Matrix Games Forums

Posted: **Tue Mar 04, 2014 8:23 pm**

http://news.yahoo.com/russia-test-fires ... MAfjrQtDMD

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said it had successfully test-fired an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on Tuesday, with tensions running high over its military intervention in Ukraine's Crimea region.

The Strategic Rocket Forces launched an RS-12M Topol missile from the southerly Astrakhan region and the dummy warhead hit its target at a proving ground in Kazakhstan, Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Yegorov told state-run news agency RIA.

The launch site, Kapustin Yar, is near the Volga River about 450 km (280 miles) east of the Ukrainian border. Kazakhstan, a Russian ally in a post-Soviet security grouping, is further to the east.

Russia conducts test launches of its ICBMs fairly frequently and often announces the results, a practice seen as intended to remind the West of Moscow's nuclear might and reassure Russians that President Vladimir Putin will protect them.

Russia and the United States signed the latest of a series of treaties restricting the numbers of ICBMs in 2010, but Moscow has indicated it will agree further cuts in the near future and is taking steps to upgrade its nuclear arsenal.

Putin has emphasised that Russia must maintain a strong nuclear deterrent, in part because of an anti-missile shield the United States is building in Europe which Moscow says could undermine its security.

The Defence Ministry said the test could help Russia improve its capability of foiling anti-missile shields, RIA reported.

Moscow says it is concerned U.S. interceptors could shoot down some of its ICBMs in flight, weakening its arsenal. The United States says the shield is meant to protect against threats from states such as Iran and poses no threat to Russia.

The 20-metre (60-foot) long RS-12M, known in NATO parlance as the SS-25 Sickle, was first put into service in 1985, six years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, and is designed to carry a nuclear warhead. Its range is 10,500 km (6,000 miles).

(Additional reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington; Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

SS-29 Sickle B Mod 2 Transporter Erector Launcher: http://wiki.baloogancampaign.com/index. ... ty?ID=1687
SS-29 Sickle B Mod 2 Silo: http://wiki.baloogancampaign.com/index. ... ty?ID=1686
SS-29 Sickle missile: http://wiki.baloogancampaign.com/index. ... on?ID=2164

The most modern (and thus the one most likely to test) SS-29 ballistic missile has a range of 5500nm, and 3x 550kt nuclear MIRV (Multiple Independent targetable Reentry Vehicles).
Relatively small warhead coupled with a modern guidance system indicates that the Sickle could be considered a 'counterforce' weapon; which is intended to be used to disarm a hostile nation of its nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapon strategy is very interesting; both Russia and the USA maintain both a 'counterforce' and a 'counterproperty' arsenal.

Counterforce: shoot at your enemies' nuclear weapons capability. Need a large number of accurate, small warhead nukes.
Countervalue: shoot at your enemies' people and have as many of them as possible die. Need a relatively small number of inaccurate large warhead nukes.

The language of nuclear weapons cloaks their horrifying nature.

Posted: **Tue Mar 04, 2014 8:44 pm**

Wow, seriously??? They just need to accept their limitations, and pack it in. The Ukrainians alone would have eventually been able resist for long enough to cause the Russians unacceptable losses in the long term. And if NATO actually got motivated enough to act, the Russian losses in the region would quickly become catastrophic. Probably to the point that millions of lives could be lost.

"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

Posted: **Tue Mar 04, 2014 11:04 pm**

Russians had free reign. There is. I way the US and certain not NATO or the Eu would have intervened. It's an embarrassment to the west.

Posted: **Tue Mar 04, 2014 11:30 pm**

I'm sorry Mike, but I don't get your meaning? What was an embarrassment to the West?

Posted: **Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:49 am**

In my opinion, the west appeared weak in doing nothing in response to Putin seizing sovereign Ukrainian territory. I'm not asking for a war, but ordering a Carrier Battle Group into the area and telling the Russians that we will not slow them to seize the Crimea is a start. Instead the US is "standing with the international community in condemning the act". Whether or not the eastern part of Ukraine is populated by a majority ethnic Russian people is irrelevant. That is sovereign Ukrainian territory seized by Russia, the Ukrainian government is asking for help and we do nothing.

Send the CBG and threaten to enter the Black Sea in violation of treaty since the Russians don't want to honor their 1954 treaty. With permission from Poland And Slovakia, dispatch a brigade of the 82nd into that area in order to "be ready to assist the Ukrainian government in stabilization"
Or something vague.

