Russian-Ukrainian War: Combat Tactics & Strategy

Deans · Post by **Deans** » 22 Oct 2022 13:24

Attacks on Ukraine energy infrastructure continuing today, so Russia isn't running out of missiles.

2nd major attack at the Kherson front (same area as last one) yesterday, failed. Russia is evacuating civilians across the river, but no troops.

eklavya · Post by **eklavya** » 22 Oct 2022 14:37

IndraD wrote:Why would Russia blow up water supply to Crimea? Is it possible Ukraine is preparing to blow the dam and submerge the area?

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 21

Russian forces will likely attempt to blow up the dam at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) to cover their withdrawal and to prevent Ukrainian forces from pursuing Russian forces deeper into Kherson Oblast. Russian forces will almost certainly blame Ukraine for the dam attack, as ISW has previously assessed.[11] Ukraine has no material interest in blowing the dam, which could flood 80 Ukrainian cities and displace hundreds of thousands of people while damaging Ukraine’s already-tenuous electricity supply. Russia, however, has every reason to attempt to provide cover to its retreating forces and to widen the Dnipro River, which Ukrainian forces would need to cross to continue their counteroffensive. Any claims that Russian forces would not blow the dam due to concerns for the water supply to Crimea are absurd. Crimea survived without access to the canal flowing from the Dnipro since Russia illegally invaded and annexed it in 2014 through the restoration of access following Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Russian officials have demonstrated their ability to indefinitely supply Crimea with water without access to the canal. Russian forces will try to hold eastern Kherson Oblast not for the water, but rather to provide a buffer zone that enables the defense of Crimea and prevents Ukrainian forces from getting into artillery range of the peninsula. Russian decisionmakers may believe that blowing the dam will enable them to retain that buffer zone. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on October 21 that blowing the dam could cut water supplies to much of southern Ukraine and would pose a serious risk to the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which lies upstream of the dam.[12] The ZNPP relies on water from the Kakhovka reservoir to cool its facilities.

YashG · Post by **YashG** » 22 Oct 2022 14:39

Deans wrote:Attacks on Ukraine energy infrastructure continuing today, so Russia isn't running out of missiles.

2nd major attack at the Kherson front (same area as last one) yesterday, failed. Russia is evacuating civilians across the river, but no troops.

https://electrek.co/2022/10/20/ukraine- ... n-strikes/

Still plenty of electricity to go around in Ukraine. If russia wants to bring Ukn to standstill, 95% of energy & 50%-60% of Water pumping/purifying capacity should go out. In that case Ukn will have to import from EU water, energy and fuel to move the water. Even that will not ensure that Russia will be able to turn the tide. It will only but russia sometime - to put into place another 100-150K sufficiently equipped troops, plug ISR holes and bring back some of its own ISR into picture.

At the same time Russia will need support from some countries ( like Iran, perhaps China in a covert way). It could also recruit some floating mercenaries (Upto 20-30K fidayeen type folks - cud be mustered by chechen administration) from islamic regions ( who may do it not for russia but likely against US)

Deans · Post by **Deans** » 22 Oct 2022 16:12

YashG wrote:
Deans wrote:Attacks on Ukraine energy infrastructure continuing today, so Russia isn't running out of missiles.

2nd major attack at the Kherson front (same area as last one) yesterday, failed. Russia is evacuating civilians across the river, but no troops.
https://electrek.co/2022/10/20/ukraine- ... n-strikes/

Still plenty of electricity to go around in Ukraine. If russia wants to bring Ukn to standstill, 95% of energy & 50%-60% of Water pumping/purifying capacity should go out. In that case Ukn will have to import from EU water, energy and fuel to move the water. Even that will not ensure that Russia will be able to turn the tide. It will only but russia sometime - to put into place another 100-150K sufficiently equipped troops, plug ISR holes and bring back some of its own ISR into picture.

Ukraine's power generation capacity pre-war was double of demand, so just knocking out power plants won't help. What Russia is trying to do is hit:
- Power plants
- Distribution stations & control rooms
- Oil storage plants & Refineries
- Gas storage and supply.
- Water pumping stations.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 22 Oct 2022 21:22

eklavya wrote:RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 21

saar this is ISW based in US, founded by lady Kagan who was in centcom, planner Iraq war, now this will be passed as truth?

