Zagdid
Veteran Member
Martial law is set to expire 12/26. “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
WAR RUSSIA BLOCKS KERCH STRAIT AND ENGAGES UKRANIAN NAVY PART TWO 12-7-2018
- Thread starter Doomer Doug
- Start date
Martial law is set to expire 12/26. “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Doomer Doug, I loves ya. We just don't see eye to eye on the government of Ukraine and probably won't in the forseeable future. I say tomato, you say tomahto.......We agree to disagree, that's fine. You're good people.
Not only do we have the potential for armed combat looming; Ukraine's political "season" is about to start shortly. Their presidential election takes place on March 31st, 2019 but the opening preliminaries start next week. Here is an article I found on Kiev Post that explains the process and the candidates. If Russia meddled around in our elections; one can only imagine what they will do in Ukraines'.
https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/the-big-question-of-2019-who-will-be-next-president.html
2019 Presidential Election
The big question of 2019: Who will be next president?
By Bermet Talant.
Published Dec. 21. Updated Dec. 21 at 11:51 am
Ukraine’s election frenzy will start on New Year’s Eve, with the official launch of the presidential election campaign in the March 31 vote.
If none of the candidates wins a majority of the votes, the two candidates with the most votes will go into a runoff election on April 21.
Only two of Ukraine’s five presidents have won election in the first round in independent Ukraine’s history: Leonid Kravchuk in 1991 and Petro Poroshenko in 2014.
One presidential election even triggered a revolution. In 2004, Viktor Yanukovych attempted to take power in a rigged Nov. 21 election that led to the Orange Revolution. The Supreme Court ordered a repeat of the runoff vote on Dec. 26, which Viktor Yushchenko won.
But Yanukovych made a stunning comeback to win the presidency in a Feb. 7, 2010, runoff election, defeating Yulia Tymoshenko, then prime minister, by less than 3.5 percentage points. His rule came to an ignominious end when he fled Ukraine on Feb. 22, 2014, after the EuroMaidan Revolution. On May, 25, 2014, Poroshenko easily defeated Tymoshenko in the first round of the election.
Key dates
Dec. 31 — Feb. 3 — Nomination of candidates for president, and submission of candidacies to the Central Election Commission. Start of the election campaign.
Feb. 8 — Candidate registration deadline and deadline for setting up an election fund account.
Feb. 13 — Final list of candidates announced on the website of the Central Election Commission and in the parliamentary and government newspapers.
March 8 — Deadline for withdrawal of candidacies.
March 29 — End of the election campaign.
March 30 — Day of silence — no campaigning or release of poll results permitted.
March 31 — Election Day.
April 10 — Deadline for announcing election results.
April 21 — Runoff election (if required).
May 1 — Deadline for announcing runoff election results.
June 3 — Deadline for presidential inauguration in parliament.
How many voters?
As of Nov. 30, the State Registry of Voters estimates there are 35,622,943 Ukrainian voters, including over half a million voters registered abroad.
The Central Election Commission has simplified the voting procedure for Ukrainian citizens who have fled the Russian-occupied parts of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts and Crimea: They no longer have to provide proof of why they have to vote in a different polling station.
According to the latest official numbers, there are 1.5 million internally displaced people in Ukraine.
Who is eligible to run?
A presidential candidate must be a Ukrainian citizen aged 35 years or older. They must speak the Ukrainian language and have permanently resided in Ukraine for 10 years prior to Election Day. Candidates may not hold dual citizenship.
A candidate can be a self-nominee or nominated by a political party. A person can be the president of Ukraine for no more than two consecutive terms.
Besides submitting their applications to the Central Election Commission, all candidates for the office of president must file a declaration of income and assets for 2018, which will be audited by the National Agency for Corruption Prevention.
Every candidate also must provide a deposit Hr 2.5 million ($89,000) to the Central Election Commission. The election winner and runoff candidate receive their money back. The other funds collected as deposits go to the state budget after the election.
Campaign financing
A candidate may officially start campaigning on the next day after they register with the Central Election Commission. They also must establish an election fund and open a bank account in hryvnias.
A campaign election fund can include a candidate’s private funds as well as funds of the political party that nominated the candidate.
Fundraising is allowed but restricted. Individuals may donate a total of Hr 1.67 million ($59,444); legal entities can donate twice as much.
Foreigners and charity funds are forbidden to support candidates financially.
All candidates must file two financial reports for their campaign election funds with the National Agency for Corruption Prevention: the interim report is due on March 25, and the final report is due on April 14.
The most expensive election campaign in Ukraine’s history was the 2004 one: Yanukovych’s campaign office reportedly spent close to $1 billion, while Yushchenko’s spent $400 million. It was also the dirtiest political race, with vote buying, the near-fatal dioxin poisoning of Yushchenko and the failed attempt to rig the vote count.
How many candidates?
As many as 22 candidates are expected to enter the race. Some are considered secret fronts for others, designed to siphon votes from rivals. Among them:
Roman Bezsmertnyi, former lawmaker and ambassador, Agrarian Party
Olha Bohomolets, member of parliament, Petro Poroshenko Bloc
Yuriy Boyko, member of parliament, Opposition Platform — Za Zhittya
Yuriy Derevyanko, member of parliament, the Movement of New Forces
Dmytro Dobrodomov, member of parliament, People’s Control
Dmytro Gnap, investigative journalist
Anatoliy Grytsenko, ex-defense minister, Civil Position
Ruslan Koshulynskyi, member of Lviv Oblast Council, All-Ukrainian Union Svoboda
Oleg Lyashko, member of parliament, Radical Party
Yevhen Murayev, member of parliament, Nashi
Valentyn Nalyvaychenko, ex-head of Security Service of Ukraine, Spravedlivist
Roman Nasirov, former head of State Fiscal Service
Andriy Sadovyi, mayor of Lviv, Samopomich
Oleksandr Shevchenko, member of parliament, Ukrainian Alliance of Patriots
Ihor Shevchenko, lawyer, former minister of ecology
Serhiy Taruta, member of parliament, Osnova
Yulia Tymoshenko, member of parliament, Batkivshchyna
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, ex-prime minister, People’s Front.
The respondents were offered eight pairs of possible candidates in the runoff election and asked who they would vote for.
Yulia Tymoshenko 23.4% vs 11.8% Petro Poroshenko
Yuriy Boyko 19% vs 15.3% Petro Poroshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko 20.8% vs 20.4% Anatoly Grytsenko
Yulia Tymoshenko 23.4% vs 18.9% Yuriy Boyko
Yulia Tymoshenko 23.4% vs 18.9% Svyatoslav Vakarchuk
Volodymyr Zelensky 23% vs 22.2% Yulia Tymoshenko
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk 24.2% vs 11.1% Petro Poroshenko
Volodymyr Zelensky 27.8% vs 12.2% Petro Poroshenko
These four are expected to run:
Andriy Biletskiy, member of parliament, National Corps
Petro Poroshenko, president, Solidarnist
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, Okean Elzy lead singer
Volodymyr Zelensky, comedy actor
Not only do we have the potential for armed combat looming; Ukraine's political "season" is about to start shortly. Their presidential election takes place on March 31st, 2019 but the opening preliminaries start next week. Here is an article I found on Kiev Post that explains the process and the candidates. If Russia meddled around in our elections; one can only imagine what they will do in Ukraines'.
https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/the-big-question-of-2019-who-will-be-next-president.html
2019 Presidential Election
The big question of 2019: Who will be next president?
By Bermet Talant.
Published Dec. 21. Updated Dec. 21 at 11:51 am
Ukraine’s election frenzy will start on New Year’s Eve, with the official launch of the presidential election campaign in the March 31 vote.
If none of the candidates wins a majority of the votes, the two candidates with the most votes will go into a runoff election on April 21.
Only two of Ukraine’s five presidents have won election in the first round in independent Ukraine’s history: Leonid Kravchuk in 1991 and Petro Poroshenko in 2014.
One presidential election even triggered a revolution. In 2004, Viktor Yanukovych attempted to take power in a rigged Nov. 21 election that led to the Orange Revolution. The Supreme Court ordered a repeat of the runoff vote on Dec. 26, which Viktor Yushchenko won.
But Yanukovych made a stunning comeback to win the presidency in a Feb. 7, 2010, runoff election, defeating Yulia Tymoshenko, then prime minister, by less than 3.5 percentage points. His rule came to an ignominious end when he fled Ukraine on Feb. 22, 2014, after the EuroMaidan Revolution. On May, 25, 2014, Poroshenko easily defeated Tymoshenko in the first round of the election.
Key dates
Dec. 31 — Feb. 3 — Nomination of candidates for president, and submission of candidacies to the Central Election Commission. Start of the election campaign.
Feb. 8 — Candidate registration deadline and deadline for setting up an election fund account.
Feb. 13 — Final list of candidates announced on the website of the Central Election Commission and in the parliamentary and government newspapers.
March 8 — Deadline for withdrawal of candidacies.
March 29 — End of the election campaign.
March 30 — Day of silence — no campaigning or release of poll results permitted.
March 31 — Election Day.
April 10 — Deadline for announcing election results.
April 21 — Runoff election (if required).
May 1 — Deadline for announcing runoff election results.
June 3 — Deadline for presidential inauguration in parliament.
How many voters?
As of Nov. 30, the State Registry of Voters estimates there are 35,622,943 Ukrainian voters, including over half a million voters registered abroad.
The Central Election Commission has simplified the voting procedure for Ukrainian citizens who have fled the Russian-occupied parts of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts and Crimea: They no longer have to provide proof of why they have to vote in a different polling station.
According to the latest official numbers, there are 1.5 million internally displaced people in Ukraine.
Who is eligible to run?
A presidential candidate must be a Ukrainian citizen aged 35 years or older. They must speak the Ukrainian language and have permanently resided in Ukraine for 10 years prior to Election Day. Candidates may not hold dual citizenship.
A candidate can be a self-nominee or nominated by a political party. A person can be the president of Ukraine for no more than two consecutive terms.
