Paul A Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 What is the difference between a tactical nuke and a nuke? Less powerful than strategic nuclear weapons, tactical nuclear weapons are intended to devastate enemy targets in a specific area without causing widespread destruction and radioactive fallout. ... By comparison, the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in World War II had yields of 15 and 21 kilotons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_nuclear_weapon There is no exact definition of the "tactical" category on range or yield of the nuclear weapon.[2][3] The yield of tactical nuclear weapons is generally lower than that of strategic nuclear weapons, but larger ones are still very powerful, and some variable-yield warheads serve in both roles. What is the smallest nuke possible? The smallest (in size) publicly-known known nuclear device was probably the W82 155mm artillery shell. That's six inches diameter in American and Liberian units. It weighed 43 kg (or 95 lbs) and had a yield of less than 2 kilotons. Nuclear weapon yields Atomic bombs is measured in kilotons, each unit of which equals the explosive force of 1,000 tons of TNT. The explosive power of hydrogen bombs, by contrast, is frequently expressed in megatons, each unit of which equals the explosive force of 1,000,000 tons of TNT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
level9 Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 First US troops (+British, German) going in... ex-special ops/NATO joining the volunteer army... The group, composed of six US citizens, three Brits, and a German, are NATO-trained and experienced in close combat and counterterrorism. They want to be among the first to officially join the new International Legion of the Territorial Defense of Ukraine that Zelensky announced Sunday, according to text messages reviewed by BuzzFeed News. Two former American infantry officers are also making plans to come to Ukraine to provide “leadership” for the group, the Army veteran recruiter said. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christopherm51/american-nato-military-veterans-fight-russia-with-ukraine 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 https://www.ukrinform.net/ Ukraine local times. 06:39 Ground Forces Commander: All aggressors’ attempts to break through Kyiv defense have failed 06:29 European Commission President: We want Ukraine in EU 04:37 Enemy's attempt to capture Irpin failed, attack repulsed - General Staff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richardo Posted February 28, 2022 Author Share Posted February 28, 2022 I dont have a good sense for this stuff but how much faith do you guys place on reports of how well combatants are doing in a war? i assume russia is “officially” stating all good news thats basically counter to everything we hear. But does their tiktok show all the tanks out of gas and stuff? It really looks like russia is completely incompetent, but if that’s true howd they handle Syria and Georgia and Chechnya and all that stuff through history? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post level9 Posted February 28, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted February 28, 2022 1 hour ago, Richardo said: It really looks like russia is completely incompetent, but if that’s true howd they handle Syria and Georgia and Chechnya and all that stuff through history? From the arm-chair quarterbacking going on in the media, consensus seems to be that they made some strategic errors. They were expecting a US-style shock-and-awe campaign and to be done in a few days. Their miscalculations: - They weren't expecting the Ukrainians to put up a serious fight (cut and run out of fear, etc.) - They weren't expecting them to be as well armed (US/NATO sent them some really advanced and nasty weapons like heat-seeking anti tank weapons, etc.) - They attacked a state the size of Texas and everywhere at once which as one general noted is like attacking nowhere since you're spread so thin - They didn't entirely secure air superiority and this is causing them some headaches - They ran out of gas once the initial surge failed (logistics issues which weren't planned for) - They attacked with only a fraction of their ground force - They aren't actually trying to destroy the place. They want Ukraine intact in order to add it's economic power into Russia. The surgical nature of this war is more taxing than they anticipated So Putin is currently cranking up the attack force to 75+% and trying to pull Belarus' troops in as well and the suspicion is that if that doesn't work then they will start using their WMDs and level the place (seems to be the main concern at the moment). If the ceasefire and/or peace talks don't work, the volume is going to get a lot louder real fast... They have a hell of a lot of weapons that make really, really big booms (even before we get to the nukes) and as best I can tell they aren't using them.... yet. 1 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
level9 Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 1 hour ago, Richardo said: I dont have a good sense for this stuff but how much faith do you guys place on reports of how well combatants are doing in a war? Every day I wake up, check the news and say to myself: hot damn those crazy bastards are still alive !!! In other words, the Ukrainians are doing exceptionally well. US Intel who can clearly see the force counts via the satellites thought they'd all be toast days ago... Now that is seems the entire free world is flooding the place with more weapons I'd say they've got an (admittedly still small) chance to make it out alive... 