A British RC-135 ‘Rivet Joint’, a dedicated electronic surveillance aircraft, is once again conducting surveillance of Russian forces in occupied Ukraine.

The UK has been conducting these flights to gather intelligence about Russian forces in the area.

The RC-135W Rivet Joint and its sensors are designed to undertake ‘signals intelligence’ missions. In other words, they ‘soak up’ electronic emissions from communications, radars and other systems.

This isn’t the first deployment of this type by any means, this has been ongoing for months now, but activity has increased recently due to the Russian invasion. The UK has been increasing the frequency of such flights over the last few months in order to gather intelligence. US aircraft are also present.

As we need to post this each time, here’s the usual disclaimer. This isn’t a new occurrence. In fact, it is pretty routine. The UK has long been gathering intelligence about Russian forces since long before the invasion of Ukraine, and it should be noted that these flights are designed to be visible so that the public and Russia know they’re happening. If it were a secret, I would not know. Also, for those remarking ‘this isn’t new’, that’s right, but people only know this often happens because it is reported often.

British surveillance aircraft being over the area isn’t unusual, but we are seeing a significant increase in the frequency of the flights over the last few months for obvious reasons.

What does the RC-135W do?

According to the Royal Air Force website, the RC-135W Rivet Joint is a dedicated electronic surveillance aircraft that can be employed in all theatres on strategic and tactical missions. Its sensors ‘soak up’ electronic emissions from communications, radar and other systems.

“RC-135W Rivet Joint employs multidiscipline Weapons System Officer (WSO) and Weapons System Operator (WSOp) specialists whose mission is to survey elements of the electromagnetic spectrum in order to derive intelligence for commanders.”

The Royal Air Force say that Rivet Joint has been deployed extensively for Operation Shader and on other operational taskings. It had been formally named Airseeker, but is almost universally known in service as the RC-135W Rivet Joint.

The UK operates three of these aircraft.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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123 COMMENTS

  1. Once the 4 oblasts likely become part of Russia at the end of the week it seems probable that mainline Russian forces will move forward into those areas taking over some of the activities of the VDR as well as DNR and LPR militias. Around an estimated 20,000 fully trained, fresh Chechen forces are already moving in.

    This could give the Rivet Joints, both ours and US, much more to listen into.

    • What mainline forces? The 1st GTA that was decimated in the first push toward Chernihiv? Then again taking Izium? The 20th CAA that was mauled in the recent fighting in Kharkiv oblast?

      There is no magical reserve of the Russian army left to “move in”. Just conscript “cannon fodder” Sorry, reality will sink in eventually, there is no “gloves off” that will save this invasion. Unless Putin wants to resort to nukes.

    • Assuming of course that “mainline Russian forces” as you describe them haven’t mutinied, rebelled or been reassigned to deal with the increasing level of protest against Putin’s so called “special military operation”, which is beginning to look more and more like a war every day.

      • Whilst in many ways it may have operated as a war, in legal terms it wasn’t but it may become legally a ‘war’ not SME no-one knows. All the main conflicts recently whilst often called wars have not, as far as I can see, been actual ‘war declared’ wars e,g, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria. Russia in Ukraine seems to have been following recent precedents by giving their conflict a different name.

        • Whose legal terms are you referring? What court is saying that isnt a legal war? You mean Putin is saying it’s not a war, that’s all. Of course it’s a war, how is it nort. Btw the ‘Iraq war’ was a war, I’m not aware of it being anything else, parliament voted on going to war.

          • He is referring to Russian legal terms not international terms. Russia still not calling it a war and cannot fully Mobilise until they do. That being said don’t think a full mobilisation would be any different. Just more Orcs with pointy sticks and no logistics.

          • JIMK wrote:

            “The UN”

            Even the UN refuses to accept annexed land stolen at gun point, as been the legitimate property of the country that stole it. looks at the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990

          • The same UN that has just condemned it as a war and where Lavrov had to walk out yo avoid answering to it

        • So if it isn’t a war, why the mobilisation? Why the conscription? I may lack specific knowledge on the matter, but I am hard pressed to recall any military “operation” that resulted in the forced draft of thousands of men….

