Russia's 111th Central Tank Storage Base - How is it Doing Today?

[@winterfell9990]

Probably my favourite youtuber at the moment. Were basically getting CIA briefs for free. Please continue what you do its amazing

[@warmonger2500]

I'm willing to bet the CIA checks their numbers with his.

[@CaptainBrawnson]

​@@warmonger2500 I have no doubt that there are CIA analysts looking at open source intelligence to help validate their own data and methodologies for more publicly visible stuff like this, and probably to get a more quantified idea of the information advantage they hold for other areas OSINT can't really peer into.

[@NandiCollector]

*My same exact thought! it's like you are for a free ride in Langley. ;)*

[@martenkahr3365]

@@warmonger2500 CIA probably also has access to internal Russian documents, as well as much better satellite images. So actual CIA briefs would tell not only the real state of these bases, but also how much the Russian chain of command is lying to itself.

[@somelokyguy6466]

@@warmonger2500 You're almost certainly right. Just last year the CIA put out a recruitment notice looking for open source analysts, because getting information from all angles is the key to success.

[@196cupcake]

pretty smart about the shadows

[@196cupcake]

@@bcde Snow accumulation would have to accumulate more in the hole where the turret was than on the rest of the tank, which isn't very realistic. Remember, we're doing an estimate here, so it never had to be perfect.

[@thegeneralist7527]

Pretty easy to make the satellite imagery lie. Just make a bunch of inflatable BMPs. Even coat them in tin foil to fake the infrared signature. Its a cat and mouse game since the first aerial observation balloons. Patton's ghost army in England was a great decoy in the D-day deception plan. You want to look strong where you are weak and weak where you are strong. Military intelligence is about the truth in spite of the enemy trying to conceal the truth and decieve you.

[@derrickstorm6976]

"Pretty smart" bro he literally took a look at the obvious

[@196cupcake]

@@derrickstorm6976 the best tricks seem obvious in hindsight

[@sixstringedthing]

Using an artificially lit reference model to help in counting missing turrets via the positioning of shadows/contrast boundaries is pretty damn smart. Really emphasises that this work is not just about being able to pay for privately commissioned satellite imagery (as amazing as that is), it's also about how cleverly you can interpret the received data. Great work once again guys. Edit: Hate to admit it, but increasing the minimum order coverage from 1 to 5 square k's, while perhaps technically legitimate in terms of efficient tasking, is also a pretty Evil Genius way of discouraging "enthusiastic amateurs" from making requests for potentially sensitive imagery.

[@luca-pk5ff]

Love your work covert

[@luca-pk5ff]

Thanks for the 3 likes 🥹

[@rogerwilco2]

Indeed. Covert Cabal and his contributors do an amazing job.

[@PapaProtein]

Here before the Russian bots try and shit on this comment LOL

[@luca-pk5ff]

@@PapaProtein150 likes 🥵 Covert content is extraordinary to me

[@kanoritaziuri]

Thats mr Cabal to you 😂

[@GARDENER42]

I prefer this focus on individual bases - gives some real depth to the information.

[@cthulhudreams7578]

I like the individual base model as well

[@TheDudeMaaaan]

yea real indepth coping for ya to suck on LMAAO

[@darrenmx]

The 3D models are a great way of documenting too, makes changes really easy to track

[@IndustrisasiIndonesia]

How many Ukraine tank left

[@lesliegossner681]

​@IndustrisasiIndonesia Depends how many the west wants to send them. Short answer is as many as is needed as long as we have the will. Australia just upgraded its tank fleet so is sending their old M1A1s for example.

[@AlexejGubin]

Thanks a lot! I really admire your diligence: counting newer images, recounting old ones, keeping track of all of them, this is huge amount of work.

[@jenskmigselv]

Fantastic and exciting work. Those "trends over time" you mention would be great to see per base and as a whole.

[@zer0cool1909]

What he said

[@hannesbaum9318]

These more in depth reports about each storage base are so cool, to see the process of your work and way more in depth detail of your work!

