When asked about the sightings of anti-air missiles in central Moscow, the potential of a modern-day ‘Doolittle raid’ on central Moscow was discussed by The OSINT Bunker panel as a tongue-in-cheek reason for Russian paranoia.
The popular podcast, which recently hito over 3 million downloads, is a defence and security-based podcast aimed at expanding people’s knowledge of the geopolitical landscape using open-source intelligence. It fills a niche that most people (most people reading this anyway) have for up-to-date, accurate and balanced information on ongoing conflicts.
S5E01 – "The Great Tank Debate"
ft. @DefenceGeek @Osinttechnical @geoallison & @AnAustinThing2 discussing planned deliveries of #Tanks4Ukraine. #UkraineRussiaWar️Available: https://t.co/2r8uYBkj9D
12:00 UK / 22:00 AEST / 07:00 EST / 04:00 PST pic.twitter.com/QVpj08uUpY
— The OSINT Bunker Podcasts (@TheOsintBunker) January 27, 2023
The most recent episode, which can be found here, discusses the push to arm Ukraine with tanks and Russia’s growing desperation as the war continues.
Panelist Jon said:
“I think it’s interesting, because it’s almost as though the Kremlin is now expecting some sort of Ukrainian version of the Doolittle Raid against Moscow, and obviously, the propaganda element would be, again, sort of the main focus of that.
In response, Austin replied:
“I think it’s also indicative of a creeping sense of sort of paranoia within Russian high command and within the Russian government itself. Right, on the one end, the United States has been very clear that, you know, we have not and we don’t have any plans currently to supply some of those longer-range missile systems to the Ukrainians. However, you know, the Russians have seen us also say, you know, we’re not going to send Bradley’s, and then we do.”
The Doolittle raid?
The Doolittle Raid was a bombing mission conducted by the United States on April 18, 1942, during World War II. It was led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle and involved 16 B-25B Mitchell bombers that were launched from the USS Hornet aircraft carrier. The target of the raid was Tokyo, Japan and other cities on the Japanese home islands. The raid caused limited damage, but it had a significant psychological impact on the Japanese government and people, as it showed that the mainland was vulnerable to attack.
The raid also lifted American morale and helped to avenge the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. All of the aircraft involved in the raid either crash-landed or were ditched at sea, and several crew members were captured and executed by the Japanese.
Good idea!
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force Sergei Vladimirovich Dronov:
“No enemy bomber can reach the Moskva “If one reaches the Moskva, my name is not Dronov. You can call me Meyer.”
Joke aside,one of the accomplishments of the Dolittle raid was the redeployment of miltary assets from the front back to Japan to defend the homeland. The fact that Moscow has started deploying Pantsir missile systems on building rooftops shows that Moscow is worried.
I seem to remember that back in the 80’s a German managed to fly a Cessna 172 all the way to Moscow and land it in Red Square!
Mathias Rust
“Everyone knows the Commies have shit for AA defense… Even an average teenager could break through their AA defenses” – Tanya the Evil, referencing the same incident
Is it true that Russia has been turning elderly AN-2 biplanes into unmanned drones & launching them at Ukraine, so Ukraine uses up its small stock of S-300 missiles? Ukraine could do the same in reverse. Not as a serious weapon, but as a nuisance.
Not even a whisper of that tactic in use in Ukraine. Whilst it was used very successfully by the Azerbaijanis in their war with Armenia, Russia seems to be using their multi missile types in waves to both use up all UA SAM types, not just S-300, plus go for the radars to achieve a better result. They are reported as including the Kh-31PD in the second wave to attack the radars that are still on and Kh-101 missiles, or even Iskander, on those radars located after turning on for the first wave.
Ha ha ha
We have seen the guts of most of those Russian missiles on Twitter and there is no way they can target modern frequency agile radars that doesn’t just use a handy set of frequencies blasted out constantly.
Most of the Russian missiles electronics is unbelievably primitive.
Believe what you like but the Russians seem to have been surprisingly successful with what you might regard as 6502 level technology.
