"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (1 Viewer)

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Interesting Russian diplomatic resignation:

Russia's counsellor to the UN in Geneva has resigned over the "bloody, witless and absolutely needless" fighting in Ukraine, making him the country's most senior diplomat to defect over the war.

In a resignation letter, Boris Bondarev said he had seen "different turns" of his country's foreign policy over his 20-year career "but never have I been so ashamed of my country as on 24 February", when Russia launched its attack.

Calling the level of "lies and unprofessionalism" in Russia's Foreign Ministry "catastrophic", he said Vladimir Putin's war was "not only a crime against the Ukrainian people, but also, perhaps, the most serious crime against the people of Russia".

In March, Anatoly Chubais became the most prominent Kremlin official to quit over the war. Chubais, who was Putin's special envoy for relations with international organisations for sustainable development, not only left his post, but Russia too.
 
Thumpalumpacus said:
Probably, but I'm just addressing the whole "Russia has 8000 tanks" thing that lots of people are tossing around.
Click to expand...
The video I posted above says that Russia has six thousand tanks in storage, but that no more than three thousand could be readily returned to service. Russia has lost over 1,200 tanks in Ukraine so far, out of their original operational force of under 3,000 tanks. So they will have to start pulling from their reserves soon.
 

There's a question of how modern those reserve tanks are, and how intact they may be. If these allegations by Ukrainian intel have much truth to them --

Russia is attempting to restore old military equipment held in long-term storage to replace losses suffered during its invasion of Ukraine but it is encountering difficulty in doing so because of corruption and the poor condition of the equipment, the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate (GUR) said on Saturday.

Military gear is being removed from long-term storage facilities and is being channeled to a repair and rehabilitation base near the Belarus and Ukraine border, GUR asserted, but in cases such as the Russian 4th Tank Division, the conditions of vehicles are such that only one-in-ten "mothballed" units is in working order.

[...]

"Optical devices and electronics containing precious metals were stolen from the combat vehicles," said GUR. The intelligence body reported that many of the 4th Tank Division's stored tanks were "completely dismantled," and that some did not have engines.

[...]

Another issue hindering movement by Russian vehicles, as related by retired US Defense Department civil servant Trent Telenko in a widely read Twitter thread, is that corruption likely played a role in the lack of maintenance of the tires of military vehicles. Many videos and photographs have emerged of Russian vehicles abandoned even with fuel inside. Telenko assessed that the tires in some vehicles captured by Ukrainian forces, the unexercised tires were falling off.

Corruption hinders Russia's attempts to replace losses with old vehicles - Ukraine

Mothballed Russian military equipment is being taken out of long-term storage, but stolen and missing parts are preventing the replenishment of vehicles and the replacing losses.
www.jpost.com

Of course, given the source, salt should be applied.
 
KYIV/MARIUPOL, May 23 (Reuters) - Kyiv revealed its worst military losses from a single attack of the Ukraine war on Monday, saying 87 people had been killed last week when Russian forces struck a barracks housing troops at a training base in the north.

The disclosure that scores had been killed in the attack demonstrated Russia's ability to inflict huge losses, even far from the front. Previously, Kyiv had said eight people died in the May 17 strike on the barracks in the town of Desna.

"Today we completed work at Desna. In Desna, under the rubble, there were 87 casualties. Eighty-seven corpses," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said during a speech by video link to business leaders in Davos, Switzerland.

Ukraine urges more world pressure, says it repels Russian attack on eastern city

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told global business leaders on Monday the world must increase sanctions against Russia to deter other countries from using "brute force" to achieve their aims.
www.reuters.com
 
More on the resignation of one of Russia's UN diplomats:

Boris Bondarev has spoken to the BBC's Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg about why he became the country's most senior diplomat to defect over the war.

"The reason is that I strongly disagree and disapprove of what my government is doing and has been doing at least since February, and I don't want to be associated with that any longer," he said.

