Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[Skybird]

Are the German Gepards (=Cheetah) anothe rGerman smokescreen only?

NZZ:


(...)
50 examples of the Gepard, which has been decommissioned by the German armed forces, had already been offered by the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann defense company in February. Now they may be exported to Ukraine.

The "Gepard" had been taken out of service by the Bundeswehr more than a decade ago. In 2012, the Army Air Defense operating with it was completely disbanded. In combat, the "Gepard" is used to protect other tanks by providing close air defense. However, it can also engage ground targets. "The Gepard is exactly what Ukraine needs right now to secure airspace from the ground," Lambrecht said. Her U.S. counterpart Austin also welcomed Berlin's decision, calling it a significant contribution.

In Germany itself, however, there was not only applause. CDU defense politician Henning Otte, for example, called the delivery of the "Cheetahs" a smokescreen. "The rational is transparent. Pretending to deliver heavy weapons, but at the same time making sure they can't be used in the field in time." So take the system with the longest training time and the most complicated logistics chain.
Many German observers also expressed surprise that the "Cheetahs," of all things, are the first to deliver heavy weapons from Germany. At the beginning of the month, even FDP MP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who advocates more robust deliveries, had dismissed the idea. "People are saying that there are 50 cheetahs standing around at a certain company. But we can't deliver them because there's no more ammunition for them. There is a lot of talk, sometimes a lot of nonsense," said the chairwoman of the defense committee.
(...)

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[Skybird]

FOCUS writes on the gas blackmailing by Russia:

Russia has stopped gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. The reason given was that Poland and Bulgaria were not paying for the supplies in rubles, as required by a decree issued by President Putin. This is, of course, a bogus reason, because unilateral decrees cannot change contracts concluded by both sides - and payment in dollars or euros is agreed in them.

Behind this facade lies the real event: Russia is continuing its policy of violent blackmail, this time not by military but by economic means. In doing so, the country, which until now has carefully cultivated its reputation as a reliable supplier of energy sources, has also deprived itself of this reputation.

With these measures, Russia is trying to punish individual states in order to break up the unity of the European states in this way. "Divide and rule" is a power-political concept that Russia pursues time and again. Stirring up strife, spreading fear and creating insecurity is Russia's strategy.

However, it is up to the reactions in the EU states whether this attempt can be successful or not. The measure belongs in the context of other escalating steps by Russia: more troops are being led into the fighting inside Ukraine; the number of missile attacks also in western Ukraine increased; the language of the Russian leadership escalated further: a Third World War was imminent; Great Britain was threatened with retaliation.

Along the way, President Putin seeks to maintain escalation dominance. He strives to make any failure unseen through martial posturing and action. Under no circumstances does he want to get out of the war without success - this includes, as a first step, extensive territorial gains that Ukraine is supposed to concede to him.

The contact group of more than 40 states meeting in Ramstein on Tuesday, which will now meet monthly, is trying to help Ukraine prevent this. Even Chancellor Scholz, who always speaks with restraint, ruled out a Russian dictatorial peace. President Putin has now opened the conflict on the energy front as well.

While the Polish government claims to have prepared for this situation for a long time and to have well-filled gas storage facilities, Bulgaria still covers 90 percent of its gas needs from supplies from Russia. Bulgaria also emphasizes that there will be no acute problems. Russia's actions will further accelerate the now high-pressure search for alternative energy sources in Europe.

Alternative sources of oil supplies have now been found, so that even an oil embargo against Russia seems possible in the next few months without having too serious an economic impact, according to German Economics Minister Habeck.

The Russian attack on Ukraine had triggered a policy in the EU to become independent of Russian energy supplies. This is the opposite of what President Putin wanted to achieve. Because he is gradually losing influence on the European economy. He is then left only with disinformation campaigns to divide European societies.

But even these have lost their impact because of the damage Putin has done to Russia's reputation and culture. Russia is losing not only revenue but also prestige as a result of Putin's actions. For cooperative ventures, the latter is often the higher good. After all, contracts with Russia now have the whiff of the arbitrary after Russia became unfaithful to the contract.

