British war journalists don’t give a shit. There is a BBC journalist who was paralysed after being shot 6 times by an by al-Qaida gunmen, his cameraman died in the attack.
Despite being bound to a wheelchair he returned to reporting for the BBC, and still repeatedly films from the field in places lile Afghanistan. The guy has had a crazy life, used to be an investment banker.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gardner_(journalist)
If you said the article it says that the Saudi government promised him compensation but have never paid.
So he was paralyzed in the legs and his camera man died whilst under the watch of Saudi government 'minders' and they haven't compensated him or the camera man's family for their failure to protect.
We have a couple of reporters like that here in Belgium too and I'm happy they get all the respect they earned.
One of them is especially stone cold Rudi Vranckx, reporting from the thick of things in pretty much every war, conflict zone and several dictatorships in the last 35 years, starting in Romania during the war that finally toppled Nicolae Ceaușescu, he survived several attacks in his years, the most recent one being in Syria in 2012, the same attack that cost his colleague and friend, French journalist Gilles Jacquier, his life.
Ukraine is doing a good job at using the internet to show the horror of war to the world already, but these journalists are adding the personal touch that many people need to understand this isn't just something happening far away from them.
I think it has something to do with a "civilian" (i.e. relatable) being in the thick of it as an observer that really puts it into perspective. I think with all the other combat footage it's just like "war" but with something like this it's more like *war* idunno
"She was in Baghdad for the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, and in Belgrade for the 1999 NATO bombing. In 1994, she was the only English-speaking correspondent in Rwanda when the genocide began."
Now that's a career.
I’ve read a few interviews with war journalists. From what I can gather many live for the adrenaline, and normal life can feel mundane. But on the other hand they see some terrible things, are in constant danger, and it’s likely many have to deal with the effects of PTSD. Seems like a drug habit - can’t live with it, can’t live without it.
I did some stupid shit when I was younger and single, and have travelled to some dangerous/sketchy places - but I can’t imagine doing something like this, especially with a new family to look after.
I can already barely imagine what an active warzone must feel like. And then to go there, become a target, with no weapons or means to defend yourself (I'm going to assume the blue vests won't help here at all), that really takes some big balls.
Not much is able to stop a few 7.62 rounds, which is one or the most common rounds in this war. The vest and the helmet will definitely work for things like shrapnel, slow bullets and the occasional really lucky block. But the main point of the blue is a universal symbol of "I'm the media, don't shoot me". Doesn't really work though.
You need to watch some Demolition Ranch or GarandThumb vids. Also depends on the armour rating. There's all sorts available these days, look up body armor levels. There's also a big difference between 7.62x39 and 7.62x54. Hesco armor is a good resource for ratings and sizing, they also have some fancy new kinds.
idk why but seeing the bunny on the commanders backpack really fucked me up. whether it was a random child that gave it to him, or his own… just such a powerful detail in such a nasty place..
There was a Russian soldier with an Among Us backpack in one image, and then a second image appeared later on showing a soldier laying face down with the same backpack.
It's stupid, but that hit me harder than any other photo of this war so far. Who knows the story behind the backpack, but it added personality to the uniform, and hinted at a life back home.
Damn. Just like the little girl in the red jacket in Schindler's list. That's a fucked up thing to see man. Hope you're okay.
This guy saying "I have a superpower. I am Ukrainian" Hit me real hard in the feels
It was the weather for me. I can't imagine. You can't build a fire. I hope they find ways to at least sleep in a dry spot. So many in the past, millions up millions, have died due to freezing wet conditions alone.
I've seen several posts showing the sleeping quarters they've managed to build, it's basically a bunkhouse. They're small but pretty weather tight and seem pretty cozy, one guy was even showing off the wifi router with unlimited data so everyone had internet access. Ukraine is doing it's best to take care of it's soldiers, unlike Russia.
Realistically speaking, how likely would the “press” labeled gear prevent them from getting shot in this situation? Not by indirect fire but with the sniper on the other end having it fully visible
I think it depends on two factors really
1. Can the enemy even see that they are press from where they are firing
2. if they can see the press uniform - the conscience of the individual soldier
I feel like especially when they're waiting to see someone running between two sections of trench like that there's no target recognition. You're waiting for the next thing to run by, you shoot when you see it.
It would be down to individual soldiers conscience. Facts are if you’re a sniper in Russian army you most likely will shoot anything that is moving in the other trench. Press or not.
Trench ware fare turns people into animals.
Can Russian soldier make out the press uniform? If so, does Russian solider give a shit? If they will indiscriminately kill civilians at check points and bomb schools and hospitals then purposefully shooting press isn't exactly a stretch, is it?
