NPR

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 12:19 pm
And here we go again...unless they were only given enough ammo to ensure no bad news for May 9th Parade Day

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inactionman wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 1:17 pm

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 12:19 pm
And here we go again...unless they were only given enough ammo to ensure no bad news for May 9th Parade Day

Spoiler

Show

I may be misreading this, but it feels like the Wagner complaints about lack of support have really ramped up since the flow of convicts have dried up (I think recruitment from prisons ended in late Feb?)

Essentially they were happy enough throwing untrained criminals into the breach (or lack of breach), but as soon as this canon fodder chewed up and the relatively professional* Wagner mercenaries have to start dying, they've started looking for a way out. Easiest just to blame the army fr lakc of support than to admit they can't accomplish their goals without unacceptable losses.


*it's odd - it seems like the mercenary end of Wagner are shit out of ideas when they can't just send old men and winos out to draw enemy fire.

Tank production in Ukraine

Meanwhile, Rheinmetall sees itself on the right track to being able to manufacture tanks, anti-aircraft defense systems and ammunition in Ukraine in the future. Attempts are being made to conclude some cooperation agreements and joint ventures with Ukrainian companies in the coming weeks, said CEO Armin Papperger in Düsseldorf. It is about joint ventures for vehicle systems, air defense and ammunition. "In this way we will enable Ukraine to defend itself in the medium and long term." Investments in new plants would come from the Ukrainian state.

As a specific example, he went into the plan that has been known for two months to build Panther-type main battle tanks in the Ukraine. According to the Rheinmetall plans, it could be up to 400 per year. The previous talks with Kiev on the tank project are promising, the manager said at the general meeting of Germany's largest armaments company.

Just as the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle is built in a plant in Hungary, "our newly developed Panther battle tank could roll off the production line in a Ukrainian plant based on a comparable model." In the next ten years, the demand from Ukraine will be very high. Rheinmetall is on a strong growth course, which is also due to the increased global demand for armaments against the background of the Ukraine war. Speaking to shareholders, Papperger said: "You can assume that 2023 will be the best year in the company's history in terms of incoming orders." The group has very large capacities for tank ammunition and artillery, said the CEO. This is how you currently produce 150,000 rounds of tank ammunition. The artillery has a capacity of up to 600,000 rounds. "

Hellraiser wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 11:06 pm AFU recaptured 7.8 sq km of ground at Bakhmut today after forcing the 6th and 7th companies of the Russian 72nd Brigade to retreat with heavy losses. Prigozhin was going ape-shit about this earlier and it was confirmed by the Ukrainian 3rd Separate Assault Brigade about two hours ago.

Niegs wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 1:30 am

TB63 wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 8:06 am

Glaston wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 5:52 am

Niegs wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 1:30 am

Not from this year.

Google says its from Aug 2018

Wagner chief: We’ll rip out Macron’s teeth

Yevgeny Prigozhin is fuming — again.

This time he was triggered by the French parliament designating his Wagner Group of mercenaries as a terrorist organization — and on Wednesday he threatened French President Emmanuel Macron directly.

Responding to a question from Russian journalists, Prigozhin claimed that Wagner was saving people in Central Africa — where Wagner has gained a strong foothold and squeezed France’s presence in the region — from French soldiers, who “simply mocked them.”

“We can pull out rotten teeth from those bad mouths with pliers,” Prigozhin added. “We can pull out Macron’s teeth and, generally, everyone’s teeth who spill pathogenic filth (about Wagner).”

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 3:42 pm The more this goes on, the more it confirms he's not right in the head

Wagner chief: We’ll rip out Macron’s teeth

Yevgeny Prigozhin is fuming — again.

This time he was triggered by the French parliament designating his Wagner Group of mercenaries as a terrorist organization — and on Wednesday he threatened French President Emmanuel Macron directly.

Responding to a question from Russian journalists, Prigozhin claimed that Wagner was saving people in Central Africa — where Wagner has gained a strong foothold and squeezed France’s presence in the region — from French soldiers, who “simply mocked them.”

“We can pull out rotten teeth from those bad mouths with pliers,” Prigozhin added. “We can pull out Macron’s teeth and, generally, everyone’s teeth who spill pathogenic filth (about Wagner).”

Kremlin calls Polish decision to rename Kaliningrad 'hostile act'

May 10 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Poland's decision to rename the Russian city of Kaliningrad in its official documents was a "hostile act", as ties continue to fray over the Ukraine war.

Kaliningrad, which sits in an exclave that is sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic coast, was known by the German name of Koenigsberg until after World War II, when it was annexed by the Soviet Union and renamed to honour politician Mikhail Kalinin.

