Nix Panicus posted:

You're not wrong. Without western support Ukraine would have collapsed a long time ago. They aren't capable of carrying out their own defense. Even with western support they appear to be barely holding on. Ukraine should consider a negotiated surrender before their position deteriorates further.

Zedhe Khoja posted:

Ukraine doesn't need the Americans, they can produce their own weaponry!

Deadly Ham Sandwich posted:

I could swear there was an article posted earlier that had a Ukraine soldier complain about this.

Palladium posted:

im sure they actually used to made them until the americans came

quote:

The most intriguing small arms “producer” in Ukraine was the KB-ST (Design Bureau for Special Techniques). This highly controversial organization was established in 1993 and during the late nineties announced a series of a “revolutionary” small arms designs, such as sub-machine guns and sniper rifles of outstanding, if not unbelievable, characteristics. However, no foreign experts ever were able to test these “wonder weapons”, and by this time KB-ST has folded and gone out of business. One of such wonder weapons widely advertised in Ukrainian literature as “unique” and “superior” was the Pistolet Shevchenko, or PSh in short. This overly complicated and strange-looking weapon was also an amalgam of previously known ideas, some of which were tried and rejected 50 or even 100 years ago. To start with, the PSh used a two-stage feed system, borrowed from the 1900-period Gabbet-Fairfax “Mars” pistol of British origin. This system, in which the cartridge is first pulled back from the magazine and placed on a lifter, then raised inline with the barrel and fed forward and into the chamber, was necessary because of the elongated barrel, which protruded back into the action. To further complicate the construction, its designer Shevchenko used a very rare gas-operated locking system first (and probably last) used in a WW2-era prototype Horn assault rifle from Germany. This system employs two small gas pistons that are forced by gas pressure sideways from the frame and into locking recesses in the slide. Another strange feature was a hand-cocking device, probably taken from HK P7 pistol, but in a twist – instead of full-hand cocking lever PSh employed some form of a second trigger, located below the “primary” trigger and used to cock the striker when pressed by one middle finger. It also had a ribbed, aluminium jacket on the barrel, and a very special sort of slide stop, that locked slide open once there was one cartridge left in the gun. The claimed purpose of this arrangement was to allow shooter to make its “deliberate last shot” – in its own head, probably.

Frosted Flake posted:

Zedhe Khoja posted:

Ukraine doesn't need the Americans, they can produce their own weaponry!

Complications posted:

Whenever I see discussion of Mr. Beast I think that otherwise relatively wholesome eating competition guy has really fallen, then I remember that's the LA Beast and it seems he's still abusing his digestive system.

stephenthinkpad posted:

All I see on the reddit videos lately from the Ukraine side are quadcopters dropping mortars on wounded russian soldiers. I am sure all of them are made by Ukraine with 3d printed parts and Chinese civilian drone motors and controllers.

CODChimera posted:

oh lmao i thought it was that eating guy

Vomik posted:

I’m trying to imagine what I would do in this scenario hypothetically if I were conscripted into a forced suicide march and I’d probably try to get captured? but how exactly can you allow yourself capture if you have to walk through miles of mines to do so?

if you shoot your commanding officer well — there’s still miles of mines plus a now very hostile set of “elite” units behind you.

incredibly bleak

stephenthinkpad posted:

All I see on the reddit videos lately from the Ukraine side are quadcopters dropping mortars on wounded russian soldiers. I am sure all of them are made by Ukraine with 3d printed parts and Chinese civilian drone motors and controllers.

Virtual Russian posted:

You just don't attack through a minefield, it isn't done. A minefield is area denial, no one would dare attack through one, you have to go around. A mine clearing tank isn't really meant to lead an attack through one, you could only follow it and retreat along a narrow path.

quote:

When we come to a minefield our infantry attacks exactly as if it were not there

quote:

The losses we get from personnel mines we consider only equal to those we would have gotten from machine guns and artillery if the Germans had chosen to defend that particular area with strong bodies of troops instead of with minefields. The attacking infantry does not set off the vehicular mines, so after they have penetrated to the far side of the field they form a bridgehead, after which the engineers come up and dig out channels through which our vehicles can go.

Zedhe Khoja posted:

I think Ukraine correctly determined they are poo poo at weapons design and if they make anything at all is just knockoffs of whatever russia is making.

another 90's "pistol"

Raskolnikov38 posted:

unfortunately ukraine hasn't been following the rest of the quote

and has instead been sending vehicles to set off up both the anti-tank AND anti-personal mines

Ardennes posted:

Admittedly, the Ukrainians have taken positions usually by rushing infantry afterwards in waves until they get a foothold and then the Russians move to the next trench line and hammer what the Ukrainians send over until the process starts over. The Ukrainians do gradually improve their positions but they use up entirely brigades to move up 500 meters.