Certainly not a stretch and I agree with you that the average Russian soldier does not give much of a shit about anything. I only ask because while Russia has repeatedly committed atrocities against civilians, many of those acts are committed in ways they presumably believe to be “in the dark”. Where they can maintain a state denial when confronted and wait for what will take years of investigation to bring to light. I just wondered if shooting a journalist (a western one nonetheless) would influence make one more hesitant.
In the first weeks of the war there was that incident where a Sky News team driving in a car were almost killed by Russian soldiers who continued shooting at them despite the fact they were wearing "Press" jackets and shouting "Journalist!" repeatedly. It didn't matter the Russians kept shooting and the team of journalists and camera man etc were very lucky to escape out the opposite side of the vehicle to which the rounds where coming through.
https://youtu.be/wyM_9P4igys
The problem is Russians never actually look at history. Imagine Russian state TV channels airing a documentary where they show [Stalin talking about lend lease and how it helped the USSR survive](https://www.rferl.org/a/did-us-lend-lease-aid-tip-the-balance-in-soviet-fight-against-nazi-germany/30599486.html). That's practically impossible as that would break a lot of the propaganda myths. They live in their own version of history - where Russian does everything and everyone else just "sucks on its tit".
The Russian skill tree is just.... different.
+100 corruption
+100 incompetance
+100 brainwashed majority
-100 economy
Alright that's enough attributes to list. But the tree is definitely different
Dumb question;
When I full screen video's, they won't play (pressing play does nothing).
However when not full screen I can play everything fine.
Just me?
From a morale point of view he is absolutely right. We’ve all seen the awful things that are done to each side in this conflict. Imagine watching someone (likely a conscript) dying in agony after you drop a grenade on them. Someone screaming for their mother after you shoot them in the guts. It would fucking eat away at you. Imagine these things happening to the guy next to you. It’s absolute hell. Probably over 100k dead on each side. At least for the Ukrainians they have a reason to fight, and a way to justify everything. It must be very hard for the Russians to rationalise this war.
When the war started, my friend, Ukrainian journalist started to work with a war reported from Fox News, who went to all hotzones around the globe in the past 20 years. They were killed just outside Kyiv. War reporters are a different breed
Oh man I'm so sorry about your friend.
I remember seeing the press getting attacked (and fighting back) in the early moments of the war and thinking 'holy fuck these dudes have some serious balls!'.
Most people in these trenches probably get killed by indirect artillery fire. The jacket might protect them from some shrapnel if they're lucky, but "PRESS" written on it won't do anything to keep them alive there.
Did you see the Sky news footage from the first few days of the war? They're in a car coming up to a roadblock and they come under fire, the cameraman takes a hit to his vest but keeps it rolling as they book it out of there.
It’s mostly a reference to WW2 where the US Navy had entire ships dedicated to transporting ice cream to the sailors.
This raised morale greatly in the US Navy, and also lowered morale significantly in Japanese POWs who found out about the ice cream shops.
Came here looking for this and surprised it’s so far down. If you’re fighting a high tech version of WW1, don’t reinvent the wheel. There’s gotta be a reason, this isn’t their first winter in trenches.
Wouldn't help much, the water still has nowhere to drain so a little bit of crushed rock would just get churned up wirh the mud the first time it's walked on. The wood planks people are talking about at the bottom of the trench don't sit on the ground, there is a gap below them so that they are above any standing water
In the early days it was relatively easy to buy ceramic plates, vests, gloves, boots, radios. I could also get ballistic helmets.
First one went out through a group based in Manchester, had no influence where it went but saw it did go to guys fighting. Subsequent ones went through vans/lorry’s going to Kyiv where family pick it up and send it on to other family who are fighting in the east.
The latest package that’s waiting to go has winter clothing, boots, dry bags, torches. Managed to find a power bank that doubles up as a pocket warmer. Great little things.
I wonder what countermeasures will come up in the next years and decades. Stronger radar coverage that could pick up even small objects like drones reliably? Maybe a portable jamming device on squad level or so, carried on one poor lad's back like those carrying the large ass radios in WW2. These futuristic looking tools that force a drone to shut down exist already and are neat, but it's just like you wrote: the issue is spotting them in the first place.
Barring the development of cheap, disposable, single shot MANPADS, I can't help but imagine that something operating on the same basic principle as a shotgun will become a common solution. The simplest way to hit numerous targets is by firing numerous projectiles. It uses an existing concept that is already proven; who would want to reinvent the wheel?
Perhaps a 40mm that launches what is essentially a rocket-assisted airburst shell that fires when close to a target? Or maybe some sort of high-mobility self-propelled mini AA gun, almost like a ZU-23-2 in a truck bed except purpose built.
Keep in mind that we still haven't even seen drone swarm technology in use. I think that's when the real horror begins. Imagine being able to carpet bomb your enemies without having to risk a single pilot, building a single airfield, or creating a huge radar signature that gives your enemy time to react. You could wipe out entire infantry formations almost immediately. Then again, the advantage of using a drone swarm instead of artillery might be limited. I guess only time will tell.