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 22 Oct 2022 21:23

Deans wrote:Attacks on Ukraine energy infrastructure continuing today, so Russia isn't running out of missiles.

2nd major attack at the Kherson front (same area as last one) yesterday, failed. Russia is evacuating civilians across the river, but no troops.

even ukr sympathetic media reporting in EU Kherson has been turned into fortress and Russia will try to eliminate as many as possible Nato contractor fighters here

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 22 Oct 2022 21:30

Deans wrote:Attacks on Ukraine energy infrastructure continuing today, so Russia isn't running out of missiles.

2nd major attack at the Kherson front (same area as last one) yesterday, failed. Russia is evacuating civilians across the river, but no troops.

why is west media not reporting missile attacks on Ukr any more!? Beggars belief. Ukrenergo: Damage from today's strikes on energy facilities may be worse than Oct. 10-12 attacks. Russian handles reporting air defence was saturated with Iran drones swarm then actual attack began

The state-owned grid operator said that the mounting damage on energy facilities due to Russian strikes forced the company to limit electricity supply across Ukraine. https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/sta ... G7gUBUzNjg

Deans · Post by **Deans** » 22 Oct 2022 22:34

IndraD wrote:
Deans wrote:Attacks on Ukraine energy infrastructure continuing today, so Russia isn't running out of missiles.

2nd major attack at the Kherson front (same area as last one) yesterday, failed. Russia is evacuating civilians across the river, but no troops.
why is west media not reporting missile attacks on Ukr any more!? Beggars belief. Ukrenergo: Damage from today's strikes on energy facilities may be worse than Oct. 10-12 attacks. Russian handles reporting air defence was saturated with Iran drones swarm then actual attack began

The state-owned grid operator said that the mounting damage on energy facilities due to Russian strikes forced the company to limit electricity supply across Ukraine. https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/sta ... G7gUBUzNjg

Ukraine has a new blackout on reporting strikes, incl, by Western media there. Russian channels show either missiles being launched, or in flight, or fires reported by Ukraine channels, or satellite pics showing cities with no lights.

ks_sachin · Post by **ks_sachin** » 23 Oct 2022 11:40

For those lamenting the t-90 in Indian service..

[youtube] https://youtu.be/kxzs-qHnkqI[/youtube]

Combat is not a binary 1-0.

There are some important points in the video that make out tank operations quite different from Russian ops in UKR. So I would side with senior operational Armd Corps offrs who have a more nuanced view on the Arjun vs T90n debate.

eklavya · Post by **eklavya** » 23 Oct 2022 13:55

BBC: Ukraine war: Massive Russian strikes target energy grid - Zelensky

Russia has launched a "new massive strike" targeting Ukraine's energy grid, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

He said the attacks were on a "very wide" scale, hitting Ukraine's regions in the west, centre, south and east.

Nearly 1.5 million households were without electricity, Kyiv said.

But Mr Zelensky said most of the Russian missiles and drones were being shot down, and such strikes would not stop a Ukrainian military advance.

"Of course, we do not yet have the technical ability to shoot down 100% of Russian missiles and attack drones. We will gradually come to this - with the help of our partners, I'm confident of this," the Ukrainian leader said in his video address late on Saturday.

Almost a third of Ukraine's power stations and other energy-generating facilities have been destroyed in a wave of air strikes since Monday last week.

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 22

* Russian forces continued large-scale strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. Ongoing strikes are unlikely to erode Ukrainian will to fight but will pose economic and humanitarian challenges throughout the winter.

* Russian forces continued to withdraw from western Kherson Oblast while preparing for delaying actions that will likely be only partially effective.

* Occupation authorities in Kherson Oblast ordered civilians to evacuate east on October 21. Evacuations from Kherson City will support likely Russian plans to blow up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Plant (HPP) dam to cover their withdrawal.

* ISW identified additional reports on October 22 that Russian mobilization has not met force generation goals and will likely continue in alternative forms.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 23 Oct 2022 18:26

Oct 21, 2022 : The U.S. Army's 101st Airborne is practicing for war with Russia just miles from Ukraine's border

Mihail Kogălniceanu, Romania — The U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division has been deployed to Europe for the first time in almost 80 years amid soaring tension between Russia and the American-led NATO military alliance. The light infantry unit, nicknamed the "Screaming Eagles," is trained to deploy on any battlefield in the world within hours, ready to fight.

