International Russia/Ukraine Megathread V15

[aerius]

As I've said ad nauseam, not even the Ukrainian commanders believe they're winning.

 

[Devil's_Advocate]

its weird how theyre using the Su-34. i really wanna know theyre training for it, because its considered a medium Strike fighter, but theyre using it all weird

I have a feeling Russians are at a point where they will use anything for any mission. Is it airworthy(at least by broad Russian standards)? Does it fly the necessary distance? Can it carry the intended payload? Good enough... I don't think they worry about hypothetical dogfights or platform limitations...

It said it was something they regularly did so sounds like it was working just fine for their purposes. Seems likes Ukrainians got an intelligence break so they were able to take advantage of it(more so than Russians doing anything particularly negligent/dumb). We also see Russians adapting their tanks with the drone cope cages/etc. It looks dumb and outside of its initial scope of work but it seems to work to some extent. Ukrainians are also doing the same thing now.

I think the Russians are still operating under the Soviet doctrines/dogmas(the plane use is just one example) whereas Ukrainians are slowly making the switch towards more modern Western approaches which long term will bear fruit for the Ukrainians.

 

[Devil's_Advocate]

As I've said ad nauseam, not even the Ukrainian commanders believe they're winning.

Unless it's not clear: slow grind for every km at a glacial pace for the Russians (and mostly in the Donbas) = winning for the Ukrainians.

Russia is about to enter an outright recession. Russia is at a point where it needs to do a full mobilization. Something will have to give for the Russians....

Even just Starlink getting cut off has had huge negative impact on the Russian military performance. Imagine relying on a Western company for 4 years to do the bulk of your job...

 

[San Marino]

Ukraine is winning!

Their superior and undistructable Army is moving so fast eastward that it will have recovered 20% of Ukraine by July 2026.

The last 4 years was just training and exercises for this summer. It will be a culminating victory against those evil Russians.

Anyone who thinks otherwise is stupid.
A country that is invaded can never lose a war.

 

[Ruthless Ryan]

They're not ignoring it anymore.




Russia won't stop, because they can't. Putin can't have those wounded soldiers and veterans coming back home. Also, they CAN'T payout all of the death benefits to the families of the over one million dead Russian soldiers.

That's why i really wonder what is going through his insane mind. Is he really grasping on to hopes that he can achieve some sort of victory and at least get his 4 oblasts back? Or is he just trying to buy time and hope Trump can some how save him?
by him taking away telegram and shutting down social media is very telling, he cares more about controlling his people knowing that his army needs telegram especially after losing starlink.
I think he is just going to go down in a burst of flames and kill as many as possible on his way out.

 

[Devil's_Advocate]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ukrainian-drone-pilot-found-hidden-050102871.html

"

A Ukrainian drone pilot found a hidden Russian arsenal, only to discover it was filled with horses and old cars​

Matthew Loh
Mon, February 16, 2026 at 9:01 PM PST

Cosmos' drone flew inside a warehouse to spot two horses, several Lada vehicles, and two motorbikes.82nd Air Assault Brigade

• A Ukrainian drone pilot told Business Insider of how he found a Russian arsenal of horses and Ladas.
• Russia has increasingly been seen using unconventional transport, such as horses or bicycles.
• The pilot's commander said it's a sign of how Russia fights and calculates its losses differently.

Cosmos floated his quadcopter over the ruined warehouse, guiding it through a corner of the roof where shattered metal sheets had collapsed to form a hole.

The drone pilot's unit, the Wild Division, suspected that the building was a logistics hub for Russian soldiers, roughly 15 km, or about 9 miles, from the line of contact in southern Ukraine. These hidden locations often held ordnance or fuel stockpiles, and Cosmos' fiber-optic drone was armed with explosives to destroy them.


Yet inside, the drone rotated its camera to reveal what looked more like a farmer's garage: Four civilian cars, a pair of motorcycles, and two bridled horses.

"We had not expected to see this. It was unusual," Cosmos told Business Insider, speaking on condition that he be identified only by his call sign.

"We were expecting to find some armored vehicles," he added.

Video of the discovery went viral last week in Ukraine, as the war has increasingly seen Russian soldiers using unconventional transport tools, such as pack animals and bicycles, to conduct assaults or logistics missions. Cosmos said his drone mission was conducted in early February.


The smaller profile of a horse or civilian car might be harder for a drone to spot, though Russia's repeated use of them has also raised questions about the viability of its tactics and whether it's been producing enough military equipment to sustain its invasion.

Cosmos' squad mates and officers at the Wild Division, a first-person-view drone company in the 82nd Air Assault Brigade, had seen clips of Russian soldiers riding on horses to attack Ukrainian positions before.

One famous example they remember was in Zaporizhzhia, when a Ukrainian drone crew attacked Russian infantry crossing the front lines on horseback last month.

Cosmos, who's been piloting drones for a year, said it was the first time he'd personally seen the animals on the front lines.


He flew his explosive-laden drone straight into the back of one of the cars, and said his crew later struck several other vehicles inside. When Russian troops moved their transport assets, the Wild Division found the next warehouse and attacked that one, too, Cosmos said.

"The enemy usually lives in hiding close to these places," Cosmos said of the warehouse. "It's common for us to check all targets. Sometimes we can see the enemy infantry, or you can see their vehicles."

Russia calculates war differently​

The Wild Division declined to say where exactly the warehouse was located, but its brigade is generally deployed in the Donbas.

The commander of Cosmos' battalion told Business Insider that the discovery of the horses surprised him, too.