Besides submitting their applications to the Central Election Commission, all candidates for the office of president must file a declaration of income and assets for 2018, which will be audited by the National Agency for Corruption Prevention.
Every candidate also must provide a deposit Hr 2.5 million ($89,000) to the Central Election Commission. The election winner and runoff candidate receive their money back. The other funds collected as deposits go to the state budget after the election.
Campaign financing
A candidate may officially start campaigning on the next day after they register with the Central Election Commission. They also must establish an election fund and open a bank account in hryvnias.
A campaign election fund can include a candidate’s private funds as well as funds of the political party that nominated the candidate.
Fundraising is allowed but restricted. Individuals may donate a total of Hr 1.67 million ($59,444); legal entities can donate twice as much.
Foreigners and charity funds are forbidden to support candidates financially.
All candidates must file two financial reports for their campaign election funds with the National Agency for Corruption Prevention: the interim report is due on March 25, and the final report is due on April 14.
The most expensive election campaign in Ukraine’s history was the 2004 one: Yanukovych’s campaign office reportedly spent close to $1 billion, while Yushchenko’s spent $400 million. It was also the dirtiest political race, with vote buying, the near-fatal dioxin poisoning of Yushchenko and the failed attempt to rig the vote count.
How many candidates?
As many as 22 candidates are expected to enter the race. Some are considered secret fronts for others, designed to siphon votes from rivals. Among them:
Roman Bezsmertnyi, former lawmaker and ambassador, Agrarian Party
Olha Bohomolets, member of parliament, Petro Poroshenko Bloc
Yuriy Boyko, member of parliament, Opposition Platform — Za Zhittya
Yuriy Derevyanko, member of parliament, the Movement of New Forces
Dmytro Dobrodomov, member of parliament, People’s Control
Dmytro Gnap, investigative journalist
Anatoliy Grytsenko, ex-defense minister, Civil Position
Ruslan Koshulynskyi, member of Lviv Oblast Council, All-Ukrainian Union Svoboda
Oleg Lyashko, member of parliament, Radical Party
Yevhen Murayev, member of parliament, Nashi
Valentyn Nalyvaychenko, ex-head of Security Service of Ukraine, Spravedlivist
Roman Nasirov, former head of State Fiscal Service
Andriy Sadovyi, mayor of Lviv, Samopomich
Oleksandr Shevchenko, member of parliament, Ukrainian Alliance of Patriots
Ihor Shevchenko, lawyer, former minister of ecology
Serhiy Taruta, member of parliament, Osnova
Yulia Tymoshenko, member of parliament, Batkivshchyna
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, ex-prime minister, People’s Front.
The respondents were offered eight pairs of possible candidates in the runoff election and asked who they would vote for.
Yulia Tymoshenko 23.4% vs 11.8% Petro Poroshenko
Yuriy Boyko 19% vs 15.3% Petro Poroshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko 20.8% vs 20.4% Anatoly Grytsenko
Yulia Tymoshenko 23.4% vs 18.9% Yuriy Boyko
Yulia Tymoshenko 23.4% vs 18.9% Svyatoslav Vakarchuk
Volodymyr Zelensky 23% vs 22.2% Yulia Tymoshenko
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk 24.2% vs 11.1% Petro Poroshenko
Volodymyr Zelensky 27.8% vs 12.2% Petro Poroshenko
These four are expected to run:
Andriy Biletskiy, member of parliament, National Corps
Petro Poroshenko, president, Solidarnist
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, Okean Elzy lead singer
Volodymyr Zelensky, comedy actor
danielboon
TB Fanatic
"In this life we are either kings or pawns, emperors or fools ...
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Ok then
EndGameWW3
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
Over 3,000 servicemen practice liquidating aftermath of nuclear attack in Russia's south (link: http://tass.com/defense/1037475) tass.com/defense/1037475
8:51 PM · Dec 21, 2018 ·
EndGameWW3
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
Over 3,000 servicemen practice liquidating aftermath of nuclear attack in Russia's south (link: http://tass.com/defense/1037475) tass.com/defense/1037475
8:51 PM · Dec 21, 2018 ·
AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Think it's a mis translation from Russian. The word likvidatsiya
means dissolution or dropping out of something. Think the writer meant smyagchat', which means to mitigate.
The translation from Russian to Enlglish can get a bit wonky at times.
means dissolution or dropping out of something. Think the writer meant smyagchat', which means to mitigate.
The translation from Russian to Enlglish can get a bit wonky at times.
Yeah, I kind of figured from the context they meant DECON...thanks for the linguistic assist!
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
Michael MacKay
Michael MacKay
@mhmck
Russia attacked Ukraine 7 times yesterday, December 21st. Enemy assaults in the Battle of the Bakhmut Road were the most intense. Ukrainian military intelligence reports that 4 Russian soldiers were killed, 3 more were wounded. #RussiaAttacksUkraine /via
@OOCUkraine
Image
12:50 AM · Dec 22, 2018 ·
Michael MacKay
Michael MacKay
@mhmck
Russia attacked Ukraine 7 times yesterday, December 21st. Enemy assaults in the Battle of the Bakhmut Road were the most intense. Ukrainian military intelligence reports that 4 Russian soldiers were killed, 3 more were wounded. #RussiaAttacksUkraine /via
@OOCUkraine
Image
12:50 AM · Dec 22, 2018 ·
Michiana MaJo
Deceased
I found this article very interesting....and probable. MMJ
http://www.voltairenet.org/article204371.html
Ukraine reveals the motive behind the incident at Kertch
Voltaire Network | 14 December 2018
1997, Ukraine and Russia concluded a Treaty of Friendship which entered into force in 1999. This document was supposed to be automatically renewed every 10 years unless it was denounced by one party or the other.
In October 2018, Ukraine decided to denounce this treaty. Then it organized the incident at Kertch. Furthermore, President Petro Poroshenko gave his administration the task of listing all the agreements concluded with Russia and identifying those that he should denounce.
One of the provisions of the Treaty of Friendship and its extension in 2003 provide that the Sea of Azov falls within the territorial waters of Russia and Ukraine. As such, warships cannot enter these waters without the authorization of both states. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 does not apply in this case.
Once the treaty and its extension is repealed, the Azov Sea will be governed by international law, with the Ukrainian and Russian territorial waters as well as an internationalized part. As a consequence, Nato ships will no longer need Russia’s consent to enter.
This explains why Nato is involved in the preparation of the incident at Kertch.
Translation
Anoosha Boralessa
http://www.voltairenet.org/article204371.html
Ukraine reveals the motive behind the incident at Kertch
Voltaire Network | 14 December 2018
1997, Ukraine and Russia concluded a Treaty of Friendship which entered into force in 1999. This document was supposed to be automatically renewed every 10 years unless it was denounced by one party or the other.
In October 2018, Ukraine decided to denounce this treaty. Then it organized the incident at Kertch. Furthermore, President Petro Poroshenko gave his administration the task of listing all the agreements concluded with Russia and identifying those that he should denounce.
One of the provisions of the Treaty of Friendship and its extension in 2003 provide that the Sea of Azov falls within the territorial waters of Russia and Ukraine. As such, warships cannot enter these waters without the authorization of both states. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 does not apply in this case.
Once the treaty and its extension is repealed, the Azov Sea will be governed by international law, with the Ukrainian and Russian territorial waters as well as an internationalized part. As a consequence, Nato ships will no longer need Russia’s consent to enter.
This explains why Nato is involved in the preparation of the incident at Kertch.
Translation
Anoosha Boralessa
Michiana MaJo
Deceased
I know...I know....Hal Turner isn't that popular with some of you...I rarely check out his site. Just happened to, this am....thought you might like to read this. MMJ
World News
Very Serious Developments in Ukraine; New Military Gear arrives - Russian Troops, armor and Ships now on the move.
Category: World News
Friday, 21 December 2018 15:26
This morning, the President of Ukraine gleefully announced "The liberation of Donbass is imminent." He was referring to the Ukrainian government in Kiev preparing to launch an all-out military offensive to regain control over the breakaway province which now calls itself the "Donestsk People's Republic (DPR)."
The DPR broke away from Kiev after the US and Europe fomented the violent overthrow of Ukraine's President, Victor Yanukovich, and installed a puppet government beholden to Europe. Almost 100% of the population in Donetsk and Luhansk are Russian speaking with families tracing their heritage to Russia for generations.
Russia has made clear that if Kiev launches an attack upon Donetsk, or it's neighbor to the north, Luhansk, Russia will intervene. It now appears Kiev is going to do exactly that.
"The territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that are not under the Ukrainian’ control will soon be returned to Ukrainian jurisdiction" stated Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko during a meeting with students.
“I thank those who have come and who continue to be engaged in science and education even when their homes are occupied by the aggressor country. Yes, they are now doing this in Vinnytsia, Lviv and Kharkiv where we moved the educational institutions. They are the anchor that holds the Ukrainian Donbas and ensures the return of Ukraine and Ukraine’s sovereignty after liberation, which will happen very soon,” he said.
Poroshenko spoke about agreements with EU countries to help the restoration and development of infrastructure of the Donbas. Such programs, the President believes, are a symbol of unity between Ukrainians and other Europeans.
The unity about which Porochenko speaks is an illusion. The citizenry of Donetsk and Luhansk want nothing to do with Kiev. In fact, they are actively engaged in militia-style combat against the forces controlled by Kiev. It is clear from all reasonable observation that Donetsk and Luhansk are getting military assistance from Russia.
But without the population of those areas favoring Russia, the military assistance would be useless. So the Unity about which Porochenko speaks is apparently a creation of his own imagination - or mere propaganda.
SERIOUS DEVELOPMENTS
There are now very serious developments militarily in the area, and ALL of these developments point to the outbreak of actual war, very soon. Some say December 24/25
Earlier this week, the British warship "HMS Echo" arrived at the Ukrainian port of Odessa.
