• JohnDClay
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    3 days ago

    It’s seriously astonishing that they managed to wear though the entire massive Soviet stockpile.

    Covert Cobal has great tank and apv counting vids, documenting the ever worsening condition of the vehicles remaining. https://youtube.com/@covertcabal

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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      3 days ago

      Yes. Back when analysts used to talk about a war with Russia pre-2022, something you heard pretty often was “they’re not as advanced, but they have so much stockpiled armour”.

      This is like America running out of guns or Canada running out of syrup.

      • slaacaa@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I think not even the CIA predicted the effectiveness of drones and javelins against old armor. Without modern defenses, they are just sitting (or slowly moving) ducks. Add to this the corruption in the military, causing lack of maintenance and missing parts, plus the gaps in skills and training of their soldiers.

        We are maybe 1-2 years away from the Russian military collapsing, if it weren’t for the orange clown.

        • Dultas@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          Even modern armor without active countermeasures like Trophy seem like they could be just as vulnerable to drones. Especially to top attacks.

        • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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          2 days ago

          I said 15 months or less to hyperinflation somewhere yesterday. In that case, they could theoretically start conscription and grind Ukraine down that way, or start selling big ticket things like territory in exchange for help, but political capacity to enforce that is a serious question.

      • JohnDClay
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        3 days ago

        Yup. Not because they were out of more modern tanks yet at that point, but because the more modern tanks took longer to refurbish. But now they really are scraping the bottom of the barrel.

        • A_norny_mousse@feddit.org
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          2 days ago

          Yeah, I was wondering. One would suppose 80 yo ordnance is the bottom of the barrel. Thanks for clarifying.

    • wewbull@feddit.uk
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      3 days ago

      The stockpile was built in the 50s, 60s and 70a though. The vast bulk of it is 50-70 years old. Post soviet Russia didn’t have the money, and prior to that the stockpile was good.

      • JohnDClay
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        3 days ago

        Prior to Ukraine the stockpile was good. Then it started disappearing.