Ukraine - Superthread

[dapaterson]

Pilot egos plus wives wearing their husbands' ranks (in this case literally) equals intelligence bonanza.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1640917137135943681

 

[Good2Golf]

Fry is da man these days…

 

[Kirkhill]

Almost seems backwards, high end tracked AFV's, cheap and easy LAV's

Heavily armoured vehicles to be used at the point of contact - requiring tracks to support the weight over rough terrain - cost lots of money

Lightly armoured vehicles to be roaming around distant from the point of contact - wheels to be able to exploit roadways - cost little money.

 

[MilEME09]

Gagetown is that you?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1641983483148132354

 

[Skysix]

Interview / play by play with the UA fighter in that viral trench combat video

Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces decorates soldier who repelled Russian assault in close combat

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has awarded the Golden Cross to Ruslan Zubariev, a senior soldier [equivalent to the rank of lance corporal – ed.] in the 92nd Ivan Sirko Separate Mechanised Brigade, and presented him with a weapon as an award.

www.pravda.com.ua

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Young people doing their duty and putting their skills to work

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Interesting article from Popular Mechanics explaining that Russia 's lack of access to satellite imagery is restricting its ability to conduct operations.

Why Russian Space Satellites Are Failing in the Ukraine War​

Where are Moscow’s eyes in the skies?

BY MICHAEL PECKPUBLISHED: MAR 29, 2023

• Russian military and communications satellite systems have been underperforming throughout the war in Ukraine.
• Consequently, Russia has struggled to conduct precision missile strikes.
• But the satellites themselves aren’t fully the problem. Russia also lacks the ground systems and procedures to receive and disseminate data to those who need it.

During the Cold War, Russia became the first nation to launch a satellite, and then a human being, into outer space. With more than 160 Russian satellites in orbit today, every Ukrainian city, tank, and howitzer should be exposed to the unrelenting gaze of orbital cameras.

But that’s not happening on the battlefield. While Ukraine’s military is reaping enormous benefits from commercial communications and photographic satellites, Russia is only getting meager rewards from its huge investment in military spacecraft, according to a Western expert.

“The Ukrainian army can use commercial systems to obtain images of any area in high detail at least twice a day in favorable weather conditions, whereas the Russian army can get an image of the same area approximately once in two weeks,” Pavel Luzin, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, wrote in a recent article for Riddle. In addition, “existing Russian satellites provide seriously inferior quality of imagery vis-à-vis American and European commercial satellites.”

GPS satellites have enabled Ukraine’s American-made HIMARS guided rockets to accurately target Russian supply depots and headquarters. SpaceX’s Starlink—which uses numerous low earth orbit satellites to provide connectivity through backpack-sized ground stations—became indispensable for Ukrainian military communications.

Yet despite a huge array of hypersonic and other guided missiles and smart bombs, Russia has not been able to conduct precision strikes. “Because of a lack of reconnaissance capability, Russia is not able to use its high-precision weapons in the planned way,” Luzin told Popular Mechanics. “That’s why Russia started its campaign of missile terror against the cities and civil population of Ukraine.”

The problem isn’t a lack of orbital hardware. Russia has more than 160 satellites in orbit, of which more than 100 are military systems, according to Luzin. These include 25 GLONASS GPS satellites, 47 communications satellites, seven Liana oceanic electronic reconnaissance satellites, two Persona optical reconnaissance satellites, as well as assorted missile detection, topographic mapping, and experimental spacecraft.

What Russia does lack is the right mix of satellites, as well as the ground systems and procedures to receive and disseminate data to those who need it. For example, the Liana spacecraft are designed to track ships. But Russia has always been a land rather than a naval power, and being able to track U.S. aircraft carriers in the Pacific doesn’t help win a ground war in Ukraine.

Realizing that it was falling behind in the new Space Race, Russia opted in the early 2000s not to build spy satellites. “The Kremlin decided to start with the satellite navigation system GLONASS and communication satellites that rely on Western space electronic components,” Luzin said. “The reconnaissance satellites were the much harder task for the Russian space industry, and it turned to this task just in the early 2010s.”

But the imposition of Western sanctions after the 2014 annexation of Crimea hampered investment in reconnaissance systems. The result is that Russia has just two optical intelligence (photographic) satellites in orbit now. Two new Resurs satellites have been delayed until at least 2024, while three Russian commercial satellites—which could be used for military imagery—may no longer be functional.

While the exact number of U.S. spy satellites is classified, the National Reconnaissance Office planned at least seven launches in 2022. The agency is now contracting with commercial companies for hyperspectral satellite imagery that can detect objects through multiple bands of light.

It isn’t just satellites that are the problem. Troops lack satellite communications terminals, which only exacerbates the Russian military’s rigid and compartmentalized command system. While the GLONASS GPS satellites work, users lack terminals and electronic maps to utilize satellite navigation.

In 2020, Luzin estimated that Russia was spending $1.6 billion per year on its military space program. Yet funding for future Russian satellites is uncertain. The Ukraine war will divert resources to tanks and missiles. Meanwhile, Western sanctions will deprive Russian spacecraft of sophisticated components.

Nor is turning to commercial satellites—as Ukraine successfully did—an option. “Russia’s political economy model makes private efforts in outer space just impossible,” Luzin said. “Private business and technology initiatives are considered political threats.”

The West can also take steps to prevent the revival of Russia’s military space program. “It is necessary to prevent Russia’s access not only to space-grade electronics, but also advanced industrial equipment,” said Luzin. “Also to commercial satellite services using rogue firms in Asia and Europe.”

