Arming Ukraine

Honestly, if the Americans just handed the Ukrainians a few thousand Excalibur units and maybe a couple hundred ATACMS , they’d be set. I mean, seriously, Russia wouldn't even know what hit them.

Does anyone happen to know the effective range of the Starstreak?

What’s going to happen when all that anti-tank gear and other weaponry captured by Russia starts getting sent back to its home countries through some weird, unofficial channels? Honestly, it’s just a matter of time.

Since that kind of weaponry isn't actually part of the Russian arsenal anyway, they wouldn't have anything left to hand over even if they were feeling particularly generous...

Total concern trolling fail.

Drug cartels are going to absolutely love these new toys.
It’s also got some EU candidates in the mix, like the IRA or the Korzikanci.
I bet the clueless politicians will be scratching their heads all over again.

You could probably do better than that.

Then again, maybe you can't.

Joseph Clark37 said:I honestly don't understand why there's such a delay in delivering equipment like MiG-29s, various types of former Soviet armor and artillery, new drones, anti-ship missiles, extra air defense systems, and hundreds of tons of infantry gear and ammo. All of this was needed yesterday just to give the Ukrainian military any real maneuverability. Otherwise, it’s only a matter of time before the Russians encircle the east and keep pushing south...

For anyone who actually understands how quickly—or rather, how slowly—weaponry was dispatched during similar historical crises, this level of rapid, massive support is unprecedented.
If someone had told me even two months ago that Ukraine would be receiving this much aid, coming from places like Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Finland, and even Spain... I probably would have told them they were out of their mind.
The sheer scale of this help feels almost surreal, and the unity within the West is something we haven't seen... at least not in the last 30 years or so.
What we’re seeing now as days, in other historical contexts, would have taken months.

Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before Russia encircles the east and continues its push toward the south.

The Russian military made headway in those opening days mostly because of the element of total surprise—basically because Vladimir Putin decided to escalate the invasion so aggressively.
Even so, that unprepared Ukrainian military managed to halt and beat the Russian army in the North and the Southeast.
As far as I can tell, it isn't really realistic for the Russians to pull off another major breakthrough in the south right now. At least, not without a full-scale mobilization back in Russia.
Maybe the Russians can just hope they manage to hold onto what they've already taken.

The USA is sending another $100 million worth of Javelins. They really are the best can openers out there. 😁
https://www.nau.ch/news/amerika/usa-...ne-an-66149001

Meanwhile, Germany is still saying no to those 100 Marder tanks the Ukrainian Armed Forces are asking for.
https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/...r-zoegert.html

Timothy Nelson5 said:For anyone who actually understands how quickly—or rather, how slowly—weaponry was dispatched during similar historical crises, this level of rapid, massive support is unprecedented.
If someone had told me even two months ago that Ukraine would be receiving this much aid, coming from places like Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Finland, and even Spain... I probably would have told them they were out of their mind.
The sheer scale of this help feels almost surreal, and the unity within the West is something we haven't seen... at least not in the last 30 years or so.
What we’re seeing now as days, in other historical contexts, would have taken months.

Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before Russia encircles the east and continues its push toward the south.

The Russian military made headway in those opening days mostly because of the element of total surprise—basically because Vladimir Putin decided to escalate the invasion so aggressively.
Even so, that unprepared Ukrainian military managed to halt and beat the Russian army in the North and the Southeast.
As far as I can tell, it isn't really realistic for the Russians to pull off another major breakthrough in the south right now. At least, not without a full-scale mobilization back in Russia.
Maybe the Russians can just hope they manage to hold onto what they've already taken.

If you just search "CIA Ukraine War," you'll find plenty of info showing that the CIA basically called all of this and got the intel to the Ukrainians right when it mattered. Honestly, if you look up the Battle of Kyiv, you'll see the timeline of the fight. The Ukrainians weren't blindsided by any of this; if anything, I'd say they saw it coming. Maybe they should have gone for a bigger mobilization earlier, but whether that was a massive screw-up or a calculated move to keep the Russians from sniffing out their plans is just speculation on my part.

I get the sense that the CIA has absolutely wrecked the Russians, literally dismantled them through everything they've been doing since 2014.

Carl Lee27 said:I’ve got this nagging feeling that, for better or worse, a huge chunk of what we’re seeing is driven by US geopolitics. Honestly, I don't think a lightning-fast end to this war is actually in their best interest. It feels like Ukrainians are being handed just enough gear to keep the Russians pinned down in a defensive crouch, but maybe not quite enough to secure a total victory. Beyond just making sure Russia bleeds, you have to look at the bigger picture—like pulling Germany away from Russian influence and really tightening the bonds within NATO. A quick resolution to the conflict might actually jeopardize those long-term strategic goals.

First, let's look at the military logistics:

The US doesn't have enough F-16s or similar aircraft sitting around to replace what Poland, Slovakia, and the others are sending.
The F-16's predecessor, the Mig-29, has pretty limited utility—especially when it comes to supporting ground troops during offensive operations—and there simply aren't enough of them to change the math on the battlefield.

