Kraft

Trying to find reason in these excuse arguments is an exercise in futility.
They shift over time as proven over and over again as the basis for these excuses erodes.
UA is perfectly able to handle the most complex machinery with little training very successfully.
 
It wont be said out loud but there is no will to give Ukraine the capabilities with which to inflict a massive defeat on the russians.
The (more western) allies have been doing everything to keep the status quo on the front to grind russia down, nothing more and nothing less.
A quick collapse leads to the potential for political issues and instability in russia that europe and usa dont want. In a quagmire, russia is contained and the problem is postponed.
But of course, the reason for only 31 Abrams in 2 years despite storages filled with hundreds of capable machines is, let me check my notes, that they sink in mud. Or was it that theres only so few trainers in the world that the capacity just isnt there? Or was it that their engines are so fuel hungry, the logistic would break down! So many issues.. heres a list! Somehow Iraq got 140, Saudis 373, Taiwan 108,  but thats on sand, it doesnt sink there. Lets not worry about it, did you hear we said we do everything it takes?* Now go fight in M113s from the Vietnam war while we dismantle a hundred Bradleys for scraps.

Trying to find reason in these excuse arguments is an exercise in futility.
They shift over time as proven over and over again as the basis for these excuses erodes.
UA is perfectly able to handle the most complex machinery with little training very successfully.
 
It wont be said out loud but there is no will to give Ukraine the capabilities with which to inflict a massive defeat on the russians.
The (more western) allies have been doing everything to keep the status quo on the front to grind russia down, nothing more and nothing less.
A quick collapse leads to the potential for political issues and instability in russia that europe and usa dont want. In a quagmire, russia is contained and the problem is postponed.
But of course, the reason for only 31 Abrams in 2 years despite storages filled with hundreds of capable machines is, let me check my notes, that they sink in mud. Or was it that theres only so few trainers in the world that the capacity just isnt there? Or was it that their engines are so fuel hungry, the logistic would break down! So many issues.. heres a list! Somehow Iraq got 140, Saudis 373, Taiwan 108,  but thats on sand, it doesnt sink there. Lets not worry about it, did you hear we said we do everything it takes?* Now go fight in M113s from the Vietnam war while we dismantle a hundred Bradleys for scraps.

I have made much ado about the lack of Bradley's, M1s from the U.S, much annoyance with France being unwilling to buy ammo worldwide for Ukraine. And etc. but as you so note, Scholz is unique in crafting positions that make it easy to hit. But, certainly there are pages of annoyance over the lack of U.S aid in the past. This is not limited to Germany in any sense.

Trying to find reason in these excuse arguments is an exercise in futility.
They shift over time as proven over and over again as the basis for these excuses erodes.
UA is perfectly able to handle the most complex machinery with little training very successfully.
 
It wont be said out loud but there is no will to give Ukraine the capabilities with which to inflict a massive defeat on the russians.
The (more western) allies have been doing everything to keep the status quo on the front to grind russia down, nothing more and nothing less.
A quick collapse leads to the potential for political issues and instability in russia that europe and usa dont want. In a quagmire, russia is contained and the problem is postponed.
But of course, the reason for only 31 Abrams in 2 years despite storages filled with hundreds of capable machines is, let me check my notes, that they sink in mud. Or was it that theres only so few trainers in the world that the capacity just isnt there? Or was it that their engines are so fuel hungry, the logistic would break down! So many issues.. heres a list! Somehow Iraq got 140, Saudis 373, Taiwan 108,  but thats on sand, it doesnt sink there. Lets not worry about it, did you hear we said we do everything it takes?* Now go fight in M113s from the Vietnam war while we dismantle a hundred Bradleys for scraps.

Trying to find reason in these excuse arguments is an exercise in futility.
They shift over time as proven over and over again as the basis for these excuses erodes.
UA is perfectly able to handle the most complex machinery with little training very successfully.
 
