Ukraine - Russia's perfidious attack, a chronicle of events

[Alex_Sor]

A green comet called ZTF will approach Earth today for the first time since the Ice Age. It is reported by Science Alert.

Comet ZTF will reportedly approach our planet at a distance of 42 million kilometers on February 1, which is about a third of the distance between the Earth and the Sun.

The green comet, which last passed through the inner solar system about 50,000 years ago, will be at its brightest at this time.

Like other comets, ZTF has a stunning green hue, although observers may not notice this with the naked eye. The secret behind the comet's green glow lies in a molecule called diatomic carbon.

 

 

[Alex_Sor]

In Kyiv, a moonshine still exploded in an apartment: there are serious consequences

On Tuesday, January 31, in the Dnipro district of Kyiv, an explosion occurred in one of the apartments of a high-rise building, windows flew out.

The explosion in Kyiv thundered on the street. Rainbow in the apartment, which is located on the ninth floor, law enforcement officers learned about the incident at about 1 pm, the Metropolitan Patrol Police reported.

"Patrolmen, rescuers and doctors immediately left at the indicated address. After examining the scene, it turned out that a moonshine still exploded in one of the apartments," law enforcement officers noted.

As a result of the explosion, a 56-year-old man suffered burns and was hospitalized.

Law enforcement officers noted that in Ukraine for the manufacture of moonshine, as well as for the storage of such alcohol and devices for its production, administrative responsibility is provided.

 

[Alex_Sor]

One of the components of Kyiv's air defense is mobile air defense groups, which professionally protect the sky of the capital from enemy drones and cruise missiles.
The crew with the call sign "Ryabiy" is armed with two "Stinger" missiles mounted on the body of an HMMWV off-road vehicle. Thanks to the software, the crew quickly receives information about the direction of movement of targets, and in a few minutes is ready to destroy the enemy.
MANPADS operator Oleksandr is a military personnel and has considerable combat experience.
"We were training shortly before the start of full-scale aggression, we didn't even have time to complete them. But already in February I destroyed the first SU-25. I shot down the second "dry" over the Kyiv Sea. Later, we operated in the area of the settlements of Horyanka, Bucha, Gostomel. Took part in the offensive in the Kharkiv region. The infantry reported that a pair of Russian K-52 helicopters were working on them. I took a comfortable position and when the enemy appeared I fired two shots, one after the other. The first missile was deflected by Russia's Svityaz anti-missile system, but the second hit the target and the helicopter fell. On the second day, I destroyed the second K-52 with two missiles," Oleksandr said.
Driver Mykola is mobilized: "My functions include quickly getting to the given area, helping to bring the system into combat mode, and then conducting visual surveillance and notifying the operator about the appearance of objects detected in the air"
The operator can fire a shot at a target in a matter of minutes, and fire a second shot five seconds after the launch of the first missile.
"Mobile groups are quite effective in combating enemy air targets. They find themselves where the enemy is not waiting for them, destroy targets and change positions faster than the enemy has time to hit them," says the commander of the Kyiv Defense Forces and Means group, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavlyuk.
Mobile groups, in a complex with other elements of Kyiv's air defense, minimize the enemy's chances of hitting objects in the capital. The Ukrainian sky is under the watchful round-the-clock surveillance of air defense soldiers.

 

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 01.02.23 were approximately:

 

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 02.02.23 were approximately:

 

[Alex_Sor]

Daniel Winnie Swift is an American volunteer who died defending Ukraine.
Today, Lviv says goodbye to Daniel. He fought as part of the International Legion and was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky III degree.
Now the brave "sea seal" is going on its last journey, home.
Sincere condolences to the family and eternal memory of the Defender 🕯
We need powerful weapons to stop these deaths. We appeal to the whole world not to put off for later what can save lives today. During this year, we all understood that war can only be stopped by force.
Therefore, we call: give us tanks, give us fighters.
Russia today is a wounded bear that needs to be driven into a den. And we can do it only by combining all our resources.

