Ukraine war mega thread

[helge]

and heavy flamethrowers

What is that ?

TOS-1 ?

Some of the nastiest piece of weaponry, I've ever seen.

Worst invention since napalm ?

[OhOh]

TOS-1 ?

The Russians may have TOS-1, TOS-1A and/or TOS-2. They allegedly had/have plenty of old and now, new supplies of them.

They are all pretty devastating to light armored vehicles and soldiers.

"What is the TOS-1A and What’s the Difference Between It, the TOS-1 and TOS-2?

The TOS-1A is an upgraded modification of the TOS-1 introduced in 2003, featuring 24 rocket barrels instead of 30, and an effective maximum firing range of 6 km instead of 3.6 km. A new shell for the TOS-1A created in the late 2010s increased the system’s effective firing range to 10 km. This was achieved thanks to a new fuel/explosive mixture inside the shell. There is one drawback to the 10 km rocket: its 1.6 km dead zone (i.e. the area in which the system cannot be fired). The shorter-range rockets have a dead zone of as little as 400 meters.

The TOS-2 is a TOS mounted on a 3-axle Ural truck instead of a tank chassis. The system uses the same rockets as the tank-mounted variants, but is lighter, featuring 18 barrels instead of 24 or 30. The TOS-2 began to enter into service with the Russian military in 2021.

The NATO powers do not have an equivalent to the TOS. Instead, the alliance prefers to deploy its thermobaric weapons mostly in air-dropped bombs."

TOS-1A: Russia’s Fearsome Thermobaric ‘Scorching Sun’ Heavy Flamethrower

[bsnub]

The 3rd Assault Brigade continues to provide the world with some of the most high-quality videos from the trench warfare near Bakhmut. Here, we can see them liquidate several Russian soldiers from the 57th Mechanized Brigade and capturing many more.

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/statu...31260427468805

[OhOh]

[helge]

Here, we can see them liquidate several Russian soldiers from the 57th Mechanized Brigade and capturing many more.

Do you wank, when you watch it ?

Just curious

[bsnub]

Do you wank, when you watch it ?

You are the one who is rooting for a side that is committing war crimes on a daily basis during its illegal, unjust war.

I am sure if I put up video of the dead civilians killed in the ruzzian terror in Kramatorsk, you would be giddy with excitement. While on the other hand, I show some war criminals getting what they deserve and you take offense. You really are a disgusting little cretin.

[helge]

^ Is that a yes ?

I am sure if I put up video of the dead civilians killed in the ruzzian terror in Kramatorsk

Do as you please

[bsnub]

Is that a yes ?

You are a lowlife to even ask such a question. The killing of those genocidal invaders is necessary because they are committing war crimes and have no place in Ukraine.

The murder of civilians on the other hand by your side has no justification, and it is pure evil and cowardice. These two 14-year-old girls had their whole lives ahead of them, only to have them taken by a ruzzian missile attack in a civilian area.

Yet you do not complain about what the ruzzians did to them. You complain because I post a video showing invaders being neutralized.

[Shutree]

a ruzzian missile attack in a civilian area.

It was indeed a civilian area and it is no justification but it looks like there might have been a target. Ukraine has said they arrested someone for sending the Russians a picture of the location before the attack. Why would he do that? Possibly senior Ukraine military were present, Ukraine hasn't said.
According to the BBC: The Kremlin claimed again to only carry out strikes on military targets, and Russia's defence ministry claimed it had destroyed a "temporary deployment of [Ukrainian] commanders" in Kramatorsk, without elaborating further.
Tragic for the civilians involved.

[bsnub]

According to the BBC: The Kremlin claimed again to only carry out strikes on military targets, and Russia's defence ministry claimed it had destroyed a "temporary deployment of [Ukrainian] commanders" in Kramatorsk

Every time they kill civilians, they say basically the same thing over and over. The ruzzian MOD is not even worth quoting because all it does is lie constantly. The target was in the center of town, they hit a restaurant ffs. This keeps happening over and over.

[Takeovers]

It was indeed a civilian area and it is no justification but it looks like there might have been a target. Ukraine has said they arrested someone for sending the Russians a picture of the location before the attack. Why would he do that? Possibly senior Ukraine military were present, Ukraine hasn't said.

From what I gather at the ukraine reddit, they targeted foreign civilian aid workers.

[Takeovers]

From what I gather at the ukraine reddit, they targeted foreign civilian aid workers.

Which is indeed unusual. Usually they just randomly target civilian targets.

