International Russia/Ukraine Megathread V15

[PEB]

 

[Ruprecht]

Russia importing missiles from North Korea sure sounds like decline to me.

 

[SandisLL]

Obviously pro Kremlin oriented Biden's administration still does have restrictions on old weapons they had provided.
Also Biden's administration still despite nice talks is reluctant even to supply 1 very old F-16 export version.
Mr Biden is proof that Kissinger was correct in order to describe what stuff is to have U.S as friend.
Mr Biden easily might supply at least 3 500 000 arty shellsv from old Cold War stockpiles. Like idiots in europe too.

 

[AWilder]

Russia importing missiles from North Korea sure sounds like decline to me.

Getting low tech weapons from Iran, shoddy artillery shells from North Korea and assault golf carts from China is a sign of a military superpower

 

[Ruprecht]

Getting low tech weapons from Iran, shoddy artillery shells from North Korea and assault golf carts from China is a sign of a military superpower

I remember in the early 2000s Russia was still exporting T-55s to North Korea. The idea of importing SRBMs from a country you were exporting antique hardware to, certainly seems like a change of circumstances.

 

[irish_thug]

I love a war with a good soundtrack.

 

[Ruthless Ryan]

Getting low tech weapons from Iran, shoddy artillery shells from North Korea and assault golf carts from China is a sign of a military superpower

Dont forget about the motor bikes. Imagine if you will being told to get on a motorbike and charge at the enemy with drones,bullets and bombs waiting for you. the after videos and pics are amazing but not surprising of a bunch of burnt out and destroyed bikes all laying in a group. Russians are truly a unique and special kind of stupid .

 

[Boxiana]

Ukraine's 'Dragon's Breath' drones wreaking havoc on Putin's frontline​

As Russian forces continue to wage war across Ukraine, Kyiv's defenders are employing novel solutions to wreak havoc on enemy positions in the absence of sufficient Western weaponry.


Aid-starved Ukrainian soldiers along the frontline have been forced to innovate ever since the early days of the war, thinking up budget solutions to keep the Russian advance in check.

Now, new footage of their latest invention, the menacingly named 'Dragon's Breath' drone, has emerged - with horrified Russian troops already taking to social media to protest against its brutal efficacy and call for help.

Thermite bombs, which rain down molten pieces of metal on their unfortunate targets, have already been used several times in the war by Vladimir Putin's forces - but they are typically deployed in rockets or cluster munitions indiscriminately delivered via bomber aircraft at much higher cost.

Experts believe that by successfully strapping the weapons to the undercarriage of first-person-view (FPV) drones, Kyiv's men have developed a cost-effective way to conduct devastatingly accurate incendiary strikes on the invaders and enjoy new battlefield advantages.

Footage first emerged of the Dragon's Breath drones on Monday.

The initial clip, which has now been widely shared across social media, shows a small FPV drone in flight above a wooded area in eastern Ukraine in which Russian forces are purportedly hiding.

Its pilot ignites the thermite bomb and a torrent of white-hot shards erupt from underneath the drone which scans over the treeline, spraying the molten metal over the Russian positions below.

Two more clips were published in quick succession - one by Ukraine's 60th Mechanised Brigade and another by the 'Khorne Group', an element of Ukraine's 116th Mechanised Brigade - both of which showed how the thermite ignited the trees and started a raging inferno.


Days later, a video surfaced on the Telegram messaging app that appeared to show a Russian soldier standing amid the scorched remains of his troop's camp and appealing for humanitarian aid - though that video is yet to be verified.

'Strike Drones are our wings of vengeance, bringing fire straight from the sky!' the 60th Mechanised Brigade post read on Facebook.

'They become a real threat to the enemy, burning his positions with an accuracy that no other weapon can achieve.'

Thermite munitions could also be used to destroy Russian artillery batteries, armoured vehicles and other military hardware nestled in the forest.

The chemical mixture of aluminium powder and iron oxide ignites at temperatures exceeding 2,200 degrees Celsius (4,000 degrees Fahrenheit), and is capable of melting through steel, making it a highly effective demolition device.


RUSI associate and defence analyst Sam Cranny-Evans told MailOnline: 'The Dragon's Breath drones seem to be used to make Russian positions difficult to hold.

'Thermite munitions burn extremely intensely, and Russian troop locations often contain a lot of flammable materials: wood, grass, uniforms... not to mention ammunition.

