Update. Interesting tidbits.
A fantastic video. A Ukrainian 2S3 SP Howitzer rolls out from an underground shelter to deliver fires. Russian UAV spots it and calls in an airstrike using a guided gliding bomb. However due to the delay the howitzer is back inside the shelter by the time it lands. On the one hand Russian use of gliding bombs for counter-battery fires indicate their quantity has gotten quite large, and in principle this is a step forward. But it also highlights the limitations of Russian coordination of fires.
vk.com
vk.com
A Russian Lancet-3M strikes a Ukrainian MiG-29 parked at an airfield allegedly ~70kms from the front line. This range is no joke, and the angle of approach is from the Ukrainian side, meaning the UAV likely made a loop possibly to avoid air defenses. The video is part of a pattern of expanding long range strikes by Russia recently. Two trains were hit recently (4th link has footage from one of the trains), then some long range strikes against radars (3rd link is similar range), now against an airfield. On the other hand, there's other aircraft on the video. Why not send a dozen lancets and double tap each jet? Why not drop a small bucket of Iskanders on these scarce and valuable assets? Unclear. Russia claims 5 jets damaged or destroyed on an airfield, and it's possible the other jets were hit by something else.
vk.com
vk.com
vk.com
vk.com
First use confirmation of a Russian Mi-28NM strike using Vikhr ATGMs. On the one hand this means more rotary assets join the category of relevant CAS. On the other hand, Mi-28N
M are very scarce and brand new. Legacy Mi-28N can't do this.
vk.com
Piles of wrecked Ukrainian vehicles near Rabotino. The area is starting to look like the road in Artemovsk/Bakhmut. And it's also a salient that's completely permeable to Russian fires.
vk.com
If someone is wondering why Russia is having a hard time holding Andreevka near Artemovsk/Bakhmut, here's a shot of the ruins. The village doesn't really exist anymore. There's nothing left to hold.
vk.com
Russian BRDM-2MS in Ukraine. This is an initially export-oriented BRDM-2 variant. It features major improvements in electro-optics, removes the second set of roadwheels, up-armors it, and significant modifies the interior. It's not quite an MRAP by protection, but it's a major step up. The old turret is retained.
vk.com
Reportedly one of the Leo-1A5 batches of 10 vehicles was recently rejected by Ukraine due to poor condition. Note at least one batch was delivered already. It takes quite the gall to refuse free tanks, even as donors of spare parts. Presumably Ukraine is hoping they will get repaired and re-delivered in better condition.
Я уже про это говорил - https://t.me/btvt2019/6307 . Как сообщает DER SPIEGEL, существуют серьезные проблемы с танками Leopard 1A5, которые Германия, Дания и Нидерланды поставляют в Украину. Сообщается, что несколько дней назад Украина отказалась от поставки 10 танков Leopard 1A5 из-за их плохого…
andrei-bt.livejournal.com
After Jordanian OSA missiles, there are now Jordanian Strela missiles. In my opinion they've been in Ukraine for some time, we saw a desert color Strela-10 photo from a while back. They are similarly of poor quality, old and less effective.
vk.com
Ukrainian high-quality decoys from Metinvest. The radars rotate and they're true to life in design and shape. They're basically perfect, meaning it will be very hard to distinguish them moving forward. Cannons firing would be a give-away, and presumably radar emissions would reveal something to Russia, but not to us. Of course positioning the decoy near the real thing would be a very effective way of tricking UAVs since they're looking in the general area.
vk.com
vk.com
A nice high-resolution photograph of a UMPK gliding bomb on a Su-34.
vk.com
Обратите внимание на "срез" профилей крыла и стабилизатора - трехмерная печать! А альтернативно "одаренные" верещали, что УМПК примитивен - "сварные швы не заполированы!" Нехрена, шванехундам и так сойдет!
afirsov.livejournal.com
A look at ongoing recosntruction efforts in Mariupol'. Note while this effort is clearly notable and commendable, other areas are not so lucky. Severodonetsk-Lisichansk is in bad shape with no real reconstruction effort at work. And I can't help but wonder about small towns and villages like Volnovakha. They're not in the spotlight, likely with minimal reconstruction if any.
Как восстанавливают Мариуполь. Очень наглядно.
t.me
Traffic on the Crimean Bridge resumed as of Sep. 14th.
Восстановленную ветку Крымского моста сегодня открыли с опережением графика на 1 день. Ремонтники и монтажники большие молодцы. Выдержали поставленные сроки.
t.me
Russia does not intend to rotate mobilized personnel. They will apparently serve until the end of the war, with vacation every 6 months. This suggests a second mobilization wave is less likely, and presumably it means Russia anticipates some sort of end to the war. Though what that would look like is unclear.
vk.com