Arming Ukraine

feralnomad35 said:Lol, right, because the Russians have always been such paragons of virtue, right? Like, "Oh, we wouldn't dream of touching those weapon shipments... unless the Ukrainians get armed too fairly and correctly, then we might consider a little destruction." Give me a break.

They’d probably try to blow up everything in sight before it even reaches the Ukrainians if they could, but reality is hitting them hard. It actually blows my mind how the Russians don't seem to have better intel; you'd think in a country where there are so many Russian assets infiltrated everywhere, information would be leaking to Moscow constantly, but clearly, nothing is happening.

These Russians are honestly a joke.

Do they seriously think they’re fighting some ragtag group of cave dwellers or amateurs? Those weapons are going to be moving in convoys miles 19 miles long, just like when the Russians were parading their way toward Kyiv. I really think the Russians need to wake up and realize they aren't fighting some easy target—they are stuck in a massive proxy war against the USA. They’re facing the absolute best of the best, the guys who have been fighting non-stop for decades and are hands down the strongest military, operational, and intelligence forces on the planet.

That whole supply route is definitely decentralized, probably broken down into tiny individual shipments right before they hit the border, so Russia doesn't stand a theoretical chance of destroying any significant amount of gear.

I mean, the Americans have set up bases right on the Belarusian border; they’re actually closer to the front lines near Kyiv than the Russians are, LOL.

Why do you think the Belarusians suddenly backed off? It’s because the Americans are deploying something like 100,000 troops along that border. And we aren't talking about some unprepared amateurs like these pathetic Russians; we're talking about highly trained, elite professional armies, fully geared up, who could march across the entire country in 20 days if anyone made even one wrong move.

The Americans are just waiting for an excuse. If they can't enforce order in Moscow, they can do it in Canada, the Middle East, Belarus—basically wherever an opportunity pops up to make their presence felt. 🙂 And the Russians are already whining that the Americans don't want this war to end. Well, duh! Of course they don't; the Americans want to fight this thing until the very last Russian tank is gone, and frankly, they couldn't care less what happens to them.

Putin is such a chess player!

At this point, their only real move is lobbing cruise missiles at delivery trucks😬
provided they can actually tell which truck is carrying a weapon shipment and which one is just hauling rolls of toilet paper.

Andrew Booth29 said:It all comes down to how you actually employ your hardware. But yeah—Russian armored vehicles have been an absolute joke so far. Their armor is paper-thin, which means everyone ends up suffering from those catastrophic ammunition cook-offs. That’s partly because the Russian military insisted on making these vehicles amphibious—which was a questionable call to begin with—and the other part? Well, I suppose they just don't seem to value their soldiers' lives much.
These vehicles might be okay for ferrying infantry toward the front lines or providing some long-range fire support, but they shouldn't be anywhere near a direct firefight. Yet, here we are, watching the Russians throw them into the meat grinder en masse, only to leave behind nothing but empty, burnt-out shells. Honestly, I can't wrap my head around their tactics.

You don't have enough ammo to match what I can send—just a constant stream of BMPs packed with infantry straight into the crosshairs... classic Russian tactics.

The West really should have stepped up much earlier—I mean, right when Putin started massing those troops! They should have been training Ukrainians to handle long-range Western air defense systems and ramping up production on those Norwegian units everyone is asking for. If they were going to find the guts to do it, they should've jumped in the second the invasion kicked off.

Anyway—it feels like the West is being indecisive, timid, and honestly just pathetic when it comes to arming Ukraine.

From what I can see, the Russians are ramping up their air activity and bombing all over Ukraine, gradually picking apart the Ukrainian air defenses. It seems like it’s going to be a massive headache for Ukraine because they won't have enough time to train people on Western systems—both in the short and long term—while they're stuck using those old Soviet-era systems from Slovakia. If you look at the analyses, one of the biggest reasons Ukraine hasn't folded yet is that the Russian Air Force hasn't established total air superiority.

Does any factory in the West actually produce those old S-300 systems under license? Is it possible they're relying on them without having a steady stream of replacements while the war is still raging?

And here's a wild thought—is it even possible to fast-track training for Ukrainians so they can operate Western systems by following live instructions from Western operators over the internet? I mean, I doubt it would actually work in the heat of the moment, but what if things get desperate? I'm just throwing ideas out there—I don't know the first thing about this stuff—but I'm curious because it feels like such a pivotal question for how the military situation develops, which eventually leads to the ultimate political solution.

