Teufel

Have many poor traits, but this old fellow, by any standard senior fellow, doesn’t know any better. It wasn’t an attempt to window dress or impress, it has nothing to do with convincing someone about facts. But you are right, I’ve caused enough damage today through poor wording at best. Let’s leave it that, no further comments. It’s been a good run, but you are right, best correct that post and bow out.

As we are already in this and outing, to be fair and honest, and not so much to defend my own post. But to clarify, I have not set foot in Ukraine, nor have I seen live action as combat medic. The story is slightly different, we have had wars on European soil prior Ukraine, not nearly publicized and it was decades ago. Heard it be labeled “conflicts” rather than war but frankly can call it whatever you want. Makes no difference. The “Red Cross” reference has nothing to do with the actual humanitarian aid organization nor combat medic. There are Red Crosses in other national symbols, such as flags and no not the one of England in this case. Due to above said conflict and ethnical background, by chance and luck more than anything else, was given care and later refugee status, citizenship in Western European country. Unable to return “home” as it doesn’t exist anymore. I have been fortunate to travel through my professional career but finally settled back in this new home. Working for an American owned arms manufacturer in said European country. I don’t think it will be necessary but Steve or The_Capt can easily verify any of these claims by for example professional platforms. My email used to register to this site contains reference to my actual name. By all means gents, have at it, company is not listed on the platform but this city only has one arms manufacturer operating. So adding the last clues won’t be very difficult. If you want proof and verification that is. We could get more cozy you and I if want to do that yourself but again I trust it won’t be necessary. You’ll have to take my word for it.

This is a very interesting point! And again, I can’t offer too much details about specific things but let’s keep it on general terms. Keeping the equipment running goes according to the same principle for both sides. Damaged and recovered equipment which in Western military operations would never see action again goes back into action in Ukraine. Damaged and structurally compromised equipment is better than no equipment. That tank or IFV that saved the crew first time around may not or certainly will not save the crew next time but it’s going back in. If the armor on the left hand side is compromised after hit with RPG it’s not disqualified from action in Ukraine. Run a mine and destroy the mine protection, it’s either replaced or disqualified in NATO conflict. In Ukraine, it’s welded up with industrial grade steel and resembling bucket from Home Depot on the damaged side, it’s going back in! Real quote “left side is compromised? Does that mean if we get hit on the right hand side we will survive? Maybe? Ok, if maybe it’s going back in!” Out of necessity, like fighting without body armor, as long as your AK-platform fires you got a chance! Same for Russians. I wish we could have these “health bars” we see in video games projecting on top of equipment. I’d be hard pressed to find, primarily Russian, equipment that has more than 50-70% vitality left. If it was piece of junk before, imagine what it is after no or little maintenance or worse being hit by western equipment? But it still rolls and it maybe fires. The increase in “suicide tanks” last month or so is for this exact reason. Turret probably damaged beyond functional repair but tracks work. Load it with shells, mines, anything that explodes and send it with brick on gas pedal towards Ukrainians. Better value than pulling something they can’t repair anyway back home in Russia. This goes back into previous post, long term the Russians are screwed. Only if West assumes that now invisible health bar glows healthy green than critically wounded red are the Russians going to stand a chance and we will come to regret it. On the morale side, can only speculate but knowing little bit of the inner workings of Eastern Europe military. Combination of indoctrinations (read brainwashing), hard drugs, in group and third party punishments, and primarily at this point - apathy. Man that looses fear in combat fights without anything to lose, including his life. Fear suggests you have something to live for, if nothing else for sole purpose of survival. Being under these conditions, probably injured many of them, left with only punishment if you speak up, and far from any chance of getting out of this hell. They become hollow shells of their own humanity, like walking dead. You would never treat soldiers or put them through circumstances Russians do in the West. It’s unheard of and thus we have hard time comprehending it. Edit: “third party punishments” as in your family members back home threatened to be or actually harmed by your own actions at the front. Surrender and you will survive but rest assured your family will not.

