zinz

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ukraine-russia-canada-artillery-shells-1.7120329 Well I hope that goes through. It would help Ukraine right now when it needs any shell it can get

https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-february-20-2024 ISW has not seen any indication of that. Besides the cenit position

Sure driving faster is not keeping you completely safe. But that was not my point. The counter measures you suggested certainly work but are making the whole targeting process a lot more complicated. The relative speeds and distances mean that being able to go faster on the road does matter.

I just wanted to point out how much ISR value these drones give by not being autonomous. As long as you can send a video back you want to do that. Adding to the discussion about the speed of those drones. Imagine if the drone goes with 80km/h and the vehicle at 40km/h. If the vehicle is 5km away from the drone and both start moving at the same time the drone catches up to the vehicle at the 10km mark from starting point of the drone. If however the vehicle is going 60 km/h the drone would catch up only at the 20km mark. In this example a 50% speed increase is a 100% increase of distance to catch up. So going faster absolutely makes sense as a defense against drones. It also decreases the time you can get detected.

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/02/19/7442486/ Another loophole is closing

https://archive.is/2024.02.18-043310/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russia-ukraine-war-soldier-uk-insider-9wbs2kf8q Behind the lines from the Russian perspective. Not quite up to date but still very interesting

Has anyone seen any content for the security guaranties Ukraine has signed with so many countries recently? I hate this journalism where essential information is left out all the time....

Well what do you think those over the Dinipro in Krynky are thinking? There it's either by boat or not at all. Sure if you have the option to have someone care for the patient that's great. But we are talking about combat situations where getting out alive is what counts. As was already stated EW and jamming can be very much reduced and should not be a mayor problem from an engineering point of view.

https://mastodon.social/@noelreports@mstdn.social/11186901057124296 Interesting fpv development. That should have a far larger range than the quadcopters. But is not that mobile.

https://mastodon.social/@Tendar@newsie.social/111866702912127288 Another successful drone interception by a refinery

https://v.redd.it/ud6kcx0m8tfc1/DASH_720.mp4?source=fallback (Ai) image recognition in a lancet prefers hole in a wall more than ifv next to it. To add some Ukraine context

https://kyivindependent.com/media-biden-arms-ukraine-via-greece/ The US can still get weapons to Ukraine through 3rd countries. Here through Greece

https://meduza.io/en/feature/2024/01/26/the-situation-took-a-wrong-turn Well there are people in Russia who don't want the war to continue. Some are even willing to sign to get another candidate on the ballot

https://mastodon.social/@ChrisO_wiki/111824283292209609 Experience of Russian convicts at the front. Interesting point as it was brought up here before. They do get paid and get some compensation for being wounded but a lot lower than advertised. For the convicts not much has changed since it's the MOD and not Wagner any more that is responsible for them.

https://theins.press/en/politics/268661 Interesting piece about machine tools and sanctions. How Taiwan is one of the main suppliers for the Russian military currently.

https://mastodon.social/@noelreports@mstdn.social/111818835823470609 https://www.bmvg.de/de/aktuelles/sechs-sea-king-hubschrauber-der-bundeswehr-fuer-die-ukraine-5729832 German military aid plan for 2024. Looks quite solid to me for keeping Ukraine in the war.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-25/hungary-reverses-opposition-on-new-eu-weapons-fund-for-ukraine More steady aid for Ukraine. It's getting likelier

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/24/orban-reaffirms-backing-for-swedish-nato-bid-as-allies-patience-runs-low Well Gripens are hopefully coming to Ukraine soon. After that very shameful delay for almost 2 years by Hungary and Turkey

https://mastodon.social/@kravietz@agora.echelon.pl/111799191002523223 Corruption in the Ukrainian army. But this time it is getting investigated

https://v.redd.it/yr52p46138dc1/DASH_1080.mp4?source=fallback Still wanted to share this video. Not especially gory but absolutely brutal with the sound and the snow. Really drives home the brutality of this war. View at your own peril.

Ukraines strategic bombing campaign continues quite successfully

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-envoy-praises-cyprus-support-sanctions-russia-2024-01-18/

https://mastodon.social/@noelreports@mstdn.social/111634878535688765 After the downing of three Su-34s, the Russians suspended the use of tactical aircraft and guided air bombs," spokeswoman for the Operational Command center South, Nataliya Humenyuk said.

Well kind of already happened with the patriot systems?

About the economic debate. There must be significant amounts of money going to the volunteers. We hear about enough complaints when payments to widows etc. Fail. But overall there must be enough that actually gets paid. Sure Russian corruption works as normal but payments must be real otherwise there wouldn't be any volunteers. Yeah those guys know they are signing up for something close to a death sentence, but in the Russian mindset that seems to be an appropriate choice. Well so a lot of money is transferred out to very poor people that probably were living with little or no money before. Suddenly they are able to spend money and are happy to get things they only dreamed of before. They will spend that money locally in their communities and not in Cyprus or Paris. My point is that you can see the entire spending on volunteers as a gigantic stimulus package for the Russian domestic economy. Sure trade is ****ed but the domestic economy is doing quite well. The real losers in the Russian economy are the western style middle class. I am sure Putin is not sad about that one bit. As they are a natural opponent to dictators. Many of them fled Russia. The oligarchs seem to have enough opportunities with the war induced changes to have a lot of good earning opportunities or they cut their losses and retired outside of Russia. (with the bonus of less gravity close to windows) The state budget is suffering of course. The state is controlling the petrol industry and has to manage the ups and downs of that revenue stream. But the state can print money and do that won't be an issue for the short and medium term especially inside Russia.