Douglas Sanchez5 said:The West really should have stepped up much earlier—I mean, right when Putin started massing those troops! They should have been training Ukrainians to handle long-range Western air defense systems and ramping up production on those Norwegian units everyone is asking for. If they were going to find the guts to do it, they should've jumped in the second the invasion kicked off.

Anyway—it feels like the West is being indecisive, timid, and honestly just pathetic when it comes to arming Ukraine.

From what I can see, the Russians are ramping up their air activity and bombing all over Ukraine, gradually picking apart the Ukrainian air defenses. It seems like it’s going to be a massive headache for Ukraine because they won't have enough time to train people on Western systems—both in the short and long term—while they're stuck using those old Soviet-era systems from Slovakia. If you look at the analyses, one of the biggest reasons Ukraine hasn't folded yet is that the Russian Air Force hasn't established total air superiority.

Does any factory in the West actually produce those old S-300 systems under license? Is it possible they're relying on them without having a steady stream of replacements while the war is still raging?

And here's a wild thought—is it even possible to fast-track training for Ukrainians so they can operate Western systems by following live instructions from Western operators over the internet? I mean, I doubt it would actually work in the heat of the moment, but what if things get desperate? I'm just throwing ideas out there—I don't know the first thing about this stuff—but I'm curious because it feels like such a pivotal question for how the military situation develops, which eventually leads to the ultimate political solution.

Nope. On the flip side, the Britons have already stationed their Sky Sabre medium-range air defense near Rzeszów, Poland. I've got a feeling the Ukrainians are already getting some practice in with it.

A heartwarming little clip from some Spanish reporters:
"Heavenly Punishment," a collective of hobbyists building custom drones 16:45
''Heavenly Punishment''—DIY drones...

Lviv.
Just six young Ukrainians, total drone enthusiasts, working out of a basement to build small drones for the war effort.
They make all sorts: some carry anti-tank grenades about the size of a wine bottle, but they're powerful enough to punch through Russian armor.
Others carry miniature bombs meant for dropping on Russian infantry.
The third type looks like mini stealth bombers, used by Ukrainian artillery for scouting missions and target identification.

They've named their drones ''Heavenly Punishment'' 😁, and they've already managed to churn out 40 in just one month of fighting.

Before the war, they were just a group of friends who regularly competed in amateur drone racing competitions.

Looks like those T-72 transfers are finally on the horizon. Honestly, between the Poles, the Bulgarians, and the Czechs, they should have plenty of them sitting around ready to go. And hey, maybe even some PT-91s if they're feeling generous, but regardless, those Abrams are definitely headed their way soon.

https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/statu...sQjGsZwAQ&s=19

Carl Lee27 said:Looks like those T-72 transfers are finally on the horizon. Honestly, between the Poles, the Bulgarians, and the Czechs, they should have plenty of them sitting around ready to go. And hey, maybe even some PT-91s if they're feeling generous, but regardless, those Abrams are definitely headed their way soon.

https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/statu...sQjGsZwAQ&s=19

If this plays out, it basically means they think they can totally shut down Russian air operations.

feralnomad35 said:If this plays out, it basically means they think they can totally shut down Russian air operations.

Which means they could end up with some seriously heavy-duty air defense that blows MANPADS out of the water.

Carl Lee27 said:Looks like those T-72 transfers are finally on the horizon. Honestly, between the Poles, the Bulgarians, and the Czechs, they should have plenty of them sitting around ready to go. And hey, maybe even some PT-91s if they're feeling generous, but regardless, those Abrams are definitely headed their way soon.

https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/statu...sQjGsZwAQ&s=19

Could we perhaps see the M-84 making an appearance as well?

Dana Robinson4 said:Could we perhaps see the M-84 making an appearance as well?

If our leadership actually had half a brain...

Christian Torres3 said:If our leadership actually had half a brain...

And they’d probably need to find some extra funding too... though finding that would be even harder than locating a shred of common sense.

I'm under the impression that we're looking at voluntary donations here...

Nancy Gomez26 said:And they’d probably need to find some extra funding too... though finding that would be even harder than locating a shred of common sense.

True, but eventually someone’s gonna have to deal with those old tanks. Right now, it’s just trading the old for the new with a massive surcharge.

I was just thinking about this rather fascinating theory 🤣

Christian Torres3 said:Which means they could end up with some seriously heavy-duty air defense that blows MANPADS out of the water.

