[WhiskeyOutpost]

More counteroffensive developments in Zaporizhia oblast.

- UA control of Robotyne has consolidated.
- Continued RU shelling of southern Robotyne
- Indications of high RU losses + new defensive fortifications in the area to the south of Robotyne
- Further south, UA mechanized attack of Novoprokopivka on its east flank, RU sources report possible loss of its east flank.

[Guns N' Coffee]

@ 6:04 Interview with the late great John McCain

[WhiskeyOutpost]

Originally Posted by Guns N' Coffee ↗

@ 6:04 Interview with the late great John McCain

"And there's nothing that provokes Vladimir Putin more than weakness."

- John McCain

If only more people realized this.

[kellyhound]

Audio from russ mil blogger/reporter Romanov with the company commander of the russ 205th Brigade which raided Dnieper islands. Audio from a few days ago it seems.

Essentially several groups landed on an island but were forced to retreat under full UAV air control by Ukrainians.

[kellyhound]

2 Leopard 2A4 and 3 Leopard 2A6 were destroyed out of 71 leo's delivered in the past 13 weeks and at least 10 suffered damage.

In the 13 weeks since launching a long-anticipated counteroffensive along several axes in southern and eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army has lost just five of its 71 Leopard 2 tanks. No one inside got killed.

Many more of the German-made tanks—at least 10—have suffered damage. But the Ukrainians are repairing the damaged tanks at depots in Poland and Germany and returning them to the front.

The fundamental toughness of the 69-ton Leopard 2 means tanks might take damage, visit a repair depot, return to the fighting then again take damage and head out for repairs. So on and so forth. The Leopard 2 lends itself to recycling.

More importantly, it’s possible almost every crew member in the five destroyed tanks—20 people in all—escaped their vehicles before they burned or exploded.

“Even the most critically damaged equipment is recovered and taken for repairs,” explained Ukrainian soldier Olexandr Solon'ko. “You can replace a piece of metal, even if it's expensive, but you can't repair a human life.”

A consortium of NATO countries including Canada, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden together have pledged to Ukraine 10 Strv 122s—Swedish-modified Leopard 2A5s—21 Leopard 2A6s and 74 Leopard 2A4s.

All of these tanks except 14 A4s already have arrived at the front line.

The 1980s-vintage A4 is the least sophisticated of the Leopard 2s. The ‘90s-vintage Strv 122 and A6 have a new composite armor mix, better optics and—in the case of the A6—a longer, farther-firing 120-millimeter main gun.

Perhaps most critically for the Leopard 2’s survival, German tank-makers KMW and Rheinmetall built the vehicles with special turret-mounted compartments for their 120-millimeter ammunition—compartments that explode outward, away from the crew, when struck.

Russian tanks by contrast stow their ammo under their turrets. When the ammo cooks off, it blows the turret—and the three crew—into the sky. That’s the main reason it’s a lot easier to damage a Leopard 2 and rattle its crew than it is to destroy a Leopard 2 and kill its crew. Whereas a clean hit on a Russian T-72 might catastrophically blow up the tank and crew.

Assuming every destroyed Leopard 2 has left behind visual evidence of its destruction, there have been just five total Leopard 2 write-offs since the Ukrainian counteroffensive began on June 4. The losses include two of the 50 deployed A4s and three of the 21 deployed A6s. No Strv 122s have been confirmed as destroyed.

“In the long run, it's impossible to entirely avoid armor losses,” Solon'ko wrote. “However, armor serves a specific purpose that entails risks.”

All the Leopard 2 losses have occurred in a 25-square miles square anchored by Mala Tokmachka in the north and Robotyne in the south. The axes leading south from Robotyne through Tokmak to Melitopol, 50 miles to the south in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, is the Ukrainian armed forces’ main effort as the counteroffensive grinds into its third month.

The Ukrainians aim to liberate Melitopol in order to sever the overland supply lines to the Russian garrison in occupied Crimea. Progress has been steady but slow: a six-brigade force led by the 82nd Air-Assault Brigade and the 47th Mechanized Brigade liberated Robotyne just last week.

It seems the Leopard 2A4s and A6s belong to the 33rd Mechanized Brigade, which has staged north of Robotyne but apparently detaches tank companies to support the 47th Brigade. The 82nd Brigade has its own ex-British Challenger 2 tanks.

The tanks lend heavy, long-range firepower to assault groups riding in M-2, Stryker and Marder fighting vehicles.

It’s been tough for the crews. They’ve rolled over mines, endured artillery barrages and swarms of explosive Lancet drones and dodged attack helicopters and aerial bombs. It seems the combination of mines and Lancets has been the most dangerous for the Leopard 2s. Mines damage the tanks’ tracks, immobilizing them. Lancets dive down to finish them off.

But the photos and videos documenting four of the five Leopard 2 losses depict open hatches on the tanks’ turrets and hulls—strong indications the crews bailed out. “They save lives,” Solon'ko wrote about Western combat vehicles.

With five tanks permanently out of action and as many as 10 at depots for repair, Ukrainian brigades still share more than 50 active Leopard 2s out of the 71 in the initial consignment. A fresh batch of 14 Leopard 2A4s, scheduled to arrive early next year, should more than make good the losses.

More Western-made tanks are en route, including 31 ex-American M-1s that are even more heavily armored than most Leopard 2s are.

But the Ukrainians also are getting at least 165 German-made Leopard 1A5s that—in stark contrast to the Leopard 2s, Challenger 2s and M-1s—have minimal armor protection. Ukrainian brigades can’t expect the Leopard 1s to muscle through attacks the way the Leopard 2s have done.

[kellyhound]

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new military package for Ukraine. He said it is worth $250 million in a statement on 29 August 2023.

According to the statement, this package includes:

AIM-9M missiles for air defense;
Ammunition for HIMARS systems;
155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition;
Mine-clearing equipment;
Javelins and other anti-armor systems and rockets;
3 million rounds of small arms ammunition;
Ambulances;
Demolition munitions for obstacle clearing.

It also includes spare parts, services, training, and transportation. This package is being executed under drawdowns previously directed for Ukraine.

[WhiskeyOutpost]

☞ Additional details regarding the large drone attack on the Russian airbase at Pskov, near the baltic countries. Other drone attacks at Bryansk and Crimea.

[WonderMomma]

Originally Posted by iARTEMx ↗

Sorry, what is OPSEC?

I don't know if this will help but this is the Operations Security guidelines released by the UA MoD about a month into the invasion. I don't have the original written in Ukrainian anymore, apologies.





Video:

"Staff from the training of the "Spartan" NSU brigade (3rd operational brigade).

It is interesting that the brigade also has domestic BTR-4E armored personnel carriers."

[yourmomsburgerplace]

Satellite image of #Pskov airport before the Ukrainian drone raid

[kellyhound]

New military Aid package from Germany:

10 Leopard 1A5, 16 Vector UAV's, 1 TRML-4D Radar
4 HX81 Tank Transporters and 13.1 Million Rounds Of Small Arms Ammunition.