Final Post: Traitors

I was born in Ukraine. All my life, I had a positive attitude towards Russia. We were supposed to be brotherly nations. Many of us (including myself) had family members in both countries. I loved Russian movies, music, and literature. Heck, I created this page to share about the Russian military with the whole world. In 2014, Russia began to take Ukrainian territory. The reason is obvious: Russia is not the same without its Soviet colonies. Putin, himself, stated that the greatest tragedy of the 20th century was the dissolution of the Soviet Union. And ever since the Soviet Union dissolved, Russia has constantly meddled in the affairs of its former republics, sometimes going as far as to invade. Chechnya and Georgia were both invaded. I was silent. Then in 2014, Russia began to take territories from Ukraine. And I was still silent. However, around 2019, I began to read and research more, and began to truly understand what was going on. And then, in 2022, all hell broke loose…

The first thing I remember was the news reporting the movement of Russian troops and equipment to the border. There was a lot of talk about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, and I didn’t believe it at first. I thought there was no way that Putin would be that crazy. However, shortly afterwards, Putin delivered a speech. I was shocked to hear the things he was saying. Talking about Ukrainian Nazis and all that other BS. As I listened to the speech, I remembered how many times I encountered Nazis in Russia, and almost wanted to scream at the TV. The reality is that there are no more Nazis in Ukraine than in Russia, or even the USA, for that matter. Indeed, the excuse was not good enough. Later they claimed that NATO wanted to invade Russia (I’m surprised they could even lie about this with a straight face), talked about mythological bio labs, and finally, spouted the myth that Ukraine isn’t even a real country. Yeah, sure. For hundreds of years, Ukraine was real to you, now suddenly it’s not?

I’m thankful that I’m in the US. My family got out a long time ago, although I went back to Ukraine and even lived in Russia for a while. And when I lived in Russia, I really got to see how brainwashed people were. How everyone avoided politics when it came to anything negative about Russia, but were more than happy to give their $0.02 when it came to other countries. So much hatred for countries that never did anything bad to Russia such as the US, Western Europe, and even Eastern countries like Poland and Latvia (who suffered a lot because of the Soviet Union). And even now, it is obvious how little Russians know about their own history. They don’t know about the Russo-Japanese war, the Holodomor, the invasions of Poland and Finland, the Soviet Union’s pact with Nazi Germany, the suppression of uprisings in the Czech Republic and Hungary, the Soviet Afghan war, the reason the Chechen wars started in the first place, and the invasion of Georgia. Just listen to the average Russian proclaim, “Russia is a peaceful country that has never attacked anyone”. Right.

Even though I’m lucky enough to live in the US, most of my people in Ukraine have nowhere to go. Or don’t want to. It is their home after all. It is all they have. Every single day they risk being maimed or killed. Thousands of soldiers and civilians have already lost their lives. And many more have been injured or lost their homes. It is easy to find photos and videos of entire Ukrainian cities wiped off the face of the earth. And some Russians still have the audacity to claim that it was Ukraine that was wiping Donetsk off the face of the earth. First of all, Donetsk still stands. In fact, right before 2022, there wasn’t much fighting going on. Second of all, the whole war (meaning in 2014) started with Russia’s intrusion into Ukrainian territories. Russian soldiers in full uniform entering Crimea, but hiding their nationality until the big boss in charge finally admitted. Agents all over Eastern Ukraine attempted to fuel a rebellion, and eventually were able to gather enough traitors to illegally secede in Donetsk and Luhansk (they failed in many other cities, including Mariupol, Odessa, and Kharkiv).

Most of the regular citizens of Donetsk and Luhansk weren’t given a choice. Most fled to other parts of Ukraine and Europe. The pro-Russian people, of course, fled to Russia. It’s ironic. All they had to do was leave to Russia. They were free to do that. Why should Ukraine allow them to steal part of its land and give it to Russia? 8 years, 8 years. That’s all Russians repeat. But you never hear them talk about Chechnya, and what happened to Grozny. And Chechnya WAS a part of Russia. And yet they don’t care. They don’t care about how Grozny was TRULY wiped off the face of the earth. They don’t care about all the Chechen women and children that died. Nope. And they only talk about Donetsk and Luhansk because they were brainwashed into talking about it. Indeed, the more I watch, the more I see the attitude of the Russian people change with the direction of propaganda. Even Solovyev, one of the biggest war mongers and propagandists in Russia today, once said that Crimea is a part of Ukraine and should not be invaded. The hypocrites can talk all they want, but they can NEVER erase what they said in the past.