Honestly, if they can just get enough replacements for those lost S-300 and buk systems, that’s probably plenty. I guess training people on how to run "heavyweight" Western air defense tech would take forever anyway, right?

placidrider48 said:Honestly, if they can just get enough replacements for those lost S-300 and buk systems, that’s probably plenty. I guess training people on how to run "heavyweight" Western air defense tech would take forever anyway, right?

https://twitter.com/MarkHertling/sta...C-sYHp5_UpAAAA

This is such a solid thread on why rolling out new weapon systems to countries currently in a war zone is so complicated. It’s not just about teaching operators which buttons to push—there’s a whole mountain of logistics and maintenance involved. Getting those high-end systems fully operational is a much longer game than most people realize.

Kenneth Cruz67 said:

I was just thinking about this rather fascinating theory 🤣

Actually, the mere fact that you see so much of this Russian gear flooding the black market—while their own elite units seem to be lacking it—kind of supports that idea, doesn't it?...

Back when I was just a kid, we used to tell jokes about stuff like this...

feralnomad35 said:Lol, right, because the Russians have always been such paragons of virtue, right? Like, "Oh, we wouldn't dream of touching those weapon shipments... unless the Ukrainians get armed too fairly and correctly, then we might consider a little destruction." Give me a break.

They’d probably try to blow up everything in sight before it even reaches the Ukrainians if they could, but reality is hitting them hard. It actually blows my mind how the Russians don't seem to have better intel; you'd think in a country where there are so many Russian assets infiltrated everywhere, information would be leaking to Moscow constantly, but clearly, nothing is happening.

These Russians are honestly a joke.

Do they seriously think they’re fighting some ragtag group of cave dwellers or amateurs? Those weapons are going to be moving in convoys miles 19 miles long, just like when the Russians were parading their way toward Kyiv. I really think the Russians need to wake up and realize they aren't fighting some easy target—they are stuck in a massive proxy war against the USA. They’re facing the absolute best of the best, the guys who have been fighting non-stop for decades and are hands down the strongest military, operational, and intelligence forces on the planet.

That whole supply route is definitely decentralized, probably broken down into tiny individual shipments right before they hit the border, so Russia doesn't stand a theoretical chance of destroying any significant amount of gear.

I mean, the Americans have set up bases right on the Belarusian border; they’re actually closer to the front lines near Kyiv than the Russians are, LOL.

Why do you think the Belarusians suddenly backed off? It’s because the Americans are deploying something like 100,000 troops along that border. And we aren't talking about some unprepared amateurs like these pathetic Russians; we're talking about highly trained, elite professional armies, fully geared up, who could march across the entire country in 20 days if anyone made even one wrong move.

The Americans are just waiting for an excuse. If they can't enforce order in Moscow, they can do it in Canada, the Middle East, Belarus—basically wherever an opportunity pops up to make their presence felt. 🙂 And the Russians are already whining that the Americans don't want this war to end. Well, duh! Of course they don't; the Americans want to fight this thing until the very last Russian tank is gone, and frankly, they couldn't care less what happens to them.

Putin is such a chess player!

And let's be real, something stinks about all this Western military aid. I mean, look at it—the USA has dumped billions , plus the European Union, Australia... It feels like every single day there's some new headline about another massive shipment being sent over. If that was the case, they should've been sitting pretty in Moscow by now instead of picking up dead civilians off the streets. Something is definitely getting stuck somewhere.

Christian Torres3 said:You don't have enough ammo to match what I can send—just a constant stream of BMPs packed with infantry straight into the crosshairs... classic Russian tactics.

That might have worked back in 1945, but in the age of McDonald's, it’s going to be a much harder sell.☕

placidrider48 said:Honestly, if they can just get enough replacements for those lost S-300 and buk systems, that’s probably plenty. I guess training people on how to run "heavyweight" Western air defense tech would take forever anyway, right?

I suppose I agree.

Right now, what really matters for the Ukrainian military is setting up a coordinated network of MANPADS on the battlefield. If they can cover everything up to 3+ km with Stingers and Starstreaks—paired with some decent early warning for Russian aircraft and helicopters—that changes things.

Getting those S-300 and Buk units back up to strength might just be enough to stop the Russians from flying high without worrying about much.

Since they've burned through so many precision bombs and missiles lately (and honestly, not all of them were even that accurate), the Russians might be forced to fly low for tactical strikes, using dumb bombs just to hit something.

That kind of thing would lead to losing quite a few planes and helicopters pretty quickly.
And besides, keeping their existing fleet flight-ready is becoming an uphill battle, I think.