Ukr War Update EXTRA: Looting, Fire-Resistance, Disinfo Video, & Ethnic Nuance
Table of Contents 📖
| Topic ID | Topic Title | Timestamp |
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"It's not the voice of a liberator. That's a voice of an invader."
Hello Team!
Jonathan introduces the video as an Ukraine war update extra, providing additional information and insights to give viewers a greater understanding of the war in Ukraine.
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Russian Assault Units
- Tataragami provides analysis on the differences between temporary and permanent Russian assault units
- Temporary units lack coordination and have low morale and effectiveness
- Permanent "storm" units have more training but quality varies widely
- Russia seems to be experimenting with smaller assault groups, possibly influenced by Wagner's tactics in Bakhmut
Vehicle Tracks and Aerial Reconnaissance
Jonathan notes that vehicle tracks, especially in snow, make it easy for drones to spot vehicles even if camouflaged. Driving across fields leaves very visible track marks.
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Ambushing Rescue Helicopters
A Russian aircraft went down and the pilot activated a transponder. The Ukrainians set up an ambush for the rescue helicopter, capturing 2 of the 11 on board. There was initial confusion whether this was a war crime (Ukraine setting off the transponder) but it was clarified the Russian aircraft had crashed first.
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Fire Resistant Flight Suits
- The captured Russian pilot had burns, indicating his flight suit was not fire resistant
- Western pilots use Nomex fire resistant suits
- This points to corruption where expensive Russian mil-spec uniforms were made cheaply
- Trent Telenko argues this, along with other factors like poor evacuation and healthcare, means Russian casualty ratios are likely much worse than reported
US Domestic Politics and Ukraine Support
- John Oliver (commenter, not comedian) notes the risk of US weapons like Javelins and HIMARS being captured and reverse engineered
- US public support for Ukraine aid has dropped from 65% to 50%
- A captured HIMARS or Abrams tank would be very damaging politically
- The success of a Ukrainian counteroffensive before the 2024 US election could impact the political narratives and support for aid
Russian Looting in Ukraine
Video shows Russian soldiers looting a house in Ukraine, taking appliances and belongings. Jonathan questions how pro-Russian commenters can justify this criminal behavior and still claim Russians as liberators rather than invaders.
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Russian Disinformation Video
An alleged video from a captured Ukrainian soldier's phone claims to show a Brazilian mercenary being beaten for abandoning his post. However, the video looks staged with bad acting and commenters note the man's Portuguese accent is not Brazilian. This appears to be a Russian disinformation attempt.
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Ethnic Minority Soldiers in Russian Army
- There has been an apparent overrepresentation of ethnic minority soldiers from poorer regions like Buryatia among Russian casualties
- However, this may be more due to socioeconomic factors than direct racial discrimination
- Military pay is more attractive in poorer regions with lower costs of living
- Indirect discrimination in neglecting ethnic minority regions can still lead to discriminatory outcomes
- Mobilization may have given these regions higher conscription targets to avoid drafting people from Moscow and St. Petersburg
Bizarre Russian Army Recruitment Video
A Russian army recruitment video featuring heavily made-up women posing with outdated weapons and equipment is shown. The video appears to be targeting ethnic minorities and sexualizing women to get more soldiers to sign up.
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Wrap up
Jonathan notes he removed some longer Twitter threads he originally planned to include to put in a separate video. He thanks viewers for their support and asks them to like, subscribe and share.
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