 

[Alex_Sor]

In the Russian Federation, the Kh-101 missiles were modernized to break through air defense and installed special traps, but according to a rather strange logic

Unfortunately, we should expect other surprises from already "familiar" Russian weapons, such as Kh-101 cruise missiles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kh-101

New blocks were spotted on the Russian Kh-101 cruise missiles, which caused considerable interest, including in the Western media. In one of the photos of the destroyed cruise missile on January 26, which was published by the Air Force Command, a new block was seen, quite similar to the jamming station.

Detailed photos of the block itself and an explanation of its purpose.

And we should note that the first version, which is about a station for firing thermal traps to counter infrared homing heads, unexpectedly came true. The photo below shows the block itself, which is marked L-504 862-4-22.

An X-ray picture of the traps itself was also taken, which confirms that this is exactly the filling of this module.

It was not possible to find more details for the L-504 code, which is most likely the marking of the product. There is information that in 2017, the Ekran Research Institute of the Russian Federation completed the production of a pre-production series of SP-504 active interference stations. This station is intended for the protection of helicopters and airplanes, but in the radar, not the thermal range.

We should also note that such blocks began to be noticed about two months ago, they had not been noticed before on the X-101 or other cruise missiles. If the second part of the marking "862-4-22" is read as the factory code, quarter and year, then the block itself was manufactured in the last quarter of the previous year.

At the same time, the logic of using such modules with heat traps remains unclear. Because in order to fix the launch of missiles with IR homing heads, it is necessary to install a rather massive system with surveillance cameras. Without this system, shooting thermal traps in automatic mode is impossible.

 

The only scenario is to shoot them at the appropriate point of the route, for example, directly in the area of the target. In particular, this is indicated by the fact that so far the firing of heat traps by Kh-101 missiles has not been recorded, and the blocks on the destroyed missiles are fully charged, because they were destroyed on the marching sections of the route far from the targets.

At the same time, the fact that the Russian Federation is trying to adapt the Kh-101 missiles to the breakthrough of air defense, albeit in rather strange ways, nevertheless indicates that their view of ready-made products is not static. This means that other surprises should be expected from the already "familiar" Russian weapons.

[Alex_Sor]

Russia loses 200,000 troops in Ukraine - NYT

During the 11 months of the war, Russia lost about 200,000 servicemen in Ukraine. It's about the dead and the wounded.

According to The New York Times, citing American and Western officials, the number of Russian soldiers killed and wounded in Ukraine is approaching 200,000.

     "These losses in just 11 months are 8 times higher than American losses in the two decades of the war in Afghanistan," the article says.

The occupying army suffered especially heavy losses in the battles for Bakhmut and Soledar. Russian analysts do not believe that the loss of life will be a deterrent to Putin's military goals.

The war is being waged in a similar fashion to the struggle the country faced during World War II, when more than 8 million Soviet soldiers died. Putin is prepared for hundreds of thousands of casualties in Ukraine, though more casualties could undermine his political support.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/02/us/politics/ukraine-russia-casualties.html

 

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 03.02.23 were approximately:

 

[Alex_Sor]

China Prepares for Taiwan War in 2027: CIA Chief Issues Important Warning

Beijing's ambitions for Taiwan cannot be underestimated, although the war in Ukraine has sobered China.

China is potentially preparing for a war over Taiwan in 2027, though that doesn't mean an invasion attempt will actually take place. This was stated by the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States, William Burns, whose words are quoted by Reuters.

https://www.reuters.com/world/cia-chief-says-chinas-xi-little-sobered-by-ukraine-war-2023-02-02/

He noted that incumbent Chinese leader Xi Jinping was sobered by Russia's failed invasion of Ukraine, but America should not underestimate Beijing's ambitions for Taiwan.

Burns recalled that US intelligence had previously learned of an order for the Chinese military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027.

