russia across the Caspian Sea, where the United States has little power to stop transfers. If the United States were engaged in conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific, Beijing could seek support from Moscow. Russia might increase its overland exports of oil and gas to its southern neighbor, reducing China’s dependence on maritime energy imports that U.S. forces could block during a conflict. Russia’s defense industrial base, now in overdrive to supply weapons for Russian troops in Ukraine, could later pivot to sustain a Chinese war effort. Such cooperation would increase the odds of China’s prevailing over the American military and help advance Russia’s goal of diminishing the United States’ geopolitical influence.

The axis is also hindering Washington’s ability to rally international coalitions that can stand against its members’ destabilizing actions. China’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for example, made it far easier for countries across Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East to do the same. And Beijing and Moscow have impeded Western efforts to isolate Iran. Last year, they elevated Iran from observer to member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a predominantly Asian regional body, and then orchestrated an invitation for Iran to join the BRICS—a group that China and Russia view as a counterweight to the West. Iran’s regional meddling and nuclear pursuits have made other countries wary of dealing with its government, but its participation in international forums enhances the regime’s legitimacy and presents it with opportunities to expand trade with fellow member states.

Parallel efforts by axis members in the information domain further weaken international support for U.S. positions. China, Iran, and North Korea either defended or avoided explicitly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and they all parroted the Kremlin in accusing NATO of inciting the war. Their response to Hamas’s attacks on Israel last October followed a similar pattern. Iran used the state media and social media accounts to express support for Hamas, vilify Israel, and denounce the United States for enabling Israel’s military response, while the Russian and, to a lesser extent, Chinese media sharply criticized the United States’ enduring support for Israel. They used the war in Gaza to portray Washington as a destabilizing, domineering force in the world—a narrative that is particularly resonant in parts of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Even if axis members do not overtly coordinate their messages, they push the same themes, and the repetition makes them appear more credible and persuasive.

AN ALTERNATIVE ORDER?

Global orders magnify the strength of the powerful states that lead them. The United States, for instance, has invested in the liberal international order it helped create because this order reflects American preferences and extends U.S. influence. As long as an order remains sufficiently beneficial to most members, a core group of states will defend it. Dissenting countries, meanwhile, are bound by a collective action problem. If they were to defect en masse, they could succeed in creating an alternative order more to their liking. But without a core cluster of powerful states around which they can coalesce, the advantage remains with the existing order.

For decades, threats to the U.S.-led order were limited to a handful of rogue states with little power to upend it. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the restructuring of interstate relations it prompted have lifted the constraint on collective action. The axis of upheaval represents a new center of gravity, a group that other countries dissatisfied with the existing order can turn to. The axis is ushering in an international system characterized by two orders that are becoming increasingly organized and competitive.

Historically, competing orders have invited conflict, especially at the geographical seams between them. Wars arise from specific conditions, such as a territorial dispute, the need to protect national interests or the interests of an ally, or a threat to the survival of a regime. But the likelihood that any of those conditions will lead to war increases in the presence of dueling orders. Some political science researchers have found that periods in which a single order prevailed—the balance-of-power system maintained by the Concert of Europe for much of the nineteenth century, for example, or the U.S.-dominated post–Cold War era—were less prone to conflicts than those characterized by more than one order, such as the multipolar period between the two world wars and the bipolar system of the Cold War.

The world has gotten a preview of the instability this new era of competing orders will bring, with potential aggressors empowered by the axis’s normalization of alternative rules and less afraid of being isolated if they act out. Already, Hamas’s attack on Israel threatens to engulf the wider Middle East in war. Last October, Azerbaijan forcibly took control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region inhabited by ethnic Armenians. Tensions flared between Serbia and Kosovo in 2023, too, and Venezuela threatened to seize territory in neighboring Guyana in December. Although internal conditions precipitated the coups in Myanmar and across Africa’s Sahel region since 2020, the rising incidence of such revolts is connected to the new international arrangement. For many years, it seemed that coups were becoming less common, in large part because plotters faced significant costs for violating norms. Now, however, the calculations have changed. Overthrowing a government may still shatter relations with the West, but the new regimes can find support in Beijing and Moscow.

Further development of the axis would bring even greater tumult. So far, most collaboration among China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia has been bilateral. Trilateral and quadrilateral action could expand their capacity for disruption. Countries such as Belarus, Cuba, Eritrea, Nicaragua, and Venezuela—all of which chafe against the U.S.-led, Western-dominated system—could also begin working more closely with the axis. If the group grows in size and tightens its coordination, the United States and its allies will have a more difficult time defending the recognized order.

