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

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DerAdlerIstGelandet said:
Yeah, but if you are going to fight a war of survival you have to fight back and take away the aggressors ability to hurt you. That convoy that is now dispersed was a huge missed opportunity for example. How many days did it sit there?
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Don't disagree...but launching missiles into Russia or Belarus from Ukraine won't be ignored. The other challenge is whether Ukraine has any assets of sufficient range, and supporting targeting capabilities, to hit the airfield(s) in Belarus.
 
buffnut453 said:
Don't disagree...but launching missiles into Russia or Belarus from Ukraine won't be ignored. The other challenge is whether Ukraine has any assets of sufficient range, and supporting targeting capabilities, to hit the airfield(s) in Belarus.
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Of course it won't be ignored, but they are in a war. If you can hit back, do it!
 
buffnut453 said:
Agree...but I suspect the Russian response would simply be to up the ante on the "shock and awe" they're imposing on the Ukrainian civilian population....if it's possible to be more indiscriminate than they already are.
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The alternative is to let those assets get locked and loaded -- and there's no telling that they won't be used to attack Ukrainian civilians anyway.

Given that Belarus is both allowing its territory to be used as a base for offensive action, and that they reportedly have contributed forces to the Russian invasion, the Ukrainians would be within their rights to attack those planes.

What consequences that would bring quickly spin into "what-if" territory.
 
To me it comes down to this…

1. Don't strike at the aircraft in Belarus, and let those aircraft continue to bomb your cities and people.

Or

2. Strike at them and maybe Russia retaliates, but that retaliation cannot occur if the aircraft are smoking craters on the ground.
 

I wouldn't describe it in such binary terms. Russia has other options for retaliation that haven't (yet...AFAIK) been employed in Ukraine. Examples include thermobaric weapons, chem/bio weapons and great use of long-range rockets/missiles.

I entirely agree that the aircraft in Belarus are a legitimate target for Ukraine, and I'd love to see as many of them taken out as possible. However, doing so requires some pretty decent targeting capabilities that Ukraine may not possess. The alternative is air attack but I'd have to think that those airfields are well defended by the Russian strategic SAM belt.
 

You are 100% correct, however, I would counter that he is going to destroy one way other so you might as well control what you can.

I don't think there is an easy or right answer to any of this.

As for the second part. That is why I was questioning what capabilities they may have.
 
buffnut453 said:
Russia has other options for retaliation that haven't (yet...AFAIK) been employed in Ukraine. Examples include thermobaric weapons
[...]
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Just to say:

The Russian Ministry of Defense claims it has used a thermobaric rocket launching weapon in its deadly attack on Ukraine, the United Kingdom (U.K.) announced Wednesday.

Moscow "confirmed the use of the TOS-1A weapon system in Ukraine," the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense tweeted.

The statement was accompanied by a video of the Soviet-era weapon, which launches rockets from atop a tank body that suck in surrounding oxygen, creating higher temperatures and more damaging explosions that last longer than conventional blasts.

"The impact of the TOS-1A is devastating," the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense said in the video. "It can destroy infrastructure and cause significant damage to internal organs and flash burns, resulting in death to those exposed."

The U.S. military, however, has still seen "no indications" that thermobaric weapons have been used, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters later Wednesday.

Under international laws of armed conflict, thermobaric weapons are not illegal but can't be used against military targets if their launch could also harm civilians.

Footage from the Kremlin incursion, which is now at the two-week mark, has shown TOS-1A weapons deployed to Ukraine.

Russia says it’s used thermobaric weapon system in Ukraine: UK

The Russian Ministry of Defense claims it has used a thermobaric rocket launching weapon in its deadly attack on Ukraine, the United Kingdom (U.K.) announced Wednesday. Moscow “confirmed the u…
thehill.com

If the Russians admit using it, I'd say that trumps any Pentagon opinion.
 
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