Russia-Ukraine War

[fiksal]

The big problem is that it would require a certain Russian leader to consider priorities beyond his own imagined legacy.

And it's always hard to deal with imagined things.

Putin thinks he's likely to be remembered as a great leader if he continues this war. He's not, but since he thinks he is, it's really difficult to convince him to pull back.

I agree. Plus there's another common thought in Russia is that if he stops this war he'll lose legitimacy as a king/president. Probably leading to him leaving the throne by being dead.

[TSM]

My thoughts if Ukraine goes for this deal , the Russia will get rest of Ukraine by interfering with the next election by rigging the vote put a puppet power and they will begin the process of joining Russia , all with the help of the spineliss stain on humanity aka trump he's already interfering in South America so its not much of a stretch.

[chew-ie]

Sounds like a likely scenario.

[mr.WHO]

I have a question a question that simply does not leave my mind. It isn't a new question. It isn't a question that hasn't been ask before, but it is a question that still never stops bothering me.

What is the purpose of all this? What does Russia hope to gain that makes it so willing to take on these massive human, economic and diplomatic sacrifices?

There is only one logical explenation - it's not resources or land - it people.

Despite all that crappy propaganda, Russia is in complete demographic collapse since 90s - Russia is unable even to maintain it's infrastructure and military inherited from Soviet Union.
"Proper Russians" are decreasing in numbers everywhere outside Moscow and Petersburg. The only people in Russia who are having positive growth are minorities and muslim population.
That's why every nearby contry with some russian population is a target - Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazahstan, Baltics.

Russia lost about 500k soldiers, which are mostly criminals, old and minorities - they gained similar number of population on occupied territories - if they are brainwashed well enough, then in some twisted way it's a net gain for Russia (everything else be damned).

[Usenko]

There is only one logical explenation - it's not resources or land - it people.

Despite all that crappy propaganda, Russia is in complete demographic collapse since 90s - Russia is unable even to maintain it's infrastructure and military inherited from Soviet Union.
"Proper Russians" are decreasing in numbers everywhere outside Moscow and Petersburg. The only people in Russia who are having positive growth are minorities and muslim population.
That's why every nearby contry with some russian population is a target - Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazahstan, Baltics.

Russia lost about 500k soldiers, which are mostly criminals, old and minorities - they gained similar number of population on occupied territories - if they are brainwashed well enough, then in some twisted way it's a net gain for Russia (everything else be damned).

I would tend to favour instead Putin wanting power over Ukraine.

He doesn't particularly need Ukraine to be actually part of Russia (though he'd love that), but he wants to be in the situation where Ukraine exclusively trades with Russia (or at least with Russia's permission) and where it always does what Russia says.

The evidence of this is that when Putin has been offered peace plans that allow de facto Russian control over the occupied territories, he declines.

[mr.WHO]

We're going back to WW1 baby!

Russia just reinvented Saint-Chamond tank:
https://x.com/Bodbe6/status/2002492249389871483

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Chamond_%28tank%29

[Alan Phipps]

They didn't read the rail transportation instructions fully: "Please disconnect the container tie-down scheme before driving out of the container and onto the offloading ramps."

I would guess it's improved (and improvised) anti-drone protection and/or improved camouflage in built-up areas.

[chew-ie]

They even got different colors!

[mr.WHO]

I would guess it's improved (and improvised) anti-drone protection and/or improved camouflage in built-up areas.

Metal Gear Solid cardboard box camo - container edition.

[fiksal]

I have a silly question. What's the benefit here?

Does anti tank, anti armor explosive have a problem with a shipping container grade steel?

From what I recall barely of how explosive war heads work, this is either same or worse by adding more molten metal flying into the armor. I could be quite ways off of course

And on the flip side, it's making that WW2 tank easier to spot and target

[Alan Phipps]

For penetrative warheads it's extra stand-off from detonation to hull which degrades penetration performance. For blast warheads it is again extra stand-off which means less overpressure and less spall (metal fragments broken off from the inside of the hull) flying around inside. Some vehicles have what look like bird cages around them for the same purposes. It's for distancing and not 'armour' in combating the drones.

Container-like camouflage (if that's what it is) works really well in built up areas, factory-based marshalling areas, rail depots and ports - even farms. Not appropriate for woods and plains so much.

[fiksal]

alrighty!