          • Ho yes, fresh forced conscripts with very little equipment and maybe armed with antique rifles!
            Also they been told to buy their own winter coathing.

    • That will be the mainline conscripts with no training and rusty weapons then!
      How are they getting there? Paying for their own taxis probably. No kit no food and piss poor logistics, winter coming things will go well for them won’t it?

    • You are so full of garbage, abolute sad pro Russian propaganda. As for the “fresh” troops (amusing) are they the thousands recruited from jails? Convicted rapists (they will fit in very well) nonces, murderers etc etc. As for the Chechens, they have achieved absolutly fuck all, aside from making very poor tik tok videos and getting killed in large numbers! So, what is your educated opinion, as an Englshman, age 76, from MK, on the active recruitment of Convicted criminals for the (shite) Russian Army (hidingbehind the Nazi Wagnergroup title) and the mass exodus of Russian men across various borders to escape the ongoing conscription?

        • You don’t really say what is happening in the north or Kherson do you? Nothing of any significance going on there then?
          On the north bank of the river the Orcs stand to lose 20k troops due to being cut off from any supplies yet you do not mention it at all!
          Are you relying on this magical “mainline” army coming along and sweeping everything in their path aside?
          probably a waste of my time because you NEVER answer any questions like this do you.

          • I didn’t mention the state of the fighting as I was making a political comment. But as you asked, in Kherson the UA has taken a major beating being virtually back where they started after losing large numbers of soldiers and equipment. In the Liman area of the NE the UA is doing well recapturing land they lost months ago, but still taking heavy casualties. Almost all official reporting by the UA has stopped over the past few days. The Liman area is now interesting, it will either be a good victory for the UA or a catastrophic failure if the Russians push them back. There should be a result in the next few days. Good enough?

          • JIMK wrote:

            “”I didn’t mention the state of the fighting as I was making a political comment. But as you asked, in Kherson the UA has taken a major beating being virtually back where they started after losing large numbers of soldiers and equipment. “”

            Have you any actual sources for that claim as the info I am getting shows slow but steady progress, but saying that the main aim of telegraphing the summer offensive in Kherson was to get Moscow to relocate its troops from the North East to the West, this they did and Kyiv shut the door on them, trapping at least 27 BTGs on the Kherson side of the water, allowing them to cash in further east

             Almost all official reporting by the UA has stopped over the past few days.

            during the past 24 hours they have crossed the Oskil river and advanced 20 miles to Kolodiazi
            

          • Futher to my last, i have to ask do you garner information regards the Ukraine from this bloke:(Hes a joke)
            If so I am more than happy to correct most things he states,

          • With what are the Orcs beating the Ukr back in Kherson? They are cut off on the North bank and the Ukr does not need to push hard as sooner rather than later supplies will run out.
            I really can’t see how even you can disregard videos being posted by Orc conscripts on their ‘training’ and lack of kit! Are these the mighty army that’s going to push the Ukr back in the North?
            By the way Liman is now virtually surrounded so if the Orcs don’t bug out they will be trapped as well.

          • Oh dear, the rest of the world sees reality of the tactical situation, and you, your rapist mates and head shed nonce Putin see the imagined world of Orc dreamland! I suppose the gas pipes were sabotaged by Greenpeace, or a grumpy shark? Nothing to do with Putin shitting his pants and trying to threaten the west, as his illegal adventure in Ukraine, raping, killing, thieving and torture, has gone very badly wrong and the world now see the Russian military for what it is, an inept, bent, useless bag of shite all wrapped up in a larger, bigger bag of shite! With sad, rapist supporting troll nonces making excuses for the Russian Nazi military and it’s sad little Putin Hitler!

          • Well, I heard it was specially trained SOCOM Beluga whales equipped with loc stat detonated mines! Taps nose.

        • Nope, wrong again, wow, anyway, how about your thought process of the inclusion of convicted rapists, nonces, murderers and general scumbags in the uniformed organisation that is supposed to be the Russian army?

    • So much entertaining footage coming across the Internet from various “training”locations in Nazi Russia…..tank crews with no, er, training, conscripts being told “we have nothing to give you apart from uniform and weapons, including any med kits, doss bags” etc etc…..your fucking sad Nazis are struggling johny troll aren’t they.