'I don't know if it would burn a trench into non-existence, but bunkers and trenches constructed with wood, awnings and other similar materials would certainly catch fire, either from the thermite directly or if the trees around them ignite.

'Even if the trench infrastructure itself is not physically destroyed, the potential for fires to consume wooden structures and adjacent areas would make the Russian positions untenable. Troops would therefore be forced to fight the fires - something extremely difficult to do given their intensity - or evacuate their positions.


'Drones also provide a pinpoint delivery mechanism, so the thermite will almost always hit its target provided the drone avoids countermeasures.'

Cranny-Evans went on to explain how the Dragon's Breath drones could help Ukrainian divisions to quickly retake occupied land if used correctly.


'The timing of drone-mounted thermite attacks is crucial to their long-term effectiveness,' said.

'If Ukrainian troops launched an offensive shortly after deploying the thermite, they would likely be able to capitalise on the disarray.

'Their Russian opponents' ability to mount an effective defence would be severely diminished, so an immediate follow-up offensive could see Kyiv's forces retake the position with relative ease.'

Samuel Bendett, a drone researcher at the Centre for a New American Security think-tank, also concluded that the drone-mounted thermite bombs could prove an extremely effective addition to the Ukrainian troops' bag of battlefield tricks.


'I have not seen that particular drone application before, but [I'm] not surprised that Ukrainians are leading the charge once again, since they have been the first to utilise many drones in novel ways throughout this conflict,' he said.

'(Forested areas) are often where the soldiers hide, systems like artillery and mortars can be positioned to hide from drones, and troops can regroup, fortify and otherwise position themselves for continued warfare.

'So taking out such areas is key.'

But there are also concerns that the new approach could trigger more widespread use of incendiary devices, which in turn would dramatically increase the risk for civilians living in conflict zones, according to Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) Executive Director, Dr Iain Overton.


'Unlike conventional munitions designed to target specific military assets, thermite bombs can create widespread fires that engulf entire neighbourhoods, schools, hospitals, and homes,' an AOAV press release published earlier this week read.

'The intense heat not only causes immediate destruction but also poses long-term health risks to survivors who may suffer from severe burns, respiratory issues, and psychological trauma.

'Thermite bombs represent a broader trend in modern warfare where technological advancements blur the lines between legitimate military targets and civilian infrastructure... Their capability means that even a single bomb deployed with precision can start fires that are difficult, if not impossible, to extinguish.'

It remains to be seen to what extent Ukrainian units turn to Dragon's Breath to help clear the frontline.

But one thing is for certain - it won't be long before Putin's troops take heed and fight fire with fire.

Isn’t this against the Geneva Convention?

 

[Rod1]

Isn’t this against the Geneva Convention?

Im pretty sure it doesn't.

 

[calavera2]

Isn’t this against the Geneva Convention?

 

[Cole train]

Isn’t this against the Geneva Convention?

heres what ICRC site says

"Rule 85. The anti-personnel use of incendiary weapons is prohibited, unless it is not feasible to use a less harmful weapon to render a person hors de combat"

https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule85

 

[PEB]

Seriously Norway? Did you miss the memo don't allow ships with 22 tons of potentially explosive material to dock.

"The Malta-flagged cargo vessel, the Ruby, departed from Russia's northern port of Kandalaksha on August 22. It was loaded with ammonium nitrate, a substance used in fertilizer and explosives, when it docked at the port of Tromsø, which is located near to a university campus and university hospital, Norwegian publication The Barents Observer reported on Tuesday."

 

[Badr Hari]

Kashevarova (Rus) continues to write about the painful aspects of the war and she isn't totally satisfied:

Why sick, undertreated soldiers end up at the front. The problem of rehabilitation of SVO participants.

Statements by officials that soldiers are provided with quality medical care and rehabilitation everywhere and at every stage do not correspond to the real state of affairs.

The situation is deplorable, ill-conceived, and harms the combat capability of the army and reduces its offensive capabilities.

There is virtually no rehabilitation for servicemen in the country, except for those who have lost an arm or a leg. Our prosthetics are still more or less developed, but here it is clear that a bunch of decommissioned soldiers with stumps would raise questions.

