Dear Don, thank you! Regarding shaped charge (actually EFT) usage video against spaced armour. I think it is quite significant, just to mention a few things. All of current tank protection is built in spaced layers, and that is to protect against shaped charge which is a stream of molten metal, that loses it's potential quite fast with distance. Unlike shaped charge, EFP is a piece of copper that stays below melting temp, and stays intact flying with super high speed. Basically NLAW warhead is built on this principle, and it is just a very current engineering. I could not find the video of that warhead and it's test now, but basically it is quite large can, with copper lid looking down. And magnetic detonator. So I would say UA have now fully caught up with that development, with them having effective EFPs, and magnetic detonators as in for example PTM-3 equivalents that Magyar birds are producing. That is pretty serious advanced technology.
It is year 3 of trench warfare. Seriously, do you really think that someone is paying attention? Engineer Corps, famous force multiplier in any military conflict since Rome. Paying attention, yeah. Sure.
This corps should be 10 times the number of line infantry and building new, best and improved positions all the way from Torets to Kiev. Every ditch, nook and cranny... It should... aaargh, forget it. Paying attention indeed.
Sigh. It really should not be this hard to build good positions. Aren't there enough experienced but partially disabled veterans who could supervise construction?
You don't need to build long-term positions if Russia is going to just fall apart in 3 months. 6 months top. Have you not heard Budanov? Russia has till the middle of 2025, tops. What a waste would be to develop engineer corps in this case! And anyone saying "well may be just in case" - they are just pro-Russian sympathisers spreading FUD.
LOL. He does like to exaggerate. Most military analysts seem to think 2026 is more likely. Maybe Ukraine should try to get General Surovikin to defect. Now he's been exiled to a desk job for daring to be competent at building defensive lines, he might be interested in repeating the feat.
After spending a month inside Russia, I don't really believe in 2026 either. I hope for 2026, but I don't believe it. I've travelled across 3 small towns in poor regions, one of them in minority region, spoke to people, discussed things with my relatives. Macroeconomic situation is not good, but the pressure, the tension should be felt in the air, people should feel that things are bad. They don't. They adapt to macroeconomic challenges faster than those challenges arise, things are actually improving visually, people are not nervous or angry, they are calm and reasonably assured. I fail to see how it will get much worse in two years, beyond the point of adaptation and acceptance.
We have discussed it on the last update and I am inclined to agree. The pressure is not enough. If the war is to end via economics, we need to see, so to speak, people running around in Moscow with their hands in the air shouting at each other.
I have never understood why they gave the job of building defensive positions to a government bureau. I can understand if combat engineers and officers were leading it but from the looks of things it just opened up a means for contractors to get government money without really doing something right in terms of defense.
Would definitely like to comment on the defensive part illustrated but I feel that I’m not getting full picture here with fields of fire, elevation, mine fields, who was in charge of what, plans and executions, big picture etc. It simply looks as a battalion (-) just moved in, sat down and dug-in where it was as a forward element, completely ‘detached’ from anyone else. No demarcation lines (too small area but anyway), no comm, no nothing.
Vaguely, it might show that there seems not to be any planning in as coordinating things in to a defensive sector, something that is coordinated with adjacent units (and higher command). This might sound a little bit odd but in my tactical vision I miss a small grey Preussian dude with a Kübelwagen and binoculars moving along the area of the defense showing directions and taking notes with the commanders assigned to the sector, you know, laying out the details, LOC’s etc. Someone who is in charge.
On the other hand with all sattelites, RU glide-bombs, artillery, drones and infected morale issues, I have no idea what a defensive position really looks like nowadays.
Dear Don, thank you! Regarding shaped charge (actually EFT) usage video against spaced armour. I think it is quite significant, just to mention a few things. All of current tank protection is built in spaced layers, and that is to protect against shaped charge which is a stream of molten metal, that loses it's potential quite fast with distance. Unlike shaped charge, EFP is a piece of copper that stays below melting temp, and stays intact flying with super high speed. Basically NLAW warhead is built on this principle, and it is just a very current engineering. I could not find the video of that warhead and it's test now, but basically it is quite large can, with copper lid looking down. And magnetic detonator. So I would say UA have now fully caught up with that development, with them having effective EFPs, and magnetic detonators as in for example PTM-3 equivalents that Magyar birds are producing. That is pretty serious advanced technology.
Magyar's first production of mines were effective on explosive power alone. This should make them even more deadly.
That's particularly frustrating regards the defensive positions 🤦🏼♂️. Need to grab every advantage!
Hopefully someone is paying attention and looking to avoid this in the future.
It is year 3 of trench warfare. Seriously, do you really think that someone is paying attention? Engineer Corps, famous force multiplier in any military conflict since Rome. Paying attention, yeah. Sure.
This corps should be 10 times the number of line infantry and building new, best and improved positions all the way from Torets to Kiev. Every ditch, nook and cranny... It should... aaargh, forget it. Paying attention indeed.
Sigh. It really should not be this hard to build good positions. Aren't there enough experienced but partially disabled veterans who could supervise construction?
Nobody is going to invite them
A classic soviet kind of arrogance.
Or indifference
You don't need to build long-term positions if Russia is going to just fall apart in 3 months. 6 months top. Have you not heard Budanov? Russia has till the middle of 2025, tops. What a waste would be to develop engineer corps in this case! And anyone saying "well may be just in case" - they are just pro-Russian sympathisers spreading FUD.
LOL. He does like to exaggerate. Most military analysts seem to think 2026 is more likely. Maybe Ukraine should try to get General Surovikin to defect. Now he's been exiled to a desk job for daring to be competent at building defensive lines, he might be interested in repeating the feat.
After spending a month inside Russia, I don't really believe in 2026 either. I hope for 2026, but I don't believe it. I've travelled across 3 small towns in poor regions, one of them in minority region, spoke to people, discussed things with my relatives. Macroeconomic situation is not good, but the pressure, the tension should be felt in the air, people should feel that things are bad. They don't. They adapt to macroeconomic challenges faster than those challenges arise, things are actually improving visually, people are not nervous or angry, they are calm and reasonably assured. I fail to see how it will get much worse in two years, beyond the point of adaptation and acceptance.
We have discussed it on the last update and I am inclined to agree. The pressure is not enough. If the war is to end via economics, we need to see, so to speak, people running around in Moscow with their hands in the air shouting at each other.
I have never understood why they gave the job of building defensive positions to a government bureau. I can understand if combat engineers and officers were leading it but from the looks of things it just opened up a means for contractors to get government money without really doing something right in terms of defense.
Many in the ZSU have wondered the same thing.
Thanks
Thank you so much for this very interesting about the trenches and how poorly built they are
Would definitely like to comment on the defensive part illustrated but I feel that I’m not getting full picture here with fields of fire, elevation, mine fields, who was in charge of what, plans and executions, big picture etc. It simply looks as a battalion (-) just moved in, sat down and dug-in where it was as a forward element, completely ‘detached’ from anyone else. No demarcation lines (too small area but anyway), no comm, no nothing.
Vaguely, it might show that there seems not to be any planning in as coordinating things in to a defensive sector, something that is coordinated with adjacent units (and higher command). This might sound a little bit odd but in my tactical vision I miss a small grey Preussian dude with a Kübelwagen and binoculars moving along the area of the defense showing directions and taking notes with the commanders assigned to the sector, you know, laying out the details, LOC’s etc. Someone who is in charge.
On the other hand with all sattelites, RU glide-bombs, artillery, drones and infected morale issues, I have no idea what a defensive position really looks like nowadays.