“This does not mean that he decided to carry out an invasion in 2027 or any other year, but this is a reminder of the seriousness of his intentions and ambitions,” the head of the CIA emphasized.

Byrne generally views China as the "biggest geopolitical issue" the US is currently dealing with.

“Competition with China is unique in its scale. It is unfolding in almost all areas, not only in the military and ideological, but also in economic, technological, in everything from cyberspace to space itself. This is a global competition that can be even more intense, than competition with the Soviets," he said.

[Alex_Sor]

A senior US Air Force general predicts that the US and China will likely go to war in 2025. The reason may be the conflict over Taiwan.

General Mike Minihan, head of the US Air Mobility Command, said the two powers would likely end up going to war over a series of circumstances that would cheer up Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is reported by the Financial Times, referring to a memo leaked to the media by Minikhan to his top commanders.

https://www.ft.com/content/2b50ce67-bf88-4aff-bac9-eb9ac1b3b2ca

     "I hope I'm wrong. My intuition tells me that we will fight in 2025. Xi Jinping received his third term (as General Secretary of the Communist Party - ed.) and formed his military council in October 2022. Presidential elections for Taiwan will be held in 2024, and Xi will have a reason," Minihan wrote.

He added that the 2024 US presidential election will create a "scattered America" that will benefit the Chinese leader.

"Xi Jinping's team, reason and opportunity will be aligned by 2025," the general said.

According to the FT, Minihan's comments are the sharpest prediction by a senior military leader and a rare example of an officer so clearly suggesting that the US will respond to a Chinese attack on Taiwan.

As head of the Air Mobility Command, Minihan oversees air logistics for the US military. The general previously served as deputy head of the Indo-Pacific Command, which will be directly responsible for directing US forces in any conflict with China.

Eric Sayers, a former adviser to the Indo-Pacific Command, said Minihan had been on the "tip of the spear" in the Pacific for more than a decade and understood the Chinese threat "better than anyone in uniform."

"The language of the memo is harsh and can be uncomfortable, but memos of this nature are not meant to be public or as sophisticated intelligence assessments of conflict potential," Sayers said.

He added that people should interpret the document as "a controlled correspondence with Minikhan's subordinates that he expects them to take immediate action to increase the readiness of the command."

[Alex_Sor]

The $5.4 million confiscated from the Russian oligarch will be used to compensate for the damage caused to Ukraine by the Russian aggression.

This was announced by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin. According to him, the process of transferring funds has begun. He stressed that this is the first such case with confiscated Russian assets.

“Whoever supports the war will pay sooner or later. This is justice. This is justice. Thanks to my friend US Attorney General Merrick Garland and his team. I believe that over time there will be no place in the civilized world for Russian oligarchs and their blood-earned fortunes," Kostin said.

He said that this decision was preceded by a long cooperation between the US Department of Justice and the OGPU. Costin drew attention to the unprecedented bipartisan support in the Senate and Congress.

“At the end of 2022, the United States adopted a number of important changes to the legislation. Thanks to these changes, assets confiscated from persons involved in Russian aggression can be used to support Ukraine. Every Ukrainian has suffered in one way or another from this war. Every Ukrainian should receive compensation "Of course, you can't get back what you've lost - loved ones, homes and plans for a peaceful life... And we can and must restore justice. And that means making the aggressor pay," the Prosecutor General added.

Confiscation of Russian assets - in Ukraine it is worth knowing

Reuters reported on February 2 that a U.S. court had agreed to seize $5.4 million in the bank account of sanctioned Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeev.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-oligarch-ordered-forfeit-54-mln-us-ukraine-may-get-funds-2023-02-02/

It was noted that the decision taken by the court paves the way for the use of funds to rebuild Ukraine devastated by the Russian war.

[Alex_Sor]

On the morning of February 4, an accident occurred at one of the key energy infrastructure facilities in the Odessa region. As a result, part of the district and the regional center were left without electricity.