Putin dipped his toe into the pool and found out the water is fine. How much longer before he just jumps in.

Posted: **Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:37 am**

Ah, yes, now I understand your frustration. I'll admit, this talk of "Red Lines" and a lack of real "gun boat" diplomacy does negatively impact on our national credibility.
I suppose there are a couple factors that were very much in play here:

1. This was not Iraq, or Syria, or even North Korea- this was the Russian Bear, still armed from jaws to claws with thousands of nuclear warheads, and we would've (potentially) been fighting on Russia's doorstep. That's a long way from home to project power.
2. POTUS, and his warm-fuzzy, touchy-feely regime. As you may be able to guess, I am NOT a fan. The boy-king is in over his head, and it shows.

In conclusion, we should all just be thankful we're still here, instead of sitting in the cold and dark, waiting for the radiation to finish us off, our loved ones already dead, or dying alongside us. And we need to be more careful of who we put in the Big Chair, and how prepared they are to carry out the duties of the office, to act on behalf of We the People, our allies, and our national interests. This isn't American Idol.

Posted: **Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:10 am**

Finished the 810th Brigade!!

http://wiki.baloogancampaign.com/index. ... ry_Brigade

Posted: **Wed Mar 05, 2014 7:42 am**

GreatTop pointed out to me that my 19th episode on the stream featured a Russian ground invasion of Ukraine. A military column that wasn't stopped or had to fight till it reached Kiev.... Plus with a
Russian surface ship north west of Crimea.

Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... fdwNYyHp6F

Land Combat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxCNDzOO ... fdwNYyHp6F

Broadcast January 25th, before I researched anything.
I have a much, much better scenario; which I've attached to this post.

Posted: **Wed Mar 05, 2014 11:30 am**

Myk sent me this map! Thanks!

Posted: **Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:37 pm**

Impressive as usual Baloogan, nice job on this

Posted: **Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:23 pm**

Hmmm, don't suppose there is a US attacks Sevastopol naval base scenario?

Posted: **Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:30 pm**

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-war ... sCatID=341

One of these, perhaps?
Destroyer Squadron 22
USS Cole [DDG 67]
USS Mahan [DDG 72]
USS McFaul [DDG 74]
USS Mason [DDG 87]
USS Nitze [DDG 94]
USS Truxton [DDG 103]
USS Elrod [FFG 55]

USS Leyte Gulf [CG 55]
USS Philippine Sea [CG 58]
USS Anzio [CG 68]

Posted: **Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:33 pm**

ORIGINAL: mikeCK

Hmmm, don't suppose there is a US attacks Sevastopol naval base scenario?

You can download the scenario from here: http://wiki.baloogancampaign.com/index. ... raine_2014

There is no AI, but it would be easy for you to perform strikes. Watch out! I gave the Russians on Crimea a S-400 due to it being spotted on a YouTube video.

Posted: **Wed Mar 05, 2014 4:00 pm**

Having the biggest force does not allways mean victory

But it does help. Just wait till Russia tries to cross the Dnieper River !

Posted: **Wed Mar 05, 2014 4:21 pm**

Looks like all the Russians would have to do is a huge push across the farm land south of Donetsk. Where the numbers are really advantageous to Russia, are all the points south, east, north, northwest along the border. Ukraine is practically surrounded by Russia on three sides.

Posted: **Thu Mar 06, 2014 6:19 am**

Posted: **Thu Mar 06, 2014 9:02 am**

Ukraine crisis: Crimea parliament asks to join Russia

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26465962

Posted: **Thu Mar 06, 2014 12:16 pm**

NATO is speaking!

Posted: **Thu Mar 06, 2014 2:52 pm**

6 F-15s (in addition to 4 already there) and two tankers arrived at Lithuania today. They are taking part of Baltic Policing mission.
12 US F-16s will arrive in Poland on Monday March 10th.

source: http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/kraj/rzeczpos ... lski/78bcv

Posted: **Thu Mar 06, 2014 3:33 pm**

Did anyone ever find out what US/NATO ships are in/will be in the region?

I think this thing is done and over. It seems as though the people of Crimea are almost unanimously for reintegration with Russia, and will vote that intention soon. It's what they want, it's what Russia wants. It's probably not what the West wants, or NATO wants, or even what the larger part of the Ukraine wants- but it's probably up to the Ukrainians and Russia to sort out at this point. I think we need to step back and leave them alone to deal with this in a civil, democratic way. Let the chips fall where they will. Power to the People.

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