Kiev Is Burning

[Stefan Kotsch]

12 minutes ago, Stefan Kotsch said:

in industry and demography terms,

The focus is on industry.  As if the number of citizens had been a special performance of the Soviet Union.

[Roman Alymov]

3 minutes ago, Stefan Kotsch said:

The focus is on industry.  As if the number of citizens had been a special performance of the Soviet Union.

Poland once was country with developed shipbuilding and even airspace industry (for the country of its size), Baltic states were also heavily industrial.....  But if you believe what happened to them is good  -well, it is up to you. After all having less competition is good for Russia too.

[Stefan Kotsch]

2 minutes ago, Roman Alymov said:

After all having less competition is good for Russia too.

But it is Russia that all serious competition wants to escape through isolation. Even in the circle of the Brics countries, Russia is not what it wants to be. You have to face the economic competition and fight hard. However, this does not work by sending his army to other states to conquer areas of influence.

If the army and fleet are the only Russian allies, then Russia misunderstood something fatally.

[Roman Alymov]

Just now, Stefan Kotsch said:

But it is Russia that all serious competition wants to escape through isolation. Even in the circle of the Brics countries, Russia is not what it wants to be. You have to face the economic competition and fight hard. However, this does not work by sending his army to other states to conquer areas of influence.

If the army and fleet are the only Russian allies, then Russia misunderstood something fatally.

THat is useless debate. Let's wait and see the outcome. No reason to rush to conclusions.

[Roman Alymov]

Vice-governor of Russian Far East Sergey "Cuban" Efremov, who earlier volunteered to frontline as regional volunteer btn commander, was KIA when his car hit landmine after evacuating WIAs from frontline. 

"Sergey Efremov was born in 1973. He graduated from the Ussuriysk Suvorov Military School, the Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School, the RANEPA and the Military Institute (Directorate of National Defense) Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. At various times, he served as Vice-Mayor of Ussuriysk and Deputy Chairman of DOSAAF of Russia for Economics and Finance.

In March 2022, Yefremov went to Donbass to find his son, with whom he lost contact during the fighting. According to him, after looking at "the whole story that happened there," he decided that he needed to go help "his children, his country."

"Sergey was an extraordinary man with a big kind heart, sympathetic. Field commander, organizer. In June of the 22nd year, when it was extremely important, we organized the Tiger detachment, where he became its first commander," said the head of Primorye.

The detachment was formed on the basis of the 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet. The first group of volunteers went to the special operation zone in the summer of 2022. According to Kozhemyako, Sergey Yefremov did everything to ensure that the squad performed its tasks with dignity.

In 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense recognized the LEOPARD-22 Tiger as the best volunteer unit in the country. During the time he was on the front line, Yefremov was awarded several awards, including the St. George's Cross and the title of Hero of the DPR. In February 2024, the governor of Primorsky Krai appointed Yefremov vice governor in charge of domestic policy.

"After returning here, home, to his homeland, he continued to work here, strengthening his position here, doing everything to help his colleagues, to help his countrymen, to find a use for them. The Tiger-Law and Order detachment was formed, and laws were passed that allow military personnel to receive additional payments when applying for a job. He did everything to ensure that the rear and the front were a single organism," Kozhemyako stressed.

In August 2024, when the Ukrainian Armed Forces invaded the Kursk region, Sergei Yefremov, along with the fighters of the Tiger detachment, decided to return to the front line to liberate the region. According to Kozhemyako, the group of 200 people was assembled literally over the weekend.

"He performed combat missions there with honor and courage, glorifying the Marines, glorifying the Tiger detachment and the Primorsky Territory," the governor noted.

In November 2024, Yefremov confessed in the program "Men" of the Zvezda TV channel:

"I couldn't imagine at all that I would be fighting in my sixties, still fighting with my son. And I couldn't imagine that I would still be defending my own country. It still doesn't make sense to me. Well, life is such a thing — you need to be prepared for any challenges."

Sergei Yefremov was 51 years old. He is survived by his wife and four children."  «Возвращался с задания». На СВО погиб вице-губернатор Приморья, уехавший освобождать Курскую область | Газета.Ru | Дзен

"

[urbanoid]

58 minutes ago, Roman Alymov said:

Poland once was country with developed shipbuilding and even airspace industry (for the country of its size), Baltic states were also heavily industrial.....  But if you believe what happened to them is good  -well, it is up to you. After all having less competition is good for Russia too.

Economically we're literally having a golden(ish) age* now, despite all the problems you and others have noticed (e.g. @ink mentioning our somewhat 'colonial' economic status within the EU).

Shipbuilding? This branch has suffered in the West in general in the recent decades (~90% of new ships are built in China-Korea-Japan), but we have found our niche in subcontranting and overhauls, we have our B&R centers, direct emplyoment in the industry is about 40k(ish) people and the industry is 90%+ private (which means it's doing what the world market actually wants, as opposed to 'realizing 5 year plans').

Then again the goal of the economy is not to 'build ships' or 'have aerospace industry', but to generate profit and to maintain and improve the living standards of the population.

*not because it's so great compared to really well off states, but because what we have is still better than... ever before?

