11mo ago

Russia is barely using one of its best weapons against Ukrainian forces in Kursk because it's scared to hit itself, war expert says

www.businessinsider.com

17 comments

‘Best’ is context bound. If you can’t use it properly, it simply isn’t the best choice and shouldn’t be used
- Like a hammer is better than a spoon for driving a screw but neither of them are the tool for the job
  
  I've heard this comparison so many times I ran some experiments. A number 8 1.5" coated decking screw inserted into two one by pine boards through the grain by a hammer holds about half as well as one inserted using a screwdriver. One hit to drive the screw is better than several, but a two hit approach (one to set the angle of the screw tip, the second to send it home) was most reliable. Drilling a pilot hole before hammering improves things pretty significantly, up towards 3/4 of the holding power of a driver driven screw.
  On the other hand, even very slight misalignment between the hammer swing and the screw can result in failure, and the board was always more damaged by a hammer inserted screw.
  
  Depends on the drive of the screw; if it's a flathead, the spoon is probably better
  
  You could use them together by using the spoon to put torque on the screw while hammering it in
That's such a ridiculous piece of propaganda. There tons of videos of FABs being used with meter precision to hit Ukrainian lines. The actual reason they're not being used is that it's a weapon for breaking dug in fortified lines, and Ukraine hasn't had a chance to make any in Kursk. It's absolutely incredible what sort of nonsense people will fall for when they have no clue on the subject. Here's a detailed explanation for those interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9AUZTPER_A
- They do actually mention the applicability mainly to static front lines in the article.
  
  Average consumer of russophobic media won't probably read anything except headline, even if because they are bombarded with huge amounts of such articles nonstop.
Huh. War is apparently a bit harder to do when you have to try to not kill (your own) civilians.
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-war-belgorod-bomb-1.6817748
  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/01/russia-glide-bomb-belgorod-fab/
I’m amazed and delighted that Ukrainian troops have managed to occupy a part of Russia for so long. I thought they would be driven out in a day or two. This is pathetic (and hilarious). It reminds me of the early days of the war, when Russia thought they would take Kyiv in less than a week.
- It just drives the point more that the Russian military is nowhere near the level the rest of the world thought it was.
  Russia should have easily had air superiority within a day and been able to run through to Kyiv in a week. Especially with the build up on the border leading up to the invasion.
  It also brings into question their overall nuclear capability. Like whether they're capable of MAD-level deterrence anymore. Even though it only takes a few nukes to destroy everything anyway, their massive stockpiles have likely deteriorated irreparably over the last 30-40 years and they've been lying to themselves in reports so no one had to take any blame.
  
  If I was a corrupt Russian general, embezzling funds meant for nuclear deterrence upkeep would be a pretty safe bet since they are the weapons least likely to ever be used and thus least likely to be found out.
Non paywall linky:
https://archive.ph/vhoPO
Dude, my brother did this to me all the time. "Don't hit yourself!" while he'd make me slap myself. I'm glad Ukraine can do the same.

17 comments