"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (5 Viewers)

[Admiral Beez]

Interesting vid, including mention of the limitations of the low ammunition capacity of their tanks, requiring three withdraws for reload. Which does speak well of the AFU logistics train that they have well-stocked resupply vehicles nearby. Twenty-two shells spread out over HE and AP does seem low, when Abrams and Leo2 carry forty or more.



The booby-trapped landmines was something I hadn't considered.

 

[buffnut453]

No comment needed -- his disclaimers say it all.

Yeah...there was so much wrong with that soundbite.

Firstly, he's factually incorrect in stating that the US saw Russia as a paper tiger. From where I sit, the US greatly respected Russia's military capabilities. It's only after Ukraine PROVED that Russia was a paper tiger that assessments started to change...and, even then, there's still tremendous concern about Russia's threat to use nuclear weapons.

Then there was the whole "everyone look at me" comments at the end. "Nobody listens to me," "I'm such a victim" blah-blah-blah. He's basically been silent on the topic of the Russian invasion for months...but now he claims nobody was listening to him? The reason people shouldn't listen to him is because he's a self-aggrandizing idiot who cares only about self-promotion and, frankly, has no clue about the reality.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

They were using a Mavic 3 drone.

 

[buffnut453]

This made me smile:

Ukraine war: Czech crowdfunding buys 'Tomas the tank' for Ukraine

More than 10,000 people donated to the fund, which will supply a modernised T-72 tank.

www.bbc.com

Tomas the Tank....NOT Thomas the Tank Engine (two VERY different things...if you're unsure, the latter is below):

 

[Glider]

A number of people and nations continually

Interesting vid, including mention of the limitations of the low ammunition capacity of their tanks, requiring three withdraws for reload. Which does speak well of the AFU logistics train that they have well-stocked resupply vehicles nearby. Twenty-two shells spread out over HE and AP does seem low, when Abrams and Leo2 carry forty or more.



The booby-trapped landmines was something I hadn't considered.

Superb Clip many thanks. It shows the high level of raining within the Ukraine Army. The drones being used in real time by the commander to direct and control the attack. When to move, when to wait, when to support another tank and when to attack. How the sappers worked with special tools to work with other infantry and special forces, plus of course the infantry were supporting the armour.
It's also interesting how well the Ukraine Army are using the T72. It's vulnerable to AT weapons that fire down and has too small a magazine, however the Russians seem to be lacking this type of AT weapon and the Ukraine are clearly having considerable success with it.

When you see this when attacking a well-prepared defensive position, you realise what little chance those hastily conscripted people stand

 

[RogerdeLluria]

Less than 24 hours ago, we were highlighting that Borova would be the next town encircled by Ukrainian forces....and here we are, with that task complete, and further advances being made into "Russian" territory. The offensive is picking up pace again.

I will say that, for the most part, Ukraine's claims on progress seem to be pretty accurate. They announced they'd successfully crossed the Oskil River and, despite a few temporary setbacks, they held that line and have pushed eastwards from that bridgehead. Same-same for encircling Lyman.

Great to see the offensive continuing. Hope they kick all the orcs out of Ukrainian territory.

Now looking for advances regarding the Kherson area as well as Svatove and Kreminna.

I never imagined that I'll know more about Ukrainian towns and rivers than my own country, lol.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Hunt for Red October anyone?

Russian nuclear submarine armed with 'doomsday' weapon disappears from Arctic harbor: report

Russia's Belgorod nuclear submarine is no longer operating in the Arctic. NATO has warned its member countries that Putin may be testing the vessel's "doomsday" weapon.

www.yahoo.com

 

[buffnut453]

This article is really worth reading. It provides a pretty clear-headed assessment of the situation without getting overly positive about Ukrainian gains or overly negative about Russian nuclear threats.

A couple of key points include the increasingly desperate commentaries by Russian "hawks" wanting to restart their offensives to take more of Ukraine. Despite the table-thumping rhetoric, the body language and non-verbal communication (lots of sighs, for example) suggest they're resigned to being stuck in a war that, realistically, they know they can't win. Now the blame-game begins, with everyone being at fault except for Herr Putler...although even he can't escape the stink of failure that's emanating from this debacle.

The other interesting point is about Russian nuclear intentions. They observe that using tactical nukes probably won't gain Russia anything because the hodge-podge of deployed front-line forces in Ukraine (regulars, conscripts, mercenaries, PMCs etc) probably couldn't operate in a nuclear battlefield. Now, we all know Putin doesn't give one hoot (let alone two) about whether his "brave comrades" survive. However, even he has to recognize that deliberately killing your own forces is not going to deliver success. As to a nuclear attack against a NATO nation, that would clearly spell doom for Putin's regime and the end of Russia as any kind of power.

