Russia is losing around 320 tank and artillery cannon barrels a month and producing only 20. The Russian engineering industry lacks the skills to build rotary forges; in fact, the world market is dominated by a single Austrian company, GFM. Russia is unlikely to acquire more forges and increase its production rate.

Russia was never a very powerful manufacturer, compared to the Western competition, or compared to China today.

To resupply its forces, Russia has been stripping tank and artillery barrels from the vast stockpiles it inherited from the Soviet Union. But these stockpiles have withered since the start of the war.

For a bit of perspective:
In WW2 Germany took (Austria mostly voluntary), France, Netherlands, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia AND Ukraine.

Now after almost 3 years, Russia not only hasn't managed to take Ukraine, but has lost territory to them too. For months now Russia has still not been able to take it back!

Even sacrificing more than 1000 men per day the past 6 months, Russia is still doing poorly, and is running out of equipment.

In WW2 the Soviet Union didn't really do that well either. They only managed because they got a lot of equipment from USA, and because they also in that war sacrificed their soldiers as cannon fodder.

Ukraine on the other hand has done very well against Russia, managing to hold back a Nation with 4 times their population and 6-8 times their economy!!
Of course Ukraine is getting help now, but they managed to fight back in the start of the war, even before any help had arrived.

Slava Ukraini

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

Of course Ukraine is getting help now, but they managed to fight back in the start of the war, even before any help had arrived.

I don't mean to downplay Ukraine's fighting spirit but they had a shit ton of help even before the war started! Trump, fuck that guy, had loaded them up with Small Arms and Javelin Missiles (stuff that Obama had refused to send) before the war kicked off. The US, the UK, and Canada, had also spent more than two years re-training the Ukrainian Armed Forces so that it wouldn't be a repeat of 2014.

Then between 2014 and 2019 the United States alone spent nearly 2 Billion dollars assisting Ukraine. Even before the war started the U.S. was 90% of Ukraine's foreign military assistance!

Ukraine has fought and bled to keep their country and there's no question that many brave Patriots over there have given everything they could, all glory to them. However this idea that Ukraine was going it alone the first while isn't true at all and its very disrespectful to its Allies and Partners to make that claim.

[–] Buffalox 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Trump, fuck that guy, had loaded them up with Small Arms and Javelin Missiles (stuff that Obama had refused to send) before the war kicked off.

I had to check this, and it seems you are right?

The US, the UK, and Canada, had also spent more than two years re-training the Ukrainian Armed Forces

Yes I know Ukraine had received some NATO training, and it was allegedly a major reason they did so well against Russia too.

I apologize for being imprecise, what I meant was that Ukraine hadn't received WAR assistance yet, all you write was from when we still thought we could reason with Putin, and make a sensible agreement.
When war was a reality, a lot of countries stepped up help a lot, but it took a while to arrive, and basically we've been pretty constantly behind on supplies, except when USA stepped in again, it helped a lot.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I had to check this, and it seems you are right?

I don't really blame anyone for not knowing. It wasn't discussed much in mainstream media.

When war was a reality, a lot of countries stepped up help a lot, but it took a while to arrive...

Sadly true. Like many Americans if I'd had my way our response would have been faster and more direct. We have an outsized military for a reason and If I'd been the American President I'd have used that Big Stick to beat every Russian in your country to death. In two weeks Putin would have ceased trying and this would have been over and done with.

You stop a bully by punching them in the face so hard they forget their name and that's exactly what America should have done. You just needed 14 days of our Air Power and sadly we weren't willing to lend it to you.

[–] Buffalox 1 points 23 hours ago

You stop a bully by punching them in the face so hard they forget their name

Exactly, and honestly Biden hasn't managed this situation as well as he could IMO. For instance the nonsense of Ukraine not being allowed to strike into Russia never made any sense IMO.

load more comments (1 replies)

load more comments (13 replies)