Armorgunner

In a trench, near Avdiïvka, in the Donetsk oblast, on April 21, 2022. LAURENCE GEAI / MYOP FOR "LE MONDE"


Ukrainian soldier in a trench, near Avdiïvka, in the Donetsk oblast, on April 21, 2022. LAURENCE GEAI / MYOP FOR "LE MONDE"

Supply point for Ukrainian soldiers with food, near Avdiïvka, in the Donetsk oblast, on April 21, 2022. LAURENCE GEAI / MYOP FOR "LE MONDE"
 

In an underground bunker, Ukrainian soldiers observe enemy positions, near Avdiïvka, in the Donetsk oblast, on April 21, 2022. LAURENCE GEAI / MYOP FOR "LE MONDE"

A Ukrainian soldier observes Russian positions, near Avdiïvka, in the Donetsk oblast, on April 21, 2022. LAURENCE GEAI / MYOP FOR "LE MONDE"

And now it's time for a little russian joke :
"Russia gives a toll of twenty-seven missing and one dead in the sinking of the cruiser "Moskva"
Russia recognizes for the first time losses in the sinking of the cruiser Moskva. One sailor died and 27 others are still missing after the shipwreck last week, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“One serviceman was killed and 27 other crew members are missing,” the ministry was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that the other 396 people on board had been evacuated.
Russia lost, Thursday, April 14, the most important ship of its Black Sea fleet, deployed as part of the offensive launched against Ukraine since February 24: the cruiser Moskva (“Moscow” in Russian). It was a key ship for his operations: he could coordinate several ships at the same time.

@Huba
Ukrainian troops (40 soldiers) begin training in France with Caesar 155mm 52-caliber self-propelled howitzers donated by France, said Macron in @OuestFrance
http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2022/04/22/40-artilleurs-ukrainiens-en-france-a-parti-de-ce-week-end-po-23000.html
With 40 crew you can equipped 13 CAESAR (max) or 8 if you used is maximum transport capacity.

The more crew there is, the less tiring it is to man the gun. Personally I think it takes a minimum of 4 regarding how they are going to use it
 

Yeah that´s confirmed. Let´s see what the parliament has to say:
 
Translation via Google:
According to parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul, there is a clear parliamentary majority in the Union for the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine. Now the CDU and CSU would like to urge the federal government to submit a request for delivery. With a motion in the Bundestag, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group wants to urge the federal government to move on the question of deliveries of heavy weapons to Ukraine.
Union faction Vice Johann Wadephul (CDU) said on Friday in the ZDF "Morgenmagazin" when asked whether the threat with the application and a roll-call vote was valid, the Union had decided to do so and bring the application. There is a clear parliamentary majority for the delivery of heavy weapons. The majority, if not all, of the Greens and the FDP are in favour, and there are also important voices in the SPD.
The Union has been supporting this for weeks. "Germany can deliver," emphasized Wadephul. That must be clarified in the Bundestag. If the question of compulsory vaccination was a decision of conscience, then this question was all the more so. Ukraine is exposed to a “terrible war of annihilation”. One experiences an “unparalleled breach of civilization”. That must be stopped. That's only possible with heavy weapons, said the CDU politician. Germany must be there and “effectively help” Ukraine.
The Union offers to talk about the text of the application. But the content must be clear: “Germany must deliver”. Mariupol continues to resist - feared mass grave with 9000 dead in Manhush Wadephul sees the ring exchange planned by the federal government - the delivery of heavy weapons to other countries, which in turn send heavy equipment to Ukraine - as insufficient. "It's one excuse after another. It's too little and too late," he said.
dpa/cvb

