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Posted: 3/10/2024 12:34:02 AM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Prime: China Looks to Ukraine War for Guidance on Attack Helicopters With respect to Russian airpower, Chinese strategists continue to be quite fixated on Russian attack helicopter operations in Ukraine. In shaping patterns of future warfare, there is little doubt that militaries across the world will be seeking to absorb the key lessons of the Russia-Ukraine War, ranging from the employment of tanks to the use of anti-ship cruise missiles and the ubiquitous drones. For the Chinese military, these lessons might even assume a greater importance, since the People's Liberation Army (PLA) lacks recent major combat experience. It has also leaned heavily on Russian weapons and doctrine for its rapid modernization over the last few decades. Chinese media coverage of the war in Ukraine has been extensive. The close nature of the China-Russia "quasi-alliance" means that Chinese military analysts have not engaged in the ruthless critiques of Russian military performance that have been commonplace in the West. Yet, Chinese military analyses are still probing deeply for lessons to understand the shape of modern warfare. They have taken particular interest in the U.S. employment of novel weapons and strategies. To fully grasp the scope and depth of these Chinese analyses it is important to take assessments from a full range of Chinese military media, which is more extensive than is often appreciated in the West. These articles are generally associated with research institutes that are directly involved in the Chinese military-industrial complex. This exclusive series for The Diplomat will represent the first systematic attempt by Western analysts to evaluate these Chinese assessments of the war in Ukraine across the full spectrum of warfare, including the land, sea, air and space, and information domains. Read the rest of the series here. As the stalemate in the Ukraine War seemed to harden during late 2023, military strategists wondered if 2024 could see breakthroughs driven by enhanced airpower. Many are focused, for instance, on the apparently imminent deployment of the first Ukrainian F-16 fighters to the battlefield. Likewise, Kyiv has celebrated its first apparent shootdown of a large Russian air battle management Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS)-type A-50 aircraft. With respect to Russian airpower, Chinese strategists continue to be quite fixated on Russian attack helicopter operations in Ukraine. Helicopters appear to be at the very heart of any Chinese strategy to conquer Taiwan, since they can provide both extensive air cover and firepower for amphibious forces coming ashore in a hypothetical Taiwan scenario. Just as crucial, People's Liberation Army (PLA) rotary-wing aircraft would provide transport capabilities to deliver "air cavalry" and special forces deep into the island's interior. This would be done in order to disorient Taiwan's defenders and prevent reinforcements from developing counter-attacks against the PLA's initial lodgments. One Russian helicopter, in particular, has garnered extra Chinese attention: the Ka-52 Alligator. Not only is this Russia's most advanced attack helicopter, incorporating some important design innovations, but there were strong rumors in fall 2021 that the PLA was acquiring the Ka-52 for use aboard its new large amphibious attack ships (type 075). That would not be strange given that the PLA Navy and the other Chinese armed forces have relied extensively on Russian helicopters for decades. Thus, there are many reasons to pay attention to a late 2023 Chinese language analysis of Ka-52 operations in the Russian war in Ukraine. The overall theme of this article is that the Russian helicopter's combat record has achieved an improbable comeback. The article recapped the struggles of Russian helicopter aviation during the first phase of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. U.K. Ministry of Defense data was cited to suggest that as many as 39 Ka-52s might have been lost in the early part of the Russian invasion amounting to a quarter of the Russian fleet of Alligators. According to this Chinese analysis, these significant losses caused a "sense of astonishment," at least among Western commentators. Likewise, it is said that the helicopter had performed below expectations and that Russia would have trouble replacing such high losses. However, the article noted that assessments of the Ka-52 significantly altered after its strong performance during Ukraine's summer counter-offensive. The Alligator attack helicopters were credited with destroying high numbers of Ukrainian armored vehicles, including the most advanced Western types, such as Leopard tanks and Bradley AFVs. The report noted that the U.K. minister of defense had been disturbed by these battlefield developments and the Chinese assessment suggested that that defense analysts have rebranded the Russian Alligator attack helicopter as "Putin's Vulture" or the "NATO Tank Killer." The Chinese analysis posited that the new effectiveness of these Russian attack helicopters can be attributed to the development of "appropriate tactics." Initially, the Alligators were simply "too exposed to fire from the Ukrainian armed forces' battlefield air defense network " Of course, the new tactics were partly enabled by Ukraine's combat vehicles revealing themselves as they went on the offensive, the article explains. Instead of attempting to penetrate dense air defenses, the helicopters are instead called in "on demand" to destroy targets of opportunity, while then rapidly exiting the battlefield. Apparently, such "hit and run" tactics do not allow the Ukrainian side to target the Russian attack helicopters effectively. A British military aviation expert was quoted at length in this Chinese rendering. It was explained that these tactics found a weakness in Ukraine's air defenses, since they had just seconds to react to these strikes. In addition, that expert noted the effective terrain masking employed by the Russian Alligators. They "fly very close to the ground" and will suddenly appear over a hill or out of a forest to make their missile attacks. Thus, for the defenders on the ground, "it's very difficult to lock on to these helicopters." The Chinese assessment also noted that the Russian Ka-52s have shown great effectiveness in night operations. The analysis explained that Russian attack helicopters have been assisted by other Russian tactics on the battlefield, including especially dense belts of land mines, which repeatedly stalled Ukrainian armored thrusts and made their tanks and AFVs vulnerable targets for the Alligators. The article cited an American observer of military affairs as commenting that the lethality of Russian helicopters during the summer of 2023 is a reminder of the success of the U.S. Apache helicopters operating in the Persian Gulf War. The report also said that of approximately 125 Ukrainian armored vehicles disabled in June 2023, more than 50 were disabled by Russian helicopter operations. It quoted a Ukrainian soldier as having told the British press that the Alligator attacks are "dauntless and relentless," occurring three to four times per day. Moreover, the Russians have apparently improved both the sensors and their laser-guided munitions fired by the Ka-52, so that it can destroy targets at greater distances. The Chinese analysis explained that when the helicopter is delivering strikes from 8-10 kilometers away, the Ukrainian target "really cannot either see or hear the Russian attack helicopter." It quoted a Ukrainian soldier from a German paper observing that at this distance, "We fundamentally have no means to counter" the Russian helicopter threat. The article reported that the Russian military is now upgrading the sensors and weapons to track multiple targets at ranges exceeding 30-50 km. Undoubtedly, Chinese strategists will be interested to see how such longer-range helicopter attack systems can be combined with improved drone surveillance, a technological coordination issue we previously addressed, to enhance PLA air-to-ground attack doctrine for a Taiwan scenario. The Chinese article, which focused on the summer 2023 exploits of the Ka-52, also claimed that Russian attack helicopters have improved their battlefield survivability through improved use of electronic warfare (EW). The article discussed a case in June when an Alligator was reportedly attacked by no fewer than 18 Ukrainian missiles but still managed to successfully escape due to its Vitebsk 25 EW system a result that the article claimed had been verified by other relatively recent tests. A 2023 article in The Economist noted that the Russian armed forces "has for many years placed a 'huge focus' on using its military-industrial complex to produce and develop an impressive range of EW capabilities " That same article also warned that insights from the EW struggle in Ukraine are likely "to be passed on to the Chinese" by the Russian military. Taiwan's air defense system and its ability to blunt a PLA heliborne or airborne attack constitutes an unknown for the Taiwan scenario going forward. Recently, Taipei got some good news on that front in the form of the delivery of a major batch of U.S.-made man-portable air defense system Stingers to the island. The Chinese article summarized above, however, shows that Chinese strategists are extremely keen to find ways to foil such defenses to bring China's airpower, both fixed wing and rotary wing, to bear on a prospective cross-strait military scenario. https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/china-looks-to-ukraine-war-for-guidance-on-attack-helicopters/ Thanks for this, I'm always keen on reading what the Chinese are thinking about and what they're planning. They're very academic in their approaches to say the least but whether that will translate into actual battlefield successful performances remains to be seen. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 12:44:19 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Prime]
