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Tomconroy

(7,611 posts)
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 01:06 PM Dec 2023

Putin admits to 350000 war casualties in Ukraine.

Apparently putin said something in his press conference yesterday which amounted to an admission that Russia has lost 350000 killed or seriously wounded so as to prevent further military service. This number matches with Ukraines estimate of 340000 and US intelligences recent estimate of 315000.
Best estimates are that 1 million russians have been sent to fight in Ukraine. Ukraine estimates 400000 are active in Ukraine today. The casualties that Russia sustained in the last two months of its failing offensives in Bahkmut and Andiivka are astonishing.
Putin complains constantly about the demographics of Russia (one reason he launched his war of conquest). These casualties in a war that has lasted less than two years are unsustainable.
RUSSIA IS LOSING THIS WAR!
This is not the time for Ukraine to negotiate. This is the time for Ukraines allies to supply it with weapons so Ukraine can finish the job!





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lapfog_1

(29,254 posts)
2. the media and the US population
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 01:21 PM
Dec 2023

want to see massive land conquest. That will happen... but much like other wars (WW2 in France after D-Day) it will happen all at once, like a Dam breaking. It will happen when the fresh troops that Russia has are thrown into the meat grinder without any training and with supply lines that are longer or cut off. Unmotivated, untrained, and mostly thinking about "what happened to the previous 400,000 troops and tanks and armor fighting vehicles".

All this will happen in time, so long as the west supplies Ukraine with ammunition and equipment ( and training ).

Putin is counting on his asset Trump and the GOP to end those things.

I wonder if we could start a massive "gofundme" campaign that would allow the Ukraine to buy NATO made ammunition and materials. $1000 USD per month from 10,000,000 Americans. $1B per month for 12 months.

Can that work? Are their 10M patriots willing to give to such an effort. Can Ukraine even buy what it needs if it had the money?

I'll sign up for 1 unit. Not that I really have that much excess money... but f' it... we need to defeat Putin ( and Trump and the GOP )

 

Tomconroy

(7,611 posts)
3. The basic problem (or a major problem at least)
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 01:36 PM
Dec 2023

Is that the US and the West haven't ramped up production of munitions quickly enough. This issue should have been fixed by now.

lapfog_1

(29,254 posts)
4. yeah, which is why we must give them existing stockpiles
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 01:42 PM
Dec 2023

and use the money to replace the older stuff with newer stuff.

but perhaps if we give Ukraine the money, they can use it to buy stockpiles from the non-fascist controlled governments of other NATO members ( UK, Germany, etc ).

Are we still giving Ukraine the fighter jets?

Mopar151

(10,025 posts)
5. They are getting the trade ins!
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 02:08 PM
Dec 2023

From several NATO countries, after we gave them a smokin deal on F-35's.

 

Tomconroy

(7,611 posts)
6. F16s are supposed to be coming soon, mostly
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 02:12 PM
Dec 2023

From other western countries that are upgrad I ng their air fleets.
Contrary to news stories the US still has draw down authority to send old equipment at least until the spring and possibly longer.
What has run out is the money for the US to replace the equipment that were sending to Ukraine. so the gop is basically screwing us rather than Ukraine.
The trouble with the ammo is that we've basically hit the bottom of the barrel of the world's back supply of 155mm shells (NATO artillery standard).

lapfog_1

(29,254 posts)
10. so even if we approve the aid, they can't get the 155mm shells?
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 03:15 PM
Dec 2023

are NATO members hording their stocks?

I mean all of NATO is about confronting USSR / Russia.

Ukraine is doing the fighting and the dying for all of us... and attempting to resist Russia from becoming the current version of the USSR!

What the hell is the good of reserving stockpiles of this ammunition? Is there another eastern Europe threat to NATO that I am not aware of?

 

Tomconroy

(7,611 posts)
11. I don't know what to say.
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 03:21 PM
Dec 2023

During WW II it took about a year to ramp up production. This shortage should not be happening at this point.

lapfog_1

(29,254 posts)
12. could these arms suppliers be influenced by MAGA traitors ?
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 03:25 PM
Dec 2023

to create these shortages. Not unusual for these sort of corporations to be run by Repuke executives in the pocket of Trump.

 

Tomconroy

(7,611 posts)
13. The way I've seen it explained is that manufacturers
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 03:38 PM
Dec 2023

Won't ramp up capacity unless they have some guarantees for a long term commitment (years and years) to buy the shells.
But I'm not really an expert on this issue. All I know is Ukraine is not getting what it needs to win.
There does seem to be good news re the drone air war. The drones seem to have prevented any Russian mechanical advances in the east and apparently are allowing a few hundred Ukrainians to hold off maybe 15000 Russian troops on the left bank of the Dnipro near Kherson.

Kaleva

(36,483 posts)
18. Russia has a serious problem with coordination
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 05:06 PM
Dec 2023

Intel gathered by the drone operators doesn't reach artillery units in time and often never gets to air force units

lapfog_1

(29,254 posts)
17. drones are the technology of future warfare
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 04:08 PM
Dec 2023

at least for this generation.

But Russia is good at jamming the signals... and the range of the drones is limited by communications ( Even if Musk would let them use Starlink, the starlink dish is fairly large and, I believe, may need a more stable platform, and finally, the panel and receiver cost quite a bit of money).

The better solution is AI drones with image recognition... using something like a small AI computer with stereo cameras... which can be had for around $200 USD each, on a drone that costs maybe $700, and bomb or small rocket that costs X? to go after Russian vehicles, artillery, etc... down to individual soldiers in uniform.

For a cost of maybe $100M Ukraine could make 50,000 to 100,000 of these deadly devices to hunt Russians in occupied Ukraine.

Up the total Russian dead to maybe 500,000 to 600,000 rather quickly. No wifi needed, just GPS and AI. No need to expose more Ukrainian soldiers to counter strikes by Russian missiles homing in on transmissions that were guiding the drones.

Of course, Ukraine would need observation drones to follow the attack drones and bring back video of how successful the drone attack was.

EX500rider

(10,903 posts)
14. I doubt it, they are in the business of making money but building new production facilities takes time
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 03:40 PM
Dec 2023

duckworth969

(727 posts)
7. Yeah, massive land conquest
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 02:31 PM
Dec 2023

looks like “progress”.

But in terms of degrading Russia’s ability to make war, Ukraine is doing a great job.

And that’s what counts, destroying equipment and removing Russian soldiers from the battlefield.

 

Tomconroy

(7,611 posts)
8. Russia has lost a lot of what it occupied in March
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 02:57 PM
Dec 2023

2022. It has gained essentially nothing since that date.
The second greatest army in the world.

2naSalit

(87,220 posts)
9. A profoundly insightful thought here...
Fri Dec 15, 2023, 03:00 PM
Dec 2023

This is Artur Rehi, the Estonian guy, and he goes into detail about the practices or pootin's army and why he doesn't care that he's killing so many russian citizens. Makes sense and is uglier than we think.



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