Thoughts on the Russo-Ukranian War?

I3BrigPvSk said:
Without claiming to know. I would guess several NATO countries special forces are operating in Ukraine. Other specialists are also there to provide with support of all the different systems the West have giving Ukraine.

I also think Ukraine has hired Western based PMCs
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I agree, I would also suspect they have been there a while but this is looking more along the lines of an open deployment of troops.

There has been a lot of discussion recently of countries providing logistics, antiaircraft and border troops to western Ukraine in order to free up Ukrainian manpower, the problem is the political risk of losing troops which is why I assumed the French would use the Foreign Legion rather than actual French troops.
 
I3BrigPvSk said:
Without claiming to know. I would guess several NATO countries special forces are operating in Ukraine. Other specialists are also there to provide with support of all the different systems the West have giving Ukraine.

I also think Ukraine has hired Western based PMCs
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Classified US intelligence documents (apparently genuine) were leaked online last year which named the UK, Latvia, Poland, France, US and the Netherlands as having special forces on the ground in Ukraine
 
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MontyB said:
I agree, I would also suspect they have been there a while but this is looking more along the lines of an open deployment of troops.

There has been a lot of discussion recently of countries providing logistics, antiaircraft and border troops to western Ukraine in order to free up Ukrainian manpower, the problem is the political risk of losing troops which is why I assumed the French would use the Foreign Legion rather than actual French troops.
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British and US special forces allegedly on the ground from the start in 2022.

Although they usually like to call them “military advisers”….
 
AirborneWings said:
British and US special forces allegedly on the ground from the start in 2022.

Although they usually like to call them “military advisers”….
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I don't doubt this but it strikes me that it is only France and the UK who seem "more" willing to commit troops under their respective flags.

France has its political arse covered because it can commit the Foreign Legion but I don't know how well the UK public would take potential casualties by UK forces.
 
MontyB said:
I don't doubt this but it strikes me that it is only France and the UK who seem "more" willing to commit troops under their respective flags.

France has its political arse covered because it can commit the Foreign Legion but I don't know how well the UK public would take potential casualties by UK forces.
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Maybe they hope the UK public don’t find out.
 
MontyB said:
In an age where every man and his cat has a camera I doubt too much could remain secret for very long.
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This is a good point but despite strong evidence that they have been operating in Ukraine since 2022, no one has yet provided photographic proof as far as I’m aware.
 
AirborneWings said:
This is a good point but despite strong evidence that they have been operating in Ukraine since 2022, no one has yet provided photographic proof as far as I’m aware.
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True but there is a big difference in the public profile of team trained to operate under the radar and 25000 squaddies roaming the streets.
 
George said:
About what I figured.
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The story seems to be that this has been in the pipeline for about a year but as the missiles are quite old they require refurbishing and that has been mired in political BS.

theaviationist.com

Retired Israeli Patriot Missile Stocks Transferred to Ukraine

Around 90 MIM-104E PAC-2 Patriot missiles are included in a U.S.-facilitated transfer approved in September 2024, according to media reports published on
theaviationist.com theaviationist.com
 
I am starting to wonder about the state of the Russian military based on a number of points:
1. Ukraine is making small gains in unusual locations (Kursk and Pokrovsk).
2. Russian armour and artillery seems largely absent.

I am starting to wonder whether Russia hasn't been attrited to the point of parity with Ukraine, I accept however that the weather is also probably having an affect.
 
MontyB said:
I am starting to wonder about the state of the Russian military based on a number of points:
1. Ukraine is making small gains in unusual locations (Kursk and Pokrovsk).
2. Russian armour and artillery seems largely absent.

I am starting to wonder whether Russia hasn't been attrited to the point of parity with Ukraine, I accept however that the weather is also probably having an affect.
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Reports again of T-34s on the move.
 
MontyB said:
I am starting to wonder about the state of the Russian military based on a number of points:
1. Ukraine is making small gains in unusual locations (Kursk and Pokrovsk).
2. Russian armour and artillery seems largely absent.

I am starting to wonder whether Russia hasn't been attrited to the point of parity with Ukraine, I accept however that the weather is also probably having an affect.
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Do they still have any? I read the North Koreans are providing the Russians with more howitzers.
 
I3BrigPvSk said:
Do they still have any? I read the North Koreans are providing the Russians with more howitzers.
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According to Ukraine.
Russia's
Russia's artillery advantage against Ukraine is diminishing, dropping to 1.5 rounds for each Ukrainian shell, Sky News reported on Dec. 5, citing unnamed Western officials.

Previously, Russian shells outnumbered Ukrainian ammunition by a minimum ratio of five to one.
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kyivindependent.com

Russia using more glide bombs as artillery advantage slips, Western officials say

Russia's artillery advantage against Ukraine has dropped to 1.5 rounds per Ukrainian shell, down from a previous ratio of five to one, officials told Sky News.
kyivindependent.com kyivindependent.com
 
American and Russians begin negotiations this week, but without Ukrainians and Europeans. We need a new NATO without the Americans. It will be a meeting in Paris today
 
I3BrigPvSk said:
American and Russians begin negotiations this week, but without Ukrainians and Europeans. We need a new NATO without the Americans. It will be a meeting in Paris today
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Zelensky is right when he says there needs to be a European army of sorts, but I believe to needs to comprise a small core of countries backing regional alliances (say northern, central and southern) with the larger western nations (Poland, Germany, France and UK) providing support to all three regions.

My greatest concern is Germany, it just seems entirely incapable of getting its act together.
 
Germany has an election pretty soon. We will see if they change their behavior after the election. Do Americans realize they will be losing all their bases in NATO countries if they exit NATO. Maybe even their base in the Indian Ocean, the British own that base, the Americans are renting it. They will be losing access to the sonar lines between Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom and the Keflavik base in Iceland
 
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