All things Russia and Ukraine...

The most surprising thing about this conflict is just how ineffective an organisation the Russian military has devolved into.

I'm taking a guess that military service is dreadfully unpopular, underpaid and under- resourced.

A lack of intelligence would seem to be an issue as well.

It appears as though the Russians have been telling one too many tales of old glories and riding the back of such tales from the 1939-1945 period.

If there is a single lesson to be learnt from Anglo-American involvement in that past conflict it is that when you dominate the intelligence aspect of a conflict, you can punch above your weight, keep casualties down, and commence operational steps that achieve strategic objectives, rather than winning many tactical battles and losing the conflict as a whole from a sheer strategic point of view, as happened to the Germans.

Winning the intelligence aspect of a conflict also assists you to stay ahead in any technological race that the conflict churns up, another great lesson from WW2 that the formerly magnificent Russian military has forgotten about.

Maybe it's time for another Barbarossa?

This time with a much more humane occupation policy.

 

Yesterday Ukraine and Russia made a pact they would be able to transfer wheat away. Today Russia bombed Odessa with rockets. Have a nice day.

Btw, hundreds of US troops and UK troops are practioning in Finland. Eat this Putin.

I noticed my cellular at the last moment changed words to Finnish. Sorry about that.

 

Trust Putin and Russia now. Just names on paper Another Moscow would be in place now...

 

Yesterday Russians said they did not bomb Odessa, today Kreml admitted it. They aimed to destroy the wheat harbour. Thank you for hunger in Africa Putin.

Just one day after signing the deal of shipping wheat to developing countries. More restrictions. Millions will die Putin. But what do you care. Not t a lot. Let them die in Africa.

 

Bomb Russia’s bridge to Crimea, Ukraine urged | World | The Times

Ukraine could deal a devastating blow to the Kremlin by attacking the Kerch Strait bridge, which links mainland Russia with Crimea, using newly supplied Harpoon missiles, a former Nato commander has told The Times.

The 11-mile Kerch Strait bridge was built after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014

Cuckoo Putin....

 

Russia smears Pippi Longstocking author as Nazi in propaganda posters

https://www.thelocal.se/20220503/fact-check-has-russia-launched-an-anti-swedish-propaganda-campaign/

Russia has launched a poster campaign in Moscow featuring ostensibly pro-Nazi quotes from the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren, the film-maker Ingmar Bergman, and the Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad. "We are against Nazism, but they are not," the poster reads.

The nazi:



And the other nazis the Moomins



The Russian neo-nazis Putin accepts. Notice the famous right hand salute....

 

Looks like Ukraine are launching a counter attack.

I wonder if they'll end up taking back Crimea

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praises Australia's Bushmaster vehicles

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praises Australia's Bushmaster vehicles, calls for coordinated action at UN to rebuke Russia's annexation - ABC News

 

Assessment given by: Mick Ryan is a strategist and recently retired Australian Army major general. He served in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, and as a strategist on the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has a new leader — but the fatal flaw at the heart of Vladimir Putin's strategy remains - ABC News

 

So versatile...

Watch a Ukrainian soldier take out a Russian cruise missile with a MANPADS
Watch Ukrainian soldiers take out a Russian cruise missile with MANPADS (taskandpurpose.com)

 

Marines VS Paratroopers...

Ukrainian Marines Vs. Russian Paratroopers. A Tough Fight Over One Village Is Shaping The Southern Front. (msn.com)

 

The Ukes should finish off that Kerch Straights Bridge first if they hadn’t already done that.

 

interesting situation. It would not be surprising that elite Russian forces are more effective that the conscripts making up most of their army.

 

U.S. to send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine
In reversal, US to send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine

 

I’ve read in the past that the reason that we weren’t sending any Abrams tanks to the Ukes because they were too complicated to learn in a short time but the Leopards learning curve was not so drastic. That and many of their neighbors were already using the Leopards and training Uke crews locally would be not much of an expense or effort. Now we are sending 31 or up to 62 Abrams, enough for two armored battalions. The leaning curve is there or it isn’t. Now it seems that it isn’t so advanced to learn. So, will it be the older M1A1s or the ones we manufacture for export to some of our lessor Allies?

 

It seems to be mostly political; the Germans didn't want to send/allow to be sent battle tanks unless we did also. It's actually not very efficient to send small numbers of different types of tanks or any other equipment. Imagine a country was acquiring tanks in normal times; would they buy a few Leopards, a few Abrams, a few Chieftains, etc.? Of course not, they'd consider the options and pick one. Granted the situation in Ukraine is more urgent, but that is also an argument against unnecessarily multiplying the items they have to train on, operate, and maintain. When we sent them for example HIMARS, we didn't say we had to wait until some other country contributed a comparable system.