Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[Jimbuna]

Putin facing 'very bleak future' as Russian pressure surges to score 'significant victory'

Vladimir Putin has been warned he faces a "very bleak future" if he fails to score a "significant victory" in the next major offensives with Ukraine as pressure begins to mount in Russia. The Russian President has seen his army suffer a series of devastating blows in the conflict, with tens of thousands of troops being killed on the battlefield. The first anniversary of the war is just a few weeks away on February 24, and there has been speculation Putin could announce a huge mobilisation of half-a-million troops in a desperate bid to boost his ailing plan.

Colonel Richard Kemp, a retired British Army officer who served for nearly 30 years, claimedboth Russia and Ukraine are gearing up for "major offensives" but warned this could be Putin's "last roll of the dice".

He believesfailure to achieve a "significant victory" would open up the possibility of a coup in Russia against him - a move that could edge the President closer to the Kremlin exit door.

The retired British Army Colonel told Express.co.uk: "The Ukrainians have taken a huge hit, but of course so has Putin.

"We all know things didn't work out how we expected or how he conditioned the Russian people to expect, so he has to have a significant victory in the early part of this year if he can achieve it.

"If he can't achieve that, it could be a very bleak future for him with the possibility of some kind of coo in Russia against him. He will be very mindful of that possibility.

"Putin is in a very strong position and still has huge popularity within Russia, despite this war. But we have also seen rumblings from some of the elites within Russia.

"The prospects of a popular Russian uprising against Putin are pretty low but the prospect of someone of significance in Moscow or a significant number of people deciding to move against him is possible."

He added: "Whether that would succeed is an open question and who would succeed him is also an open question.

"The third question is whether it worsens or improves the situation because the most serious noises against Putin that I'm aware of are not those who have said we want peace, but from people who say they want to win this war."

Colonel Kemp warned the war between Russia and Ukraine could even go on for "years" but the "critical point" will be who comes out on top in the upcoming offences.

Despite pressure building on Putin, he believes the Russian President has to "fight and keep it going" as he would never be able to "contemplate the status quo that existed before February 24, 2022".

The retired British Army Colonel said: "This war could go on for many months and even years but the critical point will be whether these Russian and Ukrainian offences succeed or fail.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...85b547d56634e2

[Jimbuna]

Total combat losses of Russian Federation since beginning of war - about 126,160 people (+650 per day), 3,197 tanks, 284 helicopters, 293 planes, 2,195 artillery systems, 6,366 armored vehicles. INFOGRAPHICS

As of the morning of January 29, 2023, the losses of the Russian occupiers amount to approximately 126,160 people.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press center of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As noted, the total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 29.01.23 are approximately:

personnel - about 126,160 (+650) people were eliminated,
tanks - 3197 (+8) units,
armored combat vehicles - 6366 (+22) units,
artillery systems - 2195 (+7) units,
MLRS - 453 (+0) units,
air defense equipment - 221 (+0) units,
aircraft - 293 (+0) units,
helicopters - 284 (+0) units,
UAV of operational-tactical level - 1947 (+0),
cruise missiles - 796 (+0),
warships / boats - 18 (+0) units,
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 5037 (+10) units,
special equipment - 199 (+0). Source: https://censor.net/en/n3396360

[Jimbuna]

German concern Rheinmetall wants to produce HIMARS in Europe

The German arms concern Rheinmetall is ready to significantly increase the production of tank and artillery ammunition to meet the high demand in Ukraine and the West. He is negotiating the start of production of HIMARS rocket launcher systems in Germany.

This was stated by Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, Censor.NET reports with reference to European Pravda.

According to him, in 2022, Rheinmetall produced 60-70 thousand tank and artillery shells, but this number can be increased.

"We can produce 240,000 tank ammunition (120 mm) per year, which is more than the entire world needs," Papperger said, adding that the production capacity of 155 mm artillery shells could be increased to 450,000-500,000 per year.

Also, Rheinmetall wants to launch a new line for the production of medium-caliber ammunition, which, for example, is used by the German anti-aircraft Gepard self-propelled guns in Ukraine, by mid-2023.