TAKING ON THE REVISIONISTS

For now, U.S. national security strategy ranks China as a higher priority than Iran, North Korea, or even Russia. That assessment is strategically sound when considering the threat that individual countries pose to the United States, but it does not fully account for the cooperation among them. U.S. policy will need to address the destabilizing effects of revisionist countries’ acting in concert, and it should try to disrupt their coordinated efforts to subvert important international rules and institutions. Washington, furthermore, should undercut the axis’s appeal by sharpening the attractions of the existing order.

If the United States is to counter an increasingly coordinated axis, it cannot treat each threat as an isolated phenomenon. Washington should not ignore Russian aggression in Europe, for example, in order to focus on rising Chinese power in Asia. It is already clear that Russia’s success in Ukraine benefits a revisionist China by showing that it is possible, if costly, to thwart a united Western effort. Even as Washington rightly sees China as its top priority, addressing the challenge from Beijing will require competing with other members of the axis in other parts of the world. To be effective, the United States will need to devote additional resources to national security, engage in more vigorous diplomacy, develop new and stronger partnerships, and take a more activist role in the world than it has of late.

Driving wedges between members of the axis, on the other hand, will not work. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, some strategists suggested that the United States align itself with Russia to balance China. After the war began, a few held out hope that the United States could join China in an anti-Russian coalition. But unlike President Richard Nixon’s opening to China in the 1970s, which took advantage of a Sino-Soviet split to draw Beijing further away from Moscow, there is no equivalent ideological or geopolitical rivalry for Washington to exploit today. The price of trying would likely involve U.S. recognition of a Russian or Chinese sphere of influence in Europe and Asia—regions central to U.S. interests and ones that Washington should not allow a hostile foreign power to dominate. Breaking Iran or North Korea off from the rest of the axis would be even more difficult, given their governments’ revisionist, even revolutionary aims. Ultimately, the axis is a problem the United States must manage, not one it can solve with grand strategic gestures.

Neither the West nor the axis will become wholly distinct political, military, and economic blocs. Each coalition will compete for influence all over the world, trying to draw vital countries closer to its side. Six “global swing states” will be particularly important: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Turkey are all middle powers with enough collective geopolitical weight for their policy preferences to sway the future direction of the international order. These six countries—and others, too—can be expected to pursue economic, diplomatic, military, and technological ties with members of both orders. U.S. policymakers should make it a priority to deny advantages to the axis in these countries, encouraging their governments to choose policies that favor the prevailing order. In practice, that means using trade incentives, military engagement, foreign aid, and diplomacy to prevent swing states from hosting axis members’ military bases, giving axis members access to their technology infrastructure or military equipment, or helping them circumvent Western sanctions.

Although competition with the axis may be inevitable, the United States must try to avoid direct conflict with any of its members. To that end, Washington should reaffirm its security commitments to bolster deterrence in the western Pacific, in the Middle East, on the Korean Peninsula, and on NATO’s eastern flank. The United States and its allies should also prepare for opportunistic aggression. If a Chinese invasion of Taiwan prompts U.S. military intervention, for instance, Russia may be tempted to move against another European country, and Iran or North Korea could escalate threats in their regions. Even if the axis members do not coordinate their aggression directly, concurrent conflicts could overwhelm the West. Washington will therefore need to press allies to invest in capabilities that the United States could not provide if it were already engaged in another military theater.

Confronting the axis will be expensive. A new strategy will require the United States to bolster its spending on defense, foreign aid, diplomacy, and strategic communications. Washington must direct aid to the frontlines of conflict between the axis and the West—including assistance to Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine, all of which face encroachment by axis members. Revisionists are emboldened by the sense that political divisions at home or exhaustion with international engagement will keep the United States on the sidelines of this competition; a comprehensive, well-resourced U.S. strategy with bipartisan support would help counter that impression. The alternative—a reduction in the U.S. global presence—would leave the fate of crucial regions in the hands not of friendly local powers but of axis members seeking to impose their revisionist and illiberal preferences.

THE FOUR-POWER THREAT

There is a tendency to downplay the significance of growing cooperation among China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. By turning to Beijing, this argument goes, Moscow merely signals its acceptance of the role of junior partner. Obtaining drones from Iran and munitions from North Korea demonstrates the desperation of a Russian war machine that incorrectly assumed that conquering Ukraine would be easy. China’s embrace of Russia shows only that Beijing could not achieve the positive relationship it originally sought with Europe and other Western powers. North Korea remains the world’s most isolated country, and Iran’s disruptive activities have backfired, strengthening regional cooperation among Israel, the United States, and Gulf countries.

Such analysis ignores the severity of the threat. Four powers, growing in strength and coordination, are united in their opposition to the prevailing world order and its U.S. leadership. Their combined economic and military capacity, together with their determination to change the way the world has worked since the end of the Cold War, make for a dangerous mix. This is a group bent on upheaval, and the United States and its partners must treat the axis as the generational challenge it is. They must reinforce the foundations of the international order and push back against those who act most vigorously to undermine it. It is likely impossible to arrest the emergence of this new axis, but keeping it from upending the current system is an achievable goal.