If you’ve ever watched Ilya Varlamov’s channel, you would realize that outside of the major cities, Russia has MAJOR problems. Many towns and small cities look like they are straight out of the 3rd world. Russia has the resources to be a great nation, a true superpower, and to have a prosperous population. Instead, the greedy elites have sapped all they could out of the once-recovering nation, and even the military has suffered from corruption and theft. Watching the videos and photos from Ukraine, even the most hardcore defender of Russia should express concern about the condition of the Russian military, the equipment, the tactics (or lack-thereof), and the training and morale of the soldiers. That is because the military is an extension of what Russia is: a resource-rich empire ruled by elites who hate and steal from their own people, rather than trying to build a better future for their kids. And why would they? Their kids all live in the West. All the elites have dollars in their bank accounts. While many of their people live in houses without toilets and electricity. And yet their subjects are willing to die for these rich thugs, or send their kids to die for them.

Now that Russia has crossed the line that cannot be crossed, my relationship with that country is no longer the same. The government is a bunch of fascists, and many of their people are basically slaves. Instead of questioning the motives of their government, they eat the propaganda, drown it down with vodka, pride themselves in able to live through the worst, and turn their hatred towards Ukraine and the West. There are many good Russians who have protested, burned down recruitment offices, joined Ukraine, and fled to other countries. The problem is, they are still the minority. Most are either too brainwashed or too scared to do anything. I believe Ukraine will win this war. But it won’t be enough. Too many Russians are brainwashed, and they will have to be re-educated in order for Russia to cease being a threat to the rest of the world. No country should (or would) invade Russia, so we can only hope that once Putin is dragged out of his bunker and executed in the streets by his own people (like the Czars before him), that the successor can bring Russia out of the depths of hell and on a path towards good. But for now, I seriously doubt it. And that means I’ll probably never return to Russia, stay at my apartment there, or visit my friends and family…

…And that’s fine. What is most important is the prosperity of the Ukrainian people. They chose freedom, and they will get it. Russia, on the other hand, will suffer for a long time. Because that’s what its people chose.

200th Post!

Russian military equipment in various armies around the world

 

 

1) Il-78 in service with the Algerian air-force

2) Mi-24 in service with the Algerian air-force

3) T-90S in service with the Algerian army

4) Yak-130 in service with the Algerian air-force

5) S-300 in service with the Armenian air defense forces

6) Gaz Tiger in service with the Armenian army

7) Smerch in service with the Belorussian army

8) Mi-8/17 in service with the Colombian army

9) T-80U in service with the Cypriot army

10) Mi-24 in service with the Czech army

11) Mi-8/17 in service with the Ecuadorian army

12) Buk M1 in service with the Finnish air defense forces

13) Zubr Class hovercraft in service with the Greek Marines

14) The INS aircraft carrier, built by Russia for the Indian navy

15) Mig-29SMT in service with the Indian air-force

16) Ka-31 in service with the Indian navy

17) Project 971U Akula II (K-152 Nerpa), currently leased by the Indian navy

18) T-90S in service with the Indian army

19) Tos-1A Buratino in service with the army of Kazakhstan

20) BMPT in service with the army of Kazakhstan

21) Mig-29 in service with the air-force of Ukraine

22) Project 775 Ropucha in service with the navy of Ukraine

23) Su-25 in service with the air-force of Ukraine

24) Su-27 in service with the air-force of Ukraine

25) Tunguska short range air-defense system in service with the army of Ukraine

26) Mi-35 in service with the Venezuelan army

27) Su-30MK2 in service with the Venezuelan air-force

 

Photos taken from here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

 

The AK-100 Series

Assorted Russian Navy Photos

 

Yasen Class Submarine info

Borei Class Submarine info

Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier info

Kilo Class Submarine info

Sovremenny Class destroyer info

Steregushchy Class stealth corvette info

Delta-4 Class Submarine info

 

Photos taken from here.

A Peek Into Spetsnaz Training

The Project 1155 Udaloy Class Destroyer

 

The Udaloy is an anti-submarine destroyer that was first commissioned in 1980. The Udaloy is similar to the American Spruance Class destroyer. A total of 12 of these ships have been built. The Udaloy has a displacement of 6,200 tons, a length of 163 meters, a beam of 19.3 meters, and a draught of 6.2 meters. The ship has a maximum speed of 35 knots, and a range of 10,500 nm (when traveling at a speed of 14 knots). The Project 155 has a crew of 300.

The Udaloy is armed with eight SS-N-14 Silex anti-submarine missiles, 64 SA-N-9 Gauntlet short range missiles, two SA-N-11 missiles, two AK-100 100 mm naval guns, four AK-630 30 mm gatling guns, two RPK-2 Viyuga torpedo tubes, two RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers, and two KA-27 ASW helicopters. The Udaloy is also armed with a fully elecronic warfare kit comprised of a Bell Crown intercepter, a Bell Shroud intercepter, a Bell Squat jammer, and ten PK-10 decoys RL’s.

