Thread: Russia launches Ukraine invasion

The move has stoked concerns among officials in Israel, which has so far refused to send weapons to Kiev

The US military is supplying Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds pulled from stockpiles based in Israel, according to the New York Times. The Pentagon is reportedly “scrambling” to find munitions as Ukrainian forces continue to exhaust their arsenal.

The Pentagon has drawn from a “vast but little-known stockpile of American ammunition in Israel to help meet Ukraine’s dire need for artillery shells,” the Times reported on Tuesday, citing multiple unnamed Israeli and American officials. While it’s unclear when the deal was struck, Israel has agreed to allow Washington to source some 300,000 155-millimeter rounds from warehouses on its territory.

“About half of the 300,000 rounds destined for Ukraine have already been shipped to Europe and will eventually be delivered through Poland,” the Times added.

Though the stockpile in Israel is intended for use in America’s Middle East conflicts, several of which continue on a simmer, the Pentagon has been forced to seek new weapons supplies as Ukrainian troops reportedly blow through around 90,000 shells per month – twice the rate produced by the United States and Europe combined.


The United States has sent or authorized the shipment of just over one million 155-millimeter rounds to Ukraine since the conflict with Russia kicked off last February. “A sizable portion” of that has been pulled from existing inventories in South Korea and Israel, a senior US official told the Times, though did not specify the total sourced from each.

While Israeli officials “initially expressed concerns” about the plan to draw from stocks in their own country, believing it could suggest Israel is “complicit in arming Ukraine,” the government ultimately agreed on the condition that the Pentagon replenishes the armaments. Washington has additionally pledged to “immediately ship ammunition in a severe emergency,” the Times said.

Israel maintains ties with both Ukraine and Russia, and has sought to walk a diplomatic tight-rope between the two conflicting states since fighting erupted last year. Though it has offered to help broker peace talks and provided several rounds of humanitarian aid to Kiev, Israel has largely refused to join its Western allies in arming Ukraine or sanctioning the Russian economy, fearing such hostile actions could harm relations with Moscow.

Under President Joe Biden, the US has authorized some $25 billion in direct military aid to Kiev, recently agreeing to send 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and a range of other weapons in its latest $3 billion arms package. Ukrainian officials have continued to clamor for additional gear, however, and are now urging Washington and its European allies to send main battle tanks and better air defenses, among other weapons. While the US has so far declined demands for tanks, military leaders from the ‘Ukraine Defense Contact Group,’ which includes NATO members, will meet at Germany’s Ramstein Air Base on Friday to discuss the possible shipment of heavier arms.

US quietly shipping arms from Israel to Ukraine – NYT — RT World News

Originally Posted by sabang

Ukrainian troops reportedly blow through around 90,000 shells per month

That sounds so..wrong

It's way more than that

Well, the source is NYT. But you may recall little Zboy got a dressing down not so long ago for their wasteful used of ammo and arnaments- such as using expensive Himars to attack civilian targets in Donetsk city. They are still doing it, too. The gravy train is not actually unlimited, by any means (the US is even scabbing from Israel now)- yet for Zboy and his corrupt cadre it still isn't enough.

Originally Posted by sabang

Israel has largely refused to join its Western allies in arming Ukraine or sanctioning the Russian economy, fearing such hostile actions could harm relations with Moscow.

Not to mention their already not very good relations with Iran and the fact Russia is helping Israel in Siria.

Originally Posted by sabang

Well, the source is NYT.

Yeah..

Never understood this.."It's from NYT"

Just another 'Status quo maintaining' publication for and by the elite

Originally Posted by bsnub

So are you claiming that there are not real journalists there doing real reporting?

They have editors, who decide everything from headline to from where and about what, they "report".

"Reporters" are whores, who'll do what they are paid for. (with exceptions)


Are you born yesterday ?



I'll peg it at the bottom, together with most others media.

According to some on here, the arsenal of democracy is "scabbing" for equipment. I think not.

The U.S. is gearing up to announce a major new weapons package for Ukraine on Friday, as top military leaders from around the world gather in Germany to discuss how to help Kyiv in its fight against Russia, according to three U.S. officials and another person familiar with the discussions.

While the next tranche will include additional artillery, ammunition and armor — likely Stryker armored combat vehicles — the U.S. is not expected to sign off on American M1 Abrams tanks, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks ahead of an announcement.

The Biden administration currently has no plans to send the Abrams, the Army’s 60-ton main battle tank, the people said.

The reluctance is due to the logistical and maintenance challenges of the tanks, and not over concern that their transfer could escalate the conflict, one of the U.S. officials said. This person noted that the U.S. has helped Ukraine obtain Soviet-era tanks and supports the British decision to send around a dozen of its Challenger 2 tanks.

