Kiev Is Burning

[crazyinsane105]

1 hour ago, Markus Becker said:

Just because some radical from the Donbass goes the whole nine yards and then some, we can't expect a random guy from Siberia to do the same. 

BTW, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the sub standard armament of the so effective insurgent militias. It doesn’t go together. If they are so great, give them some AK74s that walked out of who knows what depot. 

The majority of the militias are armed with some pretty modern small arms though, they have been for a while. We did see photos of a number armed with Mosin Nagants, but it’s unlikely they are the majority, and these guys are probably just holding captured territory far in the rear. 
 

My in laws, while they spent 8 odd years in Russian controlled Gorlovka, they were only able to differentiate between militia and Russian regulars not by the small arms, but just by the way they looked and what uniforms they were wearing. They also weren’t too fond of the militia guys either…I can get into that later if people want to know

[Perun]

[Perun]

1 minute ago, crazyinsane105 said:

The majority of the militias are armed with some pretty modern small arms though, they have been for a while. We did see photos of a number armed with Mosin Nagants, but it’s unlikely they are the majority, and these guys are probably just holding captured territory far in the rear. 
 

My in laws, while they spent 8 odd years in Russian controlled Gorlovka, they were only able to differentiate between militia and Russian regulars not by the small arms, but just by the way they looked and what uniforms they were wearing. They also weren’t too fond of the militia guys either…I can get into that later if people want to know

Offcourse mate, please do

[crazyinsane105]

1 minute ago, Perun said:

Offcourse mate, please do

Militia guys were mostly men who didn’t have the greatest backgrounds, or the best job prospects, and were given a rifle (or whatever weapon assigned to them). For the most part they left other folks alone, but on occasion they did take advantage and Rob folks, and one day they really beat the hell out of a senior citizen for fun. This was just in Gorlovka, I can’t say for certain how things were all over the East.
 

To be fair, the Ukrainian military that was deployed to the front line not far from Gorlovka acted in a similar fashion, and my wife, whenever she did go to meet her parents, saw the Ukrainian soldiers on the front ( she had to cross through multiple checkpoints) as a lot more undisciplined than the militias in DNR and LNR. Which did surprise me, but the way she explained it…Ukrainian military deployed on the front were mostly guys from Western Ukraine, and didn’t particularly like eastern Ukrainians. So their treatment towards folks from East Ukraine wasn’t great either.

My family grew to hate the soldiers on both sides. The Russian soldiers…they never had an issue with them. But they only saw them in 2014-2015, and obviously in the days leading up to Feb 24. Those guys more or less kept their heads low and didn’t engage much with the locals. I’m assuming these were the better trained guys and not just conscripts 

[bojan]

2 hours ago, Josh said:

Where and when is this reported to be?

About week ago, Kiev.

[Adam_S]

A structural engineer analyses damage to the bridge at Kherson. tl;dr - it's fecked.

 

[Roman Alymov]

3 hours ago, Josh said:

Where and when is this reported to be?

"Ukrainian T-64BV tanks being transported across the Dnieper river", recent photo + more by this link

 

[crazyinsane105]

17 minutes ago, Adam_S said:

A structural engineer analyses damage to the bridge at Kherson. tl;dr - it's fecked.

 

Isn't there another bridge over a dam that can be used for the same purpose?

Also, bridges being blown is a double edged sword. The Russians can't use it, but neither can the Ukrainians if and when they want to take over the rest of Kherson province. Assuming of course, they are able to do so in a month.

[Adam_S]

2 minutes ago, crazyinsane105 said:

Isn't there another bridge over a dam that can be used for the same purpose?

Yes. It got HIMARSed a couple of days ago.

[crazyinsane105]

Just now, Adam_S said:

Yes. It got HIMARSed a couple of days ago.

Yup, but I did read that one is more easily repairable. 

Also, the issue exists that pontoon bridges can be set up sporadically and have supply convoys go through, and then the bridges can be taken off. Obviously this will slow down re supply, but a pontoon bridge isn't a static target, it can still be taken down and transported elsewhere. Hence the Russians still have options for a resupply if necessary. Just that, it makes it harder for sure

[crazyinsane105]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/are-there-enough-guided-rockets-for-himars-to-keep-up-with-ukraine-war-demand?fbclid=IwAR2UAQoLTiOrCYsibKGvnRfQuQUbf0FLUy8cxbILAfmJy5QBefv7pZmkOxw
 

Answers some questions about HIMARS rocket inventory 

[Adam_S]

16 minutes ago, crazyinsane105 said:

Yup, but I did read that one is more easily repairable. 

