Do most people think the Russian army is capable of regeneration over the winter? They seem to have a worst-of-all-worlds military system that had a very limited professional soldier base, a large 1-year conscription base, and not nearly enough officers to make them operate well. I can't image the reserves under age 40 have enough experience to be an effective fighting/occupying force anytime soon.
Like everything else in Russia, the military seemed to be designed for oligarchs to extract rents from the state.
I agree with your post. And your observations of the Russian army seem spot on. Never in living memory has a nation made such a disgrace of themselves on the world stage.
However, one should never take their opponent for granted. You could get bit hard on the backside if you do. Look what happen with the Chicago vs New England football game on monday night. Nobody saw that coming, did they?
War is different though. When the battle is over, the results are deadly and permanent.
I’m just saying that’s Putin’s plan. To use the draftees to hold somewhat static lines over the winter, and then use actual troops in an offensive in 2023. Will it work? Maybe, if the GOP wins the senate and house, or if europe has a cold winter. That’s the point of RU predicting a UKR dirty bomb…trying to break links between UKR and the west.
In the meantime, Iran and NK will sell RU tons of weapons which RU will use to try to turn Odesa and Kiev to rubble.
King Putin is buying time with the bodies of his subjects. could work.
UKR’s response will probably be more offensives to destroy the draftees before the real RU army can regenerate.
Good report by Reuters on the state of the Russian military inside Ukraine. The way Russians handle this sensitive information says a lot about what kind of force they have.
When Russian troops fled the Ukrainian town of Balakliia last month, they left behind thousands of documents that show in unprecedented detail the inner workings of the Russian war machine.
It's been a concern that the active conflict could escalate beyond the borders of Ukraine, but attacks on commercial space borne platforms would be a whole different level. "Quasi-civilian infrastructure may be a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike," Konstantin Vorontsov, deputy director of the foreign ministry's department for non-proliferation and arms control, was quoted as saying by TASS. "We are talking about the involvement of components of civilian space infrastructure, including commercial, by the United States and its allies in armed conflicts," Vorontsov was quoted as saying at the United Nations.
It's been reported that Ukraine uses SpaceX's Starlink to extend the operational range of their drones and that Ukraine's intelligence services use satellite imagery from commercial satellite services.
The US counter-threat came after a Russian official said Western commercial satellites could become legitimate targets. Meanwhile, shelling has caused a power cut in Ukraine's central regions. DW has the latest.
It's been a concern that the active conflict could escalate beyond the borders of Ukraine, but attacks on commercial space borne platforms would be a whole different level. "Quasi-civilian infrastructure may be a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike," Konstantin Vorontsov, deputy director of the foreign ministry's department for non-proliferation and arms control, was quoted as saying by TASS. "We are talking about the involvement of components of civilian space infrastructure, including commercial, by the United States and its allies in armed conflicts," Vorontsov was quoted as saying at the United Nations.
It's been reported that Ukraine uses SpaceX's Starlink to extend the operational range of their drones and that Ukraine's intelligence services use satellite imagery from commercial satellite services.
One of the few things the Russians have some competency with is space operations. RU has tested anti-satellite weapons and did a test just the other day. The main problem with blowing up a bunch of satellites is that you then send a big debris field into orbit. The international space station had to scramble to avoid the debris field from RU's most recent anti-satellite test. A major attack on Starlink and other commercial satellites would create a significant debris field that would invariably take out some other satellites. RU would have some splaining to do if its satellite attack resulted in China losing several telecom satellites or, worse, some of its spy satellites. And if you want to get the West unified against RU, a loss of internet and cell service due to a telcom satellite getting blown up would have Americans booking flights to E. Europe to join UA forces to fight Russia.
RU is not going to blow up satellites. They are not going to use nukes. They are just trying to scare the West as much as they can to try to get Tucker Carlson/Aaron Mate "anit-war" crowd foaming to try to break unity over support for Ukraine. Russia knows that the only way it can win in Ukraine is if the West abandons Ukraine. So, you are going to get a steady stream of threats and disinformation from RU propagandists designed to try to sow division in the West.
Why doesn't the US send a bunch of cruise missiles into the Kremlin?
A big strike to make a statement and then a big warning from Biden to withdraw immediately or they will face worse.
Why doesn't this occur?
A pregnant woman was burned alive in her car this week from a Russian strike.
Because Putin’s a f*cking nutjob that would probably respond by nuking half the globe. Hence, the systematic destruction of the Russian military until pressure from within Russia leads to the collapse of the Russian Federation, like the Soviet Union before it.
It's been a concern that the active conflict could escalate beyond the borders of Ukraine, but attacks on commercial space borne platforms would be a whole different level. "Quasi-civilian infrastructure may be a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike," Konstantin Vorontsov, deputy director of the foreign ministry's department for non-proliferation and arms control, was quoted as saying by TASS. "We are talking about the involvement of components of civilian space infrastructure, including commercial, by the United States and its allies in armed conflicts," Vorontsov was quoted as saying at the United Nations.