At the same time, the concern is negotiating with the American Lockheed Martin about the possible production of HIMARS systems, which are also actively used by Ukrainian troops.

"At the Munich Security Conference, we are looking to conclude an agreement with Lockheed Martin to begin production of HIMARS (in Germany). We have the technology to produce the warheads as well as the rocket engines - and we have the trucks to mount the launchers on," - Papperger said.

Rheinmetall's CEO expects to discuss details of military production at a meeting of industry representatives with Germany's new defense minister, Boris Pistorius, although the date has yet to be set.

Source: https://censor.net/en/n3396383

North Korea denies US information about supply of weapons to Russian Federation, and also warned United States about "unwanted consequences"

North Korea denied the data on the supply of weapons to the Russian Federation, and also warned the United States of "unwanted consequences" if they continue to spread such "rumors".

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to Espreso, this was stated by the Director General of US Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Korea, Kwon Jong-gun, Yonhap writes.

"The attempt to tarnish the image of the DPRK by fabricating data is a serious provocation that can never be tolerated and cannot but provoke a reaction," Kwon said in a statement released by the official Korean Central News Agency. This is how the DPRK commented on the publication of US evidence on arms trade between the Russian Federation and North Korea.

"The US must remember that it will face a really undesirable outcome if it continues to spread rumors against North Korea."

Kwon did not say what he meant by an undesirable result. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3396377

[Skybird]

Its noteworthy that Rheinmetall at the same time is in sort of a clash with its partner KMW. Both together now produce the Leopard 2 and are in economic alliance with French tank maker Nexter, but with the French and Germans wanting to co-develope a shared European battle tank for the future, it irked KMW that Rheinmetall started first an internal competition against the Puma IFV when launching its Lynx IFV, and now has done it again with rolling out the KF-51 Panther MBT that directly rivals thge Leopard-2 and collides with the the French-German co-venture on a future MBT.

I wonder how long this economic alliance will last. In any case, RM has made itself massively unpopular with both KMW and Nexter, and the relationship of trust has been clearly damaged. Says KMW, and was more indirectly indicated by Nexter.

The KF-51 is not innovative that much, KMW angrily describes it as a "CAD-study" of work "based on old technology and a Leopard-2 basis". It weighs 7-9 tons less than modern versions of the Leopard-2 and was put together in just 2-3 years.

RM also has taken over a Spanish ammunition producer recently, and in general are in an expansion offensive.

My realistic expectation is that France and Germany will plan both the fighter aircraft and the tank to death and will bang heads often over narcissistic demands who is boss in the project and what specifications what army wants to see. In the end much of the financial advantages that were planned to gain with this cooperation, will be given up again due to these conflicts and timely extensions. I am not that much convinced that platform development distrubuted amongst several national partners is all that positive, time- and money- economic at all. Developing a new ATGM together, is one thing. Doing a whole new tank or multirole jet or air transport or submarine is something very different. And France absolutely hates to share control over such technological key areas of its industry - and rightly so.

[mapuc]

In this video he talks about logistic and maintenance on the Tanks they will get from USA especially.



Markus

[Skybird]

^ He said the American F-16 maybe arrive at the same time like and together with the US tanks. The M1 tanks are many, many months away.
Not before Q3 or Q4, maybe even later.
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Former Ukrainian ambassador to germany, Melnyk, now wants one of Germany's only 6 type-212 submarines. Well, everybody has dreams. Dream on, Mr. Melnyk. And btw, what Uboats? Most of 2017 and 2018, none of these boats were operational, all were in the shipyard, suffering from missing spareparts. Last summer, 2022, only two boats reported operation-readiness for the better part of the year, the others were "grounded", maintenance could not be done on them, again missing spareparts. Germany does not have 6 submarines, but "potentially 6 submarines", in reality it is just 1-3.

But even if all 6 were operaitonbal, forget it, Mr. Melnyk. Will not happen as long as the war lasts. Afterwards, Ukraine may regularly buy stuff.