Then you have the broader strategic concerns—they aren't exactly thrilled about escalation, for instance. If things ramp up too much, Russia might start targeting the very airfields being used to deliver these jets.

Honestly, the most practical move would be to max out the air defense support for the Ukrainians—meaning all those Eastern European Buk systems, Patriot missile systems, OSA, and Greek Tor systems—while ramping up ammunition, specifically artillery (with rocket shells being produced in both the Czech Republic and Poland). We should also keep the T-72s coming—the Czech ones are already on the way, and I suspect Polish ones will follow. And the Switchblade deliveries? Those should be at absolute maximum capacity.

jadescout12 said:Drug cartels are going to absolutely love these new toys.
It’s also got some EU candidates in the mix, like the IRA or the Korzikanci.
I bet the clueless politicians will be scratching their heads all over again.

So, basically, we managed to stop MANPADS proliferation during the chaos in Libya—even though they had the most advanced Igla systems at the time—but now we're just going to let Ukraine start shuffling them around (much like what you mentioned regarding the Korzikanci 🤣)... I wouldn't exactly go that far 🙄

Drug cartels have amassed more liquid capital than most small nations hold in foreign exchange reserves. For them, money isn't the bottleneck; which implies they possess the capacity to procure any arsenal currently on the market. These cartels and mafia syndicates don't actually seek an all-out war with the government. It's counterproductive. They require a symbiotic relationship with the state to function. No state, no cartel. Their survival depends on operating within the cracks of the establishment, staying largely invisible. The moment they become too conspicuous, they transform from a nuisance into a direct threat, prompting the state to pivot toward total liquidation. As long as they remain in that gray area—operating under the radar—they are often met with nothing more than a calculated, limited tolerance.

Gerald Chavez7 said:So, basically, we managed to stop MANPADS proliferation during the chaos in Libya—even though they had the most advanced Igla systems at the time—but now we're just going to let Ukraine start shuffling them around (much like what you mentioned regarding the Korzikanci 🤣)... I wouldn't exactly go that far 🙄

As soon as they control the borders—even with a war and refugees pouring through--
Those little groups with their various agendas and all that.
Basically, they have agencies dedicated entirely to that task.

But honestly? After the war, weapon proliferation could definitely be an issue—kind of like what we dealt with here in the States after our own conflicts. But hey, that’s a problem for future them. Right now, they're just trying to survive, and that only happens if they keep fighting.

Estonia has sent more gear over again: ammo, armored vehicles, and D-30 howitzers
View on twitter

This conflict actually presents a massive opportunity for NATO members who are still sitting on mountains of old "Russian" surplus. Why not finally clear out the inventory by sending it over to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces?

Best regards,

Thomas Nelson25 said:As soon as they control the borders—even with a war and refugees pouring through--
Those little groups with their various agendas and all that.
Basically, they have agencies dedicated entirely to that task.

But honestly? After the war, weapon proliferation could definitely be an issue—kind of like what we dealt with here in the States after our own conflicts. But hey, that’s a problem for future them. Right now, they're just trying to survive, and that only happens if they keep fighting.

It wouldn't matter if they didn't have a single Javelin or Stinger on hand. If some theoretical terrorist decides they want to buy MANPADS, they aren't going to care whether it's an Igla or a Stinger. Same goes for an RPG-22 versus an AT-4.

stormygardener15 said:If you just search "CIA Ukraine War," you'll find plenty of info showing that the CIA basically called all of this and got the intel to the Ukrainians right when it mattered. Honestly, if you look up the Battle of Kyiv, you'll see the timeline of the fight. The Ukrainians weren't blindsided by any of this; if anything, I'd say they saw it coming. Maybe they should have gone for a bigger mobilization earlier, but whether that was a massive screw-up or a calculated move to keep the Russians from sniffing out their plans is just speculation on my part.

I get the sense that the CIA has absolutely wrecked the Russians, literally dismantled them through everything they've been doing since 2014.

It is certainly true that the sheer readiness and motivation displayed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces caught just about everyone by surprise.

Gerald Chavez7 said:So, basically, we managed to stop MANPADS proliferation during the chaos in Libya—even though they had the most advanced Igla systems at the time—but now we're just going to let Ukraine start shuffling them around (much like what you mentioned regarding the Korzikanci 🤣)... I wouldn't exactly go that far 🙄

I think you've got it wrong. Officially, Russia hands over captured weapons to these two republics. Where that gear actually ends up? That's anyone's guess—only the intel agencies know for sure. 😁
Anyway, if I'm right, we'll all hear about it soon enough.

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

Check this out. A retired US Army Lieutenant General breaks down why dropping high-tech Western gear into the mix—stuff Ukraine hasn't really touched before—is such a massive headache. It’s basically his take on all those questions about why the US isn't just sending over M1 Abrams, Patriots, or F-15 Eagles right away. He also touches on the logic behind hunting for anyone still running old USSR-era hardware who might be willing to pass it along instead.

The priorities have to be:
- individual protection (body armor, helmets)
- personal small arms
- anti-armor and anti-air weaponry
- communication gear

We don't need tanks or heavy armor. At least, not right now.