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 Monday, 28 February 2022, 09:11 https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3415460-general-staff-of-armed-forces-russian-invaders-demoralized-suffer-heavy-losses.html Russian invaders are demoralized and suffer heavy losses. Russian troops have slowed down the offensive but are still trying to succeed in some areas in the assault against Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine notes that the Ukrainian troops manage to successfully repel the attacks of battalion-tactical groups on the approaches, forcing the enemy to abandon the offensive. "The enemy is demoralized and suffers heavy losses. Frequent cases of desertion and disobedience are observed. The enemy realized that propaganda and reality are different. The occupiers are afraid of us," the statement reads. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the losses of the Russian army currently total about 4,500 people. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/27/ukraine-russia-invasion-tactics/ Today at 8:41 p.m. EST The war in Ukraine isn’t going Russia’s way. Videos posted on social media show whole columns of tanks and armored vehicles have been wiped out. Others have been stopped in their tracks by ordinary Ukrainians standing on the street to block their advance. Lightly armed units propelled deep into the country without support have been surrounded and their soldiers captured or killed. Warplanes have been shot out of the skies and helicopters have been downed, according to Ukrainian and U.S. military officials. Logistics supply chains have failed, leaving troops stranded on roadsides to be captured because their vehicles ran out of fuel. Most critically, Russia has proved unable to secure air superiority over the tiny Ukrainian air force — despite having the second-largest air force in the world, Pentagon officials say. Its troops have yet to take control of any significant city or meaningful chunk of territory, a senior U.S. defense official said Sunday. On Sunday, a Russian attempt to seize control of the city of Kharkiv, less than 30 miles from the Russian border, was repelled. A fresh push toward the capital, Kyiv, came to a smoking end in the suburb of Irpin, where videos posted on social media showed the charred remains of Russian tanks and armored vehicles strewn around the streets while Ukrainian soldiers removed weapons from the bodies of dead Russians. These scenes of humiliation have played out widely on social media, where the Ukrainians have won a clear advantage. Multiple videos from around the country have portrayed scenes of burned Russian tanks, dead Russian soldiers and captured Russians, some barely out of their teens, making plaintive calls home to their parents. The Russian military has meanwhile issued little in the way of reporting on the Ukraine war, in contrast to the prolific reporting that came out of its intervention in Syria. On Sunday, a spokesman acknowledged that there had been Russian casualties and losses, while saying they were “many times less” than those suffered by Ukraine. “Russian servicemen are showing courage and heroism while fulfilling combat tasks in the special military operation. Unfortunately, there are killed and injured among our comrades,” the state news agency Tass quoted military spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying. “The losses of the Russian Armed Forces are many times less than the number of servicemen of the Ukrainian armed forces.” U.S. officials and military experts caution that it is still too early to draw conclusions about the eventual trajectory of a war that is only days old. “We are in Day 4. The Russians will learn and will adapt and will try to overcome these challenges. I think we need to be pragmatic about that,” said the senior U.S. defense official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss the situation. What is clear, however, is that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s gamble on a swift and decisive takeover of Ukraine has not paid off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 Russians are dying because of Putin. Desperate Russian Army Facing Heavy Losses in Ukraine. Raw Footage 610 views Feb 28, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 Russian POWs Say They Were Tricked, Threatened During Invasion 5,791,627 views Feb 28, 2022 Captured Russian occupiers deeply regrets coming to Ukraine (subtitles) 1,091,271 views Feb 28, 2022 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdoe Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 9 hours ago, Richardo said: I dont have a good sense for this stuff but how much faith do you guys place on reports of how well combatants are doing in a war? i assume russia is “officially” stating all good news thats basically counter to everything we hear. But does their tiktok show all the tanks out of gas and stuff? It really looks like russia is completely incompetent, but if that’s true howd they handle Syria and Georgia and Chechnya and all that stuff through history? In exactly same way - brute force and leveling infrastructure completely with "dumb" bombs and MRLS. They've started bomb runs in Syria where there was very little surface to air coverage, bombing hospitals among other things. Georgian army only started to appear at the moment of war and Chechnya had its capital leveled to the ground and puppet local government installed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniVehje Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 @cdoe Your location seems to be Ukraine. How are you? