ORAC

North Korean missiles being used in Ukraine.

WH response to reports 3 months ago “there will be repercussions”.

Dont hold your breath….

DogTailRed2

Turning into quite the proxy war. China, Russia, Iran, North Korea versus America, UK, Europe and probably a few more to add to each list.
Is a proxy war a world war and when does a war become a world war. Seems pretty global at the moment. Throw into the mix Israel and Taiwan and it looks to be an interesting, if not worrying few years ahead.

ORAC

BREAKING:

Incoming reports of General Valery Gerasimov having been killed in Ukrainian missile strikes against Crimea yesterday.

Gerasimov is Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and Russia’s First Deputy Minister of Defence.

The information is unconfirmed at this point.



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golfbananajam

​​​​​​​seems things must be desperate in Moscow if Gerasimov was in Crimea.

ORAC

Looks like a false rumour - unfortunately.

B Fraser

That's exactly what happens.

'nuff said.

NutLoose

The fact Russia is using Korean missiles sort of wipes out US and Germany's arguments against providing long range missiles for fear of escalating the war. Russia and N Korea have already done that.

tdracer

I have a great deal of experience with AP (Ammonium Perchlorate) solid fuel rocket motors (we use them almost exclusively in high power amateur rocketry). If stored properly, they are very, very forgiving. Cracks are very uncommon (unlike motors made from black powder, where temperature swings can readily induce cracks) - AP propellant is rather flexible in nature (similar to a pencil eraser). The main issue with 'old' AP is that some of the components can oxidize if exposed to air - this results in reduced performance and difficulty in getting the stuff to ignite.
That being said, AP rocket motors are fairly inexpensive to produce. If (and that's a big if) the missile is constructed so that the rocket motor is physically separated enough from the rest of the components that it is easily removed and replaced, refurbishing old missiles with new rocket motors could be done relatively inexpensively. Unfortunately, that sort of thing is not a design objective, and often everything is so integrated together that replacing just the rocket motor is very difficult and as expensive and making an all-new missile.
AP motors can occasionally suffer a casing failure during launch (meaning they go 'boom' - usually shortly after motor ignition since that's typically when they have the highest chamber pressures). However the biggest danger when that happens is shrapnel from the casing - once the casing fails, the pressure drops way off and the AP propellant itself doesn't detonate (with the sudden lack of pressure, the rate that the propellant burns drops way off). While some form of protection for the launch crew is in order, it doesn't require the level of protection required for a liquid propellant rocket motor - where a failure can cause a near instantaneously detonation of the entire volume of fuel.
That's all a long winded way of pointing out that there isn't much risk in using a solid propellant military missile that is past it's use by date, other than it failing to perform as intended.

fdr

That may be fortuitous. Both Shoigu and Gerasimov are the gift that keeps giving, with their removal, even Miss Piggy in captions could be more competent that these two. The concern is their circus recalls them due to a shortage of clowns.

The corruption of Shoigu was emulated down to unit level and gave breathing space to Ukraine from day 1. Gerasimov turns up as eye candy for Gerasimov in photos, (Mrs G may be a bit worried).

ORAC

The Governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, has asked Russians to evacuate from Belgorod

"Today we are ready to transport you to Stary Oskol and Gubkin, where you will be in fairly comfortable conditions, in warm and safe rooms. You will stay there as long as necessary," the governor said.

Stary Oskol is located 140 km from Belgorod, and Gubkin is 120 km away.

fdr

Would it not be easier to ask Vlad to stop dropping ordnance on their own people?

A couple of recon drones to Stary Oskol and Gubkin's local FSB offices would be welcome to all, assist in the decision making of the populace.

fdr

Indeed. The West objects to Iran giving drones to Russia, and there are sanctions breaches of the UN Charter related to that. The West also objects to the NOKkians giving Vlad missiles and their best of their best of their best ammo, and that also breaches long standing sanctions that Russia also signed off on, as they did on Iran. (Russia only lies when they are not asleep). The US, UK, EU and other UN signatory countries provide munitions and support to Ukraine, as is an express right if not obligation under the UN Charter, and Russia bitches and whines about losing a 40 year old rust bucket to a SCALP, furnished by the UK. Seems that Russia may need to reread or at least get a copy of the UN Charter, after all, they are a signatory member.

Russia whinges when the deck is not stacked in their favour. Hardly a sign of confidence.

If nations that provide munitions are going to be held accountable for their actions, then can we please start with Russia and the AK47, and all variations on that theme? Russia is responsible for more deaths around the world than the plague. Russia has of course evened the table slightly by being the primary cause of death to Russians for centuries. recall that the greatest death toll in Round II was of citizens of the USSR, and the majority of those died due to the actions of the person that Vlad wishes to emulate.

NutLoose

Fantastic!!!

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NutLoose

Kinzhal uxb disposal

NutLoose

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NutLoose

Ukrainians operating in Russia’s Belogrod region.



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NutLoose

Crimea is under a massive Ukraine aerial attack.

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NutLoose

From Random Guy

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NutLoose

This sort of shows how tenuous Russia’s hold over Crimea is.. the fact they believe they do not have the capability to protect it.

NutLoose

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