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Degsy

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Everything posted by Degsy

  1. A link to Mark Galeotti's latest podcast, on the death of Prigozhin. He starts, "today I wanted to talk about agriculture in the Tver region, and what must be the expectation of a truly bumper crop, given the amount of bull**** being spread around following the crash of Evgenii Prigozhin's jet..." In Moscows Shadows-112-Goodbye Prigozhin
  2. Twitter - Jason Jay Smart Interesting series of tweets purporting to show vehicles leaving Belgorod, helos flying over the area and a stack of printed ballot papers on a proposed referendum asking the locals, “Do you think Belgorod should leave the Russian Federation and become the independent Belgorod People’s Republic?” ballotBelg.jfif
  3. Mark Herman (who designed Gulf Strike) is designing a commercial board wargame on the first months of the 2022 invasion. Article here > First draft of history and it shows the draft game map and some of the game materials. The article doesn't say who the piblisher will be, but the game is due out early next year. The thread on Board Game Geek has a useful link to some of the other professional games being played or designed. The thread is here > Boardgame geek: modeling ongoing conflict
  4. A short video of Tatarskii at a Kremlin reception last year. Here's the approximate translation of what he says, "Hi to everyone from Georges Hall. Here are the names of our regiments that fought and beat different bitches. In short, 200 years ago we took all of Europe and bent them over, and this time it will be the same again, we’ve got everything going for us - not just some abstract allied forces but a Russia with nuclear weapons, with an army, with the mobilisation, that’s going to happen so that we can arm ourselves. Anyway we're going to give it a go, because we won't get a second chance. I congratulate everyone who’s made it this far. We will conquer everyone, we will kill everyone, we will steal everything we need and everything will be the way we like it. Go with God."
  5. Podcast - The Russian Volunteer Corps An interview with Michael Colborne, the head of the Bellingcat Monitoring Project, about the RVC, its leader Denis Nikitin, and the recent cross border raid. The time stamps are:- (3:56) What is the Russian Volunteer Corps and who is Denis Nikitin? (13:49) What is Denis Nikitin’s ideology? (20:19) The ties between the Russian Volunteer Corps and Ukraine’s Armed Forces (24:23) Previous border incursions into the Bryansk region (30:57) Probably not a Russian false flag
  6. "Russian media reports that Russian nationalist mercenary Igor Mangushev, who called for the genocide of Ukrainians, performed on stage with the skull of an alleged defender of Mariupol, and was shot in the skull under unclear circumstances, died in the hospital. https://t.co/pLon0oBvxC — NOËL (@NOELreports) February 8, 2023" More information about Mangushev's shooting in the latest Mark Galeotti podcast here "In Moscows Shadows". Start listening at the 9 minute mark. In summary, Mangushev's car was shot up at a checkpoint presumably to stop it, then he received a 9mm bullet in the back of his head, fired down at an angle of 45 degrees. So, either suicide or Alternative Dispute Resolution по русски then.
  7. It's just been officcially confirmed that Britain will be sending "about a dozen" Challenger 2's to Ukraine. BBC News "The UK's prime minister has confirmed the UK will provide Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine in a call with President Zelensky Rishi Sunak says the tanks will help Ukraine's forces "push Russian troops back" President Zelensky has thanked the UK for making decisions that "will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners"
  8. An interview today with British Defence Minister Ben Wallace about continuing British support for Ukraine generally and about the British, Danish, Dutch and Norwegian joint fund of 600m Euros to buy eqpt or ammo. He's cagey about what weapons we're going to supply, "Russia would love to know what weapons we may or may not put into Ukraine", but unequivocal about the continuing support. And about Russian threats - "...Russia can be angry all it likes but I've got friends and they haven't..." Times Radio interview - Ben Wallace
  9. Another short Channel 4 report, this time focussing on artillery and front line medical support. On the frontline of Ukraine's artillery war.