As one of the two original spacefaring nations, it is not realistic to assume that Russian satellites will disappear from the heavens. But the glory days of Sputnik and Soyuz seem to be gone.

“I don’t think Russia is capable of developing its military space capabilities now,” Luzin said.

Link

​

 

[daftandbarmy]

Interview / play by play with the UA fighter in that viral trench combat video

Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces decorates soldier who repelled Russian assault in close combat

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has awarded the Golden Cross to Ruslan Zubariev, a senior soldier [equivalent to the rank of lance corporal – ed.] in the 92nd Ivan Sirko Separate Mechanised Brigade, and presented him with a weapon as an award.

www.pravda.com.ua

Now that's an award a 21 year old LCpl could get behind:

"Zubariev says Zaluzhnyi awarded him an M4 assault rifle. Previously, Predator had a customised AK-47 assault rifle. He said he had wanted to purchase an assault rifle, but the law forbids citizens to do so until the age of 25. Zubariev is 21."

 

[Skysix]

Young people doing their duty and putting their skills to work

Other countries will likely take note. Especially those with a large internet savvy cohort with dreams of the west. Generation war at the speed of innovation does not favor established power structures, autocratic or otherwise.

And the developed world should think harder about how to recruit these types without worrying about if they have tattoos/piercings or ever used an anti depressant or were prescribed ADHD meds as kids - and if they can run 2 miles and pass an ACFT. They fight in a different domain than the traditional Land/Sea/Air

 

[rmc_wannabe]

Other countries will likely take note. Especially those with a large internet savvy cohort with dreams of the west. Generation war at the speed of innovation does not favor established power structures, autocratic or otherwise.

And the developed world should think harder about how to recruit these types without worrying about if they have tattoos/piercings or ever used an anti depressant or were prescribed ADHD meds as kids - and if they can run 2 miles and pass an ACFT. They fight in a different domain than the traditional Land/Sea/Air

I developed PTSD and was prescribed antidepressants while still serving. I was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD after serving 16 years in the CAF. I am still serving and taking the same stimulants that would have barred me from enrollment had I been diagnosed as a civvy.

I would argue there are far more folks serving that are undiagnosed and struggling through because of the CAF's stance on antidepressants and stimulant therapy for neurodivergence.

Perhaps it's time to review the CEMS and make it more in line with psychology and psychiatry standards of the 21st century.

 

[brihard]

Other countries will likely take note. Especially those with a large internet savvy cohort with dreams of the west. Generation war at the speed of innovation does not favor established power structures, autocratic or otherwise.

And the developed world should think harder about how to recruit these types without worrying about if they have tattoos/piercings or ever used an anti depressant or were prescribed ADHD meds as kids - and if they can run 2 miles and pass an ACFT. They fight in a different domain than the traditional Land/Sea/Air

Right. This is your nerdy gamers right here.

 

[KevinB]

Right. This is your nerdy gamers right here.

And antiestablishment hackers etc.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Finally, some statistics that get at the real nature of armed conflict

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1642407117049954307

 

[Kirkhill]

And antiestablishment hackers etc.

The difference being that those Ukrainian kids like Zelensky's Establishment.

 

[Kirkhill]

Finally, some statistics that get at the real nature of armed conflict

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1642407117049954307

Is it possible that the Ukrainian casualty counts under-estimate the number of hors de combat russians? If they are only counting the ones that they kill or wound in the field are they accurately gauging the non-combat losses? If a drunk russian freezes to death in a house would they pick that up in their count?

 

[Kirkhill]

Young people doing their duty and putting their skills to work

One of the other things of note is the regularization of the improvised.

Bricks, to Molotovs, to IEDs, to Drones to 3D printers, chips and binary explosives. Increased flexibility and adaptation and decreased logistics.

 

[Kirkhill]

A cogent plea for F16s from those that want to swap them for their Migs and Sukhois.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Other countries will likely take note. Especially those with a large internet savvy cohort with dreams of the west. Generation war at the speed of innovation does not favor established power structures, autocratic or otherwise.

And the developed world should think harder about how to recruit these types without worrying about if they have tattoos/piercings or ever used an anti depressant or were prescribed ADHD meds as kids - and if they can run 2 miles and pass an ACFT. They fight in a different domain than the traditional Land/Sea/Air

The Mafeking Cadets enter the chat


Before long the boys were well trained in delivering messages between the town defences, assist as orderlies, help in the hospitals, and act as lookouts to warn the forces when attacks were expected, and also to warn the townsfolk when the big Boer siege gun was aimed at the town, to give them a chance to take cover before the shell arrived.

Now the boys had something to do in the town rather than just running around collecting parts of shells that had exploded! They took to their new job with pride, and were soon a recognised part of the town defences. The corps was soon enlarged from 18 to 40 boys.

First the cadets took messages by donkey, but as the food in the town ran out, the stock of donkeys gradually ended up in the kitchen! So instead they used bicycles, and often had to deliver messages by bicycle under heavy fire. In one famous story, B-P warned one of the boys that he could get hit, and he replied `I pedal so quick, sir, that they'll never catch me.'

Mafeking cadets - the first Boy Scouts - SCOUTS South Africa Wiki

scoutwiki.scouts.org.za

 

[dapaterson]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1642557814668238848

 

[brihard]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1642557814668238848

Huh. Wonder who got him?

In that same thread there's a video of him being handed some sort of statute that is alleged to have contained the explosives. If so, very targeted.