Putin brutally mocked over lone vintage tank in Russia’s scaled-down Victory Day parade

NY Post ^ | 5/9/2023 | Snejana Farberov

[marcusmaximus]

Vladimir Putin’s annual Victory Day parade in Moscow meant to showcase Russia’s military might failed to impress Tuesday, with critics poking fun at the lone World War II-era tank that was seen rolling forlornly through Red Square.

The event celebrating Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 was a drastically pared-down affair compared to years past, featuring a mere 8,000 soldiers — the lowest number since 2008.

Even the procession in 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic, featured some 13,000 soldiers. Last May, more than a month into the invasion of Ukraine, 11,000 troops took part in the parade.

This time, there was no fly-over of fighter jets, and the entire event lasted less than the usual hour.

Instead of phalanxes of modern battle tanks thundering through the center of Russia’s capital, a lone 83-year-old T-34 tank flying a red flag trundled through Moscow’s main square under Putin’s watchful gaze.

“This is weak. There are no tanks,” said spectator Yelena Orlova. “We’re upset, but that’s all right; it will be better in the future.”

For comparison, last year’s parade featured some of Russia’s newer tanks, a T-14 Armata and a T-74.

[familyop]

Didn't have a chance to post this a few days ago.

🥊 In Ankara 🇹🇷, during the events of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Community, the representative of Russia 🇷🇺 tore the flag of Ukraine 🇺🇦 from the hands of a 🇺🇦 Member of Parliament.

The 🇺🇦 MP then punched the Russian in the face. pic.twitter.com/zUM8oK4IyN— Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) May 4, 2023

[familyop]

There's a video of the incident behind the Twitter link, BTW.

Didn't have a chance to post this a few days ago.

🥊 In Ankara 🇹🇷, during the events of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Community, the representative of Russia 🇷🇺 tore the flag of Ukraine 🇺🇦 from the hands of a 🇺🇦 Member of Parliament.

The 🇺🇦 MP then punched the Russian in the face. pic.twitter.com/zUM8oK4IyN— Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) May 4, 2023

[marcusmaximus]

The T-34 was first designed and built in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

[Kazan]

Too Much Firepower | Wagner Night Assaults Storm Final Ukrainian Defensive Positions in Bakhmut

SOME MISCELLANEOUS BUT SALIENT OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE WAR IN UKRAINE

At the start of the “Special Military Operation” more than a year ago, the Ukrainian Army outnumbered the Russians by a factor of three. Even with their advantage in numbers, the Ukrainian defenses failed to stop the numerically inferior Russian force and failed to expel the Russians from the Luhansk and Donetsk territories.

We now are being enticed to believe that Ukraine, with a numerically inferior force compared to Russia’s current troop deployment, is going to mount an offensive, despite a severe lack of tanks, armored vehicles, mobile artillery and air cover, that will drive the Russians from fortifications erected during the last six months.

Ukrainian officials persist in making wild claims about Russian defeats, low morale and catastrophic casualties. There is a very simple test you can do to evaluate the Ukrainian claim about Russia’s losses — find the social media and count the photos and videos. If Russia had suffered the number of killed and wounded cited by Ukrainian and Western officials and pundits, then it would be impossible to hide those photos and videos. Social media and smart phones are ubiquitous and grieving wives, girl friends, parents and friends are not easy to corral.

Images and videos like the following are widely available on Ukrainian Telegram channels. The opposite is true when it comes to finding comparable material on Russian channels. There are a few photos of newly dug graves in a Russian military cemetery, but nothing like the quantity of images recording Ukraine losses.

[familyop]

"Once again, Putin is being unfairly criticized. Consider this. Napoleon held many victory parades. And not a single tank was ever present. Not even one."

And such great tanks were built before Napoleon died in 1821.  ;D

[marcusmaximus]

What 72nd Brigade doink?

[marcusmaximus]

What Saldo doink?

[familyop]

Russian brigade flees from Bakhmut – Ukraine confirms Prigozhin’s claim
NV
May 10, 2023

Russia’s 72nd Separate Mechanized Rifle Brigade has indeed abandoned its positions in Bakhmut and withdrew into the rear – just as the owner of Wagner Group PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has claimed – Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade said in a Telegram post on May 9.

"Prigozhin’s report about the withdrawal of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces from Bakhmut… is accurate," the message said.

