Russia appears to be running low on landmines. Counterintuitively, this is bad news for Ukraine. Russia has been placing new mines in a more irregular pattern, which is a headache for Ukrainian sappers.

Boru

A part of that may have been a ground level change in russian tactics right before the start of the offensive. They massively beefed up their first line minefields. This also tied up their minelaying equipment and mine stocks and so there are fewer mines to the rear of the first lines than would be expected, even if they'd had solid logistics to feed them, which they haven't. That might also go some way to explaining why russia keeps insisting on fighting in front of it's prepared defense. The chances of an enemy being able to capitalize on a rout through 125m of mines and 500m of mines are very different. If this issue is frontwide, then the first line of russian defense would, effectively, also be the last line of russian defense.

Been alot of videos of russians trying to flee on foot getting shredded by cluster munitions lately.

(September 9, 2023 at 5:33 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: Russia appears to be running low on landmines. Counterintuitively, this is bad news for Ukraine. Russia has been placing new mines in a more irregular pattern, which is a headache for Ukrainian sappers.

Boru

Odd assortments of mines are harder to defend than a concentrated minefield, and an undefended minefield is not a defense, it's simply a delaying tactic. Minefields only matter if the defense is zeroed in on them.

I think our groundpounder is right, the Russians have it all in the shop-window.

1. The Ukraine War is forcing Russia to defect from OPEC+.

2. The G7 price cap + sanctions are allowing China and India to act as an informal buyers' cartel

3. EVs increase the incentive to defect from OPEC.

4. Continuous improvements in secondary and tertiary extractions lowers production costs for the US

Not a fun time to be Crown Prince Bonesaw.

Russian General Admits Ukraine Just a 'Stepping Stone' to Invade Europe

A key Russian general who Russian President Vladimir Putin promoted this week views the invasion of Ukraine as a mere "stepping stone" to further conflict with Europe.

"I think there's still plenty of time to spend. It is pointless to talk about a specified period. If we are talking about Eastern Europe, which we will have to, of course then it will be longer," the general said.

"Ukraine is only a stepping stone?" the interviewer then asked.

"Yes, absolutely. It is only the beginning," Mordvichev responded, who went on to say that the war "will not stop here."

Ahead of the invasion of Ukraine, Putin laid out a vision to reconstitute the long-defunct Russian Empire's territories into a unified block.

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-general...pe-1825776

Remember when Russia simps like IA insisted we were insane to compare Russia's to the Hitler Germany 

(September 9, 2023 at 6:41 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:

(September 9, 2023 at 5:33 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: Russia appears to be running low on landmines. Counterintuitively, this is bad news for Ukraine. Russia has been placing new mines in a more irregular pattern, which is a headache for Ukrainian sappers.

Boru

Odd assortments of mines are harder to defend than a concentrated minefield, and an undefended minefield is not a defense, it's simply a delaying tactic. Minefields only matter if the defense is zeroed in on them.

I think our groundpounder is right, the Russians have it all in the shop-window.

There was no reason not to do it that way, and every reason to do it that way, if you knew that you were depending on freezing the conflict through other means in the near future.  Put it all out front and hope it gets you to that calendar date. Wouldn't you know it, russia has started babbling about negotiations again. The kind where their demands are met and ukraine is treated as a non entity. Exactly as the russian state views ukraine and ukrainians, as it so happens.

Ukraine, for it's part, expects and is experiencing token defense beyond the lines which stymied them so much they reverted to soviet tactics at the outset. Turns out Elon fucking Musk has been a more potent defensive obstacle than the surovkin lines. They don't feel comfortable enough to take advantage of this - proven by how they systematically leveled every standing building in robotyne, for example, before they poured light infantry into the russian trenches and overwhelmed them - but that's the current situation as independant observers, ukranian partisans and russian telegraph describe it.

Russia is, presently, hoping that they don't run out of meat before ukraine runs out of grind. There will be another wave of mobilization to that end. AKA, all is going well in day 500 and whatever of putins three day war, and he remains a master strategist.

Russian General Admits Ukraine Just a 'Stepping Stone' to Invade Europe

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-general...pe-1825776

"I think there's still plenty of time to spend. It is pointless to talk about a specified period. If we are talking about Eastern Europe, which we will have to, of course then it will be longer," the general said.


"Ukraine is only a stepping stone?" the interviewer then asked.

"Yes, absolutely. It is only the beginning," Mordvichev responded, who went on to say that the war "will not stop here."

Better get those T-14s out of mothballs.

(September 10, 2023 at 9:19 am)LinuxGal Wrote: Russian General Admits Ukraine Just a 'Stepping Stone' to Invade Europe

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-general...pe-1825776

"I think there's still plenty of time to spend. It is pointless to talk about a specified period. If we are talking about Eastern Europe, which we will have to, of course then it will be longer," the general said.


"Ukraine is only a stepping stone?" the interviewer then asked.

"Yes, absolutely. It is only the beginning," Mordvichev responded, who went on to say that the war "will not stop here."

Better get those T-14s out of mothballs.

When I saw this at a military forum I attend, I quoted Mike Tyson: "Everyone has a plan, until they're punched in the face."

(September 8, 2023 at 7:27 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:

(September 5, 2023 at 12:48 pm)Anomalocaris Wrote: the T-14 is designed around an extremely compact diesel engine with cylinders arranged in a X configuration around a central crankshaft.   it is not exactly a new engine.   it was first developed in the early 1970s as candidate for the next soviet tank expected to be fielded in the 1980s.   however what engine the next soviet tank should have was the subject of a intense bureaucratic battle between two fractions within soviet military industrial complex, and the rival camp, which advocated the use of gas turbines and had as its champion the powerful soviet defence minister, won.  So the X diesel engine only reached prototype stage, and was not fully developed to an operational state. 

as it turns out, selection of gas turbine engine was recognized as a mistake by the mid 1980s, and the powerful defense minister who championed the gas turbine camp had also died.   but the soviet union fell before the X-engine development can be revived. 

fast forward 20 years, Russia is once again looking for a new tank, and it seemed like a good idea to base it on the revived X-engine which had been languishing,  because on paper its performance and compactness was still highly competitive.    Using this engine would allow the new tank to be much more compact and this better protected.

but unfortunately, either because the X-engine concept is subtlety but fatally flawed, or the capabilities of russian tank automotive research establishment is no longer the equal of what it had been under the USSR,  the teething troubles with the prototype proved insurmountable.  

So the russians are left with a tank that could only use an engine that doesn’t work.

It's essentially a dressed-up T-34 engine.

The engine they chose for the T-14 was so good and so efficient that the company making it couldn't even sell it to pump water. The whole X-shaped design has been known to be a bad one for decades. Hence why nobody's brought it beyond concept stage despite the design being around since before WW2.