Russia's absurdity continues... The 2 pilots were just given awards for their stupidity.
Russia's absurdity continues... The 2 pilots were just given awards for their stupidity.
You sir, are INCORRECT!
They were given awards for their bravery! 
Despite not actually doing anything?
"As a result of sharp manoeuvring around 9:30 a.m. (Moscow time), the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle went into uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface," it said.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-defence-minister-decorates-pilots-094828825.html
It said the drone had been flying with its transponders turned off and violating airspace restrictions that Russia had made public in connection with what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
One wonders where the obviously very easily found flight track (shown previously) from ADS (worldwide aircraft tracking system) data came from??
Hmmmm....
The Kazakh authorities seized the property of the main operator of Russian spaceports - the Center for the Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure (TsENKI). A formal reason is a debt of 2 billion rubles.
Driven5 said:Russia's absurdity continues... The 2 pilots were just given awards for their stupidity.
That and a few euros will buy you a bag of potatoes.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Not in Russia. In Mother Russia the potatoes buy you.
aircooled said:Hmmmm....
The Kazakh authorities seized the property of the main operator of Russian spaceports - the Center for the Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure (TsENKI). A formal reason is a debt of 2 billion rubles.
aircooled said:Hmmmm....
The Kazakh authorities seized the property of the main operator of Russian spaceports - the Center for the Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure (TsENKI). A formal reason is a debt of 2 billion rubles.
Based on the current exchange rate, if my math is right, that comes to...
"It is not NATO, Poland or Slovakia that are mounting ever more pressure, but Russia, which has invaded Ukraine. Russia, which is seizing its territories. Russia, which is killing its people. And Russia, which is abducting Ukrainian children. Therefore, either Ukraine will defend its independence today, or we will have to enter this conflict. Because our main values, which were the basis of our civilization and our culture will be threatened. Therefore, we will have no choice but to enter the conflict."
Hmmm... how does that work in regards to NATO (which is a collective defense pact, not sure it works for offense also).
O2?
Direct quote from the explainer issued by the Polish embassy following the ambassador's statement:
"A careful listening to the entire conversation makes it clear that there was no announcement of Poland’s direct involvement in the conflict, only a warning of the consequences that a Ukrainian defeat could have: the possibility of a Russian attack, or the involvement of more Central European countries – the Baltic States and Poland."
It was a poorly worded statement that made it sound like Poland would send forces to Ukraine, whereas the intent was more along the lines of Poland expecting Russia to continue its actions against the West if Ukraine were to lose, which would put Poland next in line (a place they are used to being, historically).
Now, if Poland did lose its collective mind and send forces to Ukraine, NATO would be under no obligation whatsoever to assist. However, in the very real likelihood that Russia then attacked targets in Poland, Poland could petition NATO for mutual assistance under Article 5; how that would be handled is an interesting question, given that Poland initiated their involvement voluntarily, a situation which has not previously come up. I suspect the Poles are very well aware that they would make no friends at all by entering the conflict as a NATO member - at least no friends that would live very long, anyway.
In reply to 02Pilot :
That is kind of how I interpreted it, too - if Ukraine falls, they expect to be next and will be ready. My interpretation being not that they would invade Russian territory but Ukrainian territory.
Some interesting signaling coming out of Prigohzin, who I imagine the Russian high command would like to shut up. Basically, they are almost out of ammo and cannot take the marginal territory to complete the capture of Bakhmut because they need to prepare for the Ukrainian counter offensive. I am guessing we may have seen the end to the Russian offensive, and we all can wait and guess for the Ukrainian move.