Bondarev said it was a case of when, not if, he was going to quit. "I don't see any alternative."

Despite being shocked by the Russian invasion, he said he does not believe his feelings are widespread in the foreign ministry.

"I think most people, the majority of them, are following the propaganda and what their superiors tell them.

"When you work in the ministry you work in a hierarchy, so you must obey what your superior tells you. And for many years any critical approach has been erased from the ministry mostly," he said.

Although he said his decision to leave would not likely change things, he said "it may be one little brick into the bigger wall which would eventually be built".

Asked if he believes he will be considered a traitor, Bondarev said: "I think they are already considering me as such."
 
Russia has 96 Brigades of constant combat preparedness (CCP) in Russian termed: ЧПГ - части постоянной готовности – another (approx. 120 Brigades) are in majority inferior units (National-guard, incl. the Ground and coastal defense forces of the Baltic fleet), Border-guard etc. and therefore in majority not suitable for a war in the Borderlands.

Out of these 96 (CCP) Brigades approx. 46 Brigades are equipped/designated into BTG's. As such Russia has "only" around 140 BTG's with an average strength of "only" 600 men.
Of the remaining 50 (CCP) Brigades – approx. 30% are stationed in or around Moscow – designated Putin's Pretorian-Guard, together with another approx. 10 (CCP) Brigades.
The remaining approx. 25 (CCP) Brigades are spread throughout Russia – therefore actually not available to be deployed otherwise.

As for MBT's, there are approx. 4000 active with approx. 10,000+ in reserve/storage
As for AFV's and APC's there are approx. 7000 active with approx. 18,000+ in reserve/storage

It can be realistically assumed that less the 20% of the MBT reserve/storage are ready or suitable for action, and less then 30% of the AFV/APC

Assuming that Putin would send in all CCP Brigades, he could field at maximum approx. 300,000 men, supported by approx. 200,000 men of the National-guard (using them to replace losses within the CCP or BTG units) 100-150,000 militia/irregulars (DNLR) and approx. 30,000 men of the VDV. along a 2300km borderline.
These Russian units would be facing approx. 200,000 Ukraine National-guards, plus approx. 150,000 ill-equipped Ukraine irregulars and maybe an additional 50-80,000 Ukraine national-guards ready by August also streched along a 2300km borderline.
Aside from weapon technology advantages – both sides are more or less equal in strength and will suffer higher losses upon attacking or "liberating" a respective territory.
 
Last edited:
exactly - just as I had mentioned already
 
Jagdflieger said:
exactly - just as I had mentioned already
Click to expand...
Pretty sure you stated:
Jagdflieger said:
Assuming that Putin would send in all CCP Brigades, he could field at maximum approx. 300,000 men
Click to expand...

Which led to my reply.

The Putin is not going to pull all of his top-line units away from key positions situated across his Empire, leaving the security of those locations in the care of second-rate troops.

He may pull some bodies out of those units to bolster his forces in Ukraine, but not entire units.
 
Doesn't change the fact that YOU don't get to pick what someone elses country is called.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if Lukashenko falls before Putin. His hold on power has been heavily dependent on Putin and there does seem to be a groundswell of support for a different leader. Protests have been smothered, a number of people have joined the Ukraine armed forces, industrial sabotage has taken place n particular on the railways, again smothered but the discontent is still going to exist.
Some at least of his forces are now being deployed against Ukraine and should they receive a significant defeat in combat, Lukashenko's hold on power if going to be at significant risk. Russia will not have the feet on the ground to stop him from going, and if he does, then another country on his border is going to fall from Russia's sphere of influence.
 
SaparotRob said:
I'd still vote for him again!
Click to expand...

I would have voted for him until he tapped Palin for VP, which to my mind showed a serious problem in judgement. I won't go any further for obvious reasons. But whether I agreed or disagreed with his policy positions, I had no doubt about his motivation. His scars, mental and physical, bore mute testimony to his belief in our country.
 
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