Русский корабль - иди нахуй

[MillerEP 30455]

https://censor.net/en/photo_news/3363423/in_a_camp_near_mariupol_occupants_teach_children_to_shoot_and_hate_ukraine_city_council_photos

In a camp near Mariupol, occupants teach children to shoot and hate Ukraine - City Council. PHOTOS
Photo Censor.NET Photo News
In the village of Melekino near Mariupol, occupied by Russian troops, the occupiers set up a camp where children are taught to shoot and hate Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/p3363423

[Chad Fuck 17683]

[/url]  

What is up with that weird verbal tic. He sounds like some idiot who spends his time hanging out at a gas station.

[RDCanecutter 26446]

1 hour ago, 27-25 said:

More like an ammo dump.

I originally supposed the Russians piled all their ammo in one place because if they didn't, their own guys would sell it to the partisans.

But that ditch full of shells tells me they do that anyway.

[RDCanecutter 26446]

1 hour ago, MillerEP said:

 

^Khazakstan giving direct aid to Ukraine now (Well Kazakhstani aid). Their turn from Russia has been interesting. 

Potassium would have been better.

[atomheartbevo 89674]

2 hours ago, Nivek said:

That is the strategy. Bleed them and keep bleeding them. Let them think they can win and bleed them more. See how much they are willing to commit to this failure.

They can make some gains but they cannot really keep it and secure it.

Gradually reduce their fuel, ammo, and heavy weapons and vehicles with artillery, and cut off the bridges and railheads as the Ukrainians are doing.   Continue to hammer away at them.  

They will surrender.  There is clearly nothing magical about Russian soldiers, and it’s clear that more than a few of their heroic stands in WWII were done with political commissioners behind them, pointing guns at their backs.  Shit, whatever heroics may exist in current Russian soldiers, they are not fighting for the Motherland, and they were lied to from the beginning.  

All the solid experts predicted Russia would culminate in August, and here we are, Russia is making very little in territorial gains, Ukraine is wiping out shit-tons of ammo and hardware Russia can’t easily replace, and the leadership announced they are slowing down to “spare” civilians.  

Fear can be contagious among soldiers, and I’d imagine it will be very contagious amongst the Russians as this goes into September.

Edited August 27, 2022 by atomheartbevo

[The Dog 44054]

 

we got the khachapuri recipe so that’s good. 
 

need moar vatnik tears

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

I originally supposed the Russians piled all their ammo in one place because if they didn't, their own guys would sell it to the partisans.
But that ditch full of shells tells me they do that anyway.

Refer to previous posts regarding needing NCOs to keep enlisted from the laziest possible compliance with orders.

[leaf 685]

On 8/24/2022 at 10:11 AM, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

it would be a bargain at twice the price.  our mid east adventures were just weird ass imperialism.  this thing is continuation of cold war proxy wars which we spent a gazillion on back in the jfk through reagan days.

 

[atomheartbevo 89674]

 

[Bevo 13577]

49 minutes ago, leaf said:

 

They knew it was going to be an ongoing problem that was going to hinder the flow of oil and cause price spikes that the world couldn’t handle. So very much like Russia.

with Ukraine, once the war is over, Russian O&G should be back on the market pretty quickly. However, a lot can happen between now and then. With the Middle East, we already know that it led to a power vacuum that terrorists took advantage of so the removal of SH didn’t achieve what the US hoped. Similarly, while all looks good with Ukraine if nuclear weapons are used or chaos erupts in Russia and its satellites stopping Russia O&G from hitting the market, we may look back on supplying Ukraine with weapons a little differently.

BTW, in case you get the wrong impression, I am very much for supplying Ukraine with weapons. It is the right move.

Edited August 27, 2022 by Bevo

[atomheartbevo 89674]

 

[JMFP 1120]

7 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I think a great rom-com would be two Russian illegals honeypotting each other, not knowing they’re both spies. 
 