It wont be said out loud but there is no will to give Ukraine the capabilities with which to inflict a massive defeat on the russians.
The (more western) allies have been doing everything to keep the status quo on the front to grind russia down, nothing more and nothing less.
A quick collapse leads to the potential for political issues and instability in russia that europe and usa dont want. In a quagmire, russia is contained and the problem is postponed.
But of course, the reason for only 31 Abrams in 2 years despite storages filled with hundreds of capable machines is, let me check my notes, that they sink in mud. Or was it that theres only so few trainers in the world that the capacity just isnt there? Or was it that their engines are so fuel hungry, the logistic would break down! So many issues.. heres a list! Somehow Iraq got 140, Saudis 373, Taiwan 108,  but thats on sand, it doesnt sink there. Lets not worry about it, did you hear we said we do everything it takes?* Now go fight in M113s from the Vietnam war while we dismantle a hundred Bradleys for scraps.

Trying to find reason in these excuse arguments is an exercise in futility.
They shift over time as proven over and over again as the basis for these excuses erodes.
UA is perfectly able to handle the most complex machinery with little training very successfully.
 
It wont be said out loud but there is no will to give Ukraine the capabilities with which to inflict a massive defeat on the russians.
The (more western) allies have been doing everything to keep the status quo on the front to grind russia down, nothing more and nothing less.
A quick collapse leads to the potential for political issues and instability in russia that europe and usa dont want. In a quagmire, russia is contained and the problem is postponed.
But of course, the reason for only 31 Abrams in 2 years despite storages filled with hundreds of capable machines is, let me check my notes, that they sink in mud. Or was it that theres only so few trainers in the world that the capacity just isnt there? Or was it that their engines are so fuel hungry, the logistic would break down! So many issues.. heres a list! Somehow Iraq got 140, Saudis 373, Taiwan 108,  but thats on sand, it doesnt sink there. Lets not worry about it, did you hear we said we do everything it takes?* Now go fight in M113s from the Vietnam war while we dismantle a hundred Bradleys for scraps.

Trying to find reason in these excuse arguments is an exercise in futility.
They shift over time as proven over and over again as the basis for these excuses erodes.
UA is perfectly able to handle the most complex machinery with little training very successfully.
 
It wont be said out loud but there is no will to give Ukraine the capabilities with which to inflict a massive defeat on the russians.
The (more western) allies have been doing everything to keep the status quo on the front to grind russia down, nothing more and nothing less.
A quick collapse leads to the potential for political issues and instability in russia that europe and usa dont want. In a quagmire, russia is contained and the problem is postponed.
But of course, the reason for only 31 Abrams in 2 years despite storages filled with hundreds of capable machines is, let me check my notes, that they sink in mud. Or was it that theres only so few trainers in the world that the capacity just isnt there? Or was it that their engines are so fuel hungry, the logistic would break down! So many issues.. heres a list! Somehow Iraq got 140, Saudis 373, Taiwan 108,  but thats on sand, it doesnt sink there. Lets not worry about it, did you hear we said we do everything it takes?* Now go fight in M113s from the Vietnam war while we dismantle a hundred Bradleys for scraps.

Trying to find reason in these excuse arguments is an exercise in futility.
They shift over time as proven over and over again as the basis for these excuses erodes.
UA is perfectly able to handle the most complex machinery with little training very successfully.
 
It wont be said out loud but there is no will to give Ukraine the capabilities with which to inflict a massive defeat on the russians.
The (more western) allies have been doing everything to keep the status quo on the front to grind russia down, nothing more and nothing less.
A quick collapse leads to the potential for political issues and instability in russia that europe and usa dont want. In a quagmire, russia is contained and the problem is postponed.
But of course, the reason for only 31 Abrams in 2 years despite storages filled with hundreds of capable machines is, let me check my notes, that they sink in mud. Or was it that theres only so few trainers in the world that the capacity just isnt there? Or was it that their engines are so fuel hungry, the logistic would break down! So many issues.. heres a list! Somehow Iraq got 140, Saudis 373, Taiwan 108,  but thats on sand, it doesnt sink there. Lets not worry about it, did you hear we said we do everything it takes?* Now go fight in M113s from the Vietnam war while we dismantle a hundred Bradleys for scraps.

