MZ-21 (9M22S) magnesium rounds are being used on #Azovstal to try and burn the defenders. #SaveAzovstal #SaveMariupol #Kyiv #Mariupol pic.twitter.com/66QqqNDZjo

— 🌍Kiev Ukraine🇺🇦VS🇷🇺Russia (@FengshiweiBRF) May 16, 2022

Ouch, that's gonna leave a mark.

"Russia has likely run out of combat-ready reservists, forcing it to integrate forces from private military companies and militias with its regular army, the Institute for the Study of War reported."
@nytimes: https://t.co/mYmYFv90nD

— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) May 16, 2022

⚡️⚡️⚡️“Swedish, Finnish foreign ministers should not bother coming to Turkey to convince Turkey to approve their NATO bids.” -Erdogan⚡️⚡️⚡️

— spook (@spook_info) May 16, 2022

Someone remind me. Does Turkey matter in their UN application?

Looks like Russia is donesky.

Incoming members must be unanimously approved.

Hmm, maybe Ukraine did accept the offer. Not believing until I see more evidence not coming from Russia though.

The Russian media has published footage purportedly showing the first wounded Azov soldiers brought to the DNR in today’s evacuation of the Azovstal factory in Mariupol. https://t.co/JWVqjiXp6A pic.twitter.com/2QZ5UXGilB

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) May 16, 2022

Longer version of Azovstal that the world should see. This is their Alamo, representing courage, strength, and a faith few will ever taste. We should have done more.

https://www.reddit.com/r/RussiaUkraineWar2022/comments/ur2dj6/azovstal/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Turkey is a NATO member in name only with how much work they have been doing with Russia. Over the past decade they have switched to mostly Russia based weapon systems and since the US backs the Kurds Erdogan keeps calling us terrorist supporters. You also have to remember to counter Russia the US has a base in Turkey with B61 nukes in it.

The whole Turkey, Syria, Russia, Iran, Iraq area is such a cluster.

JFABNRGR said:

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Longer version of Azovstal that the world should see. This is their Alamo, representing courage, strength, and a faith few will ever taste. We should have done more.

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What do you think we should have done?

They chose to fight on behind enemy lines instead of breaking out.

And they seem to be taking really good care of him too...

And there it is. This sounds like surrender. No one can fault them for it if so. My prayers for their future.

2/2

Azov Regiment: In order to save lives, the entire Mariupol garrison is implementing the approved decision of the Supreme Military Command and hopes for the support of the Ukrainian people.https://t.co/VjEFG96FJE

— Status-6 (@Archer83Able) May 16, 2022

P.U.T.U said:

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Turkey is a NATO member in name only with how much work they have been doing with Russia. Over the past decade they have switched to mostly Russia based weapon systems and since the US backs the Kurds Erdogan keeps calling us terrorist supporters. You also have to remember to counter Russia the US has a base in Turkey with B61 nukes in it.

The whole Turkey, Syria, Russia, Iran, Iraq area is such a cluster.

---

The only reasons we tolerate Turkey's **** is that airbase and their control over the entry to the Black Sea. They have been less than helpful at times about letting us use that base for combat in certain parts of the middle east.

Pentagon update on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Day 82:

• 🇺🇦 has put 74/90 🇺🇸-provided howitzer artillery into the fight
• 🇺🇸 allies sent 10 flights of military aid for 🇺🇦 in 24hr
• 🇺🇦 has 3 new Mi-17 helos from 🇺🇸
• 🇺🇦 pushed 🇷🇺 troops from Kharkiv to w/i 2 mi of border

— Jack Detsch (@JackDetsch) May 16, 2022

txags92 said:

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P.U.T.U said:

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Turkey is a NATO member in name only with how much work they have been doing with Russia. Over the past decade they have switched to mostly Russia based weapon systems and since the US backs the Kurds Erdogan keeps calling us terrorist supporters. You also have to remember to counter Russia the US has a base in Turkey with B61 nukes in it.

The whole Turkey, Syria, Russia, Iran, Iraq area is such a cluster.

---

The only reasons we tolerate Turkey's **** is that airbase and their control over the entry to the Black Sea. They have been less than helpful at times about letting us use that base for combat in certain parts of the middle east.

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True, driving them toward Russia is a way to let Ukraine win the battle only to give away the whole war. Turkey has always been probematic since they moved away from a more secular government.

A different kind of update… McDonalds is pulling out of Russia:

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61463876

Quote:

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McDonald's has said it will permanently leave Russia after more than 30 years and has started to sell its restaurants.
The move comes after it temporarily closed its 850 outlets in March.
The fast food giant said it made the decision because of the "humanitarian crisis" and "unpredictable operating environment" caused by the Ukraine war.
The opening of McDonald's first restaurant in Moscow in 1990 came to symbolise a thaw in Cold War tensions.
A year later, the Soviet Union collapsed and Russia opened up its economy to companies from the West. More than three decades later, however, it is one of a growing number of corporations pulling out.
"This is a complicated issue that's without precedent and with profound consequences," said McDonald's chief executive Chris Kempczinski in a message to staff and suppliers.