The West has everything it needs to triumph in this contest. Its combined economy is far larger, its militaries are significantly more powerful, its geography is more advantageous, its values are more attractive, and its democratic system is more stable. The United States and its partners should be confident in their own strengths, even as they appreciate the scale of effort necessary to compete with this budding anti-Western coalition. The new axis has already changed the picture of geopolitics—but Washington and its partners can still prevent the world of upheaval the axis hopes to usher in.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/axis-upheaval-russia-iran-north-korea-taylor-fontaine

I hear ya, but from a strategy standpoint simple numbers don't tell the whole tale.  You can offset their advantage in ship numbers for example with lots of anti ship missiles.  The good news is we aren't the only ones in the region with the same strategy of bottling up their navy.

Do you actually believe any TLAMs are still in service from those made back than?

There are at least the Block III that are supposed to be retired and scrapped.

I think Ukraine might be able to make their own longer range cruise missiles eventually.

They’re supposed to be working on a stealthier Neptune with longer range and a smaller warhead.

Easier said than done, there’s what looks great on paper and what turns out to be the situation - Murphy’s law

The New Jersey class has box launchers.  Not like they’re still using them.

What do we do about this shit?

But I would love this to be our official Asia policy

Block IIIs are donor bodies for later blocks of missiles.  

There were several open sources articles in the last month about TLAMs stocks and how the amount shot in the Red Sea made the problem of the U.S. being under the amount we were suppose to have on hand significantly worse, and it would take several years to build back the fired amount.

Do you not? Our TLAMS aren't exactly high end anymore and Chinas advancing SAM umbrella negates their effectiveness. Might as well chuck them at S400 sites in Ukraine. The Neptunes aren't exactly getting made faster either.

The Navy has had the Mk70 expeditionary VLS for several years now, and this system is the basis of the Army’s Typhoon Medium Range missile system.

I'm glad to see you posting in this thread. You can be a little heavy handed at times.
But your depth of knowledge in these areas makes things more easily understood by a meathead such as myself.
I hope you don't get run off.

They need to sink them. Mount torpedo launchers on these small ships. Chinese ships get
so close that they would have no time to react

I think we should donate our used LCS ships for them to make more island bases.

F-16 Down near Holloman.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 49th Wing crashed west of Holloman Air Force Base near White Sands National Park at approximately 11:50 a.m. today.
The sole pilot on board successfully ejected and was transported by ambulance for medical care.
All non-emergency personnel should avoid the area to prevent possible exposure to hazardous chemicals onboard the aircraft.
Emergency response teams are responding to the scene using the entrance road into White Sands National Park. White Sands National Park is open but certain areas are currently closed to the public to allow for emergency response.
Check the White Sands National Park website for information about closures:
https://www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm.
An investigation conducted by a board of qualified officers is underway to determine the cause of the incident. Additional details will be released as they become available.
Any questions and queries should be directed to 49th Wing Public Affairs at [email protected] or 575-572-7381.
https://www.facebook.com/HollomanAFB/posts/826572352850718

https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/new-mexico-state-police-jet-crashes-near-holloman-afb-on-highway-70

FLASH over Kharkiv Oblast. It was a meteorite in Belgorod
https://t.me/truexakharkiv/42953


The flash that was seen over Kharkiv region.
It was also visible in Poltava region, Sumy region, Kharkiv region, Dnipropetrovsk region, Zaporizhia region and probably in a number of other regions.
https://t.me/kharkivlife/82854


Dnipro
Such a flash was seen in the city🤯
It was a meteorite - a bolide.
https://t.me/truexadnepr/53266

I think the Block III were at the end of their life extension.  We are taking only Block IV and bringing those to Block V as well as making all new Block V.

Production has increased as well.

https://insidedefense.com/daily-news/tomahawk-block-v-production-expansion-begins-navy-official-says

Jassms have been made since the late 90s.

Send the oldest ones and free up the restriction to not hit actual Russian land.

And the Tomahawks.

Hitting the artillery production facilities and factories would make a huge difference.

A massive difference.

A dozen surplus Tomahawks would actually get to do what they were made to do.

https://x.com/AndrewPerpetua/status/1785453363452092896

This is a level of fuckery that we have never seen in a war before.

Andrew Perpetua  (@AndrewPerpetua) April 30, 2024

These are not fpv drones. these are dive bombers operating at full speed. they are diving in probably at like 80-100kph and dropping the bomb and pulling up to keep flying away at the same speed. Look closely, you see the drones approach and fly away.