“Yeees. I am working for the NATO organization for many years. We should to be meeting for the cocktails and knowing each other more.” 
 

“I will be happy for drinking cocktails with you. Please, to be telling me your interesting stories from the work.” 

[atomheartbevo 89674]

 

Like a draft of Surly posters.

That was from July, their governor visited them recently:

 

Edited August 27, 2022 by atomheartbevo

[atomheartbevo 89674]

Holy shit, LCC killing it

 

[atomheartbevo 89674]

 

 

[Schulz2.0 28954]

Part of the latest military aid package.

[956 Worldwide 34715]

10 hours ago, MillerEP said:

Y'all know I'm pro-Ukraine on this, but yeah it IS a stalemate right now and will continue to be unless something drastic happens before winter sets in.

Russia is making small gains, VERY small, but they are progressing. They have an advantage in "concentrated" numbers and artillery. Meaning they amass a lot of people in a single area. completely LEVEL an entire neighborhood, block by block. They then send in recon elements. If they get fired on, they retreat, and rinse-and-repeat. Keep shelling until there is nothing but rubble. Ukrainians are much more risk-averse, so they pull back, and cede this new empire of dirt to the Russians, so the Russian fake press and TikTok warriors can come in behind them and crow about their gains, and the whole process starts over. That's why all the updates from Ukraine all sound the same: "Russian forces tried to go this direction but then retreated," it's just a small force of cannon fodder to see if the Ukrainians are still there. If so, they pull back and keep leveling everything even more.

The West hasn't given Ukraine nearly what it needs to turn the tide, so for now, they're just "turtling" (to use a Gamer term). They're doing amazing work with what little we have given them, but their huge wins are maybe 1-2 big hits a night, while they take an entire barrage across the entire line each night. We've given them enough to stay afloat, but not to get pulled out of the water completely. Russia has patience, they have the numbers, and have no aversion to sending wave after wave of bodies until they get their way and buy their propagandist's time to do their work in the areas they capture. 

Ukraine does have the current momentum to hold steady, get some fresh and well-trained warm bodies, and get some conditional Western equipment, but they're so risk-averse they really don't go on "offensives" much. Instead, it's limited gains while the West's attention span starts to wane (and will continue to especially if it's a harsh winter). Without massive uprisings, a collapse or political changes in Russia, or some major shift in policy to where the West gets more involved (to include Ukraine feeling frisky enough to go toe-to-toe and go on a multi-pronged offensive), this will drag out, and it'll be a waiting game to see who can outlast who.

As my grandfather used to say: "You can wish in one hand, and shit in the other, and see which one fills up faster." Wishes, Wants, Rhetoric, and ideology is good and all, but when it comes to it, it doesn't amount to shit, which Russia has a lot of.

The big issue here is the imbalance in stakes between Russia and Ukraine.  The tenacity that Ukraine is showing in an existential struggle works against them when it comes to boldness at the strategic scale.  
 

If a Russian offensive fails, the Russians go back to the east or Crimea and regroup. If the Russian invasion collapses spectacularly, the Russians go back to Russia and hide behind their nukes.

If a Ukrainian counter-offensive fails, they lose more of Ukraine. If it fails spectacularly, Ukraine is gone.  
 

Its hard to push them to be more aggressive. They have to succeed, they can’t fail. If you’re not sure you can pull it off then it’s far better to dig in and keep hurting them more than they are hurting you. Ukraine is still in an asymmetric fight and if the losses in men and materiel get asymmetric in Russia’s favor— game over. The current strategic environment is not set up to reward maneuver and risk-taking. 

[Schulz2.0 28954]

 

Edited August 27, 2022 by Schulz2.0

[Parliament 14260]

8 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

 

Like a draft of Surly posters.

That was from July, their governor visited them recently:

 

A military with a reputation for civilian atrocity is throwing new, poorly trained troops into the meat grinder.  Not good.

