Posted on 04/09/2022 4:27:05 AM PDT by tlozo
Kyiv's forces have managed to "thwart" Russian attempts to connect Crimea, the peninsula they seized from Ukraine in 2014, to its western border so far.
And it is now hoped they will put Britain's Mastiffs, heavily armoured vehicles that were used to protect troops from roadside bombs in Afghanistan, to the same use they gave to the UK's anti-tank and anti-air weapons.
It comes after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, having seen Russian troops retreat from their advance on his capital, called on the world to hold Moscow accountable for a missile strike on a train station that killed at least 52 people.
"Like the massacres in Bucha, like many other Russian war crimes, the missile attack on Kramatorsk should be one of the charges at the tribunal that must be held," he said of the strike in Kramatorsk, in the east of the country.
"It is energy exports that provide the lion's share of Russia's income and allow the Russian leadership to believe in their impunity.
"That allows them to hope that the world will ignore the war crimes committed by the Russian army."
Boris Johnson said the "unconscionable" attack showed the "depth to which Putin's once-vaunted army has sunk" and suggested it constituted a war crime.
Russia's focus has turned to focus on the east and the south of Ukraine, where they have enjoyed more success.
Western observers have been sceptical as to whether the redeployed units from Kyiv, which humiliatingly failed to force out Mr Zelenskyy and his government, will have the ability to make a large difference in those theatres.
Ukraine has requested more equipment to fight after their retreat revealed hundreds of people's bodies in towns near the capital like Bucha, and the UK has announced it will dispatch Mastiffs.
The armoured patrol vehicles weigh up to 23 tons and were designed to protect British troops fighting in Afghanistan from IEDs.
Vowing to "do everything" to stop Vladimir Putin winning in Ukraine, defence secretary Ben Wallace announced the shipment on Friday.
"We will be sending armoured vehicles, protective armoured vehicles - such as Mastiff - to make sure that Ukraine has that support," he said.
They will be going to soldiers who have proven their desire to fight the invaders – and continue to thwart Russian ambitions for Ukraine in the eastern Donbas area and the south of the country, near Crimea.
"Russian operations continue to focus on the Donbas region, Mariupol and Mykolaiv, supported by continued cruise missile launches into Ukraine by Russian naval forces," the UK Ministry of Defence said.
It added: "However, Russian ambitions to establish a land corridor between Crimea and the Donbas continue to be thwarted by Ukrainian resistance."
A statement by the UK defence ministry said the new package includes more than 800 NLAW anti-tank missiles, additional loitering munitions and additional air defence systems, among others.
Nice. The quagmire is getting deeper and deeper for the criminal scum Russians.
One gets the impression from the photo that these vehicles are essentially defensive in nature, designed to protect troops rather than as platforms mounting an offensive punch. The "statement" says that antitank missiles and air defense systems are included but are they somehow integral to this platform or merely carried along and then deployed?
If these vehicles are to be deployed in an area that has been a static slugfest for eight years, one inquires whether this is the right tool for the job or whether artillery or even tanks would be more effective because heavier and with a bigger punch?
Perhaps someone with experience in Afghanistan or Iraq could advise me.
I think you are right. The UK is making a big show about their generosity, but these are vehicles built for a different war that the UK no longer needs.
Ukraine’s success has been by rapidly deploying missile armed infantry using nothing fancier than a commercial SUVs to get them into theater. Slow moving, gas gushing trucks that are built to protect from IEDs seem less than ideal.
Damn!
I gotta git me one of those.
Strictly for Deer hunting of course……..
Unconscionable does not mean without conscience. It means without reason or excessive.
Easily penetrated with RPG-18+, 30mm, 14.5mm (maybe), 23mm, etc....not to mention the AT4-AT14 ATGMs the russians have.
Wow..... 23 tons. Must be a great vehicle /s
If you need to move troops across a mined area or an area with small arms fire, I’m sure this vehicle makes it possible in situations where an SUV does not.
Asking for a friend...
I’d love to drive that down main street and scaring the Californians in their Teslas.
23 tons!
How will the west deliver these vehicles?
The Uke’s have no fuel reserves. What is the EPA mpg on these 23 ton vehicles?
How will gaia survive all that CO2
I want one.
“Easily penetrated with RPG-18+, 30mm, 14.5mm (maybe), 23mm, etc.”
I was thinking the same. After all, there’s a reason why tanks look like, well, tanks.
It’s the Canyonero!
Perfect vehicle for daily commuting through enemy territories here in the U.S. such as DC, Ballimer, and P.G. County...
Agree, a couple of tire snipes and it won’t get too far.
Thanks for the pic!
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