2/17 Now I only have electricity for 4-6 hours a day, so I can't spend as much time on Twitter as I used to.
But I finally got to my calculations and clarified them to give you a clear picture (it may not be perfect and contain errors, like any analytics).
3/17 In general, the gap between Ukraine and Russia in military power is gradually decreasing.
This happens both because Russia has heavy losses and because Ukraine maintains or even strengthens its power due to the help of allies and war trophies.
4/17 Russia is the main supplier of heavy weapons to Ukraine (at least tanks and armored vehicles).
5/ Although the mobilization did not go well in Russia, the Russians managed to saturate the front line and complicate the advance of the Armed Forces.
The new mobilized who arrive at the front are already better prepared than the first batches. But they are also poorly equipped
6/17 Russia has also changed its tactics. This is the third time:
- at first, the Russians bet on heavy armored vehicles and rapid breakthroughs;
- in the summer, they changed their tactics and began to use groups of armored vehicles and infantry for attacks;
7/17 - now the assault is mainly carried out by infantry forces with the support of artillery (as in World War I).
8/17 Ukraine, on the contrary, now uses much more armored vehicles in the attack. The lack of a sufficient number of tanks forces the use of lighter equipment, but it is much more effective than an attack with only infantry forces.
9/17 Russia can probably afford to mobilize up to a million more soldiers. And it will allow to fight long enough. But the key issue is artillery. How much is it enough for?
10/17 I made some assumptions about the artillery earlier. Considering the tens of millions of old Soviet shells, I don't think that the RU artillery machine will run out anytime soon.
But the RU are running out of more scarce long-range shells for a distance of more than 20 km
11/17 Probably now Ukraine dominates at distances of 20-80 km. But supplies of 155mm shells and GMLRS are limited. And Ukraine needs longer-range capabilities to destroy the Russians' logistics.
12/17 Cutting off logistical routes and depleting supplies is the main premise of Ukraine's counteroffensive. Therefore, it is important for Ukraine to get more long-range systems and shells.
Resources of war
Can Russia sustain this war for years? Here are some calculations to help estimate this.
Thread 1/
@RALee85 @olliecarroll @ragnarbjartur @konrad_muzyka @McFaul @HelloMrBond @SpencerGuard @JominiW
2/
Let's start with artillery, which looks the most vulnerable
Standard calculations of the resource of artillery barrels show that at the current rate of firing, Ru needs about 2.5-4К barrels per year. If we add to this direct losses in battles, Ru total need is about 4-5K per year
Half a year ago, I joined the procurement reform team of the Ministry of Defense-the Non-Lethal Procurement Agency (DOT)
This is my second "campaign" for reforms in the defense sector after Ukroboronprom in 2019. And here I would like to share some thoughts and my own experience
2/ Soviet architecture and corruption are the worst things Ukraine inherited from the USSR. In Soviet times, corruption was the only way to become a wealthy person. Wealth and commerce were prohibited by law, but the desire of people to live better did not disappear anywhere.
3/ For the first twenty years after the collapse of the USSR, Ukrainian society was aware of the problem of corruption, eventually defining it as the main enemy of democracy and the development of the state.
Struggle for resources
When Ukrainians say that we need more weapons, the West often thinks that it is a sign of ingratitude.
In fact, Ukrainians are grateful, but there is another side - how many weapons your enemy supplies to the front.
This thread will explore this topic 1/
2/ Russia
Many people look down on the Russian army after its defeats in Ukraine in the first year of the war.
But the Russian doctrine is based on the fact that Russia is able to withstand heavy defeats and incredible losses, but not to give up its political goals.
3/ Ru is still a significant power, if not in terms of the quality of weapons, but in terms of their quantity.
Since the beginning of the war, Ru has removed approximately 6,000 howitzers from its storage facilities.
Russia spent $22.8 billion on missile attacks on Ukraine.
This is more than half of all US military aid to Ukraine ($43 billion).
A short thread about missile attacks this winter: 1/7
2/7 Despite the sanctions, Russia has increased its missile production and can now produce about 100 missiles per month.
In October, Russia reduced the intensity of its use of missiles, apparently preparing for winter attacks on UA energy.
3/7 Air Defense Ukraine has become much more effective than a year ago. If until October 2022, Ukrainian air defenses shot down about 30% of missiles, then after the transfer of NASAMS, Iris-T, Patriot, Samp-T, Ukrainian air defenses began to intercept up to 80-90% of missiles.
The beginning of the offensive is the most difficult stage of the attack.
If you do not expect to catch the enemy by surprise, then the beginning of the assault is the most challenging stage 1/8
Inspired by: @bradyafr @WarintheFuture @Inkvisiit
2/8
At the beginning of the offensive, the enemy is in the most advantageous position: 1. The army has been preparing for defense for a long time and has strong defensive positions. 2. There are still enough soldiers to hold the defense and there are also reserves.
3/8 3. Artillery is ready, there is still enough ammunition. 4. Aviation works in its airspace. 5. Any accumulation of equipment or soldiers is easily tracked. 6. Breaking through several layers of minefields will inevitably lead to the loss of equipment
1. Some believe that the dam collapsed on its own due to previous damage. Satellite images of water discharge are cited as evidence 2/15
3/15 But it is enough to look at satellite images from last year (before the first blow-up of the HPP station by the Russians - 2022/10/18) to make sure that the pattern of water discharge was the same and does not indicate damage to the dam