CBS News joined the division's Deputy Commander, Brigadier General John Lubas, and Colonel Edwin Matthaidess, Commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, on a Black Hawk helicopter for the hour-long ride to the very edge of NATO territory — only around three miles from Romania's border with Ukraine.

From the moment Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, his forces have advanced northward from the Crimean Peninsula, a Ukrainian region that Moscow illegally seized control of in 2014. For more than seven months, Russian troops have tried to push along the Black Sea coast into the Kherson region, aiming to capture the key Ukrainian port cities of Mykolaiv and Odesa.

Their goal is to cut off all Ukrainian access to the sea, leaving the country and its military forces landlocked.

That threat, so close to NATO territory in Romania, is why one of America's most elite air assault divisions has been sent in, with some heavy equipment.

"We're ready to defend every inch of NATO soil," Lubas told CBS News. "We bring a unique capability, from our air assault capability… We're a light infantry force, but again, we bring that mobility with us, for our aircraft and air assaults."

Skirting northward along Romania's Black Sea coast, the Black Hawk eventually touched down at a forward operating site where U.S. and Romanian troops were pounding targets during a joint ground and air assault exercise.

The tank rounds and artillery fire were real. The drill was meant to recreate the battles Ukraine's forces are fighting every day against Russian troops, just across the border. The war games so close to that border are a clear message to Russia and to America's NATO allies, that the U.S. Army is here.

"The real meaning for me, to have the American troops here, is like if you were to have allies in Normandy before any enemy was there," Romanian Major General Lulian Berdila told CBS News, referring to the landmark World War II battle on France's north coast. The American forces have been establishing a garrison at the Romanian military's air base.

In all, about 4,700 soldiers from the 101st Airborne's home base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, have been deployed to reinforce NATO's eastern flank.

Matthaidess told CBS News that he and his troops were the closest American forces to the fighting in Ukraine. From their vantage point, they've been "closely watching" the Russian forces, "building objectives to practice against" and conducting drills that "replicate exactly what's going on" in the war.

"It keeps us on our toes," he said.

The "Screaming Eagles" commanders told CBS News repeatedly that they are always "ready to fight tonight," and while they're there to defend NATO territory, if the fighting escalates or there's any attack on NATO, they're fully prepared to cross the border into Ukraine.

gakakkad · Post by **gakakkad** » 23 Oct 2022 18:52

^ institute for study of war is a US govt backed think tank founded by Kimberly kagan who is Victoria nuland's husbands sister in law. Obviously it's going to utter the official US government claims and propaganda.

A big feather in cap of the ISW includes the Iraq war /Fake wmd campaign. Frederik kagan has been regarded as one of the "intellectual architects" of the Iraq war.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 23 Oct 2022 19:14

gakakkad wrote:^ institute for study of war is a US govt backed think tank founded by Kimberly kagan who is Victoria nuland's husbands sister in law. Obviously it's going to utter the official US government claims and propaganda.

........

If an institute "utter the official US government claims and propaganda", it would be understandable.

The (current) problem is that the US Government (Biden, in particular, has amplified it) is parroting the worldview of (Donald, father of Richard) Kagan.

What is scary is that it is just starting.

gakakkad · Post by **gakakkad** » 23 Oct 2022 19:40

^ never thought of it that way ,but makes sense. they could have more implications than Brzezinski or Kissinger did during 70s. situation is very similar . perhaps even worse.. Lame duck POTUS (just like Ford or carter) with screwed up GEOPolitical situation. a disaster.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 24 Oct 2022 00:50

How Russian technology converted cheap Iranian drones into lethal machine

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 24 Oct 2022 04:16

Russia warns France about Ukrainian 'dirty bomb' risk

The Russian defense minister has shared concerns with his French counterpart about a possible Ukrainian provocation involving the use of a “dirty bomb”.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Sergey Shoigu and Sebastien Lecornu spoke by phone on Sunday, discussing “the situation in Ukraine, which is consistently veering towards further uncontrolled escalation.”

