The Worldwide Response to Russia's War On Ukraine

[Albany Rifles]

x 2. Thanks Kato.

Make that 3

[Bigfella]

Thanks. Good to have someone in situ who knows whats what.

x 2. Thanks Kato.

[Monash]

Getting Paywall too, but the situation is basically that Ukraine was pushing for training for tank crews as absolute priority first - training for any maintenance crews for the Leo 1s is only "starting soon".

As a result both the tanks already in Ukraine and the ones that had been used for crew training in Germany and were supposed to be delivered afterwards have not have any of their regular maintenance done for weeks and need "simple repairs" by a maintenance crew. Ukraine has therefore also stopped the deliveries until they have such capabilities.

Thanks. Good to have someone in situ who knows whats what.

[kato]

Getting Paywall too, but the situation is basically that Ukraine was pushing for training for tank crews as absolute priority first - training for any maintenance crews for the Leo 1s is only "starting soon".

As a result both the tanks already in Ukraine and the ones that had been used for crew training in Germany and were supposed to be delivered afterwards have not have any of their regular maintenance done for weeks and need "simple repairs" by a maintenance crew. Ukraine has therefore also stopped the deliveries until they have such capabilities.

[Monash]

Any thoughts on this?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-ne...sending-tanks/

According to The Telegraph, Ukraine has asked Germany to stop sending Leo 1s.

I hit a pay wall.

[Ironduke]

Any thoughts on this?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-ne...sending-tanks/

According to The Telegraph, Ukraine has asked Germany to stop sending Leo 1s.

[kato]

Well looks like there was a spat between Ukraine and Poland regarding grain

This is mostly about the elections in Poland next month.

There is a right-wing farmer movement in Poland ("Agrounion") that will be on the ballot for the elections and according to current surveys is expected to get 5-6% of the vote and will enter parliament - which doesn't sound that significant at a glance, but the same farmers used to vote for PiS. And a strong showing for Agrounion might be the final nail that kicks PiS out of the government.

Agrounion has its farmers pretty much up in arms over the uncontrolled, toll-free (!) grain imports from Ukraine with its low production costs and no product safety standards that the European Union has been forcing on the country (in their opinion). These imports - that are supposed to be "transits", but since Africa isn't buying it ends up on the Polish market instead - are killing off their business. Permanently. For the last 8-9 months they've therefore been holding rallies, blockading grain transports, some minor rioting etc. At one point in March they seized the Ministry of Agriculture in Warsaw, the minister stepped down over that affair and the government had to present an "immediate action plan" (which of course they didn't keep to) after negotiations with Agrounion.

There are some other recent political scandals in Poland that would contribute as well though (such as a corruption scandal for work visa for Africans and Asians that may have had up to a quarter million immigrants entering the EU through Polish visa in the last two years for substantial payments). PiS seems to focus on Agrounion in order to steer attention away from those.

In Germany Morawiecki's statements have been interpreted by capitalists to basically be an attempt to pressure the EU into stopping those grain imports from Ukraine in order to have a "quick win" that might push potential Agrounion voters back towards them. At the same time they are also trying to push back against the constant Ukrainian verbal pressure, to the point where they have had the Ukrainian ambassador called in to complain about Zelensky.

Poland's President Duda has attempted to publicly "reinterpret" Morawiecki's words in an attempt to save face - with a statement that he would have meant that Poland would not deliver newly procured weapons from South Korea and the USA to Ukraine.

[Ironduke]

Well looks like there was a spat between Ukraine and Poland regarding grain, Zelensky used some pretty strong language implying Poland was feigning solidarity with Ukraine, then the Polish prime minister says no more Polish weapons will be sent to Ukraine, now it seems both are walking their statements back.

[TopHatter]

F-35 fighter jets land in NATO-member Denmark to replace F-16s, some of which will go to Ukraine

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Four F-35 fighter jets landed Thursday at an airbase in Denmark in the first installment of the U.S.-made planes ordered by the NATO member to replace its aging fleet of F-16s, some of which have been promised to Ukraine.

Dignitaries and officers clapped as the planes, in Danish Air Force colors, did several flyovers before landing at the Skyrdstrup Air Base.

Ukraine has been asking for Western fighter jets to help it resist the Russian invasion that began in February 2022. The United States recently gave its approval for Denmark and the Netherlands to provide Ukraine with the American-made jets.

Last month, the two countries said they would donate F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, with Denmark pledging 19 and the Netherlands an unspecified number. Denmark said it would need to receive new F-35s first, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in August that she hoped the first six F-16s could be handed over to Ukraine around New Year.

NATO member Norway also has indicated its intention to donate F-16s to Ukraine.

Denmark said in June that the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 jets had started at the Skrydstrup Air Base, which is about 210 kilometers (130 miles) west of Copenhagen on the Jutland peninsula.

