How Hot is Ukraine Gonna Get?

[Haiduk]

Fresh news from Izium axis from the serviceman, who fights there

Russian BTG of tank regiment (probably 1st TR) seized heights near Kamyanka. But looks like Ukrainan forces launched operation for cutting supply, which come through Kup'yansk. Reportedly after some UKR actions, Russians abandoned villages Borova and Pisky-Rad'kivs'ki and withdrew to western bank of Oskol river. Though, Ukrainian forces didn't re-take control over these villages, because of Russian can shelled them with artillery. So, this section of P79 road Kup'yansk - Izium now is "grey zone" and both sides can shell it

From the western side Ukr forces after taking of Husarivka still threaten supply lines, coming through Balakiya town.   

[Battlefront.com]

No confirmation, but it wouldn't surprise me.  I also think we saw video evidence of what looks like Russia moving refrigeration units going into Ukraine (I presume to store their own dead):

 

[akd]

Interesting document showing the weapons and ammunition of a Rosgvardia SF tactical group:

 

[billbindc]

 

Default in 3, 2, 1....

[akd]

Reporters only now reaching Borodyanko and Ivankiv outside Kyiv:

https://www.itv.com/news/2022-04-05/teen-sisters-raped-as-horrors-from-ukrainian-town-cut-off-for-35-days-emerge

[Battlefront.com]

Still trying to get confirmation about a looming pocket of Russians in Kherson Oblast.  The recapturing of Novovoznesens'ke certainly is putting more pressure on the area, but it's not looking like there's any Russians cut off by it.

Steve

[akd]

Just now, Battlefront.com said:

Still trying to get confirmation about a looming pocket of Russians in Kherson Oblast.  The recapturing of Novovoznesens'ke certainly is putting more pressure on the area, but it's not looking like there's any Russians cut off by it.

Steve

Looks more like gradual cleanup on the right bank.

[Battlefront.com]

15 minutes ago, akd said:

Interesting document showing the weapons and ammunition of a Rosgvardia SF tactical group:

Tactical Table Lamps are useful for night operations, specifically reading a map to plot an exit from Ukraine before morning.

The quantity of small arms ammunition seems massive, then you do the math and realize it isn't.  VERY rough calculation is about 600 rounds per 5.45 rifle.

Lots of sights, scopes, and night vision stuff in there.

Roughly battalion sized force by the looks of it.

Steve

[keas66]

9 minutes ago, billbindc said:

 

Default in 3, 2, 1....

I just read there is a 30 day grace period on these looming payments - so they still have a month ?

[Battlefront.com]

6 minutes ago, akd said:

Looks more like gradual cleanup on the right bank.

Yup, not a major breakthrough yet.

I was surprised to see that a few settlements along the Belarus border were noted captured today.  I'm guessing there hasn't been any Russians there for a few days and this is just official flag planting statements.

Steve

[Kinophile]

31 minutes ago, Battlefront.com said:

There are some pretty big practical problems with this.  Drones require a lot of energy to keep up in the air and they need more to operate various systems.  EW and kinetic "hard kill" weapons also require energy.  The more energy that is needed the bigger the drone has to be.  Winged drones have an advantage as they are more energy efficient for loitering (and for travel for all I know), but winged drones aren't an option for this purpose.

Steve

I'm thinking more small quadcopter type, unarmed tactical ISR stuff, - and by slaved I mean locked to the tank's position & movement, providing above tree/building level optical & thermal feeds to the TC & Gunner for immediate situational awareness.

@Chibot Mk IX I'd forgotten that!  they were great. But as Steve mentions, a weaponised rone requires support. The drones I'm thinking of would be organic to the tank itself, part & parcel of its situational awareness array.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Kinophile

[Audgisil]

I wonder how much truth there is to this claim of russians switching sides. I imagine the numbers, if true, are still quite small... at least at the moment. Or this could be a propaganda ploy to attempt to get the ball rolling in that direction.

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by Audgisil

[Haiduk]

11 minutes ago, Battlefront.com said:

Still trying to get confirmation about a looming pocket of Russians in Kherson Oblast.  The recapturing of Novovoznesens'ke certainly is putting more pressure on the area, but it's not looking like there's any Russians cut off by it.

Steve

Our troops is trying to take the town Beryslav, this can cut off Russian forces around Velyka Olexandrivka area 

Edited April 6, 2022 by Haiduk

[sburke]

20 minutes ago, Battlefront.com said:

Yup, which is why it's easy to distinguish between a Communist and Fascist state.  There are tangible differences.  However, from a state level these differences aren't significant.  All property ownership and utilization is effectively controlled by the state.  Russia has a long history of seizing privately owned property for "tax evasion" or what not. 

It is also not surprising that the real threat to Democracy in the West comes from Fascism.  The right can bleat on and on and on about how Socialism/Communism is threatening to take over, but it's just not going to happen.  The strong cultural belief in private ownership of property and the concept of individual liberty (which Fascism doesn't really believe in) means the West will always lean right vs. left.  The flip side of this is that poorer non-Western countries tend to go left vs. right.  When the average person doesn't have property it's harder to sell them on Fascism and much easier to attract them to Socialism.

Steve

 

my neighborhood at 4 years old.  My parents are probably somewhere around but not in the picture. Hopefully looking on in disgust, we moved shortly thereafter. We aren't so removed from fascism as we'd like to think.

