Russian special military operation in Ukraine #52

Absorbing the western Ukr toilet is a bad idea. It is going to be a long term problem. The only "solution" is to ethnically cleanse it but Russia is not
into this sort of activity. I don't see why this region is so important. Let the NATzO boundary move east by 300 km. It's nowhere as bad
as having the whole of Ukraine in this aggressive camp. The westernmost zone is economically irrelevant. It has always been this way.

Wow -  what was in that thing? MaxxPro goes nuclear after Russian drone drop.

I would guess those white bags in that trailer were propellant bags for 155mm artillery shells and that tiny bomb from the drone set them all off at once...

This is one thing I find very hard to understand about Russia. Why is Russia still supplying Finland with nuclear fuel? Russia could have - if it chose to do so - inflicted serious damage to Finland by cutting its nuclear fuel supplies.

They have a contract. Just because you don't like someone you can't just reneg on contracts when it suits you... well you can't if you are an adult.

The EU and US are children. They make the rules and change the rules to suit themselves... how could that possibly work out bad for Finland or the EU because obviously they will look after you like they are looking after you now with problems with your economies because you can't buy cheap Russian energy... the US is supplying all the energy you need at a good price to help you guys right?

What... they aren't?

Russia is already rebuilding the places damaged during their invasion.... contrast and compare to places the west invaded or supported the attack of like Libya and Iraq and Afghanistan and Syria and Yemen.

The west could not care less about people, they care about the resources... oil, lithium, etc etc... in the case of Finland and Sweden they want bodies and resource they can throw at Russia... Finland has a border that is useful to them and they will use you while you are useful and when you are not you will be discarded...

Russia is a neighbour and knows bullying neighbours is just counter productive, but if they could talk sense into you they would, but you need to take responsibility too.

Russia is going to start responding to your hostile actions and I doubt they will be upset when your contracts end and you refuse to sign new contracts... they might be just as uninterested in new contracts as you guys are right now... and who does that hurt more I wonder?

Still Finland is a democracy so you will have had open and honest discussions and everyone will get a say in the future direction your country is headed...

Make no mistake, Russian behavior is seen as a weakness here.

That doesn't matter because you are cutting ties with Russia and therefore wont be able to exploit that perceived weakness. What is more important is that Russians know of your virulent hatred for them now and will just respond accordingly. They can send wood and resources to other places... they are working on their infrastructure and improving their train and road and air networks as well as their ports so most of the trade that used to go west can go east instead.

So they have developed tandem rounds for the RPG-16, I always thought it had more potential than the 7.

The RPG-16 rockets didn't stick out the end of the tube so the warheads were 57mm calibre... the same calibre as the tube... the tube of the RPG-7 is 40mm but the warheads could be any calibre as it sticks out the end. The RPG-29 is a 105mm calibre tube with rockets that are enclosed inside the tube.

An RPG-16 rocket with the warhead sticking out the end of the tube can have much bigger warheads with a larger 57mm rocket propellant core, but an RPG-29 can have a full calibre 105mm rocket so I don't understand why they would go back to the RPG-16?

Edit: maybe they have more energetic faster burning propellants that could provide a bigger boost to heavier more effective warheads that can reach greater ranges.

The 40mm rocket motor of the RPG-7 contains a blasting charge to blow the entire rocket out of the tube at about 170m/s and then at about 13-15m distance a sustainer rocket motor lights up and accelerates the rocket and imparts spin to flatten the flight trajectory and get the rocket up to supersonic speeds. A 57mm equivalent version for the larger calibre RPG-16 should be able to carry a much bigger sustainer rocket motor to carry heavier warheads further than the RPG-7 could (because its tube is 40mm calibre instead of the 57mm calibre of the RPG-16).

But as I point out if you are doing this to the RPG-16 then do it to the RPG-29 instead because its 105mm calibre rocket motor will have even more potential to be more powerful and an enlarged warhead sticking out the front like the 125mm HEAT warhead of the RPG-28 would be a very potent rocket fired from an RPG-29.

Yesterday’s Putin statement that the statehood of Ukraine ‘s statehood and today’s Medvedev’s statement, indicate that they plan to absorbe all Ukraine into Russia. Those were tough statement.

They have been saying all along that the longer this conflict takes the less that Kiev will be left with and the worse its deal will become...

To the guy from Iceland there is a similar attitude over here amongst some Americans. Seeing this kind of stuff as a weakness is legit insanity. It is in fact the opposite. Thr strength of will to fulfill obligations, to try to appeal to the better angels of our nature. Seeing this kind of thing as weakness is disturbing. You would either have to be out of touch with events and see things thru a really shallow, warped lens. That or you have an extreme antisocial traits close to sociopathy.

The irony is that if it was publicly revealed that the US or UK or French or whatever leader acted in this way the only way they could excuse their actions would be to say they acted in faith in a good christian way and were rejected and given a hostile response.

In other words we are the civilised people and the barbarians rejected our offer as a weakness... so when relations end we will not be trying to renew them...

On serious aside: God have mercy on the rest and its institutions.

It seems the American dream really only works for those asleep at the wheel...

The 40mm tube of the RPG-7 limits how heavy and large the warhead can be and as you mention the RPG-29 is huge and long and bulky for one man to operate properly. I dare say dragging that and the ammo through trenches and forests and through rubble means you wont want to pick it as your first weapon.

The RPG-7 can use 105mm rounds too there is an attachment for the sights to allow super elevation so basically you loft the big heavy rockets into the air and the tiny 40mm rocket motor carries them to 200-300m at best.

The RPG-16 was interesting but with the rocket warhead inside the tube and therefore limited to 57mm limits its growth potential and also its ability to fire heavy other rounds like thermobaric or fragmentation.

The RPG-32 seemed to me to be the best solution where it was an optics and grip that you inserted four rocket modules to... two were 72mm and two were 105mm and in each calibre there was an anti armour HEAT warhead and an anti personal and anti soft target thermobaric rocket. Both would clip on to the launcher so you could use it against tanks and strong enemy positions or buildings (105mm) or you could use it against light vehicles and troops in the open (72mm).

If they designed it well it could also use 125mm HEAT warheads for modern tanks (900mm+ penetration).

Maybe they are going to extend the RPG-16 ammo to allow oversized warheads taking advantage of the more powerful rocket motor (57mmvs40mm) to carry the same heavy warhead further or carry heavier warheads or both.

I thought the RPG-32 was clever and matched the new RPO-M which is a gripstock and optics for engineer rockets like RPO-A/D/Z and MRO and LRO rockets of the same family.

Should be interesting what they come up with.