The Russian tactics aside, this tweet sounds very encouraging in terms of Ukraine's progress.
Russian invasion of Ukraine | Fewer tweets, more discussion
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The Russian tactics aside, this tweet sounds very encouraging in terms of Ukraine's progress.
Yeah, fingers crossed.
I do wonder though if the scorched earth policy revolves more around short term goals/cruelty and making it harder for Ukraine to continue to advance as opposed to some long term policy or long term Russia thinking
They have blown up another dam.
What Geraschenko wrote about destroying Ukraine economically seems to be the tactic now.
What Geraschenko wrote about destroying Ukraine economically seems to be the tactic now.
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Of course that could be at least part of the motivation, but destroying dams and flooding areas has been done for centuries to stop advancing armies.
Ukraine Got Just 21 Of Its Best Leopard 2A6 Tanks. It’s Already Lost Three Of Them.
Hopefully, they are getting a lot more. The article kind of suggested that the UA was using some of them in improper conditions. If true, hopefully they learned the lesson and corrected the issues.
Hopefully, they are getting a lot more. The article kind of suggested that the UA was using some of them in improper conditions. If true, hopefully they learned the lesson and corrected the issues.
There aren't that many more of them. While there are over a thousand of Cold War era A4, most of them in Greece and Turkey, who are busy threatening each other with them, the more modern A6 and A7 variants are much rarer.
But on the bright side, if a Leopard is in trouble, it might not be finally lost, there might be a Buffalo to help, like we see here:
This Leopard likely lost it's track due to a mine, but was recovered before Russia could destroy it.
Yeah, I saw that video earlier somewhere. Hopefully, the UA will be a bit more careful with how they use them if they are really effective for long-range firing. Obviously, the RA would be highly motivated to search for and destroy these and a few others.
The 120mm L/55 cannon of the Leopard 2 (starting with the 2A6 version) is indeed the most powerful tank cannon in Ukraine's possession.
The problem is, the Leopard 2 is also a highly mobile system that's excellent at driving in reverse. While that sounds like a dumb detail, it is also the reason why it is an excellent system for reconnaissance-in-force operations. It can effectively fight while retreating quickly, something no soviet T-tank can do.
So using them for risky missions that likely end in a retreat makes much more sense than using any T-tank. Using Leopards carefully simply isn't in the best interest of Ukraine.
These things and there to be used tbh, and used at the front where they can be effective. Lost 3? That it? Ukraine has done good work this last week and these things had a part in that.
We can't fret over them using a few, especially without knowing the context, how effective and well used they were etc. How many lives did it save using these instead of a lesser altenative?
Also, the fact these things draw so much attention can be, and probably is, used to Ukraines advantage.
Also, Russia reportedly counter-attacked the counter-attack in the south yesterday. Imagine if Russia is willingly putting armour into range of these Leo's without Ukraine having to hunt them down 
This is a good point as well. Many people definitely assumed Ukraine would keep their best tanks for their main attack. So in other words, if Russian troops spotted a Leo 2A6 they assumed that this had to be it and tried to get reinforcements according to that.
Looks like in the first days it wasn't and a lot of Russian reserves good destroyed while moving towards the front. Impossible to say if using Leopards helped to lure more of them out of their hiding places, but it's definitely possible.
That's the key, for sure. But, losing some of your best weapons that early and not gaining much ground in that area (if I remember it correctly) could still question the judgment of using them there, and it is something they would evaluate themselves as well.
I thought the mines got them mostly, and then drones or artillery finished some of them. But to me, it is easy to spot them anywhere nowadays with drones even if you want to use them for other purpose and can become a bit of easy targets without proper support. So using them in main battles or against their tanks would still be a good idea.
It is likely that the RA response time and effort would have been fast and substantial no matter where or who it was against at that time, as they had been expecting the UA troops and high alert for ages.
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Voices from Kremlin saying Putin is finally willing to negotiate, apparently, Putin would like to keep Crimea with Moscow ready to give up all other territories. Not sure if there’s much truth to it but this would show how much Kremlin really fears a military defeat optics internally as opposed to a negotiated “peace” plan.
This is important, the tanks and other armored vehicles that have been donated are not supposed to be sitting at the rear as some prized possessions that should be protected at all costs. They should be used as much as possible whenever they are available.
The main purpose for any armored vehicle is to protect it's soldiers and the modern western once do a much better job at this compared to it's older Soviet counterparts. Using these vehicles instead of older soviet ones will save lives of Ukrainian soldiers and that should always be the main priority.