  10. Link to a 30+ minute podcast interview with Rob Lee - The Naked Pravda podcast - Ukraine Timestamps for this episode: (2:38) What’s so special about HIMARS, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems? (10:22) What other advanced weapons could give Ukraine new advantages in the war? (14:57) What’s the military impact of Russia’s airstrikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure? (18:57) How far might Ukraine’s counteroffensive reach into occupied territory? Will Russian defenses hold at some point? (25:19) Is the Russian military regrouping or on the verge of collapse? (27:41) What happened with the missile(s) that recently killed two civilians in Poland? (30:26) Is Russia going to run out of rockets or ammunition?
  11. Extract from an article (paywalled unfortunately) in the Spectator, based on operational data from the Ukrainian military. The whole article is here: Article - Why didn't Ukraine fall. ..."However, the operational data reveals that 90 per cent of Ukrainian UAVs flown before July were lost, mainly to electronic warfare. The average life expectancy of a quadcopter was three flights. The average life expectancy of a fixed wing UAV was six flights. Surviving a flight does not mean a successful mission; electronic warfare can disrupt command links, navigation and sensors, which can cause the UAV to fail to fix a target. Contrary to the narrative, Russian EW has been successful on the battlefield. Instead, what has proved decisive is the sheer number of drones that Ukraine has been able to deploy. The most useful UAVs, according to the data, are cheap fixed wing models. This is not because they are difficult to defeat but because they are inefficient to target, flying too high for short-range air defences while being too inexpensive to engage with medium or long-range systems."
  12. "Inside the Ukrainian resistance" "...Last week saw more mass “filtrations” ... in reality (it) means that occupying forces violently interrogated locals and then deported many to Russia. It’s a system designed for both simplicity and cruelty: cars and trucks and troops arrive in the villages, and then either take locals to a special “facility” or dig a large hole and stuff them in it. The goal is always the same: to turn them into collaborators...yet at the same time, the Russians also try to ingratiate themselves. Key to their efforts is the concept of what they call “swift justice”. The principle is simple: justice through the courts can take forever, so why not let them deliver it instead? Of course, it’s also a way of legitimising violence. Soldiers now accept “complaints” from locals and when they break into houses and administer more beatings, they can say they are merely responding to citizen requests." The Russians still have some way to go understanding the whole 'Hearts and Minds' concept.
  13. Boris's visit today to Kiev. British MoD announcement about UK led training for Ukrainian soldiers. "....Each soldier would spend three weeks on the training course, learning battle winning skills for the front line, as well as basic medical training, cyber-security and counter explosive tactics. Alongside the training offer, the leaders also discussed how the UK can play a pivotal role in ending the blockade of grain..." I hope it's two way training because I suspect we've got a lot to learn from them as well.
  14. Interesting Youtube discussion from 3rd May about Ukraine with US generals McMaster and Hodges (former commander of USAEUR). They talk about amongst other things, the likelihood of nuclear escalation, Russian performance so to date, the lack of Rus cyber warfare so far, the surprisingly long lead time for US manufacturers to produce fresh systems like Javelin, and perceived failings on the Ukrainian side. Those failings were seen as weak logistics chains, taking too much time to activate the TDF, and lack of ammunition for the Russian legacy 122 and 152 arty. You can judge their conclusion from the title of the vid, but they make the point that it's going to be long and bloody road to get there. "Ukraine is going to end up winning" - McMaster and Hodges discussion.
  15. Interview with captured Russian airborne soldier. A video of a captured Russian soldier from 31st Airborne Assault Brigade, who was part of the first wave to attack (presumably) Hostomel, and is the only survivor of his company. He doesn't appear to be coerced and amongst other things (a) says that the individual soldiers weren't briefed about the mission until they were on the helicopters inbound for the attack (b) describes the effects of Ukrainian artillery on his unit (c) describes another company being merged with his own because their combat losses (d) gives his opinion about his units level of training. The interview is 25 minutes long, subtitled,and repays watching.