[#2]
 1/n Situation update from March 9, 2024, 745th day of #GuerreEnUkraine A Patriot system went up in smoke 👇 , after HIMARS, Archer, Caesar The AA Defense 🇺🇦 takes on water and the head of the air force 🇺🇦 creates a diversion with the bogus shooting down of 15 Sukhoi 🇷🇺
  
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Posted: 3/10/2024 12:49:04 AM EDT
[Last Edit: 2A373]
[#3]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By ITCHY-FINGER: Waste of time and money, at least during the war. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By ITCHY-FINGER: Originally Posted By realwar: Zelensky visits Ukrainian warship construction site during visit to Turkey  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpqHP98jFFsUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy inspected two warships constructed for country's navy forces during his visit to Istanbul. Two corvettes, Ivan Vyhovsky and Ivan Mazepa, are being constructed in partnership with Turkey. The Turkish Presidency said Zelenskiy will later hold talks with President Tayyip Erdogan on the course of the Ukraine-Russia war, the Black Sea grain deal and bilateral relations. Waste of time and money, at least during the war. The contract for both of them was signed in December 2020 and construction of the Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi started in 2021. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 12:52:08 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Prime]
[#4]
 Ukraine responded to Pope Francis' statements about a pact with Russia: “No one asked to negotiate with Hitler”
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Posted: 3/10/2024 12:57:01 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By planemaker: My question is, will Turkey deliver them to Ukraine by taking them through the Bosphorus strait themselves (ie a Turkish vessel) then park them in Odessa and turn over the keys? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By planemaker: Originally Posted By ITCHY-FINGER: Originally Posted By realwar: Zelensky visits Ukrainian warship construction site during visit to Turkey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpqHP98jFFsUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy inspected two warships constructed for country's navy forces during his visit to Istanbul. Two corvettes, Ivan Vyhovsky and Ivan Mazepa, are being constructed in partnership with Turkey. The Turkish Presidency said Zelenskiy will later hold talks with President Tayyip Erdogan on the course of the Ukraine-Russia war, the Black Sea grain deal and bilateral relations. Waste of time and money, at least during the war. My question is, will Turkey deliver them to Ukraine by taking them through the Bosphorus strait themselves (ie a Turkish vessel) then park them in Odessa and turn over the keys? Yes, I wonder if these will be delivered given that Turkey is blocking passage of other warships provided to Ukraine from outside the Black Sea. But then again, Turkey may wish to increase the likelihood of further contracts from Ukraine and refusing to deliver would not be conducive to that. These were originally going to be completed up to a certain point before being towed to Ukraine to be completed there but it appears that they will be built in full in Turkey, now. As for waste of time, these were ordered years before the February 2022 Russian offensive. It was intended to build more under license in Ukraine, but I'm not sure anything like that is happening. There were also two light frigates being built at the time in Ukraine whose construction had been delayed. It sounds like they may end up being completed. There is also an unfinished cruiser that it is costing money to maintain and I think it would be a shame to scrap something over 90% complete. Ukraine doesn't seem interested in finishing it for itself, though. Russia had been in negotiations to acquire it when Maidan happened, which ended that. Brazil had expressed some interest in having it be modified and buying it, but I'm not sure that is going anywhere, either. Even though it is unlikely to happen, it'd be nice to see the Ukraina finally be part of the Ukrainian Navy. Ukraine is also going to modernize a couple of existing vessels. One of its missile boats landed her Styx missiles not too long ago and the intent is to fit her out to use Neptune, instead. Neptune was considered for these corvettes and Harpoon is being used instead, so I wonder if that will also replace Neptune where it was intended to be installed on existing vessels. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 12:58:32 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Prime: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GIQhSpYXcAABUoZ?format=jpg&name=large
He honestly sucks as much at international affairs as he does as religious head of the Church. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 1:00:11 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Prime: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GIQhSpYXcAABUoZ?format=jpg&name=large
 Attached File |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 1:02:07 AM EDT
[#8]
Romanov’s gonna fall out a ground floor window.
We left the Kyiv direction. And then someone whined in the spirit of “we were deceived.” Ksati, the one who is constantly deceived by the same thing is defined as a sucker. @romanov_92 https://t.me/romanov_92/44532 |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 1:02:28 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By bigstick61: He honestly sucks as much at international affairs as he does as religious head of the Church. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By bigstick61: Originally Posted By Prime: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GIQhSpYXcAABUoZ?format=jpg&name=large
He honestly sucks as much at international affairs as he does as religious head of the Church. Amen. I can't remember when there has been a worse one. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 1:07:23 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Prime: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GIQhSpYXcAABUoZ?format=jpg&name=large
This is the worst pope I can think of in decades.. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 1:10:08 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Prime]
[#11]
Ukrainian Azov 3rd Assault Brigade come under fire near Orlivka village
https://twitter.com/VerumReports/status/1765816130390700530 |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 1:24:33 AM EDT
[#12]
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Posted: 3/10/2024 1:40:56 AM EDT
[#13]
"We have a chance to rebuild Ukraine better than it was in the USSR," - Bloomberg, referring to the head of the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure, Mustafa Nayem
Western companies are already considering the restoration of Ukraine at a cost of more than $1 trillion. Turkey is rebuilding bridges and roads while supplying power generators and mobile hospitals. Germany and Austria plan to help enterprises in the field of infrastructure and defense. Denmark has so far donated $130 million to restore the Mykolaiv shipbuilding hub. https://t.me/newspn/84755 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-03-09/war-in-ukraine-the-1-trillion-race-to-rebuild-is-getting-going |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 1:54:25 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Prime]
[#14]
 
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Posted: 3/10/2024 2:50:01 AM EDT
[#15]
Poland in NATO. An "absolutely brilliant" change of strategy in the 1990s.