This is a hydrographic vessel whose primary function is undersea surveys to find Mines and ultra-quiet, Diesel-powered submarines, of the exact type Russia is presently deploying into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
In addition to this British Vessel, the US previously notified Turkey of its intent to send "a warship" thru the Bosporous and into the Black Sea within a week. That was over a week ago.
Turkey is also sending vessels into the Black Sea.
RUSSIA PREPARING - BIG
Russia says after the November Kerch Strait incident, the Southern Military District has developed a “crisis response plan” for the Black Sea Fleet & that units of the 4th Army, Air Force & Air Defense Forces will be involved in any future incident.
Russia has moved missile frigates into the Sea of Azov to await the troubles they know are coming:
Russian submarines have been ordered to undertake Drills off Crimea, in precisely the area of the Kerch Strait where all the troubles are set to begin:
Local media and eyewitness report columns of Russian military equipment seen moving north in Crimea and deploying towards the border with the Kherson region of Ukraine:
UKRAINE GETS MORE WEAPONS
"Ukrainian forces continue to prepare for an offensive reinforcing troops with artillery on the northern stretch of the contact line in Donbass"- Donetsk People’s Republic People’s Militia spokesman Daniil Bezsonov said on Thursday
DPR intelligence assessed it as 20,000-strong force with hundreds of tanks, multiple launch rocket systems and artillery pieces.
BRITISH SAS CAUSING TROUBLE
British special forces begin operation by Gorlovka to capture DPR officers – Bezsonov
Britain’s Special Air Service plans to capture Donetsk People’s Republic People’s Militia commanders and fighters.
SAS servicemen have arrived to carry out a special operation in the Republic’s territory to abduct People’s Militia Command representatives and militiamen.”
http://halturnerradioshow.com/index...ussian-troops-armor-and-ships-now-on-the-move
World News
Very Serious Developments in Ukraine; New Military Gear arrives - Russian Troops, armor and Ships now on the move.
Category: World News
Friday, 21 December 2018 15:26
This morning, the President of Ukraine gleefully announced "The liberation of Donbass is imminent." He was referring to the Ukrainian government in Kiev preparing to launch an all-out military offensive to regain control over the breakaway province which now calls itself the "Donestsk People's Republic (DPR)."
The DPR broke away from Kiev after the US and Europe fomented the violent overthrow of Ukraine's President, Victor Yanukovich, and installed a puppet government beholden to Europe. Almost 100% of the population in Donetsk and Luhansk are Russian speaking with families tracing their heritage to Russia for generations.
Russia has made clear that if Kiev launches an attack upon Donetsk, or it's neighbor to the north, Luhansk, Russia will intervene. It now appears Kiev is going to do exactly that.
"The territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that are not under the Ukrainian’ control will soon be returned to Ukrainian jurisdiction" stated Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko during a meeting with students.
“I thank those who have come and who continue to be engaged in science and education even when their homes are occupied by the aggressor country. Yes, they are now doing this in Vinnytsia, Lviv and Kharkiv where we moved the educational institutions. They are the anchor that holds the Ukrainian Donbas and ensures the return of Ukraine and Ukraine’s sovereignty after liberation, which will happen very soon,” he said.
Poroshenko spoke about agreements with EU countries to help the restoration and development of infrastructure of the Donbas. Such programs, the President believes, are a symbol of unity between Ukrainians and other Europeans.
The unity about which Porochenko speaks is an illusion. The citizenry of Donetsk and Luhansk want nothing to do with Kiev. In fact, they are actively engaged in militia-style combat against the forces controlled by Kiev. It is clear from all reasonable observation that Donetsk and Luhansk are getting military assistance from Russia.
But without the population of those areas favoring Russia, the military assistance would be useless. So the Unity about which Porochenko speaks is apparently a creation of his own imagination - or mere propaganda.
SERIOUS DEVELOPMENTS
There are now very serious developments militarily in the area, and ALL of these developments point to the outbreak of actual war, very soon. Some say December 24/25
Earlier this week, the British warship "HMS Echo" arrived at the Ukrainian port of Odessa.
This is a hydrographic vessel whose primary function is undersea surveys to find Mines and ultra-quiet, Diesel-powered submarines, of the exact type Russia is presently deploying into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
In addition to this British Vessel, the US previously notified Turkey of its intent to send "a warship" thru the Bosporous and into the Black Sea within a week. That was over a week ago.
Turkey is also sending vessels into the Black Sea.
RUSSIA PREPARING - BIG
Russia says after the November Kerch Strait incident, the Southern Military District has developed a “crisis response plan” for the Black Sea Fleet & that units of the 4th Army, Air Force & Air Defense Forces will be involved in any future incident.
Russia has moved missile frigates into the Sea of Azov to await the troubles they know are coming:
Russian submarines have been ordered to undertake Drills off Crimea, in precisely the area of the Kerch Strait where all the troubles are set to begin:
Local media and eyewitness report columns of Russian military equipment seen moving north in Crimea and deploying towards the border with the Kherson region of Ukraine:
UKRAINE GETS MORE WEAPONS
"Ukrainian forces continue to prepare for an offensive reinforcing troops with artillery on the northern stretch of the contact line in Donbass"- Donetsk People’s Republic People’s Militia spokesman Daniil Bezsonov said on Thursday
DPR intelligence assessed it as 20,000-strong force with hundreds of tanks, multiple launch rocket systems and artillery pieces.
BRITISH SAS CAUSING TROUBLE
British special forces begin operation by Gorlovka to capture DPR officers – Bezsonov
Britain’s Special Air Service plans to capture Donetsk People’s Republic People’s Militia commanders and fighters.
SAS servicemen have arrived to carry out a special operation in the Republic’s territory to abduct People’s Militia Command representatives and militiamen.”
http://halturnerradioshow.com/index...ussian-troops-armor-and-ships-now-on-the-move
Doc1
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
I'm thinking of starting a third thread because I tend to open the picture links when I try to open the main thread. 21 pages and over 400 replies seems to be about when any thread starts to become difficult to deal with.
AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
danielboon
TB Fanatic
ELINT News Retweeted
Military Advisor
@miladvisor
19m19 minutes ago
More
Avangard hypersonic glider was fired from the Dombarovsky site and targeted Kura Missile Test Range, Kamchatka Peninsula (6,000km).
Military Advisor
@miladvisor
19m19 minutes ago
More
Avangard hypersonic glider was fired from the Dombarovsky site and targeted Kura Missile Test Range, Kamchatka Peninsula (6,000km).
danielboon
TB Fanatic
ELINT News Retweeted
Petri Mäkelä
@pmakela1
31m31 minutes ago
More Petri Mäkelä Retweeted Минобороны России
IF this indeed was an #Avangard hypersonic maneuverable re-entry vehicle for ICBMs and IF it functioned as intended (USA should have radar/optical data of the flight path), this will change the nuclear balance quite a lot. #MAD is still there, but USA has nothing similar.
#Russia
Petri Mäkelä
@pmakela1
31m31 minutes ago
More Petri Mäkelä Retweeted Минобороны России
IF this indeed was an #Avangard hypersonic maneuverable re-entry vehicle for ICBMs and IF it functioned as intended (USA should have radar/optical data of the flight path), this will change the nuclear balance quite a lot. #MAD is still there, but USA has nothing similar.
#Russia
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Martial law expires in Ukraine KIEV (Reuters) - Martial law, imposed on Nov. 25 in some Ukrainian areas after Russia captured three Ukrainian ships, expired on Wednesday, President Petro Poroshenko told the country's security council.
Poroshenko said earlier this month he did not plan to extend martial law beyond the one month initially foreseen unless there was a large scale attack from Russia.
gi
The Ukrainian navy ships were captured in the Kerch Strait, between Russian-annexed Crimea and southern Russia, which controls access to the Sea of Azov, where there are both Russian and Ukrainian ports.
Moscow said the ships entered Russian waters while trying to cross the strait without prior notice, ignoring orders to stop. Kiev said its ships needed no Russian permission to cross the strait.
Under the martial law, Ukraine banned Russian men of combat age from entering the country and boosted security at critical sites such as nuclear power stations and Black Sea ports.
Ukraine's military chief said this month Russia had been ramping up its forces near the border since August and now poses the greatest military threat since 2014, the year it annexed Crimea. https://www.euronews.com/2018/12/26/martial-law-expires-in-ukraine
Poroshenko said earlier this month he did not plan to extend martial law beyond the one month initially foreseen unless there was a large scale attack from Russia.
gi
The Ukrainian navy ships were captured in the Kerch Strait, between Russian-annexed Crimea and southern Russia, which controls access to the Sea of Azov, where there are both Russian and Ukrainian ports.
Moscow said the ships entered Russian waters while trying to cross the strait without prior notice, ignoring orders to stop. Kiev said its ships needed no Russian permission to cross the strait.
Under the martial law, Ukraine banned Russian men of combat age from entering the country and boosted security at critical sites such as nuclear power stations and Black Sea ports.
Ukraine's military chief said this month Russia had been ramping up its forces near the border since August and now poses the greatest military threat since 2014, the year it annexed Crimea. https://www.euronews.com/2018/12/26/martial-law-expires-in-ukraine
danielboon
TB Fanatic
ELINT News
@ELINTNews
7m7 minutes ago
More ELINT News Retweeted IgorGirkin
#UPDATE: From December 29th onwards a Christmas truce was announced between Ukraine and separatist/Russian hybrid forces in eastern Ukraine (there is usually an artillery flare up after the truce)
@ELINTNews
7m7 minutes ago
More ELINT News Retweeted IgorGirkin
#UPDATE: From December 29th onwards a Christmas truce was announced between Ukraine and separatist/Russian hybrid forces in eastern Ukraine (there is usually an artillery flare up after the truce)
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
I think things will heat back up after the New Year starts. Putin sure whacked the USA and NATO over the head with the missile launch. I WILL SAY IT AGAIN: RUSSIA AND CHINA NOW HAVE ABSOLUTE, REPEAT ABSOLUTE, MILITARY SUPERIORITY OVER THE USA AND NATO. Whether you are talking about EMP first strikes with advanced hyper capable missiles, other advanced weapon systems, cyber warfare, special terror units based on Spentzaz, both Russia and China will crush us within the first 72 hours.