[atomheartbevo 89674]

 

[atomheartbevo 89674]

 

[atomheartbevo 89674]

Weird-ass unit that has a lot of modern equipment,  but is made up of mostly volunteer battalions with older/put-of-shape soldiers and inexperienced commanders (who are also old and/or even lacking in military experience).  Speculation is that either the commanders are politically connected, or that the battalion commanders were promised modern equipment for raising these battalions, or that these were assembled for show - to help recruit additional soldiers by saying “hey, look at these volunteer battalions with T-90s!”  If they were sent into combat, would be a tremendous waste of modern Russian hardware, but great target practice for the Ukrainians and/or would give Ukrainian farmers additional towing duties.

 

Edited August 27, 2022 by atomheartbevo

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

What the Gravy SEALs think they look like:

What they actually look like:

[RockyMountainHighHorn 890]

I think it’s safe to say this thread was the cause but I was reading it before bed last night and had a dream where part of it was me watching some news about zelensky being assassinated and the mayhem that ensued. Basically the rest of the dream was pretty global madness. Sadly I’ve had some premonition dreams in my life and I hope this isn’t one of them. Would be terrible for him to be killed, have a feeling that would escalate things quite a bit.  

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

18 hours ago, MillerEP said:

Y'all know I'm pro-Ukraine on this, but yeah it IS a stalemate right now and will continue to be unless something drastic happens before winter sets in.

Russia is making small gains, VERY small, but they are progressing. They have an advantage in "concentrated" numbers and artillery. Meaning they amass a lot of people in a single area. completely LEVEL an entire neighborhood, block by block. They then send in recon elements. If they get fired on, they retreat, and rinse-and-repeat. Keep shelling until there is nothing but rubble. Ukrainians are much more risk-averse, so they pull back, and cede this new empire of dirt to the Russians, so the Russian fake press and TikTok warriors can come in behind them and crow about their gains, and the whole process starts over. That's why all the updates from Ukraine all sound the same: "Russian forces tried to go this direction but then retreated," it's just a small force of cannon fodder to see if the Ukrainians are still there. If so, they pull back and keep leveling everything even more.

The West hasn't given Ukraine nearly what it needs to turn the tide, so for now, they're just "turtling" (to use a Gamer term). They're doing amazing work with what little we have given them, but their huge wins are maybe 1-2 big hits a night, while they take an entire barrage across the entire line each night. We've given them enough to stay afloat, but not to get pulled out of the water completely. Russia has patience, they have the numbers, and have no aversion to sending wave after wave of bodies until they get their way and buy their propagandist's time to do their work in the areas they capture. 

Ukraine does have the current momentum to hold steady, get some fresh and well-trained warm bodies, and get some conditional Western equipment, but they're so risk-averse they really don't go on "offensives" much. Instead, it's limited gains while the West's attention span starts to wane (and will continue to especially if it's a harsh winter). Without massive uprisings, a collapse or political changes in Russia, or some major shift in policy to where the West gets more involved (to include Ukraine feeling frisky enough to go toe-to-toe and go on a multi-pronged offensive), this will drag out, and it'll be a waiting game to see who can outlast who.

As my grandfather used to say: "You can wish in one hand, and shit in the other, and see which one fills up faster." Wishes, Wants, Rhetoric, and ideology is good and all, but when it comes to it, it doesn't amount to shit, which Russia has a lot of.

 

18 hours ago, Gengs1 said:

Pretty much, I think Russia will just settle in the land until the west gives up supporting Ukraine and keep the land, with no major offensive by the Ukrainians nothing will change in terms getting land back. They need long range weapons to get on the offensive and some planes. Russia has time on their hand and will throw bodies at the problem, the leadership won’t change in Russia.
Once winter sets, the Ukrainians are in trouble with no way of heating most of the places since all central heating is destroyed or getting supplied by heating sources. Europe will get strangled in heat demands due to gas shortage and will fold. 
Besides the USA, Europe isn’t doing much for weapons support. 
Russia has the people and weapons to drag this out and get the land. 

