Tectonic.

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DEPLETION OF WEAPONS STOCKPILES DUE TO THE UKRAINE CONFLICT NOT ONLY A PROBLEM USA BUT NATO TOO.

From the Russian Internet media out "Russian Times" dated 23 May, 2022.

"EU’s weapons stockpile depleted – Borrell"

"The conflict in Ukraine has revealed numerous shortfalls in the bloc’s security, Josep Borrell says"

Josep Borell NATO Foreign Affairs Chief.

"The EU needs to take more responsibility for its security and compensate for the shortfalls that have been underlined by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the bloc’s foreign affairs chief,  has warned."

“'The most obvious example' of such shortfalls are 'the depleted stockpiles resulting from the military support we provided to Ukraine' Borrell wrote in his blog on Sunday.:

SO MUCH WEAPONS SUPPORT GIVEN TO THE UKRAINIAN THAT THE VARIOUS NATO NATIONS WEAPONS STOCKPILES NO LONGER SUFFICIENT IN CASE OF A WIDENING CONFLICT!!

[....]

"The events in Ukraine have resulted in 'a tectonic shift of the European security landscape,' the diplomat insisted. 'Now it is clear that Europe is in [a] danger area'''

"tectonic: adjective - 2: having a strong and widespread impact"

Cheapskate European nations constituent members of NATO not willing to budget and spend an agreed upon amount per year for NATO readiness/preparedness and contingencies. And has been the case for decades.

The chickens come home to roost.

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Severodonetsk I.

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From Forbes by David Axe the article as seen at msn.com

"Giant Artillery Opens Fire As Russia Goes On The Attack In Donbas"

Artillery-centric Russian army now deploying their heaviest weapons for the Donbass operation. Objective obliterate the Ukrainian defender.  Ukrainian army units vicinity Severodonetsk beware!

"Fighting has sharply escalated in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. Both sides are bringing in more and heavier artillery, adding to the carnage."

"But it’s the Russians who have the biggest guns and mortars—and who are most willing to shoot indiscriminately. 'In the coming weeks, Russia is likely to continue to rely heavily on massed artillery strikes as it attempts to regain momentum in its advance in the Donbas,' the U.K. Defence Ministry warned on Tuesday."

[....]

"Russian gunners meanwhile have brought in their biggest cannons and mortars. Videos that circulated online in recent days depict both 2S7 203-millimeter self-propelled howitzers and 2S4 240-millimeter self-propelled mortars firing on Ukrainian positions in Donbas."

"These massive artillery pieces with their 200- or 300-pound shells can penetrate earthworks and bunkers to a greater depth than smaller-calibers guns can do."

Each of those weapons 2S7 and 2S4 should also have an ability at least in theory to for fire an atomic round if necessary!

OH MY! What are we in for?

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Scrap.

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Eternal warfare at work? A mere scrap of land, an island in the Black Sea during a time of peace of little or any value to any during a time of war becomes of major importance?

BLOCKADE BLACK SEA SNAKE ISLAND!

From DEBKAfile and thanks to same.

"Russia strikes US missile shipment for Ukraine, blocks world’s grain supply"

 May 22, 2022 

"Russia is blockading Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, choking off a primary world source of wheat, corn and fodder – Vladimir Putin’s payback for Western sanctions. International food experts foresee this blockade of Ukraine’s exports causing extreme food shortages and even famine in at least 36 countries, the worst hit being Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Thailand and parts of Africa."

Shortages of basic food items plus an increased price going to be a big problem in unstable parts of the world. Expect upheaval on a global scale with ramifications immense!

"Ways of countering the Russian blockade and releasing for export the roughly 22 million tons of grain held in Ukraine storehouses are under urgent discussion in Washington and Brussels. One proposal is for US and Western warships to escort the laden freighters sailing out of Ukraine’s ports.  However, those vessels would have to break through the effective stranglehold maintained by 20 warships of the Russian fleet over Ukraine’s export ports from Snake Island, a tiny kilometer-square scrap of land situated in the northwest of the Black Sea."

FOREIGN interventionist fleet [not just NATO perhaps] breaking the blockade and opening the Black Sea once more for commercial vessels to engage in vital international trade? That is the answer? MILITARY FORCE undoubtedly will be required to make the Russian compel! WW3 the result. Is this what some want?

See all previous blog entries [some with additional embedded links[ blockade the Black Sea and Ukrainian ports:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2022/04/unfettered.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2022/04/uninsurable.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2022/04/purposefully.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2022/04/negligence.html

coolbert.