-------------
Wagner financier Yevgeny Prigohzin is likely attempting to set informational conditions to explain the Wagner Group’s culmination around Bakhmut. Prigozhin-affiliated outlet RIA FAN published an interview with Prigozhin on March 17 in which he asserted that Ukrainian forces are preparing to launch counteroffensives in five separate directions: into Belgorod Oblast, in the Kreminna area, in the Bakhmut area, towards Donetsk City, and in Zaporizhia Oblast.[7] Prigozhin stated that Ukrainian forces will launch these operations starting in mid-April and urged Russian forces to prepare for these counteroffensives by preserving ammunition and equipment.[8] Prigozhin likely depicted Ukrainian forces as having enough combat power to launch a massive theater-wide counteroffensive to justify the Wagner Group’s inability to complete an envelopment or encirclement of Bakhmut. Prigozhin stated that Ukrainian forces are preparing to counterattack Wagner’s flanks in the Bakhmut area and that Wagner fighters are preparing for these counterattacks.[9] ISW previously assessed that Wagner fighters are likely conducting opportunistic attacks on easier-to-seize settlements further north and northwest of Bakhmut as their ability to make tactical gains in Bakhmut itself diminishes, and Prigozhin likely seeks to frame these activities as securing flanks in preparation for Ukrainian counteroffensives.[10] A prominent Wagner-affiliated milblogger similarly argued that Wagner fighters are conducting offensive operations northwest of Bakhmut to spoil Ukrainian counterattacks and asserted that Wagner fighters are focused on advancing towards the Siverskyi Donets Canal west of Bakhmut to complete the envelopment of the city.[11] The milblogger likely tried to rationalize the Wagner Group’s failure to envelop Bakhmut by setting the necessary conditions for the envelopment further away and farther out of the Wagner Group’s current operational capabilities. Prigozhin also claimed that Ukrainian forces have at least 19,000 personnel deployed within Bakhmut, likely an attempt to justify Wagner’s lack of progress within the city.[12]
Prigozhin may be implying that the overall Russian offensive in Ukraine is nearing culmination by calling for Russian forces to preserve resources for Ukrainian counteroffensives. Prigozhin’s forecast about five separate Ukrainian counteroffensives is mirror-imaging—Russian forces have specialized in conducting multiple simultaneous advances along diverging axes that are not mutually supporting, which is one of the reasons for Russian failures in the war so far. Prigozhin may have forecasted a Ukrainian counteroffensive in five directions to amplify the relevance of his calls for Russian forces to preserve ammunition and equipment and out of concerns that widespread ammunition and equipment shortages are constraining the Wagner Group’s and the Russian military’s ability to maintain offensive operations in Ukraine. Prigozhin’s depiction of imminent Ukrainian counteroffensives also implies that he believes that Russian forces will lose the initiative to Ukraine soon and be forced onto the defensive rather than continuing stalled or unsuccessful offensives in the Kreminna, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, or Vuhledar areas.
Got linked to a translation of the polish teardown of the Russian T-90M tanks.
The FSB checking components is apparently similar to a process the KGB had to checking defense products back in the CCCP. They apparently had little trust in the defense industry that things where being built the way they were supposed to (and not being sold to Ivan, down the street, for vodka).
The Russians have to be clinging to their AT missiles and hoping they have enough, and the work, because you let a modern tank (e.g. Leopard II) go at the current state of Russian armor and it will be a blood bath (from a long ways away).
The one thing I wonder. I have heard that in the somewhat popular game World of Tanks, the T-90 was a bit of a hot dog (believing the propaganda of course). I wonder if they have seriously downgraded them recently?
A couple snips:
in 1937 they had a V-2 powered tank? I assume that's a typo?
"A CREWMAN HAS TO PHYSICALLY GET OUT OF THE TANK TO PASS THE AMMUNITION INSIDE" (Translators note: LMAO)
Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:in 1937 they had a V-2 powered tank?
Yeah, the engine model was named V-2. Not a typo.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharkiv_model_V-2
Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:A couple snips:
in 1937 they had a V-2 powered tank? I assume that's a typo?
"A CREWMAN HAS TO PHYSICALLY GET OUT OF THE TANK TO PASS THE AMMUNITION INSIDE (Translators note: LMAO)
V-2 is the engine they eventually settled on for the T-34, but there were others that were used including some gas engines. Fun fact- the term "molotov Cocktail" comes from the Finns during the winter war, who would see Gas T-34s and not diesel ones because the latter's fuel would freeze. When they learned that, they'd use fire on the external fuel tanks and air intakes to destroy them.
As for the engines, even their most advanced tank engine to date was lost with Ukraine's formation; I remember it's an 80s twin-crank, opposed 6-piston engine, I think it's made in Odessa or a different western city.
Unpacking the Ukrainian Battlefield from the Carnegie Endowment. Quite an in-depth discussion of the current state of affairs on the ground.
Ukraine will receive ammunition with depleted uranium
Great Britain will transfer to Ukraine along with Challenger 2 tanks, armor-piercing subcaliber ammunition with depleted uranium.
This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Defense of the country, Annabel Goldie.
She confirmed the transfer of depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine, answering questions on the government website of the British Parliament.
*snip*
In reply to Noddaz :
Russia's already malding about it, saying they'll count each one as a dirty bomb.
I predict:
"Great Britain sends Nuclear weapons to Ukraine"
At this point I am not sure that is a western media headline, or Russian media (they both like sensationalism for different purposes).
Some notes on Poo Bear's visit (my bolding in the second paragraph). It does imply a certain amount of "nervousness" with Chinese as to exactly how close they want to be with Russia. I think many assume they are a lot closer then they really are.