Este.

Talk of Russia’s imminent demise has been greatly exaggerated. 

Ukraine doesn’t have the ability to take back their land and this winter is going to alter the dynamics of support for the west.

The West’s half-hearted suppor lt makes no sense. Why only give them enough to stay afloat? 

“Death by a thousand cuts” has become the new mantra now that the great UKR counter-offensive never materialized. That works both ways, and RU can just keep throwing bodies/artillery at the front lines.

 

[Pato del Muerto 52499]

Expect the experienced soldiers to make the old hardware work, then expect the new hardware to make up for inexperienced soldiers?

hubris with the first group, necessity with the second?

[Gravy Train 974]

https://wartranslated.com/translation-russian-issues-guidelines-for-agitators-in-the-temporarily-occupied-territories-of-ukraine/

Here we publish a translation of guidelines that the agitators in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine have issued to convince the population they are not marauders or murderers.

№	Potential Questions	Answer Options	Notes
1	Is this humanitarian aid from Russia?	That’s right, this humanitarian aid is from ordinary people who sympathize with the residents.	It is important to indicate that help is provided by ordinary people.
2	Will Russia bomb us?	No, the Russian Federation carries out only precision strikes on military targets.	If they refer to Ukrainian news – these news stories are false in order to discredit the Russian Federation.
3	Is Russia here for good?	Yes, you don’t need to be afraid, the Russian Federation is not retreating.	In the case they mention previously liberated territories where a retreat was undertaken, this was not according to the SMO plans.   .
4	I don’t like (name of military-civil official)	Russia is a true democracy, and you can choose any officials you like, or you can run for office yourself.	It is desirable to avoid this topic in communication, say you’re apolitical.
5	When will the referendum take place?	September 11 on the Single Voting Day.
6	What will happen if Ukraine returns?	Ukraine will not return to these territories.
7	Why is the fighting going on?	There is a battle for the liberation of the Nikolaev region, in the near future, all the goals of the SMO will be fulfilled.	It can be said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are shelling the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions due to hatred of the population.
8	I speak Ukrainian. What will happen to me?	Nothing, in Crimea, for example, there are three official languages.	If you know Ukrainian, you can switch to it.
9	What’s currently happening to Ukraine?	Ukraine is being divided by the USA and Europe, soon its statehood will cease to exist.	You can refer to the fact that in the western regions, the Polish zloty is already in circulation along with the hryvna.
10	Will I be able to travel to other regions of Ukraine or Europe?	It depends only on the authorities of Ukraine and European countries.	It is worth mentioning that now Russian-speaking people are being persecuted all over the world.
11	I do not want to live in Russia.	You are simply afraid. Russia is a country of great opportunities, it has a great history.	Notify the military police or other law enforcement agencies.
12	What happened in Crimea in 2014?	The referendum took place. Everything was calm, the majority supported the desire to become part of the Russian Federation.	It is worth mentioning that Crimea lives peacefully and with a dialogue of cultures, a lot of money is allocated for the construction of roads, and facilities.
13	What will happen to the destroyed houses?	All houses and other buildings will be restored after the referendum at the expense of Russia.
14	We don’t have money, where can I get social payments or financial assistance?	You should contact the authorities, the military-civil administration, or other supervising structures.	Call for obtaining Russian citizenship as soon as possible, since more opportunities for payments will be available.
15	We are afraid of the local resistance movement (partisans).	You can report any known information to law enforcement agencies.	Point out that these are not partisans, but Ukrainian sabotage groups.
16	What will happen to Ukrainian passports? Will they be taken away?	No, you keep them.
17	How can I ask for targeted assistance?	You can let us know your needs and we will make every effort to collect funds.
18	Will children be taught in schools from September? In what language?	Yes, everything will be carried out according to plan, schools will work as usual. Education will be offered in Russian, however, you can apply to have classes created with instruction in Ukrainian.	Refer to the experience in Crimea.
19	Why are you doing this, are you getting paid for it?	No, we are volunteers, we work on behalf of all caring citizens and do not receive any remuneration for this.	In addition, you are not a member of political parties.
20	Is everything calm in Crimea?	Yes, thanks to the Russian army, the Crimeans have not known the sounds of gunshots for a long time.
21	Why is the Russian army engaged in looting?	The Russian army is not engaged in looting, unlike the Armed Forces of Ukraine	If you become a witness, say that this is a human factor and all those responsible will be brought to justice.
22	Is Russian army shelling Ukrainian cities?	No, only military targets.
23	What is the healthcare system like in Russia?	Better than in Ukraine. Russia has one of the best healthcare systems.
24	They say that there is poverty in Russia.   .	This is a lie, in Russia almost everyone can afford a private car.	Tell them that cars in the Russian Federation are cheaper than in Ukraine
25	What army will our children serve in?	In the Russian Army.
26	Our relatives live in Ukraine – will we be able to communicate with them and see each other?	Of course, in Russia there is no hatred for ordinary Ukrainians.
27	We are told about Bucha (or any other fake).   .	This is a fake from Zelensky and his team.	Advise to get acquainted with the investigation done by Russian military correspondents, remind about Zelensky’s previous occupation.
28	Does Zelensky really hate us?	Zelensky decides nothing, everything is decided by his curators from the United States.	Mention that he is a drug addict.
29	My relatives are fighting in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (any other unit)	Recommend to persuade them to switch over to the side of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.	Notify the military police or other law enforcement agencies.
30	Why is military equipment located near houses?	For your protection and safety.	Mention that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are hiding behind residential facilities