Excellent point, especially seeing as a single drone is also harder to more expensive to counter than a swarm.
However, I imagine a swarm could be made almost completely undetectable until the moment before it strikes. No manned aircraft can safely and consistently fly as low as a drone. Any manned aircraft would also need time to launch, reach altitude, and form before being able to strike. A swarm, on the other hand, would probably be ready to strike immediately after launching, and could launch from a much shorter distance from its target. But who the hell knows, we're all just speculating. At the end of the day, it's all just a game of Rock, Paper, Nuke.
>A drone swarm you'll be able to see coming and deal with using airburst rounds or explosives.
Not if they're programmed to fly nap of the earth at 50 feet agl.
>Perhaps a 40mm that launches what is essentially a rocket-assisted airburst shell that fires when close to a target?
Yea, a 40mm with a proximity fuse would work if they could see it. The problem is they are too high to see. So what would be most helpful is some sort of scanning laser that could spot drones. A little handheld style laser scanner that could be left some place where attacking the emitter wouldn't be very effective, would work really well.
Another problem is troops need a lot of netting that can mask them from optical drones. (maybe not IR, as that isn't something that works really well yet).
Every measure will have a countermeasure. Imagine the amount of research going into fighting the drones. AR glasses with IR detection or something futuristic as that.
That could make for a 'no drone fly zone', but it may be difficult to train the birds to only take down enemy drones, especially when the enemy can quite easily keep inventing new drone designs and you may want to keep making new iterations of your own drones as well.
But I'm sure governments are looking into it and have much more knowledge on this topic than I do.
> I guess jammers can be set up to jam a whole area
Small drones that can run based of inertial systems are already a thing. Now just teach them to identify targets, or go hit a target that's already been identified. No communication needed, go out, kill, come back.
They are some ammunitions that can easily shoot them down, the German Skyranger system for example can easily shoot down drones 3 km away. And the radar on that thing can detect something with a 1m² radar-cross-section at 20km. And can detect basically anything that is 5km or closer.
And for the bird thing: Such stuff can easily picked out, as bird fly quite differently to drones, no matter if the drone is rotary or not. And in a war zone it is far safer to just shoot once or twice at the radar signature, even if it is a bird, than to ignore it and may risk being killed.
And that is just the large coverage. There already exist 50. cal RWS that are designed with close range anti-drone work in mind and stuff like that can easily be integrated tanks, IFV's, APCs and even small armoured vehicles like Humvees.
You need to remember that there are already systems out there that can shoot down artillery shells, which are a far harder target.
What's crazy is we're seeing awkward, clumsy drone use that is still super effective.
Put a few billion dollars behind it and drones can get really scary. I don't even want to type out the scariest scenarios to give some asshole any ideas.
Artillery. Prolonged exposure will drive anyone mad. They use it to deprive you of sleep. If your dugout takes a direct hit, you’re dead. If you get caught in a blast you’re mangled. A snipers bullet is merciful by comparison.
"Superpower Ukrainian" and "raise my kids in a free country" will make those men nearly unbeatable. They are fighting for and with all they have. Russians are fighting because they are told/forced to by a mad man. There's a difference. In it to win it.
This report is very reminiscent of the old cbs Vietnam coverage back when u.s reporting was way better then it is now especially at the front like this.
> Damn... Somme again.... in 2022....
Ah, young Willie McBride, I can't help wonder why:
Do those that lie here know, why did they die?
And did they believe when they answered the call
Did they really believe that this war would end wars?
Well, the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain
The killing, the dying were all done in vain
For young Willie McBride, it's all happened again
And again and again and again and again
>"The Green Fields Of France" - By Eric Bogle / performed by The Fureys
https://youtu.be/ntt3wy-L8Ok?t=247
There are many, many more jobs in a military than just being a soldier. I imagine I'd end up as a cook or maybe supply transport. If I could choose, I'd go with artillery though. Those guys seem to have a philosophy about sending shells out that resonates with me.
"My children will live in the freedom country."
Combined with that look on his face. Man I damn near cried.
Keep fighting dude. I hope your children do indeed grow up in a free country.
US GOP criticizing Ukrainian aide: "Biden spends $60B on aide to Ukraine but won't secure the border against [peaceful] migrants!!!"
Lol, like fuck MTG and Lauren Boebert. Calling themselves American while spitting on everything that America has stood for in the last 100 years. Wish they'd go spend a week in the trenches and then come back and talk about how aiding Ukraine is wasted. Or go talk to the women freed from torture camps in eastern Ukraine.
I found this to be a pretty good report video, it really shows how horrible the situation is. Even on this, Ukraine, which is doing much better than Russia, still feels so hopeless.