    • JIMK,
      Have you any reputable links regards that extra 20k Chechen fully trained deployment as I haven’t seen anything of the sort. What I find interesting is that at the start of the year the tiny statelet with a population of 1.5 Million had an army 12000 strong and since the war started has deployed around 20000 troops which was only achieved after Grozny ramped up Conscription 254% . (As per the telegram account of Chenchen Leader Ramzan Kadyrov, ) and has suffered proportionally the worse losses for any Russian region after all its fully trained special forces group was wiped out to a man just north of Kyiv at the start of the year. So I’m a little surprised at how you arrived at that extra 20k figure seeing as Kadyrov also stated last Thursday that he has exempted Chetneya from Putins call up decree , which (Putins) hasnt gone down well in Chetneya with many active protests on the streets. Meanwhile next door in Dagestan (Culturally the same people), Police and recruiters have been actively attacked, with protesters caught on film shouting we didn’t invade Ukraine , Moscow did, plenty of videos of such on line.

      Finally ,from what I have seen the Chechen forces are nothing special (Well maybe along the lines of an extra chromosome from all that inbreeding they are well known for) oh they love to film themselves blatting off like kids at buildings, which is why they are known as the Tik tok battalion, but of late, all I have seen of them is escorting polling agents across occupied Ukrainian cities

        • The head of Ukraine’s foreign committee was just on channel 4 news and amongst other things said that Russians have been calling a Ukrainian helpline asking how to surrender when they get there🙈

          • Thats been going on for a while now, in fact the Ukrianains have seeded Russian held areas with plastic help cards which contain a number and a QR code on the back for russians to zap with their mobiles. In fact Ive just read that those keen prisoners who joined up have started to surrender on mass to the Ukraine (Gee even a blind man wearing a blindfold inside an unlit concrete chamber 100 feet underground on the darkside of the moon could have seen that coming) resulting in Putin 3 days ago changing the law regards soldiers who surrender for them to receive 10 years in jail.

            All I see from the Russian camp is knee jerk reaction, knee jerk reaction, after knee jerk reaction, from a not for much longer leader for life.

          • Yes, but that presumes Russians have the ability to detain them. The alternative may be to surrender to Ukrainians, be debriefed by their intelligence service to exclude war criminals, request political asylum, be further vetted by other countries’ services and study a map of Europe to decide where one should settle. Much better proposition than an unmarked grave in Ukraine.

      • I’ll try and dig something out. I made no comment on the capabilities of the Chechens, when used previously they were in the second line, same as the Rosgvardiya, cleaning up after the fighting has passed. As you say they make a lot of noise doing it, puffing up their importance.

        • JIMK wrote:

          “”I made no comment on the capabilities of the Chechens, “”

          No you didnt directly, but in stating:

          “Around an estimated 20,000 fully trained, fresh Chechen forces are already moving in.”

          You do so surreptitiously, but allow me to shine a spotlight on those so called mainline Russian troops in which to illuminate the fact that actually they are not the force multiplier that many presume they are. The men Moscow has mobilised are not fully trained. In fact all of them since they completed their Military service (conscription) have never done any military training what so ever, but it get worse, until 2008, Russians completed 2 years military service, but after that year, that was cut to one year. For my basic training alone I started in May and ended in Dec and when I was posted to my first unit, I found I knew nothing and it took me at least another year before I knew the raw basics (And there lies the main difference between professional and conscripted men) The men Moscow is currently press ganging (and lets be honest, that is what it is) are been sent to the front with no additional training , vast numbers of untrained may have worked prior to WW1, but the advent of the machine gun soon changed that, but it gets worse, very few Russian infantry weapons are fitted with optics, now I am a very good shot I can hit a fig 12 target at 600 metres with iron sights , but that is because I have good eye sight and have been trained (taken part in Corps and Army shooting competitions) to be a good shot. But not everybody has the time to be trained up and so the West started affixing optics onto bog standard infantry weapons, we the British started doing to during the 80s and others followed. At a stroke this acted as a force multiplier simply because once zeroed in, blokes could slot the other fellow from a distance . To this day Moscow has still to do likewise, the only people who have optics fitted to their gats are SF. Ukraine ensures that most of its guys have optics fitted. Meaning that all Russia is doing is sending cannon fodder to the front.

