Look at the pretty lights

a reply to: TheRedneck

The rocket used carries the thermite in magnesium cups surrounded by explosive charges. So that may very well have been what was burning during that part of the video.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Quite possible. But the question then becomes, does it even matter if it contained thermite or not? It wasn't going to ignite it, and thermite is not some deadly poison... it is a harmless powder as long as it is not ignited.

If what we saw was just the magnesium starter burning, then we have little to fear. It would mean Russia cannot operate their own equipment to actually work. I know that's the narrative but I cannot go that far.

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

Whether it’s a malfunction or not, it works. Previous uses of these have resulted in the defending forces surrendering not long after their use.

One thing to remember about the Russian army is that, unlike so called professional militaries, it’s a small group of trained soldiers supported by conscripts. They’re not going to get the best out of their equipment, and will see a higher malfunction rate.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Whether it’s a malfunction or not, it works. Previous uses of these have resulted in the defending forces surrendering not long after their use.

A .45 Colt Revolver can be deadly as well. I still wouldn't worry if I saw a chipmunk sitting on one. The chipmunk doesn't know how to pull the trigger.

Any military who actually fires thermite incendiary bombs in a manner that prevents them from being anything other than "pretty lights" is not a military force to be reckoned with or worried about.

One thing to remember about the Russian army is that, unlike so called professional militaries, it’s a small group of trained soldiers supported by conscripts. They’re not going to get the best out of their equipment, and will see a higher malfunction rate.

This was not a malfunction. This, if it went down as you claim, was sheer incompetence. It rises to the level of trying to load ammo with talcum powder.

I know what you are saying is the "accepted" explanation, but if this is so I demand a refund from Ukraine for all those billions of dollars in aid that have been sent there. They didn't need any help if Russia is that incompetent. Last time I checked, Ukraine already had rocks they can throw at such a bumbling "Keystone Kops" version of a "military."

ETA: While we're at it, we should also just disband NATO. NATO was founded to protect against the USSR. Since the USSR is now history and Russia cannot even fire a missile in a way that it can detonate, why do we need NATO? Any country that Russia might try to invade in the future can ward them off with a sound defeat using slingshots and bottle rockets.

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

They aren’t being fired just as petty lights, but as a combination of thermite weapons and psychological weapons.

The Russian issues in Ukraine aren’t just training though. We’re seeing a lot of equipment issues too. And that means that Ukraine is having those same issues, which we saw early on in the invasion. It wasn’t until Ukraine was able to get more high tech weapons systems in play that they started to turn things around some.

As for NATO, look at the size of many of the militaries around the region. Slovakia is one of several nations that has NATO providing air cover, because they got rid of all 12 of their MiG-29s. Several others have been 12 and 18 aircraft. No single Nation can stand up to them. And no matter how incompetently this fight is being waged in Ukraine, we’re still seeing only a small part of the Russian military in action. If they rolled their entire force out, they’d take Ukraine in a matter of weeks. They might not take Europe, but they’d do major damage in a hurry without some kind of alliance.

There’s more competence than incompetence going on, because far too many nations are ramping up spending and production on military forces in response to what’s happening.

Clearly, one bad general with a poor understanding of the theater of operations is all you need to be defeated, no matter how advanced your weapons are, and how well-trained your soldiers are.

a reply to: Zaphod58

They aren’t being fired just as petty lights, but as a combination of thermite weapons and psychological weapons

Thermite weapons that cannot detonate.

I admit that thermite incendiaries are formidable if utilized. Thermite reacts at an astronomical temperature (I remember one chemistry book that claimed it reached the surface of the sun's corona). Anything flammable in close proximity to a thermite reaction is going to burn. The stuff is used to weld broken train tracks together, and that's in relatively small quantities. But the way these were fired/detonated? The thermite reaction simply cannot initiate in those conditions.

The Russian issues in Ukraine aren’t just training though. We’re seeing a lot of equipment issues too. And that means that Ukraine is having those same issues, which we saw early on in the invasion. It wasn’t until Ukraine was able to get more high tech weapons systems in play that they started to turn things around some.

That's at least a bit back from the narrative I keep hearing. That narrative is that Putin is a madman who knows nothing about military operations and won't let his generals do their job, that Russian equipment falls apart at the first sign of stress, that the Russian military cannot figure out which end of a gun the bullets come out of, and that the Russian military is angry with Putin and won't obey an order. Then I hear how Ukraine's military is the greatest example of fine-tuned military prowess on the planet.

Given that narrative, why keep NATO? Luxembourg could wipe Russia out. They are absolutely no threat... to the point that a little old lady could beat a full-scale invasion off with her handbag.

I suspect Russia does indeed have a formidable military, that Ukraine is poorly trained and poorly disciplined but has the home field advantage and all those nice shiny toys we keep sending, and that Russia is invading on a very limited scale (at least if this does not escalate further, which it appears it will). I also suspect our leaders and our media are busy trying to make sure no one in the country realizes what kind of an enemy we are busy making to keep a revolt from happening.

I swear sometimes it sounds like I am watching a college ball game instead of a military conflict. Just like last Saturday, I was cheering for the Tide while making jokes about how incompetent the Bulldogs were. Bulldog fans (does Mississippi State have fans?) were probably doing the same thing (if they could find anything funny about being pummeled). It's a sport... that's sort of expected. In a military conflict, that is not a sport and it is not expected... or appropriate. People are dying.

I just really want to be able to know what's really going on over there... so far the only reports I feel are in any way trustworthy paint Russia as an aggressor but also as performing that aggression in a controlled and relatively responsible matter, and Ukraine as an undisciplined, corrupt force that is only able to function because of Western (NATO) support. That sounds a lot closer to reality than the official narrative.

So forgive me for the hyperbolic response. That has become standard for me whenever someone parallels the official narrative, even partially.

TheRedneck

a reply to: TheRedneck

YOU know that it can’t ignite. Do you think the average person, who makes up the Ukraine military does though? Even if it doesn’t, the psychological effect is going to be immense on them. Because they DON’T know.

The narrative you keep talking about is the one being pushed by the same people that felt it necessary to announce that a Boeing 777 will struggle to maintain altitude after running out of fuel. And the crew of the crashed Asiana in San Francisco included pilot Sum Ting Wong. The media is going to push whatever narrative gets them clicks and money, and to hell with reality.

Russia is handling this much worse than expected. They have almost totally ignored the logistical side of things, I suspect because they expected to roll over their objectives quickly (hell, everyone else did too), and they took people that were barely trained and threw them into ugly situations and expected them to fight. There was a video last week of a Russian APC that turns on to a road. Ukrainian forces had put mines on the road, and hadn’t even tried to hide them. You could see them all just sitting on the road. The Russian APC turned towards them and just kept driving and ran one over.

The Ukrainian forces aren’t the undisciplined, corrupt forces people claim, but they aren’t the great military claimed either. As usual, the truth is in the middle. There was another video yesterday where a Russian column of trucks ran into a Ukrainian tank unit. The tank commander was up manning the upper machine gun, and couldn’t get it reloaded while a truck with Russian markings dove right by them.

The truth, as always is out there. It’s not from anything resembling the usual sources though. This fight has been huge for OSINT, and propaganda. Both of which are stretching the truth, but you’ll find the information if you dig deep enough.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Sum Ting Wong

ha ha, that's to funny. stop it.