Ammunition, hidden transportation and "chicken coops" on tanks: what is different about the current movement of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border

radiosvoboda.org

The founder of the Conflict Intelligence Team, Rustam Leviev, believes that now the Russian army has brought approximately the same amount of equipment to the borders with Ukraine as in the spring, when the movement of Russian troops was discussed last time. The main difference, says Leviev, is in the nature of these movements: in the spring, equipment was transferred quickly and openly, and now it is mostly transported at night and the data on railway transportation is hidden. In addition, investigators found several videos on social networks: in one of them, a person sitting behind the wheel of a truck, filming military equipment on a training ground and indignant: “Why did I sign a contract? And now on a business trip to the fields for the winter." What else did the researchers find about the movement of military equipment near the borders with Ukraine, Leviev toldof the TV channel "Nowadays", created by Radio Liberty with the participation of "Voice of America":

- In the spring, it felt as if they were trying to transport more equipment in a shorter period of time. Now, apparently, they are doing it without hurrying, perhaps in order to hide the massive amount of equipment being dumped.

By January, we believe, the amount of seized equipment will exceed the spring size

The second point is, of course, ostentatiousness. If in the spring there was a complete feeling that the Ministry of Defense of Russia is trying to transport equipment as openly as possible: convoys with equipment were deliberately driven through cities, openly unloaded in front of everyone at railway stations with tanks. When foreign journalists came to the training grounds in "Pogonovo" near Voronezh, they did not interfere with filming in any way, even when the journalists literally approached the field camp. Then one could feel such intentionality.

Now it feels, on the contrary, as if they are trying to do all this more secretly. We have seen a video of how, for example, convoys are turned from the road into the fields where no one can see them, and these shots looked scary. The pace itself has slowed down, that is, a lot of equipment is charged, but due to the fact that the pace is lower, it feels as if there is less equipment, although in fact, by January, we believe, the amount of equipment charged will exceed the spring size. In our article, we gave as an example a goods wagon that carries explosive materials - in fact, ammunition. We did not find such wagons in the spring. This does not mean that they were definitely not there, but at least they were not found in the spring.

If only equipment is transported, then it is just a gesture, an attempt to intimidate. And if ammunition is also transported - what to fight with, then it is more like preparation for war

Usually, when other analysts assess whether this troop movement is a ostentatious gesture or preparation for actual hostilities, they use this moment as the main criterion. If only equipment is transported, then it is just a gesture, an attempt to intimidate. And if ammunition is also transported - what to fight with, then it is more like preparation for war. And in this case, we see the transportation of ammunition. Although, of course, this is not an unconditional factor that this is definitely a sign of war. This, in particular, can be ammunition for training shooting.

But in this case we still see other unique features. For example, the tanks that are being transported to Crimea are all equipped with devices that we call "chicken coops". These are iron devices installed on the turret of the tank, which are designed to protect the tank from being hit by anti-tank shells, such as from the Javelin complex, for example. Such unique elements, different from the spring technique, we are now noticing.

Posts [on social networks] both from the military themselves and from their friends and relatives have always been one of the main factors for us, even more important than ammunition, showing that something is really going to happen. I will remind you that we were one of the first to discover that there would be a war in Syria with the participation of Russia, because then we discovered many publications of soldiers being sent on a mission to Syria even before the official phase began.

Therefore, when such messages appear in mass quantities that they are being sent to the fields, on business trips, to study, and their relatives and friends will write on social networks that, most likely, of course, to Ukraine, then it will already be for us with great confidence that there will be some hostilities. So far, we have found literally a single case - a single video recording of a Russian contract soldier, in which he is sitting in a military KamAZ, filming a column of military equipment standing on the road, and says that he signed a contract and unexpectedly for him he is sent on a business trip to the fields for the winter

The very phrase "sent on a business trip to the fields for the winter" is very familiar to us in 2014-2015

In general, the very phrase "sent on a business trip to the fields for the winter" is very familiar to us in 2014-2015. In 2014-2015, we constantly encountered similar phrases from Russian soldiers who were allegedly sent on a business trip, on temporary deployment, for temporary training in the Rostov region, and then they suddenly found themselves on the territory of Donbas and took part in hostilities against the Ukrainian army .