[@bobwilson758]

Rust , corrosion , wasted wiring , ruined electrical systems , junk barrels , locked - up & worn out Diesel engines - mold - rats - hydraulic systems that couldn’t hold your beer 🍺 oil leaks , Fungus - bums , homeless gang - thieves … It’s a complete joke !

[@andrewbaluk1663]

come now! we arent talking about your daily beater here....

[@davidlium9338]

No, we’re talking about my daily driver car.

[@lucaseric8679]

It was hard enough keeping my LAV up and running when I was driver/gunner/commander and that's as a crew. I couldn't imagine how many issues these last ones have. I suspect that's why so many bases are reaching a point where their numbers don't change. At that point it's just a spare parts yard.

[@henryrollins9177]

It doesn't look like a joke on the battlefield thou...

[@HereticalKitsune]

This feels like lyrics to a song, something like "We Didn't Start The Fire".

[@malloc7108]

thanks for continuing this series, the retrospective is especially useful for seeing the more recent changes

[@dylanp4092]

I just discovered this channel earlier today and honestly its so freaking fascinating. Keep up the good work!

[@davidhalliday7776]

Love these videos, keep them rolling.I also like the single base deeper dive format. Though rolling up periodically to totals for the whole of Russia like you do periodically is still needed.

[@Peaky17]

Two notes about this video: - Really clever that shadow method. - Love these individual analysis and why not have both? Deeper dives into each base and a "summary" video every trimester or something. Love your content

[@MayaPosch]

Having both in-depth and summary videos is rather useful, I think. Each individual base deserves attention, and to get some background on its history and changes over time, while you also want to take a look at the bigger picture.

[@wishingb5859]

Wow, another Covert Cabal video. This process is my favorite! Thanks for doing this!

[@LK-jl3pc]

Simply fantastic work you do. So much effort, but result is just great!

[@petrogcracker6718]

I enjoy your videos and also appreciate your work. The new idea with updating every base is much better and doesn't get rushed. It would be great if you could make updates like each 3 months from each base or something like that.

[@Digmen1]

Wow that 3D model is amazing. You are doing great work. I cant believe how they still use those old tanks!

I was baffled too, but you start to understand that it's not about the age but whether it still shoots, you won't use a gun to kill a fly

[@jukeseyable]

The quality and depth of your analysis work is 2nd to none, Perun would buy you beers on the basis of this

[@howtoappearincompletely9739]

Wow! The quality of your work is jaw-dropping.

[@NobbsAndVagene]

Hi Covert Cabal! Here's one for the algorithm.

[@albertofoti4152]

Makes sense the reason why not covering all bases. But having an idea of the overall numbers was the reason why people follow your channel. So try to make a recap of the overall situation very now and then

[@RogerKaptunik]

Ah, the Rainman of storage facilities is back with a new video

[@geedon1]

I love these base stock count videos! Keep them coming. 🎉

[@CleverSmart123]

Your in-depth analysis is of amazing quality. Thank you!

[@rogerk6180]

I was just thinking about this channel 15 minutes ago. And now a new video. Perfect!

[@mcguigan97]

Thanks so much for all your hard work

[@danheaton2522]

Excellent work again, you and your friends that collaborate are the gold standard for vehicle numbers analysis. I definitely agree that the vast majority of the remaining vehicles are only fit for scrap or parting out otherwise, they would have been shipped to the front by now.

[@hellboundchaoscommand7567]

Last time I was this early Russia was considered a serious threat to western militaries. Edit: I managed to piss off the tankies and the bots Hallelujah

[@bigblue6917]

Did they have KZbin 40 years ago 🤨

[@LeonardTavast]

They can be a serious nuisance even if they can't technically win a war against us. And their propeaganda is controlling MAGA which is bad enough.