Thank God that we did it, because if it were not for NATO enlargement, today we would not be dealing with the war in Ukraine, but with the occupation of the Baltic states, and perhaps with Russia's attempt to create a corridor on Polish territory to the Königsberg Oblast – said Daniel Fried, former US ambassador in Warsaw, summarizing 25 years since Polish joined the North Atlantic Alliance. "It was a good decision," said Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Susan Collins. "When I advocated NATO enlargement in 1993, everyone in the Bill Clinton administration hated me. In the end, they changed their minds, although it took effort," recalls Daniel Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland. He assessed that if it were not for this decision, today we would not be dealing with the war in Ukraine, but with the occupation of the Baltic states. From the perspective of a quarter of a century, Poland's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance may seem to be the result of historical necessity. However, Fried, one of the key participants in the events of that time, argues that after the end of the Cold War, the Washington establishment had no desire to expand NATO, and that the priority was not security, but friendly relations with Russia, which was opening up to democratic changes. 'Unnecessary irritation of Russia' – This (the accession of Polish - ed.) was absolutely not a foregone conclusion. In 1993, I was in the administration (of Bill Clinton) and I was pushing for NATO enlargement, and everybody hated me for it. There were very few people who were in favor of it, including in the National Security Council, but that has changed. It took a fight. "I'm an old bureaucrat and I wasn't interested in academic debates, I was interested in getting where I wanted to go, step by step," recalls Fried, then a member of the National Security Council under President Clinton and now an expert at the Atlantic Council think tank. According to him, at the beginning of the Clinton administration, the consensus in Washington was based on the belief that NATO enlargement would unnecessarily irritate Russia, and the priority was to keep Moscow on the democratic path. The very idea of NATO enlargement after the West emerged victorious from the Cold War was at first ridiculed, and Poland's arguments that Russia would return to imperial tendencies did not fall on deaf ears. As Richard Kugler, a Pentagon strategist and analyst at the RAND Corporation think tank, recalled in 2018, one of the Polish officials even warned that if Poland was not accepted into NATO, it could be forced to apply for its own nuclear weapons. Although Kugler himself does not remember the name of the official – it was supposed to be one of the deputy ministers of defence – Fried speculates that it may be the current head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, who in 1992 was the deputy head of the Ministry of National Defence in the government of Jan Olszewski. "Sikorski liked to put pressure on the Americans, but neither he nor any other Polish official told me that in any serious way," Fried added. A "brilliant" change of strategy The former ambassador recalls, however, that Polish diplomats soon after "brilliantly" adapted their message and arguments to the spirit of the times. "In 1993, their argument was that yes, Russia is nice now, but it won't always be like that. It will turn again towards the (reconstruction - ed.) of the empire, so it is better to move with it (i.e. Polish's accession to NATO - ed.) now, while there is still a window for action. Of course, they were right, and I knew it," Fried says. - But I told them then - they were (the then deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - ed.) Jerzy Kozminski and (the then head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - ed.) Andrzej Olechowski: 'I know that you are right, but this will not lead us anywhere. The Clinton administration wants to get along well with Russia, they want to get along with Yeltsin, they want to invest in everything they can. But they are also willing to expand NATO as part of this process," he added. - Soon after, the whole rhetoric of Polish changed, people started talking about united Europe and establishing relations with Russia (...), so they joined forces with us and it was absolutely brilliant. Kozminski was a genius at this. It helped that there was a consensus on this issue on the Polish side, everyone understood it: Kwasniewski understood it, Kaczyński understood it – says the expert. A change of approach in the White House Fried recalls that while the change in Washington's approach didn't happen quickly, by 1994 he was starting to "feel like we were starting to win." Initial skeptics, such as then-Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, were convinced. President Clinton himself was to begin to consider not whether Poland should join NATO, but when. Among the officials who helped m.in were then-National Security Advisor Anthony Lake and RAND expert and later Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Ron Asmus. In the Senate, Clinton's legislative adviser Jeremy Rosner was to play a role in building a coalition of supporters of Polish accession. Fried recalls that the then first lady Hillary Clinton also played a role in the trial, with the help of Polish and Czech intellectuals. In 1996 Clinton, along with the then US ambassador to the UN (and later the head of US diplomacy - ed.) Madeleine Albright, travelled to Polish and the Czech Republic. In Poland, she met m.in editor-in-chief of Tygodnik Powszechny Jerzy Turowicz and Czesław Miłosz, and in the Czech Republic with Vaclav Havel. "That was her type of person. And they convinced her of the necessity of NATO enlargement," said Fried, who accompanied Clinton on the trip. He added that the president's wife at the time was so involved in the matter that on the eve of her speech in Prague, she rewrote the text of the speech prepared earlier by the diplomat until late at night. In her speech, she supported the enlargement of the Alliance. "Today we would be dealing with the occupation of the Baltic states" Finally, the efforts for Polish, the Czech Republic and Hungary to join NATO were crowned on March 12, 1999, with a ceremony in the presidential library of NATO's founder, Harry Truman, in his hometown of Independence, Missouri. According to Fried, history has proven the rightness of this move, because if it were not for that, Central Europe would be in a completely different situation today. "Thank God that we did it, because if it were not for NATO enlargement, today we would not be dealing with a war in Ukraine, but with the occupation of the Baltic states, and perhaps the Russians would even invade Poland to make a land corridor to Königsberg – because Poland would be alone then, and Ukraine would be under the Russian boot," the diplomat assesses. Key vote and words from then-Senator Biden Senators Chuck Grassley and Susan Collins, who in 1998 voted for the ratification of the accession of Polish, the Czech Republic and Hungary to the North Atlantic Alliance, also referred to the events from years ago, related to NATO enlargement. On May 1, 1998, the U.S. Senate held a historic vote: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, which were already seriously at loggerheads, voted to admit three new countries, former members of the Warsaw Pact, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, to the North Atlantic Alliance for the first time since the end of the Cold War. The vote was an important step on the road to the accession of the three countries, which was finalised 10 months later. 80 senators voted in favor of the expansion and 19 voted against, including 10 of the most left-wing Democrats and nine of the most conservative Republicans. "NATO has given the West half a century of security, and this is indeed the beginning of another 50 years of peace," then-Senator and Deputy Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Biden, a key proponent of the ratification of NATO enlargement, said after the vote. "In a broader sense, we will correct the historical injustice imposed on Poles, Czechs and Hungarians by Joseph Stalin," he added. The current U.S. president is one of the few people still active in politics who took part in that vote. In addition to him, seven of the 100 senators who voted at the time remained: Democrats Dick Durbin, Patty Murray and Ron Wyden, and Republicans Lisa Murkowski, Chuck Grassley, Susan Collins and outgoing Senate party leader Mitch McConnell. With the exception of Wyden, who only voted in later years to enlarge the Alliance to include more countries, everyone voted yes. "The Right Choice" Senator Grassley, 90, the oldest member of the chamber, said he did not regret his decision. "History has only confirmed that it was the right choice. Looking at it from today's perspective, it's hard to say anything else. Poland, more than any other country, except perhaps the Baltic states, fulfills its alliance commitments and I applaud it for that," commented the Iowa senator, pointing to Polish's investments in defense and the country's involvement in Afghanistan. "I'm glad I had a part in it," he added. A similar tone was expressed by Maine Collins, who is now the deputy chairman of the Senate's most important budget committee. "There is no doubt that Poland has proven that it is a very valuable, exemplary member of the Alliance," the politician said. She stressed that Poland is now clearly proving this with its attitude towards the war in Ukraine. "I particularly admire the response of the Polish to what happened in Ukraine, and especially how many refugees Poles have accepted. We made the right decision then," she added. https://tvn24.pl/swiat/polska-w-nato-25-lat-daniel-fried-o-tym-jak-polska-zmienila-strategie-i-przekonala-usa-st7813137 |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 5:34:32 AM EDT
[#16]
Friends, let's push on! There is still a little bit of fundraising left!