[956 Worldwide 34715]

Medvedev announced that even if Ukraine never joined NATO and dropped its aspirations, Russia would still be at war to de-Nazify the country.   
 

Prediction: We will still get pages of fart sniffing from Mearsheimer and Chomsky blaming NATO for the war.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-cant-stop-war-even-if-ukraine-drops-nato-hopes-putin-ally-2022-08-26/

[Parliament 14260]

2 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

What the Gravy SEALs think they look like:

What they actually look like:

And they're carrying their body armor literally 3" too low.

 

[quote]We will still get pages of fart sniffing from Mearsheimer...[/quote]

Is he a Russian troll, or just a moron?

Edited August 27, 2022 by Parliament

[956 Worldwide 34715]

9 minutes ago, Parliament said:

And they're carrying their body armor literally 3" too low.

 

[quote]We will still get pages of fart sniffing from Mearsheimer...[/quote]

Is he a Russian troll, or just a moron?

He wrote one of the best international relations theory books of all time and for decades since has been weighing in as a contrarian on pretty much everything. So, moron as only a smart person dedicated to be different can be. 

[InkaUtexas 25950]

13 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

 

Like a draft of Surly posters.

That was from July, their governor visited them recently:

 

Nah, these dudes won't deploy. Just a remake of a BBC show. 

 

[InkaUtexas 25950]

Since football season is not here (yet), this is the sporting event I am following on Twitter. Some funny shit for sure! And these are Russia's allies. 

 

[Schulz2.0 28954]

32 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Since football season is not here (yet), this is the sporting event I am following on Twitter. Some funny shit for sure! And these are Russia's allies. 

 

Russia's version of MXE?

[InkaUtexas 25950]

42 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Since football season is not here (yet), this is the sporting event I am following on Twitter. Some funny shit for sure! And these are Russia's allies. 

 

Grab a beer, roll a joint, and enjoy! The whole thread cracks me up! Now remember, all these armies were Russian trained. 