[@mattevans4377]

It still is, while also somehow a joke too. The contradictions are wild

[@cherrypoptart2001]

i mean, if 30+ countries gotta make an alliance to fight 1 country then it is

[@LonelySidTheSloth]

Well lets see, you take out USA out of Nato and just as Europe against them well, They have more personal , more arty and vehicles , now their soldiers and commanders gained combat experience in Ukraine, they have also adapted with Electronic warfare and their AA assets( you done see anymore bayraktar videos or any drones killing their AA systems), They have same military command command and they also speak the same language (compared to EU with many different militaries and commands and objectives and multi languages harder to command). Sure we got technology and training on our side , but they pretty much have everything else. I mean if USA starts doing "why get involved in that war " or "we got china to worry about" "Europeans didint put enough money in their defense why should American tax payer spend billions now" or any other political BS and doesn't come immediately to assist we would be in a very hard fight against russians unless they are stupid enough to engage Nato before finishing Ukraine. Currently I would say Ukrainian military is the strongest in Europe and they are barely holding them back.

[@Erik_Ice_Fang]

While the quality may be poor for many of these storage bases, the quantity of both the remaining and taken equipment is mind boggling. Meanwhile here in the USA, we dithered and delayed on sending a mere 31 Abrams, even though we have nearly 2500 in storage

[@luciusartorius3437]

Don't worry about the quality, it's fully cleaned of any components and only the armored hull remains which doesn't deteriorate, which then has internals installed

[@nikolaideianov5092]

​@@luciusartorius3437 sooo The litteral cheapest part is what remains? (Also yes rust matters on the hulls)

[@aitorbleda8267]

While yes, the cheapest part remains, there is a bottleneck in production. Producing high quality steel, laminating, and adding composites would limit the production a lot. Also, the us insisted on modified abrams, and that takes time.​@@nikolaideianov5092

[@luciusartorius3437]

@nikolaideianov5092 hulls are literally the most expensive part, most countries don't even produce tank hulls anymore, last leclerc hull, last leopard hull were produced in 90-00s just for your knowledge, also textolite doesn't rust

[@nikolaideianov5092]

@luciusartorius3437 bruh in the video you can see the rusted hulls T55s and bmps dont use textolite + are you trying to tell me that the engine, transmission ,gun, electronics are cheaper to make then a litteral metal box? (This is what all armored vehicles are in the emd, a metal box)

[@Jambitjigs]

I wait for your videos to come out more than any other KZbinr, amazing work, keep it up mate ❤

[@patallen5095]

The analysis here is top notch! 3-D modelling is icing on the cake!!

[@nitroxinfinity]

Any chance for a video on Russia's airforce? How much they've got left, the flight hours on each frame and the 'maximum', etc.

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

They don't have any real storages, just active planes or parked inactive ones, all at airfields. The number of airfields is higher than the number of these storage facilities, with more shelters as a percentage, compared to the tank storages. Since many fly around a lot it's harder to say which plane parked where, and with satellite images you can't tell how many hours an airframe has flown. I agree that it would be really interesting, and valuable to Ukraine, it just does not sound feasible at the moment

[@maxfmfdm]

Insane. You just do really valuable research and share it with everyone? Blessed

[@j.johnson3520]

You guys really are super professional. Thanks for the great work and videos.

[@stevenniccoli5967]

I love the 3 D model of the Storage Base! Great Job 👍

[@ptonpc]

Thank you for doing these.

[@craigstewart2058]

Another fantastic video. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into your research.

[@FacitOmniaVoluntas.]

Regardless of the outcome of this war, Russia can no longer be classified as a major military power after this war. This classification was always dubious but it was based on Russia’s massive resources and reserves, but those are now gone.

[@edyslavico3761]

these BMPs look straight out of Chernobyl lol

[@TheGunnarRoxen]

Excellent work! Crazy, detailed work.

[@MartinSheckelstorm]

Nice analysis..well done

[@sparhawk5515]

Excellent work, as always

[@HereticalKitsune]

Great work with the simulation and shadows! Very cool.

[@chrisjeffery9582]

Appreciate the work!

[@Stabu]

Amazing work once again.

