Posted on 03/18/2022 10:39:53 AM PDT by Az Joe
Academic inquiry only.
That doesn't seem to be a tactic that the Russians can use effectively in Ukraine. I doubt the Ukrainians can either.
Both sides have a limited ability to secure areas under their control, resulting in what might be called mixed up combat.
The Russians captured the Kherson airport to use it as an operating base. It has been shelled twice, and even then their security is so weak that you can watch a video presented by Ukrainian forces taken by somebody driving around the airport with a camera right after the shelling.
Here is a video taken after the attack by someone driving around the airport.
“They fired dozens of ballistic missiles, most intercepted.”
The Russian reports I’ve read so far claim that they’re intercepting less than half of the Tochka missiles. Even then the intercepted missiles are coming down relatively intact and relatively on target with modest effect.
If you have something different then I’d definitely be interested in reading it.
For now I’m thinking the Ukes are using adaptive tactics to avoid the Russian missile defenses. The Tochka is nothing special so far as I know and should be susceptible to fire from the 9M317 anti-aircraft missiles the Russian forces are using.
I give up...There seems to be a Ukraine excuse for everything.
I’ve never seen a war with this much bull sh*t, propaganda and outright lies flying in every direction.
In Donbas they the the problem. In Belgorod they are reporting a barrage in the air but no hits so far.
Ukraine doesn’t have a chance. They have their hands full in trying to repel the invasion. Russia has 4,500 planes and thousands of tanks. Russia is doing what they did in Syria. Converge around a city, bomb and wait for civilians to flee from the city and then level the city. Eventually Russia Wins.
I can’t think of a single reason you needed to answer the question rudely. No reason at all. Let’s try to keep the discourse civil.
Absolute BS. The Russian Air Force does not have enough logistical force to even attempt such forward operations. The Ukraine air defenses would have a field day with any such attempt when S-300 SAMs would cover any high altitude approaches and Stingers would make any low approaches next to a suicide mission.
Let me guess that you have no military experience with airlift operations?
“Gezzzz, they’ve been doing air drops forever in war venues....C’mon.”
I never said they weren’t. I just pointed out the hazards and risks, and why the US military has built-in redundancy for such operations.
Ukraine was taken over in an armed coup. The DPR and LPR removed themselves from the power of an illegitimate government. Americans (ahem) may have some fellow-feeling with them.
Remember that the Svoboda party had only about 8% of the seats in the Rada, but held a whopping third of the coup government’s 18-member cabinet.
This included the posts of Minister of Defence and Prosecutor-General. Banderists controlled the military *and* the judicial process in Ukraine, and could now act with relative impunity.
Not that the people of Donbass waited for proof. The heinous Odessa Massacre, and the abductions, executions and extortions committed by the Aidar battalion in their areas of the Lugansk region, made it clear that the seperatists were wise not to trust themselves to the mercy of the new government.
The separatists got help from Russia - which was very willing to give it. Russian-backed Ukraineans fought American-backed Ukraineans in a cruel proxy war. For eight years.
FReepers who would like a feel for the bitterness of the Donbass war can check out this genial speech from Poroshenko. And then ask themselves, which side was on the offensive? And which side was forced to hide their children in basements?
“Concern at this point is the West will find a way to drag it out until someone can set off a rogue nuke and blame it on Russia.”
That is so true and the crazies in DC are just stupid enough to do that and get millions killed (including us and the Ruskies).
It is a very real possibility.
23 Oct 2002, Chechen rebels storm Moscow theatre taking 800 hostage ultimately killing 170.
Surprised we haven’t seen this from some Ukrainians.
YET.
I see, it’s impossible for Russia to airlift anything into Ukraine, because of Ukrainian military might! OK. And the press tells us Ukraine is destroying whole columns of tanks as a matter of routine.
But Ukraine couldn’t stop Russian armor or aircraft at the borders, when Ukraine had months notice the Russian were amassing at the borders for an invasion?
lol...
I don’t know, but I guarantee the number is fewer than Ukrainian propaganda claims and more than Russian propaganda claims.
They're a problem in Donbas because of the anti-personnel munitions the Ukrops are using and the fact they're targeting civilian areas there.
Such things are not discussed in the West
They need to take out the Kerch Strait Bridge. That would be a strategic victory and possibly put the Crimea at risk.
I have thought, however, how satisfying it would be to put some ordinance in the middle of Moscow to bring the point home to Putin. It woke up the Japanese to bomb Tokyo from an aircraft carrier early on in WWII. Militarily it didn't amount to much, but Psychologically it put the war in context to the people in Japan. If a few claymore mines went off in Moscow, especially close to the Kremlin, maybe a general would figure out Putin may have made a mistake.
Do Russians really think they will casually sit in a Starbucks in Ukraine 6 months from now and not expect a grenade tossed in the front door? Ukrainians will strike back on "Russian" territory eventually.
Likeliest explanation based upon our incomplete information.
Again [as I’ve said in many other posts], This is not pro/anti Putin or Uke. It is anti-lies. If you can’t or won’t recognize the propaganda, you have war fever. I prefer to make decisions [like going to war against Russia] based on actual facts. And I can’t believe I have to post this “disclaimer” in FR.
They probably though Putin was bluffing, like a lot of outside observers believed. Russia (like China and North Korea) regularly does “military exercises” on the border with some state it wants to intimidate, but it rarely actually follows that up with an invasion.
I was thinking of a rogue MiG flight to bomb Moscow, kind of like Doolittle. It’s about 500 miles.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.