Could Germany also experience a halt in gas deliveries? Until a few months ago, the assumption was that there was mutual dependence: Germany needs gas, Russia needs the revenues. This assumption, still held by some, is now being questioned. Gerhard Schröder has led them, or so he says, in supporting Rosneft's continued purchase of the oil refinery in Schwedt.

As recently as November 2021, the Russian company, whose supervisory board Schröder chairs, had bought Shell's 37.5 percent stake, meaning it currently owns almost 92 percent of the refinery. The German Federal Cartel Office gave its approval in February 2022, and the Federal Ministry of Economics is still reviewing the takeover.

Rosneft's website said, "The increase in the stake in PCK Refinery is evidence of the strategic importance that the German market holds for Rosneft. The company relies on long-term relationships with its German partners, ensures timely and reliable supply of raw materials and modernizes more important refining facilities." A few months later, the task of re-securing gasoline supplies to Poland and northeastern Germany looms.

In the much-publicized interview Gerhard Schröder gave to the "New York Times," he said: Even now, two months after the war began, Schröder believes that Russian gas and oil will continue to flow in any case. The government should not impose an energy embargo, he said. "My advice is to think about what an export-dependent economy can still handle and what it can no longer handle," he said. And if Russia turns off the tap? "That won't happen," Schröder said. But if it did, "then I would resign."

Does that apply now? Or only when Germany is affected? The "German way" that Schröder once wanted to usher in, closely linked to Russia, has long since come to an end. Relations with Russia will now also no longer be as close economically as they were before the war.

Putin's idea of a Russian-European space that carries global political weight and on which Russia can be a world power, an idea he has pursued for over twenty years, continues to crumble under each of his actions. Russia may hurt Poland and Bulgaria in the short term, it may scare off business in the EU, and it may wreak even more destruction - economically and militarily. But in the end, Putin's actions hurt Russia the most.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[Skybird]

And on the Gepards I must take notice of media reports saying there is no more ammo reserves available for them. If true, this means Bubble-Olaf announces he wants to deliver

- a Flak tank that needs months of training and is described by Bundeswehr officers as the most complex weapon system it ever operated

- a Flak tank that has a very long logistic supply chain and high demand in maintenance

- a Flak tank for which apparently no more ammunition is avilable (or so it seems, currently).

The caricature of a chancellor is bitterly detmeirned to not dleiver Ukraine "gehavy" wepaons, and where he slowly moves to nevertheless give the impression he will, he makes sure they cannot use them in the forseeable future, and he delays and slows down.

To make this clear, the Gerpard still is potent, even formidable in its realm, different to what is being reported the Bundeswehr did not retire it due to age or too excessive maintenance (which is challenging - but justg this and not worse), but because the politically wanted re-orientation of the armed forces and the assumed threat scenarios assigned it no role anymore. The whole field army's anti-air defence regiment was taken down back then, because superior politicians and knew-it-alls knew that it would never be needed again (the military always had objections).

Personally I always was scratching my head. But then, the Gepard decommissioning its a repetition of a typical German pattern, so I should be used to it...

[Catfish]

What i do not understand about german defense is
a) where are the 40 Milliarden (billion in US) Euro defense budget per year going to?
and
b) How comes that the older Leopard and Gepard and whatnot military hardware now belong to the companies that built them, when they once have been sold to the Bundeswehr? So they sell it all again a second time?

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Catfish

What i do not understand about german defense is
a) where are the 40 Milliarden (billion in US) Euro defense budget per year going to?
and
b) How comes that the older Leopard and Gepard and whatnot military hardware now belong to the companies that built them, when they once have been sold to the Bundeswehr? So they sell it all again a second time?

2014:
https://www.bpb.de/themen/militaer/d...gungshaushalt/
If true. I always take claims by the BPB with a grain of salt.

[Jimbuna]

Transnistria and Ukraine conflict: Is war spreading?

Mysterious explosions in Transnistria, a breakaway Russian-controlled territory in Moldova bordering on Ukraine, have raised fears that the Ukraine conflict may be spreading.

Separatist authorities said Ukrainian "infiltrators" were responsible. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Russian special services.

Russia says it is concerned. It has about 1,500 troops in Transnistria.

