"Russia's military progress slows, but it makes gains in the south and east"

[bluewater]

Last edited Fri Mar 18, 2022, 12:49 PM - Edit history (2)

Even as a missile strike on Friday hit the outskirts of Lviv, a Ukrainian city that had been spared much of the Russian assault, the latest intelligence assessments indicate that Russian forces are still struggling to capture more territory as they try to push across Ukraine.
The British defense intelligence service said on Friday that Russian forces had “made minimal progress this week,” and that Ukrainian forces around the capital, Kyiv, had continued to frustrate Russian attempts to encircle the city.
...
Russia’s recent territorial gains have been mostly in the south and east of the country, including in the areas around Mariupol, according to assessments by Western governments and independent analysts. Russian forces have advanced from the southern city of Kherson, which they have captured, toward Kryvyi Rih, closer to the center of Ukraine.

Russia also continued its assaults on Mariupol from the east and west on Thursday, and on Friday its Defense Ministry said that Russian forces and Russia-backed separatists were “tightening the noose” around the city. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russians were carrying out the “total destruction of civilian infrastructure, housing and livelihoods.”

The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Sumy in the north and northeast remain encircled and subject to heavy Russian shelling, British defense intelligence said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/18/world/europe/russia-military-ukraine.html

Why can't this be stopped?


The heroic Ukrainian Armed Forces have been sacrificing everything to fight the invasion, yet are unable to defend major cities from this destruction.

How can we, the US and NATO, actually put an end to this TERRORISM and save tens of thousands of innocent lives?

[uponit7771]

1. Current analyst are stuck in 20th century warfare mindset. Killing a bunch of inarmed people

... and destroying buildings doesn't need a state run mechanized offense any longer.

What Russia is doing is state sponsored mechanized terrorism, that's all they're doing now.

They can't defeat UA regulars so shoot women and children, ... LITERALLY that's all they have left

[bluewater]

2. Why can't this be stopped?

The heroic Ukrainian Armed Forces have been sacrificing everything to fight the invasion, yet are unable to defend major cities from this destruction.

How can we, the US and NATO actually put an end to this, as you correctly label it, TERRORISM?

Note: I will edit my reply here into the OP.
Thank you for your insightful post.

[uponit7771]

3. It can with the correct weapons like counterbattery, long range AA and MPADs that are being ....

... sent into now.

I think they used up their first rounds on RAs 50 BTGs, now Russia only has 75 BTGs left in their whole military IE the call for more trigger pulling troops.

There's evidence that the outlying cities in UKR have ran out (allowing SU-25 fly overs) of the anti tank and airplane munitions.

UKR can build a lower grade Iron Dome around the major cities to keep the relatively safe with the correct weapons.

That's what a lot of cities are going to do now to protect citizens IMHO.

Siege warfare as we know it is over

[bluewater]

4. "UKR can build a lower grade Iron Dome around the major cities to keep the relatively safe" Not true

This sounds like wishful thinking.

Sad to say.

No missile/artillery defense can make a major city safe from a concerted attack.

Civilian targets are just too widespread and vulnerable; Destruction of vital civilian infrastructure leads to untold number of deaths.

A passive defensive system like Iron Dome, especially and ad hoc one like the "lower grade" one you suggested, is not sufficient.

The Russian invasion itself must be repelled and the invaders driven from Ukraine.

[uponit7771]

5. Yes they can, counterbattery is VERY VERY effective. UKR doesn't have enough of it so therefore

... the quick and easy fill is to give them anti personal drones like the switchblade 3s to ack as counter battery for now until the bigger radars come into place.

Those drones wont affect mobile artillery that much but RA isn't using that seeing its either blown up or out of gas. Literally outside of Kyiv with stationary artillery so the switchblades will have some affect

There is no 100% perfect with any of those systems but the US in Iraq and Afg had enough counterbattery to neutralize even mortar fire.

There's no 100% solution but all that is better than what they have now which isn't a lot in regards to counter battery

[bluewater]

6. "There's no 100% solution" INDEED. How many people are we willing to let die?

"but all that is better than what they have now which isn't a lot in regards to counter battery"

Again, this sounds like half measures where we, the US and NATO, do not actively do enough to stop the carnage.

How long are we, the US and NATO, going to allow the this wholesale attack on innocent civilians to continue?

How long? How many people are we willing to let die?

[uponit7771]

7. Its not 'half measure' and its not 1974 any longer, counterbattery works well enough to even

... stop mortar fire.

You can't get any more mobile artillery than mortar fire.

UA doesn't have enough counterbattery, it will soon

[bluewater]

8. It most definitely is a half measure, at best.

Common sense makes it obvious it's a limited half measure.

But thank you for the discussion.

[uponit7771]

9. I'll take the word of people who has experience US counter battery