Pay Pal : [email protected] Crypto wallet |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 6:13:09 AM EDT
[#17]
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Posted: 3/10/2024 6:15:48 AM EDT
[#18]
Ukraine
Gains (+ 0 km²) 🟨 Pertes (- 4.85 km²) 🟦 Russie | LPR | DPR Gains (+ 13.95 km²) 🟥 Pertes (- 0 km²) ⬛️ 
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Posted: 3/10/2024 6:16:14 AM EDT
[#19]
Ukrainian drones clean up a Russian Assault Group:
Russians complain that their Anti-Drone Systems seem to do nothing but attract them: ‼️ Footage of close combat and taking prisoners P2 The "Perun" RUBpAK unit of the 42nd OMBr shares footage of the destruction of a Russian tank. Artillery job near Avdiivka: |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 6:25:02 AM EDT
[Last Edit: nraheston]
[#20]
Aerial reconnaissance of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine destroyed a howitzer, an ammunition depot and a Russian car on the left bank of Kherson oblast
Ivanna "Daenerys", Senior Lieutenant: Why Did You Choose a Combat Unit? In Toretsk, rescuers provided first aid to 3 victims of the Russian attack: In the Bakhmut direction, Russia was preparing its equipment for the assault, but the artillerymen destroyed it: A resident of the village of Kostyantynivka survived two hits to his house: |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 6:28:13 AM EDT
[#21]
🇷🇺🇺🇦 Chronicle of a special military operation
for March 9, 2024 The central event of the day was the destruction by Russian troops of launchers and radars from the MIM-104 Patriot complex, which were hit by the Iskander tactical missile system near the village of Sergeevka, west of Pokrovsk. Also at night, Ukrainian formations carried out a massive raid on Russian regions with drones, most of which attacked the Rostov region. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, a total of 47 drones were intercepted by air defense systems. In the Bakhmut direction, the Russian Armed Forces consolidate in Ivanovsky and advance at Bogdanovka. In the Avdeevka direction, fighting is taking place on the line to the west of Avdeevka: the enemy has recovered from the loss of the city and is actively counterattacking, transferring reinforcements to the area. In the Zaporozhye direction, clashes continue near Rabotino, while there are signs that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are preparing an offensive in order to regain lost positions. https://t.me/rybar/58028 ⚡️Front-line report for the morning 03/10/2024⚡️ On the Zaporozhye Front, fighting continues on the Rabotino-Verbovoye line. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are not abandoning attempts to dislodge Russian troops from their occupied positions in Rabotino, actively bringing up reserves and using artillery. The intensity of the fighting is very high, but the southern side of the village continues to remain under the control of the Russian Armed Forces. On the Donetsk front in the area of Novomikhailovka, Pobeda, Georgievka and Nevelskoye there are oncoming battles. In Pervomaisky, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to prevent Russian troops from advancing through the territory of the settlement. using long-range weapons. Despite this, the assault actions of the Russian Armed Forces are bearing fruit, although progress may be slow, but it is there. In Thin, the Russian Armed Forces managed to bypass the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the north, which threatens the Ukrainian troops in the village with encirclement. The western outskirts of Orlovka continue to remain under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, most of the village. under the control of the RF Armed Forces. In Berdychi the situation is the opposite. The Russian Armed Forces hold the eastern part of the settlement, repelling Ukrainian counterattacks. In these three directions, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are constantly adding reserves. In the Bakhmut direction, assault operations continue in the northeast of Kleshcheevka. LBS has not changed significantly. In Ivanovo (Krasny) the Russian Armed Forces continue to fight their way through the populated area, pushing the enemy to the western outskirts. Russian troops also have some minor successes in Bogdanovka. There the Russian Armed Forces were able to advance inside the settlement. On the Lugansk front, Russian troops, with the support of artillery, continue assault operations near Yampolevka and Ternov and Sinkovkt. LBS did not change significantly. https://t.me/wargonzo/18652 #Review #Summary for the morning of March 10, 2024 ▪️The Western military is playing out more and more. European countries, led by American managers, openly declare that they are considering the possibility of sending military contingents to Ukraine. Apparently, at the initial stage they will carry out the task of releasing units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine employed in the rear regions of Ukraine. So far we are talking about military personnel from France and the Baltic states. Kyiv is taking measures to additionally mobilize up to half a million people; demonstrative footage of 34 Ukrainian draft dodgers unsuccessfully trying to escape from the country in a small minibus has gone viral. ▪️The enemy is increasing the production of drones of all types. A recent massive attack on Russian regions by aircraft-type UAVs showed experts that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are strengthening their engines and warhead. At the front, enemy FPVs, reconnaissance drones and bombers are also of great importance. At the same time, in some issues the Ukrainian Armed Forces are ahead of us. In particular, the enemy is able to simultaneously use up to 25 FPV at different frequencies, which indicates the number of operators and technological capabilities of the enemy. This approach of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, of course, is only suitable for defensive actions, which the enemy still conducts effectively. To the front. ▪️In the Kherson direction, the notorious Krynki and the area of “dachas” near the Antonovsky Bridge remain the zone of presence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Using large groups of infantry for clearing is ineffective, since the enemy immediately covers with massive fire from artillery and drones. The prospects for our crossing the Dnieper are also complicated by the huge network of fortifications and engineering obstacles on the enemy bank. ▪️On the Zaporozhye front, the main battles take place in the Rabotino-Verbovoe pocket. Despite the bloody battles, local battles are actually taking place without significant changes in the LBS. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have managed to accumulate reserves and are preparing for counterattack actions. ▪️Protracted battles are taking place near Maryinka: to the west to Kurakhovo through Georgievka, to the north to Krasnogorovka. To the south, the Russian Armed Forces are advancing in Novomikhailovka. ▪️West of Avdeevka, the front line passes in the area of the same Tonenkoye, Orlovka, Berdychi. ▪️In the direction to Chasov Yar, our troops are moving through Ivanovskoye (Krasnoe), there are battles near Bogdanovka. In Kleshcheevka they report the advance of our troops. At the same time, they note that the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers are showing staunch resistance. ▪️Battles continue near Belogorovka, n.p. Terny, Sinkovki. There are no significant changes. ▪️The border regions of Russia (Kursk, Bryansk, Belgorod regions) are subject to constant terrorist attacks by the enemy. Our troops intercept most of the missiles and drones, but only the creation of a “buffer zone” can change the situation. ▪️Thus, the front line has remained without significant changes in recent days. The enemy is competently conducting a defensive operation, erecting fortifications in threatened areas, and effectively using many drones and artillery to contain our troops. However, the Russian Armed Forces are extremely successful in using their superiority in the FAB with UMPC to attack front-line areas where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are concentrated, and use missile weapons and Geranium UAVs to destroy enemy military targets behind enemy lines. The summary was compiled by: Two majors https://t.me/dva_majors/36235 According to data from the diplomatic corps, Erdogan’s proposal included this. 1. Exclude from the negotiating groups all participants in the 2022 Istanbul agreements. 