Just CasEvac alone requires carrying a wounded soldier under FPV and artillery threat through 1.9kms of marshland, crossing 3 water obstacles that each require a boat and loading and unloading of the wounded. The boat, will either have to be carried too, or stashed somewhere, where it is likely to be hit by drones. 
Or you decide to follow the waterways, which requires only 1  boat but is significantly longer through the twisting river.
All of that has a very finite throughput, putting more than a couple Marines at risk would be a great way to end up with piles of uncollected bodies. There's already enough videos of stretchers getting hit in that bog.
The value of Krynki is that it is a very defensable position that funnels russian vehicles either through the few completely straight forest roads where they can bog down or get hit by drones or through the veery long river road, which is exposed and easily observable, leading to quick discovery and annihilation of russian forces.

A new kind of FPV drone. There have been airburst versions, but this one seems to direct its effect in a frontal cone and is triggered manually from a distance.
Since the video has no audio, Ill link reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/s/pw5d85Su3G


 
 

A new kind of FPV drone. There have been airburst versions, but this one seems to direct its effect in a frontal cone and is triggered manually from a distance.
Since the video has no audio, Ill link reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/s/pw5d85Su3G


 
 

Just CasEvac alone requires carrying a wounded soldier under FPV and artillery threat through 1.9kms of marshland, crossing 3 water obstacles that each require a boat and loading and unloading of the wounded. The boat, will either have to be carried too, or stashed somewhere, where it is likely to be hit by drones. 
Or you decide to follow the waterways, which requires only 1  boat but is significantly longer through the twisting river.
All of that has a very finite throughput, putting more than a couple Marines at risk would be a great way to end up with piles of uncollected bodies. There's already enough videos of stretchers getting hit in that bog.
The value of Krynki is that it is a very defensable position that funnels russian vehicles either through the few completely straight forest roads where they can bog down or get hit by drones or through the veery long river road, which is exposed and easily observable, leading to quick discovery and annihilation of russian forces.

Just CasEvac alone requires carrying a wounded soldier under FPV and artillery threat through 1.9kms of marshland, crossing 3 water obstacles that each require a boat and loading and unloading of the wounded. The boat, will either have to be carried too, or stashed somewhere, where it is likely to be hit by drones. 
Or you decide to follow the waterways, which requires only 1  boat but is significantly longer through the twisting river.
All of that has a very finite throughput, putting more than a couple Marines at risk would be a great way to end up with piles of uncollected bodies. There's already enough videos of stretchers getting hit in that bog.
The value of Krynki is that it is a very defensable position that funnels russian vehicles either through the few completely straight forest roads where they can bog down or get hit by drones or through the veery long river road, which is exposed and easily observable, leading to quick discovery and annihilation of russian forces.

https://mstdn.social/@noelreports/111994404908604461
https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/O8wx8A/trycket-okar-om-jas-till-ukraina

What a source
we have a Ukrainian boat, a US Soldiers diving boot, a UK Sub with a tarp on top and in another article they claim Norway was also involved?😂 must've been a busy diving spot!

What a source
we have a Ukrainian boat, a US Soldiers diving boot, a UK Sub with a tarp on top and in another article they claim Norway was also involved?😂 must've been a busy diving spot!