The package will likely include a number of Strykers, an eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle built by General Dynamics Land Systems, as well as ground-launched Small Diameter Bombs, which have a range of roughly 100 miles, two of the people said. POLITICO first reported last week that the Pentagon was considering sending Strykers in the upcoming tranche of aid. Reuters first reported that Boeing-made Small Diameter Bombs were under discussion.

This package will not include the long-range Army Tactical Missile System that can reach Moscow, according to two of the people. The Biden administration has balked at sending long-range munitions, despite Kyiv’s pleas, for fear of provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We believe the provision of modern tanks will significantly help and improve the Ukrainians’ ability to fight where they are fighting now and fight more effectively going forward,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday, referring to European tanks. He declined to comment on any upcoming aid package from the U.S.

In a sign the U.S. sees the need as urgent, senior Biden administration officials visited Kyiv over the weekend ahead of the meeting in Germany. Jon Finer, the White House deputy national security adviser; Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy; and Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state, met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior Ukrainian officials.

“I salute everything that the Ukrainian people have done to continue to survive & endure. Frankly, that’s why Putin will lose, because his theory of victory is that we’ll give up. @POTUS & @SecDef have been clear: We will stay w/the Ukrainian people for as long as it takes,” Kahl tweeted after the visit.

But Ukraine is still pleading for Western tanks on top of the U.K.’s Challengers. A handful of nations have signaled their willingness to send their German-made battle tanks, but are waiting on a decision from Berlin to greenlight the re-export. The Leopards are seen as a better option than the Abrams because of the sheer number in use already in Europe. Leopards are also considered easier to maintain and consume less fuel.

While German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who replaced Christine Lambrecht this week, is expected to meet on Thursday with Austin, it’s possible a decision has already been made higher up in the German government on whether to approve the transfers.

Both Poland and Finland have said they’re willing to send some of their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, but no movement has been made publicly to make that transfer appear imminent. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week he’s not yet ready to make a decision on the Leopard tanks in his army’s warehouses, however. Other countries that field the German tanks, such as Spain and Norway, have not commented publicly on the matter, though Spain expressed a willingness to send some Leopards last summer.

This week’s Ramstein meeting promises to be one of the most significant of the monthly gatherings of defense ministers, as the 50 nations discuss how to prepare Ukraine for more hard months of fighting. In addition to the recent British announcement of Challenger tanks and the new American package, Finland is expected to unveil its largest Ukraine military aid shipment to date, according to one person familiar with the thinking in Helsinki. Finland doesn’t publicize its contributions, but has sent artillery, small arms and winter clothing in the past.

Western leaders have been cautious about publicly pushing Germany too hard on the tank issue. Support for Ukraine is “about making sure that each of us can do what we can do,” James Cleverly, the U.K.’s foreign secretary, told reporters in Washington on Tuesday. “And our ability to support is going to be different from one nation to another.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. kicked off new training programs for Ukraine this week: an expanded course to enhance Ukrainian forces’ fighting skills in Germany, and training on the Patriot missile system at Fort Sill, Okla. Ukraine is set to receive three Patriot batteries, a defensive system designed to shoot down missiles and aircraft: one from the U.S. and one each from Germany and the Netherlands.

Before heading to the Ramstein meeting, Milley stopped by to see the training in Germany, which is expanding the pipeline to 500 Ukrainian soldiers per month and includes instruction on how to coordinate infantry maneuvering with artillery support.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/0...ussia-00078331

Originally Posted by helge

Are you born yesterday ?

I wish I was. I just have a much more robust capacity to gather information than you do. I always cross-reference any news I read, unlike many here who just regurgitate Kremlin propaganda.

Originally Posted by helge

I'll peg it at the bottom, together with most others media.

So care to share some of your top sources?

Originally Posted by bsnub

I just have a much more robust capacity to gather information than you do. I always cross-reference any news I read, unlike many here who just regurgitate Kremlin propaganda.

Apart from skimming Danish Radio and TV's website, I don't follow ANY news.

No TV news for me

They are full of "reporters".

Originally Posted by bsnub

So care to share some of your top sources?

Used to subscribe to newspapers.

Mostly the a la 'Independent' kind.



You are my best opinion influencer, Snaps

I'll take the opposite stand of yours and I'll be fine

Originally Posted by helge

No TV news for me

I have not had a TV in at least a decade.

Originally Posted by helge

I'll take the opposite stand of yours and I'll be fine

That explains why you support the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resultant genocide that is still on going.

Originally Posted by bsnub

That explains why you support the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resultant genocide that is still on going.

Now
That's not nice, but I'll wish you a good night anyway

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is finalizing a massive package of military aid for Ukraine that U.S. officials say is likely to total as much as $2.6 billion. It’s expected to include for the first time nearly 100 Stryker combat vehicles and at least 50 Bradley armored vehicles to allow Ukrainian forces to move more quickly and securely on the front lines in the war with Russia — but not the tanks that Ukraine has sought.

