The times of threatening people into submission fortunately have passed if you look at Finland and Sweden.

Where does he stand on the war? If he's in favour then it shouldn't be a problem.

There was a video on Twitter doing the rounds a few days back where a journalist was vox-popping people in some Russian city which went something like this:

Journo: "Do you love your country?"
Russian: "Yes!"
Journo: "What would you do for your country?"
Russian:"Anything!!"
Journo (pulling out a clipboard): "Okay, I'm compiling a list of people willing to fight the Nazis in Ukraine for the defence ministry. Could you provide me with your name and address?"
Russian makes a rapid exit left.

See post 2576 from NutLoose here: https://www.pprune.org/jet-blast/644...tries-129.html

Incendiary cluster bombs?

looks like white phosphorus.

Russia, if you are listening... :}
I flew a jet over northern Ukraine at 3;30 the morning that Chernobyl popped, so they have already added enough Pu, and St90 to a lot more people than their GRU/FSB has achieved.

A lot of truly brave people have stood up against the tyranny of the Russian Federation, and are doing so today, many paid dearly for that, such as

• Anna Politskaya,
• Ilyas Shurpayev
• Yury Shebalkin
• Konstantin Borovko
• Leonid Etkind
• Sergey Bogdanovsky
• Dmitry Krikoryants
• Ivan Scopan
• Rory Peck
• Igor Belozerov
• Sergey Krasilnikov
• Vladimir Drobyshev
• Alexander Sidelnikov
• Alexander Smirnov,
• Elena Tkacheva
• Marina Iskanderova
• Sergei Dubov
• Yury Soltys,
• Andrey Ayzderdzis
• Tatyana Zhuravlyova
• Yelena Roshchina
• Dmitry Kholodov
• Hussein Guzuyev
• Gelani Charigov
• Cynthia Elbaum
• Bilal Akhmadov,
• Vladimir Zhitarenko
• Pyotr Novikov
• Sultan Nuriyev
• Jochen Piest
• Valentin Yanus
• Vyacheslav Rudnev
• Maxim Shabalin
• Farkhad Kerimov
• Andrei Ulanov
• Sergei Ananyev
• Yury Litvinov
• Alexander Zaitsev, (no relation to Vasily)
• etc etc etc....

and about 147 others just in the term of Putin. that list is just the journalists and photographers that have been bumped off... Add to that his 27,000 + soldiers that have died from his latest adventure, and the tens of thousands of others that have died, civilians and military so far, and add the citizens of Aleppo, and those that are going to pass early from deprivation arising from Russia's impact on global food provision and shortages of fertiliser.... all in all, he and the government of the Russian Federation have been pretty busy lads. History won't remember me but there is a place in the books for Putin, they won't be kind.

:}

But as it isn't officially a war, they cannot send him to Ukraine if he does not want to go, one would imagine he would free up other troops that also do not want to go. I hope he is ok.

They were accused of using RBK-500 with ZAB-2.5SM sub-munitions in Syria. Apparently 'not' legally cluster bombs because they don't explode.

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena...ivilians-duma/

Three grenades dropped by drone, one T-72 destroyed.

The re-opening of the consulates and embassies in the Ukraine is a positive . Does this mean will soon be back to business as usual ?

Chill guys....

These are impressive.

Must be a toss-up who these troops are most frightened of; the Ukrainians in front of them or their own commanders behind them.

Remember, always answer to the question "can you walk?" with a yes............. How not to instill moral in your troops, or the learn to get the first shot in first before your Colonel lesson..

Its incredible how susceptible these tanks are to top attack, even using munitions one would expect would cause only superficial damage.

On a related note, I found the following video a few weeks back which gives a feel for how cramped this tank is inside, also how the gunner and commander effectively coexist with the autoloader:


Even without the autoloader, any penetration of the hull would be catastrophic for the crew.

You seen the size of some of them, looks like 3D printed stabilisation fins too.

Deadpan - that video actually makes me feel sorry for the poor sods getting blown to bits in them - what a **** way to go to war (sorry, special operation)!

Azovstal…


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....546b78eef.jpeg

Ammunition donated from Holland. It says: "Revenge for MH17".

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c7eab35cf.jpeg

Russian media is spreading the conspiracy that Poland wants to annex Smolensk and Vilnius.

Vzglyad published comments from Yevgeny Satanovsky, a prominent Russian commentator. Comments from a Polish military figure on demilitarizing Kaliningrad was the trigger, but the Kremlin continues to stoke fear of a Russia-Poland war and Polish expansionism in Ukraine and beyond….

I must be horrific.


You can see why they are losing vehicles, a series of clips

A BTR hits an anti tank mine, tank goes in and drags it back just missing more mines, tank then advances and hits the one it missed earlier, another tank then has to recover the first one..