Andrew Perpetua  (@AndrewPerpetua) April 30, 2024

April 30 Red Sea Update

At approximately 1:52 p.m. (Sanaa time) on April 30, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully engaged and destroyed an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen.

It was determined the USV… pic.twitter.com/BFnjL81I8e

U.S. Central Command  (@CENTCOM) May 1, 2024

ISW assessment for April 30th.

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-30-2024

⚡️🛰️ The S-400 disappeared from its position in Novosibirsk.

During the Russian invasion, air defense forces suffered losses, prompting the deployment of additional forces to protect territory and facilities.

High-quality photo in the thread below

1/3
https://twitter.com/Vishun_military/status/1785405761981477036


https://twitter.com/Vishun_military/status/1785405764531613825


https://twitter.com/Vishun_military/status/1785405769501819314

Starting around 2010, they used previous Blocks as donor bodies for upgrade to Block IV and later V missiles.

1. The #Ukrainian company Steel Hornets has been working on interesting munitions for Ukraine’s #drones. These include incendiaries that burn but do not explode. An interesting feature is that these munitions start burning as soon as they are dropped.https://t.co/dpkCIEb5iN pic.twitter.com/pXHERIb3U5

DanielR  (@DanielR33187703) April 30, 2024

2. Here is a test of thier largest incendiary. The yellow stuff pouring off the plate is molten metal. This device quickly melted a hole through an 8 mm (0.3”) thick steel plate. \uD83D\uDC40 pic.twitter.com/lgKhsYv0gB

DanielR  (@DanielR33187703) April 30, 2024

3. Here is a test of the munition being dropped from a large Baba Yaga drone. Notice how it starts burning when released. It is designed to be released from heights of 30 m (100 feet) or less. It can also be attached to a kamikaze FPV drone.https://t.co/6vTqqRvADS pic.twitter.com/bvombi6w9H

DanielR  (@DanielR33187703) April 30, 2024

Is this "Yanukovich moment" of Georgia’s oligarch? It seems so. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the oligarch behind ruling Georgian Dream confirmed yesterday what we have observed since he came to power in 2012 – he announced a shift in Georgia’s foreign policy & political repressions. 1/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

Below are highlights from oligarch Ivanishvili's à la Lukashenka speech that is a turning moment for Georgia:
He unequivocally labeled the US and EU, the West in general, as a foreign enemy. 2/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

Said that the West plans a coup to overthrow current regime, drag Georgia into war with Russia; previous govt was a Western spy network brought to power by the West & the latter was behind all troubles in Georgia and Ukraine, including 2008, 2014, and 2022 Russian invasions. 3/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

He unequivocally labeled civil society as a domestic enemy. Said that Georgian civil society is part of the Western spy network, along with the political opposition, and that neither can exist without Western support. Announced their destruction after the Oct elections. 4/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

He mentioned Yanukovych and essentially warned against challenging him. He implied that while Ukrainians succeeded in defending their European future and ousting the pro-Russian government, the same will not occur in Georgia. 5/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

He admitted that he needs to adopt a Russian-style "foreign agents law" for political repression. His words suggested that they aim to exhaust civil society and media by focusing on this law now, leaving them with no capacity to defend the elections in October. 6/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

He said "after the elections, the collective United National Movement will face moral and legal responsibility". This is the title of the former governing party, and Ivanishvili uses the term "collective UNM" to describe anyone who disagree with him. 7/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

Nothing new in his speech; however, it's a turnin point bc he officially declared a foreign policy shift. Unfortunately, throughout these years, Georgia's some friends were either naively optimistic or chose to ignore the seriousness of Russian capture bc of various reasons. 8/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

Ivanishvili made his intentions unmistakably clear yesterday. He announced plans for election capture, censorship, and Soviet-style political repression, akin to Lukashenka's rule, to be implemented immediately after the October 2024 elections. 9/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

This means that those of us who desire an independent and free Georgia with a liberal democracy and a Euro-Atlantic future will be faced with the choice of either submitting to Russia-dictated rule or leaving the country. If we do neither, they will imprison us. 10/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

Make no mistake—everything will be done according to Moscow's instructions by an oligarch who amassed his fortune in Russia and came to power in 2012 with the mandate to capture Georgia and turn it into a satellite state of Russia. 11/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

The recent developments necessitate an immediate policy shift from the West regarding Georgia. The West should acknowledge that from now on they are dealing with Lukashenka-style Russia-aligned rule in Georgia and act accordingly. 12/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

As for us, the Georgian people, we have made our intentions clear as well: we will defend our freedom and European future. We are not afraid. See you in front of the Parliament building this evening. 13/13

Eto Buziashvili  (@EtoBuziashvili) April 30, 2024

Protesters boosting morale with push-ups, and swearing directed at Bidzina Ivanishvili#ForeignAgentsLaw #Tbilisi
\uD83C\uDFA5Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge pic.twitter.com/uWSTfOgRdx