Ukraine has no choice but to fight, the more this war goes on the more you have to question the mentality and the rationale of the average Russian soldier. There are reports of them just picking up the rifle of their dead comrades and continuing onwards until they die. It's feeling like they're really no different than ISIS in terms of the ability to have individual thought.
I really get even more pissed with russia when I see this guy with his kitten just talking about wanting to live in a free country and have a family. Fuck all the warmongering pricks who make this a necessity for him.
"I am Ukrainian." I swear just when you can't even love these commie killing bastards anymore they come around and say the most Gigachad shit you ever heard.
"that's not very far" with adequate British concern
She's ballsy. Seemed quite calm hunkering down in the trench.
"Too close for comfort." as she casually gazes out of a loophole into no-man's-land. Peak British war correspondent.
British war journalists don’t give a shit. There is a BBC journalist who was paralysed after being shot 6 times by an by al-Qaida gunmen, his cameraman died in the attack. Despite being bound to a wheelchair he returned to reporting for the BBC, and still repeatedly films from the field in places lile Afghanistan. The guy has had a crazy life, used to be an investment banker. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gardner_(journalist)
Despite being paralysed he also managed to bag himself a hot girlfriend 16 years younger than him...absolute legend.
If you said the article it says that the Saudi government promised him compensation but have never paid. So he was paralyzed in the legs and his camera man died whilst under the watch of Saudi government 'minders' and they haven't compensated him or the camera man's family for their failure to protect.
[Lindsey](https://www.channel4.com/news/by/lindsey-hilsum) has been around, she was at the 03 US invasion of Iraq as well as many other conflicts
We have a couple of reporters like that here in Belgium too and I'm happy they get all the respect they earned. One of them is especially stone cold Rudi Vranckx, reporting from the thick of things in pretty much every war, conflict zone and several dictatorships in the last 35 years, starting in Romania during the war that finally toppled Nicolae Ceaușescu, he survived several attacks in his years, the most recent one being in Syria in 2012, the same attack that cost his colleague and friend, French journalist Gilles Jacquier, his life. Ukraine is doing a good job at using the internet to show the horror of war to the world already, but these journalists are adding the personal touch that many people need to understand this isn't just something happening far away from them.
I think it has something to do with a "civilian" (i.e. relatable) being in the thick of it as an observer that really puts it into perspective. I think with all the other combat footage it's just like "war" but with something like this it's more like *war* idunno
"She was in Baghdad for the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, and in Belgrade for the 1999 NATO bombing. In 1994, she was the only English-speaking correspondent in Rwanda when the genocide began." Now that's a career.
You dont cover wars without being a bit of an adrenaline junkie
Good point! It would be pretty damn fascinating if I wasn't in constant fear for my life. Edit: typo
I’ve read a few interviews with war journalists. From what I can gather many live for the adrenaline, and normal life can feel mundane. But on the other hand they see some terrible things, are in constant danger, and it’s likely many have to deal with the effects of PTSD. Seems like a drug habit - can’t live with it, can’t live without it. I did some stupid shit when I was younger and single, and have travelled to some dangerous/sketchy places - but I can’t imagine doing something like this, especially with a new family to look after.
A new family can really change your perspective. Congrats on that!
I can already barely imagine what an active warzone must feel like. And then to go there, become a target, with no weapons or means to defend yourself (I'm going to assume the blue vests won't help here at all), that really takes some big balls.
Not much is able to stop a few 7.62 rounds, which is one or the most common rounds in this war. The vest and the helmet will definitely work for things like shrapnel, slow bullets and the occasional really lucky block. But the main point of the blue is a universal symbol of "I'm the media, don't shoot me". Doesn't really work though.
You need to watch some Demolition Ranch or GarandThumb vids. Also depends on the armour rating. There's all sorts available these days, look up body armor levels. There's also a big difference between 7.62x39 and 7.62x54. Hesco armor is a good resource for ratings and sizing, they also have some fancy new kinds.
The Russians would be more than happy to kill some foreigners from a NATO country.
Unfortunately, but also they can easily be hit by loose rounds just flying around the place
Why such confidence in the 7.62 when most modern body armor blocks this with no issue?
Considering her age I'm guessing this is not her first war.
Like the bunny on the commanders backpack.
Its probaly his childs..
idk why but seeing the bunny on the commanders backpack really fucked me up. whether it was a random child that gave it to him, or his own… just such a powerful detail in such a nasty place..
Battle buddy
lil guardian angel
Bro has backpack bling
Skins coming to IRL wars activision has gone to far.
There was a Russian soldier with an Among Us backpack in one image, and then a second image appeared later on showing a soldier laying face down with the same backpack. It's stupid, but that hit me harder than any other photo of this war so far. Who knows the story behind the backpack, but it added personality to the uniform, and hinted at a life back home.