We have a certain feeling that, apparently, the state special services of Russia have noticed this new way of investigating and tracking the movement of military equipment

There is a completely official legal system available to everyone. For this, it is not necessary to be an employee of investigative bodies - any civilian can get a certificate about a specific car, train, if he knows its number. This system is created specifically for shippers and consignees so that they can understand where their cargo is now or the cargo that has been sent to them and they are waiting for it, and thus build their logistics. Such a system is used by many large industrial enterprises. It is very important, it will clearly not close because of us in the future, because the industry of Russia is tied to it.

The service is official, absolutely legal. We do not bribe anyone for these references, we take official, absolutely legal references from this service.

Anyone can track the movement of military equipment in this way, without having any special knowledge

We have a certain feeling, which, unfortunately, we cannot prove, because for now it is just a feeling that, apparently, the state special services of Russia - the FSB or the Ministry of Defense - noticed such a new way of investigating and tracking the movement of military equipment, and it is available at all for everyone: whether it's a Western scout or a blogger from a Russian village. Anyone can monitor the movement of military equipment in this way, without having any special knowledge. There is a feeling that in relation to some particularly sensitive stations, the state special services have begun to oppose such investigations. For example, there are dead-end stations located near the border of Russia and Ukraine. For example, these are Klintsi and Kantemirivka stations. At both of these stations, we have video footage taken from the ground showing tanks being unloaded right at these stations. We see a massive arrival of technology there.

For the first time in our practice, we began to receive at these two stations - Klyntsi and Kantemirivka - the answer always: "No information", "No answer", "Error". What is nonsense for the RZD system

Accordingly, we understand that equipment is brought there en masse, we are trying to ask for a certain format of the certificate, which is called "Availability of trains at the station". In response to such a request, you always receive after some time [information about] which trains are currently at the station, where they came from, where they are going, which are expected. And for the first time in our practice, we began to receive at these two stations - Klyntsi and Kantemirivka - the answer is always: "No information", "No answer", "Error". What is nonsense for the RZD system. And some other colleagues of ours, who are connected with RZD and these systems, who use these references in other topics, for them a similar answer was also surprising and unusual, they were also surprised: "No wonder, how can this be? This is the first time we have encountered such a thing."

"Chicken house" on the tower: why Russian tanks have become a laughingstock

realist.online

3 min

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In 2021, the first photos and videos of Russian tanks appeared, in which very strange structures were installed on the turrets, which were a kind of anti-cumulative grilles. Among the people, these structures received many derogatory nicknames, for example, "barbecue", but they like the "chicken coop" more, primarily because their meaninglessness and uselessness were obvious.

This “chicken house”, in theory, was supposed to protect the upper projection of the tank from being hit by ATGMs with a single-band or dual-band infrared and multispectral optoelectronic seeker, which I dive at the target at angles of 35 degrees or more. We are talking primarily about Javelin ATGM missiles, as well as French MMP and Israeli Spike.

But in reality, these "chicken coops" were not supposed to save the tank, because the Javelin ATGM, for example, does not capture the tank's turret, as such, but its heat-emitting sections, first of all, the engine compartment, and secondly, the barrel after making a shot. That is, the impact of these anti-tank systems is directed at one of these two points, but not at all in the “chicken house” located on the tower. In turn, a blow to the engine compartment, or to the barrel section, leads to the same effect of disabling the MBT.

But, despite the fact that this fact was obvious, we saw a large number of Russian T-72B3, T-80BVM and even T-62 tanks with "chicken houses" on the towers, during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And as practice has shown, they turned out to be absolutely ineffective.