Institute for the Study of War

Ukrainian forces inflicted another significant operational defeat on Russia and liberated Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, on October 1. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced the withdrawal of Russian troops from Lyman to “more advantageous positions” to

www.understandingwar.org

 

[Admiral Beez]

It shows the high level of raining within the Ukraine Army.

Agreed. I liked how it showed their officers' genuine concern for their troop's safety. Drones to watch for enemy movement and to inform the AFU offensive, infantry to protect the tanks, tanks to support the infantry. And clearly a support train not far behind to replenish the tanks and support the men.

 

[RogerdeLluria]

Ukrainian forces break through in the south as Putin's problems mount

Kyiv’s troops pushed forward Monday, threatening a major new breakthrough and forcing Russian soldiers to retreat from territory the Kremlin claimed to have annexed.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Admiral Beez]

The other interesting point is about Russian nuclear intentions. They observe that using tactical nukes probably won't gain Russia anything because the hodge-podge of deployed front-line forces in Ukraine (regulars, conscripts, mercenaries, PMCs etc) probably couldn't operate in a nuclear battlefield.

In that case, and assuming Putin is mad enough to believe the US would not destroy him, or does not care, the ideal targets for nuclear strikes would be those beyond the territories where the Russians have to fight. Lviv seems a good target, since it would disrupt NATO shipments from Poland, and any fallout would first be filtered by Belarusian and Ukrainian lungs before it got to Russia.

 

[buffnut453]

In that case, and assuming Putin is mad enough to believe the US would not destroy him, or does not care, the ideal targets for nuclear strikes would be those beyond the territories where the Russians have to fight. Lviv seems a good target, since it would disrupt NATO shipments from Poland, and any fallout would first be filtered by Belarusian and Ukrainian lungs before it got to Russia.

Lviv is only about 70km from the Polish border. While prevailing winds may tend to push radiation eastwards, there's no guarantee that conditions on the day wouldn't spread fallout towards Poland. Also, such an attack won't deliver benefits for the front-line Russian soldiers. Yes, it will disrupt resupply from the west...but it won't change the direction of the war.

It's also worth looking at the Russian tactical nuke arsenal. It includes nuclear torpedoes and ABM capabilities which are of no use against Ukraine. Most Russian tactical nukes are actually air-dropped missiles and munitions which, given the rather poor showing to-date by the Russian air force, may be challenging to employ. There are some short-range, ground-based missiles which could do the trick like the SSC-8 GLCM or the SS-26 Iskander. The latter has been used against Ukraine with conventional warheads but it's not clear how many nuke warheads, or even Iskander missiles, remain in the Russian inventory.

Personally, I think any use of nuclear weapons by Russia is a red-line that will trigger an automatic NATO response to initiate Article 5. Even if the strike is within Ukraine, the escalation is such as to present a direct threat to NATO's member nations.

 

[GTX]

US M60 are in long term storage for decades, they will need a complete rebuild to be of any use. Even then in standard condition they are not suitable for a modern battlefield and need a massive upgrade package. Similar for Leopard 1 although it has better mobility to start with. At best they could be used in defensive or ambush positions, they'd have to quickly move like hell once detected or they'll be easy meat for ATGMs.

what is the status of the Israeli Magach or Turkish Sabra variants?

 

[GTX]

Fleets of M1s/Leo 2s/Leclercs attacking russian positions = Putin claims Nato attacks us = big boom and over.

Exactly

 

[GTX]

In that case, and assuming Putin is mad enough to believe the US would not destroy him, or does not care, the ideal targets for nuclear strikes would be those beyond the territories where the Russians have to fight. Lviv seems a good target, since it would disrupt NATO shipments from Poland, and any fallout would first be filtered by Belarusian and Ukrainian lungs before it got to Russia.

Nuclear weapons have far more use for their deterrent effect. Once you use them they lose that power And bring all sorts of other problems.

 

[vikingBerserker]

You cannot expect an unreasonable person to be reasonable.

 

[GTX]

A prank call to a Russian rich kid reveals so much about who is fighting Vladimir Putin's war

It appears the burden of Vladimir Putin's partial mobilisation — and the war itself — is falling on poor, ethnic minority regions. Analysts say the move may avoid triggering a wave of anger in Moscow, but could pose problems for the president down the line.

www.abc.net.au

 

[GTX]

First Elon's tweets:





Then Zelenskyy's reply:



supported by that of Lithuania's president:

 

[GTX]

Ouch…

 

[cammerjeff]

I don't like either one, ever sense I made the mistake of actually making eye contact with him when he made an inspection of the production equipment we were installing in his plant in Reno. He then immediately had his cronies throw me out of the plant, and then complained to my supervisors that no one was leading our crews installing the machinery.

I have had no use for that arrogant SOB sense that day back in 2017. And I never will. Could car less what he thinks, sells our invents. Just my 2 cents worth, other opinions may vary.