The Ukrainian unit added that in the last few days, Ukraine’s Azov tactical group has eliminated 64 enemy troops, injuring 87 more, and capturing five. Some of the soldiers killed were serving with Wagner PMC.

“It’s worth mentioning destroyed Russian equipment: several ammunition depots, mortars, and several IFVs,” the report adds.

Earlier on May 9, Prigozhin published a video complaining about the lack of ammunition. He said that regular Russian army troops fled from their positions in Bakhmut, exposing one of the flanks.

“We have a ministry of intrigue instead of a ministry of defense, so our army is running away,” Prigozhin said.

[Glad2bnuts]

As opposed to American tanks in parades on American streets. Actually, I am not sure if there are any working tanks in the US. Didn’t we station them all offshore so our enemies can take them after we cut tail and run?

[familyop]

'We Search, We Strike, We Destroy': Ukrainian Drone Pilots Track Russian Forces Near Bakhmut
RFE/RL
May 9, 2023

[Video]

A Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance unit on the outskirts of Bakhmut is helping to prevent Russian forces from seizing the fiercely contested city. Moscow is said to be sending reinforcements after failed efforts to capture Bakhmut before May 9, the date when Russian celebrates its World War II victory. RFE/RL correspondent Maryan Kushnir spent two days on the front line with Ukrainian troops, who shared their most recent impressions about fighting in the area.

[Phoenix8]

We all hear how the T-34 was a war winning tank with some truth.

It also suffered ghastly losses to the Germans who destroyed nearly all the 10s of thousands the Soviets built.

[model B]

The other tanks were probably covering the flanks of the 72 motorized fleeing Bahkmut.

[familyop]

Russia Offers the X-31PD Missile for Export Market in Response to the Kh-47 Kinzhal Missile Loss
Defense Express
by Sofiia Syngaivska
May 9, 2023

It is difficult to say how effective such weapon would be in real-world scenarios, and whether or not russia could use the Kh-31PD missile in a war against Ukraine

According to Defense Romania, after Ukraine had successfully shot down the Kh-47 Kinzhal missile, the russians stated looking for a way to rehabilitate. Rosoboronexport announced that it is ready to export the X-31PD antiradar missiles, which supposedly can be transformed into the “AEW&C aircraft killer” or used to strike at radars or radar stations of medium and long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.

At the same time, the russians claim that they managed to modify the X-31PD missile even under the conditions of sanctions so that it could withstand the Patriot surface-to-air missile system.

In fact, the serial production of the X-31PD missile started in 2012. This missile differs from the basic version with an increased starting weight of up to 715 kg, an increased warhead up to 110 kg, and a claimed launch range of up to 250 km.

The Patriot SAM system has a maximum firing range of up to 160 km (provided that the PAC-2 missile is fired at planes or cruise missiles). However, the radio-technical parameters of the Patriot's radar system must be programmed into the guidance system's memory of the X-31PD missile so that it could withstand. It is unlikely that the russians have such data and it is doubtful that there are technological capabilities to “reprogram” the missile properly.

Moreover, theoretically, it is possible that the “AEW&C aircraft killer” could be targeted at exports, such as to India because China has a big fleet of radar surveillance aircraft. However, it is difficult to say how effective such weapon would be in real-world scenarios, and whether or not russia could use the Kh-31PD missile in a war against Ukraine. As Defense Express previously reported, How russians Wasted Kh-31P and Kh-58 Missiles And Failed to Destroy Ukraine’s Air Defense.

[chajin]

The absence of modern tanks in the parade is another matter.

Putting the parade together was a tankless job, but someone had to do it.

[GingisK]

Putin brutally mocked...

Oh come on! Mocking doesn't leave a bruise. How could it be brutal?

[Peter ODonnell]

NATO on line 1:

“If it’s tanks you need, we have some on the way.”

[Flag_This]

[canuck_conservative]

No room for more than one juvenile snark in that empty little noggin at a time

it's always such a laugh to see you Russian shills so verklempt every time the slightest bit of bad news for Russia appears

just admit it, Russia sucks under Putin's "leadership" LOL

[E. Pluribus Unum]

That’s all ya got? Russian shill?

I gave you too much credit for having two brain cells.

[Celtic Conservative]

The T-34 was like the American Sherman: they were technologically inferior, yet we built 10 tanks to every German tank manufactured. As Stalin said, “quantity has a quality all its own.”

CC