The Russian-Ukrainian War Thread

[rsemmes]

China wants Taiwan's chip empire, not the BS Taiwan has always been part of China rhetoric. There would be zero value with a nuked Taiwan.

I think that China wants re-unification, like Ireland. Maybe you have a direct line to Xi, like Trump?

If Taiwan is defending two areas and China nukes one and lands on the other, maybe, Taiwan is going to be “distracted” with the casualties in the first one. Also, maybe China is more considerate and is not going to nuke cities.

 

[rsemmes]

If that is true, it makes the Russian planning look even worse.

Hostomel was a large airfield right on the Belarus-Kyiv axis, close to the capital and close enough to the northern ground thrust to be relieved. If Russia seized that and still had no serious plan to use it for rapid reinforcement, then what exactly was the point?

Not wanting to use it as an airbridge is not a more competent explanation. It is worse. It means they risked elite airborne troops on a high-risk assault against one of the most useful airbridge locations imaginable, then apparently had no meaningful operational use for it.

a/ What planning?
b/ AFAIK that is what you use elite forces for, not for a milk run.

We agree, taking the airbase was valuable and successful. We don't know the Russian plans (unless you have some information that we don't), all we have is that Ukraine lost the airbase but (according to Ukraine) denied its use to Russia, what use?
After a successful coup, I think that the airbase would have been extremely valuable, but the coup failed. How many available options wanted Russia? What contingency plans were studied? I (we) don't know, the simple fact of denying it to Ukraine was already a successful operation. Why risking continuous air operations against that target when you can easily take it?

Russia took the objective, the coup failed and Russia didn't use the airbridge. As for the “why” and the what, when, who, we need the Russian plans, not Ukrainian propaganda.
I never took a course at the Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School, I just provide options based on what I have read.

 

[Feanor]

The Centauro has a more powerful gun, & should have better cross-country performance, from its specs.

Even MBTs will their powerful guns and great cross-country performance don't do so well in the current environment. The B1 is better than nothing, Ukraine will certainly take them and use them. But they're not particularly useful. Artillery, especially a modern SP howitzer, would be much better.

China wants Taiwan's chip empire, not the BS Taiwan has always been part of China rhetoric. There would be zero value with a nuked Taiwan.

Nukes are not an automatic apocalypse. They could use low-yield tactical devices in areas well aware from the relevant facilities. They could use them against ships rather than land targets. In general I think lowering the use threshold by setting a precedent with Iran would be a bad thing.