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[scriver]

Strange coming from the guy that gave free IT support to the Ukrainian Army. Less strange when you read articles that it was basically useless.

Did he then call the UKR guy in charge of IT support a pedophile?

[Lord Shonus]

I thought the US government paid him for the Starlink terminals. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm not sure who paid for them, but somebody did - Starlink has been quite useful to Ukraine, but it was not charity even if Musk tried to spin it as such.

Musk is essentially a con man - he managed to get a high position in Paypal via his family's blood emerald money and reap the publicity for it. Then he used Paypal money to get in at SpaceX and become the face of that. Tesla wasn't his idea either, but it is the company he's had the most direct control over, which is one of the big reasons that Tesla is a dumpster fire - the current "valuation" is at least two orders of magnitude higher than the company is actually worth, and severe problems with the cars would probably have killed any other automaker. But Musk has managed to turn a string of lucky breaks into Steve Jobs 2.0 - he's presenting the work of many others as his own genius and become a techboy messiah because of it.

[martinuzz]

Ukrainian forces captured a few Russian modern T-90 tanks, completely intact.

I betcha the USA can't wait to have one of those shipped to them to have it turned inside out.

[Eric Blank]

I read that and want to see a tank disassembled and reassembled inside-out. Like with the mechanical components on the outside and a block of armor in the middle

[nenjin]

Ukrainian forces captured a few Russian modern T-90 tanks, completely intact.

I betcha the USA can't wait to have one of those shipped to them to have it turned inside out.

I mean...it's almost a 30-year-old tank. Pretty sure US Intelligence knows most of what it needs about it already.

[Strongpoint]

Ukrainian forces captured a few Russian modern T-90 tanks, completely intact.

I betcha the USA can't wait to have one of those shipped to them to have it turned inside out.

I mean...it's almost a 30-year-old tank. Pretty sure US Intelligence knows most of what it needs about it already.

It is not how tanks work. They are modernized and we are talking about the most  modern T-90 variant

[anewaname]

The wikipedia says the T-90M has been in use for 4 years or less, and:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Russia lost many T-90s during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. During this conflict, the T-90 faced thousands of anti-tank missiles, inculding modern "top attack" missiles such as the American-produced FGM-148 Javelin and the Anglo-Swedish NLAW, which have been known to be able to defeat these tanks.[41][42] Russia developed a modern defense system called Arena, which is an active protection system (APS) developed for the purpose of protecting T-90 from destruction by anti-tank weapons, anti-tank guided missiles, and missiles with top attack warheads. But Arena has not appeared in the Ukraine war.[43]

If nothing else, it is good PR for Ukraine, but being able to test undamaged newer model tanks should give useful data for how to better hide from them, hurt them, or just confuse them for a few minutes.

[Strongpoint]

Well, there is a great resource for Russian losses - https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html

Russia lost 3 T90M and 26 older T90As (and 1280 tanks total). And those are only visually confirmed losses

[martinuzz]

Haha. According to the Wall Street Journal, the largest heavy weapons supplier of Ukraine is........ Russia!

Since the start of the invasion, the Ukrainian forces have captured 460 tanks, 92 howitzers, 448 mechanized infantry vehicles, 195 armoured vehicles, and 44 rocket launch vehicles.

[King Zultan]

Isn't it nice of Russia to give Ukraine all that equipment they don't really know how to use or properly maintain.

[ChairmanPoo]

Isn't it nice of Russia to give Ukraine all that equipment they don't really know how to use or properly maintain.

By and large they have historically used the same equipment. Of course they know how to use and properly maintain it.
In fact that was in part the whole point of  giving western armaments to Eastern Europe NATO members in exchange for them giving Ukraine their (usually modernized) soviet weapon systems.

[Starver]

I read "they" as "Russia", not "Ukraine". But the general background mockery towards Russia is delicious enough without that particular pinch of spice.

[Loud Whispers]

Haha. According to the Wall Street Journal, the largest heavy weapons supplier of Ukraine is........ Russia!

Since the start of the invasion, the Ukrainian forces have captured 460 tanks, 92 howitzers, 448 mechanized infantry vehicles, 195 armoured vehicles, and 44 rocket launch vehicles.

It's heartwarming to see so much Russian solidarity with their Ukrainian friends in such a time of crisis. Jokes aside, I do wonder how much equipment was just deliberately abandoned in a useable state by sympathetic conscripts

[Strongpoint]

Every second tank currently in use in Ukrainian army is captured from Russia

Note that the majority of the captured equipment requires repairs, sometimes rather extensive. While Ukraine possesses its own defense industry, it was forced to disperse and is also busy repairing our own stuff.

This is why Polish, Czech, and Slovak help is very important. A LOT of those tanks and IFV were repaired there by local specialists there. It is the kind of help that is usually overlooked by the press because it is less flashy than supplying brand new hardware.

[EuchreJack]

I imagine other countries doing repairs on combat equipment would want to have their role downplayed as well.