The Ukraine war thread
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Iraq was perceived as a threat by most intelligence services of western countries at the time. It may have been wrong, but it was not at the time. Because "after all."
That's not how I remember it. Many called BS on the WMD hypothesis right from the start. I never bought it.
I for one think the actual reason was that the Bush administration thought they had to do something to fulfill desires of revenge about 9/11, and Iraq was convenient and geostrategically useful for that.
My impression is that many Americans have no idea about how devastating that war was with respect to the general sentiment towards the US in many parts of the world.
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There's a site that tracks equipment losses by Russia and Ukraine. It only lists verified losses (photos, etc), and also breaks down whether the equipment was destroyed, damaged, or abandoned.
https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html
As of today:
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@Klaus said in The Ukraine war thread:
Very hard to get that data even remotely correct.
Presumably the availability of photos and videos is rather asymmetric for the two sides.
And it's almost impossible to avoid duplicates or fakes.
Even so, I think it's obvious that
- Ukraine is getting pummeled
- They're holding up far better than anyone expected.
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@Klaus said in The Ukraine war thread:
Iraq was perceived as a threat by most intelligence services of western countries at the time. It may have been wrong, but it was not at the time. Because "after all."
That's not how I remember it. Many called BS on the WMD hypothesis right from the start. I never bought it.
I for one think the actual reason was that the Bush administration thought they had to do something to fulfill desires of revenge about 9/11, and Iraq was convenient and geostrategically useful for that.
My impression is that many Americans have no idea about how devastating that war was with respect to the general sentiment towards the US in many parts of the world.
WMD aside (and there are still many questions regarding the convoys to Syria), The Hussein regime was in serious violation of the ceasefire agreement, were supporting multiple terror cells and activities, were actively trying to assassinate world leaders and former Presidents, and were denying access to UN Inspectors and completely gaming the sanctions to enrich themselves while starving their populace. I personally find that invasion to be perfectly justified.
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@Klaus said in The Ukraine war thread:
Very hard to get that data even remotely correct.
The site says:
"This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Small arms, munitions, civilian vehicles, trailers and derelict equipment (including aircraft) are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. ATGMs and MANPADS are included in the list but not included in the ultimate count. The Soviet flag is used when the equipment in question was produced prior to 1991.
(Click on the numbers to get a picture of each individual captured or destroyed vehicle)"
Presumably the availability of photos and videos is rather asymmetric for the two sides.
True. However, I doubt that the Russians are documenting their losses in this fashion. Perhaps I'm naive to believe that the Ukrainians are a bit more honest in that regard.
And it's almost impossible to avoid duplicates or fakes.
Possible as well, but they seem to be pretty scrupulous about that. Nothing is documented without a photo. However, for each item listed there is a unique photo.
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I was against it from the very beginning but I also remember that as a key split I had with the left.
I went to an anti-war rally and everyone there thought the war was unjust.
I never thought it was unjust, I simply thought it was unwise.
Many more people have come to that view, including quite a few who supported it at the time.
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Well, no sense in being budget conscious for that May vacation now...
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@Renauda said in The Ukraine war thread:
They’ll find out soon enough that global market for sand is limited to local supply if it even exists.
Actually...
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/05/sand-shortage-the-world-is-running-out-of-a-crucial-commodity.html
Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
@George-K said in The Ukraine war thread:
There's a site that tracks equipment losses by Russia and Ukraine. It only lists verified losses (photos, etc), and also breaks down whether the equipment was destroyed, damaged, or abandoned.
https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html
As of today:
You know what screams out from that list?
Helicopters.
For years, helicopters were touted as the answer to vertical envelopment and close combat air support. I think this war is going to make some people sit back and rethink some things.
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"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@George-K said in The Ukraine war thread:
Interesting comparison of losses from yesterday vs today.
Russians also have much more equipment to lose.
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@Jolly said in The Ukraine war thread:
@Renauda said in The Ukraine war thread:
They’ll find out soon enough that global market for sand is limited to local supply if it even exists.
Actually...
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/05/sand-shortage-the-world-is-running-out-of-a-crucial-commodity.html
Sand can be found on almost every country on Earth, blanketing deserts and lining coastlines around the world. But that is not to say that all sand is useful. Desert sand grains, eroded by the wind rather than water, is too smooth and rounded to bind together for construction purposes.
The sand that is highly sought after is more angular and can lock together. It is typically sourced and extracted from seabeds, coastlines, quarries and rivers around the world..
The good news is that Arab sand won’t make the cut.
I remember watching a business news report about six months on the growing demand for certain types of sand.
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Much much more at the link.
RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 17
Key Takeaways
- Russian forces continue to make steady territorial gains around Mariupol and are increasingly targeting residential areas of the city.
- Ukrainian forces northwest of Kyiv launched several local counterattacks and inflicted heavy damage on Russian forces.
- Ukrainian forces repelled Russian operations around Kharkiv and reported killing a regimental commander.
- Ukrainian intelligence reports that Russia may have expended nearly its entire store of precision cruise missiles in the first twenty days of its invasion.
- Russian forces deployed unspecified reserve elements of the 1st Guards Tank Army and Baltic Fleet Naval Infantry to northeastern Ukraine on March 17.
- Russia may be parceling out elements of the reserve force that could conduct an amphibious operation along the Black Sea coast to support ongoing assaults on Mariupol, further reducing the likelihood of a Russian amphibious assault on Odesa.
- Ukrainian forces shot down 10 Russian aircraft—including five jets, three helicopters, and two UAVs—on March 16, and Ukrainian forces continue to successfully contest Russian air operations.
Russian forces face mounting difficulties replacing combat casualties and replacing expended munitions. The Ukrainian General Staff stated on March 17 that Russian forces will begin another wave of mobilization for the Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DNR) 1st Army Corps on March 20.[2] Ukrainian intelligence continued to report Russian forces face difficulties manning both combat and support units and increasing desertion rates.[3] The General Staff further reported that Russian forces are increasingly using indiscriminate weapons against residential areas because they used almost their entire supply of “Kalibr” and “Iskander” cruise missiles in the first 20 days of the invasion.[4] It is unclear if the Ukrainian General Staff means Russian forces have used almost all precision munitions earmarked for the operation in Ukraine or almost all missiles in Russia’s total arsenal—though likely the former.