A rescue operation is already underway at the facility: "All the forces and means of the State Emergency Service and other departments have been involved, the power engineers are doing everything possible to restore the supply of electricity."

Residents are asked to remain calm and understand the temporary inconvenience.

Meanwhile, footage of the fire was published on the network, allegedly at a local substation, rescue crews have already arrived at the scene of the incident. A thick column of smoke rose from the area.

UPDATED 10:18. Due to a missile attack at the power facility, the entire Odessa is now de-energized, DTEK reports. "Today, the second large-scale accident in a day occurred at the Ukrenergo substation. Therefore, Odessa and part of the Odessa region are temporarily de-energized," the message says.

 

[Alex_Sor]

In Bakhmut, Donetsk region, where heavy fighting is going on, famous American volunteer Pete Reed died. The Russians killed him on Thursday while assisting the civilian population.

Rod's long-time head of humanitarian aid group Global Response Medicine said the volunteer was listed as "killed in aid" while on a mission with another organization.

     "GRM founder Pete Reed died in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Pete was the backbone of GRM, serving as CEO for 4 years. In January, Pete stepped away from GRM to work with Global Outreach Doctors on their mission in Ukraine and was killed during help," the statement said.

“This is a stark reminder of the danger rescuers and aid workers face in conflict zones when they help civilians caught in the crossfire. Pete was only 33 years old, but he lived his life serving others, first as a decorated US Marine. and then in the field of humanitarian aid. GRM seeks to honor his legacy and the selfless service that he practiced," the statement said.

On the Global Outreach Doctors website, Pete Reed is listed as the director of the organization in Ukraine.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoNXpCrLVzW/?hl=en

According to CNN, a spokesman for the US State Department confirmed in a comment "the recent death of a US citizen in Ukraine."

Reed's wife, Alex Kay Potter, revealed on Instagram that her husband not only lived for his duty, but apparently died saving the life of another team member.

“He was evacuating civilians and helping the wounded when his ambulance was fired upon. He died doing what gave him life and what he loved, and apparently saving a member of his team with his own body,” the wife noted.

Volunteer activity Pete Reed began after Hurricane Sandy, which raged in the state of New Jersey. He led medical teams during the Battle of Mosul in Iraq, treating more than 10,000 injured people.

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 04.02.23 were approximately:

 

[Alex_Sor]

Drone-kamikaze "Lancet" of the choice of microcircuits for toys and batteries for vaping (photo)

Ukrainian engineer Kostyantyn Kalinovskiy wielding a drone for the production of Rostec.

The Russians are already writing with their kamikaze drone "Lancet" and they sing that you absolutely "are not afraid of sanctions." A Ukrainian engineer, a large military ZSU, who lives in the USA, Kostyantyn Kalinovskiy, explained why he was elected, and published the results on his Twitter account.

It turned out that from the "Russian" there was only a corps, but with sanctions on it, it's important to get right into it.

Drone-kamikaze "Lancet" of layouts from boards and processors manufactured in the USA, the Netherlands and Germany.

Kostyantin explained that Rostec is choosing its own unmanned aerial vehicle with the simplest and most accessible microcircuits, which can be found in children's toy models.

Other necessary components can be "fitted" from the components of the systems of the rear view of the car or lights for diving. Also, batteries for vaping in the 18650 format are actively used by Samsung. All boards and processors are available and widely available from American companies Analog Devices, Semtech, Silicon Labs, as well as European NXP and Infineon Technologies.

 

The Viysk analyst Semuel Bendett, whose idea we have already published about the existence of the "Russian "Marker" and the American "Abramsiv", seems to be through the victoria in the "Lancet" of the majestic number of calm electronic parts.

