Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[walleye26]

I wonder if the cluster bombs will help to dislodge Russian troops from the trenches or if it won’t make an impact.

American and foreign military officials seem to believe they will help:

https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/07/04/ukraine-wants-american-cluster-bombs-quickly

America itself has not used cluster bombs in action since the first weeks of the Iraq war in 2003. But even those countries that disavow their use recognise that they can be potent weapons. In an article for the British Army Review published in 2019, a British brigadier noted that American DPICMs had “saved the day time and again” by breaking up big enemy formations during division-level exercises. “They were, and are, a game-changer.”

Ben Hodges, a former commander of the US Army in Europe, says that cluster munitions could suppress Russian fire from trenches and artillery, giving Ukraine more time to clear a path through minefields, which are proving to be a serious problem. There are other advantages, too. The area effect means that cluster bombs can be fired more quickly than ordinary high-explosive rounds, since the attacker needs less precise intelligence on the target, allowing the gun to scoot away faster. The supply of DPICMs would also ease pressure on ordinary artillery shells, which are in short supply, and on the overworked barrels that fire them. “I cannot see how momentum can be maintained without them,” says a Western official.

I've seen enough war videos at this point to realize that many Russian targets escape annihilation because regular artillery is only so accurate and often misses, particularly when a given strike can only lob a few shells at a position. Cluster bombs would pepper an area up to 100 meters with dozens of bomblets that could significantly enhance the lethality of strikes while reducing ammunition usage, letting Ukraine do more with less.

I don't really know if the end outcome will allow Ukraine to progress faster, because the issues hindering some advances are not necessarily guys in trenches but minefields, obstacles, and drones that pick off units trying to breach those minefields. But the US government seems to think that they will help enough to be worth the scandalous nature of those munitions.

Besides, if Ukraine wants to keep its artillery fed, it basically has to be cluster bombs, at least until additional production of regular shells comes online. It's the only type of shell America has to give in the millions, considering the military has phased those out.

This is a really good article. My hope is that maybe these could blow up some of the mines in the area. It seems like the minefields are really making this counteroffensive slow going because or the huge risk walking through them.

[walleye26]

Similar to what NOVA mentioned, Woody has been notably absent here lately. It’s been a long slog for Ukraine for sure, but it does seem like they are very slowly just grinding down Russian forces.

[walleye26]

Just put jaichind on ignore guys, it’s much better when you do.

[walleye26]

Eight of the nineteen posts on this page are jaichind and most of them are just him posting huge screenshots of Russian agitprop.

When will it end.  What will it take for the mods to step in.

Eight of the nineteen posts on this page are jaichind and most of them are just him posting huge screenshots of Russian agitprop.

When will it end.  What will it take for the mods to step in.

When will people just learn to set him on ignore? Since I put him, Bilaps, and 2016 on ignore this place has been much better.