Russia Ukraine Update Thread - part 3

a reply to: Bishop2199

General Winter maked a visit in Russia

Russian aviation in crisis. Urgent plea for operating 50-year-old planes amid sanctions

The sanctions have had a significant impact on Russia's aviation industry. As a result, air connections with Siberia may soon become non-existent. Beijing may potentially assist Moscow.

"There's no replacement option for the old planes. If China doesn't extend assistance, the number of aviation accidents could spike dramatically," an anonymous aviation expert revealed to The Insider reporters.

Source

It seems that sanctions are having an affect, particularly on air travel to and from Siberia. It appears that the bolts are being tightened. They want to continue to fly 50 year-old planes, but do not have the spare parts to maintain and fix them.

When will it blow?

a reply to: Bishop2199

One word

DUCT TAPE

The MythBusters built an airplane out of Duct Tape ........

www.youtube.com...

15 January Update

Ukrainian officials announced that Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and severely damaged an Il-22 airborne command post aircraft on the night of January 14.

Russian forces made confirmed advances west of Donetsk City and near Krynky amid continued positional fighting along the entire line of contact.

More at URL above.

Also, the Russian city of Voronezh was struck by Ukrainian drones today and prompted Russian officials there to declare a 'state of emergency'.

Cheers

originally posted by: firerescue
a reply to: Bishop2199

One word

DUCT TAPE

The MythBusters built an airplane out of Duct Tape ........

www.youtube.com...

If you can't fix it with Duct tape, then you are not using enough Duct tape.

a reply to: BedevereTheWise

Gorilla Tape for me.

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
a reply to: BedevereTheWise

Gorilla Tape for me.

Duct tape, WD40 and a butter knife.

If you can't fix it with those it can't be fixed.

16 January Update

Russian tactical aviation operations are reportedly decreasing near the Sea of Azov, and Russian aviation capabilities may be degraded after Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and caused severe damage to a Russian Il-22 airborne command post aircraft on the night of January 14.

Russian forces made confirmed advances near Kreminna and Bakhmut as positional engagements continued along the entire frontline.

More at URL above.

Cheers

Radioactive Capsule Reported Missing in Siberia Sparks Frantic Search

The workers carrying the radioactive capsule departed from the eastern region of Irkutsk, heading for the Chayandinskoye field in Yakutia, the channel reported. The onshore field is owned and operated by Gazprom, one of the world's largest energy companies mostly owned by the Russian state.

The team left Irkutsk on January 12 and reported the capsule missing on January 16, according to Baza. Several Russian state-linked media outlets also reported that a radioactive capsule was missing, citing Baza.

Source

This is a bit concerning. This would make an excellent dirty bomb.

a reply to: Bishop2199

Didn't something similar happen in the Australian outback?

originally posted by: firerescue
a reply to: Bishop2199

One word

DUCT TAPE

The MythBusters built an airplane out of Duct Tape ........

www.youtube.com...

Two words, and they repaired a plane, didn't build one, but it's an interesting video, thanks. I didn't see any duct tape on control surfaces though, they encounter a lot of stress, so I don't know how long this damaged IL-22 would fly. I guess it managed to land like that, but there must be a lot of drag from all those holes in the tail, and duct tape on the rudder might not last long, because of the additional stress on the control surface.

Photo Shows Damage to the Tail of IL-22M After Missile Strike

originally posted by: F2d5thCavv2
16 January Update

"Russian tactical aviation operations are reportedly decreasing near the Sea of Azov, and Russian aviation capabilities may be degraded after Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and caused severe damage to a Russian Il-22 airborne command post aircraft on the night of January 14."

Yes, that's the story from Ukraine that a patriot missile system turned the IL-22 into swiss cheese and they claim to have downed the Russian A-50 $330 million dollar aircraft.

In an apparent alternate reality of Russian propaganda, Putin's air defenses were blamed for downing their own aircraft. It's not exactly a positive spin on the story, but maybe Putin thinks it's less negative to call it "friendly fire" than to admit Ukraine did it? He doesn't want Ukraine to look too powerful against the mighty Russian military.

Russia Loses A-50 Recon Jet, Il-22 Plane as Putin's Air Defenses Blamed

The Rybar Telegram channel, which has links to Russia's Defense Ministry, said the aircraft could have been struck in "friendly fire" from Russian air defense.

However, the director of Ukraine's military intelligence agency claimed that Kyiv downed the Russian "Bumblebee" A-50 early warning and control aircraft.

It's interesting to see how Russian propaganda tries to spin a story that can't really have a positive spin on it.

a reply to: Arbitrageur

Russian propaganda and spin, you say?

What a shocker!

originally posted by: Bishop2199
Tens of thousands of Russians freeze as hot water pipes burst around the country

Even large cities like Novosibirsk and Vladivostok, as well as the suburbs of Moscow, have experienced burst hot-water mains, ruptured heating pipelines, and crumbling municipal infrastructure. These incidents have escalated since the beginning of 2024, with temperatures dropping to -30 degrees and below in some parts of the country.