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 The Russian soldiers didn't even know they were going into war. They were told that the Ukrainians would welcome them. Young men, cannon fodder. _______________________________ https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3415941-im-scared-were-hitting-everyone-even-civilians-russian-soldier-to-his-mother-before-being-killed-in-action.html Monday, 28 February 2022, 17:20 The Security Service of Ukraine has made public a photo of texts sent by one of the Russian invaders to his mother before he was killed in combat. In the texts, the soldier says it is actual war in Ukraine, that he was deployed right after the exercises held in Crimea, and that civilians are actually standing before Russian armored vehicles, trying to stop them, while Russian soldiers had been told by their commanders that the Ukrainians would be welcoming them in their homeland. He also says Russian forces are shelling the Ukrainian territory indiscriminately, including civilians. The following is the full text of the correspondence seen in the picture: “- Mom, I’m not in Crimea anymore, not at the exercises - Where are you then??? Dada is asking whether we can send you a parcel - What parcel are you talking about? The only thing I want now is to hang myself - What are you talking about? What’s wrong? - Mom, I’m in Ukraine. There’s real war here. I’m scared, we’re hitting everyone, even civilians. We had been told that people would welcome us here but they jump under our vehicles, not letting us pass. They call us fascists. Mom, it’s so hard" The caption to the photo of a killed soldier’s phone says the serviceman didn’t have enough time to surrender to Ukrainian forces. “But other invaders still have a chance to save their lives,” the SBU wrote. “Let’s defend Ukraine together!” 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
level9 Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 (edited) Newswire: France's Elysée Palace says it fears that Ukrainian civilians will be "massively" targeted in a Russian invasion, a spokesperson has said. The concerns were revealed during a briefing with journalists on Monday, coming just after French President Emmanuel Macron's phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Not good... also seeing reports of clusters bombs being used, the Russian convoy of tanks, APCs, etc. is now 40+ miles long headed to Kyiv and US Intel indicates Belarus may be preparing to invade as well... Putin's going all-in... Edited March 1, 2022 by level9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 (edited) 29 minutes ago, level9 said: Newswire: France's Elysée Palace says it fears that Ukrainian civilians will be "massively" targeted in a Russian invasion, a spokesperson has said. The concerns were revealed during a briefing with journalists on Monday, coming just after French President Emmanuel Macron's phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Not good... also seeing reports of clusters bombs being used, the Russian convoy of tanks, APCs, etc. is now 17 miles long headed to Kyiv and US Intel indicates Belarus may be preparing to invade as well... Putin's going all-in... Even if putin takes over the Ukraine. Do he really thinks people will simply give up and follow him??? This isn't a catch a "flag" game, where game ends when "flag" is captured.. He may take over the country, yet people will simply not follow any rules he may give.. This isn't a 1900 year, where people followed leaders like "sheeps" People will do what right and so on.. After this whole scenario, i can say 99% he will not be a president anymore anyways. Because whole world hates that dipshit now. Taking over country.. Means jack shit nowadays. At the moment putler started this "WAR" he lost. He's whole country will feel the pain for many years.. Edited February 28, 2022 by Funky 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 Ukrainians have been able to destroy armour and ambush convoys. They have the weapons capability. Air superiority is not effective against individuals with shoulder launch anti tank javelins/RPGs. It gives air support to protect against Ukrainian air force. Seventeen miles is a long column. Knowing where troop movements makes them vulnerable. Traffic jams caused by destruction on roads is going to slow progress, increase exposure. Travelling on a road in a column is an easier target. Widely dispersed, at high speed across open ground with freedom of movement is harder to ambush. Been bit of a turkey shoot on Russian convoys. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Paul A said: Ukrainians have been able to destroy armour and ambush convoys. They have the weapons capability. Air superiority is not effective against individuals with shoulder launch anti tank javelins/RPGs. It gives air support to protect against Ukrainian air force. Seventeen miles is a long column. Knowing where troop movements makes them vulnerable. Traffic jams caused by destruction on roads is going to slow progress, increase exposure. Travelling on a road in a column is an easier target. Widely dispersed, at high speed across open ground with freedom of movement is harder to ambush. Been bit of a turkey shoot on Russian convoys. So true.. It takes one molotov cocktail to stop a armored vehicle, It takes one RPG to stop a tank in tracks.. When they enter "bigger" cities. They will simply be shot down from apartment buildings. Russian forces stand no chance in city. Where they can simply be shot down from any window. One takes first vehicle, second takes second vehicle and so on.. Fishes in barrel.. Sitting ducks.. That's what will happen. It takes one phone call: "Hey bratan the morons are coming from that road and they should be there in 5 mins.. Ohh okey comrad, i will ready my stingers to sting those fascists!!!" Boom their vehicles are dead. Fleeing soldiers shot.. Heck, it seems i'm better war strategist. Than what putler has.. Edited February 28, 2022 by Funky 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 Yes. Ukrainian population is around 41 million people. They are united, defending their homeland. A lot of other countries are coming to their aid. Legitimacy will not be achieved by Putin. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 Prolonged close quarters combat in cities, building to building, hand to hand, would be a nightmare for invaders. Occupation trying to suppress an entire population would be difficult enough, but the defenders are well armed with effective weapons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