[bsnub]

I monitor many different channels online, Twitter, telegram, tiktok etc. I also speak with a few Ukrainians, one who is based in Austin who happens to be a colleague. That said, Ukraine is really twisting the screws regarding this offensive. The ruzzian telegram channels are in full meltdown, and it looks like pandora's box has been opened.

[helge]

It was indeed a civilian area and it is no justification but it looks like there might have been a target. Ukraine has said they arrested someone for sending the Russians a picture of the location before the attack. Why would he do that? Possibly senior Ukraine military were present, Ukraine hasn't said.

I heard that it was a closed down hotel used as a ukranian command post and lodging for foreing mercenaries.

If civilians were around it wouldn't be the first time that the cynic ukranians made civilians a target.

Amnesty said so and got very unpopular.


And it could also be that the russians bombed a civilian target.

Who knows ?

Which is indeed unusual. Usually they just randomly target civilian targets.

And usually you are just a fool

Like now

[helge]

You are a lowlife to even ask such a question.

Am I ?

What is it that you have called me so often ?

For using my free speech, I am a "Putin Cum Guzzler".

Isn't that so ?

Well, I find your fascination with videos of dead and dying young men, worrying.

Your "war hobby" seems to have wandered off into obsession.


I have found it somewhat rude of you to ascertain that I ...guzzle Putins sperm....even at the quite significant distance between us , but can't remember that I ever got sad or unhappy by your childish rhetoric.

But seems that I got the Bullseye, when I asked if you wanked to your War Porn.

You really are perverted.

[bsnub]

I heard that it was a closed down hotel used as a ukranian command post and lodging for foreing mercenaries.

BS

Your "war hobby" seems to have wandered off into obsession.

It is not a hobby, you pathetic clown. I look forward to the day that the last ruzzian son of a bitch is either killed or kicked back into ruzzia where they belong. Then I will never post in this shit thread ever again.

I have found it somewhat rude of you

I find is somewhat rude and disgusting of you for never once showing any sympathy or condeming your side for mass murder and deliberately attacking civilians.

But seems that I got the Bullseye, when I asked if you wanked to your War Porn.

You really are perverted.

You have serious mental health issues, vatnik.

[bsnub]

There seems to be a prevailing thought in Washington these days that Ukrainian success in their counteroffensive against Russia is critical to maintaining Western support for Ukraine. This emanates from some foreign policy pundits and U.S. officials. The argument goes that a failure for Ukraine to show real progress over the next several months may force Washington to pressure Kyiv to come to the negotiating table because support in the West will wane. I find this analysis to be troubling, for several reasons. First, the U.S. has been late in providing advanced weaponry to Ukraine. Although the Biden administration’s support has been historic, with more than $40 billion in hardware sent to Ukraine, the hand-wringing over the overblown concern about “escalation” with Russia has meant that sophisticated systems such as F-16 fighters are not yet in play. And if we have not provided Ukraine with all the means necessary to show real progress, the argument that it must do so rings hollow. We are essentially asking them to win the fight with “one arm tied behind their backs.”

Second, an abbreviated timeline does not mesh with the realities of war. Having spent time on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, as an operations officer for the CIA, I can assure you that the enemy gets a vote — that prevailing in armed conflict is a marathon, not a sprint. Artificial timelines placed by Washington bureaucrats are typically unrealistic. In fact, Ukraine may get bloodied in its current counteroffensive and require time to further attrit the entrenched Russian forces.

We will continue to see evidence of destroyed Western equipment; it is unrealistic to think that Ukraine would ever overcome Russia unscathed. Some military analysts, whose opinions I trust, understand the difficulty in defeating militaries that are in fortified positions, and they urge caution in predicting a quick Ukrainian victory. Nonetheless, I am confident that Ukraine will prevail — an ossified Russian military has proven itself to be a third-world fighting force. Moreover, the Ukrainians are resolute, fighting for their survival. Western armaments and training are valuable, but any victory will take time.

Let us also not forget that Russia has shown no willingness to negotiate an end to the war. Those who push for a diplomatic solution seem to forget that Russian intransigence on Ukraine may negate any chance for a negotiated settlement. Forcing Ukraine to the negotiating table — which would follow a stalled offensive — will be folly if the other side has zero interest in coming to any accommodation. It takes two to tango, as they say. Has Vladimir Putin shown any willingness to end this war? No. Has Russia put forward a reasonable peace plan? No. So, there is no reason to expect that Putin and his pariah state will turn into peacemakers overnight.

Instead, the only way this war ends is with Russian defeat. This is an important lesson of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed mutiny this past weekend, stopped only after Putin accepted some humiliating conditions that will allow Prigozhin to escape essentially unscathed. As such, we need to stop the “face-saving” and “off-ramp” arguments that many in the foreign policy world seem to hold onto. Putin will back down when beaten and humiliated. I saw this firsthand in Syria in 2018, somewhat ironically in the engagement between U.S. special operations forces and the Wagner Group, when the U.S. soundly defeated Russian forces, with zero response from Putin.