Mmm define successful ? Hitting schools, blocks of flats, hospitals and power distribution centres. Is that successful attack.
Seems me there has only been a few major strategic Targets hit in the entire war.
Flagship of the Russian Blacksea fleet Moskva, The Kerch Bridge, Russian Airbases deep in Russian territory being hit and Strategic Bombers destroyed or damaged. All by the UA forces. That is successful.
I was commenting on SB’s technology comment. Working on the basis that you have not read my previous comments, schools, community centers, hospitals, flats etc were built in the days of the SU as very strong multi function buildings almost invariably with bomb shelter standard basements. The most important alternate use was military in times of war. There are endless videos out there, especially of schools, of that second use in this war. Hence valid targets. Incidentally, the UA has also hit similar targets. Like this ““The Russian Ministry of Defence today, Saturday, January 28, accused the Ukrainian military of… Read more »
Oh my you really do continue to throw some chuff out into the ether….but like I have said many times, you have no choice but to continue Putins party line otherwise its away form the Troll farm and into a tank turret. I think its over 70s next anyway on the conscription front, as they are slower to escape to another country, like the previous 350000 did.
Well I suppose there may be one major Strategic target that Russia has actually destroyed. In one single step it has managed to completely destroy any trust in it abiding by International agreements. And history will tell if it has simultaneously undermined the NNPT system. In 1994 Russia, U.K, Ukraine, USA signed the Budapest Memorandum which gave binding assurances to Ukraine regarding it existing borders and freedom. This was in exchange for Ukraine giving up what was at the time the 3rd largest Nuclear arsenal on Earth, plus the ability to produce weapons grade Plutonium, MRBs and ICBMs. That agreement… Read more »
Read the Budapest memorandum it merely said any breach would be taken up with UN. No ‘action’ was to be provided. The warheads were non operational as they were under centralised command and control in Moscow not Kyiv ( mirroring how US warheads/missiles are controlled- technology the US shared with then Soviet Union) Ukraine never had uranium enrichment or plutonium production facilities, only the rocket design and manufacture Kharkov – KhIPhT- was a center of nuclear research before WW2 but all facilities moved much further east. Chernobyl power plant had residual plutonium as a by product, as did some of… Read more »
Yes I am fully aware ot the Budapest agreement and its inherent flaws.But it was put in place to admit Ukraine to the NPT by removing those latent weapons and capabilities, which it did. Russia so far has completely breached its commitments to 1, 2, 3 and we all pray it doesn’t breach 5. As for 4 that is the Achilles heal of it as all Russia had to do was use its veto. As for the early UK reactors producing Plutonium well in most of them that was actually the whole point as it enabled the UK to develop… Read more »
““The Russian Ministry of Defence today, Saturday, January 28, accused the Ukrainian military….”
Whatever comes next after that is without question a lie.
Define success? Illegally invading a sovereign nation, losing 10s of thousands of men killed and maimed, thousands of vehicles, being pushed back on every front (apart from the one manned by private contractors and convicted criminals), proving to the world how inept and ill trained are your forces, hundreds of cases of murder and rape, how old and out of date is your kit and how corrupt and incapable is the logistic side. Damn if that’s success then Stalin can be considered a good HR manager.
Russia has successfully shown that it cannot be trusted at any level. Russia has successfully shown that it is incapable of planning g a large scale military intervention. Putin has successfully shown that he is not in control of his armed forces. Putin has also successfully shown that most of the money spent on ‘upgrading’ the forces was stolen. The war has successfully shown that the Russian forces, particularly the air force are comedy level and unprofessional. The campaign has successfully shown that Russia adopted Nazi tactics at the drop of a hat. I could go in about the Russian… Read more »
‘Seem’ John ? Really and ‘suprisingly’ sophistry really is your thing isn”t? I really do not think you really love mother Russia. I think you have a grudge regards our society here in western Europe for whatever reason. I think you are a narcissistic contrarion who hopes one day to be validated. I think this conflict is your latest opportunity to be proved right, almost certainly your last if I’m to gauge your age correct. The truth is modern Russia is not the SU remade. Its a sleazy flea bag operation run by people who would shame Hitler as to… Read more »
Yeah, that’s pretty much fictitious bullshit, Russia uses its missiles against civilian apartment blocks, hospitals , schools and transport hubs. And civilian airliners.