level9 Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 19 minutes ago, Funky said: Even if putin takes over the Ukraine. Do he really thinks people will simply give up and follow him??? This isn't a catch a "flag" game, where game ends when "flag" is captured.. I believe the current thinking is that he'll install a puppet government. It does work.. they've done it before elsewhere. As to whether it will work in Ukraine, I couldn't say... but I know the US was training the Ukrainians in gorilla war tactics with an expectation that the country would fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 2 minutes ago, level9 said: I believe the current thinking is that he'll install a puppet government. It does work.. they've done it before elsewhere. As to whether it will work in Ukraine, I couldn't say... but I know the US was training the Ukrainians in gorilla war tactics with an expectation that the country would fall. And people don't know about "Muppet Governments"? Most people will still rebel them. If not i will simply leave the country it self. Especially if their home is destroyed, nothing to return to. I would 100% kill that government, if i had a chance. Especially if they are some "new faces" that have never been seen in Ukraine before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3416412-eu-partners-to-hand-over-70-waplanes-to-ukrainian-army.html Eng Ukrainian multimedia platform for broadcasting EU partners to hand over 70 waplanes to Ukrainian Army 01.03.2022 01:55 Foreign partners will hand over as many as 70 warplanes to the Ukrainian Army – MiG-29s and Su-25s – to repel Russian aggression. As Ukrinform reports, the Land Forces of Ukraine announced this on Facebook. “’Ghosts of Kyiv’ will now have more! Plus 70 planes for the Ukrainian Army! Our partners are giving us MiG-29s and Su-25s! If necessary, they will be able to be based on Polish airfields from which Ukrainian pilots will perform combat missions," said the report. Bulgaria will hand over 16 MiG-29s and 14 Su-25s, Poland – 28 MiG-29s, and Slovakia – 12 MiG-29s. As Ukrinform reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky insists on a full no-fly zone for the Russian missiles, planes, and helicopters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
level9 Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 3 minutes ago, Paul A said: If necessary, they will be able to be based on Polish airfields from which Ukrainian pilots will perform combat missions That's great they're getting planes but that statement is disconcerting... Russia could easily interpret that as an act of war and retaliate against Poland which is NATO.. and there you have your WWIII. If I were Poland I'd probably land them on a road (Polish side). Fuel 'em up. Push them across the border where a Ukrainian pilot is waiting to jump in and they can take off from there. They'll have to find another place to land... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 European countries are already supplying Ukraine with weapons. Don't think Putin wants to open another front and attack Poland. Currently, other countries are refraining from direct involvement. The threat of strategic nukes, not tactical nukes, would be the most concerning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
level9 Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 8 minutes ago, Paul A said: European countries are already supplying Ukraine with weapons. Yes. This doesn't concern me too much. The US (and to an extent NATO) and Russia have been fighting proxy wars for a looooong time in this way (as well as others) and it's never developed itself into a world war. So... this isn't necessarily... unusual. 11 minutes ago, Paul A said: Don't think Putin wants to open another front and attack Poland. Hold up. First, Putin wants Poland. At the least, the eastern half. He's stated as much for a long time. Again, the macro-level issue isn't really just about Ukraine. Giving him a pretext to achieve his goals is.. inadvisable. And how exactly would the Ukrainians taking off from a Polish base work? Can the Russians immediately attempt to shoot them down... where... at the border? What happens if a Ukrainian is flying "home" to a "neutral" Polish air base/space and a Russian mig fires an air-to-air missile and it just so happens to not contact the Ukrainian mig until after its over the Polish border and that mig so happens to come crashing down into a Polish city killing 2 Polish women and a child? How does that play out? I mean.. the Russians didn't technically enter Polish air space, right? OK, let's say intent. So say the Ukrainian was flying west - not towards the Polish border, an A-to-A missile was fired and the Ukrainian suddenly veered north and crossed the border (at which point the heat-seeking missile followed) and then was downed over Polish territory anyway? How does that work? Is that a border violation? If so, isn't it the Ukrainians fault? and if not... why can't the Russians just go ahead and shoot down the Ukrainians the minute they take off from the Polish base so long as they physically keep their persons on the contested side of the border? What's wrong with that? See the problem? It's a legal nightmare.. and a really bad idea. Wars have been started over such things. The risk is simply too high. If I were Poland, I would deny such request... Keep in mind. The goal here.. is to not get the US and/or NATO directly involved in a war with Russia - which has never happened thus far. The stakes are simply too high.. and Putin is simply too unstable. There's just no telling what he might do in such circumstances. And as a reminder, the Russians have enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world many, many times over should they desire to do so. As you can see.. it's an extraordinarily very fine line we must walk here... one slip-up and we're all dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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