OK team. I am going to join @Erwinin the Devil's Advocate space here.  I have now spent some time browsing the 'pro-Russian' sites (and I feel like I need a shower) -- so you don't have to.
I shall pass over all their 'Alternative Facts' around the will and condition of Russia and the Russian forces and present only their view of what is happening to the Ukrainian forces on the ground.
Fact based refutations preferred, please. Spluttering invective about 'lying Orcs' is of no practical use here.
THESIS:  In spite of a Western media propaganda campaign and some notable Russian failures, Russia is methodically degrading Ukraine’s military capacity. 
1. Ukraine is running out of AFVs and other vehicles
This is both due to combat losses and logistical/fuel bite.
1.1  UA is now 95% a leg infantry army, including new militia formations. While Ukraine spins this as an innovation, such forces are capable of only shallow local attacks.
1.2 A huge portion of UA mechanised forces abandoned its AFVs and artillery under heavy RA attack in the first week of hostilities, becoming pure infantry formations. 
1.3 UA is largely using passenger vehicles for transport and supply. Priority for remaining army transport has gone to keeping its dwindling artillery arm in the field.
1.4 Russia has taken out most repair facilities in East Ukraine. Damaged vehicles must be shipped long distances, or abroad, to be repaired and refit. Russian videos show UA vehicles that have been cannibalized for parts and then abandoned.
2. Ukraine is running out of fuels and POL:
2.1  Only 1/3 of Ukraine's gas stations are still open. The civilian economy is in rapid decline and supply chains are breaking down, especially outside the large cities.
2.2 Ukraine no longer has any functioning refineries. Tank farms have also been hard hit.
2.3 Fuels must be trucked to the front in civilian tankers after being railed in from abroad at the expense of other cargo. Tankers cannot reach Odessa and the Rumanians have not been overly cooperative.
3. Ukraine is running short of weapons and ammo
3.1  UA is consuming weapons in a week that the US thought would last them a month. In general, its militia troops have very poor fire discipline in spite of their high enthusiasm.
3.2 Clever video editing makes Ukrainian missiles and artillery look far more accurate and deadly than they are. In fact, several Javelin hits are needed to take out a MBT. Stugna has only a 1 in 5 hit rate and its kill rate vs. MBTs is very poor.
3.3 Western heavy artillery, with unfamiliar calibres and loads, is proving very hard for even experienced UA gunners to deploy and use effectively.
3.4  Russia seems able to jam Switchblade drones and almost no Bayraktars remain; the UA reserves them only for strategic missions like the one against Moskva.
3.5  Russia has been making very effective use of its cruise missile assets, destroying key facilities and arms stocks. It has extremely good humint from sources inside Ukraine. An entire month's supply of newly arrived Western anti-tank weapons was recently destroyed in missile strikes on 3 sites in Lvov. UA attempts to disperse these assets has thrown its logistics situation even deeper into chaos.
3.6  Local authorities (warlords) have been diverting some of the best Western weapons to equip their own militias and private armies, and also selling them on the black market.
4. Ukraine is running out of capable soldiers.
4.1 About 10% of the UA standing army on day 1 have been lost (dead/ invalided/ captured). That is a 'decimation' of its most experienced and skilled cadre, and will take as much as a year to bring back to its Feb 2022 condition.
4.2 Widespread draft evasion has occurred, especially in the Russian speaking east and also among urban educated youth. Only a few thousand Ukrainian expatriates have returned to serve, and the ballyhooed wave of Western volunteers has not materialised in meaningful numbers.
4.3  UA replacements are being sent into action with very little training. Specialists and skilled technicians are in critically short supply and veteran cadre are on the front lines, not training newcomers.
4.4 After nearly 60 days, the UA irregular infantry forces' ability to live off the land (local people and their food) is running down rapidly.  Their amateur, improvised logistical chains are totally inadeqate.
4.5  In spite of UA having years to prepare stay behind forces, in the southern oblasts there have been very few incidents of partisan activity or sabotage. This indicates  general acquiescence by the local population, which in large part has not evacuated (excepting active combat zones).
****
Again, for avoidance of doubt I make no endorsement whatsoever of the above, so don't freekin' @ me.....

Today the prime ministers of Spain and Denmark have visited Zelensky. The Spanish Prime Minister also came with a gift for the Ukrainians.

Around 137,000 people have arrived in Spain from Ukraine, most of them women and minors.
 
 

We shouldn't go overboard with the Putin health speculations. If one compares the pictures to previous meetings with his cabinet ministers in his office, he simply seems to have a habit of holding on to things with his hands, even many years ago.

@Battlefront.com
Steve, we need NLAWS, Javelins, stingers, and bodyarmor For the Ukraines in BS. And T-80U, T-80BVM, T-72B3 Obr 2016 for the Russians. Can you give us that?
Please Santa, We have been really nice the entire year 
 
Russias build-up took a considerable amount of time. In 2017, it would to. And West would have sent theese things to Ukraine in 2017 too, right? 