Yeah, no way it was West.
I think this really really shows the disconnect in thinking between Russia and the West.
Putin is already saying this is existential war for Russia, he is already saying his objective is to destroy the West, and his people - whether random Russians or weirdos and traitors and useful idiots everwhere in the world - are already believing it. He is already doing everything in his power to do that too - from propaganda to interfering with elections to financing fascist parties to helping Hamas to working with Iran and China to assassinating people in other countries to attacking food to cause famine in Africa because refugee crisis empower Western Fascist to whatever else I have lost track.
Russia already escalated as high as they dared. If they could do worse, if they could do something more despicable, if they could do something more monstrous, they would have done it years ago.
I remember all these red lines - nuclear war if West gives Ukraine Javelins, nuclear war if West gives Ukraine tanks, nuclear war if West gives Ukraine planes, nuclear West gives Ukraine gets HIMARS, nuclear war if Ukraine attacks Russian warships, nuclear war if Ukraine fires missiles into Russia ... So really I think if West shot down Russian plane they would do nothing like every time before.
At the same time, the Western decision makers think (or behave as if they thought) that Russia is a country and not a mafia, and that they are not actually at (hybrid) war with us, and that they can be reasoned with and that keeping some kind of "civilized behavior" with Russia is something that makes sense. This is of course wrong - Russia only understands strength and considers humanity a weakness to be exploited - being civilized or nice only makes you hurt.
So no way it really was West - if West had balls to engage Russia directly, our current conversation topic on this forum would be "do you think the warlord Ivanov will also take south of Moscow?" and not "it's not good that Ukraine is losing ground and people because West decided to not supply them with enough ammo but what can you do, it could be worse".
...
Anyway, one thing I wanted to say: This actually is an existential war for Russia in a way. It is existential for Putin, sure, but as we came to understood during the war and as we discussed a few times, the common (but by no means only) mindset in common Russians is "things are ****, they used to get better and now they don't, but you know what, at least we are a badass empire". They might be even deluding themselves into thinking that things being bad is a voluntary sacrifice for that badass empire. Lot of people are willing to suffer a lot for being part of something they consider greater than themselves.
Being decisively shown that Russia is not in fact a cool badass empire they be proud of even if they don't themselves have indoor toilets might really break their worlds. Whatever comes out of that would not be Russia as we know it anymore. This is not existential war for Russia because they will end up in mass graves or enslaved if they lose (like it is for Ukrainians), but it is existential for the Russian imperial mindset.

Again one UKR soldier of 8th mountain assault battalion of 10th mountain assault brigade against 10 orcs. 
Russian comamnder advices to the squad that one of them to throw in UKR soldier, sitting in the drain a grenade with tear gas (that he calls in radio chat "Cheryomukha" - "bird charry" - known name for series of different tear gases) and the second to shoot him from other side of the drain. But UKR soldier keeps Russians with a fire and Russian commander starts to moke up over own personnel "You have to throw him with grenades! Then you can hide in this positions and a "bird" (drone) can't reach you. You have 10!  Can you at last to finish with a one, who keeps your all! Outflank him!  
But Russians likely see the drone and don't risk to attack decisevely. In last moment Mavic dropped the grenade and teared off one Russian. One more body nearby has seen. Also during the skirmish one Russian soldier was hit with a rifle fire. 
 

By order of Russian MoD, we are tired of not being believed when we say friendly fire downed our planes. Therefore, if you launch AA rockets at target you must video it and upload it to internet so we can prove to decadent and ineffectual west we shot ours down.

Meanwhile, the BSF will be going glub-glub again pretty soon (ie 3-5months)... 
 

I looked over the less interesting questions from the UKR former tanker interview and to see what could still be noteworthy. So, below is part 2.
 

Seth G. Jones, Senior Vice President and Director of the International Security Program at CSIS, will be joined by Eliot A. Cohen, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at CSIS; Emily Harding, Director of the Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program and Deputy Director of the International Security Program at CSIS; and the Honorable Michael Vickers, former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and CIA operations officer. 

Every western armor maker should be patting themselves on the back for the fact that Ukrainian tankers want more of their stuff for the fact that their survivability increases. We sent 31 M1s to Ukraine, we should send the Marine Corps' M1s to Ukraine. Iraq got 120 M1s!  😭

Is anyone here subscribed to the sarcosaurus substack/feed - The daily emails are pretty in-depth on current situation on ground .  https://xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/

Recently, I noticed that my UKR listening skills have improved noticeably. With the aid of translators and some effort, I can watch and translate UKR videos. So, let check the following interview with UKR AFV expert (former AFU tank officer)