Shoigu, in an apparent reference to previous media reports, voiced concerns about a “possible Ukrainian provocation” which could involve the use of a “dirty bomb.”.

.......

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 24 Oct 2022 04:53

NRao wrote:Russia warns France about Ukrainian 'dirty bomb' risk

https://twitter.com/The_Real_Fly/status ... 6164347905

RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY: UKRAINIAN ARMY IS PREPARING FOR A LOW-INTENSITY NUCLEAR PROVOCATION WITH THE HELP OF BRITAIN

kit · Post by **kit** » 24 Oct 2022 07:03

NRao wrote:
NRao wrote:Russia warns France about Ukrainian 'dirty bomb' risk
https://twitter.com/The_Real_Fly/status ... 6164347905

RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY: UKRAINIAN ARMY IS PREPARING FOR A LOW-INTENSITY NUCLEAR PROVOCATION WITH THE HELP OF BRITAIN

Here it will be patently clear how UKs new PM is going to behave. Or rather who actually pulls the strings in geopolitics

ks_sachin · Post by **ks_sachin** » 24 Oct 2022 07:31

<POOF>

Admin note: what is the need to drag in PM of India into this thread and imply motives to a PIO in this particular thread?

ks_sachin · Post by **ks_sachin** » 24 Oct 2022 07:41

Why not since it was a comment made in jest!!!

Arima · Post by **Arima** » 24 Oct 2022 22:33

Russ is creating lot of noise on Dirty bomb, not sure whether it is credible threat or just excuse mongering for its potential test in Novaya Zemlya test site!!
CTBT is 1 step away from dust.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 24 Oct 2022 23:08

Unconfirmed report (per Alex Christoforu, check his yt) that Russia has names of people in both the Brits and Elenski's office, that were discussed the construction of a dirty bomb.

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 25 Oct 2022 00:18

Russia reverting to defense for the rest of the year. Apparently they believe they can hold the region south of Kherson (to maintain the fresh water supply to Crimea) and of course they'll want to hold onto the rest of Donbas. If Russia can hold out over the winter and wear down Ukrainian resolve by keeping their electricity cut off, maybe they can negotiate an end to the war in Spring. That is, a negotiated solution where Russia keeps Donbas & Crimea basically.

Russia no longer poses an offensive threat to Ukraine (or anyone else, really).

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 25 Oct 2022 00:27

Russia will do whatever it wants.

Currently, NATO is not in control of the battle space. Any part of it.

The presence of the 101st in Europe - for the first time since WW2 - is a great indicator. Furthermore no less a person than Patreus said it (the US could go in with nations of the willing) - that the US may have to intervene.

Jay · Post by **Jay** » 25 Oct 2022 01:09

ks_sachin wrote:For those lamenting the t-90 in Indian service..

Combat is not a binary 1-0.

There are some important points in the video that make out tank operations quite different from Russian ops in UKR. So I would side with senior operational Armd Corps offrs who have a more nuanced view on the Arjun vs T90n debate.

Off topic for this thread so this will be my only post on this topic in this thread, but happy to discuss this with you in the appropriate thread. This video proves why T-90 got so resolutely trounced by Arjun which is a better tank for india.

Cyrano · Post by **Cyrano** » 25 Oct 2022 01:40

I for one fail to understand specific merits or demerits of T-90 by itself or compared to any other tank based on this video. The arguments about poor strategy, training, logistics etc rendering tanks ineffective and destroyed can be made for any mil equipment on land, water or air. What exactly are we inferring here based on a Guardian video destined for ignorant masses?

ks_sachin · Post by **ks_sachin** » 25 Oct 2022 02:48

Jay wrote:
ks_sachin wrote:For those lamenting the t-90 in Indian service..

Combat is not a binary 1-0.

There are some important points in the video that make out tank operations quite different from Russian ops in UKR. So I would side with senior operational Armd Corps offrs who have a more nuanced view on the Arjun vs T90n debate.
Off topic for this thread so this will be my only post on this topic in this thread, but happy to discuss this with you in the appropriate thread. This video proves why T-90 got so resolutely trounced by Arjun which is a better tank for india.