 

[956 Worldwide 34715]

Let’s talk about Poland’s defense spending spree. Today they signed a contract with South Korea for:

1000 K2PL Black Panther main battle tanks

650 K9 Self-propelled howitzers 

Also on order:

42 KA-50 light fighters 

250 M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks 

32 F-35 5th generation fighters 

500 HIMARS (lots of industrial cooperation and Polish components)

Heres what this means: When it comes to assets in the European theater, it makes more sense to say “the U.S. is Poland’s main Ally” rather than the other way around. Poland will have by far the most fearsome military on the continent, more than large enough to deter or defeat a Russian conventional attack ON ITS OWN. This, combined with other European defense upgrades, will mean that the U.S. can comfortably shift more resources to the Pacific. 
 

Also- Poland, a NATO Ally, is building a major Pacific defense partnership.

[InkaUtexas 25950]

And they are not scared to deploy. The Polish battalion in Bosnia scared the shit out of the Serbs. @956 Worldwide I think you would like Bitter Glory. Good books about Poland between Independence to WW2. Includes their wars vs. a few Russian empires, including the Bolsheviks. 

 

[atomheartbevo 89674]

3 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

and RU can just keep throwing bodies/artillery at the front lines.

No they can’t.

Otherwise they wouldn’t be yanking people off the streets of the occupied territories who were out to pick up groceries or taking a smoke break , they wouldn’t be recruiting 60 year-old men, and they wouldn’t be emptying some of their prisons.

If a Russia had a shit-ton more bodies to throw into the fight, they would have done it already and marched on Kyiv. They  wouldn’t be scraping he bottom of the barrel, and if Putin thought he could mobilize a massive chunk of the 18-45 crowd in the large cities without things getting out of hand and backfiring on him, he would have done it.

And Russia has lost well over a thousand officers, who fulfill the duties of both officers and NCOs, which means that experienced and competent officers are at a premium.

Right now, Russia is playing a prevent-defense and they are trying to create buffers around Crimea and the eastern areas they occupied prior to last February, because they have the proverbial tiger by the tail and Putin can’t let go.  Except that Ukraine can not only hit those areas with artillery, they now have special operations and partisans operating in those areas.

Russia has 145,000,000 people scattered over the largest nation in the world (which means they are really scattered), and they are trying to occupy part of a smaller nation of 40 million people, while still maintaining troops on the border with China, troops near Georgia, and troops near some of the ‘stans that are getting fidgety.  Oh, and still trying to keep Assad in power, in Syria where millions hate Assad..

If you don’t get the significance of that, I don’t know how to explain it to you, other than imagine in September of 2003, that we hadn’t taken Baghdad, and that Bush was asking 60 year-olds and prison inmates to go fight in Iraq.

[Parliament 14260]

57 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Let’s talk about Poland’s defense spending spree. Today they signed a contract with South Korea for:

1000 K2PL Black Panther main battle tanks

650 K9 Self-propelled howitzers 

Also on order:

42 KA-50 light fighters 

250 M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks 

32 F-35 5th generation fighters 

500 HIMARS (lots of industrial cooperation and Polish components)

Heres what this means: When it comes to assets in the European theater, it makes more sense to say “the U.S. is Poland’s main Ally” rather than the other way around. Poland will have by far the most fearsome military on the continent, more than large enough to deter or defeat a Russian conventional attack ON ITS OWN. This, combined with other European defense upgrades, will mean that the U.S. can comfortably shift more resources to the Pacific. 
 

Also- Poland, a NATO Ally, is building a major Pacific defense partnership.

Is it odd to run two entirely different brands of MBT?  Is it because there isn't enough supply of one brand?

So they're gearing up on equipment, and engaging all the cool kids as allies.  How did these guys all the sudden become badasses?

[atomheartbevo 89674]

3 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Expect the experienced soldiers to make the old hardware work, then expect the new hardware to make up for inexperienced soldiers?

hubris with the first group, necessity with the second?