So, much like your comment then trying to deflect my comment? Are you able to actually dispute anything I wrote?
I just did, same as I always have in the past. Not one thing you’ve ever posted stands up to scrutiny, it’s all supposition and fact free postulation. You’re in no position to accuse anyone of deflection, it’s all that you ever do.
Please remind us how a supposed seventy something old man, resident in an English town, whose parents seemingly fought against nazi Germany finds himself being a cheerleader for nationalist Russian nazi gangsters engaged in a genocidal adventurist war against its neighbour.
Or will that question see you slither back under your rock?
No rocks here in MK. Hardly a cheerleader, I’m just trying to put an alternative view to the US/NATO view promulgated almost in step by all our news outlets. Our leaders really screwed it up for us. They decided that somehow the UK had skin in the game of a fight between the US and Russia with Ukraine as the poor people chosen to be the fall guys (not their leaders of course who are getting rich). Our standard of living has taken a probable permanent hit via energy prices. We are being bleed dry whilst the notional enemy, Russia,… Read more »
Oh dear, longer and longer posts but with same echo chamber guff and desperation.
The fight, which all democratic countries have a “skin”? in, did seem to start when Putin thought his Army of half trained morons could invade and defeat Ukraine in a few days, that went well didn’t it.
Ha ha ha !! You’re reduced to tired old Kremlin tropes there, barely worthy of any response. Your leadership really did screw up, thinking they could invade Ukraine, and try to re establish old cold War paradigms. They have met with strategic defeat on every front and it is looking likely that they will be pushed further back eastwards this year. One good thing that has happened because of this war is that of Western nations cutting their dependence on Russian oil and fossil fuels in general, short term shocks of course, but that isn’t lasting. Whether the balance is… Read more »
Hmmm… well, at the very least, Putin warmongering ways have led to a strengthening of NATO.
As for Russia being ‘well armed,’ events have shown that they cannot make much use of what they have.
And Merkel and her greens were responsible for the over-reliance on Russia for strategic energy assets.
It doesn’t follow in the slightest that because of current events Russia ‘HAS’ to win. They didn’t win in Afghanistan, nor the Cold War , and there’s scant evidence to suggest they’ll win in Ukraine. Nazi Germany ‘had’ to win, so did Saddam Hussein, Milosovic etc. But they didn’t. Russia isn’t a powerful or well armed country, not really. It cannot project itself more than forty odd miles beyond its borders, and it was Putins paranoid mindset that painted Russia into a corner, no one else. In that sense, Russia is really no more powerful than Iceland or Luxembourg. Proper… Read more »
I don’t think preventing a nation essentially take over another nation by force is a strategic blunder, those blunders were made years before in Georgia and Crimea and serve as the baseline for Russia to assume it could do the same. We have at least drawn a line under Russian bullying of smaller states. Its actually mind boggling you think Russia should have been allowed to take a nation by force and that a sovereign nation should not be allowed to make its own defence arrangements or join a defence pact of its choosing!!!! The strategic blunder was the Kremiln’s… Read more »
I ask the same thing many times….just to give him an option of defending the indefensible.
Oh my desperation in every post trying to out a positive spin on a continued illegal invasion which has not gone very well from about day 3. Ut you have to keep posting what you are required and instructed to post I suppose.
Again, you just can’t argue against the points I made so go on one of your normal ad hominem slurs.
Yes, it is borrowed concept from North Korea. However, because the AN2 flies so slowly some missile system’s radars ignore it, as it’s so slow. The AN2 is packed with explosives and flies towards a designated target. They used it against a Ukrainian S300 battery last year. Subsequently Ukraine have adapted their radar’s filtering so they can track these AN2s. In late October a Gepard shot down a flight of 3 heading towards Kherson. One of North Korea’s methods of using AN2s is for infiltration raids. Which they’ve used to get across the border and have paratroopers do very low… Read more »
Always the issue with using analogue notch filters.