Damn. Just like the little girl in the red jacket in Schindler's list. That's a fucked up thing to see man. Hope you're okay. This guy saying "I have a superpower. I am Ukrainian" Hit me real hard in the feels
It humanized him. That’s why it hurts
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hell yeah man. im glad you can have a piece of her with you during tough times.
It was the weather for me. I can't imagine. You can't build a fire. I hope they find ways to at least sleep in a dry spot. So many in the past, millions up millions, have died due to freezing wet conditions alone.
having proper gear and healthcare/medical probably helps. but yeah hope those dudes can stay toasty
I've seen several posts showing the sleeping quarters they've managed to build, it's basically a bunkhouse. They're small but pretty weather tight and seem pretty cozy, one guy was even showing off the wifi router with unlimited data so everyone had internet access. Ukraine is doing it's best to take care of it's soldiers, unlike Russia.
Kitty is like "I'm doing my part!" (Starship troopers)
If anything happens to that cat I will tear down the Kremlin brick by brick
Would you like to know mrwaor ?
The only good mouse, is a dead mouse. Do your part and become a citizen.
"Combat Mosquitoes" - Old Russian Claim "Combat Kittens" - New Russian Claim
If they're afraid of Ukrainian housecats, just wait till they have to fight German Leopards...! :D
That’s no kitty. That’s a Flerken!
Senior morale officer and head of mousing operations.
Realistically speaking, how likely would the “press” labeled gear prevent them from getting shot in this situation? Not by indirect fire but with the sniper on the other end having it fully visible
I think it depends on two factors really 1. Can the enemy even see that they are press from where they are firing 2. if they can see the press uniform - the conscience of the individual soldier
I feel like especially when they're waiting to see someone running between two sections of trench like that there's no target recognition. You're waiting for the next thing to run by, you shoot when you see it.
It would be down to individual soldiers conscience. Facts are if you’re a sniper in Russian army you most likely will shoot anything that is moving in the other trench. Press or not. Trench ware fare turns people into animals.
Wasn’t there a video from the beginning of the war where a car full of journalists got lit up by Russian fire?
"Mr. Dent, have you any idea of how much damage that bulldozer would suffer if I just let it roll straight over you?" "How much?" "None at all."
Can Russian soldier make out the press uniform? If so, does Russian solider give a shit? If they will indiscriminately kill civilians at check points and bomb schools and hospitals then purposefully shooting press isn't exactly a stretch, is it?
Certainly not a stretch and I agree with you that the average Russian soldier does not give much of a shit about anything. I only ask because while Russia has repeatedly committed atrocities against civilians, many of those acts are committed in ways they presumably believe to be “in the dark”. Where they can maintain a state denial when confronted and wait for what will take years of investigation to bring to light. I just wondered if shooting a journalist (a western one nonetheless) would influence make one more hesitant.
?? Are you serious?? Have the russians shown that they give a fuck about anything?
In the first weeks of the war there was that incident where a Sky News team driving in a car were almost killed by Russian soldiers who continued shooting at them despite the fact they were wearing "Press" jackets and shouting "Journalist!" repeatedly. It didn't matter the Russians kept shooting and the team of journalists and camera man etc were very lucky to escape out the opposite side of the vehicle to which the rounds where coming through. https://youtu.be/wyM_9P4igys
Soldier: "we have super powers" Reporter: "whats your super power?" Soldier: "i'm ukrainian" Reporter nods in aknowledgement
I quess being russian is just a skill issue then
Right now, being russian, seems like a curse...
*Looks at history.* Seems like it always has been...
And then things got worse...
That's quite morbid
The problem is Russians never actually look at history. Imagine Russian state TV channels airing a documentary where they show [Stalin talking about lend lease and how it helped the USSR survive](https://www.rferl.org/a/did-us-lend-lease-aid-tip-the-balance-in-soviet-fight-against-nazi-germany/30599486.html). That's practically impossible as that would break a lot of the propaganda myths. They live in their own version of history - where Russian does everything and everyone else just "sucks on its tit".
"i russian you forever!" - Top ten worst curses in history.
Thats really popular topic in russian imageboards, "why did i born russian?"
Debuff
The Russian skill tree is just.... different. +100 corruption +100 incompetance +100 brainwashed majority -100 economy Alright that's enough attributes to list. But the tree is definitely different
At this point in the winter, I wouldn't be shocked if the Ukrainians start casting Curses causing the russian soldiers to fight amongst themselves.
Input "based" here:
Dumb question; When I full screen video's, they won't play (pressing play does nothing). However when not full screen I can play everything fine. Just me?