Maybe.  

But if I were in charge, I would be keeping the inexperienced troops on the older T-72s and T-64s, for the sake of simplicity and to make up for a lack of training (those tanks were literally run and maintained by peasants back in the day), versus throwing them in a modern version with equipment that could take months to get up to speed on, especially since that newer hardware is going to be a juicy target for Saint Javelin.

And some of the deep dives by the OSINT folks into the battalions that make up that new corps are showing more than a few of them being led by local civilian leaders/bigwigs, some with military experience, some without.  

It might not exactly be the mayor’s nephew getting a job to keep the mayor happy (and help with recruiting) or getting their version of a local VFW leader back in uniform (who may have been a conscript for a year or two 30 years ago) but it doesn’t ‘sound that far off.  

It almost sounds like the US during the Civil War, where local businessmen or leaders would raise a company of locals and be made captains, or raise a regiment and be made colonels, based on the fact that they raised X amount of men, and not necessarily that hey were qualified to lead them.

If that’s the case, that sounds like politics being in play, aka “I’ll raise a battalion from my area, but we want the best equipment”. 

[956 Worldwide 34715]

3 minutes ago, Parliament said:

Is it odd to run two entirely different brands of MBT?  Is it because there isn't enough supply of one brand?

So they're gearing up on equipment, and engaging all the cool kids as allies.  How did these guys all the sudden become badasses?

They’ll have three (well, I assume not four and they’ll mothball the T-72 fleet.  They’ve also got a few hundred modernized Leopard 2s.  The Korea deal was explicitly framed as a need to get the equipment in the field faster than the U.S. could deliver (same with the KA-50s vice F-16s).

[Scheiss Meister 8408]

32 minutes ago, Parliament said:

Is it odd to run two entirely different brands of MBT?  Is it because there isn't enough supply of one brand?

So they're gearing up on equipment, and engaging all the cool kids as allies.  How did these guys all the sudden become badasses?

The Poles have always been badasses.  The geography of Poland makes defending Poland very difficult.  Germany and Russia have meddled in Polish politics for centuries, influencing and directing events to their individual and mutual benefit, but the Polish military has generally been top notch.  Read up on who saved Vienna from the Ottomans.

When I was a young Marine mortarman, we learned about the Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces.  The Poles were always mentioned as equal to the best Soviet and East German forces.  On top of that, Polish intelligence was the class of the Warsaw Pact, even better than the Stasi.  Don't sleep on the Poles.

[InkaUtexas 25950]

37 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Maybe.  

But if I were in charge, I would be keeping the inexperienced troops on the older T-72s and T-64s, for the sake of simplicity and to make up for a lack of training (those tanks were literally run and maintained by peasants back in the day), versus throwing them in a modern version with equipment that could take months to get up to speed on, especially since that newer hardware is going to be a juicy target for Saint Javelin.

And some of the deep dives by the OSINT folks into the battalions that make up that new corps are showing more than a few of them being led by local civilian leaders/bigwigs, some with military experience, some without.  

It might not exactly be the mayor’s nephew getting a job to keep the mayor happy (and help with recruiting) or getting their version of a local VFW leader back in uniform (who may have been a conscript for a year or two 30 years ago) but it doesn’t ‘sound that far off.  

It almost sounds like the US during the Civil War, where local businessmen or leaders would raise a company of locals and be made captains, or raise a regiment and be made colonels, based on the fact that they raised X amount of men, and not necessarily that hey were qualified to lead them.

If that’s the case, that sounds like politics being in play, aka “I’ll raise a battalion from my area, but we want the best equipment”. 

In most countries that have to do this, Older troops occupy territory. Fresh (young and trained) troops lead offensives. The question is do they have enough of the second group left. 