Source

The Kremlin blames it on aging infrastructure that will take 10-15 years to resolve. Not enough money to go around I guess.

Russia can afford to spend 1.2 Billion dollars equivalent on missiles used in a single day to attack Ukraine, but can't afford to keep its people from freezing!

Kind of Karmic irony considering Putin's plan a year ago to freeze Europe into submission by threatening to cut off their gas/fuel supplies for heating etc.

Russia's infrastructure is rather unique and this video by a Russian explains how that is so and why this is so devastating for the Russian people dependent on Russian infrastructure. He shows numerous videos of people huddled around small fires outside chanting things like "We are freezing, help us", and videos of some of the infrastructure failures. In some cases the people are not only freezing but also get flooded by the burst pipes that were supposed to provide heat. And he claims all these failures are a consequence of Russia going to war with Ukraine.

RUSSIANS ARE FREEZING! | In January 2024 The Utility Industry Collapses

Russian infrastructure is in shambles, its airline industry is in shambles, and even the Russian oil and gas industry has huge problems which is the basis for so much of Russia's economy, Russia has been compared to a "gas station posing as a country".

Russia thought it was getting around sanctions by selling oil to India for Rupees but I guess when the Rupees kept piling up, Russia finally figured out they didn't have any way to use the Rupees, so they weren't really getting around sanctions effectively with that strategy and they cut way back on their oil sales to India. That still leaves China, but with cutbacks to India, Russia's oil revenues are way down, and their natural gas exports to Europe are also way down, partly explaining why Russia is running out of money, and can't fix their infrastructure and buy enough missiles to attack Ukraine at the same time.

a reply to: Arbitrageur

Buddy of mine worked for Grumman Had special tape they used to repair F 14 Aluminum backing Applied with a tool

Said was able to withstand up to Mach 2

17 January Update

Russian forces conducted a series of missile and drone strikes largely targeting Odesa and Kharkiv cities on the night of January 16 to 17. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that Russian forces launched two S-300 missiles from Belgorod Oblast towards Kharkiv City and 20 Shahed-136/-131 drones from Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai and that Ukrainian forces shot down 19 of the drones over Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kirovohrad oblasts.

Ukraine successfully employed a Ukrainian-refurbished hybrid air defense system (FrankenSAM) for the first time. Ukrainian Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin stated on January 17 that Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian Shahed drone with a hybrid air defense system — referring to the so-called FrankenSAM systems that merge advanced Western air defense missiles with modified Soviet launchers or other missile launchers — for the first time.

Germany and France announced additional military assistance to Ukraine on January 16. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on January 16 that Germany will provide Ukraine with military goods worth more than seven billion euros (roughly $7.62 billion) in 2024.

Positional engagements continued along the entire line of contact on January 17.

More at URL above.

Cheers

Military intelligence: Railways in western Russia hit by sabotage attacks

Railway tracks in Russia's Saratov, Yaroslavl, and Nizhny Novgorod oblasts have been targeted in sabotage attacks, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) reported on Jan. 17.

"Unknown opponents of Putin's regime once again burned several relay cabinets on the railway" and other parts of the track used for military logistics, the HUR said.

Source

Another attack on Russian trains. "Multiple Arson attacks on relay boxes" and other infrastructure.

a reply to: Bishop2199

More careless smoking?

18 January Update

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Russia’s maximalist objectives in Ukraine remain unchanged and that Russia is not interested in negotiations with Ukraine or the West.

Recent widespread GPS disruptions across Poland and the Baltic region are prompting speculation about the potential operation of Russian electronic warfare (EW) systems in the region.

Ukrainian partisans and satellite imagery confirmed that Ukrainian strikes against occupied Crimea in late December 2023 sank a Russian Tarantul-class corvette near Sevastopol.

The Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reportedly conducted a successful drone strike on Russian military facilities in Leningrad Oblast on January 18. A source within the GUR told Ukrainian outlet Suspilne on January 18 that there were confirmed strikes against unspecified targets in Leningrad Oblast and noted that Russian military facilities in St. Petersburg are “within reach” of Ukrainian forces.

Russian forces conducted a series of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine on the night of January 17 to 18. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 33 Shahed-136/131 drones at unspecified targets throughout Ukraine and two S-300 ground-to-air missiles in the direction of Kharkiv Oblast. Ukrainian air defenses downed 22 Shaheds and an unspecified number of Shaheds did not strike their intended targets.

Russian forces made confirmed advances near Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area amid continued positional engagements along the front.

More at URL above.

Cheers

Ukraine 'Blackjack' Hackers Hit Jackpot in Russia

"In fact, Russian special construction workers were left without the entire array of data and backup copies of information. Now they will have to build new facilities by memory," sources in Ukraine's law enforcement told local publication Ukrinform.

Source

It seems that the hackers got a hold of documents of construction plans for in-progress as well as completed military installations in Russia. They delivered them to Ukraine Intelligence and deleted them from the Russian servers. Additionally, the backups were destroyed.

I guess this will be a boon for the Russian architects who need to remake all the construction plans.

More delays . . . Poor Putin.