[Chips]

There's a couple of great vids (if you have time to spare) from the Tank Museum about both Ammunition and Armor.
Ammo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmswKzkdbt4

Armor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hRVefl2M0k

It has a very brief section on "cages", but more about how it may prevent RPG's as the strong bar cage can "trap" the ammunition, preventing it even detonating - rather than the current cages Russia employs. Either way, it'd indicate that most of those covers are likely to do with drones (and more effective against non anti-tank loaded drones) and cheap/quick attempts to address the vulnerabilities tanks have which weren't considered at tank design/creation time (weak armor from on top, engine, specific areas, hatches). Most modern anti tank missiles seem to do top down attacks for this reason and these cages won't do anything against them. But against drones, every little helps...

Just interesting videos to watch if interested in that area.

[mr.WHO]

Russia almost ran out of tanks in storage, with mostly T-62 left:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCeAW_KWcWQ

When I was I kid, I had cable remote control T-62 toy, but damn even then it was consider very outdated.
I'd never Imagine I'd see them fighting in 2026.

[clakclak]

Russia almost ran out of tanks in storage, with mostly T-62 left:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCeAW_KWcWQ

When I was I kid, I had cable remote control T-62 toy, but damn even then it was consider very outdated.
I'd never Imagine I'd see them fighting in 2026.

The gun is probably what holds up best on the tank (in terms of 115mm smoothbore still being decent), but T-62 optics? Yeah if they don't upgrade them with something more modern these are going to be pretty blind at night and also not great during the day.

At the end of the day it is still a tank and I still wouldn't want to get shoot at by a T-62, but it certainly isn't great for a great many reasons.

[burger1]

France is now in the oil tanker capturing game.

France seizes suspected Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdexxr2y907o

[philip_hughes]

A little late... ok first.. good to see you Fiksal... i was worried. I have no real idea where you are but had nightmares you had been conscripted and were now scattered all over ukraine...

Next. Reading up on this thread now but its big. How's the general tone? Bots present? Majority against?

Finally and this is serious... I'm developing some tech to help the ukranians. To say I'm well out of my depth is an understatement! If you want to help and want to do so in a way which is highly speculative but has the potential to completely flip the symmetry, id live to talk to you.

I require skills in electrical engineering, particle physics, computer hardware, statistics, science. But if you are smart and are capable of thinking well outside the box, i can probably use you. If not i WILL build this thing on my own, even if it kills me.

What i can say is I'm operating in the domain of real physics, they're is nothing technically impossible in what I'm doing, it's just that I'm cranking the dial up on it so hard it looks impossible. Rest assured it's not.

A final note. What I'm trying is NON VIOLENT. if you are a pacifist but want a decisive end, you can help with a clear conscience.

Yes. It's crazy. No that doesn't mean it won't work...

[Falcrack]

A little late... ok first.. good to see you Fiksal... i was worried. I have no real idea where you are but had nightmares you had been conscripted and were now scattered all over ukraine...

Next. Reading up on this thread now but its big. How's the general tone? Bots present? Majority against?

Finally and this is serious... I'm developing some tech to help the ukranians. To say I'm well out of my depth is an understatement! If you want to help and want to do so in a way which is highly speculative but has the potential to completely flip the symmetry, id live to talk to you.

I require skills in electrical engineering, particle physics, computer hardware, statistics, science. But if you are smart and are capable of thinking well outside the box, i can probably use you. If not i WILL build this thing on my own, even if it kills me.

What i can say is I'm operating in the domain of real physics, they're is nothing technically impossible in what I'm doing, it's just that I'm cranking the dial up on it so hard it looks impossible. Rest assured it's not.

A final note. What I'm trying is NON VIOLENT. if you are a pacifist but want a decisive end, you can help with a clear conscience.

Yes. It's crazy. No that doesn't mean it won't work...

Tell me you're trying to perfect Tesla's Death Ray!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_ray

[philip_hughes]

id love to see a non violent death ray. No. I want to gift ukraine a sensor system that cannot be spoofed, is accurate to cm and is not limited to metal objects... it's possible but it requires computation that is better than what we have... that's quite easy because modern computers are geared to abstracting... i started learning them from the ground up and was shocked at how simple they actually are! And yes- we can make computers that make quantum computers wish they were a real boy... (not hard considering those things are based on physics that we have not observed and are currently 80% random)
The real issue is geometry, timing, resolution and measurement. Want something accurate, you need to time to the (insert below plank here) and accuracy so sharp that Euclid has to leave the building....

So you know... the basic stuff.

To prove in not kidding about computers consider this for loop:

If count charge arrives{
If capacitor full, discharge move to next
If capacitor empty fill}

This does this:
First pulse:
1
Second pulse
01
Third
11
Fourth
001

Notice something?
A ripple calculator in hardware via bucket brigade!
And this is just the beginning

[mr.WHO]

If this war wasn't already an IFF nightmare, now russians starts to use NATO vechicles in combat:
https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/20 ... 4439323072