Trump simply hasn't had time, two years, to significantly improve US military ability. "They" will simply destroy our defective, old, obsolete, military stuff and then sit back and watch Civil War Two break out. The Deep State will also sit back and watch us kill each other off.
Trump simply hasn't had time, two years, to significantly improve US military ability. "They" will simply destroy our defective, old, obsolete, military stuff and then sit back and watch Civil War Two break out. The Deep State will also sit back and watch us kill each other off.
I've been playing Battlefront's "Combat Mission - Black Sea" for the last few years. Prior to that I have played some of Battlefront's WWII games including "Battle For Normandy" and "Final Blitzkrieg".
Modern "near peer' land combat is likely to be a very sudden and a very violent clash of forces. It is amazing how much carnage modern conventional warfare can inflict on opposing forces.
This is not a one hour "beer and pretzels" war game like Stratego. This is a serious tactical simulation. A large game may take 8 -10 hours to complete.
The operational detail is amazing in CMBS,
Modern "near peer' land combat is likely to be a very sudden and a very violent clash of forces. It is amazing how much carnage modern conventional warfare can inflict on opposing forces.
This is not a one hour "beer and pretzels" war game like Stratego. This is a serious tactical simulation. A large game may take 8 -10 hours to complete.
The operational detail is amazing in CMBS,
Attachments
Let's talk about the M1A1 SEP MBT.
Arguably the best Main Battle Tank in existence. I would rate the Leopard II a close second.
It has amazing armor and sensors.
Defeating an Abrahm is -very- difficult but it can be done with some reliability and with very careful planning.
This M1A1 SEP was the lead tank racing over open ground. It was struck frontally by an AT-15 Springer supersonic ATGM missile fired from a 9P157-2 Khrizantema tank destroyer based on a BMP-3 chassis. The 9P157-2 Khrizantema can fire a double tap of two AT-15 thus enhancing it's ability to defeat any Active Protection Anti-Missile Aystem on the target vehicle.
The Abrahm was able to knock down one missile but the second missile struck the front turret depleted uranium "cheek armor" and the missile was defeated. No penetration occurred but it is likely the M1A1 suffered some sensor or communication damage. The M1A1 did kill -both- 9P157-2 Khrizantema firing at a range of about a 1,100 yards
The M1A1's frontal armor then managed to defeat a 125mm armor piercing round fired from a Russian T-90AM at about 800 yard range. I suspect this hit did also manage to degrade the M1A1 SEP further as the Abrahm began to withdraw.
It must have been a track hit as the M1A1 SEP became mired in the wet ground as it retreated and encountered a shell hole. As it was mired, a well timed SU-24 "Fencer" tactical strike fighter raked the Abrahm with 30mm cannon and then a top hit with an ATGM that penetrated the top armor and set the tank on fire.
Note the second Abrahm that was knocked out by a single T-90 side shot at 800 yards range. The current T-90 armor piercing ammunition can easily pierce the side armor of an Abrahm out to 2,000 yards and has to potential to pierce the frontal armor of an Abrahm at under 1,000 yards.
Arguably the best Main Battle Tank in existence. I would rate the Leopard II a close second.
It has amazing armor and sensors.
Defeating an Abrahm is -very- difficult but it can be done with some reliability and with very careful planning.
This M1A1 SEP was the lead tank racing over open ground. It was struck frontally by an AT-15 Springer supersonic ATGM missile fired from a 9P157-2 Khrizantema tank destroyer based on a BMP-3 chassis. The 9P157-2 Khrizantema can fire a double tap of two AT-15 thus enhancing it's ability to defeat any Active Protection Anti-Missile Aystem on the target vehicle.
The Abrahm was able to knock down one missile but the second missile struck the front turret depleted uranium "cheek armor" and the missile was defeated. No penetration occurred but it is likely the M1A1 suffered some sensor or communication damage. The M1A1 did kill -both- 9P157-2 Khrizantema firing at a range of about a 1,100 yards
The M1A1's frontal armor then managed to defeat a 125mm armor piercing round fired from a Russian T-90AM at about 800 yard range. I suspect this hit did also manage to degrade the M1A1 SEP further as the Abrahm began to withdraw.
It must have been a track hit as the M1A1 SEP became mired in the wet ground as it retreated and encountered a shell hole. As it was mired, a well timed SU-24 "Fencer" tactical strike fighter raked the Abrahm with 30mm cannon and then a top hit with an ATGM that penetrated the top armor and set the tank on fire.
Note the second Abrahm that was knocked out by a single T-90 side shot at 800 yards range. The current T-90 armor piercing ammunition can easily pierce the side armor of an Abrahm out to 2,000 yards and has to potential to pierce the frontal armor of an Abrahm at under 1,000 yards.
Attachments
The Stryker is essentially a lightly armed and armoured 8 wheel armored car. Even in WWII, that concept was reserved for a recon vehicles or lately as a simple and cheap "battlefield taxi" able to withstand small arms fire and shell fragments. it can get troops -near- a battle area, but not -into- a battle area despite what it's proponents may believe.
Somebody in the procurement chain got the whimsical idea that a Stryker was somehow a vehicle that could actually enter a contested battle zone and survive. It is even hailed as a "strategic" tool allowing us to quickly deploy forces to troubled areas.
Slapping a bunch of explosive reactive armor on these things does not make it a "battle" vehicle. The Strykers in full battle trim are heavily overloaded with the extra ERA armor and are neither fast nor mobile when they are off a paved roadway.
Not one Stryker survived this engagement.
Everything from MBT gunfire, ATGM, 30mm auto-cannon from BMP's, and nearby artillery strikes killed and disabled these vehicles. Wet or muddy conditions renders these overloaded vehicles a liability for cross country travel. More than a couple became bogged down traveling over wet, plowed fields thus rendering them as sitting ducks.
Somebody in the procurement chain got the whimsical idea that a Stryker was somehow a vehicle that could actually enter a contested battle zone and survive. It is even hailed as a "strategic" tool allowing us to quickly deploy forces to troubled areas.
Slapping a bunch of explosive reactive armor on these things does not make it a "battle" vehicle. The Strykers in full battle trim are heavily overloaded with the extra ERA armor and are neither fast nor mobile when they are off a paved roadway.
Not one Stryker survived this engagement.
Everything from MBT gunfire, ATGM, 30mm auto-cannon from BMP's, and nearby artillery strikes killed and disabled these vehicles. Wet or muddy conditions renders these overloaded vehicles a liability for cross country travel. More than a couple became bogged down traveling over wet, plowed fields thus rendering them as sitting ducks.
Attachments
bobfall2005
Veteran Member
R.B. cool.
Who's got time to worry about that? We've got the NFL, NBA, Dancing with the Stars and Big Brother! Lets keep stuff in perspective!!!
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
Doc, it's an open secret that the Russians meddled in the 2016 election, like in 2018 and in 2014. The problem is that Mulehead has IGNORED the REAL ACTUAL EVIDENCE which says Hillary was the beneficiary, not Donald.
So no, Alfaman is NOT delusional.
So no, Alfaman is NOT delusional.
intothatgoodnight
. . .
It is also an "open secret" that Russia has their own flavor of "the deep state" (deeply embedded/entrenched old school Soviet Marxist and Communist leftovers) primarily projecting their power into the Russian political realm through extensive ties into the Russian central banking and economic and energy/manufacturing/production sectors, complete with their own "quasi rogue" CIA-equivalent capabilities - Putin, like Trump, has his hands full with these folks - and, their deep state capabilities can be international in influence and ability to project outside of Russian borders, acting as a tentacle tied back into our own western deep state elements.
The push to rid the world of "deep state" operators and their central-bank/economic cabal is global - not strictly a western-only phenomenon.
intothegoodnight
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
Merkel, Macron demand Russia release Ukrainian seamen
Merkel, Macron demand Russia release Ukrainian seamen
reuters.com
12:19 PM · Dec 28, 2018 · Twitter Web Client
1
Retweet
Maximus Mad Ham ??
Maximus Mad Ham ??
@hammad5633
·
1h
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
I would take them seriously if they had their affairs in order.
Maximus Mad Ham ??
Maximus Mad Ham ??
@hammad5633
·
1h
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
Merkel and Macron got a mess in their domestic affairs.
MAC
MAC
@DouglasGrs69
·
34m
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
Send in YOUR TROOPS, france & germany, HELP your NATO friend, DO you have Troops?
hobgoblin4191
hobgoblin4191
@hobgoblin4191
·
39m
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
Great lead in.
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
Merkel, Macron demand Russia release Ukrainian seamen
Merkel, Macron demand Russia release Ukrainian seamen
reuters.com
12:19 PM · Dec 28, 2018 · Twitter Web Client
1
Retweet
Maximus Mad Ham ??
Maximus Mad Ham ??
@hammad5633
·
1h
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
I would take them seriously if they had their affairs in order.
Maximus Mad Ham ??
Maximus Mad Ham ??
@hammad5633
·
1h
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
Merkel and Macron got a mess in their domestic affairs.
MAC
MAC
@DouglasGrs69
·
34m
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
Send in YOUR TROOPS, france & germany, HELP your NATO friend, DO you have Troops?
hobgoblin4191
hobgoblin4191
@hobgoblin4191
·
39m
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
Great lead in.
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Crimea Completes Fence on Border With Ukraine
https://themoscowtimes.com/news/crimea-completes-fence-on-border-with-ukraine-63991 (fair use)
Dec 28, 2018 15:44 GMT-5
Russia has finished constructing a 60-kilometer fence on the Crimean border with Ukraine.
In September 2017, the Federal Security Services (FSB) branch of the annexed Crimean peninsula announced an auction to build a two-meter high fence bordering Ukraine. According to reports at the time, the fence was estimated to cost over 200 million rubles ($2.8 million).
