Russia and Ukraine

[The Grand Nudger]

Russia is said to be running low on high precision missiles (90% of these are being intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses anyway) and they have either used all their stocks of Iranian drones or (as it is said) these drones are not working properly in cold weather.

The cold weather is affecting more than their drones. Reliable reportage is that the Russians don't have sufficient cold-weather gear. Ukraine, however, is set to receive massive amounts of it from Finland and Sweden (countries who know a thing or ten about fighting in midwinter).

I've never been a soldier, but I imagine that, when you're rapidly freezing to death, your enthusiasm for engaging the enemy drops off rather sharply.

Boru

A bunch of it fell off a truck a few months back - just poof...missing.  It was still warm at the time so it mostly escaped notice (both as product, and as a story, apparently). That's part of why russian soldiers were told they'd need to buy their own shit.  Wouldn't you know it, plenty of winter gear was available on the market, even brand new standard issue russian uniforms the likes of which went missing, if you could pay.

Their current troubles started months ago, with that incident.

(it's not an enthusiasm issue - your mind just goes. You can't think, you can't talk, you cant move - long before you die - been there..only for training. Though, if you've got infantry actively trying to kill you while you're in that state, not that long. People think it has to be some arctic sub-zero shit to make it happen, doesn't. It can happen swimming in cool water in the gulf of mexico in the summer. Prolonged exposure makes mild temps just as deadly as a blizzard out of nowhere. It's been cold enough and wet enough in ukraine to go hypothermic for the better part of two months - and now the cold shit is -really- about to set in. It will only be for the skill and care of local commanders if russia even -has- an army left come end of winter.)