Civil.ge  (@CivilGe) April 30, 2024

Serious clashes between police and protesters against the "foreign agents law" are now happening in Tbilisi, Georgia. https://t.co/U3RuEL5Hk5 pic.twitter.com/3ucpPfhTdP

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 30, 2024

Watch Tbilisi now as we witness peaceful protests bravely facing water canons. People protest Russian draft law on foreign agents/influence for over two weeks now. Government brutally beats them up, uses disproportionate force and tools to disperse and silence the protest. pic.twitter.com/ZeTCdMTwjp

Katie Shoshiashvili  (@KShoshiashvili) April 30, 2024

Please have your eyes on Tbilisi tonight, people have been fighting Russian foreign agents law on the street for over two weeks now.

Riot police again brutally disperses, beats peaceful protesters, civilians who have nothing to shield themselves with - without prior warning. pic.twitter.com/1uT3FqzHU9

Katie Shoshiashvili  (@KShoshiashvili) April 30, 2024

Its 3AM in the morning in Tbilisi. After waves of crackdowns, pepper sprays, tear gas, water canons, beating up, many still remain at the parliament bravely fighting for their freedom and Russia-free future. pic.twitter.com/2C7awz44o4

Katie Shoshiashvili  (@KShoshiashvili) April 30, 2024

Horrific videos coming out of Tbilisi right now of police brutality against the Georgian anti-Russian protesters  in front of parliament.

\uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA pic.twitter.com/GysLmx9G48

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 30, 2024

Almost 5AM in Tbilisi \uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDEA

Unable to wear down the protesters, the riot police opted to clear the area in front of the Parliament and relocate beside the building. pic.twitter.com/LonUH9rriF

Giorgi Revishvili  (@revishvilig) May 1, 2024

Hours of this hell. My best friend has never in her entire life attended a single rally, and this is so brutal that even she’s coming out tomorrow.
Yet THIS AMOUNT of people are back on Rustaveli and ready for another round!#Georgia #NoToRussianLaw #TbilisiProtests pic.twitter.com/gi4RjOFGPc

— Marika Mikiashvili \uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA (@Mikiashvili_M) April 30, 2024

A few minutes ago I found opposition parliamentarian Aleko Elisashvili, our bonker fella.

“We will not stop, we will take a breath and continue the fight! Fuck Russia in Georgia and Ukraine!”

\uD83D\uDCCDTbilisi, Georgia pic.twitter.com/87Yrsif1XH

— Little Soldier Fella \uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA (@soldier_fella) April 30, 2024

Extra special forces were deployed.

Tbilisi protests pic.twitter.com/D5zu0v202q

GAMZIRI24  (@GAMZIRI24) April 30, 2024

Tbilisi center now pic.twitter.com/bzGzQ9XHng

— Malinda \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDF8\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6\uD83C\uDDF5\uD83C\uDDF1\uD83C\uDDE8\uD83C\uDDE6\uD83C\uDDEE\uD83C\uDDF9\uD83C\uDDE6\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDE7\uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDE9\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDF8\uD83C\uDDEA (@TreasChest) April 30, 2024

A defiant Tbilisi refusing to accept authoritarian rule.#Georgia \uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA pic.twitter.com/YG5oDZwuTh

Thomas van Linge  (@ThomasVLinge) April 30, 2024

Tbilisi right now. Despite the riot police forcefully and brutally dispersed the protesters several times, people returned on Rustaveli avenue waving Georgian and EU flags \uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA The courage and bravery of Georgians are truly remarkable! pic.twitter.com/sYKimN5eMX

Giorgi Revishvili  (@revishvilig) April 30, 2024

4:30am in #Tbilisi
Protesters took back Rustaveli after 5 waves of brutal attacks of gov goons with tear gas, water canons, rubber bullets. Several politicians, activists are beaten and arrested.
People from regions already on their way to Tbilisi for tomorrow#NoToRussianLaw pic.twitter.com/4F3bDPDjsg

Nino Robakidze  (@NUKA21) May 1, 2024

Long \uD83E\uDDF5: This is Rustaveli Avenue, the central artery and cultural heart of #Tbilisi, where I wandered as a child filled with pride and gratitude for being able to call this beautiful place my home. Tonight, as I follow live streams from my city, I am deeply disturbed... \uD83D\uDC47 pic.twitter.com/JSWcgoKJrO

Tinatin Japaridze  (@TinatinTweets) May 1, 2024

While we frequently attribute our struggles with sovereignty, freedom, and independence to #Moscow (justifiably so, given #Russia's occupation of over 20% of Georgian territory), this crisis cannot be solely linked to the #Kremlin. \uD83D\uDC47