[Alex_Sor]

[Alex_Sor]

On February 2, 1845, Ivan Pulyuy was born in Galicia - a Ukrainian physicist and electrical engineer, inventor, publicist.
He invented the first fluorescent lamp "Pulujlampe" and took pictures in X-rays.
While working in Prague, the scientist conducted fundamental research on the nature and properties of X-rays, which eventually came to be called X-rays. The researcher's first article on the origin of these rays and their photographic effect was submitted on February 13, 1896 in the "Reports of the Vienna Academy of Sciences".
However, this discovery is not attributed to Pulau, but to the German scientist Wilhelm Konrad Röntgen, who shortly before that, on December 28, 1895, published the message "On a new type of rays", which, in fact, was about X-rays. However, fourteen years before that there was already a "Pulyuya lamp" emitting such rays. Röntgen could well use this invention, as well as other developments of Pului.
At the same time, Pului was the first to use these rays in medical diagnostics. At least Pulyu was the first to photograph the entire human skeleton. Therefore, it would be fairer to call X-ray machines Pulyuev.
One of Ivan Pulyu's favorite occupations was the translation of religious works from ancient languages.
Together with Panteleimon Kulish and Ivan Nechuy-Levytsky, he participated in the first complete translation of the Bible into Ukrainian, which was published by the British Bible Society in 1903. It was a significant event in the history of Ukrainian culture.
Pulyuy was actively engaged in social activities. He supported the idea of opening a Ukrainian university in Lviv. He was a member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society.
And although the scientist spent a lot of time working outside of Ukraine, he wanted his descendants to grow up Ukrainian patriots. During the summer months, he specially hired Ukrainian language teachers for his children (he had six of them).
His eldest son, Oleksandr Pulyuy, volunteered at the age of 17 to join the ranks of the "Sich Riflemen", and then fought in the Ukrainian Galician Army until 1920.
The following words became the life credo of Puluy: "There is no greater honor for an intelligent man than to protect his own and national honor and work faithfully for the good of his people without reward to ensure a better fate for them."
Interesting and little-known facts from the lives of prominent Ukrainians are presented in Anna Cherkaska's book "Ukrainian History in Faces".

 

[Alex_Sor]

Republicans’ 2024 Magical Thinking

Lots of Republicans want Donald Trump to disappear from politics. Their main strategy is hope.

By McKay Coppins

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/01/2024-republican-primary-donald-trump-deus-ex-machina/672888/

 

"Many Republicans want Donald Trump out of politics. Their main strategy is hope." (Mackay Coppins).
If pressed, most Republican officials — even those wearing MAGA hats — will privately admit that Donald Trump has become a problem. He's presided over three terrible election cycles since he took office, and he's more volatile than ever. Except for his staunchest supporters, virtually everyone in the (Republican) party agrees: it's time to move away from Trump.
Faced with the prospect of another Trump-dominated election cycle and unsure whether he can really be beaten in the primaries, many Republicans are quietly rooting for something to happen to force him out. And they would prefer not to do it themselves.
In his recent book Thank You for Your Service, my colleague Mark Leibovitch quoted a former Republican representative who bluntly summed up his party's plan to fight Trump: "We're just waiting for him to die." As it turned out, this is not uncommon. In conversations with Republicans, it is repeatedly heard that the least destructive way to get rid of Trump, as bleak as it sounds, would be to wait for his term to expire.
Some Republicans hope Trump will finally be swept away by his legal troubles. He is now the subject of multiple criminal investigations, and his detractors dream of an indictment that would derail his campaign.
Others envision a coordinated donor uprising that will oust Trump for good. A GOP consultant told me about a private dinner in New York he attended in the fall of 2021 when he saw the billionaire Republican give an impassioned speech about the need to keep Trump from returning to the Oval Office. The man said he would spend large sums of money to defeat the former president and urged his peers to join the cause. Others in the room, including several high-profile donors and a handful of Republican senators, responded enthusiastically that evening. But when the consultant saw the same people a year later, their commitment waned. According to him, outraged donors have taken a cautious position of "wait and see."
This plague of self-deception among party elites has clear echoes of Trump's early rise to power. In the run-up to the 2016 Republican presidential primary, a fractured field of irresponsible candidates spent time and money attacking each other, convinced that the front-runner would eventually collapse. It is widely believed among the political class that such a ridiculous figure simply could never win a major party nomination, much less the presidency. Of course, by the time many of Trump's doubters realized they were wrong, it was too late.
      For all of Trump's supposedly diminished political influence, he remains a strong favorite in primary polls, where he leads his nearest challenger by about 15 points. And only a few of the party's other leaders — Ron DeSantis, Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley — have shown the ability to stand up to Trump directly and appear stronger.
      Even if another Republican wins the nomination, there's no guarantee that Trump — who is not known for his grace in defeat — will walk away. Last month, Trump caused a bit of a panic in GOP circles when he shared an article on Truth Social suggesting he might run an independent spoiler campaign if his party refuses to endorse him in 2024. Republicans I spoke with said such a split would be politically disastrous for their party. No one had any idea how to prevent it.
      Meanwhile, the Republican Party's most persistent illusion — that Trump will turn into a completely different person — somehow persists."
So everything is not so clear. Republicans are as amorphous as ever. And there is almost a year ahead and a lot can happen.

