Ukraine - somebody explain to me

[Jeff Lebowski]

Yeah, I was disappointed when we changed our minds on the ATACMS. Those 300 mile missiles are cutting edge, and would have really made a splash. WW3 GTFD!

Why on earth would we not provide those weapons? Do we want them to lose? This is entirely different than providing NATO air cover.

[Bo Diddley]

Why on earth would we not provide those weapons? Do we want them to lose? This is entirely different than providing NATO air cover.

I don't know. I've heard fears of our equipment falling into enemy hands is a concern. I don't see why we would think that would happen at this point. As far as worrying about them going after Russian territory, I don't think that's a realistic fear either. We're propping up their army, and we can set the conditions of use of our equipment. We simply have pansies calling the shots!

[Bo Diddley]

If they get some A-10's going- that will actually provide them the anti-tank $ anti-apc firepower they need to dislodge the gawdless commies from their territory.

The A-10 is like Shawn Knights instincts in Ziggy Ansah's body!

[Bo Diddley]

Ukraine says they don't want our A-10s. They want F-16s. They want air superiority.

Air Force officials said last week that a variety of American planes could be given to Ukrainian pilots in their fight against Russia, including the A-10 Warthog. But in a message to Military.com on Tuesday, Yuriy Sak -- an adviser to Ukraine's minister of defense -- made it clear: The country doesn't need A-10s, it needs the more modern F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet.

The A-10s "will not close our sky, they will not stop bombers and missiles," Sak said in a message. "They will be a target for Russian jet fighters and anti-aircraft defense, because we don't have the means neither to effectively cover them, nor to break through the enemy anti-aircraft defence."

They might be singing another tune if Russia's convoys were bunched up like they were in the beginning.

[PaloAltoCougar]

...
They might be singing another tune if Russia's convoys were bunched up like they were in the beginning.

During the initial advance on Kyiv, with Russian trucks and armors essentially parked single file for miles, I fantasized about what a few A-10s could do. But I was curious then and now: are the low-flying Warthogs extremely vulnerable to ground-based defenses? Wouldn't they be on suicide missions against armored columns? Or am I giving too much credit to Russian capabilities.

BTW, on a somewhat related note, I love this tweet (h/t to oxcoug) showing how Russia is trying to boost morale for troops heading into battle. It's hilarious, including the tires on the truck/stage. Russian logistics and overall preparedness seem astonishingly awful.

Embedded Tweet

[Bo Diddley]

During the initial advance on Kyiv, with Russian trucks and armors essentially parked single file for miles, I fantasized about what a few A-10s could do. But I was curious then and now: are the low-flying Warthogs extremely vulnerable to ground-based defenses? Wouldn't they be on suicide missions against armored columns? Or am I giving too much credit to Russian capabilities.

BTW, on a somewhat related note, I love this tweet (h/t to oxcoug) showing how Russia is trying to boost morale for troops heading into battle. It's hilarious, including the tires on the truck/stage. Russian logistics and overall preparedness seem astonishingly awful.

You and me both!

I used to play an A-10 simulator computer game. My recollection is that the A-10 can lose a tail, an engine, and half a wing and still fly. The pilot sits in a titanium bathtub. They can take a lot of abuse and stay in the air.

The truck in the tweet has CTIS (central tire inflation system). It obviously has a leak in the line, so at rest, it loses air. Our trucks when CTIS was first being implemented would often develop the same problem. They were garbage! Our current systems now are pretty good. Not surprising to see that with Russian equipment.

[Moliere]

During the initial advance on Kyiv, with Russian trucks and armors essentially parked single file for miles, I fantasized about what a few A-10s could do. But I was curious then and now: are the low-flying Warthogs extremely vulnerable to ground-based defenses? Wouldn't they be on suicide missions against armored columns? Or am I giving too much credit to Russian capabilities.

BTW, on a somewhat related note, I love this tweet (h/t to oxcoug) showing how Russia is trying to boost morale for troops heading into battle. It's hilarious, including the tires on the truck/stage. Russian logistics and overall preparedness seem astonishingly awful.

Embedded Tweet

Frankly, if I were in that crowd I’d probably choose to go to the front lines I stead of staying around to hear the singing.

[Bo Diddley]

Embedded Tweet

This is so awesome.

[PaloAltoCougar]

It makes me a little sad to think we're seeing the incineration of some young, pretty innocent Russian conscripts, but yeah, I really like the use of HIMARS in Ukraine.

[Bo Diddley]

It makes me a little sad to think we're seeing the incineration of some young, pretty innocent Russian conscripts, but yeah, I really like the use of HIMARS in Ukraine.

Yes, that part is extremely sad.

It's decimating Russia's military. Russia claims they intercepted calls that implicate the US giving Ukraine targets for their HIMARS. That wouldn't bother me a bit.

I've been trying to run down some reliable estimates of just how much Russia's military has been degraded. Russia shouldn't be able to make a move on anyone else for quite some time. I'm still holding out hope for Putin's ouster. But then meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

[Bo Diddley]

Holy crap! The Pentagon estimates 70-80K killed or wounded Russian soldiers so far.

[Bo Diddley]

Ukraine says nine airplanes were destroyed in Crimea.

Ukraine's air force said Wednesday that nine Russian warplanes were destroyed in massive explosions at an air base in Crimea amid speculation they were the result of a Ukrainian attack that would represent a significant escalation in the war.

Russia denied any aircraft were damaged in Tuesday's blasts — or that any attack took place.

I've been seeing video footage of some of the damage on Twitter as well.

[Eddie]

As others have said - I'm sad for the young Russian conscripts who didn't ask for this and are dying. (Though I'm less sad for those among them involved in any kind of war crime-style raping, pillaging, and murdering of locals).

But I'm not even the slightest bit sad for the amount of damage that is being done to Russia's military machine. I'm not super sad when they lose some of their top level leaders. And I'm not sad when some of the damage is done in areas like Crimea - where, if the article I read earlier today is accurate at all - Russians like to vacation at the beach and found themselves running for cover when the explosions at the airport occurred.

[Bo Diddley]

Ukraine took out the Wagner HQ in eastern Ukraine.

Oops!

The Ukrainian daily Ukrainska Pravda reports that a pro-Kremlin Russian journalist, Sergei Sreda, revealed the Wagner HQ in a Telegram post on 8 August. He posted photos of his visit to the HQ and a sign in one of them identified its address as Mironovskaya 12, Popasna.

Wagner has done some bad things over the years.

Some Ukrainian reports implicate Wagner in the Olenivka prison fire on 29 July which killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners-of-war. Russia blamed Ukrainian forces, saying they had shelled the prison, about 20km (12.5 miles) from Donetsk. The circumstances of the inferno remain unclear.

[Commando]

Ukraine took out the Wagner HQ in eastern Ukraine.

Oops!



Wagner has done some bad things over the years.

Karma