On Thursday, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited the FSB as saying that the fence was constructed to prevent "attempts by saboteurs and reconnaissance groups to break through.” The fence was aimed at preventing the smuggling of arms, tobacco, alcohol and drugs to Crimea, representatives of the security agency added.
They also said that the fence was equipped with vibration sensors as well as radio-beam sensors with night-vision video cameras.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Tensions between the two neighboring countries flared recently after Russian forces on Nov. 25 seized three Ukrainian naval ships and 24 sailors in the Kerch Strait separating the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, saying that the Ukrainian ships had breached its border.
https://themoscowtimes.com/news/crimea-completes-fence-on-border-with-ukraine-63991 (fair use)
Dec 28, 2018 15:44 GMT-5
Russia has finished constructing a 60-kilometer fence on the Crimean border with Ukraine.
In September 2017, the Federal Security Services (FSB) branch of the annexed Crimean peninsula announced an auction to build a two-meter high fence bordering Ukraine. According to reports at the time, the fence was estimated to cost over 200 million rubles ($2.8 million).
On Thursday, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited the FSB as saying that the fence was constructed to prevent "attempts by saboteurs and reconnaissance groups to break through.” The fence was aimed at preventing the smuggling of arms, tobacco, alcohol and drugs to Crimea, representatives of the security agency added.
They also said that the fence was equipped with vibration sensors as well as radio-beam sensors with night-vision video cameras.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Tensions between the two neighboring countries flared recently after Russian forces on Nov. 25 seized three Ukrainian naval ships and 24 sailors in the Kerch Strait separating the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, saying that the Ukrainian ships had breached its border.
danielboon
TB Fanatic
ELINT News Retweeted
UNIAN (English)
UNIAN (English)
@unian_en
Ukraine Navy chief: Self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" has own "flotilla"
(link: https://www.unian.info/war/10394610...netsk-people-s-republic-has-own-flotilla.html) unian.info/war/10394610-u…
Image
3:52 PM · Dec 28, 2018 · UNIAN.info
UNIAN (English)
UNIAN (English)
@unian_en
Ukraine Navy chief: Self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" has own "flotilla"
(link: https://www.unian.info/war/10394610...netsk-people-s-republic-has-own-flotilla.html) unian.info/war/10394610-u…
Image
3:52 PM · Dec 28, 2018 · UNIAN.info
AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Interesting scenarios your'e posting.
Yes, this upcoming conflict is going to be sharp short and extremely violent. The Abrams/AT-15 springer scenario is particularly interesting. Wonder if the M-1's frontal DP armor is making these tanks even harder to airlift. The Abrams is already a touch porky to start with. What. 59 tons now?
The side shot that takes out the M1 at 800 yards looks like a clean kill-believe the rounds that T-90 is using is armor piercing, the penetrator is either uranium alloys or tungsten carbide as a sabot. Russians have used tungsten carbide penetrators for some years now but there may be some new and exciting metallurgy to be seen. I can imagine before we leave Syria a SEAL team may try and pick up a six pack of these rounds to go......
Yes, this upcoming conflict is going to be sharp short and extremely violent. The Abrams/AT-15 springer scenario is particularly interesting. Wonder if the M-1's frontal DP armor is making these tanks even harder to airlift. The Abrams is already a touch porky to start with. What. 59 tons now?
The side shot that takes out the M1 at 800 yards looks like a clean kill-believe the rounds that T-90 is using is armor piercing, the penetrator is either uranium alloys or tungsten carbide as a sabot. Russians have used tungsten carbide penetrators for some years now but there may be some new and exciting metallurgy to be seen. I can imagine before we leave Syria a SEAL team may try and pick up a six pack of these rounds to go......
Near Peer Warfare
Modern battle tank systems are constantly upgrading. Active protection systems now enable tanks to shoot down ATGM before they reach the tank. Shtora is an active electro-optical jamming system which can jam and disrupt incomming wire, laser and thermal guided ATGM.
New smart ammo uses the laser rangefinder to program a HE or a HEAT round to explode over infantry hiding in entrenchments or inside a building after penetrating a wall or entering a window. Smart tank ammo also has the potential to successfully engage enemy helicopters.
Russians are also using a gun launched anti-tank missile for use at extreme ranges, i.e. 5,000 yards. There is also talk of a gun launched guided anti-aircraft missile being developed.
The notion of MBT's being obsolescent, in the anti-tank missile era, has not seen fruition.
Groups of MBT's are still fully capable of dominating the modern battle field.
----------------------------------
T-90 Main Battle Tank
The T-90 is a Russian-designed 3rd-generation main battle tank. The T-90 is a modernization of the T-72 series and is the most advanced Russian tank currently in service. While the T-80 is being withdrawn from frontline service, the T-90 and modernized T-72Bs have remained in service together due to their high parts commonality. The T-90 began service in 1991 and over 2,000 examples have been built, of which about 900 are in Russian service. The most common major variants of the T-90 are the T-90A, which is the domestic Russian version, and the T-90S, an export version used by Algeria, Azerbaijan, India, and Turkmenistan.
The T-90 uses the 125 mm 2A46M smoothbore cannon for main armament. Like the T-72, the cannon can also fire the 9M119M Refleks (AT-11 Sniper) ATGM with tandem hollow-charge HEAT warhead. Like other Russian tanks, the cannon is fed with an autoloader which holds 22 ready rounds and can reload in 5-8 seconds. The Ainet system allows the T-90 to engage enemy infantry with airburst rounds for increased effectiveness against infantry targets. A remotely controlled Kord 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun can be operated by the tank commander from within the vehicle. For target acquisition, the gunner was initially equipped with a TO1-KO1 BURAN night sight and 1G46 day sighting system, while the commander was equipped with PNK-4S/SR AGAT day/night system.
The T-90 uses multiple defensive systems to enhance survivability. The tank's base armor is a composite, consisting of alternating layers of aluminum and plastics within a steel casing. On top of the composite armor, Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armor (ERA) is fitted over the turret, hull front, and forward hull sides. The T-90 is also equipped with the Shtora-1 protection system.
T-90A
The T-90A quickly replaced the T-90 in production. The T-90A features a fully welded turret, a new V-92S2 1,000 hp turbine engine, and most importantly a new ESSA thermal imaging sight. The export version of the T-90A is the T-90S.
T-90AM
A modernized version of the T-90A, the T-90AM could potentially be the most advanced tank in Russian service. Numerous subsystems have been upgraded in the tank. The new "Kalina" fire control system has automated tracking for moving targets, and stabilized integrated daylight/thermal optics. The T-90AM includes information system upgrades in the form of inertial navigation systems, GLONASS satellite navigation system, and the Constellation-2M satellite communications system, an analogue to the United States FBCB2 program. These battle management upgrades greatly increase the situational awareness of the tank crew.
The T-90AM is equipped with advanced "Relikt" ERA, the successor to Kontakt-5. Relikt was developed in response to new US kinetic energy penetrators such as the M829A2 which were designed to penetrate Kontakt-5. Relikt is claimed to be twice as effective as Kontakt-5, and effective against tandem warheads and APFSDS rounds.
The commander is equipped with a panoramic sight and remote controlled UDP T05BV-1 weapon station with a 7.62 mm machine gun. A new ammunition stowage arrangement places many of the tank shells in a blast compartment, increasing crew survivability by directing the blast of exploding shells away from the crew compartment. Other subsystem upgrades include slat armor protecting the rear of the tank, a new autoloader, a 1130 hp diesel engine, automatic transmission, and a new 2A46M-5 cannon. The export equivalent of the T-90AM is the T-90SM.
APS Variant:
A T-90AM outfitted with the Arena active protection system.
Modern battle tank systems are constantly upgrading. Active protection systems now enable tanks to shoot down ATGM before they reach the tank. Shtora is an active electro-optical jamming system which can jam and disrupt incomming wire, laser and thermal guided ATGM.
New smart ammo uses the laser rangefinder to program a HE or a HEAT round to explode over infantry hiding in entrenchments or inside a building after penetrating a wall or entering a window. Smart tank ammo also has the potential to successfully engage enemy helicopters.
Russians are also using a gun launched anti-tank missile for use at extreme ranges, i.e. 5,000 yards. There is also talk of a gun launched guided anti-aircraft missile being developed.
The notion of MBT's being obsolescent, in the anti-tank missile era, has not seen fruition.
Groups of MBT's are still fully capable of dominating the modern battle field.
----------------------------------
T-90 Main Battle Tank
The T-90 is a Russian-designed 3rd-generation main battle tank. The T-90 is a modernization of the T-72 series and is the most advanced Russian tank currently in service. While the T-80 is being withdrawn from frontline service, the T-90 and modernized T-72Bs have remained in service together due to their high parts commonality. The T-90 began service in 1991 and over 2,000 examples have been built, of which about 900 are in Russian service. The most common major variants of the T-90 are the T-90A, which is the domestic Russian version, and the T-90S, an export version used by Algeria, Azerbaijan, India, and Turkmenistan.
The T-90 uses the 125 mm 2A46M smoothbore cannon for main armament. Like the T-72, the cannon can also fire the 9M119M Refleks (AT-11 Sniper) ATGM with tandem hollow-charge HEAT warhead. Like other Russian tanks, the cannon is fed with an autoloader which holds 22 ready rounds and can reload in 5-8 seconds. The Ainet system allows the T-90 to engage enemy infantry with airburst rounds for increased effectiveness against infantry targets. A remotely controlled Kord 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun can be operated by the tank commander from within the vehicle. For target acquisition, the gunner was initially equipped with a TO1-KO1 BURAN night sight and 1G46 day sighting system, while the commander was equipped with PNK-4S/SR AGAT day/night system.
The T-90 uses multiple defensive systems to enhance survivability. The tank's base armor is a composite, consisting of alternating layers of aluminum and plastics within a steel casing. On top of the composite armor, Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armor (ERA) is fitted over the turret, hull front, and forward hull sides. The T-90 is also equipped with the Shtora-1 protection system.