[Alex_Sor]

Ukrainian Armed Forces tether RPGs to racing drones to bomb invading Russians

Commercial drones are successfully used as ammunition on the front lines.

The Ukrainian military is tying rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) to cheap racing drones and using them to attack the Russian military. It is an effective method of destroying expensive Russian equipment and a powerful way to control the battlefield, marking a fundamental shift in how modern warfare is fought, columnist Matthew Gault writes for vice.com.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7zxp8/ukraine-is-now-strapping-rpgs-to-racing-drones-to-bomb-invading-russians

Over the past weeks, photos of improvised loitering munitions have been circulating on Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels. Footage from the attacking drones flooded the public on Reddit, according to the author, who was interested in these pictures.

So-called FPV drones are commonly used by hobbyists for racing. The idea is that the user puts on special glasses connected to the drone's camera, controls the device using the controller, receiving a video that makes it possible to see everything that the drone's camera shoots in flight.

In photos of drones taken from Telegram, the author noticed parts sold by the Ukrainian racing drone company FlyMod. “Unlike DJI drones, or other commercial drones, FPV racing drones are usually assembled by the riders themselves. Fans are constantly adjusting weight, trying different cameras to achieve optimal lift and speed,” the author explained and noted that on his a request for comment at FlyMod was not answered.

According to Gault, low cost has added popularity to commercial drones. In his article, he clarifies: “The Turkish Bayraktar combat drone costs about $5 million, while the DJI Mavic costs just over $2,000, and the Skydio 2 costs about $1,000. A custom-made racing drone using hobbyist parts can cost even less. ". The author also notes that the Armed Forces of Ukraine use racing drones very actively. To illustrate this, he quoted a Russian Telegram channel:

"The enemy constantly conducted reconnaissance using commercial UAVs - sometimes up to 6 "birds" hovered over the village at the same time. During the day they used ordinary quadrocopters, and at night they used thermal imaging cameras. In a short time, they managed to detect defense nodes and personnel movement patterns. When reconnaissance was completed, the Ukrainians fired on several roads and intersections."

According to a Telegram post, the UAF used drones to monitor Russian positions and then attacked them when the personnel began to move.

“For an hour and a half, a quadrocopter with a thermal imager followed us and hit us with a mortar. This feeling is not pleasant,” the message says. “I analyzed the situation for a long time and realized that the main damaging factor in this tactic is fear. Movement is life. Especially in war. As soon as you lose movement, you will have difficulty transporting and evacuating the wounded, the countdown timer immediately starts. Here it is important not even to kill the enemy, but to scare him so that he is afraid to move.

