Note: it is recommended to read the "Lessons of Air War in Ukraine" prior to reading this article. Ukraine, no matter how well it may be doing against Russia, is losing aircraft. And it will need replacement, be it during the war or afterwards. Currently, Ukraine is still using old Soviet Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters … Continue reading Why Gripen Is Ideal Fighter for Ukraine
Category: Ukraine
How Many Tanks Have Been Lost in Ukraine
Back in April 2022., Russia claimed to have destroyed 2 037 Ukrainian tanks. In May 2022., Ukraine claimed to have destroyed 30% of Russia's modern tanks. Russia had some 3 000 T-80s and 400 T-90s before the war, which will have meant a loss of 1 000 tanks. Both of these claims are ridiculous. Russian … Continue reading How Many Tanks Have Been Lost in Ukraine
Lessons of Air War in Ukraine
Since the beginning of the invasion, Russians have kept repeating that they had destroyed the Ukrainian air force. In fact, they had claimed on the first day of invasion that UAF had been destroyed. In March 2022., Russian Ministry of Defense again claimed that all Ukrainian aircraft had been destroyed or disabled, and repeated the … Continue reading Lessons of Air War in Ukraine
Tank Autoloader vs Manual Loader
Debate on using autoloader or manual loading of tank gun has been going on since autoloaders had first appeared. And it has not not been resolved yet, as can be seen from various solutions currently in service. But in general, Western designs have opted for manual loading while Eastern designs had opted for autoloaders. So … Continue reading Tank Autoloader vs Manual Loader
How Territorial Defense Forces Saved Ukraine
I have already written on the reasons why Ukraine has been so successful in defense against Russia, but one point I believe deserves to be reiterated. When question is raised why Ukraine has been so successful in defense against the Russian invasion, usual explanations are Ukrainian adaptability, Western weapons and supplies, NATO battle tactics, familiarity … Continue reading How Territorial Defense Forces Saved Ukraine
Why Russian Tanks Explode When Hit
Russian tanks used in modern conflicts have had very bad tendency of suffering catastrophic explosions. When penetrated into the magazine ("ammoracked" for gamers), Russian designs (particularly T-72 and its derivatives) tend to be violently relieved of their turret, which can fly off even some dozens of meters away. The reason for this tendency towards turret … Continue reading Why Russian Tanks Explode When Hit
How Dispersed Operations Saved Ukrainian Air Force
Much has been made of Russian Air Force destroying or damaging runways and air strips in the opening days of the invasion of Ukraine, but this was a massive mistake by the clueless Western analysts and journalists. Fact is, this was a mistake. Majority of Ukrainian combat aircraft were MiG-29, Su-27 and Su-25 aircraft. All … Continue reading How Dispersed Operations Saved Ukrainian Air Force
What Ukraine Did Right
While it is entirely likely that Russia will ultimately win, fact is that things are not going at all according to either Russian or Western predictions. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned in every single metric, Ukraine has defied the odds, fighting Russian army to a standstill in many places. While things may turn out poorly … Continue reading What Ukraine Did Right
Strategic Importance of Mariupol – Why Is It So Important to Russia
Mariupol, thanks to its nature and location, has several important characteristics. Firstly, it blocks a land corridor between Crimea and Donbass. Russian forces had burst out of the Crimean peninsula, and are trying to link up with Russian and separatist forces in Donbass. But in order to complete the land bridge, Russians need to take … Continue reading Strategic Importance of Mariupol – Why Is It So Important to Russia
Usage of Reservists and Irregulars in Ukraine
I had already written on why Ukraine was so successful in its resistance to Russian invasion. Reasons are many, but here I will be addressing one reason in particular: usage of reservists and irregular units. Ever since the end of the Cold War, NATO had been turning to a professional army model, under assumption that … Continue reading Usage of Reservists and Irregulars in Ukraine