Also, the issue exists that pontoon bridges can be set up sporadically and have supply convoys go through, and then the bridges can be taken off. Obviously this will slow down re supply, but a pontoon bridge isn't a static target, it can still be taken down and transported elsewhere. Hence the Russians still have options for a resupply if necessary. Just that, it makes it harder for sure

It's not been as badly damaged yet but it's every bit as vulnerable. It's also further North and traffic heading from there to Kherson has to pass over another bridge which has also been hit.

[Huba]

Here's a nice map of the relevant bridges in the area, with their current status:

 

[sunday]

41 minutes ago, crazyinsane105 said:

Isn't there another bridge over a dam that can be used for the same purpose?

Also, bridges being blown is a double edged sword. The Russians can't use it, but neither can the Ukrainians if and when they want to take over the rest of Kherson province. Assuming of course, they are able to do so in a month.

I would not put much trust on what that random twitter guy states, as he seems to mix up pre-stressed concrete with post-tensioned concrete structures.

[KV7]

2 hours ago, crazyinsane105 said:

Yup, but I did read that one is more easily repairable. 

Also, the issue exists that pontoon bridges can be set up sporadically and have supply convoys go through, and then the bridges can be taken off. Obviously this will slow down re supply, but a pontoon bridge isn't a static target, it can still be taken down and transported elsewhere. Hence the Russians still have options for a resupply if necessary. Just that, it makes it harder for sure

As I noted above, even if this is not possible setting up a ferry using e.g. landing craft or barges should be possible. They just need to construct simple piers.

[Adam_S]

51 minutes ago, KV7 said:

As I noted above, even if this is not possible setting up a ferry using e.g. landing craft or barges should be possible. They just need to construct simple piers.

There is a ferry of sorts running now. I don't think it'll replace the capacity of a bridge though. Doing this or trying to build a pontoon bridge under drone observation and in range of Ukrainian artillery doesn't seem to be sustainable in the long term either.

 

[Adam_S]

Predictably enough...

 

[JWB]

 

[DB]

On 7/26/2022 at 9:03 PM, Strannik said:

Let's inject some humor or rather humour - Putin is coming for Liz

 

Not seen anyone call this out, I did scan through the pages but there's so much chaff in here that it's impossible to keep up.

Yes, "humour".

Do you actually know what the "sound in the studio" was?

If not, then you're an idiot for not checking. if you do, then you're a troll.

[crazyinsane105]

11 minutes ago, JWB said:

 

I remember Patriot missile crews having this issue as well in both Gulf Wars. I can only imagine how chaotic it must be, on both sides, to be manning air defenses in the face of just countless fixed and rotary wing aircraft, drones, and missiles being fired, and having mere seconds to respond. 
 

I’m not sure either side has trained for something like this on the scale the Ukraine war has become. What does surprise me is that these cases aren’t happening more often.

Edited July 28, 2022 by crazyinsane105

[Adam_S]

 

[KV7]

4 hours ago, Adam_S said:

There is a ferry of sorts running now. I don't think it'll replace the capacity of a bridge though. Doing this or trying to build a pontoon bridge under drone observation and in range of Ukrainian artillery doesn't seem to be sustainable in the long term either.

 

A ferry should be harder to attack, because the watercraft are mobile targets. An armed drone would work or observation with drone could be used to hit a pier where unloading or loading is observed to be happening.

However if the situation is so bad that drones can routinely hit watercraft, then they can presumably also hit trucks.

[Josh]

8 hours ago, crazyinsane105 said:

Isn't there another bridge over a dam that can be used for the same purpose?

Also, bridges being blown is a double edged sword. The Russians can't use it, but neither can the Ukrainians if and when they want to take over the rest of Kherson province. Assuming of course, they are able to do so in a month.

There’s also another river between that dam and Kherson. The same one that protected Kievs west flank; name escapes but begins with I.

[Josh]

4 hours ago, crazyinsane105 said:

I remember Patriot missile crews having this issue as well in both Gulf Wars. I can only imagine how chaotic it must be, on both sides, to be manning air defenses in the face of just countless fixed and rotary wing aircraft, drones, and missiles being fired, and having mere seconds to respond. 
 

I’m not sure either side has trained for something like this on the scale the Ukraine war has become. What does surprise me is that these cases aren’t happening more often.

This.

I don’t think anyone is trained for this kind of AD environment. I think the combination of UAVs and rockets combined with rotary wing and low flying planes is hashing AD, and that’s just what we know about.

I hope my side is learning but I doubt it.

[KV7]

That is the Inhulets but it does not extend towards Kiev. Perhaps you mean the Irpin.