If the other side knows the frequency of the notch, or even the steepness of it, they have a considerable chance of playing dead spots.
A light plane crash landed deliberately on the lawn of the White house in 1994 too , and its supposed to be a no fly zone
Yeah, that was a definite security failure and just shows that everyone has to worry, though in both cases, not taking violent action proved to be the best choice. Still, before 9/11 I’d think it a bit more embarrassing to let a light airplane cross unchallenged from a foreign country to Red Square (a full 550 miles; Helskini to Moscow) than for a domestic flight of under 75 miles from a domestic airport to the White House (Maryland to Washington DC). Of course, the Russians DID track Mathias and could have shot him down; it was just a case of… Read more »
That’s a bridge too far for the nato countries to support. The risks of a drastic over reaction are too high.
I support all efforts to expel Russia from Ukraine, potentially hitting targets over the border if war material is massed ready to cross over. Moscow though? That’s dangerous and simply not needed in order to defeat the war machine.
Yeah, hitting Moscow would be stupid for that reason, though another deep strike on an air base or the like close to Moscow may be another thing. Still, it’s possible Ukraine might be tempted to do so under some circumstances, and presumably no Russian air defense general wishes to have to explain why they had no defenses in place…
Rules of war make any airbase or factory involved in supply munitions for the aggressors war machine a legitimate target. It is very difficult to justify a war where Russia can bomb (if it could get a plane there although I appreciate they are too incompetent to do that) or strike with missiles whatever bit of Ukraine it likes to and yet Ukraine can’t be symmetrical. The Russians started by invading a legitimate recognised country…. Personally I would give the Ukrainians F16’s but tell them that if they were used outside of the Budapest Memorandum boundaries then the spares supply… Read more »
Any UAF F-16s would be facing two main dangers, SAMs and AAMs. Both the latter have been evolved of the past decades to deal with the F-16 in particular and UAF aircraft, which almost certainly won’t be the latest version or carry the latest version munitions, will be facing the latest long range Russian products of both types. Not really an even fight. I really don’t know why you are so dismissive of Russian missiles. I think it was in October when a pair of Su-27 attacked a fuel dump in Russia proper and were chased home by S-300 missiles… Read more »
Not really an even fight, correct, its good to see you finally admit Russia isn’t up to the task of its illegal invasion! Spot on, it isn’t an “even” fight as the new batch of age 40 plus conscripts are now facing experienced, brave, big bollocked Ukrainians eequippedwith modern Western kit. Spot on, it’s not an even fight.
Again you have the situation the wrong way round. Have you read any of the reports about the way that UA recruiters are scouring the country in press gangs? The current price for avoiding an all expenses paid trip to the front being $10,000. Almost any male and many females are being scavenged from the population. If the situation were as you think do you think they would need to do this? The Ukrainian sourced reports coming out from the front are dire. Between March and September experienced and trained troops of the infantry, airborne and Spetsnaz forces were apparently… Read more »
Normally you just whine on your responses, this extended waffle of a reply confirms your desperation in justification and excuses, good lad, cheers for verifying your concerns at the shite situation of the Russians Nazi invasion, thanks.
So, have you read about the Ukrainian press gangs?
Like I said, desperation in your posts and replies!
Wow, you’re really hitting the kool aid tonight!! I think you’ll find it is Russia that is scouring jails and conscripting its population into the military, sending them in with minimal training and obsolete weapons. It’s actively considering closing its borders to all Russians of military age to prevent them leaving. You know as much about military matters, or ‘Ukrainian sourced reports ‘ as my goldfish. Almost a year into their invasion and Russia, for all of its superpower pretensions can barely advance 40 miles beyond its borders, over 100 000 dead and Ukrainian resolve holding firm. Resolve that will… Read more »
Ukraine started out a year ago with several thousand armoured vehicles that they were very familiar with. A large proportion of which, most commentators outside here, believe are now gone. Quite how a few hundred unfamiliar same are somehow going to lead to some kind of superhuman transformation in their fortunes is a real stretch. As I’ve said before, why would Russia want to move any further west when the UA is continuosly moving its forces forwards, throwing them into the Russian artillery ‘meatgrinder’? It is in easy distance to rail heads and roads for munitions, supplies etc. Although it… Read more »
Oh my your still giving it the large supporting and justifying your Nazi efforts! Your posts have been consistently wrong from February last year onwards, yet you still insist on spouting guff which is desperate in the extreme, but, if it keeps you out of a tank turret then it’s understandable pal.