The officials said the numbers could change as the Biden administration goes through final deliberations on the package. An announcement is expected this week when defense leaders from the U.S., Europe and other regions gather in Germany to discuss military support for Ukraine. The aid is also expected to include thousands of rounds of ammunition, including rockets for air defense systems.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid has not yet been made public.

The decision to send the Strykers, which could be delivered within weeks, comes on the heels of announcements by the British to send Ukraine battle tanks, which have long been sought by Ukrainian leaders. The Strykers and Bradleys are armored personnel carriers.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told reporters Wednesday that a new phase of the war is shaping up as Russia gets more deeply entrenched, and that Ukraine will need mechanized infantry to break through those lines.

“The Russians are really digging in. They’re digging in. They’re digging trenches, they’re putting in these dragon’s teeth, laying mines. They’re really trying to fortify that that FLOT, that forward line of troops,” Kahl said. “To enable the Ukrainians to break through given Russian defenses, the emphasis has been shifted to enabling them to combine fire and maneuver in a way that will prove to be more effective.”

Speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told political leaders that Western supplies of weapons must outpace Russia’s attacks, urging the world to move faster because “tragedies are outpacing life; the tyranny is outpacing democracy.”

The Stryker can transport a full squad of nine infantry troops and a crew of two. It is equipped with a 30 mm gun, a machine gun and/or a grenade launcher, and can travel up to 60 miles per hour (nearly 100 kilometers per hour). It runs on eight wheels, which makes it more nimble, speedy and fuel efficient than the Bradley.

The first shipment of 50 Bradleys was announced two weeks ago. Known as a “tank-killer” because of the anti-tank missile it can fire, the Bradley runs on tracks, making it more useful in muddy terrain than the Stryker.

The two vehicles serve different purposes. The Bradley brings more firepower but carries fewer troops. The more lightly armored Stryker, because it is wheeled, can move a lot faster on paved roads, meaning it can get infantry squadrons into the fight faster.

Ukraine has for months sought to be supplied with heavier tanks, including the U.S. Abrams and the German Leopard 2 tanks, but Western leaders have been treading carefully. The United Kingdom announced last week that it will send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, but the U.S. and Germany have held off.

Kahl said the M1 Abrams has complex maintenance needs and may not be the best fit.

“The Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment. It’s expensive, it’s hard to train on. It has a jet engine, I think it’s about three gallons to the mile of jet fuel. It is not the easiest system to maintain. It may or may not be the right system,” Kahl told reporters.

“One of the things that Secretary (Lloyd) Austin has been very focused on is that we should not be providing the Ukrainians systems they can’t repair, they can’t sustain, and they and that they over the long term can’t afford, because it’s not helpful.”

Poland has expressed readiness to provide a company of Leopard tanks. But, Polish President Andrzej Duda stressed during his recent visit to the Ukrainian city of Lviv that Poland would only do so as part of a larger international coalition of tank aid to Kyiv.

German officials have conveyed their hesitance to allow allies to give Ukraine the German-made Leopards unless the U.S. also sends Ukraine the Abrams, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Poland and the Czech Republic have provided Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukrainian forces, and France has said it would send AMX-10 RC armored combat vehicles to Ukraine, designated “light tanks” in French.

The influx of tanks and armored carriers comes as Ukraine faces intense combat in eastern Ukraine around the city of Bakhmut and the nearby salt mining town of Soledar. The battles are expected to intensify in the spring.

In addition to the Bradleys, the previous U.S. aid package included 100 M113 armored personnel carriers and 55 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, or MRAPS. Those types of armored carriers, along with the Strykers, will better protect Ukrainian troops who are fighting a brutal campaign against Wagner forces, made up in large part of convicts from Russian prisons.

The U.S. Army has a large number of Strykers available to send. Just last year, the Army announced plans to convert its Stryker brigade combat team in Alaska to a more mobile, infantry unit better suited for frigid arctic regions.

Strykers, Bradleys likely in huge US aid package for Ukraine | AP News

Originally Posted by helge

That sounds so..wrong

It's way more than that

Thanks to Uncle Sugar and the extended imperial dominion.

Originally Posted by sabang

US quietly shipping arms from Israel to Ukraine – NYT — RT World News

Originally Posted by sabang

Well, the source is NYT.

sabang, stop the BULLSHIT

The source, you quoted is RT ... not the NYT

Quote the original article pls ... https://archive.is/73WsS

sabang, stop the BULLSHIT

The source, you quoted is RT ... not the NYT

Quote the original article pls ... https://archive.is/73WsS

No, the original source is NYT, as quoted- and linked- by RT. I would even show you a pretty picture, but why bother when the Link is already provided in the RT article.

