Blue areas are ground taken UA in the past 2 days. Blue outlined areas are ground previously taken by UA.
Posted on 05/18/2023 8:21:35 AM PDT by SpeedyInTexas
“US budget for 2024 should have a Ukraine aid package of around $60 billion.”
I predict the next fiscal budget will contains a significant funding package for Ukraine.
The RuZZian Boys who thought Rs taking House would save them will be in for a Huge disappointment.
Kazan is the name of a city in RuZZia.
Is that where you live?
Patriot has several available interceptors. It can engage several target types and is considered an area air defense system, and is “point defense” limited only in the case of high speed ballistic missiles or similar.
It is perfectly capable however of taking over the job,from the Ukrainian S300 system, of intercepting cruise missiles and the like in high-risk areas like the Kiev region.
That relieves some of the pressure on the S300 system. That is now better reserved as a counter to Russian manned aircraft.
For several reasons it is not “THE” answer to all Ukraine’s air defense problems. Patriot is too immobile and complex to approach the front lines. It is best used to cover a rear area collection of targets - Kiev, say, or Odessa. It’s also overkill for many engagements. It’s also one of the very few US/western systems deployed in Ukraine that are relevant in East Asia, so there are only so many batteries or interceptors that can be supplied.
Fortunately it is not the only air defense system being supplied. NASAMs and IRIS-T are more point-defense oriented. They are also good for replacing the S300 in the anti cruise missile role.
All night long, Russian Forces 'worked' on Ukraine using a wide range of weapons
— Missile strikes were carried out on Odessa and its suburbs. Warehouses and industrial facilities where weapons and equipment were stored were hit.
— After the missile attack, Geran drones and decoys were used, explosions were heard in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
— A new missile strike hit targets in Kharkov, Kramatorsk, Pokrovsky district of the DPR, Kirovograd and Cherkassy regions.
— At 2 am, air-based missiles were launched from strategic bombers, hitting targets in the Poltava and Vinnitsa regions.
— Guided air bombs were used on targets in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
— In the morning (at about 04:00) "Calibers" were launched on targets in the Khmelnytsky, Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions.
The end of the air raid sounded only at 6 am (MSK).
Cyberspec News TG Channel reported
“Ukraine says Russia launched 30 missiles overnight and it intercepted all but one”
Get real, RuZZian Boy!
“n the Oleshky Sands, #Kherson Oblast, the Ukrainian 406th Artillery Brigade used an M982 Excalibur precision artillery strike to hit a Russian 2A36 Giatsint-B 152mm field gun, taking it out of action.”
https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1659212107014103042
“EUROPE GAS PRICES FALL BELOW €30 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE JUNE 2021.”
“We’ve a significant exclusive regarding the potential supply of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine dropping later for Yahoo News... “
The aid is still pouring in...
“Norway, in collaboration with the UK, is supplying Ukraine with 8 long-range MLRS systems and 3 “Arthur” artillery guidance radars, the Minister of Defense of Norway reported. “
https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1659223395479822339
There are open source documents regarding PAC-3 ballistic missile area defense coverage. In general, a 15 KM circle is the defense area for ballistic missiles, or apprx 175 sq KM. Not nearly enough to defend a city the size of Kyiv, but calling it "point defense" is quite a stretch.
The PAC-2 increases that coverage by a large margin, but even with PAC-2 GEM/T, the Kinzhal is possibly beyond PAC-2 capability.
Latest variant for ballistic missiles, like the Khinzal, is 19 miles or greater.
The Patriot has shot down maybe 6 or more Khinzals so it is quite capable - as long as you disregard the Russian hype.
Lots of speculation and rumors around status of General Zaluzhny. Something happened but don’t know what.
“US officials say the pre-approved funds are enough to support Ukraine for about 5 more months... But “if we get to September and Ukraine hasn’t made significant progress, then the international pressure to bring them into negotiations will be huge,” one official said.”
Those five months are just the rest of fiscal year 2023, not the end of Western support. The American budget proposed for supporting Ukraine in FY 24 (as reported elsewhere in your post) is around $60 billion - a 50% increase from 2023. Another new Ukrainian Counterattack Corps, composed of 11 more newly formed, equipped and trained Brigades; is already advancing through the NATO force generation pipeline for this Fall, ready for the new American fiscal year, that begins October 1st.
Based on the resourcing decisions already made, and those being discussed, NATO and its Allies are fully committed to an increased level of military support to Ukraine in the next fiscal year (2024).
Russia is screwed well and deeply.
Putin did that.
@visegrad24 27m
Italy has announced it will start training Ukrainian soldiers in Italy.
Italy will also send military instructors to train Ukrainian troops in Poland, Belgium and Germany.
Hence I said “point defense” in quotes.
The point (hah!) is that its ABM capabilities are for a very restricted area vis a vis its antiair abilities.
Given that, comprehensive anti-hypersonic defense for all likely targets in Ukraine is going to require quite a lot of Patriot systems.
Fortunately, given the rather few hypersonic/ballistic missiles Russia seems able to come up with, this isnt a huge issue.
Exclusive: U.S. could train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s in 4 months
@bayraktar_1love 11h
In Crimea, there was a diversion on a railroad. IED was detonated at about 8 am near Chistenkoe. 8 wagons derailed.
(Looks like it would be a pretty straightforward and relatively quick repair to the rail line - a bridge would have been out of service much longer)
"Russia's progress in Ukraine is so slow that state TV reports on the war now feature street plans indicating which side controls *individual buildings* in Bakhmut
I'm pretty sure this wasn't the aim when Putin launched his "special military operation" last year..."
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