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 06.02.23 were approximately:

 

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 07.02.23 were approximately:

[Alex_Sor]

Ukrainian defenders are heroically repelling the attacks of the Russian occupiers along the entire line of the eastern front
In the eastern direction of the front, the Russian occupiers do not stop their offensive attempts in the Lyman and Bakhmut directions. The enemy continues to make attempts to break through our defenses, but suffers heavy losses.
During a working trip to the units that maintain the defense in the most difficult directions, the commander of the Eastern Group of Forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi talked with the unit commanders, familiarized himself with the operational situation, the features of the actions of the enemy troops in certain directions, and provided recommendations for improving the operational situation in order to strike at the enemy the greatest possible losses.
On the approaches to Bakhmut, our military showed great endurance and professionalism, which hindered the enemy's actions and caused enormous losses in manpower for the Russian occupiers. Thanks to the professional actions of our defenders, the Russian invaders cannot break through the defenses of the Bakhmut fortress. Ukrainian defenders demonstrate absolute dedication and courage to protect Ukrainian citizens.
The commander of the Eastern group of troops awarded the brave defenders for their courage, bravery and intelligence during fierce battles with the Russian aggressor in the east.

 

[Alex_Sor]

The Armed Forces of Ukraine produce more than 5,000 artillery rounds daily, which is equal to the annual order of a small European country in peacetime, Morten Brandtseg, executive director of the Norwegian arms company Nammo, told the Financial Times.

https://www.ft.com/content/ea5b48b1-61e6-4c91-8778-4cc2edaff0ca

Such pace makes it difficult to replenish the arsenals of the countries themselves, which help Ukraine with the weapons they already have.

Some components are in such high demand that delivery times have increased from months to years, Brandtzeg said.

This led to a search for source materials, from chemicals for explosives to metals and plastics for fuzes and artillery shells. Most companies have increased production shifts ahead of expected orders from national governments and are hiring more people, another concern since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Germany's largest defense contractor Rheinmetall is building a new explosives plant in Hungary to address shortages. Explosives produced at the new plant will be used, among other things, for artillery, tank and mortar ammunition. The company has also restarted decommissioned munitions manufacturing facilities and "acquired large stocks of critical materials."

The problem, according to Kevin McNamee, Denroy's chief executive in the UK, is "not so much our capabilities, but the fact that the lead time for some materials is very long - for some specialized materials it can be six months."

The rush to rearmament and the prospect of a war "which will last for some time" are reported to have fueled debate about the need to pool EU procurement despite its separate industrial bases.

The countries are also considering the possibility of further cooperation. For example, France announced in January that it would work with Australia to jointly manufacture and ship several thousand 155mm artillery shells to Ukraine.

In the European Union, this is done by the European Defense Agency, created back in 2004. However, progress will take time.

[Alex_Sor]

100-year-old machine guns "Maxim" got a second life during the great war

The machine gun barrel has a resource of 30-36 thousand shots in a row

Until the Western allies began to supply Ukraine with modern weapons, at the beginning of 2022, more than 30,000 Maxim machine guns were taken out of conservation. It has lain in army warehouses since the 40s. And it was these machine guns in the hands of the fighters of the terrorist defense forces who defended Kyiv and Chernihiv, and liberated the Kharkiv region.

"Maxims" have been defending Ukraine so far - now on the ultra-modern air defense front, according to the TSN story. It was with the help of these machine guns that our defenders shot down two "Shahed" during one of the last night attacks on Kyiv. And then the ancient "Maxims" were helped by an ultra-modern thermal imager.

It is noted that in the fall of 2022, these mastodon weapons received a new life during attacks by Iranian kamikaze drones. It turned out that twin machine guns became the best anti-aircraft weapon against attack UAVs. The reason is the water cooling of the muzzle. The barrel of the Maxim is almost always in the water, the machine gun can fire continuously for several minutes and fire 2,000 bullets at the drones before the water boils. Modern machine guns never dreamed of such a firing mode.

The Maxim machine gun is a heavy machine gun designed by American-born British gunsmith Hiram Stevens Maxim in 1883.

It became one of the founders of automatic weapons, and was widely used during the Boer War of 1899-1902, the First and Second World Wars, as well as in many modern wars.