Originally Posted by sabang

No, the original source is NYT, as quoted- and linked- by RT. I would even show you a pretty picture, but why bother when the Link is already provided in the RT article.

In fairness, NYT has a paywall, the Russian shit propaganda site that selectively reports the story doesn't.

I'm sure that's why sabang picked the latter.

^ D'uhhh


Pentagon Sends U.S. Arms Stored in Israel to Ukraine


Israeli officials had initially expressed concerns that the move could damage its relations with Russia.

Arming the Ukrainian military with sufficient artillery ammunition is part of a larger American-led effort to increase its overall combat power.Credit...Ivor Prickett for The New York Times


By Eric Schmitt, Adam Entous, Ronen Bergman, John Ismay and Thomas Gibbons-Neff



Jan. 17, 2023, 6:48 p.m. ET



WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is tapping into a vast but little-known stockpile of American ammunition in Israel to help meet Ukraine’s dire need for artillery shells in the war with Russia, American and Israeli officials say.
The stockpile provides arms and ammunition for the Pentagon to use in Middle East conflicts. The United States has also allowed Israel to access the supplies in emergencies.
The Ukraine conflict has become an artillery-driven war of attrition, with each side lobbing thousands of shells every day. Ukraine has run low on munitions for its Soviet-era weaponry and has largely shifted to firing artillery and rounds donated by the United States and other Western allies.
Artillery constitutes the backbone of ground combat firepower for both Ukraine and Russia, and the war’s outcome may hinge on which side runs out of ammunition first, military analysts say. With stockpiles in the United States strained and American arms makers not yet able to keep up with the pace of Ukraine’s battlefield operations, the Pentagon has turned to two alternative supplies of shells to bridge the gap: one in South Korea and the one in Israel, whose use in the Ukraine war has not been previously reported.



The shipment of hundreds of thousands of artillery shells from the two stockpiles to help sustain Ukraine’s war effort is a story about the limits of America’s industrial base and the diplomatic sensitivities of two vital U.S. allies that have publicly committed not to send lethal military aid to Ukraine.






Israel has consistently refused to supply weapons to Ukraine out of fear of damaging relations with Moscow and initially expressed concerns about appearing complicit in arming Ukraine if the Pentagon drew its munitions from the stockpile. About half of the 300,000 rounds destined for Ukraine have already been shipped to Europe and will eventually be delivered through Poland, Israeli and American officials said.
As senior defense and military officials from dozens of nations, including NATO states, prepare to meet at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday to discuss sending Ukraine more tanks and other arms, U.S. officials have been scrambling behind the scenes to cobble together enough shells to keep Kyiv sufficiently supplied this year, including through an anticipated spring offensive.
“With the front line now mostly stationary, artillery has become the most important combat arm,” Mark F. Cancian, a former White House weapons strategist, said in a new study for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, where he is a senior adviser.



Another analysis published last month by the Foreign Policy Research Institute said that if Ukraine continued to receive a steady supply of ammunition, particularly for artillery, as well as spare parts, it would stand a good chance of wresting back more territory that Russia had seized.
“The question is whether these advantages will prove sufficient for Ukrainian forces to retake territory from entrenched Russian troops,” wrote Rob Lee and Michael Kofman, leading military analysts.

The State of the War

• Dnipro: A Russian strike on an apartment complex in the central Ukrainian city was one of the deadliest for civilians away from the front line since the war began. The attack prompted renewed calls for Moscow to be charged with war crimes.
  
• Western Military Aid: Britain indicated that it would give battle tanks to Ukrainian forces to help prepare them for anticipated Russian assaults this spring, adding to the growing list of powerful Western weapons being sent Ukraine’s way that were once seen as too provocative.
  
• Soledar: The Russian military and the Wagner Group, a private mercenary group, contradicted each other publicly about who should get credit for capturing the eastern town. Ukraine’s military, meanwhile, has rejected Russia’s claim of victory, saying its troops are still fighting there.

Arming the Ukrainian military with enough artillery ammunition is part of a larger American-led effort to increase its overall combat power by also providing more precision long-range weapons, Western tanks and armored fighting vehicles, and combined arms training.
The United States has so far sent or pledged to send Ukraine just over one million 155-millimeter shells. A sizable portion of that — though less than half — has come from the stockpiles in Israel and South Korea, a senior U.S. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters.



Image



The Ukraine conflict has been fundamentally an artillery-driven war of attrition, with each side lobbing thousands of shells every day.Credit...David Guttenfelder for The New York Times


Other Western countries, including Germany, Canada, Estonia and Italy, have sent 155-millimeter shells to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian army uses about 90,000 artillery rounds a month, about twice the rate they are being manufactured by the United States and European countries combined, U.S. and Western officials say. The rest must come from other sources, including existing stockpiles or commercial sales.