Tinatin Japaridze  (@TinatinTweets) May 1, 2024

Recent weeks laid bare a ruling party that finds itself profoundly and irreversibly alienated from the people it was elected to serve. The facade has slipped, exposing not merely a pro-Russian stance, but a self-interested regime indifferent to voices & demands of its people.\uD83D\uDC47

Tinatin Japaridze  (@TinatinTweets) May 1, 2024

I am proud to be Georgian, today & every day, and immensely proud of & grateful to those brave individuals who have been protesting night after night. At the same time, I am truly appalled to observe the Georgian political "sistema" that has turned against its very own citizens\uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDEA

Tinatin Japaridze  (@TinatinTweets) May 1, 2024

I see, that would make sense, thanks for the info.

Long missile defense thread in (mostly) French, if that's your sort of thing.


https://twitter.com/M51_4ever/status/1785335859526463695

\uD83D\uDE80Technologies dissuasives??

Alors que les armes hypersoniques \uD83C\uDDF7\uD83C\uDDFA sont de nouveaux mises en avant, voici un long fil\uD83E\uDDF6pour s'y retrouver derrière ce concept assez fourre-tout.

L'idée n'est pas de trop entrer dans les détails techniques, mais d'expliquer les différences. https://t.co/1sUrVl4iCV pic.twitter.com/pOCTdNq5sj

— M51.4ever (@M51_4ever) March 1, 2024

This is the classic K-2.
Overhead view of trench clearing, with FPVs and artillery impacts.

Putin’s fuel problem: How Ukraine is sapping Russia’s diesel and gasoline
Ukraine is taking out oil refineries inside Russia, cratering Moscow’s supplies and sending local prices soaring.


APRIL 29, 2024 6:00 AM CET
BY GABRIEL GAVIN


A wave of Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries deep inside Russia has left the Kremlin racing to defend its own territory while still waging war on its neighbor. But the attacks have also achieved the unthinkable — leaving the world’s largest petrostate running low on petrol.

Diesel prices for Russian consumers have skyrocketed, rising almost 10 percent in the past week alone, according to the government’s figures. Petrol costs have also hit a six-month high, up more than 20 percent from the start of the year as supply tightens and more and more facilities are forced to suspend production.

Last Wednesday, two fuel storage facilities owned by Russian energy giant Rosneft, around 500 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, were severely damaged by drones as fuel went up in smoke. More than a dozen refineries across nine Russian regions have been similarly hit this year, with officials in Kyiv saying the industry is a legitimate war target.

“It’s like a mosquito — when you can’t find it, can’t kill it and it keeps coming back night after night, you’re going to be exhausted," Philip Ingram, a former British military intelligence officer and NATO planner, said. “It’s a very good way of taking the pressure off from the front lines."

As a result, Moscow has scaled back its fuel exports to near-historic lows, shipping just over 712,000 tons of diesel and gasoil last week, compared to more than 844,000 during the same week in 2023.

It's both a political and military problem for Moscow. As well as being essential for Russia's war effort, cheap fuel is a key part of President Vladimir Putin's offer to the public, an antidote to lagging wages and a weak ruble.

Winning strategy?

The trend appears here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Speaking to local media this week, Igor Yushkov, an analyst with Russia’s National Energy Security Fund, said prices were unlikely to go down anytime soon — and the country may even need to import gasoline from reserves stored in neighboring Belarus.

Last year, Moscow was forced to impose a ban on petrol and diesel exports as a result of shortages in the domestic market, where regulations have historically kept prices low to appease motorists and artificially boost its agricultural sector.

However, with fuel fetching higher prices internationally, middlemen were cashing in by selling cheap gasoline abroad that had been intended for use inside Russia, creating a roaring black market. Moscow relaxed the ban in November but was forced to reintroduce it in March due to the Ukrainian strikes.

While most Western countries have stopped importing refined Russian fuel like petrol and diesel, the United Arab Emirates, along with a handful of South American and North African nations, have continued to buy it either to take advantage of low prices or re-export it. Now, Moscow will have to choose between maximizing the cash flow filling its war chest or ensuring its soldiers and civilians can fill up their tanks.

“Ukraine’s ‘physical sanctions’ can accelerate the actual ones,” Maria Shagina, an expert on the Russian economy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said. “Kyiv has found Moscow’s technological vulnerability and Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries speed up the impact of Western sanctions which have seen those refineries already struggle to replace Western equipment, spare parts and software.”

However, Ukraine’s efforts to choke off the flow of fuel and funds the Kremlin is using to unleash death and destruction has prompted warnings from the United States, with senior officials like Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin publicly warning against the strikes for fear of upending the global energy market. Moscow, meanwhile, has actively targeted Ukrainian infrastructure, shattering the country’s electricity grid and plunging millions of people into darkness.

