Russia & Ukraine

All you have to know about Russian "successes": Russian Defense Ministry announced today that they shot down 2 more Ukrainian SU fighter planes, bringing the total shot down to 152.
The Russian count includes their own planes mistakenly shot down.
 
Old news but worth repeating....
https://www.afr.com/world/europe/ru...pieces-in-major-embarrassment-20220508-p5ajfn

Russian supertank blown to pieces in major embarrassment
James Kilner May 8, 2022

An “invincible” Russian tank equipped with exploding armour and a smokescreen to defend against laser-guided missiles has been destroyed by Ukrainian forces, British intelligence has confirmed.

The war in Ukraine is the first time that Russia has deployed the T-90M “Breakthrough-3” tank in combat, but analysts said that its debut had been underwhelming.

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People walking past a Russian tank T-90M before the war. AP

“At least one T-90M, Russia’s most advanced tank, has been destroyed in fighting,” the UK’s Ministry of Defence said. “The system’s upgraded armour, designed to counter anti-tank weaponry, remains vulnerable if unsupported by other force elements.”

Russia has already suffered enormous losses on the battlefield, with many estimating the army has lost about 460 tanks alone.

Many have been destroyed by British-made Nlaw anti-tank missiles, as well as armoured drones.

further embarrassment for the Kremlin, not least because each unit is reported to cost about £4 million ($7 million).

With Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine stalling, the Kremlin has tried to inject more urgency and fight by deploying its most feared units and kit, including the T-90M, which is considered to be the most technologically advanced tank in the Russian army.

Analysts said that it had been held back until the end of April and had only been deployed in the Kremlin’s push to capture the Donbas region.

Self-deploying smokescreen’
The T-90M is an updated version of the T-90 and is kitted out with the latest Russian military equipment.

Ukrainian soldiers have destroyed hundreds of Russian tanks with shoulder-mounted missiles, including Nlaws supplied by Britain, but the T-90M was supposed to be impregnable because of its exploding armour. It also carries a self-deploying smokescreen that triggers if it detects that a laser beam has been fired at it, a net across its turret to deflect missiles and “slat armour” on its rear to defend against grenades.

The T-90M has a crew of three – a commander, a driver and a gunner – and is armed with a two machine guns and a main cannon that can fire shells against enemy tanks and helicopters up to three miles away (about 4.8 km).

It carries 43 shells and is designed to attack in a “hunter-killer” style.

Heavy toll on Russian units
“Approximately 100 T-90M tanks are currently in service among Russia’s best-equipped units, including those fighting in Ukraine,” the Ministry of Defence said.

“The conflict in Ukraine is taking a heavy toll on some of Russia’s most capable units and most advanced capabilities.

“It will take considerable time and expense for Russia to reconstitute its armed forces following this conflict.”

Ukrainian media had reported that the T-90M tank had been destroyed on May 4 in a village in the Kharkiv region of northern Ukraine, but the battlefield success had not been confirmed by Western intelligence until now.

In a video posted on the Telegram social media channel, a man inspects the burnt-out shell of a tank, which appears to be the T-90M. It is unclear, though, how the tank was destroyed......

The Telegraph London
 
This guy better stay away from open windows…


Some entertainment value there, in a demented sort of way.

“You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” Donald Rumsfeld

Of course, the unspoken truth in that video, is that the Russians know now that their ground forces are pathetic so now they have to worry bigtime about any deficiencies in their ships, missiles, planes, etc. Or to put it another way, he goes on about how they would not want to go up against Nato for various reasons, but leaves out the fact that the Russian troops sure as fuck would not want to go up against Nato ground forces either. That little myth is pretty much over even in Russia.

Let em sweat. Regular viewers know that I am one to consistently worry about what Russia can do just because they have brute force along with their stupidity so I don't dismiss much or get cavalier or chirpy about how it is a given that Ukraine is going to win, etc. But I am all in favor or making the Russians sweat like this guy is. They have plenty to think about.
 
Ukraine is Russia's Vietnam, though the circumstances are vastly different. Russia can not win this war. But just a Nixon did in Vietnam, the Russians will again as Nixon did, in desperation, bring the full force of their military might to bear. And just as happened in Vietnam to the Americans, the Russians will lose miserably after having destroyed much of the country. History may not repeat, but it certainly does rhyme.
 
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