An official has said Russian speakers in Moldova are being oppressed.

This is the same excuse used to justify the invasion of Ukraine.

In the past two days, the Transnistria authorities say, explosions targeted:

Their state security HQ in Tiraspol, the main city
Old Soviet-era radio masts used to broadcast Russian news
A military unit in Parcani, a village just outside Tiraspol

No casualties were reported, but a red "anti-terrorism" alert is now in force, meaning heightened security in the territory, which broke away from Moldova in a brief war in 1992.

A Transnistria official said three unidentified infiltrators from Ukraine had attacked the security HQ with a grenade launcher. That claim has not been verified.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61233095

[mapuc]

Danish TV2 News writes:

War has reached whole new phase, which will be a turning point, says Ukrainian minister

Ukrainian soldiers are now ready to use new weapons in the battle for the Donbas region, it is claimed.

The Ukrainian army is now starting to use "NATO weapons" in the war against Russia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says so in a video message on Facebook on Tuesday evening.

And that could have a big impact on the outcome of the war, according to the minister.

- We have entered a whole new phase, which nobody had even thought of two months ago. We have entered a qualitative, fundamental new phase that no one had dreamed of: the transition of Ukraine's armed forces to NATO weapons, to NATO standards. And it's already under way," Kuleba says, according to Unian media.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister refers to the howitzer artillery guns that the US first announced its readiness to supply to Ukraine earlier this month.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has long called for better and more modern weapons to be supplied by the West and, according to Kuleba, it was Zelensky who managed to persuade his US counterpart Joe Biden that the time was right.

- The howitzers came to us first. But this is just the beginning. Much more will come to us. And this is a historic turning point," says Dmytro Kuleba in the video.

US will give Ukraine every advantage
It was last week that Biden announced that the US is sending $800 million - more than $5.5 billion - worth of new weapons and equipment to Ukraine.

The military aid package will include helicopters, 40,000 grenades, 300 drone missiles and various types of radar. And, for the first time, howitzer guns like those used by the US Army and Marine Corps.

- Artillery is something the Ukrainians have specifically asked for because of the fighting they expect to take place in the Donbas, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said afterwards, according to defence media outlet Defense One.

Unlike the battles in northern Ukraine around the capital, Kyiv, and other major cities, the battle for the Donbas region will be fought on the open steppe landscape of south-eastern Ukraine.

That is why the West and the US have agreed to supply the Ukrainians with a range of heavier weapons to fight the Russians.

- The terrain lends itself to the use of artillery, to long-range fire, as we call it. And we know the Russians believe the same because we also see them moving artillery units into the Donbas. So we want to give the Ukrainians every advantage we can," said John Kirby.

Heavy weapons from Germany
However, as these are weapons systems that the Ukrainians have never had their hands on before, they cannot simply put them into use.

- There are several weapons coming in that the Ukrainians do not know how to operate. That's why the training takes place in Poland, where leaders from the Ukrainian military travel to get training from the countries handing over the weapons. And then they go home and teach it to other soldiers, explains TV 2's correspondent Rasmus Tantholdt.

- That's why it's important to remember that arms deliveries aren't just effective from day one. It takes time, he adds.

However, the Reuters news agency was able to report as early as Wednesday last week that the US had begun training the first Ukrainians to use howitzer artillery weapons.

According to Reuters, the training was expected to take about a week.

The US has also previously trained Ukrainian forces to use the so-called Switchblade drones.

And the Ukrainians can soon look forward to more help on the arms front after Germany decided to send heavy weapons in the form of anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine.

Initially, this will involve around 50 Gepard anti-aircraft guns, which have been developed for tanks.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Russian energy giant Gazprom says it has cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria over their refusal to pay in roubles.

The EU accuses Russia of using energy to try and blackmail countries supporting Ukraine.

It has been holding emergency gas talks to decide how to respond but says it has contingency plans in place.

Bulgaria accuses Gazprom of breaching its contract, while Poland says it can manage the situation.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has meanwhile accused Russian special services of carrying out attacks in a breakaway region of Moldova.

Russia's ground invasion of Ukraine is slowly making progress, the Institute for the Study of War think tank says.