T-90A
The T-90A quickly replaced the T-90 in production. The T-90A features a fully welded turret, a new V-92S2 1,000 hp turbine engine, and most importantly a new ESSA thermal imaging sight. The export version of the T-90A is the T-90S.
T-90AM
A modernized version of the T-90A, the T-90AM could potentially be the most advanced tank in Russian service. Numerous subsystems have been upgraded in the tank. The new "Kalina" fire control system has automated tracking for moving targets, and stabilized integrated daylight/thermal optics. The T-90AM includes information system upgrades in the form of inertial navigation systems, GLONASS satellite navigation system, and the Constellation-2M satellite communications system, an analogue to the United States FBCB2 program. These battle management upgrades greatly increase the situational awareness of the tank crew.
The T-90AM is equipped with advanced "Relikt" ERA, the successor to Kontakt-5. Relikt was developed in response to new US kinetic energy penetrators such as the M829A2 which were designed to penetrate Kontakt-5. Relikt is claimed to be twice as effective as Kontakt-5, and effective against tandem warheads and APFSDS rounds.
The commander is equipped with a panoramic sight and remote controlled UDP T05BV-1 weapon station with a 7.62 mm machine gun. A new ammunition stowage arrangement places many of the tank shells in a blast compartment, increasing crew survivability by directing the blast of exploding shells away from the crew compartment. Other subsystem upgrades include slat armor protecting the rear of the tank, a new autoloader, a 1130 hp diesel engine, automatic transmission, and a new 2A46M-5 cannon. The export equivalent of the T-90AM is the T-90SM.
APS Variant:
A T-90AM outfitted with the Arena active protection system.
Attachments
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Russian Navy tracks movements of USS Donald Cook in Black Sea
http://tass.com/defense/1040809 (fair use)
January 19, 23:19
MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is monitoring movements of the US guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook, which had entered the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry’s National Defense Control Center said on Saturday.
"Forces of the Black Sea Fleet have begun tracking the guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook immediately after she made a transit into the Black Sea," the center said.
According to the center, "the Black Sea Fleet guard ship Pytlivy began tracking the movements of the US naval ship immediately." Besides, the US ship will be monitored with the help of the fleet’s electronic and technical means.
USS Donald Cook entered the Black Sea at 8.50 p.m., the National Defense Control Center specified.
The top brass recalled that under the Montreux Convention, which regulates transit and navigation through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits, the USS Donald Cook cannot stay in the Black Sea longer than 21 days, as a naval warship belonging to a country without a Black Sea coastline.
Earlier in the day, the US 6th Fleet’s press service reported that the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook began its transit of the Dardanelles Strait heading into the Black Sea "to conduct maritime security operations and enhance regional maritime stability, combined readiness and naval capability with our NATO allies and partners in the region.".
http://tass.com/defense/1040809 (fair use)
January 19, 23:19
MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is monitoring movements of the US guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook, which had entered the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry’s National Defense Control Center said on Saturday.
"Forces of the Black Sea Fleet have begun tracking the guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook immediately after she made a transit into the Black Sea," the center said.
According to the center, "the Black Sea Fleet guard ship Pytlivy began tracking the movements of the US naval ship immediately." Besides, the US ship will be monitored with the help of the fleet’s electronic and technical means.
USS Donald Cook entered the Black Sea at 8.50 p.m., the National Defense Control Center specified.
The top brass recalled that under the Montreux Convention, which regulates transit and navigation through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits, the USS Donald Cook cannot stay in the Black Sea longer than 21 days, as a naval warship belonging to a country without a Black Sea coastline.
Earlier in the day, the US 6th Fleet’s press service reported that the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook began its transit of the Dardanelles Strait heading into the Black Sea "to conduct maritime security operations and enhance regional maritime stability, combined readiness and naval capability with our NATO allies and partners in the region.".
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Bump for pirate?
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Ukrainian Orthodox Archbishop Arrested In Crimea
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-orthodox-archbishop-arrested-in-crimea/29800830.html (fair use)
Last Updated: March 03, 2019 15:59 GMT
Russian security officials have detained the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
The reason for the arrest on March 3 is not clear.
Archbishop Klyment was detained at a bus station in the Crimean capital of Simferopol, Current Time reported, citing a press statement by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Curren Time is the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
Klyment confirmed his arrest in a phone call with AFP during which he said he was speaking from a police station in Simferopol.
Police did not tell him why he was being held, he said.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Kateryna Zelenko voiced concern over Klyment’s arrest and what she called religious freedom violations in the Crimean Peninsula.
"Russian occupants continue their systematic attack on Ukrainian Orthodoxy in Crimea," Zelenko tweeted.
The arrest comes weeks after the Orthodox Church in Ukraine was granted independence, or autocephaly, ending more than 330 years of Russian religious control in Ukraine.
Russia long opposed such efforts by the Ukrainians for an independent church, which intensified after Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and began supporting separatists shortly thereafter in parts of Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Klyment, who heads the Orthodox mission to help victims of human rights violations and persons deprived of their freedom, said last month that Crimean authorities were set to revoke a lease on his church because he failed to register the parish in the Russian Federation.
He reportedly planned to attend court hearings on the case of a Ukrainian citizen in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
Pavlo Hryb, who is facing charges of abetting terrorism, has denied any wrongdoing.
His father has argued that the case was Russian retaliation for Internet posts that were openly critical of Russia's interference in Ukraine.
The European Union has called on Moscow to release Hryb and other Ukrainian citizens “illegally detained” both in Russia and in Crimea.
With reporting by AFP
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-orthodox-archbishop-arrested-in-crimea/29800830.html (fair use)
Last Updated: March 03, 2019 15:59 GMT
Russian security officials have detained the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
The reason for the arrest on March 3 is not clear.
Archbishop Klyment was detained at a bus station in the Crimean capital of Simferopol, Current Time reported, citing a press statement by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Curren Time is the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
Klyment confirmed his arrest in a phone call with AFP during which he said he was speaking from a police station in Simferopol.
Police did not tell him why he was being held, he said.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Kateryna Zelenko voiced concern over Klyment’s arrest and what she called religious freedom violations in the Crimean Peninsula.
"Russian occupants continue their systematic attack on Ukrainian Orthodoxy in Crimea," Zelenko tweeted.
The arrest comes weeks after the Orthodox Church in Ukraine was granted independence, or autocephaly, ending more than 330 years of Russian religious control in Ukraine.
Russia long opposed such efforts by the Ukrainians for an independent church, which intensified after Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and began supporting separatists shortly thereafter in parts of Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Klyment, who heads the Orthodox mission to help victims of human rights violations and persons deprived of their freedom, said last month that Crimean authorities were set to revoke a lease on his church because he failed to register the parish in the Russian Federation.
He reportedly planned to attend court hearings on the case of a Ukrainian citizen in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
Pavlo Hryb, who is facing charges of abetting terrorism, has denied any wrongdoing.
His father has argued that the case was Russian retaliation for Internet posts that were openly critical of Russia's interference in Ukraine.
The European Union has called on Moscow to release Hryb and other Ukrainian citizens “illegally detained” both in Russia and in Crimea.
With reporting by AFP
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Merkel Rejected U.S. Pressure to Provoke Russia’s Navy, Sources Say
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-reject-u-s-pressure-to-provoke-russia-s-navy (fair use)
By Patrick Donahue and Jennifer Jacobs
March 7, 2019, 12:34 PM EST
German Chancellor Angela Merkel rebuffed U.S. pressure last month to conduct a naval maneuver in Russia’s backyard aimed at provoking President Vladimir Putin, according to three people familiar with the talks.
At a Feb. 16 meeting at the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence urged Merkel to send German ships through a narrow channel between the Crimean peninsula and mainland Russia to show Putin that Western powers won’t surrender their access to those waters, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The German leader declined, they said, citing reservations from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. A spokesman for the chancellor declined to comment.
The two-mile (three kilometer) wide Kerch Strait is a critical flashpoint as Putin looks to consolidate his control over the Crimean peninsula and eastern Ukraine in defiance of sanctions from the European Union and the U.S.
Merkel had indicated she was willing, in coordination with the French, to send a convoy through the waterway as a one-time maneuver but Poroshenko said that wasn’t enough to solve his problem -- he wants to ensure the strait is open permanently, the people said. France also refused to take part, judging the idea as an unnecessary provocation, according to another official who declined to be identified.
Choke Point
Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and has exploited its control of the channel to choke off access to Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov to the north. Last November Russian naval forces fired on and then seized three Ukrainian ships heading through the strait and Putin has brushed off demands from Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron that he free 24 Ukrainian sailors captured during the incident.
Russia last year completed a road bridge across the waterway to firm up Crimea’s ties to the mainland and is working on adding a rail link.
Ukraine has been seeking international help to keep the Kerch Strait open ever since the incident last November. While the government’s position on sending convoys through the strait is unclear, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin warned against using an agreement over its use to legitimize Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
The frustrated U.S. plan is a feature of the broader trans-Atlantic tension as President Donald Trump tries to cajole his European Union allies into replacing U.S. forces in hot spots in eastern Europe and the Middle East. Pence’s call in Munich for European forces to ensure stability of Syria after the U.S. withdrawal was also brushed off as were his demands for EU nations to follow the U.S. decision to abandon a hard-fought Iranian nuclear accord.
Engaging With Russia
The vice president’s meeting with Merkel at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in the Bavarian capital came just after her most spirited defense of the global order yet. Drawing a standing ovation from senior security officials, she lambasted Trump’s threats on imposing tariffs on European cars as a matter of national security, pledged Germany would reach the NATO spending goal at its own pace, and stick to the Iran accord.
The German leader had also observed with alarm an aggressive and coordinated U.S. diplomatic push to halt a Russian gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2. According to people close to her, that was one factor that led her to double down at Munich.
The gas link is emblematic of Merkel’s efforts to remain engaged with Putin despite Russian aggression in Ukraine and mounting evidence of its efforts to interfere with western democracy -- not least in the 2016 U.S. election.
