Ukraine Always Get What You Want

Hey BTE, wanna show the missus what her homeboys are up to these days?

 

She was born in the same city as Zelensky and has many relatives there, including a brother in the Ukrainian army. She probably has a decent idea what's really happening.

 

From way downtown ... BANG!

 

Every war brings its share of innovations in weapons and tactics. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the use of drones — not big, expensive UAVs, but tiny off-the-shelf quadcopters functioning as cheap air support — is going to be one of the big revolutionary concepts from this one.

 

Russia-Ukraine war: Kharkiv school hit by missile, says Ukraine; outcry over killing of PoWs – live | Ukraine | The Guardian

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ukraine-russia/

Live Updates: Ukraine Seeks Inquiry Into Killing of Dozens at Russian Prison Camp

 

I'll take the contra here, and say that after 75 years of US defense spending and scores of trillions down the weapons rat-hole, it's an embarrassment that we're watching the largest country in Europe defend itself against state-sponsored terrorism and invasion with model airplanes.

I recognize the resourcefulness, but c'mon.

 

That's why I'm suggesting it's a revolutionary concept, or at least a more modern twist on old favorites like the Molotov cocktail and Punji spikes. If you can take out a $5 million tank with a a couple thousand dollars worth of mortar rounds and drones then it changes the economics of war for the major powers.
It's also something we haven't seen on this scale, to this point. This war is starting to feel like it could be for drones what World War I was to tanks, or WWII was to aircraft carriers. It's the first drone war. We've seen different outfits use drones in this way before (terrorist groups dropping grenades, for example), but the way the Ukrainians are integrating them into their armed forces on this level and using them to attack high-value equipment is new.
It's all playing out in real time, so it's admittedly hard to get a full grasp on it. There will surely be countermeasures developed. The Russians are already improvising homemade armor to their tanks and vehicles with trees and scrap metal. And there is still a place for the more sophisticated weapons systems. Ukraine is just an interesting laboratory for rapid innovation on this front, and I think we're going to learn a lot of lessons and see a lot of development spinning out of this in the years to come.

 

I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing airplane glue!

 

Ukraine Live Updates: Zelensky Urges Mass Evacuation; Red Cross Kept From Prison Blast Site

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ukraine-russia/

Russia-Ukraine war live: drone hits Russia’s Black Sea fleet HQ; Zelenskiy urges civilians to leave Donetsk | Ukraine | The Guardian

 

Drone explosion hits Russia's Black Sea Fleet HQ

Total coincidence, I’m sure.

 

Premeditated murder. Targeted a civilian. War crime.

 

cool

coolcoolcool

Using Nuclear Reactors for Cover, Russians Lob Rockets at Ukrainians