--------------
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on March 20 and offered a more reserved vision for Russian-Chinese relations than what Putin was likely seeking. Xi and Putin touted the strength of Chinese-Russian relations in their meeting on March 20, but offered differing interpretations of the scale of future relations in articles they published on March 19.[8] Putin published an article in Chinese state media in which he argued that Russia and China are building a partnership for the formation of a multipolar world order in the face of the collective West’s seeking of domination and the United States pursuing a policy of dual containment against China and Russia.[9] Xi offered a less aggressive overarching goal for Russian-Chinese relations in his article published in Russian state media outlet Rossiskaya Gazeta, in which he noted that Russia and China are generally pursuing a multipolar world order but not specifically against an adversarial West.[10] Xi instead focused heavily on presenting China as a viable third-party mediator to the war in Ukraine whose plan for negotiations ”reflects the unity of views of the world community on overcoming the Ukrainian crisis.”[11] Putin wrote that Russia welcomes China’s willingness to ”play a constructive role in crisis management” regarding the war in Ukraine, but Putin likely was hoping for Xi to adopt a similarly aggressive rhetorical line against the West.[12]
Xi’s refusal to explicitly align China with Russia in Putin’s envisioned geopolitical conflict with the West is a notable departure from China’s declared “no limits partnership” with Russia preceding the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[13] Xi’s rhetoric suggests that he is not inclined to fully give Russia the economic and political support that Russia needs to reverse setbacks in Ukraine. Putin and Xi offered somewhat similar visions for increased Chinese-Russian economic partnership, and it is likely that the two will sign bilateral trade and economic agreements during Xi’s visit, some of which will likely aim to facilitate schemes for sanctions evasion.[14] Xi will also likely offer a more concrete proposal for a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine, although it remains unclear what his proposal will entail and how receptive the Kremlin will be to it. The prospects of China supplying Russia with military equipment also remain unclear.
The Russian Foreign Ministry named the conditions for ending the war against Ukraine
In order to end the war, the Russian Federation demands to stop the supply of Western weapons, to recognize the temporarily occupied territories as Russian and to confirm the non-aligned status of Ukraine
In Moscow, they are also demanding the lifting of sanctions, the withdrawal of lawsuits against Russia and the restoration of the status of the Russian language.
Lot's of talk of stopping this glorious liberation of Ukraine from the Nazi's. Weird.
Ros military correspondents write that a convoy of Ukrainian T-64BVs is heading to Bakhmut from Chasiv Yar.
They complain about the continuing shortage of high-precision weapons in Russian aviation, as well as traditional problems with intelligence and communications, allowing the Armed Forces of Ukraine to move freely in large columns of armored vehicles in the front-line city.
Oh, there is that.
The goal of the counter-offensive is to break the land bridge to Crimea, - a senior NATO official in an interview with Bild.
Ukraine will have to go through a critical half-year, because preparations are underway for an offensive in the spring and summer.
At the same time, Ukrainian air defense is much stronger today than it was at the beginning of the war, and Kyiv has the opportunity to regain all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.
And of course that.
The United States is working on a team to deliver Abrams tanks in Ukraine more quickly.
This was stated on CNN by White House National Security spokesman John Kirby.
Yeah, that also.
aircooled said:The Russian Foreign Ministry named the conditions for ending the war against Ukraine
In order to end the war, the Russian Federation demands to stop the supply of Western weapons, to recognize the temporarily occupied territories as Russian and to confirm the non-aligned status of Ukraine
In Moscow, they are also demanding the lifting of sanctions, the withdrawal of lawsuits against Russia and the restoration of the status of the Russian language.Lot's of talk of stopping this glorious liberation of Ukraine from the Nazi's. Weird.
Ros military correspondents write that a convoy of Ukrainian T-64BVs is heading to Bakhmut from Chasiv Yar.
They complain about the continuing shortage of high-precision weapons in Russian aviation, as well as traditional problems with intelligence and communications, allowing the Armed Forces of Ukraine to move freely in large columns of armored vehicles in the front-line city.Oh, there is that.
The goal of the counter-offensive is to break the land bridge to Crimea, - a senior NATO official in an interview with Bild.
Ukraine will have to go through a critical half-year, because preparations are underway for an offensive in the spring and summer.
At the same time, Ukrainian air defense is much stronger today than it was at the beginning of the war, and Kyiv has the opportunity to regain all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.And of course that.
The United States is working on a team to deliver Abrams tanks in Ukraine more quickly.
This was stated on CNN by White House National Security spokesman John Kirby.Yeah, that also.
I think Perun was talking about the Abrams tanks a bit a few episodes ago. We have lots and lots of old tanks which will never ever ever ever ever see action. Sending them is basically free, and it gets them off our books, also it happens to be a friggin amazing tank. I know Tucker Carlson will add their new sticker price to the money he alleges we're sending, but this is the right move, if a year late.
T-54 Russian tanks were spotted on the way to the frontline
Ouch! These went into service in 1946!!
I would suspect these will be used as pillboxes in defensive positions, or maybe just low loss targets for expensive western weapons.
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