Denmark has ordered a total of 27 F-35 fighter jets for $2.2 billion. They will replace the country's fleet of 30 F-16s, which are more than 40 years old, in a transition that will last through the end of 2025.

Following Thursday's ceremonial arrival, the initial four planes will be formally handed over to Denmark by the U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin on Oct. 1.

F-16s have been deployed in countries and regions including the Balkans, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, where their operations have included patrolling airspace, dropping bombs and supporting soldiers on the ground. Iceland and Baltic countries also have used them to assert their sovereignty in “air policing.”
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[TopHatter]

Inside the S. Korean factory that could be key for Ukraine


South Korea is ramping up arms exports while traditional behemoths struggle with production shortages

At a sprawling South Korean arms factory, a high-tech production line of robots and super-skilled workers were rapidly churning out weapons Friday that could, eventually, play a role in Ukraine.

Since the Russian invasion last year, the Hanwha Aerospace factory in the southern city of Changwon has expanded production capacity three times, workers told AFP, as South Korea ramps up arms exports while traditional behemoths like the United States struggle with production shortages.

Longstanding domestic policy bars Seoul from selling weapons into active conflicts, but even so it signed deals worth $17.3 billion last year, including a $12.7 billion agreement with NATO member and key Kyiv ally Poland, for K9 Howitzers, K2 tanks, and more.

And with North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Russia touring space centres and weapons factories, experts say the South may be forced to review its careful balancing act on the Ukraine war -- which Seoul has condemned, even as it resists calls to supply weapons directly to Kyiv.

On the assembly line Friday were rows of Warsaw-bound Howitzers, an artillery weapon a bit like a super-mobile cannon.

Hanwha Aerospace, South Korea's largest defence contractor, is racing to meet delivery targets for the 14-wheeled, 47-tonne K9 Howitzers, which have a firing a range of 40 kilometres (25 miles) -- much longer than a tank, although the K9 needs to be stationary to shoot.

Poland ordered 212 K9s last year and Seoul has already delivered 48 of them -- a pace "no one else can achieve," Lee Kyoung-hun, Hanwha's production leader told AFP.

"We are capable of delivering products in the shortest time frame possible," said Lee, adding that it took between three and four months to build one Howitzer from scratch.

- 'Ready for war' -

Seoul has long harboured ambitions to join the ranks of the world's top arms exporters -- aiming to be the fourth largest, behind the US, Russia and France -- something that is now possible, industry research indicates.

It has already sold artillery shells to Washington -- but with a "final user" agreement in place meaning the United States would be the military that uses the munitions.

Experts have said this allows the United States to then provide their own shells to Kyiv.

South Korea's arms industry has one key advantage over others globally: it's always been "ready for war," said Choi Dong-bin, Hanwha Aerospace's senior vice president.

Hostilities in the 1950 to 1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, and Seoul remains technically at war with nuclear-armed Pyongyang.

This gives the country an advantage globally in weapons production, Choi said, as Seoul has the capacity to mass-produce quickly and easily whenever it gets an order.

"The fact that we're maintaining production line is another boon. At this moment we're receiving many orders from overseas and we are able to respond quickly to their demands and deliver products in a short period of time," he said.

Seoul's weapons are also well-tested: "These are deployed on the ground," on one of the world's most heavily fortified borders, Choi said.

"Because they are deployed (in South Korea), it has the capacity to perform in any part of the world," he added.

Heavily-sanctioned North Korea lacks Seoul's high-tech weaponry -- but it does have stockpiles of outdated Soviet-era munitions.

Kim met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, and experts have warned the internationally-isolated pair might have agreed a deal involving Pyongyang supplying artillery shells and anti-tank missiles in exchange for satellite technology from Moscow.

- Change the game -

Any such deal could change Seoul's calculations, experts say, as although South Korea has condemned Russia's invasions of Ukraine, it has resisted calls to step up support to Kyiv, in part as it has long called on Moscow to help manage Kim Jong Un.

But if Moscow starts buying weapons from Pyongyang -- something that would violate rafts of UN sanctions -- it could both change the course of the Ukraine war and force Seoul's hand, said Choi Gi-il, professor of military studies at Sangji University.

"If that were to happen, I think it will be more than 50-50 probability that South Korea-manufactured weapons exported to Poland would be deployed to help Ukraine fend off the Russians," he said.

The export of South Korean weaponry, especially the K9 howitzers, would be "of great value to Kyiv," he said.

"It's always better to have more howitzers in war and both Russia and Ukraine don't have enough of them," he said, adding that Ukraine was mostly using Soviet-era outdated weapons.

"But K9s stand out as among the most recent, overwhelming conventional weapons. It will mean so much for Kiev to have them on the frontlines."
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Left unsaid, but touched on via the US/ROK artillery shell sale, is that every modern piece of gear that Poland receives. frees up older gear to be sent to Ukraine.