2. New lists of 7 people from each country for negotiations; persons from the negotiating groups should not be on the sanctions lists of the EU, USA, UN. 3. Withdraw Ukrainian troops from the LDPR (constitutional borders of the republics). 4. Announce the Easter truce and the conditions for its extension. 5. Accept preliminary topics for negotiations: a) recognition of Crimea as Russian; b) holding a referendum under international control in the LDPR; c) demilitarized zone of 50 km between LBS; d) exchange of prisoners “all for all”; e) refusal of Ukraine’s accession to NATO and a 12-month period of accession to the EU (non-aligned status of Ukraine in the Constitution). (...) The start of negotiations was proposed for March 25. What aren't they talking about here? That according to Erdogan’s formula it was necessary to surrender Kherson and Zaporozhye in exchange for the borders of the LPR. Having disgraced himself in front of the whole world and the citizens of Russia. The people who live there received passports and will be hanged by the Nazis. I wonder what the units that lost thousands of their comrades in Krynki and Rabotino will say? Only the stupidest idiot will negotiate after significant successes and before breaking through the enemy front. Winners do not go to negotiations. They win victory on the battlefield and achieve their goals. https://t.me/romanov_92/44534 |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 6:37:57 AM EDT
[#22]
The fire on the gas pipeline in Ugra did not affect the technological process EKATERINBURG, March 10 - RIA Novosti. The accident on the gas pipeline in the Beloyarsk district of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug did not affect the technological process, gas is supplied through a backup branch, Reports Government of the region. Earlier, in the press service of the regional head office MES RIA Novosti reported that the fire on the pipeline occurred outside the settlement, the help of fire and rescue units at the scene was not required. According to the department, there were no casualties as a result of the incident. "This incident did not affect the technological process - according to regional services, gas transportation is carried out through a reserve branch," the Telegram channel of the regional government said in a statement. It is specified that at present the fire near the village of Lykhma has been completely eliminated, there is no threat to the life of the population and economic facilities. https://ria.ru/20240310/pozhar-1932125648.html |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 6:53:07 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Prime]
[#23]
Ukrenergo: 2 energy substations damaged by Russian drone strikes in past day
Two energy substations in southern and central Ukraine were damaged by Russian kamikaze drone attacks on March 9, state electricity grid operator Ukrenergo reported on March 10. Consumers were not cut off from electricity as a result of the attacks and repairs are underway, according to Ukrenergo. The briefing did not specify which exact regions of Ukraine the sites were damaged in. Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure since fall 2022. Ukrainian air defense destroyed 35 of the 39 Shahed-type drones that Russia launched overnight, the Air Force reported on March 10. The drones were intercepted over Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Odesa, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, Kyiv, and Zhytomyr oblasts. Overnight on March 9, Ukraine’s air defense downed 12 of 15 Russian drone launched at Ukraine. https://kyivindependent.com/ukrenergo-2-substations-damaged-by-drones/ 
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Posted: 3/10/2024 6:58:25 AM EDT
[#24]
2022 Flashback
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Posted: 3/10/2024 7:00:44 AM EDT
[#25]
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:05:22 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Brok3n: Thanks for this, I'm always keen on reading what the Chinese are thinking about and what they're planning. They're very academic in their approaches to say the least but whether that will translate into actual battlefield successful performances remains to be seen. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Brok3n: Originally Posted By Prime: China Looks to Ukraine War for Guidance on Attack Helicopters With respect to Russian airpower, Chinese strategists continue to be quite fixated on Russian attack helicopter operations in Ukraine. In shaping patterns of future warfare, there is little doubt that militaries across the world will be seeking to absorb the key lessons of the Russia-Ukraine War, ranging from the employment of tanks to the use of anti-ship cruise missiles and the ubiquitous drones. For the Chinese military, these lessons might even assume a greater importance, since the People's Liberation Army (PLA) lacks recent major combat experience. It has also leaned heavily on Russian weapons and doctrine for its rapid modernization over the last few decades. Chinese media coverage of the war in Ukraine has been extensive. The close nature of the China-Russia "quasi-alliance" means that Chinese military analysts have not engaged in the ruthless critiques of Russian military performance that have been commonplace in the West. Yet, Chinese military analyses are still probing deeply for lessons to understand the shape of modern warfare. They have taken particular interest in the U.S. employment of novel weapons and strategies. To fully grasp the scope and depth of these Chinese analyses it is important to take assessments from a full range of Chinese military media, which is more extensive than is often appreciated in the West. These articles are generally associated with research institutes that are directly involved in the Chinese military-industrial complex. This exclusive series for The Diplomat will represent the first systematic attempt by Western analysts to evaluate these Chinese assessments of the war in Ukraine across the full spectrum of warfare, including the land, sea, air and space, and information domains. Read the rest of the series here. As the stalemate in the Ukraine War seemed to harden during late 2023, military strategists wondered if 2024 could see breakthroughs driven by enhanced airpower. Many are focused, for instance, on the apparently imminent deployment of the first Ukrainian F-16 fighters to the battlefield. Likewise, Kyiv has celebrated its first apparent shootdown of a large Russian air battle management Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS)-type A-50 aircraft. With respect to Russian airpower, Chinese strategists continue to be quite fixated on Russian attack helicopter operations in Ukraine. Helicopters appear to be at the very heart of any Chinese strategy to conquer Taiwan, since they can provide both extensive air cover and firepower for amphibious forces coming ashore in a hypothetical Taiwan