Kyiv has vowed to do whatever it can to undermine Russia’s ability to wage war, despite the warnings.

The strikes are “having an effect because they’re destroying oil infrastructure and other critical national infrastructure,” Ingram, the former British military intelligence officer, said.

The strategy, he predicted, would “be studied in officer training academies in decades to come.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/vladimir-putin-russia-diesel-prices-skyrocket-ukraine-war-drone-strikes-oil-refineries/

In a new update, the UK government confirmed that the MOD has delivered 50 AS-90 155mm self propelled howitzers to Ukraine.

Britain has now supplied roughly 2/3 of its AS-90 fleet to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/PxecVv8qGH

OSINTtechnical  (@Osinttechnical) April 30, 2024

Given actual readiness rates, it’s likely that the UK has already delivered all of its operational AS-90s to Ukraine, and dipped into repairing disabled/inoperative units for delivery. https://t.co/0Oh250dbfs pic.twitter.com/BlLE2TYwLa

OSINTtechnical  (@Osinttechnical) April 30, 2024

Why doesn't the Philippines just sew a huge number of naval mines all over the Spratleys?

https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/04/30/russia-china-partnership-trade-relations/

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My thinking exactly.  You ran over a mine?  Gee, that’s too bad.  I wonder whose it was?

https://www.newsweek.com/japan-map-intercept-russia-china-warships-1895149

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What is the current situation around Ocheretyne? What I'm hearing is that russians are currently pouring reserve troops into a breakthrough and expanding on that, most probably because Ukraine doesn't have ammo. Is that accurate?

Russian forces continue their advance around Ocheretyne, capturing Novokalynove and Keramik, and towards Urozhaine. The grey zone in Robotyne also increased.https://t.co/vNgKZoJhPYhttps://t.co/EY5ppLeNHThttps://t.co/lXmWXjoOvy https://t.co/9MiCp4YcZZ pic.twitter.com/vaEjQPW3Nl

Rob Lee  (@RALee85) April 30, 2024

⚔️ The Defense Forces restored their positions east of Yampolivka. The enemy captured Keramik and Novokalynove, and also advanced near Novoaleksandrivka and Urozhany. The situation in Robotyn is being clarified.

\uD83D\uDD04 ???? ????????!

?? ???? ??????? ????????? ??????? ???????? ?????????. ????? ??????? ??????? ?? ????????????, ? ????? ?????????? ???? ????????????????? ?? ? ??????????. ???????? ? ?????????? ???????????.

\uD83D\uDDFA https://t.co/b61S7oSGpd pic.twitter.com/VqlP8tdxoU

— DeepState UA (@Deepstate_UA) April 30, 2024

Jesus he's not even looking at all of the bodies.  Fuck.

Our inability or desire to penetrate the Russian Great Firewall is preventing everyday Russians from seeing the truth.

Just imagine if that Hellscape video made it on to Russian social media or TV news. I know the Russian people are a stubborn bunch to say the least but even a small crack in their glass half-empty cultural attitude might make a difference in swaying public opinion. That's something Russian and Chinese "governments" desperately try to control even more so than the Democratic party.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/Economy/iran--cuba-in-talks-for-shipbuilding-cooperation--iranian-of

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https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/497749/Iran-Cuba-agree-to-establish-sister-ports-to-facilitate-trade

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POV: Standing on the bridge of the world’s first conventional powered supercarrier with EM catapults

She’s out for sea trial today! pic.twitter.com/GS0P4KaepN

— Erik Valensvek \uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDE7\uD83C\uDDE8\uD83C\uDDF3 (@EK_Valensvek) May 1, 2024

It is *now* that we can confirm CV-18 Fujian has gone on its first sea trial, occurring on 1st May 2024 today. pic.twitter.com/8pmVhitOOv

— Rick Joe (@RickJoe_PLA) May 1, 2024

God bless those people.

I'm sure the Kremlin will start saying Georgia is full of Nazis.

Desensitized to it

Ukrainian forces carried out another successful drone attack deep into Russia this evening, with multiple attack UAVs hitting Rosneft's Ryazan oil refinery.

The refinery is burning. pic.twitter.com/gKdUJwGLCQ

OSINTtechnical  (@Osinttechnical) May 1, 2024

Per Mash- "several UAVs arrived there around three o'clock in the morning. Eyewitnesses heard characteristic roars and explosions. There was a fire at the facility." pic.twitter.com/SEBXwbEHSd

OSINTtechnical  (@Osinttechnical) May 1, 2024

Sources- https://t.co/VYWcUlQcOHhttps://t.co/t5HhqtfMyV pic.twitter.com/7YMNm2bXpZ

OSINTtechnical  (@Osinttechnical) May 1, 2024

💥 Ukraine attacked the Ryazan Oil Refinery with the help of UAVs at night

After the attack, a fire broke out at the factory, local residents reported and published footage on social networks.