          • A good explanation of why most army’s have moved away from conscription. The only way to have an effective force, is long term training and experience. Add to that Russian equipment looks to be dire and it is going to be a blood bath

          • With effective training and equipment yes, it seems most Russian have just been pulled of the streets and haven’t even had any training since they left after there conscription service. Plus there seems to be very little equipment available

        • “Fully trained and fresh” you stated, but in your defence fully trained in the Russian mil at this time means they have been issued socks and pants and been instructed on their use, and fresh, means not got a confirmed rape in the last week!

    • Regardless of that fake referenda result that was decided many months ago by Putin, those regions will never really be part of Russia. They are Ukrainian simple as. Nowhere has ever freely voted to be part of Russia, a backward nation with a tainted history of warcrimes, genocide, oppression, torture, incompetence, poverty and mass murder. Keep smoking that Kremlin weed , no matter how you spin it, even someone as delusional as you couldn’t think Russia is capable of holding free and fair referenda in a war zone. The only people voting to join Russia are quisling collaborators similar to yourself.

      Chechen forces?? 20 000 ?? Ha ha ha !!

      • After watching video of referendum in Russian occupied areas, am tempted to laugh at accusations of voter suppression in US. Don’t care how blatant it may be; absolute pikers by comparison!:🤔😳😁

        • They can’t even make results of a referendum sound believable.
          96% in favour. 96% of people can’t agree on anything.
          To even attempt to make it believable maybe try 75% in favour 16% against and 9% spoiled ballots.

    • Punching out the CO, jam rags as SOP med kit, rusty AKs, tank crew reserves with no training, no issued kit for soldiers, drunks everywhere, old T64s from the 60s dragged out from reserve stock, convicted criminals recruited, surrounded BCTs trying to escape minus kit, Russian men breaking limbs, poor Siberian families getting sheep for every male family members voluntarily joining the rapists army, buying out of date ammo from NK…….ETC ET fucking Cetera, your illegal invasion going well I see 😂😂😂😂😂 Bellends!

  2. Off topic, there are reports from Sweden that “seimic events” were detected in the area of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline just before the leaks were detected.

    It seems that the pipeline was blown up!

    One of the area of bubbles is about 1km across, big enough to sing a ship due to loss of buoyancy.

    Won’t make much difference to gas supplies to Europe because both pipelines were close down anyway but it seems they no going to be turned back on anytime soon..!

    Cheers CR

    • Maybe those crazy Russians were trying to blow up the new Norway-Europe pipeline that opened today but are not very good at map reading🙄

      • Careful that might be next…

        This action does show that they have the capability to interfere with seabed infrastructure and to do so in a manner that demonstrates complete lack of concern for the innocent going about their lawful business i.e. the crews of passing ships.

        This, if proven, would demonstrate a considerable willingness to escalate and in effcet directly attack European infrastructure…

        None of which is good news.

        Cheers CR

          • Yeh, long over due, especially as the most likely mode of attack would be placing some kind of demolition charge against the pipe.

            It’s not as if we haven’t known about Russia’s asymetric underwater activities for 30 or 40 years. I remember years ago the Swedish Navy took the unusal step of publishing pictures of ‘tank’ track on the bottom of one of their habours near a naval base after they had detected some ‘unusal’ activity in the area…

            The Russians are old hands at this stuff.

            Cheers CR

          • Whiskey on the Rocks springs to mind!

            Naval Spetsnaz were also said to have been operating off Alaska in the late 80s, same tracks found.

            And to be fair, you can bet the west did the same back, even if we will never hear of it officially regards infiltration of Soviet waters and coasts. ( I’ve heard of one such operation, told to me in person, which is of course impossible to confirm or mention here )

          • Multiple non-fiction books available re USN exploits: ‘Blind Man’s Bluff, ‘Stalking the Red Bear,” others. Presume similar books exist re RN.

          • Too bad that Ronnie’s boys didn’t intercept them on a realtime basis. Russian bear fur would certainly have been flying about.

