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On January 05 2023 00:39 {CC}StealthBlue wrote: Or it is a ruse so Russia has to scramble forces it perceives to be weak while Ukraine watches and learns.
Good point. I do have to wonder where Russia will send whatever forces it has left. Bakhmut seems more and more like a lost cause for Russia, so besides Crimea, maybe Luhansk
And that's as of November. Deaths and destruction has gone way up since then, so I have to imagine that number's closer to 350-400k troops and 70-75% of tanks gone
Yeah but like 150-200k of these are like donetsk or luhansk people which russia doesn't count in their numbers so for Russian people it's still an ok number and nothing to worry about yet.
On January 05 2023 03:06 sertas wrote: Yeah but like 150-200k of these are like donetsk or luhansk people which russia doesn't count in their numbers so for Russian people it's still an ok number and nothing to worry about yet.
This also means that when the war is over Luhansk and Donetsk regions will have some serious population issues.
On January 05 2023 03:06 sertas wrote: Yeah but like 150-200k of these are like donetsk or luhansk people which russia doesn't count in their numbers so for Russian people it's still an ok number and nothing to worry about yet.
I wonder, how do you fit 200k people in 20 regiments? Because this is the number of units that were created by LDPR at the start of the war. And if Ukraine has killed and wounded 200k people from LDPR (which would amount to around 8-10% of total current population, if we count the number of people who left to Russia), who is assaulting Ukrainian positions in Pervomaiskoye, Maryinka and Avdeevka at the moment?
On January 05 2023 03:06 sertas wrote: Yeah but like 150-200k of these are like donetsk or luhansk people which russia doesn't count in their numbers so for Russian people it's still an ok number and nothing to worry about yet.
I wonder, how do you fit 200k people in 20 regiments? Because this is the number of units that were created by LDPR at the start of the war. And if Ukraine has killed and wounded 200k people from LDPR (which would amount to around 8-10% of total current population, if we count the number of people who left to Russia), who is assaulting Ukrainian positions in Pervomaiskoye, Maryinka and Avdeevka at the moment?
Yeah russian state probably said they recruited 0 people from luhansk and donetsk during the course of the war and only 1k dead nothing to worry about, they just gonna need to conscript 200k more troops soon even doh russia only lost 10k people so far in almost 1 year
With the reluctance to provide modern MBTs from western armies, maybe providing lighter vehicles (ex. M2 Bradley from the USA) would be useful. Still has reasonable protection against everything except other tanks and there's tools to deal with tanks that don't involve tank on tank fights.
Main problem with AMX-10RC is that their main gun ammo is, even while being 105-mm, is not NATO compatible (they planned to upgrade it in 2000-s, but abandoned the idea, since the vehicle is planned to be replaced by Jaguar), so the burden of supply would lie solely on French.
On January 05 2023 03:06 sertas wrote: Yeah but like 150-200k of these are like donetsk or luhansk people which russia doesn't count in their numbers so for Russian people it's still an ok number and nothing to worry about yet.
I wonder, how do you fit 200k people in 20 regiments? Because this is the number of units that were created by LDPR at the start of the war. And if Ukraine has killed and wounded 200k people from LDPR (which would amount to around 8-10% of total current population, if we count the number of people who left to Russia), who is assaulting Ukrainian positions in Pervomaiskoye, Maryinka and Avdeevka at the moment?
Yeah russian state probably said they recruited 0 people from luhansk and donetsk during the course of the war and only 1k dead nothing to worry about, they just gonna need to conscript 200k more troops soon even doh russia only lost 10k people so far in almost 1 year
What Russian state? I asked how 200k people fit into 20 regiments, and if 10% of current population are dead and wounded (these are numbers close to the Soviet Union after six years of WW2 by the way), who is fighting in 1st, 3rd, 100th DPR brigades and 9th, 11th DPR regiments in Pervomaiskoye, Maryinka and Avdeevka?
On January 05 2023 03:06 sertas wrote: Yeah but like 150-200k of these are like donetsk or luhansk people which russia doesn't count in their numbers so for Russian people it's still an ok number and nothing to worry about yet.
I wonder, how do you fit 200k people in 20 regiments? Because this is the number of units that were created by LDPR at the start of the war. And if Ukraine has killed and wounded 200k people from LDPR (which would amount to around 8-10% of total current population, if we count the number of people who left to Russia), who is assaulting Ukrainian positions in Pervomaiskoye, Maryinka and Avdeevka at the moment?
All the number stuff is guessing. I mean even the original numbers from Russia were likely not true, all their current numbers and causality numbers are not true.
And even from the Ukraine side where we get "better" numbers at times, they are all not true. Some transparency would be nice, but even after this is all done it is going to be tons of estimating. Partly for political reasons and partly because it is a big clusterfuck.
You are right, that's why I'm trying to guess it out (among other things) based on combined claims from both sides about their current numbers, recruitment and their/enemy losses; amount and number of units created; situation on the front; oganization and table of equipment; reports from soldiers on both sides about their particular situation; news of rotations; photos of local graveyards and etc. Doing my own little OSINT in free time, so to say.