It's been reported that Ukraine uses SpaceX's Starlink to extend the operational range of their drones and that Ukraine's intelligence services use satellite imagery from commercial satellite services.
One of the few things the Russians have some competency with is space operations. RU has tested anti-satellite weapons and did a test just the other day. The main problem with blowing up a bunch of satellites is that you then send a big debris field into orbit. The international space station had to scramble to avoid the debris field from RU's most recent anti-satellite test. A major attack on Starlink and other commercial satellites would create a significant debris field that would invariably take out some other satellites. RU would have some splaining to do if its satellite attack resulted in China losing several telecom satellites or, worse, some of its spy satellites. And if you want to get the West unified against RU, a loss of internet and cell service due to a telcom satellite getting blown up would have Americans booking flights to E. Europe to join UA forces to fight Russia.
RU is not going to blow up satellites. They are not going to use nukes. They are just trying to scare the West as much as they can to try to get Tucker Carlson/Aaron Mate "anit-war" crowd foaming to try to break unity over support for Ukraine. Russia knows that the only way it can win in Ukraine is if the West abandons Ukraine. So, you are going to get a steady stream of threats and disinformation from RU propagandists designed to try to sow division in the West.
The Starlink system has something like 3000 satellites, and SpaceX builds like 5-10 per day for much less than the cost of an anti-satellite missile. Russia trying to disrupt Starlink is futile, and more desperate posturing by pathetic Russians.
"The Starlink system has something like 3000 satellites, and SpaceX builds like 5-10 per day for much less than the cost of an anti-satellite missile. Russia trying to disrupt Starlink is futile, and more desperate posturing by pathetic Russians."
Musk said something similar at the start, but more recently:
“We’ve also had to defend against cyberattacks & jamming, which are getting harder,” Musk tweeted.
My guess is it is probably pretty easy to jam the link if you are transmitting from relatively close to the receiver. Ukraine was complaining they lost signal when advancing relatively quickly into Russian held territory. How many drones with jammers would it take to cut off Ukraine? We might find out with the next Russian offensive.
Isn't Musk considering giving Starlink use to Iran? Perfect chance for Russia to try things out.
Fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian definitely has a ring of truth to it.
Ukrainian population about 40 million, down to 32 million in Ukraine after the 8 million refugees. Those 8 million have been told not to return because it would blow the power grid.
It is clear Russia could take out the rest of the grid at any time. Something that would take decades to rebuild.
So right now Ukraine can support 30 million people at a first world level, at what level is it worth being able to color Crimea blue on a map: 20 million first world, 10 million, 10 million subsistence farmers?
The US has bombed quite a few countries back to the stone age. Russia is quite capable of doing it to Ukraine without nuclear weapons.
"The Starlink system has something like 3000 satellites, and SpaceX builds like 5-10 per day for much less than the cost of an anti-satellite missile. Russia trying to disrupt Starlink is futile, and more desperate posturing by pathetic Russians."
Musk said something similar at the start, but more recently:
“We’ve also had to defend against cyberattacks & jamming, which are getting harder,” Musk tweeted.
My guess is it is probably pretty easy to jam the link if you are transmitting from relatively close to the receiver. Ukraine was complaining they lost signal when advancing relatively quickly into Russian held territory. How many drones with jammers would it take to cut off Ukraine? We might find out with the next Russian offensive.
Isn't Musk considering giving Starlink use to Iran? Perfect chance for Russia to try things out.
Fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian definitely has a ring of truth to it.
Ukrainian population about 40 million, down to 32 million in Ukraine after the 8 million refugees. Those 8 million have been told not to return because it would blow the power grid.
It is clear Russia could take out the rest of the grid at any time. Something that would take decades to rebuild.
So right now Ukraine can support 30 million people at a first world level, at what level is it worth being able to color Crimea blue on a map: 20 million first world, 10 million, 10 million subsistence farmers?
The US has bombed quite a few countries back to the stone age. Russia is quite capable of doing it to Ukraine without nuclear weapons.
What do you imagine “close” is in this context? A few miles? So Russia will needs tens if not hundreds of expensive jamming units to disrupt communications across a wide front, each one of which is a giant homing beacon for HIMARs or HARM missiles.
Again, bombing power plants in Lviv does nothing for the poor Wagner recruits getting slaughtered along the front line in Bakhmut. It just ups the bill that Russia will end up paying, increase the liklohood of Russians getting hanged for war crimes, and encourages NATO to provide more and more advanced / capable weaponry.
Ukrainian soldiers preparing to battle Russian forces occupying the port city of Kherson said their enemies are reinforcing defenses.» Subscribe to NBC News:...
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