German armed forces are WRECKED.
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Ukrainian tankers have started training on the Challengers in the UK.
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The head of the Munich Security Conference, Heusgen, supports the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine.

[Aktungbby]

From 2/2022:

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

AHEM! B 4 U speke do yer homework...Not only does Vlad the Bastard attempt a 'falseflag' attack ala Operation Himmler in 1939, but his Einsatzgruppen are well equipped for propaganda purposes against pißed-off babushka mommas on the home front! The russian artillery trucks are well equipped with crematorium units to cover up the maßive death rate for glorious neoSoviet propaganda purposes...photos reveal Russia's fleet of mobile crematoriums used to incinerate dead soldiers amid fears they will use them to hide the true scale of the Ukraine war. The terrifying trucks can reduce bodies to ashes on the roadside, making it even easier for Vladimir Putin to downplay the human cost of the conflict. BOTTOM LINE: having eschewed global Ma'at, Vlad the Bastard is certainly covering up his failing Götterdämmerung!!?? I submit; WW III is underway. https://www.the-sun.com/news/4772273...diers-ukraine/

Vladimir Putin has reportedly ordered 21 mobile crematoriums from China in an attempt to hide how many Russian soldiers have died during the conflict in Ukraine. According to rumours, the Kremlin is preparing for its losses to more than double from 100,000 to 220,000 by May. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...16Bscb?ocid=sf

Vladimir Putin has reportedly purchased 21 mobile crematoriums from China in a sneaky ploy to hide the true death tolls Russian forces have suffered in the war. However, video of the alleged vehicles has surfaced, with some reports claiming Putin has already received them and given the order for the crematoriums to be deployed alongside Russian troops.
This comes as experts predict Russia has suffered "irretrievable losses" that could reach 220,000 by May 1 of this year. But despite the "colossal" loss of life, Putin allegedly "is not embarrassed" by the rapidly rising death count. Instead, the politician simply believes "the losses must be ‘smeared over time" resulting in the need for the crematoriums.

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Putin will not give up war in Ukraine because he is afraid of losing elections, - Orban

During a meeting with journalists in Budapest, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn outlined his own vision of why Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine should not be expected to end in the near future.

As Censor.NET reports with reference to Euro Integration, an article about the meeting that took place earlier this week was published in the German-language "liberal-conservative" publication Tichys Einblich.

"Orbán destroys the hope that Putin will sooner or later give up the war. After all, the presidential election is approaching, and those who lost the war will not win the election, even a rigged one", - the author of the article, Roland Tichy, relays the words of the Hungarian prime minister.

He also claims that Orbán is not pro-Russian, as he is commonly believed, because "he says that he knows about the cruelty of the Russians, because in 1956 they hanged the then Prime Minister Imre Nagy."

According to the Prime Minister of Hungary, Russia has historically demonstrated that it is weak at the beginning of wars due to "corruption, sloppiness, incompetence of commanders and terrible tactical mistakes", but "very soon switches gears, mobilizes its forces and learns quickly"

Speaking about Russia's goal in the war, Orban believes that it is not about the complete conquest of Ukraine (because this will cause popular resistance and "guerrilla warfare"), but the creation of a buffer zone approximately along the contact line in Donbas.

"A kind of "death zone" between Western Ukraine and NATO on the one hand, and Russia on the other?" - writes author Tichys Einblich and adds that Hungary's position on an immediate ceasefire and negotiations is the best.

On occasion, he criticizes the US and the EU for not having a clear strategy for the war, "except for strengthening Ukraine's well-founded resistance." He adds that according to this logic, NATO will have to send its own troops to Ukraine if "sooner or later they run out of men." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3396434

Military plant in Poland works in three shifts to repair equipment of Ukrainian Armed Forces

One of the Polish military plants is working almost around the clock to return damaged Ukrainian artillery and armored vehicles to the battlefield.

According to Censor.NЕТ, this is stated by The Wall Street Journal.