Mr. Kofman said in an interview that without adjustments to how the Ukrainian military fights, future Ukrainian offensives might require significantly more artillery ammunition to make progress against entrenched Russian defenses.
“The U.S. is making up the difference from its stockpiles, but that’s doubtfully a sustainable solution,” said Mr. Kofman, who is the director of Russian studies at CNA, a research institute in Arlington, Va. “It means the U.S. is taking on risk elsewhere.”
Pentagon officials say they must ensure that even as they arm Ukraine, American stockpiles do not dip to dangerously low levels. According to two senior Israeli officials, the United States has promised Israel that it will replenish what it takes from the warehouses in its territory and would immediately ship ammunition in a severe emergency.
“We are confident that we will continue to be able to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, told reporters last week. “And we’re confident that we’ll be able to continue to maintain the readiness levels that are vital to defending our nation.”
General Ryder told The New York Times in a statement on Tuesday that the Pentagon “will not discuss the location or units providing the equipment or materiel,” citing operational security reasons.

And those war reserve stockpiles are playing a pivotal role.
When last year the Pentagon first raised the idea of withdrawing munitions from the stockpile, Israeli officials expressed concern about Moscow’s reaction.
Israel has imposed a near-total embargo on selling weapons to Ukraine, fearing that Russia might retaliate by using its forces in Syria to limit Israeli airstrikes aimed at Iranian and Hezbollah forces there.



Israel’s relationship with Russia has come under close scrutiny since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February, and Ukrainian officials have called out Israel’s government for offering their country only limited support and bowing to Russian pressure.
As the war dragged on, the Pentagon and the Israelis reached an agreement to move about 300,000 155-millimeter shells, Israeli and American officials said.
The American desire to move the munitions was officially submitted in an encrypted phone conversation between the U.S. secretary of defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, and Benny Gantz, the Israeli minister of defense at the time, according to an Israeli official who was briefed on the details of the conversation.
Mr. Gantz brought the issue to the Israeli cabinet. The officials asked to hear the opinion of the defense establishment, whose representatives recommended accepting the plan to avoid tension with the United States, in part because the ammunition was American property. Yair Lapid, then the prime minister, approved the request at the end of the discussion.



Benny Gantz, who was the leader of Israel’s defense ministry, is said to have discussed ammunition held in Israel with Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III.Credit...Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images





The Israeli officials said that Israel had not changed its policy of not providing Ukraine with lethal weapons and rather was acceding to an American decision to use its own ammunition as it saw fit.
“Based on a U.S. request, certain equipment was transferred to the U.S. D.O.D. from its stockpiles” in Israel, a spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement, referring to the Department of Defense.



The stockpile of American military hardware and munitions in Israel has its origins in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, which saw the United States airlifting weapons to resupply Israeli forces.
After the war, the United States established warehouses in Israel so that it could rely on them if it were again caught in a crisis. A strategic memorandum signed by the two countries in the 1980s paved the way for the “pre-positioning” of Pentagon assets in Israel, according to two former U.S. officials and a former senior Israeli military officer with direct knowledge of the agreement.
American tanks and armored personnel carriers were initially moved to Israel’s southern desert with the understanding that they would be used by U.S. forces in the region if needed, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations.
In the 2000s, the program was expanded to include munitions for the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force — all stored in separate locations accessible only to American military personnel, according to a former U.S. arms inspector.
At the time, the stockpile, officially called the WRSA-I, or War Reserve Stocks for Allies-Israel, was overseen by the U.S. European Command. But it is now managed by the U.S. Central Command, following a redrawing of its area of responsibility in September 2021.
Israel was allowed to withdraw American munitions from the stockpile during its war with Hezbollah in the summer of 2006 and again during operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in 2014, according to a Congressional Research Service report released in February 2022.



The Pentagon also approached South Korea last year about transferring munitions in the U.S. stockpile there to Ukraine.



Image



The South Korean government did not want certain artillery rounds showing up in Ukraine in violation of South Korean arms export rules.Credit...Yonhap/EPA, via Shutterstock



The South Koreans were more willing than the Israelis to work with the United States on using the stocks, a senior U.S. official said. But they also objected to shipping artillery shells directly to Ukraine, though for different reasons, the official said. The South Korean government did not want artillery rounds marked R.O.K. (Republic of Korea) showing up in Ukraine in violation of South Korean arms export rules.
A compromise was reached. Artillery shells from the Korean stockpile would be sent to replenish American stocks elsewhere.
The United States has also agreed to buy 100,000 new artillery shells from South Korea, a deal previously reported by The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. officials say that accessing the overseas stocks will help tide over the Ukrainians until American ammunition makers can ramp up their production.
Other factors may ease the pressure for more shells. Russia’s artillery fire has reduced sharply in recent weeks, Pentagon officials said, possibly reflecting rationing of rounds because of low supplies. White House officials said in November that North Korea was shipping artillery shells to Russia, another sign of likely munitions shortages, U.S. officials said.
Finally, the United States is helping Ukraine use ammunition more efficiently. The Ukrainians have been firing so many artillery barrages that about a third of the 155-millimeter howitzers provided by the United States and other Western nations are out of commission for repairs.