But, in October, the first confirmation appeared that "chicken coops" were already being installed on even the most modern, conditionally serial tank of the RF Armed Forces, the T-90 "Breakthrough"!

That is, the meaningless, useless "chicken coop" becomes a standard installation on all types of Russian tanks? It seems that it is, but that's not even the point.

And the point is that to protect the tank from the above-mentioned means of destruction, it is not a certain design performed by a gloomy genius on the tower that is much more effective, but, for example, an active protection complex - KAZ. And with this, in theory, everything should be fine with Russia, because even from the USSR it inherited a number of very promising KAZ developments for tanks.

After all, it was in the Design Bureau of the Soviet Union that back in the 1950s they began to develop KAZ for tanks. But only in 1980 one of their varieties, "Drozd", was put into service and was installed not on the T-72 or T-64, but on the already outdated T-55.

KAZ "Drozd" was further developed in the form of "Drozd-2", in the late 1980s the development of KAZ "Barrier" began, the "Arena" was created, and the modern T-14 "Amrata" received "Afganit".

But at the same time, having more than a 70-year history of KAZ development, they never became widespread either in the Soviet or in the Russian army.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian KAZ "Barrier" recently passed a baptism of fire on Turkish M60A3 Sabra tanks during the operation "Source of Peace" in the northern regions of Syria and showed high efficiency in protecting combat vehicles.

That is, the Turkish army found the means and opportunities to install KAZ on their tanks, and the second army of the world ... only "chicken coops" on the towers? Then the question arises, what were decades of development of KAZ in the USSR, and then in Russia, if this complex is not used in the Russian tank forces from the word - at all?

Seven decades of work and as a result a "chicken coop" on the turret of the most modern production tank...

The Russian Federation is reworking its modern T-90 tanks: the expert revealed the stupidity of the Russians

union.net

2 min

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The Russian Federation is reworking its modern T-90 tanks: / photo REUTERS

Russia installs useless so-called "chicken coops" even on its most modern T-90 Proryv tanks.

This was told by the military-political observer of the Information Resistance group Alexander Kovalenko.

“In 2021, the first photos and videos of Russian tanks appeared, in which very strange structures were installed on the turrets, which were a kind of anti-cumulative gratings. Among the people, these structures received many derogatory nicknames, for example, “brazier”, but I prefer “chicken coop”, primarily because their senselessness and uselessness were obvious," he said.

According to him, this "chicken coop" was supposed to protect the upper projection of the tank from being hit by Javelin anti-tank missiles, as well as French MMPs and Israeli Spike, however, this is not the case.

"Despite the fact that this fact was obvious, we saw a large number of Russian T-72B3, T-80BVM and even T-62 tanks with "chicken coops" on the towers. In October, the first confirmation appeared that the "chicken coops" were already being installed on the most modern, conditionally serial tank of the RF Armed Forces T-90 "Breakthrough". That is, the meaningless, useless "chicken coop" becomes a standard installation on all types of Russian tanks? It seems that it is, "Kovalenko added.

According to the expert, to protect the tank, the active protection complex - KAZ would be much more effective.

"And with this, in theory, Russia should be all right, because even from the USSR it inherited a number of very promising KAZ developments for tanks ... But at the same time, having more than 70 years of KAZ development history, they never became mass neither in the Soviet nor in the Russian army ... Seven decades of work and as a result, a "chicken house" on the turret of the most modern serial tank, "summed up the observer.

Russia removes "valuable" tanks from conservation: what is known

Earlier, Kovalenko said that Russia was removing T-90A tanks from mothballing and sending them to war in Ukraine .

According to him, the T-90A tanks began to be sent for storage relatively recently, when compared with the T-72, T-80 and even T-62.

“If they really begin to remove such valuable unique items from conservation, then the question arises, what about everything else? I think the answer suggests itself. What can conditionally be called production in Russia, but in fact nothing more than repair bases , cannot cope with the load of restoring the T-72 and T-80," Kovalenko believes.

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