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Jun 5, 2024 14 tweets 7 min read Read on X
1. The Loaf (Bukhanka), a van designed in 1965, has become russia’s main battlefield transport vehicle. The Loaf reveals a lot about how well russia is doing in Ukraine. Image
2. The Loaf has been produced since 1965 in several variants. Four-wheel drive is its most interesting feature, otherwise it is extremely basic. All ages of Loaves are seen on the battlefield: ancient to brand new. A 112 HP petrol engine means it is not fast. Image
3. The suspension is prehistoric. It has solid axels with leaf spring front and rear. Although it has a sway bar, this vehicle is unlikely to be good for high speeds. The Loaf is easy prey for Ukraine’s FPV drones. Image
4. An FPV drone knocked this Loaf onto its right side. This view of its underside shows the central engine along with the front and rear solid axels. There are no skid plates. More relevant, there is an unprotected fuel tank on each side.
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5. The russians use Loaves to supply front lines and to escape from shelling. Hitting a fuel tank with an FPV drone will burn the Loaf. More importantly, it will burn what the Loaf is transporting including personnel, equipment, ammunition and weapons.
t.me/i_strelkov_202…
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6. Why is russia using antiquated vans in a war? Fortunately, russian sources are exceptionally forthcoming when discussing Loaves because these vehicles are bought using donations and delivered by volunteers.
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7. Russians state, “The delivery of ammunition and the removal of the wounded is simply impossible now without such vehicles. Large military vehicles are instantly attacked by FPV drones, which fly in swarms and fly 10-20 km from the LBS to our rear.”
t.me/fronttyagach82…
8. Life of a Loaf is short. One group was happy their Loaf made 3 trips before being burned. Another says, “A year ago we made a purchase of vehicles for fighters - and now there is not a single one left. They do not last long in combat conditions.”
t.me/talipovonlineV…
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9. Ukrainians talk about Bukhankocide. “One of the roads of death for Russian logistics. Almost all transportation is on loaves and golf carts. Thanks to the good work of drones & artillery all the field roads and woods are littered with burned-out cars.”
t.me/gostrikartuzy/…
10. Russia soldiers are burning through these vehicles, “The highest priority is the supply of vehicles - their shortage is now felt most acutely.” But this demand is driving up prices. A new Loaf is 1.5M rubles (about US$15k).
t.me/boris_rozhin/1…
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11. Russians say they desperately need Loaves to deliver supplies & transport personnel because there are no other resources. That is, they are not using armored vehicles because they do not have them. What happened to russia’s huge store of armoured vehicles? Image
12. The large-scale use of donated Loafs strongly suggests russia’s military is running low on armoured vehicles. Russian Telegram channels support this claim. Ukraine is destroying russia’s logistics by burning their Loaves.
13. A Loaf is likely great on a farm or for camping but its widespread use by russian soldiers indicates a serious lack of military vehicles. We know the Loafs are important to russians because they are now mounting (possibly incorrectly) electronic warfare systems on them. Image
14. Reading what the russians say about these vehicles is very insightful. Have a look yourself. If you found this thread interesting, please repost as a quote. Comments are appreciated. Also see my previous threads listed under, “Highlights” Image

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More from @DanielR33187703

Sep 8
1. This soldier was very excited because he scored a jet engine. A big question is, what drone is this a part of? Cutting up a drone before taking photos is common, and makes identification a more interesting challenge. Image
2. The engine is mounted on a pylon but there are no markings to work with. It is hard to even be sure if this a Ukrainian or a russian drone. It is common for drones to have been cut up to remove the warhead & useful components. Image
3. The engine is most likely made in China and has a "360" label, which is probably its size. But this is an unusual size so it could be a knock off. Note the four mounting straps. Image
Read 5 tweets
Aug 14
1. It is beautiful but is this reconnaissance drone too good to use in a war? The various reconnaissance drones flown in Ukraine are well made and usually expensive. But are they too expensive? Image
2. At the start of the war, Ukraine obtain several Penguin-C military drones made in Latvia by UAV Factory (now called, Edge Autonomy). Image
3. This aircraft is fairly small but has a number of fancy design elements. The wing and tail are removed for transport. The red triangles show where the fasteners go. Image
Read 26 tweets
Aug 8
1. Here is something a little unusual. It is a Zlin Z137T agricultural aircraft (crop duster) equipped with two R-73 air-to-air missiles for shooting down drones. There is no obvious gun so this is likely only for large drones like the Geran-2 (Shahed 136). Image
2. For reference, here is a Z137T in its tradition role of applying chemicals to a crop. A maximum cruise speed of 252 km/h will be a constraint as a drone hunter. Image
3. The R-73 missile uses infrared homing and has a maximum range of about 30 km. It is not clear how many of these are in inventory. Image
Read 5 tweets
Jun 20
1. What would have been unthinkable a few years ago is now routine. Several Ukrainian drones successfully attacked a russian drone factory located in Dubna, only 115 km from the kremlin. This is a smart move by Ukraine, and there may be more to this attack than at first seems. Image
2. Importantly, one video showed several drones attacking, one after the other. Oddly, there was remarkably little air defence heard as each drone approached over a lake. What happened to russia’s air defence? Image
3. This shows the factory with the lake on the left (west) side. This building is very large. The camera operator (for #1) was quite close and was almost hit by shrapnel. Image
Read 24 tweets
Apr 23
1. Developing a new weapon is hard so why not just copy another company’s design? Fibre optic drones are a hot product and part 4 of this series looked at a company (Skywalker) who developed their own. Other companies have rushed to make similar weapons. Image
2. Here are two fibre optics kits made by the Chinese company, Skywalker. Opening the boxes is the likely owner of PGI Technology, which operates in China but is effectively russian. Initially, this photo was confusing. Was Skywalker collaborating with PGI Technology? Nope. Image
3. PGI bought these two Skywalker kits with the goal of copying the technology and selling their own version. The following photos are very unusual since they show the design process. Here is the Skywalker canister with a large drone frame. Image
Read 25 tweets
Apr 4
1. Need to ship weapons? The previous thread in this series showed a small russian company, PGI Technology, making electronic warfare systems in China. But how do they ship these systems & other equipment to russia? Image
2. PGI Technology showed this photo of equipment being prepared to ship from China to russia. The packing tape has a company name & phone number on it. Note the Wallace restaurant and #24 bus across the street. Image
3.PGI also showed a video of this heater but it is the background that is interesting. Visible is the company name (3188 Kapro) and a phone number. There are also signs on the steps written in russian. Image
Read 14 tweets

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