Over the summer, during intense fighting between Ukraine and Russia in the eastern region of Donbas, Pentagon officials gathered satellite imagery that showed the devastation wrought on farmland between the two forces’ trench lines. Fields had been transformed into moonscapes, pitted and pocked with thousands of crater shells.
Since then, American officials have leaned on Ukrainians to use their artillery more judiciously. And the arrival of precision rocket artillery, like HIMARS rocket artillery, has allowed Ukraine to strike more expertly.



Image



A former Russian barracks was hit by HIMARS precision-guided rockets in Kherson City, Ukraine, in November.Credit...Lynsey Addario for The New York Times


Eric Schmitt, Adam Entous, John Ismay and Thomas Gibbons-Neff reported from Washington. Ronen Bergman reported from Tel Aviv. Julian E. Barnes in Washington, Choe Sang-Hun in Seoul and Lara Jakes in Rome contributed reporting.


https://archive.is/73WsS#selection-387.0-1459.226


It's archived, numbskull- but apparently you are not capable of clicking on a single link and checking for yourself.

The list of Wunderwaffe keeps growing.

STOCKHOLM, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The Swedish government announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine on Thursday that will include armoured infantry fighting vehicles and the Archer artillery system.

The package is worth 4.3 billion Swedish crowns ($419 million) and will also include light, portable NLAW anti-tank weapons, mine-clearing equipment and assault rifles.

"Ukraine's victory in this war is of almost indescribable importance," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a news conference, adding that Ukraine was fighting for the freedom of all of Europe.

"That's one of biggest reasons to why so many countries are doing so much to help Ukraine right now. The moral support is important, but also our joint security," he said.

Sweden will send about 50 of its tracked and armoured Type 90 infantry fighting vehicles. It can be used to transport up to eight infantry soldiers and is equipped with a 40 millimetre automatic canon.

The government did not specify how many Archer systems it would supply.

Sweden has 48 Archer systems, which is a vehicle-mounted self-propelled gun howitzer made by Bofors BAE that Ukraine has long expressed an interest in adding to its arsenal as it seeks to repel Russian forces.

Ahead of the package presented on Thursday, Sweden had announced around 5 billion Swedish crowns of military aid to Ukraine as well as several instalments of humanitarian supplies.

Sweden currently holds the rotating EU presidency and has applied to join the NATO alliance along with Finland, a move that abandons decades of non-alignment following the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a special military operation".

Later this week, defence leaders from around 50 countries and NATO will gather at Germany's Ramstein Air Base to discuss how to supply Kyiv with more weapons.

The focus is expected to be on whether Germany will send its Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine or at least approve their transfer from third countries.

Sweden to send infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine | Reuters

$419 million? Ukraine is running a budget Deficit of $5 billion a month.


And Ukraine has said it is running a budget deficit of $5 billion per month. The country’s former minister of finance told Devex in the summer of 2022 that all the money received so far has been burned through. A mixture of loans and direct funding from the U.S., the EU, and multilateral agencies has so far kept Ukraine going.

https://www.devex.com/news/funding-tracker-who-s-sending-aid-to-ukraine-102887

Every little helps !

Putin ally warns NATO of nuclear war if Russia is defeated in Ukraine

MOSCOW (Reuters) -An ally of President Vladimir Putin warned NATO on Thursday that a defeat of Russia in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war, while the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said the world would end if the West tried to destroy Russia.


Such apocalyptic rhetoric is intended to deter the U.S.-led NATO military alliance from getting even more involved in the war, on the eve of a meeting of Ukraine's allies to discuss sending Kyiv more weapons.


But the explicit recognition that Russia might lose on the battlefield marked a rare moment of public doubt from a prominent member of Putin's inner circle.


"The defeat of a nuclear power in a conventional war may trigger a nuclear war," former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Putin's powerful security council, said in a post on Telegram.


"Nuclear powers have never lost major conflicts on which their fate depends," said Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012.


Striking a similar tone at what he described as an anxious time for the country, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said in a sermon for Epiphany that trying to destroy Russia would mean the end of the world.


Medvedev said NATO and other defence leaders, due to meet at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday to talk about strategy and support for the West's attempt to defeat Russia in Ukraine, should think about the risks of their policy.