[Roman Alymov]

One of the drone tricks used by both sides is to land drone on some high observation point and use it as static observation camera (it will allow DJI Mavic, for example, to provide artillery spotting for hours instead of typical 30 minutes). But as this trick is also known to adversary, it is making drone more valnurable. On this video, pro-Ukr Mavic on top of water tower was detected by pro-Russians and destroyed by FPV drone https://t.me/boris_rozhin/153414

 

[Roman Alymov]

Stryker wreck somewhere in Kursk area https://t.me/boris_rozhin/153434

 

[Roman Alymov]

Video of Bradley IFV retaining mobility after ATGM hit, Pokrovsk area https://t.me/milinfolive/141136

[JWB]

https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1886084107559432558

In an intercepted conversation, a Bryansk resident described heavy Russian losses near Kupyansk, noting that their people go but no one returns.

[seahawk]

13 hours ago, Roman Alymov said:

Poland once was country with developed shipbuilding and even airspace industry (for the country of its size), Baltic states were also heavily industrial.....  But if you believe what happened to them is good  -well, it is up to you. After all having less competition is good for Russia too.

That was the positive influence of the Soviet Union - look at East Germany. Once a true industrial power house, now largely living in poverty and providing holiday locations for the Western overlords. So sad.

[Stuart Galbraith]

2 hours ago, seahawk said:

That was the positive influence of the Soviet Union - look at East Germany. Once a true industrial power house, now largely living in poverty and providing holiday locations for the Western overlords. So sad.

It was much better under the Nazis for East Germans. Lots of arms plants, autobahns to build, torchlight parades every weekend. Then those meddling commies had to spoil it all.

[Roman Alymov]

FiberFPV vs. British Challenger-2 tank, Kursk region. Strange Challenger tanks still have no anti-drone "barns" on them. only extra EW antennas https://t.me/infomil_live/14638

[Stuart Galbraith]

Can people try to find an alternative to telegram please? It refuses to play in browsers.

[Stuart Galbraith]

I presume it's this one.

No idea what the thing is that it hits. Presumably a local jammer of some sort.

[Roman Alymov]

2 hours ago, Stuart Galbraith said:

 

No idea what the thing is that it hits. Presumably a local jammer of some sort.

Yes it is the same video. The black boxes hit are plastic covers of EW antennas used by both sides(but pro-Russians usually paint them)

[Stefan Kotsch]

2 hours ago, Stuart Galbraith said:

Can people try to find an alternative to telegram please? It refuses to play in browsers.

You can't play big videos if you don't have an account with TG.

[TonyE]

They usually pop up on twitter very fast, so a quick search with keywords and they can be found.

[Roman Alymov]

UkrAF command confirmed the loss of their fighter pilot yesterday https://t.me/infomil_live/14646

   According to pro-Rus sources, his Su-27 was shot down by Р-37М missile fired by Su-30SM2 from 130km distance. https://t.me/ZOV_Voevoda/26564

[alejandro_]

37 minutes ago, Roman Alymov said:

UkrAF command confirmed the loss of their fighter pilot yesterday https://t.me/infomil_live/14646

   According to pro-Rus sources, his Su-27 was shot down by Р-37М missile fired by Su-30SM2 from 130km distance. https://t.me/ZOV_Voevoda/26564

Pilot was just 24 years old, much younger than previous pilots KIA, so probably a sign that Ukraine is lacking experienced crews (at they start of the war veterans from Soviet era came back to serve because they had more flying experience).

[Roman Alymov]

1 hour ago, alejandro_ said:

Pilot was just 24 years old, much younger than previous pilots KIA, so probably a sign that Ukraine is lacking experienced crews (at they start of the war veterans from Soviet era came back to serve because they had more flying experience).

  I'm affraid it is not exactly the case. Yes there were cases of Soviet-trained experienced pilots return to service, but we do not know how many of them actually returned (as they are, let's say, often not too "patriots of independent Ukraine"). Young ideologically motivated Capitan (who was 14 when war started, so quite a product of Azov-style education) is for sure more willing to fight.

      My distant relative, experienced UkrAF helicopter pilot (with several missions in UN contingents in Africa) for some reason choose not to go fly helicopters, but somehow ended up in "territorial defence" unit in his home region far away from frontline. No idea what was his motives (can't ask now for obvious reasons) -quite possibly, as experienced pilot he was well aware what is the life expectancy of combat piloit flying against modern AD and fighters on old Mi-24 or Mi-8....

[Roman Alymov]

Rus Tv report from Velikaya Novoselovka (in Russian) https://t.me/boris_rozhin/153492

[Roman Alymov]

Compilation of Lancet strikes on RM-70 Vampire MLRS launchers https://t.me/uav_tech/30898

[JWB]

https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1886110839473614996

Russian State Duma deputy Tsarev acknowledged that capturing Donbas will take years at the current pace, making it impossible to destroy Ukraine.

[glenn239]

Reports this morning that active resistance activities have commenced in Ukraine directed against mobilization centers, specifically reports of one or more bombings at "recruitment" centers.  Expectations are that its going to get worse, especially if the law to drop the draft to 18 passes.