You can keep that Austrian twit, a complete Kremlin shill, as clueless as the rest of your fellow travellers. ” As I’ve said before…” well, it’s hard to know what to rely on there, is it the part where you said there was nothing to stop Russia rolling all the way up to the Polish border or this new excuse for them. Self evidently, they can’t move westwards as Ukrainian forces keep throwing them back and continues to do so. If you count the mass casualty human wave assaults by the Wagner organised crime group as some kind of military… Read more »
Austrian ex military ? Are you actually serious ? Omg you have GOT to be joking? I read that as Australian for a moment !!! At least an auntie might be credible !!
and all of that is to be expected when you are expanding your military to the size they have as fast as ukraine did. Your percentages mean very little if the military has grown to 4 times the size and you of course want to mix fresh and blooded troops
That’s why the A10 is the best choice!
I agree, we should give Ukraine whatever western systems they need to effectively defend their boarders and interdict Russian activists within the borders of Ukraine. but make I very clear they are not to be used on Russian soil or the taps get turned off.
After all there are plenty of soviet long range systems hanging around the world that could be given to Ukraine to allow it to Interdict Russian Military activity beyond The Ukrainian boarder. You don’t really need a western level CEP to disrupt a airbase etc.
What happened to our fleet of tonkas? Have they been broken up or sold to countries that still operate them?
I don’t know for sure but I’m pretty sure when they we decommissioned they were stripped for spares for anyone still operating them.
Tonka wasn’t any real use once Typhoon showed its true potential. And F35 was starting to show glimmers.
Tonka was very vulnerable in its designed role.
There is only one western aircraft that Ukraine could use and its the A10. Simple to operate and maintain, zero complex avionics,robust fod proof engines and operationally a direct analogue of the su25. Ukraine does not need interceptors as the RUAF doesn’t fly close to Ukraine. It needs a ‘tank in the sky’ to operate alongside all those leopards etc. It doesn’t even need to operate in contested air and had wide range of cheap and unsophisticated weapons. The USAF is appare tly looking to get rid of its inventory so would be win win to supply. The fact that… Read more »
Also perfect for short and very very unprepared strips ,roads and just about anywhere supported by a mobile crew for rearm refuel. They will happily sit under bridges,flyovers etc and in distributed groups are pretty immune to Russian missile strikes. Look at grim reapers on u tube using dcs as a glimpse of what may be possible.
I lobbed that last sentence in there for you John 😉 😉
That not dangerous, if you start a fight with someone you can expect every thing. If hit me i should hit you back that what they call fight. Russia is a very dangerous and arrogant nation, they still live in 17th century, they thinking backward. Now Russia, North Korea, Iran are on the same class.
How has this story got out? One doesn’t publish plans before the raid. For heavens sake 😉 This was supposed to a surprise 😮
The third reich said the same 80 years ago and finally the soviet flag was raised in Berlín, somebody with common sense in Europe ?
The notion that only Russia has cart blanch to strike Ukrainian cities and towns may be challenged in the coming months. Hitting Moscow does raise a number of tricky issues though and could create some discord amongst the countries’ current supplying arms. The steady weapon creep is becoming more adventurous if only cautiously, and with no rule book on how to fight this war, it appears to develop on a daily basis. However, a damaging strike on Moscow could draw some sympathy from those nations who support Putin? Such a move could be counterproductive for Ukraine as it needs to… Read more »
I don’t think it would draw sympathy from many nations, but it would upset those nations that fear escalation leading to wider war. What Ukraine really needs is a lower-cost way to intercept drones and the cheaper type of incoming missiles. Alas, fully operational laser defenses like Iron Beam still seem to be some years away even if they were permitted to be exported to Ukraine.