Putin casts Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine as an existential battle with an aggressive and arrogant West, and has said that Russia will use all available means to protect itself and its people.

MORE Putin ally warns NATO of nuclear war if Russia is defeated in Ukraine

Defensive missile systems erected on Moscow rooftops

Missile systems designed to intercept aircraft and incoming missiles appear to have been deployed on top of several defence and administrative buildings in downtown Moscow, signalling that the Kremlin is preparing for a potential, if unlikely, attack being directed on the Russian capital.


Photographs published on social media on Thursday showed a Pantsir missile system had been installed on the roof of an eight-story building used by the Russian defence ministry along the Moskva River.


Another video showed the air defence system being lifted on to the roof of an education building in Moscow’s Taganka district, 1.5 miles south-east of the Kremlin.


The short-to-medium-range systems are used to defend against aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles. The Russian military has also said they could be used against smaller targets, such as military and commercial drones, which have become ubiquitous on the battlefield since Vladimir Putin launched his wide-scale invasion in February.

Images of the missile systems in Moscow emerged a day before western defence officials were set to meet at Ramstein airbase in Germany to agree on a new military aid package to Ukraine that could include the provision of heavy tanks.


The US has already pledged nearly $2bn in further military aid to Ukraine, including a Patriot air sefence system meant to protect Ukrainian cities from Russian missiles.


But Russian officials have issued warnings ahead of the meeting, attempting to dissuade Nato countries from providing more advanced weapons by claiming that these could potentially spark a nuclear conflict.


“The defeat of a nuclear power in a conventional war can provoke the beginning of a nuclear war,” wrote Dmitry Medvedev, the former president, who has become a leading hawk as deputy chairman of Russia’s security council.


Russian military officials did not immediately confirm the installation of the missile systems. However, several Russian media outlets have also reported on the deployment of long-range S-400 missile systems in Moscow in recent weeks. The S-400 and Pantsir-S1 systems are often used in tandem.


The missile systems have appeared in the wake of a Russian bombing campaign that has used missiles and drones to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, leading to scores of deaths across the country. A Russian X-22 anti-ship ballistic missile hit an apartment block in the city of Dnipro last week, killing 45.

Pro-Kremlin bloggers on Thursday said that the appearance of the missile systems in Moscow showed that the Russian military leadership was concerned now about attacks on their own cities.

“It means that [the leadership] perfectly understand all the risks and understand that strikes against Moscow and the regions are just a question of time,” wrote Alexander Kots, a prominent Russian journalist who supports the Russian war in Ukraine. “It’s good to begin planning in advance instead of after the first strikes.”


The appearance of the defensive missile systems highlights Russia’s lack of success in the war. Mysterious explosions have taken place at military sites in Crimea, and at several airbases used by Russian strategic bombers last month deep inside Russian territory. Ukrainian officials have also said they have begun testing long-range drones that can travel up to 1,000 km (621 miles), potentially putting Moscow in striking distance.


“Russia has long given a very high priority to maintaining advanced ground-based air defences, but it is increasingly clear that it is struggling to counter air threats deep inside Russia,” the UK defence ministry wrote last year, a day after the explosions at Russia’s Engels airbase.

Defensive missile systems erected on Moscow rooftops | Russia | The Guardian

Russia's Wagner boss heralds Bakhmut area advances, warns victory still distant

The founder of Russia's Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Thursday that his forces had taken the village of Klishchiivka, on the edge of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, but said that Ukrainian forces could not be forced from Bakhmut swiftly.


In a transcript of an audio message pubished by Prigozhin's press service, the Wagner chief said: "We can safely say that the settlement of Klishchiivka, which is one of the important suburbs of Bakhmut, has been completely taken under the control of Wagner PMC units."


Klishchiivka, which had a pre-war population of around 400 people, is located around 6 miles (9 kilometres) from the city of Bakhmut, where Wagner units have been locked have been locked in a months-long battle of attrition with Ukrainian forces.


However, Prigozhin warned that Wagner would be unlikely to oust Ukrainian forces from Bakhmut soon: "Contrary to various opinions that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are fleeing from Artemovsk [the Russian name for Bakhmut], this is not so. The Ukrainian army is working clearly and harmoniously. We have a lot to learn from them."

Russia's Wagner boss heralds Bakhmut area advances, warns victory still distant

Still stalling.....

Germany must stop stalling Ukraine tanks deal, say Nato allies

Britain and US lead high-pressure campaign warning Berlin that Putin could gain upper hand if Kyiv doesn’t receive weaponry soon

Germany must drop its opposition to sending tanks to Ukraine or Vladimir Putin’s forces could gain the upper hand in the war, Nato allies warned on Thursday.