The governor of the Ryazan region reported that the region was attacked by an unmanned aerial vehicle.
https://t.me/censor_net/49608



⚡️ Over the past night, another attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV on targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped.

Duty air defense systems destroyed and intercepted 6 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, of which: three over the territory of the Voronezh region, one over the territory of the Ryazan region, one over the territory of the Belgorod region and one over the territory of the Kursk region.

https://t.me/mod_russia/38102



The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the Ryazan Oil Refinery. According to Mash, several UAVs arrived there around three o'clock in the morning. Eyewitnesses heard characteristic roars and explosions. There was a fire at the facility.

According to Governor Malkov, there were no casualties as a result of the night attack.

https://t.me/breakingmash/53890

More from Ryazan. An image which is claimed to be the oil refinery has one of the processing units burning. https://t.co/EG9zbE7AwC pic.twitter.com/P2Ij0nGe8j

— NOELREPORTS \uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@NOELreports) May 1, 2024

Vivid episodes of destruction of enemy equipment and weapons. Our soldiers do not allow the enemy to realize his plans.

??????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ??????? ?? ?????????. ???? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ???? ??????. pic.twitter.com/MZLndF9veQ

— Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (@CinC_AFU) May 1, 2024

Ukrainian SSO SOF operators with a rare downed Russian Kalashnikov Tachyon UAV, Chernihiv Oblast. pic.twitter.com/iXZS02gfrs

OSINTtechnical  (@Osinttechnical) April 30, 2024

Source- https://t.co/JwHrp2yWg7 pic.twitter.com/llYLZq0Eky

OSINTtechnical  (@Osinttechnical) April 30, 2024

The rectangular plate on the left is a heat sink for the drone's video transmitter which runs pretty hot. You can see the antenna to the left of it.

— Just A. Tinker (@John_Gardi) May 1, 2024

He's desensitized to it by now.

https://kyivindependent.com/norway-to-allocate-over-600-million-for-ukrainian-air-defense-ammunition-needs/

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Latvia will supply Ukraine with a new weapon. It is capable of shooting down drones or mortar shells



Latvia has announced a new aid package for Ukraine. It includes, in particular, air defense systems. It is the supply of such systems that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked and urged allies to supply in recent weeks. The transfer, which has now been approved by the Latvian government, includes the most modern NBS anti-aircraft system. This is a German short-range system that protects objects from attacks from low altitudes. It specializes in shooting down drones or mortar shells. This is reported, for example, by the Ukrainian agency Unian.


The aid package was announced by Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silin on the X social network. In addition to the NBS system, the package is also to include support for Ukrainian intelligence. "With each shipment, we show our friendship with the people and their fight against the aggressor Russia, which is the greatest threat to world peace and security. Latvia contributes 0.25% of its GDP annually to military aid to Ukraine. We will continue to support Ukraine both bilaterally and in cooperation with our allies," Silinová announced.

However, the core of the package is the anti-aircraft system of the German company Rheinmetall MANTIS NBS C-RAM. It was specially developed in 2010 to protect German bases in Afghanistan from shelling by the Taliban, who often shelled the bases with mortars.

The system uses 35 mm rounds and is capable of firing up to 1000 of them per minute against a target flying low above the ground. It uses a powerful computer that is able to calculate the flight path of a drone or a small grenade in a matter of seconds and eliminate the target even shortly before reaching the target building.

The set is fully automatic and can use up to six barrels to eliminate targets, which fire 36 rounds of ammunition against the target. It is capable of shooting down drones at a distance of 5 kilometers. Smaller shells and other flying objects within a distance of 3 kilometers. Earlier this year, Germany donated two units to Slovakia in exchange for helping Ukraine.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling primarily for the strengthening of air defenses and Patriot systems. Due to the shortage of air defense missiles, Russia's campaign to destroy Ukraine's strategic infrastructure is intensifying. Thus, in recent weeks, the Russian army managed to destroy Kyiv's largest coal-fired power plant, Trypilskaya, with missiles. According to Zelensky, Russia fired 11 missiles at the Trypil power plant. The Ukrainian defense managed to shoot down seven of them, but then ran out of air defense missiles. "Four [rockets] destroyed Trypilskaya. Why? Because we had zero rockets. We ran out of all the missiles that protected Trypilskaya," Zelensky said in early April.

https://echo24.cz/a/HNUwM/zpravy-svet-lotyssko-doda-ukrajine-moderni-zbran-proti-dronum-valka-na-ukrajine-protivzdusna-obrana

Abrams tank in moscow
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Types of mining objects by VSU specialists, designed for the frivolous and curious



https://t.me/ZA_FROHT/28875