        • How do you know it was Russia? I couldn’t say for definite who is responsible and neither can anyone else ,any claims as such are just made up shite.

          what I do know is in February this year 3 weeks before the war President Biden stated on camera “IF RUSSIA INVADES THERE WILL BE NO LONGER A NORD STREAM 2 WE WILL BRING AN END TO IT’

          he was then asked how will he do that? His reply “ I PROMISE YOU WE WILL DO THAT’

          this was followed up by that lifelong war cheerleader Victoria Nuland from state dept who stated on camera ‘’IF RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER NORD STREAM 2 WILL NOT MOVE FORWARD ‘

          This is simply fact although I suspect some in here will still laughably claim it’s Russian propaganda 😂 now who do we believe? I sure as shit don’t know as the shite from both sides is so thick but what I do know is this war in Ukraine has been brought to you by the same people who brought the Invasion of Iraq on false premise.

          anyways why let the facts get In The way of more propaganda

          still nobody up for negotiating an end to the war? Nah didn’t think so just more 1 sided BS

          🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧

      • The new Norway-Poland pipeline you mention, that leapfrogs across Denmark, uses part of the existing capacity of an existing Norway-EU pipeline in an extension across the Baltic. That capacity is about 20% of either NS1 or NS2. It doesn’t deliver a net increase in gas to the EU, just sends some to a new destination,

    • Both NS 1, one hole, and NS 2 , two holes, as both have two pipes it looks like one NS1 pipeline is still sound but as the turbines are u/s it doesn’t matter. The is an estimated 0.3BCM of gas escaping from NS 2.

      As you say, it doesn’t effect current gas flows but it has prevented any chance of the German Government, if it comes under extreme political pressure in the winter from a freezing population or its industry widely shutting down due to lack of or expensive energy, accepting Russia’s offers of starting up NS2.

      Biden said last year that NS2 would never be used, someone has helped his prophecy along.

        • Perhaps you have forgotten exactly what Biden said back on 7th February “If Russia invades — that means tanks or troops crossing the the border of Ukraine again — then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2,” he said. “We will bring it to an end.” When a journalist asked how he said after a pause “I promise you we will be able to do that.” The US means what it says. Cui Bono?

          • I think Putin knows no one in Europe will ever buy from Russia again by choice so it is not going to be used, so he thinks let us cause some disruption and try to sow doubts.

            The way the Ukrainians are kicking Russia’s ass means he is as desperate as he is murderous and probably insane.

            By comparison the Americans would be throwing away a winning hand by doing any such thing.

          • Do you also think that the downed Malaysia airliner shot itself down over Ukraine? The Skirpals poisoned themselves in Salisbury? Litvenenko as well? All the cyber attacks from Russia against Western commercial entities are fake ? Or that Putins critics and opponents are just really careless next to open windows and balconies?

            You just get more and more desperate.

          • OK, so how about this?

            Now look at this, the military must hate OSINT, it is the flight pattern from ads-b.nl of several MH-60H tracking over the spot at which NS2 was damaged but on Sept 13th. Up to 6 were tracked. For those not aware the MH-60H is the version that has the magnetic detector, perfect for precisely locating an oil pipe and were probably from the USS Kearsarge air wing which was still in the Baltic (it left today) following the BALTOPS22 exercise in June.

            https://www.moonofalabama.org/14i/nsdamage6-s.jpg

            Chapter and verse is here

            https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/09/whodunnit-facts-related-to-the-sabotage-attack-on-the-nord-stream-pipelines.html#more

          • Err. Proves absolutely nothing. Unsurprisingly, your narrative is identical to that of the Kremlin, relying as it does on conspiracy bloggers to aggressively push their supposition and bullshit.

            How come you’re never able to find chapter and verse on the jailed Russian anti war protesters?, or the Russian military units that are responsible for the summary executions of Ukrainian civilians? Or rapes of women and children?

            Why is that information so hard for you to find?

          • As Craig Murray, that well known Scot, put it so eloquently
            “The Nordstream 2 pipeline allows Russia to send gas to Western Europe without paying transit fees to Ukraine and Poland. Russia just completed it in the teeth of massive opposition from Ukraine, Poland and USA. Now they are trying to convince you it was Russia who blew it up”

          • You’ll be telling us next that nice Mr Putin was trying to give the gas away for free . Nothing eloquent about what you quoted, just more supposition and bullshit.