scenario. Just as crucial, People's Liberation Army (PLA) rotary-wing aircraft would provide transport capabilities to deliver "air cavalry" and special forces deep into the island's interior. This would be done in order to disorient Taiwan's defenders and prevent reinforcements from developing counter-attacks against the PLA's initial lodgments. One Russian helicopter, in particular, has garnered extra Chinese attention: the Ka-52 Alligator. Not only is this Russia's most advanced attack helicopter, incorporating some important design innovations, but there were strong rumors in fall 2021 that the PLA was acquiring the Ka-52 for use aboard its new large amphibious attack ships (type 075). That would not be strange given that the PLA Navy and the other Chinese armed forces have relied extensively on Russian helicopters for decades. Thus, there are many reasons to pay attention to a late 2023 Chinese language analysis of Ka-52 operations in the Russian war in Ukraine. The overall theme of this article is that the Russian helicopter's combat record has achieved an improbable comeback. The article recapped the struggles of Russian helicopter aviation during the first phase of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. U.K. Ministry of Defense data was cited to suggest that as many as 39 Ka-52s might have been lost in the early part of the Russian invasion amounting to a quarter of the Russian fleet of Alligators. According to this Chinese analysis, these significant losses caused a "sense of astonishment," at least among Western commentators. Likewise, it is said that the helicopter had performed below expectations and that Russia would have trouble replacing such high losses. However, the article noted that assessments of the Ka-52 significantly altered after its strong performance during Ukraine's summer counter-offensive. The Alligator attack helicopters were credited with destroying high numbers of Ukrainian armored vehicles, including the most advanced Western types, such as Leopard tanks and Bradley AFVs. The report noted that the U.K. minister of defense had been disturbed by these battlefield developments and the Chinese assessment suggested that that defense analysts have rebranded the Russian Alligator attack helicopter as "Putin's Vulture" or the "NATO Tank Killer." The Chinese analysis posited that the new effectiveness of these Russian attack helicopters can be attributed to the development of "appropriate tactics." Initially, the Alligators were simply "too exposed to fire from the Ukrainian armed forces' battlefield air defense network " Of course, the new tactics were partly enabled by Ukraine's combat vehicles revealing themselves as they went on the offensive, the article explains. Instead of attempting to penetrate dense air defenses, the helicopters are instead called in "on demand" to destroy targets of opportunity, while then rapidly exiting the battlefield. Apparently, such "hit and run" tactics do not allow the Ukrainian side to target the Russian attack helicopters effectively. A British military aviation expert was quoted at length in this Chinese rendering. It was explained that these tactics found a weakness in Ukraine's air defenses, since they had just seconds to react to these strikes. In addition, that expert noted the effective terrain masking employed by the Russian Alligators. They "fly very close to the ground" and will suddenly appear over a hill or out of a forest to make their missile attacks. Thus, for the defenders on the ground, "it's very difficult to lock on to these helicopters." The Chinese assessment also noted that the Russian Ka-52s have shown great effectiveness in night operations. The analysis explained that Russian attack helicopters have been assisted by other Russian tactics on the battlefield, including especially dense belts of land mines, which repeatedly stalled Ukrainian armored thrusts and made their tanks and AFVs vulnerable targets for the Alligators. The article cited an American observer of military affairs as commenting that the lethality of Russian helicopters during the summer of 2023 is a reminder of the success of the U.S. Apache helicopters operating in the Persian Gulf War. The report also said that of approximately 125 Ukrainian armored vehicles disabled in June 2023, more than 50 were disabled by Russian helicopter operations. It quoted a Ukrainian soldier as having told the British press that the Alligator attacks are "dauntless and relentless," occurring three to four times per day. Moreover, the Russians have apparently improved both the sensors and their laser-guided munitions fired by the Ka-52, so that it can destroy targets at greater distances. The Chinese analysis explained that when the helicopter is delivering strikes from 8-10 kilometers away, the Ukrainian target "really cannot either see or hear the Russian attack helicopter." It quoted a Ukrainian soldier from a German paper observing that at this distance, "We fundamentally have no means to counter" the Russian helicopter threat. The article reported that the Russian military is now upgrading the sensors and weapons to track multiple targets at ranges exceeding 30-50 km. Undoubtedly, Chinese strategists will be interested to see how such longer-range helicopter attack systems can be combined with improved drone surveillance, a technological coordination issue we previously addressed, to enhance PLA air-to-ground attack doctrine for a Taiwan scenario. The Chinese article, which focused on the summer 2023 exploits of the Ka-52, also claimed that Russian attack helicopters have improved their battlefield survivability through improved use of electronic warfare (EW). The article discussed a case in June when an Alligator was reportedly attacked by no fewer than 18 Ukrainian missiles but still managed to successfully escape due to its Vitebsk 25 EW system a result that the article claimed had been verified by other relatively recent tests. A 2023 article in The Economist noted that the Russian armed forces "has for many years placed a 'huge focus' on using its military-industrial complex to produce and develop an impressive range of EW capabilities " That same article also warned that insights from the EW struggle in Ukraine are likely "to be passed on to the Chinese" by the Russian military. Taiwan's air defense system and its ability to blunt a PLA heliborne or airborne attack constitutes an unknown for the Taiwan scenario going forward. Recently, Taipei got some good news on that front in the form of the delivery of a major batch of U.S.-made man-portable air defense system Stingers to the island. The Chinese article summarized above, however, shows that Chinese strategists are extremely keen to find ways to foil such defenses to bring China's airpower, both fixed wing and rotary wing, to bear on a prospective cross-strait military scenario. https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/china-looks-to-ukraine-war-for-guidance-on-attack-helicopters/ Thanks for this, I'm always keen on reading what the Chinese are thinking about and what they're planning. They're very academic in their approaches to say the least but whether that will translate into actual battlefield successful performances remains to be seen. Same here. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:08:12 AM EDT
[#27]
Originally Posted By K0UA: Amen. I can't remember when there has been a worse one. Originally Posted By Brok3n: This is the worst pope I can think of in decades.. Same, everyone around me says the same as well when they see his actions. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:28:47 AM EDT
[#28]
NSFW
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:29:41 AM EDT
[Last Edit: AlmightyTallest]
[#29]
These are the unguided CRV-7 rockets.