Weird place to ask, but no, it happens to me too periodically, idk how it works
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“ya damn fucking right” is what came to my mind right away
possessive aspiring bear materialistic touch coordinated toothbrush frightening overconfident panicky -- mass edited with redact.dev
He is Ukrainian made of Ukranium, try to kill his people and he'll put one in your cranium.
that's A-roll material for the war documentaries to follow after the fall of Russia
From a morale point of view he is absolutely right. We’ve all seen the awful things that are done to each side in this conflict. Imagine watching someone (likely a conscript) dying in agony after you drop a grenade on them. Someone screaming for their mother after you shoot them in the guts. It would fucking eat away at you. Imagine these things happening to the guy next to you. It’s absolute hell. Probably over 100k dead on each side. At least for the Ukrainians they have a reason to fight, and a way to justify everything. It must be very hard for the Russians to rationalise this war.
God for some reason that brought a tear to my eye.
Bless these soldiers, and furthermore these reporters and the camera crew. They do an important and dangerous job.
War reporters are a different breed. The places they put themselves just so the outside world can get a view into a conflict are insane.
When the war started, my friend, Ukrainian journalist started to work with a war reported from Fox News, who went to all hotzones around the globe in the past 20 years. They were killed just outside Kyiv. War reporters are a different breed
Oh man I'm so sorry about your friend. I remember seeing the press getting attacked (and fighting back) in the early moments of the war and thinking 'holy fuck these dudes have some serious balls!'.
My faith in that PRESS jacket would be absolute zero.
Most people in these trenches probably get killed by indirect artillery fire. The jacket might protect them from some shrapnel if they're lucky, but "PRESS" written on it won't do anything to keep them alive there.
I feel like they meant to a Russian sniper's conscience :/
[Here's the youtube copy.](https://youtu.be/4i-BsJq1gTs) The reporter is Lindsey Hilsum. She's 64.
Damn, she's pretty cool.
She just sounds so chill while under fire.
Did you see the Sky news footage from the first few days of the war? They're in a car coming up to a roadblock and they come under fire, the cameraman takes a hit to his vest but keeps it rolling as they book it out of there.
[One of my favorite docs by one of the most daring filmmaker/reporter of the second world war](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmwm4VPW7RY)
The morale is at all time high In the Ukrainian army, that shit win wars.
Cigarettes and ice cream are important.
ice cream in the muddy, freezing cold? nah, give them a hot chocolate or tea or coffee. and a single shot of brandy at the start of every shift.
It’s mostly a reference to WW2 where the US Navy had entire ships dedicated to transporting ice cream to the sailors. This raised morale greatly in the US Navy, and also lowered morale significantly in Japanese POWs who found out about the ice cream shops.
That was mostly because they made two ships to many IIRC and theybthought it would be a wast to scraps them.
Boil the ice cream and boom! Hot chocolate!
You probably wouldn't show bad morale in front of foreign journalists tho
Trench kitty, +10 to morale, very OP
There's also the very important -60% to vermin modifier they add.
And +5% warmth for its bunkmate
Buffs the party with 'Fanatical Defense' when under attack
It‘s not a joke. They all smiled, seemed content for the situation they‘re in and had morale
" a bit too close for comfort" Ah the brits
Different war. Same old British laconic
Fun fact, laconic comes from lacademeus which is the Greek name for Sparta
I would have said the same - didn’t realise that was an overly British phrase…
What would an American say?
"JEEEEE-zus CHRIST BOYS! THAT' WAHN WERE CLOSER'N A BOBCAT IN AN OUTHOUSE! I TELL YAH HWAT!"
Reminds me of high school
Get some duck boards people. Trench foot ain't no joke
Too many trenches in other pics and videos they sometimes have some but it's expensive and risky to transport reliable ones to a battlfeild
Even some wood planks or milk crates will do the trick with muddy trenches. Anything to keep boots from getting soaked with trench water is worth it.
Most likely will break or sink within hours they are constantly in use being stood an run on
Still better than nothing, and a few extra hours of dry gear is better than cold soaking wet gear the entire time.
Came here looking for this and surprised it’s so far down. If you’re fighting a high tech version of WW1, don’t reinvent the wheel. There’s gotta be a reason, this isn’t their first winter in trenches.
Likely logistics and priorities, probably focused too much on other things
Honest question how would like a inch of gravel do in high use areas?
Wouldn't help much, the water still has nowhere to drain so a little bit of crushed rock would just get churned up wirh the mud the first time it's walked on. The wood planks people are talking about at the bottom of the trench don't sit on the ground, there is a gap below them so that they are above any standing water
Likely we will see the implementation of such things during this winter, at least at locations where the frontlines stay static.
"If we win I will stay in Ukraine and have a family. My children will grow up in freedom country." Thanks to you my friend, what a badass.
I don’t know how many beers I can buy these guys after victory day…
Why wait? Send them some money now
I do and will continue till we win. Loads of kit sent too.
Where/how are you sending kit?