Aerospace.

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One again the Ukrainian saboteurs working in Russian have struck with success?

The chickens come home to roost for the Russian?

Article by By WILL STEWART FOR MAILONLINE and thanks to same.

"Suspicious fire breaks out at Russian aerospace institute that develops fighter jets and rockets in latest blaze to hit the country amid fears of Ukrainian saboteur campaign"

21 May 2022.

* "Fire broke out at a major Russian aerospace institute only 43 miles from Moscow" * "The institute has been crucial to the development of aircraft fighters and rockets" * "A retired CIA operative spoke of a 'Ukrainian sabotage campaign inside Russia'" 

VAUNTED Russia security and security forces not so VAUNTED?

See previous blog entries as germane to the topic of sabotage Russia:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2022/05/fkp-perm.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2022/04/tver.html

coolbert.

Totals.

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From the twitter account of BashKama and thanks to same. The tip from Freeper. 

Ukrainian military forces the Azovstal steel works have now surrendered.

The final tally of prisoner-of-war [POW] from the en masse surrender high.

"Mariupol Surrender Update, 3837 total POWs"

Figures from DNR head Pushilin twitter ^ | 5/21/2022 | 

* "There are foreign mercenaries among the surrenderers."

* "Six Azov fighters died on the last day of planned surrender, as they detonate remaining ammunitions."

* "In all 2,439 personnel have been processed. 78 of the surrenderers are female."

{This is in addition to the 1398 that had surrendered in earlier days at Ilyich plant, largely marines, for a total of 3837}

Previous mass surrender of Ukrainian Marines occurring several weeks ago.

More on this later.

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Cadets USAFA.

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NO free lunch. Sorry dudes!

"3 Air Force Academy cadets who refused vaccine won't be commissioned"

From the AP and cbsnews.com MAY 21, 2022 / 

Pay back the money you now owe the U.S. government?

"Three cadets set to graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy who have refused the COVID-19 vaccine will not be commissioned as military officers, the academy said Saturday. The cadets will still earn their bachelors degrees, according to the academy."

"Academy spokesman Dean Miller said that a fourth cadet who had refused the vaccine until about a week ago decided to get vaccinated and will graduate and become an Air Force officer."

"In a statement, Miller said that while the other three will receive their degrees, 'they will not be commissioned into the United States Air Force as long as they remain unvaccinated.' He added that a decision on whether to require the three to reimburse the United States for education costs in lieu of service will be made by the secretary of the Air Force.

YEP! EXPENSE TO EDUCATED A CADET AT ANY OF THE MILITARY ACADEMIES RATHER STEEP. AND YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN AN APPOINTMENT TO THE USAFA [OR WEST POINT OR ANNAPOLIS] CONTINGENT ON DOING FURTHER SERVICE IN THE MILITARY AS A COMMISSIONED OFFICER. 

Government USA now has made an expenditure and wants it's money back in return!

Sad in a way too. Lots of prestige normally associated with graduating from one of the military academies.

coolbert.

Fullback GPS.

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Consider this to be a surprise? USA GPS si, Russian GLONASS no? Ground positioning system [GPS] USA superior or Russian GLONASS inferior?

Crashed Russian advanced frontline Su-34 warplane NATO code name Fullback needing to rely on American technology?

"Downed Russian fighter jets are being found with basic GPS 'taped to the dashboards,' UK defense minister says"

From Business Insider by Bill Bostock May 10, 2022.

"Russia is taping basic GPS devices to its fighter jets' dashboards, the UK's defense minister [Ben Wallace] said."

"Ben Wallace said this was due to 'the poor quality' of Russia's own navigation systems."

[....]

"Wrecked Russian fighter jets are being found with rudimentary GPS receivers 'taped to the dashboards' in Ukraine because their inbuilt navigation systems are so bad, the UK's defense secretary, Ben Wallace, said."

Honestly, I had to read this article several times to fully understand what is being said. The Russian is using a commercially available GPS receiver [I am assuming rudimentary means commercial] taped to the warplane control panel rather than rely on their own Russian GLONASS system for precisely accurate navigation.

Russians beware too. In a time of war the American GPS can be tweaked and modified so that the commercial version GPS receiver will give not so accurate readings as to positioning.

Perhaps this is part of the reason for the perceived poor performance of the Russian Air Force during the Ukraine Conflict? Targets just cannot be located with necessary preciseness?

coolbert.