The one critical element in this war is defence and as long as Ukraine is seen to be attempting to hold Russia back, it can count on maximum international support. However, if that dynamic were to change and Ukraine chose to be increasingly offensive and incur damage and death in Russian cities, that would draw down some support and empathy. The other danger would be the expansion of the conflict beyond its current confines, which could trigger an escalation and other nations.
Paranoia against their own people in a coup d etat?
Making their own people feel scared of the other ( the NATO and its Ukrainian puppet dialogue). Needing big Mr Putin to protect them…standard Russian strong man control method.
No need to wind up their own people, NATO has just done a stunning job on that for them.
Can you imagine the reaction in Russia, where virtually every family had a member killed by the Germans, to the news that German panzers will be rolling east again?
The first team to capture a Leopard will be feted as national heroes and take poll position at this year’s May Day parade.
Worse than that, any chance that Europe might get cheap Russian gas again after all this is over probably disappeared under the Leopard’s tracks.
I think that comes under the category of ‘in your dreams!!’ Besides if cheap Russian gas becomes a thing of the past that will be a win for the world. You need to dial down on the passive aggressive thing John
If, just if, Moscow is hit? We are all in a world of shit pie. I do not support proxy wars. Saw its carnage in Africa. It solves nothing except to bring suffering to innocent people. It creates an atmosphere of jingoism and increases hatred. Yes, expel Russia from all invaded land, provide equipment to put in place securities. That’s one thing. Giving equipment that can strike a Russian city? Read history and learn. And before anyone shouts “the Orcs started it”, ask yourselves why we are supporting a profoundly corrupt regime in a war that is, in the end,… Read more »
Nice support for Putin and his genocide there Austin.
It’s all Americas fault for sending Bradley’s.
In the same way that during WW2 the UK encouraged the collection of pots and pans for scrap metal, not because it made any useful contribution to aircraft production but because it meant the people at home felt they were involved. This move by the Russians may be to make the population feel at threat and therefore willing to accept the steps taken by the state to fight the war.
It is possible.
But I’d prefer Kremlin paranoia as the explanation myself.
Still every weapon pulled away from the front line is one less to worry about for Zelenski & Co.
I heard it on good authority that this was thought to be an opportune moment to copy the leader of the World who already has NASAMS around its capital.
That has to rate as one of the most vacuous statements you have come out with John!! I suspect yr teasing us ! ‘Good authority’ huh? Ooh you little monkey! Implying you have inside info 😉 😉
Not happening. Despite the West’s generosity, Ukraine had a limited amount of munitions and weapons. Unlike the Russians it doesn’t perform terror attacks on cities and civilians, it focuses on hitting tactically significant targets. Targets that cumulatively move it towards its strategic aim of removing the invaders from its country. An attack on Moscow would be a waste of resources and not get them closer to their goal. Upping the air-defences around Moscow would at the very least need Putin’s approval if not his idea. It’s probably more to do with furthering the propaganda message to Muscovites that Ukraine is… Read more »
Indeed, Ukraine could have hit population areas, it’s shown no inclination to do so, even after Russia has started indiscriminate bombing of its cities and towns.
It seems clear that you two have no clue as to the UA’s continuing artillery and rocket, including HIMARS, attacks on the civilian areas of Donbas, especially Donetsk. By shear co-incidence this popped up today. “The Russian Ministry of Defence today, Saturday, January 28, accused the Ukrainian military of deliberately targeting a hospital in the Russian-occupied Luhansk oblast where at least 14 people were killed and another 24 injured in the attack. They claimed that an intentional attack was launched, using rocket-propelled projectiles from a HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system. Specifically, a district medical facility in the town of Novoaydar was… Read more »
The different is Ukraine is being forced to hit its own population areas which are an active war zone after they were invaded…that is different from randomly hitting a city outside of a conflict zone in someone else’s county….so don’t talk utter rubbish…when Ukraine launches an attack on a Russian city without any valid military target come back and we can discus.