[TopHatter]

Germany orders 40 Marder combat vehicles for Ukraine



STUTTGART, Germany — The German government has ordered 40 overhauled Marder infantry fighting vehicles for Ukraine, its manufacturer Rheinmetall announced Sept. 11.

The new order — placed last month with a value in the “high double-digit million-euro amount” — doubles the total number of Marders to be sent to Ukraine, according to Rheinmetall’s news release. Germany previously commissioned two batches of 40 total refurbished vehicles beginning in 2022.

The Schützenpanzer Marder 1 has been in service with the German Army since the 1970s, and has undergone a series of combat upgrades in the decades since. Rheinmetall said the vehicles for Ukraine are overhauled Marder 1A3 systems formerly owned by the German military, and that the company began retrofitting the vehicles in spring 2022.

The company can deliver up to 10 infantry fighting vehicles per month, and the first 20 Marders were shipped to Ukraine in March. The second order of 20 Marders was placed in June, and those vehicles are currently being overhauled and delivered.

“Rheinmetall is pressing ahead with work to overhaul these older vehicles and ensure that the latest lot of Marder IFVs can be delivered as per contract starting in 2023,” the company said.

In January 2023, the United States and Germany announced they would both begin sending infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, with the former providing Bradleys built by BAE Systems, and the latter sending Marders. Ukraine is currently fighting off a Russian invasion.
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[TopHatter]

Denmark to donate military aid package to Ukraine, worth $833 million

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark will donate a package worth 5.8 billion Danish crowns ($833 million) to Ukraine, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, tank ammunition and anti-aircraft guns, the ministry of defence said in a statement on Tuesday.

The full amount is distributed over three rounds - 4.3 billion this year, 1.4 billion in 2024 and 52 million in 2025, the ministry said.

"After more than a year and a half of war, we have almost exhausted our defence stocks. Therefore, we are now looking into more targeted joint procurement and international cooperation, tailored to Ukraine's needs here and now," foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a statement.

This is the twelfth and largest donation package Denmark has sent to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February 2022, the ministry added.
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[TopHatter]

Sweden to consider sending fighter jets to Ukraine, SR radio reports

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The Swedish government is considering donating Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine to help it fight Russia, Swedish public radio (SR) reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.

The government wants to know, among other things, how a handover would affect Sweden's defence capabilities and how quickly Sweden could get new Gripen fighters, SR reported.

The government may formally ask the armed forces as early as Thursday to officially consider the issue, according to the report.

The ministry of defence did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Netherlands and Denmark have led a push to supply Ukraine with U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to help counter Russia's air superiority in the war.

According to the SR report, Ukraine hopes to receive one division of Gripen jets, made by Sweden's Saab , or 16-18 planes.

Sweden this year said it would give Ukrainian pilots the opportunity to test the Gripen, but the government has also said it needs all its planes to defend Swedish territory.

The opposition leader last month said Sweden should prepare to send Gripens to Ukraine once it has completed its accession to the U.S.-led NATO defence alliance, for which it is still awaiting ratification from member-states Turkey and Hungary.
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[TopHatter]

Britain orders more munitions as Ukraine war boosts UK defence
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's BAE Systems has won a further 130 million pound ($162 million) order from the government for munitions, as the Ukraine war continues to boost the UK defence industry.

Britain had already signed a 280 million pound munitions contract with BAE, Britain's biggest defence company, in July before it exercised an option to increase its supply by another 130 million pounds on Tuesday.

"The conflict in Ukraine has forced a global rethink around munition priorities," Steve Cardew, BAE's business development director, munitions, told media at the DSEI arms fair in London.

The chief executive of British military technology company Qinetiq, Steve Wadey, said the war in Ukraine had triggered its main customers of Britain, the United States and Australia to "strategically step back and look at the long-term threats in the world and consider their defence and security policies, budgets and solutions."

That means growing interest and support for technologies Qinetiq is working on such as laser-directed energy, which uses lasers to shoot threats out of the sky, and for BAE, it means adding new facilities.

BAE is building a new machining line and explosive filling facility to meet Britain's munitions needs for 155mm artillery shells, 30mm medium calibre rounds and 5.56mm ammunition.

Cardew said he expected orders from NATO allies to follow. "We are in active dialogue with a number of our NATO customers today," he said.

The urgency to replenish stockpiles depleted by the weapons Britain is sending to Ukraine is driving innovation in energetics and propellants, and a shift to using off-the shelf steel instead of bespoke steel to speed up production.

"If we rely on old technology to do that we're probably looking at five or six year programme ... we just don't have the time to do that," Cardew said.
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[Officer of Engineers]

I know but you asked "Who the hell cares?"

I don't think it's escalation in that we've got more rounds than you've got tanks.