In 1999, an upgraded version of this ship, dubbed the Udaloy II, was introduced. The Udaloy II is armed with SS-N-22 missiles instead of the tradional SS-N-14 missiles, an AK-130 mm naval gun instead of the traditional two AK-100 mm guns, and the Udav-1 anti-submarine missile system. The Udaloy II is also equipped with a new gas turbine engine, more capable sonars, and an integrated fire control system for aire defense.

Photos taken from here and here.

Video Of The US-Russian Joint Exercises At Fort Carson

 

Today, at the U.S. military base in Fort Carson, Colorado, Russian speech can be heard. For the first time since World War II, Russian and American paratroopers participate in a combat mission together. For now, a training one. Twenty two soldiers of the Russian VDV and the same amount of troops from the U.S. special forces soldiers work together to counter an attack by international terrorists. Eugene Zubkov explains how the blue and green berets learn to fight against a common enemy.

The main character of the cult saga of John Rambo would not have, even in his most terrifying nightmare, dreamed that he would be living side by side with paratroopers from Russian, but today, the Green Berets at Fort Carson are more than happy to participate in such an event. “Today is a truly momentous day, we begin joint military exercises with the airborne troops”, stated John Didrik, the commander of the 10th Special Operations Forces of the U.S. Army.

Twenty two Russian soldiers came to the rocky mountains and settled together with the American troops in the baracks, which is more like a 5-start hotel. Good furniture, home appliances, air conditioning throughout, and even a coffee machine. The soldiers quickly found a common language. They then all went together for lunch. The dining resturaunts are “all inclusive”; 5 dollars is enough for a rich buffet. At first glance, it doesn’t even seem like the military, but like paradise. However, the paratroopers were dissappointed in the local menu. The Americans do not have a “first meal”, as is the tradition in Russia, and no ice cream with fruit and soda can replace the traditional soup.

Following the meal was rest, and then, assembly, planning, and actual training, which were followed by a farewell speech. “It’s time to join forces and share combat experiences to address the threats to the peaceful development of our countries. This joint exercises is the beginning of a real (not just in words, but in deeds) cooperation to combat international terrorism”, started Alexander Shirokov, the head of the Russian military delegation. Now, the U.S. and Russia have a common enemy, and the problem of testing effective skills that can be used to deal with it. Right now, the VDV troops learn fromt he Americans. A year from now, their American comrades will visit them in Russia. Right now, our soldiers are learning tactics, communication, and familiarize themselves with the weapons that the Green Berets use.

The foreign instructors were surprised by how easily the paratroopers mastered weapons that were seemingly unusual for them. With the Beretta pistols, the Russians showed a high class of shooting at the range, and received a score of 83 out of 100, on their first try, boasted Seargant Zorik Tsydypov. The main purpose of the training is for the soldiers of the two countries to learn new combat skills from each other. During the so-called active phase, which started today, it was important that the two groups of Russian and American soldiers show that they are able to work harmoniously and show that they are able to perform flawlessly. Special operations training includes descending the mountains, reconaissance, and carrying out the capture and destruction of terrorist bases. Besides military value, these trainings also have a symbolic value. The soldiers of the two countries starte that their meeting in Fort Carson should establish mutual understandings between them, which is needed in case they will need to work together to counter a threat in the future.

 

New Mi-28N Photos

 

Mi-28N info.

 

More photos here.

New Footage Of The T-90A MBT And The BTR-80A APC

 

 

T-90A info.

BTR-80A/BTR-82A info.

The Project 775 Ropucha Landing Ship

 

The Project 775 Ropucha is a large landing ship that was first commissioned in 1975. This ship can carry up to 500 tons of cargo and has doors for unloading and loading vehicles in the bow and stern. The Ropucha has a displacement of 4,080 tons with a full load, a length of 112.5 meters, a beam of 15 meters, and a draft of 3.7 meters. It is powered by two diesel engines that are rated at 19,200 hp and move the ship at speeds of up to 18 knots. Moving at a speed of 15 knots, the ship has a maximum range of 6,100 nm (nautical miles).

 

The Project 775 can carry twenty five BTR-80 APCs, or up to ten main battle tanks, plus 200 troops, or three main battle tanks, three 2S9 Nona-S self propelled mortars, five MT-LB APCs, four military trucks, plus 313 troops. The ship has a crew of 98. The armament is comprised of two twin barreled 57 mm AK-725 main guns, two 120 mm A-215 Grad-M rocket launchers with 30 tubes, four Igla short range air defense systems, and two AK-630 30 mm Gatling guns. The upgraded Project 775M Ropucha 2 is armed with a single AK-176 76 mm main gun instead of the two AK-725s.

 

Photos taken from here.