That article questioned the wisdom of losing those tanks up front that early to mines when there was no breakthrough to take advantage of.
Losing them too early in improper conditions will actually make it less effective at saving lives in general when the battle heats up more later when you need them against the RA tanks. The UA is not even close to their supposed defense line yet.
No one knows how those tanks and the Bradleys where lost, nothing has been comunicated on the purpose of the mission or what went wrong. What we do know is that the soldiers using them where able to evacuate and will be able to return to the fight and that is the most important thing.
The article sort of pointed out that they lost them in a mine field or near it. It was suggested that they could have used other specialized demining vehicles instead. So, I assumed they were losing mostly to the mines/traps. In fact, if they want to save the lives of soldiers, those specialized pieces of equipment would be the ones to use.
We would be laughing our ass off if they were the Russians.
The UA does not communicate at all for whatever they do or lose for their own purposes. But we know they lost a lot in both manpower and equipment during the whole war. There is no point in waiting for their confirmation of anything except liberating the territories
They used mine breachers to, at least 4 or 5 engineering vehicels where damaged in the same breach attempt.
They used mine breachers to, at least 4 or 5 engineering vehicels where damaged in the same breach attempt.
You're probably wasting your time, he laps up any miserable news like an alcoholic in a wine cellar. That pockmarked ground shows how much work there'll be for any advancing army to do though, scary!
I am sure the UA used those for demining. I think the article was suggesting that they should be making sure the ground or area was good enough for those tanks to be brought in. From that picture, that was not the case, and it questioned why those tanks were there to get hit.They used mine breachers to, at least 4 or 5 engineering vehicels where damaged in the same breach attempt.
Do you actually have any idea how a minefield breach is done? Are you seriously suggesting that they send in engineering troops without any fire support?
Well, people like you have been hyping up all the expectations, and some news would give us a bit of a better picture in the field. Ignoring the bad news would not let the UA win the war. War news is not always all about making you feel good. And we've posted enough of those selected feel-good stories without context or much discussion here already.
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Not at all? Your point is?
My point? That the Leopard 2A6s where there to provide fire support for the minebreachers plowing up a safe passage through the minefield. Exactly like they should be used in a breaching attempt.
Haven't done anything of the kind thanks but nice try. And actually I feel like the stream of real news isn't that steady any more which is a shame IMO.
Okay then?
So Leopard2A6s are specially for providing fire support for the minebreachers? Well, apologize if that is the case and not sure what Forbes was on about then.
Among other things yes that is exactly what a main battle tank like the Leopard 2A6 is designed for.
No way, doesn't sound like Putin, he views Ukraine as part of Russia, and that is that, Russia will have to be kicked out for this conflict to end.
"The Leopard 2A6 is a sniper. It can shoot through hundreds of millimeters of steel from 4,400 yards away while moving at high speed in forward or reverse gears over uneven terrain. The early-2000s-vintage tank is in its element on open terrain.
By the same token, it’s wasted in a close slog through a minefield. The 33rd Mechanized Brigade threw away as many as three of its 14 Leopard 2A6s in an operation where the tanks were only marginally more useful than, say, a mine-resistant heavy truck or one of the 47th Assault Brigade’s M-2 IFVs."
"These troops (Russians) wait behind dense minefields and pre-sighted artillery kill zones. Russian drones, attack helicopters and fighter-bombers patrol overhead. It should come as no surprise that, when a pair of Ukrainian army brigades—the 33rd Mechanized Brigade and the 47th Assault Brigade—rolled south along the Tokmak axis starting early last week, they got hit hard.
The 33rd Brigade and 47th Brigade—respectively armed with German-made Leopard 2 tanks and American-made M-2 fighting vehicles—got stuck in a minefield outside Mala Tokmachka, at the northern end of the Tokmak axis, on Thursday morning. After a Leopard 2A6 tank, an IMR-2 mine-clearing vehicle and several M-2s struck mines, a rescue force riding in M-2s rushed in. "
I was reading that from that article and others and got the impression that they probably did not prepare well enough for that breach.
From a different perspective, they were lucky not to lose more equipment.
I keep hearing about the military defeat of Russia while others are saying how their military capability for producing advanced weapons and equipment is almost back to the pre-war stage. It's probably bad news for the likes of @TwoSheds, but hey, it is news and facts according to some.
You've lost your tiny little mind my friend.
Nice try. But I have not. Thanks for being concerned.