[InkaUtexas 25950]

6 minutes ago, Scheiss Meister said:

The Poles have always been badasses.  The geography of Poland makes defending Poland very difficult.  Germany and Russia have meddled in Polish politics for centuries, influencing and directing events to their individual and mutual benefit, but the Polish military has generally been top notch.  Read up on who saved Vienna from the Ottomans.

When I was a young Marine mortarman, we learned about the Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces.  The Poles were always mentioned as equal to the best Soviet and East German forces.  On top of that, Polish intelligence was the class of the Warsaw Pact, even better than the Stasi.  Don't sleep on the Poles.

There are two ways into Poland for the Russians. One happens to be via Ukraine. Of course they watch their southern flank. 

Fiction, but a fun read. The Polish Officer by Alan Furst. 

Polish intelligence kicked ass in WW2. Their work on Enigma (Stealing one and decoding) changed the war for the allies.  

[Gravy Train 974]

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The theory is: if it escalates, detonate a 1kt nuke over the Black Sea. Not much happens there, but you make your point of view clear. And then say: we have more on site.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/medvedev-wests-refusal-recognise-crimea-russian-is-threat-2022-07-17/

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In the event of an attack on Crimea, Medvedev was quoted by TASS news agency as saying, "Judgment Day will come very fast and hard. It will be very difficult to hide."

Medvedev did not elaborate but has previously warned the United States of the dangers of attempting to punish a nuclear power such as Russia over its actions in Ukraine, saying this could endanger humanity. read more

His comments were aired a day after a Ukrainian official suggested that Crimea, which most of the world still recognises as part of Ukraine, could be a target for U.S.-made HIMARS missiles, recently deployed by Kyiv as it battles Russian forces.

Earlier on Sunday, Interfax news agency quoted Medvedev as telling World War Two veterans: "If any other state, be it Ukraine or NATO countries, believes that Crimea is not Russian, then this is a systemic threat for us."

"This is a direct and an explicit threat, especially given what had happened to Crimea. Crimea returned to Russia," said Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council.

 

 

Edited August 27, 2022 by Gravy Train

[RPM 26321]

15 minutes ago, Gravy Train said:

The theory is: if it escalates, detonate a 1kt nuke over the Black Sea. Not much happens there, but you make your point of view clear. And then say: we have more on site.

Yeah and that X37B in orbit will dim the lights in Moscow 20 minutes later.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

No they can’t.

Otherwise they wouldn’t be yanking people off the streets of the occupied territories who were out to pick up groceries or taking a smoke break , they wouldn’t be recruiting 60 year-old men, and they wouldn’t be emptying some of their prisons.

If a Russia had a shit-ton more bodies to throw into the fight, they would have done it already and marched on Kyiv. They  wouldn’t be scraping he bottom of the barrel, and if Putin thought he could mobilize a massive chunk of the 18-45 crowd in the large cities without things getting out of hand and backfiring on him, he would have done it.

And Russia has lost well over a thousand officers, who fulfill the duties of both officers and NCOs, which means that experienced and competent officers are at a premium.

Right now, Russia is playing a prevent-defense and they are trying to create buffers around Crimea and the eastern areas they occupied prior to last February, because they have the proverbial tiger by the tail and Putin can’t let go.  Except that Ukraine can not only hit those areas with artillery, they now have special operations and partisans operating in those areas.

Russia has 145,000,000 people scattered over the largest nation in the world (which means they are really scattered), and they are trying to occupy part of a smaller nation of 40 million people, while still maintaining troops on the border with China, troops near Georgia, and troops near some of the ‘stans that are getting fidgety.  Oh, and still trying to keep Assad in power, in Syria where millions hate Assad..

If you don’t get the significance of that, I don’t know how to explain it to you, other than imagine in September of 2003, that we hadn’t taken Baghdad, and that Bush was asking 60 year-olds and prison inmates to go fight in Iraq.

You seem to know where this is headed. So tell me how this ends…?

[Gengs1 2583]

So they are back to the nuke threats, it’s been what 2 weeks since last one 

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