NATO - The Ukraine

[ivorthediver]

Shame on the other Nato countries not putting their money where their mouth is ......especially as they will be overrun before us if Putin has his way .

[greendragon]

Poland builds fortified field shield, "Eastern Shield".
Polish PM has has announced that the country is due to spend about 10 billion (2 billion $) on what has been called the "Eastern Shield.
It is going to be 400km of fortifications along the Polish boundaries with Belorussia and Russia.
Resembles not successful Maginot Line of WW2 but it is said to be different in many aspects, well employing terrain consideration and other requirement on the modern (as on today) warfare.
It is getting clear that the "old" strategy/operation plans of letting the enemy enter and seize some land and then pushed them back by a counteroffensive is no longer valid.
Certainly experience from the Russian attack on Ukraine has showed that repelling them from the ground they had taken is difficult and would be costly in men in hardware.
Additional aim of building the Shield is to prevent spreading of so called hybrid war the element of it is for example attempt to invade Poland and EU countries with hundreds - overall thousands - of illegal immigrants which Belorussia (supported by Russia) is taking active part.
The the already existing fence of hundreds of miles has showed that it is insufficient as for its strength and capability to stop massive assaults of groups of hundreds of the immigrants who use ladders, jacks etc to make holes in the fence.

gd

[greendragon]

I have witnessed attitude of the NATO countries - mostly political branch and civilian advisors - on the case of countries like PL, Czechs, Hungary, etc to join the Alliance ranks.

It was October 1991, and speakers of a NATO course I attended were united in an attempt to prove to the a/m candidates that NATO is not for them - read for Gods sake not make Russia angry with such a move.
Today they are probably happy that West European countries have got additional 500-600km of Poland land but not before Poland would be defeated .
I shared (and will always remember him ) my observation to a UK Army Brigadier and he fully supported me by saying " of course you should join NATO. You much more deserve being with us in NATO rather than the Germans!!" (there were no Germans beside us, haha).

He told me to ask the lecturers this question, I was reluctant thou.
The Brigadier was siting behind me and was drilling my back with finger saying "Ask him, ask him!!!".
To avoid being holed I asked making some mess in the process of smooth performance of the course.

gd

It would be good to send a message to him , "See, Sir we were right" !!!!

[Pelican]

Navy Lookout
Russian channels now reporting the modern Kalibr-armed corvette RFS Tsiklon was hit by 2 Ukrainian ATACMS (short range ballistic missile) and sunk on Saturday night in Sevastopol.
(A much more serious loss than just minesweeper Kovrovets previously reported).
6 Russian sailors killed & 11 injured.

[Pelican]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c1vw6q14rzqt

[Pelican]

In Blowing Up A Russian Minesweeper, Ukraine May Have Revealed A Secret: It Has ATACMS Rockets With 470-Pound Warheads

The same ATACMS could endanger Russia’s strategic Kerch Bridge

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2 ... 8cda0a341b

[Pelican]

Conflicting reports:

Tendar
Russian channels report that the Karakurt-class ship “Cyclone” (Project 22800) was struck by two ATACMS last night.
As a result the ship was sunk.
6 Russian sailors were killed and 11 more injured.

Ukrainian channels reported this morning that the minesweeper “Kovrovets” was sunk, but I believe that those ships got mixed up.
The Karakurt-class ship is a more valuable target.
The destruction of the Cyclone is a painful loss for the Russian Black Sea Fleet, since it is one of the ships capable of firing Calibr missiles.

And here is a detailed image from Boroshino showing both the ships before the attack

[Pelican]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 49195.html

[Pelican]

H I Sutton
Really significant step in the development of naval drones (USVs). #Ukraine first to put air-defense missiles on them, attacking #Russian helicopters in Black Sea. The idea is viable and it will likely reshape naval warfare
See https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... -missiles/


H I Sutton
I know I talk a lot about how naval drones (USVs, AUVs) are ‘reshaping’ naval warfare.
I really do seem to overuse the term (?)
But that’s not because it’s a buzzword or click bait, it’s because I think that is what we are seeing in #Ukraine

[Pelican]

Ministry of Defence
Russia has signed a decree for military conscription in the occupied area of Zaporizhzhia.
With Russian casualties currently estimated to be 913 a day, the Kremlin are seeking any way to recruit more personnel and to avoid unpopular domestic mobilisation.
Video https://x.com/i/status/1793295903068983457
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaporizhzhia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaporizhzhia_Oblast