Would the Russians have crushed Ukraine in less than a week, of hard fighting. I belive the respect for the Russian army, Would still be strong. But after this? The Russian Bear, became the Russian Lamb. And I do belive, that no one in any western Army, still have the same respect for the Russian Army anymore! 
I mean, even the kontraktnikis (the proffesional soldiers), Was drunk, high, or just deserted their vehicles. Even the so called elite of the Russian armed forces, the VDV. Showed themself, to be of no other use. Than to be blown up, and then move back in bad shape, to safe areas!
But what the Russians showed. Is why it´s so utterly important, to never, ever. Let these Drunks, Junkies, and criminals. Ever to be within your borders! Becouse they do the only thing they can there! Murder Civilians, rape Civilians, get drunk, get high, and die!  

Agree, if they don´t even use Arena, it´s probably becouse it´s not working. Other than on propaganda films from RT 

Apparently none of their APS systems are present in Ukraine so I wouldn't expect them to be working on the Armata either.  To me the Armata is like this big sci-fi fantasy vehicle that isn't real.  I'll believe it when I see it.  It sure is fun to pretend though!  

@Battlefront.com
Steve, we need NLAWS, Javelins, stingers, and bodyarmor For the Ukraines in BS. And T-80U, T-80BVM, T-72B3 Obr 2016 for the Russians. Can you give us that?
Please Santa, We have been really nice the entire year 
 
Russias build-up took a considerable amount of time. In 2017, it would to. And West would have sent theese things to Ukraine in 2017 too, right? 

+100 on that one 😁

Flying turret of Russian tank
 
 
 

Over 100 T-72M1R (with thermals, but  not upgraded apart from that) has disappeared from magazines. Police has no clues so far. It was reported about a week ago, right now thieves might've taken them anywhere, including Donbas. Same mysterious group has stolen a battalion worth of 2S1, some BM-21s and is continuously siphoning various artillery ammo. There will be a special investigation into this after the summer break I hear.
 
I'd argue that if there weren't the political shenanigans, that 100 Leo1 could be a kind of interim help, that would be about to enter combat in few weeks, considerably earlier then M1. Even if all are taken out or break, this would still add some value, until the M1s arrive. Treat them as a disposable asset really, or just put them back on train to Germany for repairs and refit at some point.
Anyway, I'm waiting for Scholz's announcement, let's see what PzH2000 in it's natural habitat can do finally

Slovakian artist Rado Javor, illustrator of Total War games series issiued two new artworks about the war in Ukraine. Recently he has drew series "seasons in Ukraine" about war of 2014-2015.
Seasons:
Spring in Ukraine (fighting around Sloviansk)

Summer in Ukraine (Ukrainian July offensive)

Autumn in Ukraine

Winter in Ukraine (Donetsk airport)

Also two other artworks
Sunflower fields (tank ram of sen.lt Abramovych 12th of August 2014)

Winter war (campaign of winter 2015)

And new arts:
The general

Moskva

More his arts on history, military, game, sci-fi tematics you can find here: https://www.deviantart.com/radojavor

Lyman to Slovyansk is a death march.
Even the terrain from Khrestyshcho to Slovyansk is a wide, bare slope completely vulnerable to long range fires from S/SE of Slovyansk. Just take a gander at this rough panorama:

From google maps, here:
Anyone coming over that horizon is visible from ~5 km (at this spot, above pictured):

to ~10km at this spot:


Enjoy that long descent into hell, ****ers.

More grim drone footage, URK mortars(?) hitting an occupied farmhouse. (PSA there are wounded and dead in the clip)
 

Where there is a tank, there will be a fuel truck very soon. Seems more profitable to wait unless things are desperate. Though there is a lovely thought about catching the BTG commander with his head out of the hatch.

Could've stayed at home - would've died of natural stomach-related causes in the hands of his hating wife. For not sending her worn panties and golden teeth from Ukraine unlike his neighbor.

Ouch:
 

“Russia has lost a third or more of it’s modernized tank force” is not a political statement.  If it makes you uncomfortable about your own politics, I’m sorry.

I mean, other than losing probably a third of their modernized tank force already, yeah, no big deal.

Could very well be! 

Thats a spanish Instalanza C-90

I had no idea that Finns have a sense of humour o_O