[Jimbuna]

[Dargo]

Who is dying for the «Russian World»?

Militaries are often said to be microcosms of society. As Russian military casualties from the invasion of Ukraine mount, it is becoming clearer how inequalities within Russian society at large are reflected on the battlefield. Despite Russia’s reluctance to publish information on its losses, available data show that ethnic minorities from poorer regions are disproportionately prominent among the reported casualties.

https://ridl.io/en/who-is-dying-for-the-russian-world/

[Jimbuna]

Putin humiliated as enormous Russian military losses 'will take years to rebuild'

British same-sex couple make history with Antarctica wedding
20 facts you might not know about Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Since the start of Vladimir Putin's "special military operation" on February 24, Russian troops have killed more than 14,000 Ukrainians, according to the United Nations. Ukraine's Ministry of Defence claims 21,900 Russian troops have been killed as of Monday.

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Washington think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in recent years Russia had produced around 250 tanks and 150 aircraft annually.

Based on estimates for Russian equipment lost so far, Ukrainian forces have destroyed the equivalent of at least two years of Russian tank production.

Mr Cancian also estimated one year's supply of aircraft was also lost during two months of conflict.

He is still analysing data for Russia's missiles, but estimated the Kremlin may already have used several years worth of production against Ukrainian targets.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...out&li=AAnZ9Ug

[Skybird]

The ammunition for the Gepards are again - produced in Switzerland. There are no stockpiles worth the name left, and what there is in Germany needs Swiss permssion to be sent to Ukraine. And, like with the Marders' ammo before, Switzerland has prohibited to arm the Gepards for the Ukraine with Swiss-made ammunition.



Well. After we send Ukraine camp fire lighters (serious!), the Swiss maybe could send them clubs of Toblerone, then the Ukrainians can at least club Russian attackers to death, if not being allowed shooting at them.



Imagine thise scene interpreted by Monthy Python...

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Putin humiliated as enormous Russian military losses 'will take years to rebuild'

British same-sex couple make history with Antarctica wedding
20 facts you might not know about Star Wars: The Last Jedi

...

LOL

[Jimbuna]

Fighters stuck in steelworks 'only have days of supplies left'
A Ukrainian woman who has friends stuck in the Azovstal steel plant - the last part of the southern city of Mariupol not under Russian control - says they are surrounded by the Russian army with no chance of getting out, and only have supplies left for a few more days.

Lyuba Shipovich, in Lviv, is in daily contact with her friends who are fighting in the Ukrainian military - but she says time is running out for them.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is "the only person who knows the answer" about when they will get out of the plant, she told BBC's Ukrainecast.

Fighters from the Azov battalion and the 36th marine brigade are still trying to defend the plant but "it's impossible to vacate Mariupol so they're just trying to fight and stay as long as they can", she says.

She adds that Elon Musk's Starlink dishes have enabled the fighters to connect to the internet and they try to be in contact at least once a day.

"If they kill civilians with white flags, what will they do to military personnel?", she says.

"They will get them and torture them - for military, it's better to die fighting than leave the plant directly to the hands of Russians."

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Skybird

The ammunition for the Gepards are again - produced in Switzerland. There are no stockpiles worth the name left, and what there is in Germany needs Swiss permssion to be sent to Ukraine. And, like with the Marders' ammo before, Switzerland has prohibited to arm the Gepards for the Ukraine with Swiss-made ammunition.



Well. After we send Ukraine camp fire lighters (serious!), the Swiss maybe could send them clubs of Toblerone, then the Ukrainians can at least club Russian attackers to death, if not being allowed shooting at them.



Imagine thise scene interpreted by Monthy Python...

The alleged problem with the lack of ammunition in about 50 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks for Ukraine seems to be solved: According to information obtained by Business Insider from government circles, Brazil plans to sell Ukraine around 300,000 rounds of ammunition. Until now, it was only known that the Munich-based manufacturer Kraus-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), which plans to supply the vehicles, is said to have had only around 23,000 rounds of ammunition in stock, according to Bild. At up to 1,100 rounds per minute, the supply would only have lasted for a few minutes.

https://www-businessinsider-de.trans..._x_tr_pto=wapp