Britain and the US were on Thursday night at the forefront of an international pressure campaign calling on Berlin, which holds the export licence for Leopard II tanks, to send them to Ukraine and allow other nations to do so.

Several European nations are hoping to promise the tanks to Ukraine at a summit on Friday at the Ramstein air base in Germany.

Britain has already committed to sending a squadron of 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks, piling pressure on Germany to follow suit.

Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, has said he will only send Leopard II tanks if America donates the equivalent Abrams from its arsenal.

On Thursday, a Pentagon spokeswoman said it “doesn’t make sense” to provide the Abrams, with officials citing logistical challenges and the vehicle’s extraordinary fuel demands.

“Ultimately this is Germany’s decision,” said Sabrina Singh.

Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, sought to allay fears that Germany would be “going it alone” in sending tanks as he released a joint statement with eight other nations promising “unprecedented” weaponry for Kyiv, including battle tanks.

Meanwhile, Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, met his newly appointed German opposite number Boris Pistorius, a former member of the German-Russian parliamentary friendship group, in an attempt to break the deadlock.

But it was unclear whether Mr Scholz would on Friday agree to lift Berlin’s veto on other Ukraine allies exporting their Leopard IIs as part of the donations announced at Ramstein, Washington’s main air base in Europe.

At the Davos summit on Wednesday, he told US lawmakers in private meetings that Germany was much more likely to bear any blowback from a move Russia has deemed escalatory. He said that the US should take the lead as Germany relies on its nuclear deterrent, according to Politico.

Zelensky: 'Hand them over!'

Poland on Thursday signalled it could send the heavy armour without German approval, with Mateusz Marwicki, its prime minister, saying Warsaw would “either get [permission] quickly, or do what we see fit”.

Mr Marwicki said he was “sceptical” that Berlin would approve the transfer of Leopard IIs because “the Germans are defending themselves against this like a devil protects himself against holy water”.

In an interview with German broadcaster ARD, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, lost his temper when discussing Berlin’s hesitance.

"In plain language: can you deliver Leopards or not?” he said. “Then hand them over!"

In an earlier speech in Kyiv, Mr Zelensky attacked Germany over its attempt to hide behind the US for not sanctioning the delivery of tanks.

"There are times where we shouldn't hesitate or shouldn't compare," he said. "When someone says, 'I will give tanks if someone else will also share tanks'. I don't think this is the right strategy to go with."

“The courage of our warriors... is not enough against thousands of tanks of [the] Russian Federation," he added.

Tanks crucial to repelling spring Russian assault

Analysts say tanks are a crucial part of any combined-arms offensive to drive Russia out of occupied territories in Ukraine’s east and south.

Officials in Kyiv fear that without the delivery of at least 100 tanks they will be especially vulnerable to a fresh Russian assault in the spring.

It comes as the Washington Post reported that William Burns, the CIA director, travelled in secret to Kyiv last week for a meeting with Mr Zelensky.

Speaking at a Ukraine donor conference in Estonia, Mr Wallace attempted to reassure Berlin by saying it had already provided Kyiv with "far more potent" weapons than tanks.

"One thing I can say since last February, we have all done it together," Mr Wallace told reporters at the Tapa Military Base outside Tallinn.

He added: "I don't think a tank is remotely escalatory if you look at the effect Himars and M270 [multi-launch rocket systems] have delivered.

"There are three countries that put those in Ukraine – Germany, Britain and the United States. On one level, they are far more potent than a traditional Challenger tank or Leopard."

Leopard II tanks

Germany faces mounting pressure to supply Leopard II tanks to Ukraine CREDIT: Michael Sohn/AP

At the UK-led conference, nine countries, including Estonia, Poland and the Netherlands, signed a pledge to provide Kyiv with an “unprecedented set of donations”, including main battle tanks.

Ahead of the Nato defence ministers' meeting in Ramstein on Friday, Ukraine's Western allies announced significant packages of support.

Estonia increased its military support to more than one per cent of GDP, while Sweden promised some 50 armoured infantry fighting vehicles and Archer artillery systems and Denmark pledged all 19 of its French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzers.

Britain announced that it would send a further 600 anti-armour Brimstone missiles, while the US was finalising plans to donate nearly 100 Stryker combat vehicles.

"It is important that we enable the Ukrainians as best we can to be ready for whatever Russia might do this spring," a senior defence source told The Telegraph, highlighting updated intelligence shared with Nato allies.

Ukrainian officials have warned that Moscow could mobilise as many as 500,000 conscripts in order to launch a second attempt to capture Kyiv, or an attack on the city of Lviv to cut off Western weapons deliveries.

Mr Wallace said new Western donations had to "turn the momentum Ukrainians have achieved in pushing Russia back into gains".

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/01/19/germany-must-stop-stalling-ukraine-tanks-deal-say-nato-allies/