[@PeteGasser]

Great stuff guys! Thank you 😊

[@BlackSkorpion1991]

20 seconds ago is crazy ! 😮

[@RunnerRunnerRun]

hye man, just figured i'd give my two cents - these "one base per video" videos are great, if this is more fun for you, keep it up! love your work, and don't let complainers get to you

[@patricaristide7678]

Outstanding as always!

[@markmonaghan2309]

Fantastic thanks again

[@Glogcke]

Man this work is so valuable.

[@jansenart0]

Bro, the layout at 5:18 would make a sick CoD map.

[@simoc24]

Thanks for the details I prefer for you to do both: deep dive into individual base and a big picture summary 👍 Both are good info 👍 thanks

[@playofpcoldwar]

Amazing work, smart idea about using shadows. Would’ve never thought of that!

[@randomviewer3494]

While I like the focus on individual bases, I think its also nice to see a country wide recap every once in a while. Less in dept, but a good general overview.

[@henricomonterosa4534]

I imagine your overview is more accurate than that of the russian ministry of defence :D

[@JeffKogut]

Would love to see the potential number of tanks for each base in those storage sheds.

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

I remember one base where he did that, noting buildings that had holes in the roofs showing nothing inside, as well as pictures on social media showing them empty or filled, giving a grand total of 200 possible extra tanks iirc. I think he also looked at snow remaining on top of the roof indicating nothing happening inside at all Several bases don't really have garages or just a handful, so at the moment the best guess is: Not much compared to the total number

[@ponz-]

Loving the 3D models! Thanks for the video

[@rtqii]

Excellent work!

[@juju8119]

In depth is super, thanks

[@fdk7014]

If the outside of the BMP's look like that then the inside equipment and motor is going to be completely ruined. All hoses and belts and whatever else must be completely wilted. These are pure scrap, they won't run again.

[@standupstraight9691]

non-mechanical people dont take that into account. water in the wiring, rodents, not to mention the havoc that a frozen winter plays.

[@adriangabrieljones881]

Thank you for the hard work!

[@b1air77]

The shadows via digital modeling is very impressive for OSINT. Bravo!

[@_HADE_]

Excellent work. It would be neat to do a video on the naval or aerial assets, although probably more difficult as they move around.

[@NothernNate]

Ruxxia has to be feeling this war in the worst way. 👌 They are taking serious losses

[@7171jay]

With Russia fast approaching 700,000 casualties, 9000+ tanks 18,000 armored personnel carriers, and 20,000 pieces of artillery lost in the attempt Putin's folly is a simply giant brutal disaster that is destroying Russia even more than Ukraine. Even if Russia managed to somehow win this war the spoils of Ukraine would not make up for what Putin has spent not only in Russian lives but the destruction of the Russian army and the Russian economy. When Ukraine eventually prevails (and they will) they will have the help of the west to recover from this war but Russia will have nothing. The next few decades in Russia will be extremely bleak even by Russian standards.

[@bc-guy852]

Thank you for the excellent work you and your associates achieve for us! I'm sure it takes a TON of time - even with your 3D model and software - which in itself must take a ton of time!

[@brettbenson7690]

Love your work. Thank you.

[@stratosphericozone2645]

Thanks. It is great to see the better images of the bases. Please continue! Since the video at the start of July, which I think found 700 tanks in decent condition and 1856 in poor condition, Ukraine have reported destroying around 1000 more tanks. I think the October losses from Ukraine support that Russia are having to fight with fewer tanks. The month of October saw the highest number of combat engagements, the highest losses of troops, equipment, APVs, vehicles, UAVs since the start of the war but fewer tanks losses than Sept 2024 and the 2nd fewest month since Sept 2023.

[@wolven777]

destroyed a 1000 more tanks?! Are russians painting their tanks in yellow and lining them up for the ukrainians to destroy? The official channels really think they are talking to fools!