Warsaw says Kalinin's connection to the 1940 Katyn massacre - when thousands of Polish officers were executed by Soviet forces - had negative connotations and that the city should now be referred to as Królewiec, its name when it was ruled by the Kingdom of Poland in the 15th and 16th centuries. "The current Russian name of this city is an artificial baptism unrelated to either the city or the region," Poland's committee on geographical standardisation said on Tuesday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision "bordered on madness". "We know that throughout history Poland has slipped from time to time into this madness of hatred towards Russians," he told a briefing.

Kaliningrad was cut off from Moscow when Lithuania became independent during the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.

In the city itself, people questioned in the street were split over the Polish move.

"(This land) is conquered by us, by my ancestors ... this is our territory and there can be no Królewiec whatsoever," said an elderly man who did not give his name.

Others appeared to be less upset. One woman noted Lithuania had also renamed the city Królewiec.

"Nothing would change ... apart from need to change all their documents. If they want it, let them do it," she said.

Relations between Poland and Russia have historically often been very strained.

Moscow says it liberated Poland when its forces drove out Nazi forces at the end of the war. Most Poles believe the Soviet Union replaced Nazi occupation with another form of repression.

Poland, a NATO member, strongly backed Ukraine after Russia's invasion, and has stepped up the demolition of memorials to fallen Soviet troops across the country.

Flockwitt wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 9:43 am So Zelensky banging on about how it's too soon for the major offensive...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65550427

Hellraiser wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 10:44 am The UK has delivered Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. Range of 560km. Game on.

Hellraiser wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 10:44 am The UK has delivered Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. Range of 560km. Game on.

dkm57 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 11:16 am Hmm, I suspect Ukraine are waiting for some specific kit.

Given that UK have just supplied air lunched Storm Shadow missiles developed in the 90s, are we to expecting them to be launched from Migs?

C69 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 11:49 am Just out of curiosity, are Ukraine going to have to pay back anything to the countries supplying them with Billions of pounds worth of kit?

I did find a link somewhere which covered the proposals for some kind of repayment but it now seems to be unavailable

I think the EU loans were to be repaid in 2033 but not to sure of others

C69 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 11:49 am Just out of curiosity, are Ukraine going to have to pay back anything to the countries supplying them with Billions of pounds worth of kit?

I did find a link somewhere which covered the proposals for some kind of repayment but it now seems to be unavailable

I think the EU loans were to be repaid in 2033 but not to sure of others

C69 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 11:49 am Just out of curiosity, are Ukraine going to have to pay back anything to the countries supplying them with Billions of pounds worth of kit?

I did find a link somewhere which covered the proposals for some kind of repayment but it now seems to be unavailable

I think the EU loans were to be repaid in 2033 but not to sure of others

C69 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 11:49 am Just out of curiosity, are Ukraine going to have to pay back anything to the countries supplying them with Billions of pounds worth of kit?

I did find a link somewhere which covered the proposals for some kind of repayment but it now seems to be unavailable

I think the EU loans were to be repaid in 2033 but not to sure of others

tc27 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 12:26 pm

C69 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 11:49 am Just out of curiosity, are Ukraine going to have to pay back anything to the countries supplying them with Billions of pounds worth of kit?

I did find a link somewhere which covered the proposals for some kind of repayment but it now seems to be unavailable

I think the EU loans were to be repaid in 2033 but not to sure of others

I know in the case of the UK lots of the NLAWS and Brimstone missiles were from older batches that were about to 'expire' meaning batteries and electronics were past service date - so essentially they cost nothing as they would have being binned anyway. As for the spending itself its the bargain of the century by any objective standard?

tc27 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 12:26 pm

C69 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 11:49 am Just out of curiosity, are Ukraine going to have to pay back anything to the countries supplying them with Billions of pounds worth of kit?

I did find a link somewhere which covered the proposals for some kind of repayment but it now seems to be unavailable

I think the EU loans were to be repaid in 2033 but not to sure of others

I know in the case of the UK lots of the NLAWS and Brimstone missiles were from older batches that were about to 'expire' meaning batteries and electronics were past service date - so essentially they cost nothing as they would have being binned anyway. As for the spending itself its the bargain of the century by any objective standard?

tc27 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 12:24 pm Look like the Ukrainian AF has had a number of its SU24s refitted to carry Storm Shadow. As with the American Harm it looks like the aircraft just carries the weapon to the right place and tells in to launch (the guidance is completely internal to the missile) so its not too hard to fit.

Does make me laugh as the MOD is really crap at (amongst other things) fitting weapons to aircraft without it taking years and millions of pounds...apparently when the shit hits the fan its not that hard.

dkm57 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 11:16 am Hmm, I suspect Ukraine are waiting for some specific kit.

Given that UK have just supplied air lunched Storm Shadow missiles developed in the 90s, are we to expecting them to be launched from Migs?