          • Further to that comment, Victoria Nuland, of “F….the EU” fame said in January, ahead of Biden “One way or another we will not allow it” of NS2. She is important in the State Department playing a major role in the coup in Kiev in 2014.

          • There you go again, ‘ the coup’ , pushing once again Kremlin bullshit. There was no coup, the popular will of the people against a government that was a puppet of the Kremlin is democracy in action, similar to what happened throughout Eastern Europe in the early nineties. How distraught you must have been back then!! People deciding their own future, not a politburo of orc apparatchiks.

            Is being consistently wrong a Russophile thing or a symptom of your inferiority complex?

          • Oh dear is that the best interpretation oh his words, the best you can do, or as is more likely what you have to say! Didn’t Putin call his war, which he is losing, a special military operation? A phrase which you have used in the past, as opposed to illegal invasion.

    • Noted reports stating that explosions may have been the result of sabotage by Mad Vlad’s Slobbering Orcs, but frankly nonplussed by that possible explanation. Russia invested some capital in building the pipelines; wouldn’t a more rational explanation be substandard (or nonexistent) maintenance practices and fire igniting gas bubble/pocket. Strange tidings, indeed…🤔😳

      • It seems unlikely as Russia has a valve at the end of the pipelines that they just turn off. They even hoped to be able to supply Germany at some point in the future. Even though Russia only owned about half, the rest by EU companies, it poured billions in including sending a pipelayer from the far east after the Swiss one was sanctioned. To have 3 pipelines damaged virtually simultaneously probably excludes anything other than sabotage.

      • Hi FormerUSAF,

        I would tend to agree if it wasn’t for the fact that both pipelines were hit at or close to the same time. Coincidences like that I find hard to believe, especially at times like these…

        Also, I don’t think that Putin would give a damn about the investment so long as he gets his own way.

        I know this might sound a bit hardline but Putin has always done what suits him, that which gets him what he wants and to hell with the rest of us! I think it is really telling that Moscow’s response to this has been so low key. I get the impression that they don’t care and that speaks volumes I think.

        Cheers CR

        • Hmmm…yes, on reflection, nearly simultaneous random event explosions are probably in the lottery range of probability. The putative level of Mad Vlad’s willingness to escalate/degree of desperation to prevail, is a tad disquieting…🤔😱

          • Blimey!…or, oh, rather, old chap…however, reliably informed that using phrase “toodle-pip and tally ho” is no longer deemed fashionable. 😉😁

          • More interestingly, flight paths are now on social media that were tracked by a Dutch company of a group of US MH-60H overflying the Baltic near the site of the NS2 explosion on Sept 13th. The MH-60H is the version that has the magnetic detector which would be perfect for exactly locating a pipeline on the seabed. These aircraft were probably off a ship in the US flotilla that took part in BALTOPS22 back in June but which only left the Baltic today.

            Make of that what you will but if you are curious you will find chapter and verse at Moon of Alabama.

          • Desperation, but anyway, we are still interested in your opinion on the current recruitment and training process of your fav little nonce army? Do you agree with the recruitment of convicted rapists from jail, to be put in uniform and sent to Ukraine? What about murderers, thieves? Violent criminals?

          • As PC has noted elsewhere on thread in response to a different post, “you are aware that causation and correlation are not the same thing?” (Sorry for the accredited plagiarism, PC, but your comment is very appropos.). In any event, USAF has significant number of aircraft in theater, flying significant number of different routes. Coincidences can, and do, occur

          • Cut the bullshit. You sound just the same as you did pre invasion, denying and deflecting. Russia has a long and sordid history of attacking Western infrastructure and interests. This was a Russian act of sabotage. They needed to do something to distract from their battlefield defeats.

  3. So you get informed you are going to get deployed , you get issued all your extra kit, go through pre-deployment training, you all moan as it’s stuff you know inside out, but you grin and bear it, and then the day comes, you (As lims) pack your bed spaces into MFO boxes , board that bus and head towards Oxford with your mates in which to spend a night in gateway house before leaving on a jet plane.

