Momentous Day In Ukraine War

[ichkeria]

From the office of the president of Poland:
“A company of Leopard tanks for Ukraine will be transferred as part of building an international coalition. Such a decision is already in Poland.”

Further to:
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2023/01/10/poland-in-talks-with-allies-over-leopard-2-transfers-to-ukraine/

This is surely the tip of the iceberg and ultimately spells the end for Russia’s “special” military operations

[sandyRoe]

I hope so.
Do the aggressors have 'tank busting ' weapons similar to those supplied to Ukraine?

[lady-janine]

Please let this war finish soon with victory for Ukraine.

[jourdain2]

Yes, Lady J. It's good news and we are supposed to be sending tanks as well, I read.

[William51]

Let us hope a lot of countries ramp up the supply of tanks and heavy artillery. It will be great to see Russia beaten and humiliated.

[ichkeria]

“ Do the aggressors have 'tank busting ' weapons similar to those supplied to Ukraine?”

No.
The Russian heavy armour capability is way interior to that of the west as is their anti-tank capability. And on scale, I remember reading a few months ago that Ukraine was equipped with more anti tank weapons than there were tanks in the entire world.

[ichkeria]

Yes it may even be that a British commitment to send Challengers was a key factor in this. This in turn follows on from the news about the US, France and Germany leading the way last week with infantry fighting vehicles etc

[Peter Pedant]

It is a prtty cruel war - I imagine the two Brits who were there are dead.

Oh and the beeb has been getting it wrong again: the civilians snatched arent POWs, they are internees. Difft convention rights.

[ichkeria]

“I imagine the two Brits who were there are dead. ”

Wagner claims they are dead. I guess sometimes these *** don’t lie.

Surovikin replaced by Gerasimov, it turns out, not the other bloke. Different views on deck of the approaching iceberg I fancy

[ichkeria]

Found their passports apparently (confirmed by photo)

[Bobbisox1]

Ich, thank you for your updates , keep them coming ,we must never forget what’s happening in the Ukraine

[ichkeria]

I fear the last one is true.

It must be dreadful for their families.

Meanwhile Ukrainian forces close in on Kreminna in Luhansk

[naomi24]

//“I imagine the two Brits who were there are dead. ” //

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64244107

[Peter Pedant]

RIP - announced on Beeb this am - in the usual mimsy Beeb fashion "oh they say and we are not sure: passports but cd they be someone else's? etc"

stalin: one death is a tragedy. a million deaths is a statistic

[Peter Pedant]

god I wish they wd pronounce the final r in soledar
I keep on thinking Wagner is in sunny Spain..... rather than the frozen East

[ichkeria]

“Soledar” means “salt gift”. One of many such place names and a bit more imaginative than “Antrasit”.

So the BBC has run with it now: I’ve seen the passports and I don’t believe it’s fake.

[ichkeria]

"ichi; I think mines are not difficult to flood. "

I'm no military expert, but I am not seeing how these mines will help the Russians much. Sure, they can store stuff there, but that stuff has to come out at some point. Sure, they can fight from there perhaps, but ultimately they would have to surrender, just as the heroes of Azovstal had to in Mariupol.
I even heard someone, possibly, on the TV, suggest they might be able to tunnel there way further into Ukraine.
I wasn't sure at that point if I'd tuned in to a repeat of Benny Hill ...
If they think that capturing a small, deserted, devastated mining town is going to change the course of the war they are crazy.

[Khandro]

maybe they just want the salt :o)

[ichkeria]

Well, actually, that might be it. And the gypsum.

[ichkeria]

Someone joked that all these prisoners who have been let out to join Wagner ....
And where do they end up?
In the salt mines anyway (!)

[Khandro]

ichi; It seems it is of little strategic importance beyond being an ego boost for Vlad. (& the salt)
https://www.bbc.com/news/64240404