Valid points several of them! There are several aspects to what you are saying that holds merit from hindsight. Trust we wouldn’t have this discussion, now I assume rather than ask, had Ukraine met your expectations of actual progress. In terms of land, Russians killed, I don’t know, by some relevant measure. Referencing The_Capt, this is far from over and God knows what’s next. We can all speculate and that holds some bragging rights later, in hindsight if any one of us had some sort of correct assumption. And even in that case it be like stock picking, mostly good timing, bit of luck and only advertise if successfully sold. Without going into details, with that I mean you will have to take my word for it (I don’t fancy doing time in federal prison because I wanted to prove a point). Production, methods, materials, and exact capacities, plans and time lines for expansions of such, etc. when it comes to military equipment is classified information. Private companies doing the manufacturing yes, but arms deals are country to country business. Why we have “export controls” of information and steel. Thus, we can debate but you can’t see the facts, you have to trust me when I say that American controlled capabilities are in no measurable way dwarfing the Russian capabilities. Just American, in the US and abroad, are bigger and have high double digit growth in some capabilities. You nor anyone else should be losing your sleep over manufacturing, supply chains, know-how, machinery, components, etc. in potentially prolonger war. If it comes to that, Russians have zero chance and now I am suggesting parity to start with. Russians are scraping together pieces from long term storage that could seen action in Korea or Vietnam if they are lucky. Let’s not even get into differences of technology levels of new materiel. You are right about enticing Russians and killing them in the open. But they are conducting these suicide attacks for lost ground, not to expand into new. They started building these fortifications in tactically and strategically favorable places. That’s why they insist on coming back to retake these. If they don’t the Ukrainians can suddenly see and hit any given chimney in the valley’s below. Had the Ukrainians not punched the Russians in the teeth and literally been fighting uphill we wouldn't have seen these in our eyes senseless Russians assaults.

I believe the expression “hindsight is 20/20” refers to prefect vision for a reason. Was this scenario of the ongoing offensive possible outcomes in the overall plan? Of course it was! Was it significant risk of the plan? Probably, but just speculation. Did the risk of tough Russian resistance and slow grinding progress make the Ukrainians reconsider? Well, no! The option of not moving forward would not necessarily entice the Russians to attack. On the contrary it just enable them to dig deeper and wider defenses. Getting the ball rolling was partly about disrupting the ongoing defensive preparations of Russia. Imagine waiting until late spring knowing what they built in 4-5 months. We’d be looking at bunkers and not trenches as defensive fortifications. Reality for our assessment is obviously prior expectations. We learn from experience, see the outcomes, expect similar if things are conducted in similar fashion. Just look at the beginning of the offensive, it didn’t work as planned (better for the long term) to roll up all that armor against prepared defenses. We keep saying, lack of air superiority, sure would help. But Iraq and Afghanistan didn’t have the air defenses and capabilities Russia has. Nor is the USAF involved in this conflict with overwhelming numbers and resources. I am not so sure the F-16 will make the difference we are expecting them to yield. We again start from assumptions based on prior experience in other circumstances. The more I look back at high intensity fighting not involving the US directly, the more I start to think this shouldn’t been unexpected. We were initially expecting boxing match between pro-boxer against amateur. Turns out that Ivan Drago underestimated his opponent, and suddenly we have ourselves street brawl where all bets are off. We can’t expect the fight to resemble anything we seen as few of us ever witnessed street fighting. Most of us will think it resembles the movies, when it in reality its short, brutal and unpredictable.

Sounds like the two of you might be related or something!

Are you suggesting Putin is not telling the truth?!

In other realms of reality, we have this perspective.

I forgot this one, end of truth newspeak after this one.

Let’s add few more things for those that missed this event. It’s no longer SMO but “so called war”. Those bloody Israelites are bit of annoyance but we have plan to fix that.

Interesting explanation to the accident of private jet traveling cross borders. I assume those hand grenades were purchased at the Duty Free Zones in Russia prior departure. Otherwise, we all know the rules, no grenades in hand luggage unless purchased after check in.