What was the source of this report that you state “popped up”?
A strange lack of FSB-sponsored trolls in the forum today. They obviously don’t work weekends. On a serious note, how can we be comfortable with the Ukrainians having their cities and civilian infrastructure destroyed, while only giving them ‘defensive’ weapons. Putin threatened us when we sent anti-tank missiles, and nothing happened. The Ukrainians have to strike back, but they need accurate long range missiles to hit airfields and weapons depots. If they want to send their own drones that’s up to them, but at least we can give them weapons capable of making a precision strike.
The problem in giving Ukraine long range is twofold, first the US clearly doesn’t want, for whatever reason, to upset the Russians too badly outside the current areas of conflict, second, the US and NATO’s development of strike assets have been concentrated on air and sea launch platforms, neither of which are suitable to give Ukraine. We are typical, what long range weapons does the Army have? For example where is our Iskander equivalent?
We are excellently equipped to fight the wars of the last 30+ years, but slogging it out against an adversary like Russia?
The Ukrainians have a good short range ballistic missle, the Hirrm, and a LR Himars equivalent the Samsan (I think, both quoted from memory).
We could build them for them. The only way to stop Russias war crimes is to give the good guys the ability to hit back.
“We as in nato, ‘ would annihilate Russian assets in short order. Ukraine doesn’t have that capability yet but they may eventually have them. The best strategic weapon we could give them atm would be a modern equivalent of the V2. Cheap simple to make and operate from dispersed sites and mobile systems. Provide them in thousands or preferably tens of thousands and let them utterly wreck the front lines of Russian defences. Wreck them and keep wrecking them for weeks at a stretch. There is no need for clever tech in this war.
Teheran?
It’s almost entirely a very clever move by Putins government as a manipulative move for domestic consumption. They use fear as a way to manage their population. Fear of their own government if the step out of line as well as fear of the other, the enemy, that Putin and the government are protecting them from. These systems out on display both increase the fear of the other and show the strongman is needed to protect.
Copied from my reply to you on the same subject above “No need to wind up their own people, NATO has just done a stunning job on that for them. Can you imagine the reaction in Russia, where virtually every family had a member killed by the Germans, to the news that German panzers will be rolling east again?” You ought to be praying that nothing untoward happens to Putin. He is a dove compared to his likely replacements. After WW2 there was a geographic barrier down the middle of Europe effectively dividing Russia off from the West, giving both… Read more »
Pure delusional, misinformed rubbish.
Unfortunately Russia has proven unable to stop anything really. Their army has lost a lot of its actual capability in a pointless war. 150 years of carefully holding the west at bay at its most vulnerable point has been tossed aside on the altar of Putins ego. St. Petersurgh is now within a mortars throw of NATO territory and all for what? The Russian army is down to obsolete tanks and men as ‘bullet stoppers’. The Russian Air force is now about as potent as the Iraqi one in 2003. Its navy has for a longtime been inconsequential to any… Read more »
Could I just challenge a couple of your assertions there? You state that the Leaders of the Free World told Russia words along the lines of “not another inch east”. Where was that documented in any treaty? NATO as an organization made no such pledge, and the formal agreement signed at the end of German reunification negotiations said nothing about the alliance not expanding eastward. Additionally, why should those countries that suffered years of brutality and oppression under hard-line Soviet influenced Communist regimes not seek to protect themselves under the umbrella of an organisation dedicated to collective defence? You also… Read more »
Really because the Russian president at the time said that Putins propaganda on this is a lie and these agreements never happened and Putin is making it up.
If Russia is trying to frighten its own population it walks like it is losing. If in the face of western promises of modern MBT’ it’s answer is just firing off anything it has at anything it can hit it waddles like it is losing.
Chances are the penny has finally dropped that they are losing.
Dreadful reasoning.
So it is quite possible but it is paranoia…