 
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:31:37 AM EDT
[#30]
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:35:09 AM EDT
[Last Edit: AlmightyTallest]
[#31]
FPV's being used around the Leopard tank at the end. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:37:24 AM EDT
[#32]
Russia has lost 90% of orders for launching satellites into space because of the war. Since starting the full-scale invasion, Russia has lost orders from other countries. American astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell has calculated that total satellite launch orders for European and other countries have collapsed by 90% in the past two years. Previously, Europeans often sent their satellites on Russian rockets, and in 2021, there were 35 contracts for such a service. A year later, Russia reduced its number to two, and in 2023 it amounted to three contracts. As a result, "the United States remained the only superpower in space" (launch contracts tripled to more than 320), and "smaller players, including India and China, are now expanding their presence at Russia's expense," Nikkei Asia writes. The financial situation of Roscosmos had been deteriorating even before the war, when it was headed by Dmitry Rogozin. In the pre-war years, Roscosmos' revenues fell threefold - from 32.3 billion rubles ($354 million) in 2018 to 10.5 billion rubles ($115 million) in 2021. The loss in 2021 reached 31 billion rubles (≈ $340 million). Subsequently, the situation continued to deteriorate. Although the state corporation no longer publishes reports, its CEO Yury Borisov told Vedomosti newspaper at the end of 2022 that the loss is expected to be about 50 billion rubles ($548 million). |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:41:24 AM EDT
[Last Edit: AlmightyTallest]
[#33]
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/03/vital-russian-supply-lines-in-black-sea-cut-by-ukrainian-drones/
 Vital Russian Supply Lines In Black Sea Cut By Ukrainian Drones Ukraine's maritime drones are shaping the war in the Black Sea. These robotic boats, termed USVs, have sunk an impressive number of Russian Navy ships. But their mere presence is having a greater, possibly more strategic, impact. Russia is having to shift its supply lines. And as the invasion of Ukrainian has shown, supply lines are key. In late February two Russian government ships did something highly unusual. The transport ship Sparta-IV and tanker Yaz were sailing from the Russian base at Tartus in Syria towards the Black Sea. These ships are generally used to transport military assets. Sparta-IV has previously been used to ship S-300 missile systems from Syria to Russia, and Yaz is the sister ship of Sig which was hit by Ukrainian maritime drones on August 5 2023. But this time, as the ships approached the Bosporus, the Strait which connects the Mediterrean to the Black Sea, they abruptly turned around. This is another strong indicator that Ukraine’s maritime drones are having a strategic impact. Ukraine’s maritime drones, properly terms uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) have become a defining symbol in the war. They capture headlines when they sink Russian warships, such as the Sergey Kotov which was attacked on March 4. But their prescience has had a much larger, yet subtle, impact on the war. The Russian Navy is placed under threat and has to act accordingly. It is no longer in control of the Black Sea like it was at the start of the 2022 invasion. Its Black Sea supply lines, relying on ships like Sparta-IV, have had to be escorted. Now they are avoiding the route altogether, adding weeks to the supply lines. A Brush With The Threat A new detail sheds more light on the threat. On March 4, hours before the Sergey Kotov was hit near Kerch, the Russian ship ‘Ella’ had an encounter with four drones. These are likely the same ones which then sunk the warship. According to a Captain’s Report shared online, which we judge to be credible, Ella reported sighting 4 maritime drones at 2.15pm local time. The ship was at a position 43°10.1 N 033°55.7 E in the middle of the Black Sea. This is 100 miles (160 km) south of Sevastopol on Crimea, and is around half way between the Kerch Strait and and the Bosporus Strait in Turkey. The ship was travelling from Russia to Italy via the Bosporus. The crew of the Ella reported that the maritime drones came within half a mile (around 1 km) of the ship and monitored its progress for a while. It is likely that the Ella was identified and determined not important enough to attack. Significantly the crew reported that they could only see the drones when they came within 2 nautical miles (2.3 miles / 3.7 km) of the ship. Their radar could only extend the detection range to 3 nautical miles (3.5 miles / 5.5 km). This illustrates how difficult the drones are to spot. Context It is possible that the drones were likely hunting high value transport ships crossing the Black Sea. And then took on the warship as a fallback because the Russian ships are now avoiding the route. Another indicator is that around the same time, as Sparta-IV and Yaz were doing a U-turn, two more government linked Russian merchant ships also made an unusual change of course. The Lady Mariia and Baltic Leader called at a port in the north of Turkey instead of crossing the Black Sea. Russia’s shift may also reflect the overstretched escort forces. Russia has been putting these ships into convoys and adding two or more warships. Some of these warships are dated. The escort efforts have been effective at stopping attacks when they occur, but Ukraine’s recent successes against warships cannot bode well. The Impact On Weapons Shipments Sparta-IV and Yaz sailed back to Syria and are now going the long way around to Russia via the Baltic. They are joined by another notorious weapons runner, the Ursa Major. It is unlikely that Turkey blocked their passage to ships. Instead it was the Ukrainian drone threat which stopped them. Sailing around Europe via the Straits of Gibraltar and up to the Baltic will add weeks to the voyage. Russia will still likely receive the valuable cargoes, but it cannot move freely across the Black Sea. We do not suggest that Russian ships will stop sailing in the Black Sea altogether, but the threat of drones appears enough to seriously limit them. Kyiv Natural History Museum: 
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:49:04 AM EDT
[Last Edit: AlmightyTallest]
[#34]
Looks like 4 hits on the Repair and upgrade facility, probably damaged the nearby aircraft as well.
I would have to say that a single cruise missile would have gutted the entire building instead of using drones. That empty spot next to the Tu-95 at the bottom of the image was where the A-50 was parked just a few days prior. 
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:50:27 AM EDT
[#35]
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:51:25 AM EDT
[Last Edit: AlmightyTallest]
[#36]
Drone lands next to Russian sleeping under a vehicle, it does not immediately go off until he tries to brush it away. https://x.com/TOGAjano21/status/1766799919833034808 |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:57:45 AM EDT
[#37]
The fighters of the 3rd attack unit of the Special Purpose Center "OMEGA" did their job brilliantly - after detecting the target, the air scouts transmitted the coordinates of the artillery of the neighboring unit of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 8:59:35 AM EDT
[#38]
It is interesting the amount of FPV drone strikes on Russian 152mm artillery.
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Posted: 3/10/2024 9:02:30 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 2A373: The contract for both of them was signed in December 2020 and construction of the Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi started in 2021. Probably the only reason they are still intact and not scuttled, destroyed, or captured is they were not ready by Feb 2022. Hopefully they will be put to good use after VR Day patrolling the Black Sea. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 9:03:41 AM EDT
[#40]
4 minutes ago.