Does not matter.
I will trust some of the tankers I have met in the past plus this rather interesting assumption that we will employ armr the ham handed way the Russians have employed it.

ks_sachin · Post by **ks_sachin** » 25 Oct 2022 02:59

Cyrano,
The point you made is exactly the point I am making. There is more to Armr combat tactics that what is happening yet what do we see lots of commentary on t90s - which while fine in itself - has to contexualised by how they have been employed.

But apologies I did not realise we are all Armr experts here. I shall not reference Guardianista tofu eating wokerati videos here.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 25 Oct 2022 03:09

Russian forces "preparing to work under radioactive contamination" - Moscow
https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-sa ... 022-10-24/

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Western defence ministers on Sunday that Moscow believed Ukraine was preparing to detonate such a bomb - a device using conventional explosives packed with radioactive material to spread contamination over a wide area.

The head of Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, told a media briefing on Monday the aim of such an attack would be to blame the resulting radioactive contamination on Russia by accusing it of detonating a low-grade nuclear weapon.

Ukraine wanted to paint Russia as a "nuclear terrorist", he said. "The aim of the provocation would be to accuse Russia of using a weapon of mass destruction in the Ukrainian military theatre and by that means to launch a powerful anti-Russian campaign in the world, aimed at undermining trust in Moscow."

Cyrano · Post by **Cyrano** » 25 Oct 2022 14:28

I'd infer Russian intelligence inside Ukraine is working well, and that there are still some sane people left in Ukra-een who are leaking such info to Russians in the hope that a N disaster could be avoided. Small mercies in this mad conflict.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 25 Oct 2022 19:02

The front-line Ukraine city where it is Russia making the gains
The mercenary Wagner group has spearheaded a relentless advance in Bakhmut, turning a former tourist destination into a wasteland
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/ ... ing-gains/

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 25 Oct 2022 22:55

Looks like Russia was able to intercept and decode conversations between MI6 and the Pentagon. Suspicions are that the conversation was related to the assembly and use of a Dirty Bomb in the Ukraine. The British Defense Secretary had to fly to Washington same day due to breach https://twitter.com/Retiremyass/status/ ... WT6y60uQMQ

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 26 Oct 2022 04:17

For what it is worth:

Oct 19, 2022 :: First Kill? Russian Su-57 Stealth Fighter Downs Ukrainian Su-27 Jet With New Long-Range Missile – Media Claims

By Ashish Dangwal
October 19, 2022

Russian Su-57 fifth-generation fighter plane appears to have achieved its ‘first kill’ by firing a new long-range air-to-air missile to bring down a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter, local media claimed.

The report claimed a Ukrainian fighter jet was shot out of the sky with an R-37M missile. The report says that the Ukrainian Su-27 had barely moved above the safe height to intercept the Geran-2 kamikaze drone when it was shot down.

The Russia-Ukraine war has been flooded with claims and counterclaims. EurAsian Times has reached out to Russian MOD and awaits confirmation.

The Russian R-37M long-range air-to-air missile purportedly hit the Ukrainian fighter jet. According to the report, the Su-57 is most likely responsible for firing the missile, as AWACS in Poland and Romania operating in 24/7 mode could not detect it.

Furthermore, on October 10, residents allegedly spotted an R-37M missile above one of the Ukrainian cities. However, the Russian media report provided no additional proof to support the event.

It also didn’t reveal the precise location of the incident in question. It is important to remember that the R-37M air-to-air missiles can also be launched from the MiG-31 and Su-35 Flankers.

It had previously been widely reported that MiG-31 fighter planes were using these missiles to attack targets in Ukraine. In line with this, Samuel Ramani, a foreign policy and defense expert, tweeted that Russian MiG-31 planes armed with R-37M missiles and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles recently landed in Belarus.

On October 9, Guy Pelosi, a defense analyst, also shared a photo of a MiG-31BM equipped with four R-37M long-range air-to-air missiles under the fuselage.

He tweeted, “Interesting photo uploaded by the Fighter-bomber Telegram page showing crowd-sourced equipment displayed in front of a MiG-31BM. Note what appear to be four R-37M long-range air-to-air missiles under the fuselage.”