Firstly, thank you for being this forthcoming and levelheaded. Would like to know if we have different definitions of communism. In my book, communism is revolutionary Marxism, i.e. you come into power with force, you maintain power with force, and you spread the wealth with force. All those aspects disqualifies differentiation from any other anti-democratic system. Which IMHO equals support for criminal activity no different from white supremacy, organized crime syndicates, fascism, and in fact even corrupted corporate greed, etc. Anybody is entitled to think and believe anything, it’s our democratic right. Thank God that we have yet to arrive at thought crime principles, as such you are by definition of the law no criminal by harboring revolutionary Marxism ideals. That’s your given democratic right, in principle and practice mind you. But am I given the such rights in the Marxist system? You don’t need to answer that, been there experienced that first hand in practice. I agree with the social democratic ideal of sharing is caring. I suspect you are not in the Marxist/Stalinist corner but rather closer to the socialist ideal of Scandinavia. Speaking of those countries, they have clearly demonstrated the benefits of such. It’s not perfect system, far from but it clearly shows legitimacy of social democracy. I may not be in that corner but I do respect it’s track record. Drawing a line between socialism and communism as above, yes communist are threats to democracy and are in my book criminals. Not though criminals but knowing first hand how that works in reality, I don’t want to accept anything that doesn’t accept my own freedom of choice. Long reply that didn’t answer your concern of taking freedoms to sentence communists to prison. It doesn’t change the reality of what such people do to their own citizens once in power. Edit: not going to tell you how to identify your own political views, but ever considered if you are better off calling yourself socialist than communist?

This is the one thing that makes for the best experience in war. Comedy! Black humor or not but to maintain the ability for this creativity is heart warming. We get a laugh out of it but it’s never missed on the guys around. Love his composure in the moment!

Thank you for sharing! It’s actually a beautiful perspective of something that is anything but beautiful. We been through this few times and please those of you seen it please share. Today’s understatement, war is nothing like in the movies in any perspective. Macho bravado Rambo’s are usually not around and if they happen to show they are the one’s to go first. Followed by those lacking any type of fear. Those that survive are those that maintain and control their fear, and the lucky ones. That is no understatement nor joke, war is suffering bodily and mentally. Not just from pain but as per your reference - from lack of options. It’s seldom something you chose and those who did seek adventure usually found one last. War for the most part is about keeping your sanity, from sensory overlord and constant stress. Feelings of guilt, fear, rage and all other primal emotions under constant pressure and stress. The thing that is the hardest thing of all is talking and keeping oneself from internalizing. One has to talk and keep others talking, the desire to be alone is very strong indicator that it’s going the wrong path. It’s normal to desire silence if one’s environment is that of chaos but it’s as dangerous if not worse than the chaos. Silence allows brooding, internalizing and building up stuff. One comrade always said he needs to “decompress” or “clean the chamber” to make space to contain more pressure. In the end, like it or not, luck or chance is by far the biggest factor. There is one situation that portrays this better than anything. Group of guys had just arrived to join the action few days prior, socializing and standing around smoking in group of five. Enemy sniper opens fire and kills two of the five guys, one of them just joined and not fired single round. Not being singled out in that group of targets is chance and circumstance, devine intervention maybe for those that have faith. Coping with such randomness is the type of thing that makes talking difficult. It’s also the type of thing that turns your hair gray. Soldiers in action are thus probably the best subjects to study aging and the correlation between fear and illness. We could go on all day about this but point is that fighting and surviving depends strongly on training, looking out for one and the other, and luck. Yes, luck! That is the brotherhood of war, it’s not about heroism or sacrifice. Not sure if this at all adds or offers anything of value to the rest of you but I hope it does. Nothing to do with bravado, it helps to talk, it lends perspectives and helps to separate from civilian life. Be interesting to hear if there are other perspectives on this from those here that seen action, Vietnam or later, if any.

On topic, appears some good news are coming from Budanov and Co.