  16. "Where do Orcs come from". A Google map released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence showing the passport numbers, service numbers (I think), DoB, rank and, seemingly, town of origin of members of the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade, the unit which carried out the killings in Bucha. Most of the soldiers evidently come from medium to small towns and villages from across Russia, and very few from the big cities. The home addresses of individual soldiers are not shown. "The Betrayed". A documentary about the first Chechen War in 1994, the battle for Grozny, and some Russian mothers trying to trace their PoW sons. Compare and contrast with what's happening Ukraine today - very little has changed in attitudes, behaviour, or methods. The film is 1hr 20 mins long but if you have the time it's worth watching. "Bloody Energy" The latest video in the information war. Just over a minute long.
  17. Russian Embassy in Dublin about to run out of heating fuel. The Embassy's heating runs on diesel but no-one is willing to sell to them. The Russian Ambassador, Yuri Filatov, is asking the Irish Foreign Ministry to look into this into this "clearly discriminatory case". I wonder how much diesel the average diplomatic bag holds because I don't see them getting it any other way.
  18. re: the video. Look bottom right of the screen at 0.40 secs; there's a group of men approaching one of the vehicle sites very carefully via a building. I can't see whether they're carrying AT weapons though.
  19. "In Moscow's Shadows". Interesting podcast by Mark Galeotti, talking in part about the lreasons behind lack of preparation for the war. Apparently standard practice would be to set up a 'Combat Management Group' (ГЬУ.) months ahead of the proposed operation to coordinate plans and resources. In this case it's possible that the ГЬУ was only established after the Putin speech where he was seen browbeating various ministers. The whole podcast is 45mins but go to to 14.30 to hear about the Russian National Defence Management Centre and Combat Management Groups. Ukraine War: 'Go and fight', says foreign fighter who joined the war in Ukraine A short (3 minute) Youtube clip. Interesting that he says that volunteers should have not just military, but actual combat experience.
  20. "And this was all planned. Communists said this was how they would destroy the West and that's exactly what they've been doing". No, I think their plan involved fluoride. See this helpful documentary clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1KvgtEnABY
  21. Fighting Flattops is worth a look. It's a free, browser based game about WW2 pacific carrier battles and feels a lot like a computerised version of the old Yaquinto/Avalon Hill Flattop. There are no graphics of ships, aircraft etc, you simply see the map with icons for TF's, subs and air groups. The turns are hourly, and it's hidden movement against a live opponent. Like Flattop, the emphasis is on spotting before being spotted , then putting together a strike package to take out the enemy TF's or bases. Aircraft going through a turn by turn sequence of landing, readying(re-arming) then going into the ready box. If you Google Youtube - Fighting Flattops you'll find some 'How to' videos showing the game in action.
  22. For those interested, there's a free online course run by Newcastle University about Hadrian's Wall starting on 7th November. Enrolment is here https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/hadrians-wall It's going to cover: "Week 1: Welcome to the Wall: An introduction to the Wall, the course and the course team Week 2: The Roman Army in Britain Week 3: Frontier communities: Life on the northern frontier from the late 1st to the early 3rd century Week 4: Ritual, religion and the Roman Wall Week 5: Conflict, consolidation and renaissance: Life on the Wall in the 3rd and 4th centuries Week 6: The ending of the Wall".
  23. Thanks for posting that; there's some interesting stuff in there, particularly if you follow the link about the recent matrix game on Kaliningrad 2017. For those interested, there's a thread about the use of wargames in the military on BoardGameGeek here https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1499970/revitalizing-manual-wargaming-military
  24. Hi Juju , Some good repro smocks here click on the thumbnails for more detailed pictures.
  25. Hi Luka, Try Googling 12 ЗАСТАВА the Russian Wikipedia page about the attack https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Бой_на_12-й_заставе_Московского_погранотряда That says that there was an attack by Afghan rebels on 12/13 July 1993 on Border Post 12 on the Afghan/Tadjik border. The Post was defended by Russian Federation Border Troops and a small group from 201 Motor Rifle Div. Google translate will give you the rest. The Russian Wikipedia page about 'a film based on a novel based on the attack' https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Тихая_застава_(фильм,_2011) The film on Youtube (without subtitles) On the Youtube page for the film and the Google page for 12 ЗАСТАВА you'll also find links to some documentary films about the incident (all without subtitles unfortunately). Hope this helps.
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