[@1djbecker]

We are seening considerably more videos of Russians retrieving damaged combat vehicles. They are presented as Ukrainian drone attacks, but the subtext is that Russians have needed to change how they view vehicles. The cold war perspective was informed by their WW2 experience: heavy losses were expected, but that massive numbers would still be overwhelming. Broken vehicles would just be left behind, along with the destroyed ones. There wasn't a point in building vehicles to operate for thousands of hours with careful maintenance. Instead they were built inexpensively, in large numbers, and meant to last decades with little attention.

[@captivahender]

The Russian lack of armoured vehicles is a clear trend visible for months. That's why they started sending people by foot, by Chinese motorbikes, golf carts... At the same time, Ukraine boosted its drone production. There are more Ukrainian drones in the sky than ever before.

[@sniperduells]

Nice work. russia is really beginning to get low on old hardware.

[@ux-zd6hu]

Finally it will be replaced by new models :) Russian factories are working 24/7 in 3 shifts and new ones are under construction.

[@janpindak7950]

Awesome job! Thank you very much!!!

[@macster1000]

great work guys!!

[@williamlloyd3769]

Got to admit, clever use of modeling software!

[@RAFASOP]

May I suggest on your 3d model. Colouring the tanks. Red= Junk, Yellow=fixable and green=okay.

[@themaskedarabrussian]

Mr Cabal! Welcome back! We missed you...

[@christycullen2355]

I much prefer these long deep dives into each individual base. The 3d models are especially good

[@jameskinard]

Love the model then allowing for more exact figuring of shadows and generating more information about these sites.

[@thomasstuder1624]

I appreciate your work. With the base by base videos, I suggest adding a country wide tally based on the last counts of the individual bases. I suspect I am not alone in watching mainly to see how much longer Russia can keep going. Keep up the good work.

[@benparker2522]

Another awesome video, thanks!

[@CharlesLeigh-Smith-lm1yz]

Nice imaging. Intelligent reporting.

[@Tehokaksikko8882]

Nice work👍

[@balbalblaify]

Thanks for your work, Covert. Shoutout from Ukraine.

[@Lord_Afgul]

Great stuff💪

[@ImRandomDude]

0:22 lol they even send hangars to the front

[@sfx2627]

2:42 Throwing flashbang!

[@bdcochran01]

A couple of observations. Since the Special Operation commenced, there has been an effort to send tanks to specific locations based upon model of tank. . . . makes it more efficient to repair and put into service. In 2010, the scrapping of older tanks was accelerated.

[@lpdirv]

Militaries should really hire these guys, amazing analysis.

[@kalkuttadrop6371]

Do a video on pre-T54 tanks in museums and deep storage and NK and Chinasourcing. T-34, T-44, T-26, IS-8/T-10. IS-3, IS-2, KV, BT Series, ISU-152, SU-100, 2A3 Kondensator, Object prototypes

[@pavelkoudelka8934]

great work :D thanks for that

[@BramHeerebout]

Another great video, thank you!

[@jasonmalone155]

Love the videos!

[@kaszaspeter77]

Thank you for the excellent work.

[@acmelka]

I am still occasionally shocked by the fact anyone can buy images that were the output of the best spy satellites for half a century

[@marsspacex6065]

The NRO's KH-11 satellites are hubble size telescopes pointed down they can see to a resolution of 5-10cm which is like 5x better than these images.

[@dalehill6127]

Very interesting, thank you.👏🏻🎉

[@veritaspk]

The USSR filled these bases with equipment for decades - once it is used up, Russia has no chance of ever rebuilding these supplies.

[@williamyoung9401]

Counting those tanks that are probably completely inoperable, I'll bet the 111th is probably closer to 85%+ empty.

[@ronb8066]

Excellent and meticulous work, as always. If I were the director of the CIA, I would definitely hire you guys.

[@ux-zd6hu]

You can always try to apply the intelligence services of the Nazi Ukraine, not only to CIA.

[@cmdr1911]

Assigning feelings to military bases is wildly entertaining to me

[@MrDermotMcDonnell]

Greatly appreciated 👍