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interesting article on the East Ukrainian rebels (very long)
Quote:
The Donbass Rebels’ Secret Weapons
The two decisive weapons of this war that have given victory to the rebels are the MANPADS (MAN Portable Air Defense System) and the Grad (“hail” in Russian).
Kiev had, at the beginning, complete air superiority; it may not have had very many helicopters and ground-attack fixed wing, but it had all that there were. Against these the rebels had stocks of the SA-7 shoulder-fired missile. Like many Soviet weapons it was modified and improved in incremental steps over its service life since the 1970s and produced in quite large numbers. It has an infra-red guidance system and is shoulder-fired. Like most weapons of this type, it is most effective against aircraft that are actually attacking the firer, ie when the angular momentum of the aircraft is low. According to this site, quoting the Kiev Post, Kiev lost ten helicopters and nine fixed-wing aircraft. The true number is likely higher but the point is that this weapon system effectively nullified the air superiority that the Kiev regime had; they either destroyed the aircraft or forced them to fly higher and faster and therefore be less effective. These weapons made the war into a ground war.
The real destruction of the Kiev forces – Ukraine President Poroshenko says two thirds of Ukraine’s military equipment was lost – was carried out by the BM-21 Grad MLRS. Another weapon system from decades ago, this is a truck with 40 122mm rocket tubes at the rear. Not particularly accurate – it is what is known as an “area weapon” – the fact that all 40 rockets can be fired in 20 seconds means that after a few ranging rounds a terrifying amount of explosive can be delivered very quickly by a few Grads. Here are a lot of them firing at a demonstration. Here are some videos from the fighting in Ukraine. Grads firing at night – we see the ranging rounds and then the full salvo from two. Hits nearby. This is what remains after a strike.
There are dozens of videos showing the destruction of Kiev forces trapped in a “cauldron” or котёл by Grads. As I said in another essay, the bulk of the rebel forces were men who knew the area: the back roads, where this forest trail comes out, where that hill is and how to get there without being seen. The Kiev forces did not know the area and had ludicrously inadequate maps (one report spoke of maps from the 1920s) and bad information; thanks to their reliance on heavy equipment they stuck to the main roads. Their commanders were spectacularly incompetent, they themselves were either either poorly motivated untrained forced conscripts unwilling to advance or gung-ho “volunteer” forces, pumped up with warrior fantasies, who charged down the road and got trapped. In either case, there would be periods of being stopped, all jammed together when the mobile rebel spotter forces would call in the target. A few adjustment rounds, then a hundred or more rockets. This is what would happen, over and over and over again. All done by discreet spotter teams and a few Grads within twenty kms or so.
This in addition. A lot of info here,juicy tidbits. I always knew the reason for the Ukrainian defeats was the staggering incompetence of the people in command but never have I read it in such detail.
I suppose Ukraine is richer than statistics shows. But many businessmen don't pay taxes (or pay too little taxes), corruption and percentage of illegal economy is big.
The people are surviving somehow and my guess is they sure as hell are not paying taxes on a large part of their income, if any. Injections of capital from the west are the only thing keeping the government running now as far as I know.
It really sickens me to think US taxpayers money is going to the corrupt Ukrainian politicians and their cronies.
Thought the US had groups like the Azov Battalion assimilated into the Ukraine Army so they could avoid scrutiny of funding and arming death squads as in other countries the US has targeted for waging covert war.
Both Lugansk and Donetsk oblasts combined are about 21000 sq miles. The rebels only control about 40% of the total so as an educated guess I'd say 7 or 8 thousand sq miles. This may be a little high?
I heard the Ukraine army has been stock piling all kinds of goods along the lines. If true a summer offensive is coming?
I get 7500 sq miles = 19425 square km. I saw a map yesterday and noticed that the vast majority of Lugansk Oblast is in the juntas hands while most of Donetsk Oblast is in rebel hands so maybe your 15000 sq km is more accurate.
If the Ukies were ever to get it together they could easily steam roll the rebels in a blitzkreig simply because of the small size of the territories. Problem is they're relying too heavily on the nut jobs like Azov battalion to do the lions share of the fighting. They're considered the dedicated and dependable "elite" which doesn't say much to anyone who knows about these things.
About all they're good for is "protecting" the local populations from the "ebil Russian invaders" and keeping their respective oligarchs safe.
and the reason I'm staring at this - it seems that freedom-loving and democratic Poroshenko is as close to "Putin's close friends" as it gets. I don't even mention the others. Bwa-ha-ha)))))
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