I guess Ukraine hasn’t captured enough Russian tanks. Article says these tanks have long-range artillery to reach the Donbas region.
Ukraine will need a lot of artillery shells. Maybe thousands of rounds?
That’s the day Russia celebrates at VE (Victory in Europe) Day (we and most of Europe have it as 8 May). Given the massive significance in Russian history of WWII (or the Great Patriotic War as it’s been called in Soviet times), that date is more important than it is to us.
We shall see.
That’s a bit strange. It says: “the tanks would allow Ukraine to conduct long-range artillery strikes on Russian targets in the Donbas region of southeastern Ukraine bordering Russia”. Tanks don’t do long-range artillery strikes. Maybe it’s self-propelled guns or something.
Meanwhile, regarding the long-range surface-to-air missile systems:
Now, the West needs to get the Ukrainians the MiG aircraft they need.
I thought it started during adolescence in general, not a particular time of year. And I can’t say I blame the Russian generals for getting a little cranky about all these kids suddenly doing whatever they want to.
But are there really that many Russian Amish? And even if there are, most of the ones in the Army have to be older that 14 or 15, right?
I see how important VE day would be to the Russians. Putin would benefit from the propaganda celebrating a Ukraine victory. Even a made-up victory. 
Thanks
Hehehe, I think you’re thinking Rumspringa.
Dear me! You’re on to my little ha-ha! 
What the heck is up with this (if it is not a staged video)?
I can understand reasons why the dead might be left behind (it might still be a betrayal of sorts, but one can see reasons it may happen). But what are the reasons–even horrible, dumbass reasons–to leave non-dead, non-injured military comrades chasing after your troop truck like bad-guy oafs in some bad comedy film.
Maybe they were just messing with them and came back in a few minutes?
Charitable explanations might be that they’d spotted the drone and were running away. Or the driver was sloppy in checking everyone was onboard. Or, as somewhat fancifully suggested, the soldiers were abandoning their officers and deserting.
Actually, it’s not impossible that it was deliberate. An article I posted earlier in the thread describes the brutal and persistent hazing problem (dedovshchina) that has existed in the Russian military for decades. One draftee wrote that, in his regiment, “if combat action began, one half of the company might shoot the other.”
If it’s any consolation, getting abandoned in a forest in Ukraine in the middle of winter probably has a higher survival rate than driving around in a Russian military truck in Ukraine.
Wikipedia says Russia has 1,200 troops in Transnistria in Moldova, on Ukraine’s western border.
This is a problem for Putin.
The ‘special military operation’ was so hyped in the beginning that anything short of a total victory will be seen as a loss. Whatever small gains Putin may make, and whatever peace agreement he may get, Russia will see that as a failure.
British Defence Intelligence update:
Sorry to backtrack, was on a short vacation, and this thread moves fast.
“He’s dead, Jim. I’m a doctor, not a necromancer!”
Yes, but they have no actual proof that I saw in the article. From what it read like, the diagnosis was only based on reported symptoms. These are important guys, right? Three of four are taken ill at the same time, yet they can’t be taken to a hospital or have a nurse sent over to take blood samples and monitor their vital signs. Instead, they lay around sick for a few days until a third party smuggles in some sort of doctor and two chemical warfare experts who diagnose them by asking questions. What kind of doctor and why not biological warfare experts?
This was my thinking also. The lack of air asset use by Russia right off the bat confused me. It took awhile to kick in that they weren’t using them because they couldn’t, not because they didn’t want to. That told me this was going to be a different kind of war and lowered my opinion of Russian control of the battlefield. I also have to admit that I remain surprised that NATO acted so quickly en bloc. I fully expected them to argue back and forth for weeks.
Every single time. There are always people who need to take out their rage or frustration on someone, and it’s often prisoners or civilians.
A little fear, wondering about having tied his future to Putin.
I’m not surprised. We always seem to overestimate major countries, especially the USSR/Russia. It’s like the CIA just watches the May Day parade and says " Wow, they got a lot of stuff! They must be able to do anything they want!" Except they always seem to forget that the troops have low morale and poor training. And that local commanders have very little control over deviating from their mission if something goes awry.
Unless Putin is so far gone he can’t watch tv, he must have a pretty good idea what’s going on. Just the fact that the war has gone on this long and they are calling up more troops would be a good clue.
I gotta say the fact that Putin and his Defense Secretary are supposedly in nuclear bunkers worries me more than new troops being deployed.