The most realistic numbers given throughout the war about their own losses are from DPR ombudsman, which were published until recently. The last one was stating 4k dead and 17k wounded for DPR, which is in no way insignificant number, the whole 1st DPR Army Corps pre-war was estimated to be 20k men.
On January 05 2023 03:06 sertas wrote: Yeah but like 150-200k of these are like donetsk or luhansk people which russia doesn't count in their numbers so for Russian people it's still an ok number and nothing to worry about yet.
I wonder, how do you fit 200k people in 20 regiments? Because this is the number of units that were created by LDPR at the start of the war. And if Ukraine has killed and wounded 200k people from LDPR (which would amount to around 8-10% of total current population, if we count the number of people who left to Russia), who is assaulting Ukrainian positions in Pervomaiskoye, Maryinka and Avdeevka at the moment?
All the number stuff is guessing. I mean even the original numbers from Russia were likely not true, all their current numbers and causality numbers are not true.
And even from the Ukraine side where we get "better" numbers at times, they are all not true. Some transparency would be nice, but even after this is all done it is going to be tons of estimating. Partly for political reasons and partly because it is a big clusterfuck.
You are right, that's why I'm trying to guess it out (among other things) based on combined claims from both sides about their current numbers, recruitment and their/enemy losses; amount and number of units created; situation on the front; oganization and table of equipment; reports from soldiers on both sides about their particular situation; news of rotations; photos of local graveyards and etc. Doing my own little OSINT in free time, so to say.
The most realistic numbers given throughout the war about their own losses are from DPR ombudsman, which were published until recently. The last one was stating 4k dead and 17k wounded for DPR, which is in no way insignificant number, the whole 1st DPR Army Corps pre-war was estimated to be 20k men.
Would you mind posting all your estimates that you have gathered so far; killed + wounded on all sides? Thanks!
With all military supply that keeps going to Ukraine, all of NATO's economy/budget, I wonder when Russia will crumble. I don't think it's sustainable for them to keep up. 1 year from now... 2 years max. I'm curious how long they can go on.
2500 per month for a special forces officer is slightly more than you would make being a cashier in a German supermarket. I don't know why but that thought just drives me crazy.
The US is considering sending Bradley's to Ukraine.
HEBRON, Kentucky, Jan 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine was being considered to help the that country fight Russia's invasion.
"Yes," Biden said when asked if the option was on the table.
The armored vehicle with a powerful gun has been used as a staple by the U.S. Army to carry troops around battlefields since the mid-1980s.
The Army has thousands of Bradleys, which could give the Ukrainians more firepower on the battlefield. Biden's move, however, is short of sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which the Ukrainians have been requesting.
It was not clear how many Bradleys are destined for Ukraine, but the United States is preparing another weapons aid package which could be announced in the coming days.
Late last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the U.S. Congress that the tens of billions of dollars of aid it had approved to help it combat a Russian invasion was not charity, but an investment in global security.
The United States has sent about $21.3 billion in security assistance to Kyiv as Europe's biggest land conflict since 1945 grinds on, killing tens of thousands.
The United States has increasingly sent more capable weapons to Ukraine. Initially, Raytheon Technologies Corp-made shoulder-fired Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as well as Javelin anti-tank missiles, were used to beat back the Russian advance. Javelins are made by a Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon joint venture.
As the war progressed and Ukraine's needs changed, more complex weapons systems, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)d, were shipped to Kiyv.
Most recently, the United States pledged to send a Patriot missile system to repel Russian missile and drone attacks. Training and other logistics still need to be worked out.
The Army is working to retire its Bradley fleet, and is working with industry to build a replacement as it seeks to modernize.
On January 05 2023 03:06 sertas wrote: Yeah but like 150-200k of these are like donetsk or luhansk people which russia doesn't count in their numbers so for Russian people it's still an ok number and nothing to worry about yet.
I wonder, how do you fit 200k people in 20 regiments? Because this is the number of units that were created by LDPR at the start of the war. And if Ukraine has killed and wounded 200k people from LDPR (which would amount to around 8-10% of total current population, if we count the number of people who left to Russia), who is assaulting Ukrainian positions in Pervomaiskoye, Maryinka and Avdeevka at the moment?
All the number stuff is guessing. I mean even the original numbers from Russia were likely not true, all their current numbers and causality numbers are not true.
And even from the Ukraine side where we get "better" numbers at times, they are all not true. Some transparency would be nice, but even after this is all done it is going to be tons of estimating. Partly for political reasons and partly because it is a big clusterfuck.
You are right, that's why I'm trying to guess it out (among other things) based on combined claims from both sides about their current numbers, recruitment and their/enemy losses; amount and number of units created; situation on the front; oganization and table of equipment; reports from soldiers on both sides about their particular situation; news of rotations; photos of local graveyards and etc. Doing my own little OSINT in free time, so to say.