The Russians are fine with this because the Ukrainians aren’t really threatening anything serious strategic and they know they have far more trench lines.

Virtual Russian posted:

Lions led by donkeys. I cannot imagine the horror that would be stepping into a minefield.

Virtual Russian posted:

Lions led by donkeys. I cannot imagine the horror that would be stepping into a minefield.

i say swears online posted:

"aim high" isn't always applicable smh

quote:

a rather large and distinctive laser pointer sitting at the bottom of
the weapon; the laser pointer gives an idea that this was supposed to
also be used as a self-defense weapon at close range, but the weapon's
choice of ammunition appears to defeat the purpose.

The weapon uses 5.45×39mm armor-piercing rounds,
a rather odd choice given that the weapon in question is a revolver;
the choice of ammunition is also rather odd as the use of 5.45mm
ammunition for stopping power purposes had been discontinued in Ukraine
at the time as the round has a "displaced center of gravity".

quote:

Meanwhile, for the United States and its NATO allies, these 18 months of war have been a strategic windfall, at relatively low cost (other than for the Ukrainians). The West’s most reckless antagonist has been rocked. NATO has grown much stronger with the additions of Sweden and Finland. Germany has weaned itself from dependence on Russian energy and, in many ways, rediscovered its sense of values. NATO squabbles make headlines, but overall, this has been a triumphal summer for the alliance.

Virtual Russian posted:

That is WW1 you are describing.

Virtual Russian posted:

That is WW1 you are describing.

Subvisual Haze posted:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/18/ukraine-war-west-gloom/

relatively low cost (other than for the Ukrainians)

Subvisual Haze posted:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/18/ukraine-war-west-gloom/

relatively low cost (other than for the Ukrainians)

Frosted Flake posted:

I maintain that "The British Empire-but-not-racist" could have lived up to the dream of the Imperial Exhibitions.








Unfortunately, the racism was baked in. But maybe if we tried again...

Some Guy TT posted:

"british empire but not racist" is literally the founding principle of the japanese empire but good luck getting anyone to actually acknowledge that when the japanese empire is a designated Monster Of History and analyzing the intent of their laws versus how they were actually enforced begs a lot of uncomfortable questions about just how meaningless the former is when compared to the latter

Complications posted:

Whenever I see discussion of Mr. Beast I think that otherwise relatively wholesome eating competition guy has really fallen, then I remember that's the LA Beast and it seems he's still abusing his digestive system.

Complications posted:

Whenever I see discussion of Mr. Beast I think that otherwise relatively wholesome eating competition guy has really fallen, then I remember that's the LA Beast and it seems he's still abusing his digestive system.

KomradeX posted:

You know the Ukrainians keep saying the 1991 borders need to be respected, but don't those 1991 borders have an independent republic of Crimea?

Frosted Flake posted:

That can't be right. An attack usually fails at like... 20%. At 85% casualties there's not an organized body of men trying to achieve an objective, it would be more like a disorganized mob trying to get out of the line of fire.

quote:

One of the men, a former U.S. soldier from Texas who goes by the callsign "Tango," said his unit of "dozens" of men took "85% casualties" and that two of their comrades were killed when the team was ambushed whilst advancing into Russian-occupied territory. Forty percent of the unit was so badly injured they were rendered "combat ineffective," he said.

Ardennes posted:

It is basically World War One with some drones and copters.

Palladium posted:

EU industry getting destroyed is also relatively low cost for the americans

also the .~*WE*~. need to destroy putler by all means necessary rhetoric in the comments is definitely different from the neocons they hate

Subvisual Haze posted:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/18/ukraine-war-west-gloom/

relatively low cost (other than for the Ukrainians)

Subvisual Haze posted:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/18/ukraine-war-west-gloom/

relatively low cost (other than for the Ukrainians)

CODChimera posted:

this type of wording keeps popping up and its very concerning how the cost to Ukrainians is a side thought at best

stephenthinkpad posted:

EU industry getting destroyed is a net positive for the world.

stephenthinkpad posted:

WW1 with drones and live broadcasting.

The libe broadcasting IMO is the reason the casualties have been lower than WW1 numbers because people for the most part know what's happening at the front line.

Google Butt posted:

just don't drive over the mine lol