Whether a naval operation in the area would have a legal justification is unclear -- a 2003 treaty between Russia and Ukraine determined the Sea of Azov is an “internal” body of water, meaning a third-party military presence would have to have the consent of Moscow and Kiev.
The U.S. has deployed the destroyer U.S.S. Donald Cook in the Black Sea, to the south of the Kerch Strait, and said NATO and American forces had beefed up their presence to send a signal to Putin.
“They, frankly, don’t like us in the Black Sea,” General Curtis Scaparrotti of the U.S. European Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. “It’s international waters -- and we should sail and fly there.”
— With assistance by Nick Wadhams, Gregory Viscusi, Glen Carey, and Kateryna Choursina
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-reject-u-s-pressure-to-provoke-russia-s-navy (fair use)
By Patrick Donahue and Jennifer Jacobs
March 7, 2019, 12:34 PM EST
German Chancellor Angela Merkel rebuffed U.S. pressure last month to conduct a naval maneuver in Russia’s backyard aimed at provoking President Vladimir Putin, according to three people familiar with the talks.
At a Feb. 16 meeting at the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence urged Merkel to send German ships through a narrow channel between the Crimean peninsula and mainland Russia to show Putin that Western powers won’t surrender their access to those waters, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The German leader declined, they said, citing reservations from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. A spokesman for the chancellor declined to comment.
The two-mile (three kilometer) wide Kerch Strait is a critical flashpoint as Putin looks to consolidate his control over the Crimean peninsula and eastern Ukraine in defiance of sanctions from the European Union and the U.S.
Merkel had indicated she was willing, in coordination with the French, to send a convoy through the waterway as a one-time maneuver but Poroshenko said that wasn’t enough to solve his problem -- he wants to ensure the strait is open permanently, the people said. France also refused to take part, judging the idea as an unnecessary provocation, according to another official who declined to be identified.
Choke Point
Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and has exploited its control of the channel to choke off access to Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov to the north. Last November Russian naval forces fired on and then seized three Ukrainian ships heading through the strait and Putin has brushed off demands from Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron that he free 24 Ukrainian sailors captured during the incident.
Russia last year completed a road bridge across the waterway to firm up Crimea’s ties to the mainland and is working on adding a rail link.
Ukraine has been seeking international help to keep the Kerch Strait open ever since the incident last November. While the government’s position on sending convoys through the strait is unclear, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin warned against using an agreement over its use to legitimize Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
The frustrated U.S. plan is a feature of the broader trans-Atlantic tension as President Donald Trump tries to cajole his European Union allies into replacing U.S. forces in hot spots in eastern Europe and the Middle East. Pence’s call in Munich for European forces to ensure stability of Syria after the U.S. withdrawal was also brushed off as were his demands for EU nations to follow the U.S. decision to abandon a hard-fought Iranian nuclear accord.
Engaging With Russia
The vice president’s meeting with Merkel at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in the Bavarian capital came just after her most spirited defense of the global order yet. Drawing a standing ovation from senior security officials, she lambasted Trump’s threats on imposing tariffs on European cars as a matter of national security, pledged Germany would reach the NATO spending goal at its own pace, and stick to the Iran accord.
The German leader had also observed with alarm an aggressive and coordinated U.S. diplomatic push to halt a Russian gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2. According to people close to her, that was one factor that led her to double down at Munich.
The gas link is emblematic of Merkel’s efforts to remain engaged with Putin despite Russian aggression in Ukraine and mounting evidence of its efforts to interfere with western democracy -- not least in the 2016 U.S. election.
Whether a naval operation in the area would have a legal justification is unclear -- a 2003 treaty between Russia and Ukraine determined the Sea of Azov is an “internal” body of water, meaning a third-party military presence would have to have the consent of Moscow and Kiev.
The U.S. has deployed the destroyer U.S.S. Donald Cook in the Black Sea, to the south of the Kerch Strait, and said NATO and American forces had beefed up their presence to send a signal to Putin.
“They, frankly, don’t like us in the Black Sea,” General Curtis Scaparrotti of the U.S. European Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. “It’s international waters -- and we should sail and fly there.”
— With assistance by Nick Wadhams, Gregory Viscusi, Glen Carey, and Kateryna Choursina
AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Angela darling is bent over a table in respect to standing up to Russian aggression. She gripes, the Russians shut off their gas and they freeze.
Just like Russia did with the Ukraine.
Just like Russia did with the Ukraine.
intothatgoodnight
. . .
Germany is conducting a significant amount of business with Russia, as of late. Recall that the EU sanctioned Russia, goaded by the western neocons, directed that all EU member states attenuate their business with Russia - what the EU did not calculate correctly was the significant amounts of large business that German industries were conducting with Russia. Good for the German economic bottom-line - bad for the western neocons.
So far, German businesses have continued to thumb their nose at the EU; some number of German companies set-up their manufacturing entities within Russia, to skirt EU sanction demands.
intothegoodnight
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Russia Plans to Launch Crimea Power Stations on March 18 — Sources
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019...mea-power-stations-on-march-18-sources-a64793 (fair use)
By Reuters
10 hours ago
Russia plans to start operating two new power stations in Crimea at full capacity on March 18, five sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Wednesday.
The power stations were at the center of an international scandal after German engineering company Siemens said its power turbines had been installed at them without its knowledge and in violation of European Union sanctions.
Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. President Vladimir Putin is preparing to travel to the region on the fifth anniversary of its annexation later this month, sources said.
The launch of the Sevastopol and Simferopol power stations at full capacity, which follows a partial launch last year, will coincide with the possible visit, the five sources said.
Putin will attend the launch of the Sevastopol power station, the sources said.
Technopromexport, the Russian company building the power stations, declined to comment. The Kremlin and Energy Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russia began building the power stations in Crimea to provide electricity to the peninsula, but the facilities became embroiled in a row over sanctions.
German engineering firm Siemens says Russia clandestinely delivered several of its turbines to Crimea despite European sanctions which ban the supply of energy technology to Crimea.
Russia's energy ministry says the turbines were not from Siemens. It said they were modernized turbines that were the work of Russian specialists and Russian equipment.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019...mea-power-stations-on-march-18-sources-a64793 (fair use)
By Reuters
10 hours ago
Russia plans to start operating two new power stations in Crimea at full capacity on March 18, five sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Wednesday.
The power stations were at the center of an international scandal after German engineering company Siemens said its power turbines had been installed at them without its knowledge and in violation of European Union sanctions.
Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. President Vladimir Putin is preparing to travel to the region on the fifth anniversary of its annexation later this month, sources said.
The launch of the Sevastopol and Simferopol power stations at full capacity, which follows a partial launch last year, will coincide with the possible visit, the five sources said.
Putin will attend the launch of the Sevastopol power station, the sources said.
Technopromexport, the Russian company building the power stations, declined to comment. The Kremlin and Energy Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russia began building the power stations in Crimea to provide electricity to the peninsula, but the facilities became embroiled in a row over sanctions.
German engineering firm Siemens says Russia clandestinely delivered several of its turbines to Crimea despite European sanctions which ban the supply of energy technology to Crimea.
Russia's energy ministry says the turbines were not from Siemens. It said they were modernized turbines that were the work of Russian specialists and Russian equipment.
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
Merkel is a COMMUNIST from the former East Germany. She has done her job of TREASON quite well over her reign of terror. Next, Germany gets most of its natural gas from GAZEPROM, so they will do nothing to rile Russia up or face the shut off of energy during the winter. Further, Russia is a major trading partner with Germany, and Merkel knows this.
Finally, Germany is essentially a gutted husk in terms of military power. Stories about the truly dismal operational ability of German forces, like how few planes are combat ready, or the fact they have one battalion of tanks combat ready, or their two functional warships, well the list is damn near endless. Russia would be in Holland within six hours of any border breach with Germany.
Finally, Germany is essentially a gutted husk in terms of military power. Stories about the truly dismal operational ability of German forces, like how few planes are combat ready, or the fact they have one battalion of tanks combat ready, or their two functional warships, well the list is damn near endless. Russia would be in Holland within six hours of any border breach with Germany.
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Artillery Wars in Donbas Enter a New Stage
https://jamestown.org/program/artillery-wars-in-donbas-enter-a-new-stage/ (fair use)
By: Yuri Lapaiev
March 18, 2019 05:22 PM Age: 4 days
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with defense-industry engineers and designers in Zhytomyr, on March 11, and stressed that Ukraine “needs high-precision missile weapons capable of striking targets far into the rear of the enemy” (President.gov.ua, March 11). In fact, however, the Ukrainian military has been successfully employing such weaponry in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area, along the Donbas frontline, for the past two months.
The Ukrainian war is evolving. What began as an invasion of small groups of Russian special forces, later turned into repeated clashes at checkpoints, and eventually became an almost full-scale war involving heavy artillery, tanks, tactical missiles and the air force. But following two (Minsk) ceasefire agreements, the conflict in Donbas now resembles World War I–style trench warfare, with both sides dug into fixed, well-equipped positions. In such conditions, high-precision weapons like sniper rifles and guided anti-tank missile systems have become particularly prominent. It is also worth pointing out, however, that unlike heavy artillery or mortars, anti-tank missile systems are not prohibited under the aforementioned Minsk agreements
Since January 2019, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) operating in the JFO area have begun to employ greater numbers of domestically produced anti-tank missile systems, including the Stugna-P, Fagot, Bar’er and Corsar. This shift was undertaken in response to two prominent attacks on Ukrainian military vehicles. The first of these attacks, on January 16, near the village of Troytske (Luhansk region), involved Russian-backed separatists firing off an anti-tank missile, which struck a Ukrainian truck carrying military personnel. Ten soldiers of the AFU’s 72nd mechanized brigade were wounded (Mil.gov.ua, January 17). The second attack occurred near the Luhansk region village of Katerynivka, on January 25. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and four were wounded as a result of this strike on their vehicle (Mil.gov.ua, January 26).