Untold Black History: The Baker Incident (The 1963 Race Riot In Folcroft, PA) | Don Diva Magazine

 

[Battlefront.com]

31 minutes ago, Haiduk said:

Fresh news from Izium axis from the serviceman, who fights there

Russian BTG of tank regiment (probably 1st TR) seized heights near Kamyanka. But looks like Ukrainan forces launched operation for cutting supply, which come through Kup'yansk. Reportedly after some UKR actions, Russians abandoned villages Borova and Pisky-Rad'kivs'ki and withdrew to western bank of Oskol river. Though, Ukrainian forces didn't re-take control over these villages, because of Russian can shelled them with artillery. So, this section of P79 road Kup'yansk - Izium now is "grey zone" and both sides can shell it

From the western side Ukr forces after taking of Husarivka still threaten supply lines, coming through Balakiya town.  

Very interesting.  So it seems that Ukraine *IS* able to put significant pressure on the Izium supply lines, but not from the expected direction from further north.  There were reports that the Ukrainian forces east of Izium were barely hanging on.

This is going to make Russia's Izium operation a lot riskier if there is already that kind of pressure on their LOCs.

Steve

[Haiduk]

18 minutes ago, Battlefront.com said:

Tactical Table Lamps are useful for night operations, specifically reading a map to plot an exit from Ukraine before morning.

The quantity of small arms ammunition seems massive, then you do the math and realize it isn't.  VERY rough calculation is about 600 rounds per 5.45 rifle.

Lots of sights, scopes, and night vision stuff in there.

Roughly battalion sized force by the looks of it.

Steve

748th operative purpose battalion of 46th separate operative purpose brigade of Rosgvardia, Groznyi, Chechnya. 

There is 141st special motorized regiment in composition of this brigade - this is part of "Kadyrov's troops"

Edited April 6, 2022 by Haiduk

[Battlefront.com]

9 minutes ago, Kinophile said:

I'm thinking more small quadcopter type, unarmed tactical ISR stuff, - and by slaved I mean locked to the tank's position & movement, providing above tree/building level optical & thermal feeds to the TC & Gunner for immediate situational awareness.

@Chibot Mk IX I'd forgotten that!  they were great. But as Steve mentions, a weaponised rone requires support. The drones I'm thinking of would be organic to the tank itself, part & parcel of its situational awareness array.

Yup, but comments about energy needs applies no matter what.  The big energy consumption is getting the drone off the ground and keeping it in the air.  Lateral movement doesn't matter as much, though obviously it does add up.

Steve

[Battlefront.com]

sburke, get your list out!  Looks like another general has gone from the battlefield:

Quote

Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Petrunin, the military commander of Samara, was killed during the special operation

 

[TheVulture]

9 minutes ago, Haiduk said:

Our troops is trying to take the town Beryslav, which can cut off Russian forces around Velyka Olexandrivka area 

Now that would be a nice town to retake and effectively trap all the Russian forces north of the dam in a pocket with their back to the Dneipr. One of the maps I've seen shows 2-3 BTGs holding the dam and the areas north towards Kryvyi Rih - is that still roughly correct as far as you know?

[Haiduk]

Just now, TheVulture said:

Now that would be a nice town to retake and effectively trap all the Russian forces north of the dam in a pocket with their back to the Dneipr. One of the maps I've seen shows 2-3 BTGs holding the dam and the areas north towards Kryvyi Rih - is that still roughly correct as far as you know?

Too few informatin from there, alas.

[TheVulture]

4 minutes ago, Battlefront.com said:

Yup, but comments about energy needs applies no matter what.  The big energy consumption is getting the drone off the ground and keeping it in the air.  Lateral movement doesn't matter as much, though obviously it does add up.

Steve

And now I'm picturing a tank surrounded by helium balloon drones carrying sensor packages.

For illustrative purposes, here's such a next gen tank that you might see at this year's May parade in Red Square:

[Battlefront.com]

Here's a captured SPG up north somewhere.  I'm posting it because I think it shows us an example of a vehicle that was well cared for prior to the invasion.  To me the paint on it shows signs of having been stored outside for many years.

 

[Battlefront.com]

Just now, TheVulture said:

And now I'm picturing a tank surrounded by helium balloon drones carrying sensor packages.

For illustrative purposes, here's such a next gen tank that you might see at this year's May parade in Red Square:

Hah!  Well, don't laugh.  There are some that are predicting "blimps" are going to make a comeback for exactly this reason.  I think the idea is that for protecting large static areas you can keep an EW package afloat for almost free.  Since their primary vulnerability would be the drones it is designed to counter, theoretically this may have some practical use.

Quick search pulled up this fairly recent Popular Mechanics article on the concept:

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a37028104/battle-blimps-history/

Steve

[Kraft]

I remember @DMS claiming war crimes were fabrication.

If you want the uncensored aftermath footage I can show you, body is already decomposing, fitting the early death in the invasion.

Its not the first though, we have seen several instances of APCs shooting up civilians on their normal lifes. 

BTR 82 incident with the old couple

Father and son filming live as they are being shot with their dogs, later found in ditch nearby: https://www.rferl.org/a/father-son-attacked-russia-ukraine/31734834.html Notice how the son is alive and well in his own video but found shot up dead in the ditch later on.

If you want I can dig up the uncensored aftermath footage again in case validity is questioned.

Not to mention evident footage of Buratino, cluster strikes into urban population centers, etc

Nobody of them posed any threat, even if assumed VBIEDs are concerned, a couple of precise shots into engine are not what is happening in any of these instances but rather systematic disregard at best, spite at the worst for ukrainin life regardless of uniform, age, gender.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Kraft

[sburke]

Russia fascists busy "denazifying"

A soldier with neo-Nazi symbols on his arm was given a medal by a Russia-backed separatist republic for killing Ukrainian 'nationalists' (msn.com)

 

and good riddance

Putin's ultranationalist ally and clown dies at 75 (msn.com)

Edited April 6, 2022 by sburke