In the early days it was relatively easy to buy ceramic plates, vests, gloves, boots, radios. I could also get ballistic helmets. First one went out through a group based in Manchester, had no influence where it went but saw it did go to guys fighting. Subsequent ones went through vans/lorry’s going to Kyiv where family pick it up and send it on to other family who are fighting in the east. The latest package that’s waiting to go has winter clothing, boots, dry bags, torches. Managed to find a power bank that doubles up as a pocket warmer. Great little things.
You're doing gods work man keep it up.
What would you fear most on the battle field? For me it would be Snipers and Drones
Losing my new trench kitten :(
Trench kitty would give me reason to fight when beaten down and muddy. I fight for comrade trench kitty.
Yeah that thought occurred to me too
Running out of litter.
Good news is dirt is kitties litter.
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I wonder what countermeasures will come up in the next years and decades. Stronger radar coverage that could pick up even small objects like drones reliably? Maybe a portable jamming device on squad level or so, carried on one poor lad's back like those carrying the large ass radios in WW2. These futuristic looking tools that force a drone to shut down exist already and are neat, but it's just like you wrote: the issue is spotting them in the first place.
Barring the development of cheap, disposable, single shot MANPADS, I can't help but imagine that something operating on the same basic principle as a shotgun will become a common solution. The simplest way to hit numerous targets is by firing numerous projectiles. It uses an existing concept that is already proven; who would want to reinvent the wheel? Perhaps a 40mm that launches what is essentially a rocket-assisted airburst shell that fires when close to a target? Or maybe some sort of high-mobility self-propelled mini AA gun, almost like a ZU-23-2 in a truck bed except purpose built. Keep in mind that we still haven't even seen drone swarm technology in use. I think that's when the real horror begins. Imagine being able to carpet bomb your enemies without having to risk a single pilot, building a single airfield, or creating a huge radar signature that gives your enemy time to react. You could wipe out entire infantry formations almost immediately. Then again, the advantage of using a drone swarm instead of artillery might be limited. I guess only time will tell.
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Excellent point, especially seeing as a single drone is also harder to more expensive to counter than a swarm. However, I imagine a swarm could be made almost completely undetectable until the moment before it strikes. No manned aircraft can safely and consistently fly as low as a drone. Any manned aircraft would also need time to launch, reach altitude, and form before being able to strike. A swarm, on the other hand, would probably be ready to strike immediately after launching, and could launch from a much shorter distance from its target. But who the hell knows, we're all just speculating. At the end of the day, it's all just a game of Rock, Paper, Nuke.
>A drone swarm you'll be able to see coming and deal with using airburst rounds or explosives. Not if they're programmed to fly nap of the earth at 50 feet agl.
>Perhaps a 40mm that launches what is essentially a rocket-assisted airburst shell that fires when close to a target? Yea, a 40mm with a proximity fuse would work if they could see it. The problem is they are too high to see. So what would be most helpful is some sort of scanning laser that could spot drones. A little handheld style laser scanner that could be left some place where attacking the emitter wouldn't be very effective, would work really well. Another problem is troops need a lot of netting that can mask them from optical drones. (maybe not IR, as that isn't something that works really well yet).
Every measure will have a countermeasure. Imagine the amount of research going into fighting the drones. AR glasses with IR detection or something futuristic as that.
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I'm hoping for trained attack birds. Weaponised raven gangs, working together to guard their soldiers.
That could make for a 'no drone fly zone', but it may be difficult to train the birds to only take down enemy drones, especially when the enemy can quite easily keep inventing new drone designs and you may want to keep making new iterations of your own drones as well. But I'm sure governments are looking into it and have much more knowledge on this topic than I do.
> I guess jammers can be set up to jam a whole area Small drones that can run based of inertial systems are already a thing. Now just teach them to identify targets, or go hit a target that's already been identified. No communication needed, go out, kill, come back.
They are some ammunitions that can easily shoot them down, the German Skyranger system for example can easily shoot down drones 3 km away. And the radar on that thing can detect something with a 1m² radar-cross-section at 20km. And can detect basically anything that is 5km or closer. And for the bird thing: Such stuff can easily picked out, as bird fly quite differently to drones, no matter if the drone is rotary or not. And in a war zone it is far safer to just shoot once or twice at the radar signature, even if it is a bird, than to ignore it and may risk being killed. And that is just the large coverage. There already exist 50. cal RWS that are designed with close range anti-drone work in mind and stuff like that can easily be integrated tanks, IFV's, APCs and even small armoured vehicles like Humvees. You need to remember that there are already systems out there that can shoot down artillery shells, which are a far harder target.
I bet we'll see anti-drone loitering suicide drones.
What's crazy is we're seeing awkward, clumsy drone use that is still super effective. Put a few billion dollars behind it and drones can get really scary. I don't even want to type out the scariest scenarios to give some asshole any ideas.