As for rehabilitation after a severe or moderate injury, when the limbs are preserved, after the hospital - forward to the assault. Let's follow the path of a wounded soldier:

1. Evacuation and first aid by a field medical team (if he was lucky and evacuated);
2. Sending to the front-line hospital of the DPR/LPR;
3. Then sent to the hospital in Rostov, to the so-called distribution hub. Here the fighter waits for the direction to the final destination - either by plane or by train (the wait is long, there is a shortage of personnel in Rostov, the situation leads to complications for the fighters - I wrote here). For example, my husband was taken to Moscow by ambulance, if we had waited another day, he would have lost his leg.
4. Admission to the final hospital - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar and so on. Here, after a series of operations, manipulations, as soon as the bones have grown together, the stitches have tightened - the fighter is discharged. The discharge summary prescribes 30-40 days of leave.
5. After discharge, the fighter must go directly to the unit to write a report for the required 30-40 days. However, in most cases, the fighter does not return home - the command does not sign the report. In the best case, he is in the rear, in the worst case, they can already be sent to the assault. This is where the wounded and crippled appear on the front lines.

In fact, the situation when soldiers are given the required 30-40 days after treatment is rare. We have thousands of requests that after discharge - a mandatory visit to the unit and there is no way back. The VVK is also held in the unit, the expectation of a new operation, planned even in a military hospital, also takes place in the unit, and the soldier may not wait for it, they are not released.

I will note that initially, Storm V is sent directly from the hospital to the unit, that is, soldiers from prisons. They are generally disenfranchised, they can be sent to storm on the very first day.

Who is provided with rehabilitation? If you contact the Fatherland Defenders Fund with a request for rehabilitation, they will listen to you, accept the application. Then they will call you from a civilian clinic and ask if you are a military serviceman, if so, then you will be offered to resign, because rehabilitation is provided only to civilians. That is, in the FZO and in other structures, we do not know that the contract is automatically extended.

It turns out that rehabilitation is not for the military, who need to be restored and sent healthy, fighting to the front. But only for those who will never go to the front. Our state is not interested in strong, tough fighters on the front lines?

Tell me, what kind of stormtrooper can a support soldier take - a cripple on crutches, with an unbending arm, a sick, undertreated or an experienced, restored fighter, with normal health? The answer is obvious. So why do we have healthy, huge men in some units, brigades sitting in the rear, and sending fighters who have just returned from hospitals, who have not even recovered and have not undergone rehabilitation, to the stormtroopers?

It is necessary:

1. Provide the opportunity for SVO participants to undergo rehabilitation in state civilian clinics, including at their place of residence. The military should not be disingenuous and hide the fact that they are defending the country in order to receive medical care.
2. Resolve the issue of providing leave after injury. And introduce liability for commanders for failure to provide leave due to injury.
3. Hospital orders on VVK, on fitness category, on the need for repeated surgery, etc. must be strictly observed.

 

[Badr Hari]

Last rybar update on Kursk:

In the Kursk region, fighting continues in several areas, the enemy is trying to gain a foothold in the occupied territory.

In the west of the Korenevsky district, fighting continues in the area of Krasnooktyabrskoye and Vishnevka, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to attack. To the east of Korenevo itself, local advancement of the Russian Armed Forces is recorded. According to our data, counterattacks by Russian troops here began at the end of August, and, apparently, some time ago allowed the enemy to be driven out of the forest belts in the area of the gas station.

To the east, in the Kremyanoye-Kalinovo area, judging by the footage of objective control by the Russian Armed Forces, the enemy is gaining a foothold in the forest belts to the southeast of populated areas, equipping both new fortifications and occupying old strongholds. Moreover, the enemy even brought up towed artillery.

In the Sudzhansky district, south of Khitrovka, an air strike by the Russian Aerospace Forces hit an enemy force in a forest belt. The accumulation of personnel and armored vehicles in this area confirms that Pogrebki is at least in the "gray zone".

Between Cherkassky Porechny and Russky Porechny, an attempt by Russian troops to attack in the direction of Kositsa is recorded, but with an unclear outcome. Footage of these events was published by the enemy, and therefore it is impossible to judge the success of the attack based on them. In addition, west of Spalnoye, a small group of Ukrainian infantry was hit by a UAV strike.

 

[Badr Hari]

This last week Rus advance in Donetsk has slowed down significantly.

 

[Orgasmo]

This last week Rus advance in Donetsk has slowed down significantly.

Ukraine brought in reinforcements, at least 3 brigades to counter-attack.

Back in July it was reported that Ukraine had 9 brigades worth of operational reserves that finished training. About 5 to 6 brigades were used in the Kursk offensive, so there were still some left.

 

[AWilder]

 

[Jeffy37]

True American hero

 

[GhostZ06]

SRBMs from Iran are now in Russia

 

[GhostZ06]

meteor missile might be going to ukriane