Meanwhile, Russian media claimed that the Russian Air Force is employing a new technique to locate Ukrainian air defense installations.

In this tactic, Russian fighter aircraft fire R-37M (RVV-BD) missiles in anticipation of a rocket or missile attack from the Ukrainian air defense systems. Thus, the Ukrainian forces’ counterattack reveals their positions.

Previously, Vitaliy Maletskyi, the Mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, claimed in a social media post, as cited by the Russian newspaper, that “the missiles fired at Ukraine specifically change the direction of the flight, attracting Ukrainian air defense forces.”

The Mayor refers to the R-37M missiles, which can kill high-speed air targets from over 300 kilometers.

R-37M Air-To-Air Missile

The R-37M, also known as the RVV-BD or AA-13 in the West, is a long-range air-to-air missile. It can hit high-speed air targets from more than 300 kilometers.

The missile is built by the famed Russian research and production company Vympel, which is situated close to Moscow and is best known for its air-to-air missiles.

The R-37M is a successor to or borrows technology from the Soviet Union’s R-37 air-to-air missile, built in the 1980s for the MiG-31M. The R-37M air-to-air missile can be fitted to Russian fourth and fifth-generation fighter jets. Experts believe it has the potential to increase fighter aviation performance dramatically.

The development of the R-37M was started in the late 2000s. Originally, the missile was supposed to be carried by MiG-31. However, it was later decided to upgrade the weapon to make it more compatible with the multirole fourth-generation Su-30, Su-35, and potential fifth-generation Su-57.

Su-35S aircraft started flying captive-carry missions with the R-37M in 2020, according to a report from the Russian daily Izvestia.

The R-37M is designed to attack faraway targets. Western analysts have previously suspected the weapon was built to take down airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) planes and other high-value assets.

Moscow does not disclose the tactical and technical features of the R-37M. The missile is pointed at the target after obtaining coordinates, rendering it undetectable to radar midcourse.

Close to the target, an active homing warhead engages. The enemy can detect its emission. However, the pilot has a very little window of time to avoid being hit.

The R-37M homing warhead is guided by cutting-edge technology. It has a new, compact digital processor with large memory and faster processing power. Electronic warfare cannot damage the warhead.

Contact the author at ashishmichel@gmail.com

Thakur_B · Post by **Thakur_B** » 26 Oct 2022 08:12

Su-57 has made more appearances in Western movies and videogames than in actual combat.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 26 Oct 2022 17:54

U.S. considers HAWK air defense equipment for Ukraine https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ex ... 022-10-25/

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 26 Oct 2022 18:05

Members of Afghanistan’s former elite army commando corps abandoned by US, say they are being contacted with offers to join the Russian military to fight in Ukraine https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/10/25/af ... n-taliban/

Karmic justice

gakakkad · Post by **gakakkad** » 26 Oct 2022 18:22

Thakur_B wrote:Su-57 has made more appearances in Western movies and videogames than in actual combat.

true for most jets..

sohamn · Post by **sohamn** » 26 Oct 2022 23:13

I doubt Russia will take one of the two Su-57 in the full glare of ELINT and AWACS operating in that region and expose their stealth, radar and comms to NATO. It doesn't make sense.

Parasu · Post by **Parasu** » 27 Oct 2022 02:14

If you are fed up of stupid propaganda maps from the West (like ISW), you can try detailed maps of frontlines from southfront.org.
If Unkil's long arm has not got it blocked in your location as it has in mine.

That they are blocked in most places and also that Wiki-idiots call it a fake news website is sufficiently convincing that they are doing a good job.

Deans · Post by **Deans** » 27 Oct 2022 09:36

A point about tanks, based on a couple of Russian TV clips:

There was a clip of Medvedev visiting the Urals tank factory making the T-90. There must have been 100 odd tanks in various stages of completion.
There are other clips of trains with T-90s, moving into Belarus or heading to Ukraine, so it is not as if Russia is running out of frontline tanks.

The reason I mention this is because there was also a clip of a newly modernised T-64 at the front (better sights & reactive armour). The commentator made the point that as long as the tank does not get into tank vs tank combat, it is no different from a T-72, in doing what tanks are expected to do.
Even in tank vs tank combat, most Ukrainian tanks are also modernized T-64s.