There are countless videos on social media of Russian tanks being blown up thanks to missiles and drones supplied by, among others, the UK and the US. But despite Ukraine’s counterattack, Russia continues to lay several Ukrainian cities in ruins, such as Mariupol and Kharkiv.
Russia’s use of, among other things, cluster weapons and thermobaric missiles is constantly criticised. But what exactly is meant by thermobaric weapons?
And will the Russians use tactical nuclear warheads?
– A Ukrainian soldier carries an NLAW light anti-tank weapon near the frontline in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. The picture was taken on 5 June 2022. Photo: GLEB GARANICH / REUTERS
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Have destroyed close to 1700 tanks: This is how they do it
Ukraine claims that Russia has lost around 1,704 tanks, 863 artillery pieces, and 3,920 armored vehicles since the invasion began in February. The number has not been confirmed by independent sources.
But that Russian mechanical forces suffer heavy losses is probably just as likely. Intelligence shows that Russian cavalry was forced to use the 50-year-old veteran T-62 tank as early as May, according to Insider.
But how do Ukrainian forces manage to get the upper hand on Russian tanks?
Part of the answer probably lies in Ukrainian willingness to defend, superior local knowledge, and good defensive positions. But Ukraine’s defense capability would hardly have been effective without arms supplies from the West.
Already at the beginning of February, Nato had donated around 17,000 anti-tank weapons, according to the newspaper New York Times. The number of anti-tank weapons donated has risen somewhat since then.
By the start of June, Britain had donated around 5,800 anti-tank weapons, known as NLAW, to Ukraine. From a short distance, the NLAW aims to destroy a tank with one shot.
The weapon is relatively mobile, and can be fired from the shoulder.
In addition, the US has donated around 5,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles. A mobile weapon system that is also fired from the shoulder, but with a somewhat greater range than the NLAWen.
Norway and Sweden have also sent a significant amount of anti-tank weapons. Until now, Norway has donated 4,000 pieces of the type M72, which is a single-use weapon, while our neighbor has given 10,000 anti-tank missiles.
Facts about the wars in Ukraine:
- Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
- The full-scale war in Ukraine is now in its 142nd day.
- Initially, Russia chose to attack from several directions, or axes, at once. From the northeast towards the capital Kyiv. In the Donbas region in the east, and in the direction of Kherson in the south.
- The authorities in Russia have consistently referred to the war as a “special military operation”.
- So far, over 5 million Ukrainians have fled the country, and over 7 million are internally displaced.
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What are cluster and thermobaric weapons?
Cluster bombs are bombs, grenades or warheads that open in the air and launch hundreds of smaller explosive charges over a large area.
Thermobaric weapons, better known as “vacuum bombs”, release fuel and explosive charges that create an oxygen-consuming inferno followed by a shock wave.
While cluster munitions are prohibited under international law, thermobaric weapons are not explicitly prohibited for use against military targets.
It has come credible reports of Russian use of cluster munitions in Ukraine, and Among other things, Russia has been accused of using cluster weapons against a hospital in Ukraine.
– A Russian frigate fired a hypersonic Tsirkon missile from the Norwegian side of the dividing line during the GROM 2022 exercise. Photo: RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY/NTB
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What are hypersonic missiles?
Hypersonic missiles are guided weapons that can fly and maneuver at ten times the speed of sound, with a range of 2,000 kilometers, making them difficult to shoot down.
It is known that the USA, China and Russia are developing such weapons, but Russia also claims to have a version that works.
Just days before the full-scale invasion, Russia fired a so-called hypersonic Tsirkon missile from the Norwegian side of the dividing line during the GROM-2022 exercise. And
Russia also claims to have used hypersonic missiles in Ukraine with effect. Among other things, they have claimed that hypersonic missiles of the Kinshal type were fired at a large oil facility belonging to Ukrainian government forces at Kostjantynivka in the Mykolajiv region.
The claim has not been verified by independent organizations.
– A woman stands in front of a building destroyed after a Russian missile attack in the town of Vasylkiv, near Kyiv. The picture was taken on 27 February 2022. Photo: Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP
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Will Russia use strategic nuclear warheads?
Russia has the largest number of nuclear warheads of any country in the world with nuclear weapons, with 6,255 warheads, according to the peace research institute Sipri in Stockholm.
According to the Reuters news agency, Russia has recently tested a weapon system with Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missileswhich, according to Russia, can be equipped with nuclear warheads and reach targets anywhere in the world.
Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons are long-range, but many believe the weapon is intended exclusively as a deterrent.
– These are simply weapons that have been invented, and that cannot be re-invented, says former defense chief Sverre Diesen, who is now chief researcher at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute (FFI), to NTB.
– All thinking about such weapons revolves around how to avoid using them, in addition to the fact that they are of course big political playing cards, he says.
TV 2 in Ukraine: – This is their home
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How does Russia destroy so many cities?
In several places, the Russians’ airstrikes have continued for several days, and in some cases, weeks. Often as indirect fire, i.e. hitting a target you cannot see directly. And if enough explosive munitions are fired at a city, it will eventually be reduced to rubble.
The approach to Russia has been criticized by several people, including UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet after her meeting with the port city of Mariupol.
The UN estimates that up to 90 percent of the residential buildings in Mariupol have been damaged or completely destroyed, and that around 350,000 people have had to leave the city. Local authorities claim that at least 22,000 people were killed during the Russian attack and siege of the city.
The UN can confirm close to 1,400 dead, but Bachelet believes the death toll is far higher.
Ukrainian authorities said at the start of July that they were investigating more than 21,000 suspected war crimes. 200-300 cases are reported every day, said the country’s attorney general.
Doesn’t Russia have smart bombs?
Smart bombs are a weapon that uses GPS guidance and other technology to aim as precisely as possible at the target. Smart bombs have been a weapon favored by the US Air Force since the war in the Balkans in the 90s.
But, according to a senior American officer, the United States has seen indications that Russia is dropping old, stupid bombs on Ukrainian cities, writes the Reuters news agency.
“Dumb bombs” increase the probability of missing the actual target, and also increase the chance of civilian casualties.
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