Russian invasion of Ukraine

A Russian officer's opinion of the situation about 7km North of Chasiv Yar.....

We, servicemen of the Russian Army, find ourselves prisoners due to our command’s reckless decision to send us into heavily fortified, mine-protected Ukrainian positions without proper equipment or weaponry. Many of our comrades are now dead or wounded.

We want to make it clear: the command of the Russian Federation aims to destabilize the situation along the Kharkiv border. This is a grave mistake. The defense here is deep and formidable, manned by numerous units including the Kraken brigade and others fiercely dedicated to their city and country.

We urge our fellow soldiers: Do not come here. Only death and suffering await.

• Senior Lieutenant Akimenko Alexander Yurievich and fellow servicemen.

Slava Ukraini.
 
The Russians attempted to advance towards Novopokrovske,Donetsk Region....repelled.
Due to their haste and lack of thinking,this has now left them short of men 10km behind at Krasnohorivka.
The Russians in Krasnohorivka are now trapped in the city and completely cut off from supplies.
In Luhansk Region....they are almost out of fuel.

Slava Ukraini
 
From "The Analyst":

F-16 DELIVERIES SUMMER & FALL

Denmark announced that its F-16 deliveries will begin in the summer, likely from late June, with Dutch aircraft arriving from early October.
That being the case Ukraine now has the unenviable prospect of where to put them during their long periods of down time.
Underground bunkers have already been suggested, largely dispersed over wide areas, possibly using single , minimal concealable runways servicing as few as two aircraft separated in separate bunkers so that any attempt on them would require multiple attacks should they be found which seems inevitable.
This is likely to form part of a ‘pea under the cup’ game, where several
real and fake runways and bunkers could be the hiding place of a single aircraft - the enemy never knowing if the site is real or fake or which one the aircraft is in - if it’s their at all.
It’s largely regarded as being the only ‘safe’ way and once there are sufficient sites, then the aircraft won’t necessarily return to the site it departed from.
The use of decoys is expected to be essential. The US purchase of 80+ non operational aircraft from Kazakhstan - seen as a spares and decoys operation to supply Ukraine looks set to be part of the process.
Inevitably air defences and their deployment will be essential - and pretty much permanent (but mobile) to secure - or at least make it appear they’re securing - operating bases.
It’s all about providing the Russians with enough options that they have to expend huge resources and effort trying to find out where the jets are, let alone have enough weapons to try and incapacitate them.
This is why Ukraine has been so assiduously determined to wreck the A-50U AWACS program - attacking the aircraft and their bases over months now.
In addition the need to deploy air defences forward - which already seems to be happening, as an Su34 was lost in the past two days over Russian territory- should force the Russians back again and therefore increase the safe operating zones of the F-16.
I’ve just spent a good deal of time discussing how best to employ the aircraft.
I’m of the strong opinion that these must be used for aerospace defence. Their purpose has to be to keep Russian aircraft as far from the frontline as possible using long range air to air missiles. It’s by far their best strategy- these aircraft won’t get in a dogfight and they shouldn’t be used to launch ground attacks, it’s not their best role. They just need to reduce the Russians use of glide bombs against ground forces, clear the skies of Russian strategic snooper drones - becoming an increasing problem - and keep themselves intact. Any loss of one will be used as a propaganda weapon so while inevitable at some point, the longer that can be kept at bay the better.
Understanding one key fact is essential. These aircraft will not change the war in a fundamentally decisive way. But they can and must be used to tip the scales more fairly towards Ukraine and correct the VKS’ current delivery of 3,200 glide bombs a month - which is how may were used in April. The bombs are magnifying Russian military success and they need to be stopped. Making the lives of the aircraft and pilots who deliver them untenable is critical.

Slava Ukraini !
 