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More at the link.

AgLA06 said:

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JFABNRGR said:

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Longer version of Azovstal that the world should see. This is their Alamo, representing courage, strength, and a faith few will ever taste. We should have done more.

---

What do you think we should have done?

They chose to fight on behind enemy lines instead of breaking out.

---

From my arm chair, I don't see the difference between killing russians with Javelins or M777s, so to me predators/reapers wouldn't be any different and may have made a significant difference. Then again maybe they would have all been shot down without much affect.

Looking at the map, I think more resources to the SW Kherson to Melitopol may have brought some relief to Mariupol and only briefly without hammering or blocking red movement south from Donetsk.

For certain this whole thing could have been prevented prior to February 24th and as far back as 2014.

JFABNRGR said:

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Longer version of Azovstal that the world should see. This is their Alamo, representing courage, strength, and a faith few will ever taste. We should have done more.

https://www.reddit.com/r/RussiaUkraineWar2022/comments/ur2dj6/azovstal/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

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Done more how?

We were providing detailed info on SAM battery locations which was allowing Ukraine to resupply the Azov brigades and Uke Marines by helicopter. At least until the Russians plugged the gap in their defenses and shot down the Uke helicopters, ending the resupply missions.

Possible exchange for Russian POWs. Although concerning reports that they are heading to Donetsk.

Zelensky is scheduled to address the public on the Azov situation tonight… https://t.co/h6OjkkZ4qK

— OSINT UK (@jon96179496) May 16, 2022

The Black Sea is a huge reason, the other is they CAN be a good ally but that won't happen with Erdogan there. Will have to wait it out until the next guy to see if they get someone more in line with our thinking.

P.U.T.U said:

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The Black Sea is a huge reason, the other is they CAN be a good ally but that won't happen with Erdogan there. Will have to wait it out until the next guy to see if they get someone more in line with our thinking.

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Doubtful. Erdogan has purged the Army of the secular elements that had worked to prevent the Islamist factions from taking over Turkey in the past. They are headed down that path now and nobody secular will be able to take control now. Erdogan is trying to position himself as the Islamic alternative to Iran in the region.

The lethal effects of artillery were not put on a really scientific basis until WW2.

There were lots of reasons for this involving money & politics I won't go into.

When the operational analysts to their first bite. They made charts like this mapping fragment impacts.
2/ pic.twitter.com/ugQ6jf0oYP

— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) May 16, 2022

What analysts were trying to achieve was a consistent modeling of airburst frag-patterns to kill infantry in trenches.

Then this information was fed into engineering shell designs to get the metallurgy & design of shells
4/ pic.twitter.com/Rd7d4KgND8

— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) May 16, 2022

The movement to ban cluster weapons lead to a push to replace lots of little bombs with more efficient fragmentation with 40 years better computer technology, explosives & metallurgy.

This Rheinmetall infographic shows what that means in terms of shell lethality.
6/ pic.twitter.com/x12DaowN02

— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) May 16, 2022

Russian 152mm shells have not ridden the increased lethality technological development train because Russia kept artillery cluster munitions.

The M795 155mm shell has. And it much more lethal on a shell for shell basis than a Russian 152mm shell because it did.

8/

— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) May 16, 2022

There is a price to be paid for US M795 shell being both more lethal in its fragmentation and safer to use because of the explosives.

It costs more than a Russian 152mm shell.

There are reasons why the defense budget costs more for fewer weapons.

This is one of them.
9/End

— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) May 16, 2022

Two Russian BMPs enter a minefield, the first one hits a mine, second one drives full speed into another. pic.twitter.com/03B93JPMnL

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 16, 2022

Kharkiv these days. Volunteers and city workers plant pansies in front of the administration building destroyed by Russian Kalibrs. Ukrainian tanks pass by. pic.twitter.com/dtH84vR5Zz

— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) May 16, 2022

2/ Caveats
- Did not include fuel and water, which are obviously critical. I will look into that upon more study and info.
- Not a logistics expert
- This take is very preliminary and the result of a few hours of research on the topic over the weekend. A lot more work is needed

— Henry Schlottman (@HN_Schlottman) May 16, 2022

Full thread: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1526270271002378240.html

Ernest Tucker said:

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MeatDr said:

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Speaking at today’s CSTO summit, Putin said that NATO membership alone for Finland and Sweden poses no threat to Russia, but Moscow will respond in kind to any buildup of military infrastructure in these nations. Russia’s response will depend on the buildup. pic.twitter.com/V12cFZe5nO

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) May 16, 2022

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And just like that, Putin blinks

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Now if we could just get him to substitute Ukraine for Sweden/Finland in that sentence. There's maybe 100 miles difference between Moscow & the borders with Finland and Ukraine, which again proves the security justification for the invasion was a load of crap.