Following these incidents, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a massive counteroffensive. On January 29, the AFU destroyed a separatist KAMAZ truck with a Fagot anti-tank missile, near the village of Krymske (Luhansk region) (Mil.gov.ua, January 30). On the same day, a Ukrainian Stugna-P missile destroyed a rebel/Russian armored personnel carrier (APC) armed with a mounted anti-aircraft gun (Facebook.com/generalstaff.ua, January 31). The Ukrainian retaliatory strikes continued with series of successful attacks on bunkers, fortified positions and armored vehicles on February 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 15, and on March 5 and 11. According to information posted to online social networks, even some separatist field commanders recognized that the AFU had gained a new level of mastery of anti-tank missile systems, even without Javelins from the United States having yet reached the frontlines (Censor.net, March 11).
At the same time, on March 5, the US Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing to review the administration’s defense authorization request for FY2020, which includes military assistance to Ukraine. Speaking before the committee was, in particular, General Curtis M. Scaparotti, the commander of US European Command who simultaneously serves as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Supreme Allied Commander Europe. General Scaparotti declared that he was “impressed” with the level of training Ukrainian soldiers have already undergone with the Javelin and stressed this anti-tank missile system’s contribution to Ukraine’s security (Eucom.mil, March 5).
During a trip to the JFO area last month, General Viktor Muzhenko, the head of the AFU General Staff, reported that the “newest Ukrainian-made weapons systems have proven their high-precision and quality” (Facebook.com/v.muzhenko, February 14). This was later reiterated by the commander of the JFO effort, General Serhiy Nayev. In a recent interview, he argued that increased use of anti-tank missile systems has been a deliberate part of the rearmament strategy for Ukraine’s mechanized brigades operating on the frontline. According to this strategy, every military unit will be equipped with modern Ukrainian-made anti-tank weapons, and soldiers will be receiving special instruction at the 184th training center, run by the National Academy of Land Forces. In General Nayev’s opinion, the high effectiveness and accuracy of these anti-tank missile systems makes them a particularly strong argument for the two sides to quickly conclude hostilities (Tyzhden.ua, March 1).
Despite its effectiveness, the Stugna-P system, in particular, has at least one disadvantage—it is expensive (at least for the Ukrainian army). According to open sources, the cost of firing one shot from this weapons system is approximately $20,000, so Ukrainian soldiers need to choose their targets extremely carefully. All shots are documented and filmed, and this video is later often published on the JFO’s official Facebook page. That said, it is still more cost-effective than the US Javelin system. According to the state-owned defense-industry concern Ukroboronprom, the Stugna-P can provide the same range (5,000 meters in daytime, 3,000 meters at night) and almost the same accuracy as the Javelin (which costs $40,000–$80,000 per missile). Moreover, the Stugna-P, as a domestically produced weapon, comes with no political limitations on its usage (Ukraine is only allowed to employ the US missiles in case of open Russian aggression) (Ukroboronprom.com.ua, March 23, 2016). In 2018, Ukroboronprom provided 2,500 anti-tank missile launchers of various types—Stugna-P, Corsar and Bar’er—to the AFU and National Guard (Ukroboronprom.com.ua, January 4).
Ukraine is not the only side utilizing high-precision weapons in Donbas. On February 14, separatist forces shelled the village of Novoluhanske (Donetsk region) with Krasnopol (GRAU index 2K25) 152-millimeter guided artillery munitions. The shelling came from the direction of Vuhlehirsk (currently under Russian/separatist occupation). Despite the fact that this type of munition is precision guided, that attack ended up destroying the house of local civilian resident (Facebook.com/pressjfo.news, February, 15). The Krasnopol semi-automatic, laser-guided artillery system is Russian-made, and no units have ever been purchased by the Ukrainian government. Previously, this weapon was recorded being used in Syria, near the Russian airbase in Khmeimim (RT, March 13, 2018).
With the fighting in Donbas largely stalled and mired in trench warfare, both sides are now increasingly relying on advanced, guided, surgical strikes. Yet, these attacks continue to generate monthly casualties, leading to questions of how sustainable and long-lasting this present phase of conflict is likely to be before one or both sides change up their tactics again.
https://jamestown.org/program/artillery-wars-in-donbas-enter-a-new-stage/ (fair use)
By: Yuri Lapaiev
March 18, 2019 05:22 PM Age: 4 days
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with defense-industry engineers and designers in Zhytomyr, on March 11, and stressed that Ukraine “needs high-precision missile weapons capable of striking targets far into the rear of the enemy” (President.gov.ua, March 11). In fact, however, the Ukrainian military has been successfully employing such weaponry in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area, along the Donbas frontline, for the past two months.
The Ukrainian war is evolving. What began as an invasion of small groups of Russian special forces, later turned into repeated clashes at checkpoints, and eventually became an almost full-scale war involving heavy artillery, tanks, tactical missiles and the air force. But following two (Minsk) ceasefire agreements, the conflict in Donbas now resembles World War I–style trench warfare, with both sides dug into fixed, well-equipped positions. In such conditions, high-precision weapons like sniper rifles and guided anti-tank missile systems have become particularly prominent. It is also worth pointing out, however, that unlike heavy artillery or mortars, anti-tank missile systems are not prohibited under the aforementioned Minsk agreements
Since January 2019, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) operating in the JFO area have begun to employ greater numbers of domestically produced anti-tank missile systems, including the Stugna-P, Fagot, Bar’er and Corsar. This shift was undertaken in response to two prominent attacks on Ukrainian military vehicles. The first of these attacks, on January 16, near the village of Troytske (Luhansk region), involved Russian-backed separatists firing off an anti-tank missile, which struck a Ukrainian truck carrying military personnel. Ten soldiers of the AFU’s 72nd mechanized brigade were wounded (Mil.gov.ua, January 17). The second attack occurred near the Luhansk region village of Katerynivka, on January 25. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and four were wounded as a result of this strike on their vehicle (Mil.gov.ua, January 26).
Following these incidents, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a massive counteroffensive. On January 29, the AFU destroyed a separatist KAMAZ truck with a Fagot anti-tank missile, near the village of Krymske (Luhansk region) (Mil.gov.ua, January 30). On the same day, a Ukrainian Stugna-P missile destroyed a rebel/Russian armored personnel carrier (APC) armed with a mounted anti-aircraft gun (Facebook.com/generalstaff.ua, January 31). The Ukrainian retaliatory strikes continued with series of successful attacks on bunkers, fortified positions and armored vehicles on February 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 15, and on March 5 and 11. According to information posted to online social networks, even some separatist field commanders recognized that the AFU had gained a new level of mastery of anti-tank missile systems, even without Javelins from the United States having yet reached the frontlines (Censor.net, March 11).
At the same time, on March 5, the US Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing to review the administration’s defense authorization request for FY2020, which includes military assistance to Ukraine. Speaking before the committee was, in particular, General Curtis M. Scaparotti, the commander of US European Command who simultaneously serves as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Supreme Allied Commander Europe. General Scaparotti declared that he was “impressed” with the level of training Ukrainian soldiers have already undergone with the Javelin and stressed this anti-tank missile system’s contribution to Ukraine’s security (Eucom.mil, March 5).
During a trip to the JFO area last month, General Viktor Muzhenko, the head of the AFU General Staff, reported that the “newest Ukrainian-made weapons systems have proven their high-precision and quality” (Facebook.com/v.muzhenko, February 14). This was later reiterated by the commander of the JFO effort, General Serhiy Nayev. In a recent interview, he argued that increased use of anti-tank missile systems has been a deliberate part of the rearmament strategy for Ukraine’s mechanized brigades operating on the frontline. According to this strategy, every military unit will be equipped with modern Ukrainian-made anti-tank weapons, and soldiers will be receiving special instruction at the 184th training center, run by the National Academy of Land Forces. In General Nayev’s opinion, the high effectiveness and accuracy of these anti-tank missile systems makes them a particularly strong argument for the two sides to quickly conclude hostilities (Tyzhden.ua, March 1).
Despite its effectiveness, the Stugna-P system, in particular, has at least one disadvantage—it is expensive (at least for the Ukrainian army). According to open sources, the cost of firing one shot from this weapons system is approximately $20,000, so Ukrainian soldiers need to choose their targets extremely carefully. All shots are documented and filmed, and this video is later often published on the JFO’s official Facebook page. That said, it is still more cost-effective than the US Javelin system. According to the state-owned defense-industry concern Ukroboronprom, the Stugna-P can provide the same range (5,000 meters in daytime, 3,000 meters at night) and almost the same accuracy as the Javelin (which costs $40,000–$80,000 per missile). Moreover, the Stugna-P, as a domestically produced weapon, comes with no political limitations on its usage (Ukraine is only allowed to employ the US missiles in case of open Russian aggression) (Ukroboronprom.com.ua, March 23, 2016). In 2018, Ukroboronprom provided 2,500 anti-tank missile launchers of various types—Stugna-P, Corsar and Bar’er—to the AFU and National Guard (Ukroboronprom.com.ua, January 4).
Ukraine is not the only side utilizing high-precision weapons in Donbas. On February 14, separatist forces shelled the village of Novoluhanske (Donetsk region) with Krasnopol (GRAU index 2K25) 152-millimeter guided artillery munitions. The shelling came from the direction of Vuhlehirsk (currently under Russian/separatist occupation). Despite the fact that this type of munition is precision guided, that attack ended up destroying the house of local civilian resident (Facebook.com/pressjfo.news, February, 15). The Krasnopol semi-automatic, laser-guided artillery system is Russian-made, and no units have ever been purchased by the Ukrainian government. Previously, this weapon was recorded being used in Syria, near the Russian airbase in Khmeimim (RT, March 13, 2018).
With the fighting in Donbas largely stalled and mired in trench warfare, both sides are now increasingly relying on advanced, guided, surgical strikes. Yet, these attacks continue to generate monthly casualties, leading to questions of how sustainable and long-lasting this present phase of conflict is likely to be before one or both sides change up their tactics again.