para bellum
Diamond Member
Oryx documents losses that are confirmed individual, unique pieces of equipment, with pictures or video, geolocated or documented in areas that were retaken by the Ukrainian forces. The list is continuously updated and corrected when errors are identified.How do you know what has been lost, otherwise with a war of propaganda being waged on all sides ??
That's good enough for me. I only count what can be reasonably ascertained from evidence. There are also things like invasion markings and stenciled symbols on equipment that help to identify which specific units that equipment belonged to.
There is an army of open-source analysts that do nothing but pour over every detail of every image, and if something so trivial as a T-80BV gets mis-identified as a T-80BVM, it unleashes a torrent of corrections almost instantly. It's really kind of hilarious.
Russia invaded, then they were forced to retreat. When the Russians retreat, they leave things behind. The blown up tanks in Bucha didn't go anywhere when the Russians abandoned the Kiev offensive. Well, they're on the list.
Also this idea that we don't know how much equipment Russia had isn't based on reality either. We do know, because they told us. Many times. Every delivery of tanks or jets or IFV's made by Russian manufacturers, they made a publicity event of it. Generals would give interviews on TV and describe in great detail how many tanks they received this year and where they were sent, etc.
Russian ORBAT- not a mystery.
^^^ I don't know what this bit is all about. I don't wish to go down the rabbit hole of rumors about Putin's health or which Putin was where or whatever...Remember the bull shite early on in the war narrative, otherwise that Putin was sick and dying of cancer etc ? Remember the pictures and such that were posted all over the Internet of a weak, sick, and dying Putin ?
Last I saw of this Putin months and months later, he looked like an angry but very healthy Putin to me.
Political propaganda and lies serves us in a detrimental way, because sooner or later it catches up with our nation in a bad way.