Ukraine and Only Ukraine. If it isn't about Ukraine then fuck off

[LeoV]

Excellent news: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday pledged the delivery of more Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine. "We will continue to work to provide that very efficient system."

Very efficient against anything flying slow. As are most Russian missiles and drones.

 

[Chasm]

That will be interesting, there are not supposed to be any left.
The remaining 15(?) 1A2 at KMW were reportedly gutted to refurbish the 30 delivered to Ukraine. Now missing major parts / sub-assemblies unique to Gepard 1A2 and not produced since the upgrade program in the '90s.

There are still several in Rockensußra, AFAIK older variants. But that is a bonejard. They were stripped decades ago and stored in the open ever since, waiting for their turn with the cutting torch. AFAIK good for decoy duty only.

There are some in Belgium, stored dry and forgotten for almost 3 decades. They are old B2 model (no laser range finder). The OG Gepard, '70s technology and not very good compared to the later variants.

The real problem seems to be ammo.
There still seem to be major roadblocks getting new compatible Ammo produced outside of Switzerland. This made the news yet again last week: "Germany still not giving NAMMO the required technical data!". - Or more likely Rheinmetall is not giving full specs to NAMMO, a competitor. And then there is of course all that Oerlikon is a Rheinmetal subsidiary in Switzerland and subject to export controls business. Export controls that definitely include IP about ammo.

 

[Ishmael]

 

[LeoV]

In Surazhai district of Bryansk region, Russia, a fire broke out at an oil depot. 2 oil storage facilities are on fire. According to Russian media, the fire occurred due to an unknown drone that dropped ammunition.

 

[Pertinacious Tom]

Time to start planning for lies and fiascos

...
we already have a model for the type of documentation needed. As Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) proposed in May, American humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine should be supervised by an inspector general, much like the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). The SIGAR office was formed in 2008 and tasked with auditing reconstruction work in Afghanistan by investigating allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse; and taking on ad hoc inspection projects as needed.

SIGAR work did not always lead to accountability—on the contrary, The Washington Post's Afghanistan Papers, published after a multiyear legal fight in 2019, revealed just how often "senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable." Still, those papers were SIGAR documents. SIGAR is the reason the Post was able to expose these deceptions. We need a similar record-keeper in Ukraine to document similar lies and fiascos.
...

It will make interesting reading in 2045 or so.

 

[Keith]

 

[Mike in Seattle]

,,, did multi day winter trips on the Canadian glaciers at 8-9,000 ft and 30c below, I remember the dry kit bit. Boots in the bottom of your bag at night. I can't imagine being in constant readiness in those conditions.

6 to 7 k ft Oregon Santiam Pass approaching 3 Finger Jack.
Yes, boots in the bag.
Also, water bottle in the bag, if one forgets the first night.
, they won't the second.

" I can't imagine being in constant readiness in those conditions."

Me too.

Mark F. Cancian, a former White House weapons strategist

I can't find that.
Cite please

 

[phill_nz]

I can't find that.
Cite please

wasn't my cite .. i was rubbishing the original post

post 5129 .. one of hobie's cross country rambles

 

[LeoV]

Russians shelled a hospital crowded with patients in the Sumy region, killing a 15yo boy. The premises were heavily damaged. What is the name for people who attack healthcare facilities and civilians en mass?

On the other side the EU is progressing on declaring Russia a terrorist state, and sending al confiscated money to Ukraine.

 

[Ex Machina]

View attachment 556728

What’s the range of a well thrown machete ? And can you get guided ones ?

 

[Ishmael]

I'm going to post this here since the dedicated Putin threads are dead. Things are not going well in Mother Russia.

 

[Remodel]

View attachment 556728

I wonder if these recruits have any idea of what weather will be like in Ukraine?

 

[Ishmael]

I wonder if these recruits have any idea of what weather will be like in Ukraine?

It really doesn't matter, they won't live long enough to be cold.

 

[Ex Machina]

Not really the best source of info .
Seems the only value these “recruits” would have is to horribly terrorise civilians and POWs if they get the chance . So a deranged terror squad in essence .

Putin’s Prison Recruiting Scheme Takes a Big, Desperate Turn

Russian efforts to recruit accused rapists and murderers for Vladimir Putin’s floundering war is now going global, two insiders revealed to The Daily Beast.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[Mark_K]

Not really the best source of info .
Seems the only value these “recruits” would have is to horribly terrorise civilians and POWs if they get the chance . So a deranged terror squad in essence .

Putin’s Prison Recruiting Scheme Takes a Big, Desperate Turn

Russian efforts to recruit accused rapists and murderers for Vladimir Putin’s floundering war is now going global, two insiders revealed to The Daily Beast.

www.thedailybeast.com

Just cannon fodder. There is always a need for sacrificial troops in the game of recon-in-force, which is the main day to day, outside of major operations activity for long stretches of this (and a great many) wars.

For most of these guys allowing them to interact with the population is offering them opportunities to bolt. Not suitable for counter insurgency stuff.

 

[spankoka]

Not that they couldn't adapt adapt to a different climate given the chance, but it's likely to be a long winter for the Russian recruits from Africa-if they last all winter. Probably, they don't even get issued proper winter gear in the first place.

 

[Mark_K]

The conditions of long-term prison sentences in a lot of Africa and Russia can lead to indifference on the topic of survival.

 

[jhc]

At this point in the war Putin wants as many "Russian" casualties as possible. He thinks it will create a buy in from the Russian population. As in "look what the western, nazi aggressors are doing to us! Killing our sons!
Putin would like to use nukes, and not just in Ukraine. He would be happy to end our civilization. He just needs to convince his minions to feel the same hopelessness that is in his own black heart.

 

[Olsonist]

The conditions of long-term prison sentences in a lot of Africa and Russia can lead to indifference on the topic of survival.

Probably true but does indifference on the topic of survival correlate with combat effectiveness on the modern battlefield?

 

[Lark]

At this point in the war Putin wants as many "Russian" casualties as possible. He thinks it will create a buy in from the Russian population. As in "look what the western, nazi aggressors are doing to us! Killing our sons!
Putin would like to use nukes, and not just in Ukraine. He would be happy to end our civilization. He just needs to convince his minions generals to feel the same hopelessness that is in his own black heart.

A Russian Colonel in charge of recruiting just suicided (5 bullets to his own chest) at his bosses desk, evading the consequences of not recruiting better soldiers. A private contractor is the backstop of the Russian army. I think Putin's generals are feeling a bit depressed. A cornered rat and all that.

The pro nuke rhetoric is just a fear tactic for the west, or a doomsday device when it looks like the boss might lose his job. Once the button is pushed opinion polls no longer matter, unless he really believes he can launch a couple tactical nukes and there will be no consequences downwind. Since Europe believes genetically modified corn is a threat to health and safety, it's pretty safe to assume they won't accept a little extra plutonium in their diet.