The most realistic numbers given throughout the war about their own losses are from DPR ombudsman, which were published until recently. The last one was stating 4k dead and 17k wounded for DPR, which is in no way insignificant number, the whole 1st DPR Army Corps pre-war was estimated to be 20k men.
Would you mind posting all your estimates that you have gathered so far; killed + wounded on all sides? Thanks!
Sure, though it would take some time, since I don't want my post to look like emplty numbers pulled from my head, so I would try to explain logic behind them in detail.
2500 per month for a special forces officer is slightly more than you would make being a cashier in a German supermarket. I don't know why but that thought just drives me crazy.
Purchasing power parity. 2500 bucks is very good salary for Russia (3-5 times above average, depending on a region), you can live a good life with that, especially with a citizenship (whatever you think of Russia, I assure you, it's still much better than Afghanistan, especially if you are wanted man there). Fat chance that, if true, they could enter Kadyrov units as well, as brothers in Islam (Kadyrov is seeking to be one of the leaders in Muslim world, so I doubt he would miss the chance to score some points). But remembering all the ruse with Lybian/Syrian/Iranian/North Korean or w/e else mercenaries that were rumored to fight for Russia en masse, and that later there weren't any substantual evidence of any presented (I mean POWs/bodies, or some names at least), beside singular cases in Wagner (like the Zambian guy who was doing his time for drug dealing in Russia) I think it to be just another hype train.
P.S. Cashier in Russian supermarket makes around 400-500.
Russian citizens are leaving Crimea and trying to sell their property there. It seems that Ukraine is poised to take Melitopol and liberate Crimea soon after. Not sure about this source's credibility though, seems very optimistic but I guess we'll see in a few weeks.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz is facing fresh calls to send tanks to Ukraine after France announced it would supply Kyiv with armoured vehicles.
The promise by French president Emmanuel Macron to supply AMX-10s to the Ukrainian armed forces — a move billed by the Élysée Palace as the first delivery of western-made tanks to the country — has heaped renewed pressure on the German leader to drop his opposition to supplying Kyiv with heavy fighting vehicles.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the Bundestag’s defence committee and a member of the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) who are part of Scholz’s three-way coalition, said the chancellor “should, in the spirit of Franco-German friendship, finally recognise the signs of the time and move ahead”. “The ball is now in Berlin’s court,” she added.
Her comments were echoed by Johann Wadephul, deputy parliamentary leader of conservative opposition party the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which has been highly critical of what it sees as Scholz’s timid response to pleas from Kyiv for more military help.
“The French announcement represents urgently needed support for Ukraine and is a clear signal to President Putin,” said Wadephul. “But the chancellor’s main excuse for not supplying any heavy armoured vehicles is collapsing.”
The Élysée cast the announcement as a sign that Paris is stepping up its military support for Ukraine as Putin’s war on the country approaches its second year.
A French official described the AMX-10 as a light tank and some experts agree, pointing to its definition as such in arms control agreements, but others have said it should categorised as an armoured vehicle. Still, the commitment by Paris reignited calls from Kyiv, which is dependent on Soviet-era tanks, for western-made battle tanks.
In his nightly televised address, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that the donation of the unspecified number of AMX-10s “sends a clear signal to all our other partners: there is no rational reason why Ukraine has not yet been supplied with western-type tanks”.
Scholz, operating under the weight of German history and his own cautious style of leadership, has faced harsh criticism at home and abroad for his response to Putin’s invasion.
Though Scholz announced a “sea change” in his nation’s defence and energy policy just days after the war began, he has taken a more hesitant approach than some western allies on arms deliveries to Kyiv.
This has caused tensions in his own coalition, with the Greens and FDP adopting a more proactive stance than his own left-of-centre Social Democrats. Annalena Baerbock, the Green foreign minister, has frequently made clear that she is in favour of supplying Ukraine with tanks.
Last year, under international and domestic pressure, Scholz agreed to dispatch heavy weapons, including air defence systems, to Kyiv. But he has stopped short of providing kit such as the Marder, an infantry fighting vehicle, or the more heavy duty German-made Leopard-2 battle tank.
This has disappointed Ukrainian officials, who have long beseeched their western allies for tanks and armoured vehicles that would provide its troops with the heft they need to safely manoeuvre and puncture Russian front lines.
So far, only Poland and the Czech Republic have sent tanks, around 280 in total, drawn from their Soviet-era weapon stocks. General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, has said he needs at least 300 more tanks and 700 armoured troop carriers and fighting vehicles to push Russian forces back to their pre-February 24 lines.
Scholz and his allies have long insisted that Germany should not go it alone in sending tanks without parallel moves by other western allies. That argument now risks being undermined by Macron’s pledge.
Christian Mölling, deputy director of the German Council on Foreign Relations, said Berlin had “let go a lot of opportunities where we could have taken the lead and made a substantial contribution by sending main battle tanks or even light tanks to Ukraine”.
“We haven’t done it. And now all the things we’ve proclaimed we want to be . . . are being overtaken by events,” he added.