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Posted: 3/10/2024 9:08:43 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By bigstick61: Yes, I wonder if these will be delivered given that Turkey is blocking passage of other warships provided to Ukraine from outside the Black Sea. But then again, Turkey may wish to increase the likelihood of further contracts from Ukraine and refusing to deliver would not be conducive to that. These were originally going to be completed up to a certain point before being towed to Ukraine to be completed there but it appears that they will be built in full in Turkey, now. As for waste of time, these were ordered years before the February 2022 Russian offensive. It was intended to build more under license in Ukraine, but I'm not sure anything like that is happening. There were also two light frigates being built at the time in Ukraine whose construction had been delayed. It sounds like they may end up being completed. There is also an unfinished cruiser that it is costing money to maintain and I think it would be a shame to scrap something over 90% complete. Ukraine doesn't seem interested in finishing it for itself, though. Russia had been in negotiations to acquire it when Maidan happened, which ended that. Brazil had expressed some interest in having it be modified and buying it, but I'm not sure that is going anywhere, either. Even though it is unlikely to happen, it'd be nice to see the Ukraina finally be part of the Ukrainian Navy. Ukraine is also going to modernize a couple of existing vessels. One of its missile boats landed her Styx missiles not too long ago and the intent is to fit her out to use Neptune, instead. Neptune was considered for these corvettes and Harpoon is being used instead, so I wonder if that will also replace Neptune where it was intended to be installed on existing vessels. Maybe if the ship was competently outfitted and ARMED by US, Brit, or maybe French modern weapons, it would have a chance. But again Russia has much more and better options to target a ship that Ukraine does. I think it would be better for Ukraine to stay focused on asymmetrical naval attacks rather than try to face Russia conventionally. Sell those ships and use the money to buy landmines and drones. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 9:11:59 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By bigstick61: He honestly sucks as much at international affairs as he does as religious head of the Church. You can ALWAYS count on the Pope to support Marxist, fascist, communist ideologies and dictators. Next he will argue that Jesus supported the robbers, killers, and thieves rather than their victim's... |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 9:34:07 AM EDT
[#43]
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Posted: 3/10/2024 9:34:57 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Prime: 2022 Flashback
That idiot would be dead in Ukraine if not for his stupid broken leg and the corrupt idiots he idolizes. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 9:36:23 AM EDT
[#45]
It is the exact same round lol.
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WI, USA
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Posted: 3/10/2024 10:01:44 AM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Prime: #Review #Summary for the morning of March 10, 2024 ▪️In the Kherson direction, the notorious Krynki and the area of “dachas” near the Antonovsky Bridge remain the zone of presence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Using large groups of infantry for clearing is ineffective, since the enemy immediately covers with massive fire from artillery and drones. The prospects for our crossing the Dnieper are also complicated by the huge network of fortifications and engineering obstacles on the enemy bank. The summary was compiled by: Two majors https://t.me/dva_majors/36235 According to data from the diplomatic corps, Erdogan’s proposal included this. 1. Exclude from the negotiating groups all participants in the 2022 Istanbul agreements. 2. New lists of 7 people from each country for negotiations; persons from the negotiating groups should not be on the sanctions lists of the EU, USA, UN. 3. Withdraw Ukrainian troops from the LDPR (constitutional borders of the republics). 4. Announce the Easter truce and the conditions for its extension. 5. Accept preliminary topics for negotiations: a) recognition of Crimea as Russian; b) holding a referendum under international control in the LDPR; c) demilitarized zone of 50 km between LBS; d) exchange of prisoners “all for all”; e) refusal of Ukraine’s accession to NATO and a 12-month period of accession to the EU (non-aligned status of Ukraine in the Constitution). (...) The start of negotiations was proposed for March 25. What aren't they talking about here? That according to Erdogan’s formula it was necessary to surrender Kherson and Zaporozhye in exchange for the borders of the LPR. Having disgraced himself in front of the whole world and the citizens of Russia. The people who live there received passports and will be hanged by the Nazis. I wonder what the units that lost thousands of their comrades in Krynki and Rabotino will say? Only the stupidest idiot will negotiate after significant successes and before breaking through the enemy front. Winners do not go to negotiations. They win victory on the battlefield and achieve their goals. https://t.me/romanov_92/44534 That line by Two Majors catches my eye. They aren't giving up on getting back across the Dnipro. First, it shows their mentality, that despite difficulties, they believe they are winning and will continue to do so. Second, IMO maintaining that foothold on the left bank was and remains a good strategic decision. Russia being able to consolidate on their side of the river would make preparation for a crossing easier. Having to expend resources to dislodge enemies on their side prevents that, and the foothold has been well covered and well defended, inflicting significant losses on the enemy. Romanov's post is also notable. There is no room for Russia to negotiate, until the milbloggers believe they are on the back foot. As long as Russia remains on the advance, they won't jeopardize military gains with negotiations. They might send a team to talks, but there will be no substance, no progress, and no concessions. Diplomacy with other nations is where the emphasis should be. Keep pushing the Russian war crimes, violations of the Geneva conventions, treaty violations, Russia as a criminal aggressor. Keep isolating them diplomatically. Get them kicked out of international groups to reduce both their political influence and their stature. Keep making it easier for other nations - Africa, Asia, Oceana, South America - to reject Russia. It is no more inflammatory to talk up Russia as a lawless, fascist dictatorship and Putin as a war criminal than to float the idea of NATO troops in Ukraine, and would actually pay greater dividends in the future. We need to push the diplomacy until we get to the point that countries like Tanzania and Malaysia are willing to vote Russia out of various UN commissions, councils, and other orgs. From there it could be possible for the General Assembly to suspend Russia's membership on the UNSC until the resolution of the conflict, an action which would truly punish and humiliate Russia and motivate them to make concessions/accept negotiations. I have no idea why our leaders aren't doing this. |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 10:04:59 AM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Prime: 2022 Flashback
I remember that guy. |
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OK, USA
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Posted: 3/10/2024 10:16:32 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Prime:
https://y.yarn.co/3abfa77b-079e-42d3-8033-c448d293770c_text.gif The VA has a new bar. 
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Posted: 3/10/2024 10:27:53 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By AlmightyTallest: It is the exact same round lol.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GITa8C5b0AAJCq8?format=jpg&name=medium https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GITa8C6a8AATt1n?format=jpg&name=medium https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GITa8F-bUAAEeg0?format=png&name=900x900 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GITa8F_bcAAWlu3?format=png&name=900x900 At least he’s scamming Chicoms. |
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NE, USA
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Posted: 3/10/2024 11:03:51 AM EDT
[#50]
Ghost page?
Where is Claire Capta? |
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