"Germany to authorize tank shipment to Ukraine" Topic

…German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has come under fire from political rivals and even members of his coalition government for a lack of action in support of Ukraine. The new sale, which will be formally announced later Tuesday, provides Gepard anti-aircraft tanks as well as various anti-tank weapons, according to the Agence France Presse…

Fox News: link

I also saw Poland is doing the same

It is great to see all the equipment going to Ukraine. What I wonder about is manpower. Ukraine is smaller than Russia. At what point does exhaustion for Ukrainian soldiers kick in or they start running out of troops?

IAEA Director: Radiation level at Chernobyl reactor 'abnormal'

I think this is a bigger story that has just hit.

I suppose the obvious question is are the Gepards any good? I've tended to assume so but that's because they look cool and they've been built by Germany.

Actually, with the Ukrainians busily training their reservists--plus the horde of volunteers, both foreign and domestic--it's the Russki's who will soon enough be outnumbered in theater.

Putin refuses to call up his reservists, most likely because the majority just won't go. And since to be in the "reserves" there means having had only one year of active duty experience--and that can go back a decade or more. They would take the better part of a year to reach the same standard of readiness already shown by the cannon fodder that entered the conflict.

This may be the first sinking ship where the passengers pound the deck to speed up the process.

TVAG

I just read an article that Switzerland vetoed a measure to re-export the 35mm ammo the Gepards use. I am wondering how this will impact the deal?

Damon.

Actually, with the Ukrainians busily training their reservists--plus the horde of volunteers, both foreign and domestic--it's the Russki's who will soon enough be outnumbered in theater.

Yep, the Ukrainians are managing to mobilise quite large numbers of well motivated volunteers (including many women), and they still have rather sizeable population (around one quarter of Russia). These volunteers may have limited military training, but motivation and local area knowledge provide them a significant advantage in defense – especially against Russian troops who often seem to be lacking in those areas.

That said, it takes much more time to train crews for more advanced or heavier weaponry. As well as to organise units that will be capable of mounting large scale counter-attacks. Ukrainians have managed to succesfully launch smaller, local counter-attacks, though.

Putin refuses to call up his reservists, most likely because the majority just won't go.

While Russia has large population, the regular army of contract soldiers, that Putin can easily send abroad, is limited in size. There are also conscripts in service, but they have limited training and are not (by law) expected to serve abroad (though some apparently found themselves in Ukraine recently).

Russia has vast amounts of reservists that could be mobilised for a war if needed. However, as mentioned before, there is the concern that many woudl refuse to go, which could lead to major civil unrest. Furthermore, Kremlin is still trying to stick to the story that this is not a war, but a special military operation, so they cannot go for full war-time mobilisation. Instead, they have resorted to recruiting foreign volunteers from odd places such as Syria and Ethiopia.

There is also the practical issue of logistics, which has so far proved somewhat challenging to the Russian military. Throwing in new formations to Ukraine would put further stress to the strained supply chain.

IAEA Director: Radiation level at Chernobyl reactor 'abnormal'

I think this is a bigger story that has just hit.

Abnormal during Russian occupation, back to normal now.

Aljazeera: link

Abnormal during Russian occupation

This was, of course, because Russian soldiers were digging trenches & defensive fortifications in the zone around Chernobyl. So either the Russian army doesn't really care about their soldiers (which tracks, giving some of the brutal hazing & exploitation practices that are alleged), or the common Russian soldier is too stupid or uneducated to understand the consequences of what they are doing. Likely both.

Damon.

At what point does exhaustion for Ukrainian soldiers kick in or they start running out of troops?

The Russians although larger are taking much heavier losses. Plus the Ukrainians have the home court advantage. So we will have to wait & see …

I suppose the obvious question is are the Gepards any good?

They are said to be pretty effective, regardless of being cool & German. However, going thru a number of upgrades, etc., most were withdrawn in 2010(?). And put in storage. That being said, the Russians not showing much tactical prowess, etc., the Gepard should do fine.

Switzerland vetoed a measure to re-export the 35mm ammo the Gepards use. I am wondering how this will impact the deal?

I would think as is generally SOP to send large amounts of ammo with the systems from the sending county.

So either the Russian army doesn't really care about their soldiers (which tracks, giving some of the brutal hazing & exploitation practices that are alleged), or the common Russian soldier is too stupid or uneducated to understand the consequences of what they are doing. Likely both.

Yep … I'm going with both as well. Current events certainly point to that.

The Gepards?

Probably in a bad shape.
I doubt that they will be ready for use again so soon, as they have been stored unprotected for decades and urgently need an overhaul.

They are a placebo.

Well I would think they would be refurbished, etc., to fully mission capable before they are sent.

Sure, but it's a question how long it needs.
Probably not a bad idea the Ukrainians do some sort of refurbishing join-venture in Germany with their experts, so that it can be done faster.

Also boosts German fighting morale…

Not to forget, a Gepard Crew needs a lot of training.
I's a rather complex system.

Russians now trying to destroy Rail.. so Very worried about Western Arms shipment of 'heavy' stuff.

Probably not so easy since Ukraine has one of Europe's biggest rail networks. Especially given Russia don't seem to have air superiority and don't appear to engaging in a truly concerted campaign.