Hundreds of mechanics are working to restore Ukrainian military equipment. In particular, we are talking about Krab self-propelled artillery systems manufactured in Poland. Two self-propelled artillery systems that were spotted at the factory are missing parts of their tracks. The howitzers have bullet holes and deformed spare parts.

"In fact, these weapons arrived here in the worst condition we have ever seen. The entire barrel was missing, the body was badly damaged," says engineer Myroslav Surovanets.

It is known that in Poland, Krab howitzers are maintained at a facility owned by the state-owned Polish Armaments Group. The workshop is monitored by officers of the Internal Security Agency, who are tasked with detecting potential sabotage operations. All employees must be Polish.

The mechanics work around the clock in three shifts and are in constant contact with the Ukrainian military to learn about the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3396459

[Jimbuna]

Abrams tanks may be delivered to Ukraine in late 2023 - The Washington Post

American Abrams M1A2 tanks will be delivered to Ukraine in late 2023 or early 2024.

This is stated by The Washington Post, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to RBC-Ukraine.

The rest of the weapons will be provided to the Ukrainian military from the Pentagon's stockpile. However, 31 M1A2 main battle tanks will be provided under the USAI program. That is, the United States will purchase them from the industry.

"They will be built without protection using depleted uranium and will be delivered at the end of this year or next," the statement said.

Earlier, White House National Security Advisor John Kirby said that it could take months to deliver the tanks to Ukraine.

"I don't want to be too specific because we're still developing plans, but it will take many months," he said.

Kirby said that the United States will be making efforts to help Ukraine. Among other things, it will soon start training the Ukrainian military. This is due to the fact that they must be ready to immediately use the provided weapons. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3396465

Ukraine can continue to count on support of Czech Republic, - Pavel

The Czech leader thanked his Ukrainian counterpart for the congratulations.

Newly elected Czech President Petr Pavel assured Volodymyr Zelensky that the Czech Republic would continue to support Ukraine. Paul wrote about this in his Twitter, reports Censor.NЕТ.

"I would like to thank President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky for his congratulations on the Czech presidential election results and his invitation to visit Kyiv. In our telephone conversation today, I assured him that Ukraine can continue to rely on the support of the Czech Republic," Pavel said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3396463

[August]

[Skybird]

https://www-focus-de.translate.goog/..._x_tr_pto=wapp

However, the Russian leadership may have started the rumor itself. It appeared in July or August of last year, just when the Russian army was having big problems in Ukraine. It was a way to signal to the West, "Don't get upset, he's going to die soon, so don't do anything, wait until he dies." That was a way to gain three or four months. However, there is no evidence for all these assumptions.
(...)
Yes, I am convinced that Putin never had the slightest intention to collude with the Europeans or the Americans. In December 1999, on Chekist Day, he appeared before a group of high-ranking FSB officers and told them that he had just completed the first part of the task assigned to them, which was to penetrate the Russian state apparatus once again. In 2000, before his election as president, he said, "Anyone who doesn't miss the USSR has no heart." Putin constantly said little phrases that showed he rejected the defeat of the USSR in the Cold War and that his project was in fact the reconstruction of a new USSR on the model of ex-KGB chief Yuri Andropov in 1982.

[Skybird]

MTU Friedrichshafen, the manufacturer of the Leopard engines, says that if growing orders would be received, they would "stand there with dropped pants", because MTU belongs to Rollys-Royce, and RR is in flames, the MTU managers called it "a burning platform". During the pandemic, planes did not fly and the engines leased by RR to all those many airline carriers produced no income, with the result that RR now is in serious turmoil. The RR paper in the recent 5 years lost two thirds of its value, showing that the problems at RR root much deeper. If the Germans need to push up production and hire new workers (building tank engines is manual handwork), there is serious doubt that the British bosses would allow that due to the financial investement needed - and money that they do not have anymore, or better: thjat they instead want MTU to channel to RR.

Military orders make for just one tenth of MTU's incomes. But without their engines, there can be no new Leopards.



Purr, kitty, purr.