After Prigozhin's coup attempt, the stability of the Russian regime is in question. Perhaps we once again have overestimated Putin’s hold on power and ability to withstands tens of thousands of additional casualties. Can he really outlast the West? This makes it even more incumbent for the West to double down on assisting Ukraine. When you have your boot on the enemy’s neck, do not take it off. The past weekend's events in Russia are an opportunity for Kyiv and NATO to take full advantage of.

Support for Ukraine remains strong in NATO, particularly from front-line states who understand the threat that Russia poses in Europe. Estonia, Poland and Finland, for example, are in no mood to abandon Ukraine. The argument that U.S. support may soon wane seems to ignore the critical support provided by our European allies. The war, after all, is on their doorstep.

Moreover, support appears to remain strong in Congress, including among some national security-minded Republicans. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Michael Turner (R-Ohio), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) are important voices in the GOP who favor robust, long-term assistance to Ukraine. They have even criticized the Biden administration at times for not doing enough. Yes, there is much irritating noise from the hard right, but it is just that — noise. Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), for example, may generate headlines with their far-right pushes and outrageous comments, but they have no real weight when it comes to this issue.

President Biden, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appear to generally agree regarding assistance to Ukraine, including that long-term U.S. support is not contingent on short-term Ukrainian success in the counteroffensive.

So, let’s be cautious about our expectations for this counteroffensive and not hype its significance. U.S. officials would do well to stop leaking information along this line of thinking to the news media, and pundits should stop echoing it. A Ukrainian victory is not reliant on this counteroffensive alone; it is also based, in part, on long-term, institutionalized support from NATO, including the promised F-16s and hoped-for ATACM long-range missiles. These ultimately will help Kyiv to win.

Marc Polymeropoulos worked for 26 years at CIA, retiring in 2019 from the Senior Intelligence Service. He is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a national security analyst for MSNBC.

https://themessenger.com/opinion/for...raines-success

[Norton]

We will continue to see evidence of destroyed Western equipment; it is unrealistic to think that Ukraine would ever overcome Russia unscathed.

We will and we will see evidence of destroyed Russian equipment.

As I have said from day one this war is going to go on for years. How many will depend on how long the "west" takes to give the Ukraine the weapons they need to defeat Russia.

Time for Joe to get er done PDQ!

[Hugh Cow]

The drip feeding of equipment to the Ukrainians has not helped their push. The F16 should have been flying in Ukraine by now. The reluctance of widening the conflict has held many countries back when it was obvious Russia could not engage in a war with Ukraine and the rest of Europe at least with the Americans on the european side. While the U.S. could be criticised by its slow response in delivering certain weapons, and slow response to approval of the F16s, without them Kiev would have fallen had it been left to the Europeans, who yet again had to be dragged along kicking and screaming until the penny finally dropped. The Brits who probably had less to fear than the rest of europe were again on the front foot even with a severely hampered military due to spending cuts.Even Australia has given more military aid than some european countries and I find that pretty disgusting.
Putin is not only responsible for the war he is also responsible for the billions that will be diverted to companies that deal in death like Ratheon, rather than hospitals and social services where they would actually improve peoples lives.

[OhOh]

a closed down hotel used as a ukranian command post and lodging for foreing mercenaries.

Hardly

a civilian target.

[OhOh]

Russia could not engage in a war with Ukraine and the rest of Europe at least with the Americans on the european side.

Still a SMO.

Many established wins for the Russian forces, Economically, Politically and militarily.

Currently zero for the 16%.

Putin is not only responsible for the war

The European members of the Minsk agreements, have admitted otherwise.

[OhOh]

he is also responsible for the billions that will be diverted to companies that deal in death like Ratheon, rather than hospitals and social services where they would actually improve peoples lives

The 16% governments have decided to prioritise military expenditure rather than their own citizens needs, not the Russian government.

There are those high up in the 16% that are looking at future employment in such companies.

Or maybe you are unaware of the established revolving doors?

[helge]

The F16 should have been flying in Ukraine by now.

Maybe

Doesn't look like an "Airforce war" to me though

(as always: I don't know)

Even Australia has given more military aid than some european countries

If you have the numbers, post them

and I find that pretty disgusting.

Why ?

Is there a more loyal american lapdog than Australia ?

[Troy]

Even Australia has given more military aid than some european countries and I find that pretty disgusting.

Depends which European countries, care to name them?

[helge]