    Then there’s the Russian version

    • Ye Gods! If that is real, and I see no reason why it’s not, they are just intending to add as much cannon fodder as they can. If I was a Russian ‘conscript’ today I would be looking for that get out qr code as soon as I got anywhere near any action

    • Cannon fodder…

      The Russian state is corrupt beyond reason. I bet that kit they should getting was sold off by some bent officer or never delivered by a crooked factory owner.

      I know the Russian people have a history of putting up with a lot dirt in the name of the motherland but surely in the 21st century they can see they are being thrown away without any thought or humanity?

      Some morale speech..! I bet they must be wondering what the hell they are walking into. This is the modern day equivalent to having to share one rifle between 3 or 4 soldiers a la 1914 to 1917…

      Oh and don’t forget the Roman Candle tanks…

      Cheers CR

    • Next week pictures emerge of Russians stealing tampon machines from public lavatories.
      Day after Russians call the machine helpline to ask why magic tampon making machine stopped giving out tampons.

  4. Putin waited to invade Ukraine for the 2nd time when Biden was in the White House. Just like the first time when he invaded under Obama/Biden. Biden the gift that keeps giving. Ugh.

    • Biden has a finger called Hunter, found in many pies. Maybe after November he will realise his time is limited. Then in 24 we just might have an adult as Potus.

      • Firmly believe this conflict will be resolved, in one manner or another, before end of CY24. Either all parties seek negotiation (doubtful), Mad Vlad is terminated (a cheerful if somewhat problematic proposition to handicap) or a smoking hole occurs in some portion of the Northern Hemisphere. Have Vegas oddsmakers started a line on this?

    • You are aware that causation and correlation are not the same thing? And that Trump, for all intents and purposes was a Russian shill.

      Trump lost. Get over it.

  6. JohninMK comment “20,000 fully trained, fresh Chechen forces are already moving in”.
    My understanding of this, what with them being used as back up for Russian Forces, plus the thousands who have joined the Ukraine forces is this.

    The untrained Russian Troops (unfortunate and unwilling cannon fodder) once they realise the situation they are in, as their fellow enforced conscription companions start loosing their arms, legs and lives will be killed by Chenchens in front of them fighting for Ukraine, plus when they try to run away will be killed by Chechens behind them fighting for the Russians.

    It seems to Me the Chechens dont forgive or forget Russians invasion of their Country and the mass killings of their Children, Women or People that took place. This seems to be cold blooded Murder at the behest and agreement of their Enemy, Russian. They just have to choose a nominal side and then kill Russians – Win, Win.

    Or am I missing something.

  7. Let us assume that Putin completes the annexation of occupied Ukrainian territory in the near future, and aubsequently transmits an ultimatum to the Ukrainians to either immediately cease and desist from their counter-offensive or face unrestricted CBRN warfare. What will the US, UK and France do at that point? Yes, the rest of NATO will seek to have input into decision process, but in reality it will be the nuclear powers who will be staring at each other, eyeball to eyeball. Call Putin’s presumed bluff, ala Kruschev and the Cuban missile crisis and continue the counter-offensive? A bold, high risk strategy; Putin may well choose to initiate a tactical nuke salvo to defeat Ukrainians; net result: WW III. Alternatively, does NATO initiate massive conventional retaliation? NATO will relatively quickly prevail; Putin, however, may order tactical nuclear strikes on NATO forces to forestall defeat. Net result: WW III. Hmmm..beginning to sense a pattern developing. Really hope Rand Corp., Pentagon, HQ HM Forces (Norwood?) have been running computer based simulations varying initial parameters, red-blue table top exercises, and consulting game theory experts.

    On an individual level, it may be an inspired idea to plan that bucket list trip to Oz and/or NZ, relatively soon. Are extended trips w/in Oz outback really known as walkabouts? Recommend keeping return date open.
    .

  9. John Mk Russian troll finding it difficult now to sell a 3rd rate Russian military . I live in Turkey for 4 months in winter the Turkish leader under pressure for buying the vastly over hyped junk S400 . The Turks have run test on the S400 and now saying it’s 1970s tec .

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