Those are the older Russian style gas masks I am familiar with. The newer ones have a single lens cover for both eyes, like ski goggles or a skin diving mask. I’ve actually looked for gas mask containers carried by Russian troops but have not seen any that I can think of. Of course, these could be Ukrainian ones via Russia.
Kind of yes, but really no. They were stuck and knew it. They seem to think setting it up as a voluntary withdrawal to pursue peace talks makes them look good. Keep in mind that they are still shelling the cities as the withdraw.
They don’t have the airpower to carpet bomb anything. What they are doing is using artillery to shell whatever they can reach, whether it is military or not. They are also wasting, in my opinion, expensive missiles on civilian targets. Often just for the hell of it because there are not even civilians left there.
I’m not sure what good it would do for officers on the ground to lie. They actually need the troops and supplies to prosecute the war. Unless it just so ingrained in the officer corps not to complain about anything.
Yes, the ghosts seem the most likely. I’ll go with that. You never know what’s on those dead bastards minds.
Or, not so lost as angry. Or still the ghost thing.
No no no. Never accept cookies from strangers. Let’s not go overboard here!
Couple hundred miles south of you and went from zero snow on the ground and temps in the 50sF. It’s now 22F and we got five inches of snow. Yay spring!
I hope they use these Russian tanks better than Russia used theirs. 
Probably. Reporters are notorious for calling anything with armor on it a tank. A modern tank is good for 2500-3000 meters in direct fire. Indirect fire can be 10km. A self propelled artillery piece can reach 70 km.
Just for info, this is a video of exactly the wrong thing to do in an ambush. You attack towards the ambush, hoping to break it up. Watch what happens. About 3 minutes, but the ambush footage is shorter.
Why the switch from yellow ID bands to blue for Ukrainian troops BTW?
At least get your facts straight, rather than making wild guesses. Read the posted articles. Don’t expect me to do that for you.
They’re already pretty damned vicious, and the Russians have zero inhibitions about leaving the evidence behind as they retreat. You really have to wonder about these guys living in these villages with dead, rotting bodies strewn everywhere.
No, he isn’t. If he doesn’t win he leaves office in a box.
Nope. Western militaries might think that way, but I fully believe Putin’s government will happily hand the new guys a gun and throw them into the fight immediately.
Keep in mind that Ukraine essentially did that and they’re having some success with it. Of course their guys understand why they’re fighting and highly motivated. “Russian conscripts” we know are kept uninformed and why should they be motivated to fight and die in Ukraine?
That, and the generals actually in Ukraine have a disturbing tendency to get shot in the head or run over by their own tanks.
I’m at lattitude 41 North and yesterday I had to clean snow off my car before going to work. Spring in the Chicago area! Granted, it’s not as much as @Northern_Piper but while it’s spring there is still snow around.
Ukraine is going to need trained bomb disposal technicians and equipment.
It’s going to take a lot of skilled and dangerous work to clear the cities of mines and trip wires. Otherwise people trying to clear rubble and begin repairs will needlessly die. Farmers have to plow fields and plant wheat.
I’m not sure how it can be done. Perhaps contractors like the US used in Iraq? Pay them through a international fund. They would only work in areas free of fighting.
I saw a documentary on British efforts to clear the Falklands of mines. It’s taken 38 years. A group of about 100 Zimbabwean contractors were hired. A machine plowed the beaches and unearthed mines. It was armoured and small anti-personnel mines wouldn’t damage the machine. The mines were defused or destroyed. Falklands cleared of nearly all landmines, 38 years on from war | Falkland Islands | The Guardian
The Guardian blog
A lot of new weapons are being field tested in Ukraine. The Starstreak has already taken down a Russian Mi-28N helicopter. Russia vows to target British weapons after helicopter shot down with 'Starstreak' missile - LBC
This is a two seat, anti-armor attack helicopter. Mil Mi-28 - Wikipedia
(Quote is from Guardian article).
Wow. If true, is this a war crime? Should be.
It’s from Zelenskiy’s speech. Translated to English. There is a video on theguardian with English subtitles.
Landmines are banned by many countries. I doubt Russia signed any agreements.
It’s going to take a long time to rebuild Ukraine. They did it before after WWII.
I’m going to keep insisting it doesn’t really matter. The invasion itself was a air crime, and so then is every violent act against Ukraine in connection with that invasion. A Russian soldier exchanges shots in anger with a Ukrainian soldier during genuine combat, and so strikes and kills the Ukrainian in the exchange? That’s a war crime. Therefore, the only question to my mind is how much blame attaches to the individual Russian soldier.