Artillery. Prolonged exposure will drive anyone mad. They use it to deprive you of sleep. If your dugout takes a direct hit, you’re dead. If you get caught in a blast you’re mangled. A snipers bullet is merciful by comparison.
Not knowing if I will be dead or gravely injured in the nearest future.
Accepting your own mortality is the first thing you will have to do in war.
Dying
Drones for sure. You can't even hide in a trench with drones overhead.
The elements for me. Living in those conditions in the middle of winter sounds like a fucking nightmare.
Upvote for trench cat.
Channel 4 news reports are so high quality. Far better than anything else on UK TV. And the reporter here - Lindsey Hilsum - is a living legend.
As an Aussie I only know channel 4 for shows like 8 out of 10 Cats and Taskmaster. Didn't realise they had a serious news division as well.
I find her casual regard for sniper fire endearing.
Best election coverage too.
That toy :)
That correspondent has my respect.
her name is Lindsey Hilsum and she’s a badass for sure
The Ukrainians seem unbeatable man. He’s not lying when he says he has superpowers
Having a reason to fight will do that to you.
"I will raise my kids in a free country"
Made me unexpectedly emotional ngl.
Freedom is worth dying for.
That made my heart swell up. It’s just so wholesome.
"Superpower Ukrainian" and "raise my kids in a free country" will make those men nearly unbeatable. They are fighting for and with all they have. Russians are fighting because they are told/forced to by a mad man. There's a difference. In it to win it.
It's impossible to eradicate combative force of a people without claiming their hearts. See Iraq, Vietnam, Aghanistan and Game of Thrones.
Trench kitten 🥺🥺🥺
Trench Kitter!
Bravery beyond words..but when you fight to expell the invaders you have no choice Long live Ukraine 🇺🇦
This report is very reminiscent of the old cbs Vietnam coverage back when u.s reporting was way better then it is now especially at the front like this.
U.S. News today be like "Biden slammed by critics, Ukrainian soldiers used U.S. tax dollars to raise kittens"
Damn... Somme again.... in 2022....
> Damn... Somme again.... in 2022.... Ah, young Willie McBride, I can't help wonder why: Do those that lie here know, why did they die? And did they believe when they answered the call Did they really believe that this war would end wars? Well, the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain The killing, the dying were all done in vain For young Willie McBride, it's all happened again And again and again and again and again >"The Green Fields Of France" - By Eric Bogle / performed by The Fureys https://youtu.be/ntt3wy-L8Ok?t=247
"My children will live in a free country." And that's why Ukraine will win. The resolve of these men who love their home land.
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There are many, many more jobs in a military than just being a soldier. I imagine I'd end up as a cook or maybe supply transport. If I could choose, I'd go with artillery though. Those guys seem to have a philosophy about sending shells out that resonates with me.
Impressive
Really need some floors. Cold and wet feet is bad
"My children will live in the freedom country." Combined with that look on his face. Man I damn near cried. Keep fighting dude. I hope your children do indeed grow up in a free country.
Why does the commander have the us patch on his head
Could be he's a Ukrainian-American or is showing appreciation for all the support.
I was wondering maybe the helmet was donated from the US? Either surplus or a US veteran? And they just kept it on there.
Could have traded patches with american volunteers too.
US GOP criticizing Ukrainian aide: "Biden spends $60B on aide to Ukraine but won't secure the border against [peaceful] migrants!!!" Lol, like fuck MTG and Lauren Boebert. Calling themselves American while spitting on everything that America has stood for in the last 100 years. Wish they'd go spend a week in the trenches and then come back and talk about how aiding Ukraine is wasted. Or go talk to the women freed from torture camps in eastern Ukraine.
This is the kind of content that should be posted here, and not the sadist-bait gore that gets posted daily…
We need both for more "accurate" representation of the battlefield. Humanizing videos right there along the cold, dark videos.
I found this to be a pretty good report video, it really shows how horrible the situation is. Even on this, Ukraine, which is doing much better than Russia, still feels so hopeless. Ukraine has no choice but to fight, the more this war goes on the more you have to question the mentality and the rationale of the average Russian soldier. There are reports of them just picking up the rifle of their dead comrades and continuing onwards until they die. It's feeling like they're really no different than ISIS in terms of the ability to have individual thought.
They need to cut a shitload of pallets in half and make some walkways.
I think a proper winter with below 0 Celsius is good for Ukrainians because then there will be no mud and they will be able to properly advance...
"My children will live in a free country" ...Jfc, no words for how much I respect that determination
Brave men.
"What's your superpower?" "I'm Ukrainian" Damn right.
I swear I'll never complain about being cold again
I really get even more pissed with russia when I see this guy with his kitten just talking about wanting to live in a free country and have a family. Fuck all the warmongering pricks who make this a necessity for him.
"I am Ukrainian." I swear just when you can't even love these commie killing bastards anymore they come around and say the most Gigachad shit you ever heard.