"I thought it had been a location for transport vehicles, sort of a transfer hub," said the major, whose call sign is Fizruk."

"Fizruk said the appearance of horses and cars in his area of the front line could be a sign that Russian forces are running low on standard resources, but also reflects Moscow's attritional nature of fighting.


The cars discovered by Cosmos appear to be Nivas, inexpensive civilian off-road vehicles from the Russian Lada car brand.

"They treat these like they will be losses anyway, that they will be destroyed anyway," he said. "Look, a Niva costs, let's say, $2,000. A Hummer, which the Armed Forces of Ukraine uses in many places, costs $20,000, maybe more."


"Since they lose their equipment in assaults, from that point of view, why pay $20,000 for one vehicle if you can buy 10 Nivas for $20,000?" Fizruk added.

The Kremlin is known to pressure the front line with repeated ground assaults, sending small groups of infantry to approach Ukrainian positions on foot or in cheap vehicles. The strategy has been costly, with NATO now saying that up to 25,000 Russian troops are dying each month.

Sustaining that style of war has pushed Moscow to informal means of recruitment and weapons procurement, including hiring troops from overseas and receiving ammunition from North Korea.

Read the original article on Business Insider"

 

[Strychnine]

 

[SandisLL]

its weird how theyre using the Su-34. i really wanna know theyre training for it, because its considered a medium Strike fighter, but theyre using it all weird

They usually are using this to drop gliding bombs.

Since gliding bombs allows jet to drop them when aircraft is far away from target.

However classic gliding bombs real flight range depends a lot from: aircraft speed in moment when gliding bomb is released... more speed : bomb might fly longer distance...
AND aiircraft altitude ! More = bomb will fly longer distance....

 

[SandisLL]

Classic variant to drop gliding bomb they use : aircraft is climbing up and increasing speed, while still is over rus controlled territory.

Preferable ofc the further from fronltine : better.

Therefore gliding bombs are released when airplane is over russia controlled territory.....

If wings after release opens as had been designed, bomb is flying as had been designed.

IF wings doesn't opens.... then gliding bomb NOW is simple Gravitation bomb...
In such case malfunctioning bomb is falling ON Russia controlled territory...

 

[San Marino]

ISW, 17 February 2026.

1. Russian forces conducted another large, combined strike package against Ukrainian energy infrastructure overnight on February 16 to 17.
2. Russian forces have been launching large strike packages in recent months in the days before and after bilateral and trilateral negotiations but are likely refraining from fully maximizing Russia’s strike capabilities in order to avoid upsetting US President Donald Trump.
3. Russian forces recently advanced near Borova, in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area, and near Pokrovsk.
4. In February 2026, Ukraine regained approximately 201 square kilometers (roughly 78 square miles) of territory in a single week. In the same period, Russian forces gained approximately 203 square kilometers (roughly 78 square miles) of Ukrainian territory.

Russian Army destroys Ukraine's Vovchansk​

MSN

17 February 2026.

 

[San Marino]

That's why i really wonder what is going through his insane mind. Is he really grasping on to hopes that he can achieve some sort of victory and at least get his 4 oblasts back?

What a stupid question from you and those like you. Why do you think Russia invaded Ukraine? Why do you think Russia has been fighting Ukraine for the past 4 years? Russia has already achieved a victory in taking 20% of Ukraine. What are these 4 oblasts you keep bringing up? Russia currently controls 5 oblasts. Can you name them? Does all your information come from those stupid Strychnine videos and TikTok?

Plus, you said the Russian economy was going to collapse in July of 2025. I said you were wrong and we made a bet which you lost. You were wrong. You, and others, are wrong about 50% of the information you post in this thread. Russia will take 1/3 of Ukraine before this conflict is over. It may come back for more after a few years if Ukraine does not behave.

Has Putin leveled Kiev like Netanyahu leveled Gaza? No. Folks in Kiev may be cold, but they are alive.
As of January 2026, the Gaza Health Ministry and other reports indicate that over 73,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. Innocent men, women, and children. Who is the true 'madman'?

 

[San Marino]

its weird how theyre using the Su-34. i really wanna know theyre training for it, because its considered a medium Strike fighter, but theyre using it all weird

The voice of wisdom. How are they using the Su-34 all weird? Tells us the correct way to use that airplane. Is it the Su-34 or the Sukhoi Su-30?

 

[Devil's_Advocate]

 

[SandisLL]

Su 34 is very capable and relatively modern aircraft. Ofc capabilities depends from avionics version and pods kits etc installed ...
It is also expensive stuff and it is assumed that non export versions for russia real de facto cost for manufacturer is higher than export version....because latest stuff tech etc.

 

[SandisLL]

Ofc depends from cm and eW kits and their version , flight altitude and speed.
As airframe alone¿¿
Su 34 isn't lesser vulnerable vs air defense than 1980 th Su 27...

 

[Cid]

 

[Cid]

 

[aerius]

I don't know the plane in the picture. Is it the Sukhoi Su-30? That is what it looks like to me, but not quite like it. It doesn't quite match anything in the Russian inventory. The wings are still not right. Maybe the plane itself has been modified for the picture. Nothing European either.
View attachment 1134308

The plane is a complete fake like the rest of his post, that's why it doesn't look like anything in the Russian inventory. Ukraine cheerleaders are morons and the Ukrainians know it, that's why they don't even bother making their propaganda realistic in any way, they know they don't need to because their audience is retarded.

Case in point, this. How'd that work out? Every Challenger got wrecked or withdrawn to the rear areas after the Ukrainians realized they were shit tanks.

 

[Strychnine]

 

[RemyR]

Interesting development.