Dage said:
Yes but even a 100 km range is not enough. The Russian glide bombs have 60+ km range and are aimed mostly at the Ukranian front line. This means those jets can savely drop their bombs from around 60 km behind the front. The Russian air defense is probably 50 to 100 km behind the front lines. Even with the meteor and a platform that is able to launch them you need to fly them literally right at the frontline to get a chance of downing the Russian jets. That's why in every air strike the air defense gets destroyed first. Then you can allow your air superiority jets to do their jobs. With the few F16 jets they get, they just can't do that. The Russians pressed hard the last 2 months to get a breakthrough and thus lost several of their bombers and jets due to the exact same reasons.
Click to expand...
This is why the US supplied Ukraine with their longest range AMRAAM, AIM 120 which is designed to take out SAM and radar sites. It still however would require a very low altitude approach to the target before release, but with more aircraft soon to be available to Ukraine, it may be worth the risk, albeit that it would undoubtedly mean the loss of some aircraft and more importantly pilots. Of course they could always do what the US did in the first few hours of the Gulf War and deploy a large number of decoys to overwhelm the air defence systems.

The S400 has an effective range of 400km, if it was NATO forces, this is where F35s and F22s are highly useful. Whilst the L Band radar on the S400 can at a reasonable range detect stealth aircraft, because of the frequency used its not possible to get an accurate lock until its within a few tens of km, by which time the missiles are on their way and the SAM is dead.
 
Scottyboi said:
From "The Analyst":

F-16 DELIVERIES SUMMER & FALL

Denmark announced that its F-16 deliveries will begin in the summer, likely from late June, with Dutch aircraft arriving from early October.
That being the case Ukraine now has the unenviable prospect of where to put them during their long periods of down time.
Underground bunkers have already been suggested, largely dispersed over wide areas, possibly using single , minimal concealable runways servicing as few as two aircraft separated in separate bunkers so that any attempt on them would require multiple attacks should they be found which seems inevitable.
This is likely to form part of a ‘pea under the cup’ game, where several
real and fake runways and bunkers could be the hiding place of a single aircraft - the enemy never knowing if the site is real or fake or which one the aircraft is in - if it’s their at all.
It’s largely regarded as being the only ‘safe’ way and once there are sufficient sites, then the aircraft won’t necessarily return to the site it departed from.
The use of decoys is expected to be essential. The US purchase of 80+ non operational aircraft from Kazakhstan - seen as a spares and decoys operation to supply Ukraine looks set to be part of the process.
Inevitably air defences and their deployment will be essential - and pretty much permanent (but mobile) to secure - or at least make it appear they’re securing - operating bases.
It’s all about providing the Russians with enough options that they have to expend huge resources and effort trying to find out where the jets are, let alone have enough weapons to try and incapacitate them.
This is why Ukraine has been so assiduously determined to wreck the A-50U AWACS program - attacking the aircraft and their bases over months now.
In addition the need to deploy air defences forward - which already seems to be happening, as an Su34 was lost in the past two days over Russian territory- should force the Russians back again and therefore increase the safe operating zones of the F-16.
I’ve just spent a good deal of time discussing how best to employ the aircraft.
I’m of the strong opinion that these must be used for aerospace defence. Their purpose has to be to keep Russian aircraft as far from the frontline as possible using long range air to air missiles. It’s by far their best strategy- these aircraft won’t get in a dogfight and they shouldn’t be used to launch ground attacks, it’s not their best role. They just need to reduce the Russians use of glide bombs against ground forces, clear the skies of Russian strategic snooper drones - becoming an increasing problem - and keep themselves intact. Any loss of one will be used as a propaganda weapon so while inevitable at some point, the longer that can be kept at bay the better.
Understanding one key fact is essential. These aircraft will not change the war in a fundamentally decisive way. But they can and must be used to tip the scales more fairly towards Ukraine and correct the VKS’ current delivery of 3,200 glide bombs a month - which is how may were used in April. The bombs are magnifying Russian military success and they need to be stopped. Making the lives of the aircraft and pilots who deliver them untenable is critical.

Slava Ukraini !
Click to expand...
Wasn't the deal publicly at least for the kazakh planes to be scrapped in place? Obviously even as decoys that would be a better use...
 
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