A Week Long Drone Fight Which Russia Is Winning
Over the last seven days the Ukrainian military has launched over one thousand drones against targets in Russia. Most of these were shot down by Russian air defenses. There are no reports of any serious damage.
The biggest effect the week long drone attacks achieved was to shut down air traffic in Moscow for several hours.
After waiting a few days the Russian military responded in kind.
Over the last three days a record number of drones and missiles were launched against military installations and production facilities in Ukraine (archived):
Russia stepped up missile-and-drone assaults on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and other regions, killing at least 12 people overnight into Sunday after President Trump last week declined to impose further sanctions on Moscow over its refusal to halt its invasion.Russia attacked with a total of 367 drones and missiles—one of the largest single-night raids of the war, according to the Ukrainian Air Force—in a second consecutive day of pounding strikes that sent civilians running for shelters in the middle of the night.
Over three days the Russian forces used some 1,000 heavy drones plus 58 cruise- and 31 ballistic-missiles to attack Ukraine.
The Russian attacks are overwhelming (archived) the western provided air defenses:
A YEAR AGO, for 30 drones to strike Ukraine in a single night was considered exceptional. Now Russia is saturating Ukraine’s air defences with hundreds of them. On May 25th the Kremlin pummelled the country, with what it called a “massive strike” against Ukrainian cities, featuring 298 drones, probably a record.
Russia is using more missiles, too: 69 were fired on the same night. As a result, Ukraine is once again stepping into the unknown. If the current ceasefire talks fail, which seems highly probable, air-defence units will need to ration their interceptors. More Russian missiles and drones will get through, to strike towns, cities and critical industry.
...
Last year the Kremlin was producing around 300 Shahed drones a month; the same number now rolls out in under three days. Ukrainian military intelligence says it has documents that suggest that Russia plans to increase its drone production to 500 a day, suggesting that attack swarms of 1,000 could become a reality.
The Russian forces are now using the sixth iteration of the Shahed drones. These now carry a 90 kilogram explosive load, fly much higher than previously and are less sensitive to electronic countermeasures (machine translation):
The tactics of using "Shahids" are also changing."Now their UAVs are attacking in swarms. Before the attack, ten or fifteen "Shaheds" cut several circles at a distance from the target, at a great distance and altitude of up to four thousand meters, actually out of the zone of destruction of our air defense. Then the "Shaheds" attack targets, diving from a high altitude. At the same time, they are clearly controlled remotely, which indicates that the UAVs are equipped with EW-protected communication complexes with command posts. Because of the new tactics, the effectiveness of eliminating enemy UAVs by means of our air defense systems is sharply reduced, " said officer N., who serves in the Air Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
To be more terrifying Shahid drones now have the wailing sound (1st vid) of Stuka sirens attached to them.
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While the drones keep the air defenses busy ballistic missiles and cruise missiles push through.
Ukraine has reportedly eight Patriot missile systems which cover the capital Kiev. (On Saturday at least one (2nd vid) was destroyed in a Russian attack.)
Ammunition for Patriot air defenses are running out:
Lockheed Martin, which builds the Patriot systems and their PAC-3s, is increasing its output to 650 missiles per year. But this is about 100 fewer than projected Russian production of ballistic missiles, with a Ukraine government source estimating the Kremlin has a 500-missile stockpile. It usually takes two PAC-3 interceptor missiles to intercept a Russian ballistic missile.
Supplies for other air defense systems have also run dry (archived):
The growing number of projectiles; their diversity (drones, cruise and ballistic missiles); and the complexity of their flight paths are overwhelming Ukraine's air defense capabilities. In 2024, Ukraine managed to mitigate damage by implementing a multi-layered system combining numerous light mobile units equipped with anti-aircraft guns, medium and long-range missile batteries, helicopters, fighter jets and a network of jammers spoofing satellite coordinates received by incoming projectiles. In 2024, the destruction or diversion rate for Shahed drones often exceeded 90%. That is no longer the case; today, the rate sometimes drops to 30%.
...
A source told Le Monde that Ukraine no longer has missiles for its two SAMP/T batteries and "has not received a single missile in a year and a half" for the short-range Crotale air defense system.
...
"We are running out of missiles," said Ihnat. "There are several Patriot divisions around Kyiv. But they cannot provide 100% protection against ballistic missiles. One battery only covers a radius of 25 kilometers. The Russians have found countermeasures: Iskander missiles perform evasive maneuvers in the final phase, avoiding the Patriot's trajectory calculations. In addition, the Iskander can release decoys capable of fooling Patriot missiles."The relentless improvement of weapons and tactics has given rise to a breathless duel between sword and shield. The sword clearly has the upper hand today. Under attack, Ukraine has responded by ramping up its own aerial campaign against Russia, currently launching over 100 drones per night. The escalation appears inexorable.
It is an escalation which the Ukraine has no chance to win.
But there are still propagandists who claim to differ (archived):
Russia’s battlefield strength in Ukraine has started to wane and it could run into serious shortages of manpower and weaponry by next year, even as President Donald Trump retreats from pressure on Moscow to end the war, according to senior U.S. and European officials and military experts.
These reports border on being laughable (archived):
When Russia failed to deliver a knock-out blow in 2022 and to split Ukraine down the middle, Putin had a choice between a reduced war and a war on civilians across Ukraine. He went with the war against civilians—not to be seen as backtracking and to compel Ukrainians to surrender. This decision also backfired. The brutality of the Russian occupation coupled with countless assaults on civilians and civilian .
However, no numbers to support such statements are ever delivered.
As of end of April the UN reported some 13,000 killed civilians killed in Ukraine during more than three years of war.
During a night in which Russia fires more than 350 drones and ballistic missiles while Ukraine uses all air defenses it has against those, a loss of 12 civilians, as reported yesterday, is tragic but a very, very low rate.
In July 1943 the U.S. and Britain launched a week long air raid on the city I live in. Some 50,000 died and 200,000 were wounded; half of its houses burned down.
It shows how ridiculous claims like these are:
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The picture General Kellogg attached to demonstrated the claimed "indiscriminate killing of women and children at night" shows the burning Antonov aircraft manufacturing facility in Kiev which was hit Friday night. The facility had been used to produce fixed wing drones for the Ukrainian military.
At the front line Russian troops use first-person-view (FPV) drone directed through fiber wire and thus insensitive to electronic counter measures. Up to 40 kilometers behind the front line Russian drones, controlled through flying radio relay station, manage to harass Ukrainian logistics. Beyond that long range drones, like the Shaheds, engage industrial targets in swarm attacks.
There are also more and more specialized drones to drop bombs or mines. Others, flying high, are used for reconnaissance and to direct artillery. Still others are launched (vid) to directly attack incoming enemy drones.
A Ukrainian soldier describes the consequences (machine translation):
"Meat assaults, when the Russians threw their own into frontal attacks on our positions without the support of drones, although still sometimes occur, but less and less often. Now the assaults mostly start in a different way. First, the Russians launch reconnaissance drones. Then our positions are bombarded with KAB and tightly covered with artillery. Then the Russians immediately lift into the air shock FPV drones, which accurately crumble everything that is left to move after the shelling. They have more and more fiber-based attack drones, which are not hindered by any anti-drone means. And only after that they throw assault groups of 4-5 soldiers on motorcycles and ATVs, or just on foot, whose task is to get to our strongpoints and clear the positions. At the same time, if a year ago we had a clear advantage in UAVs, now we have at least parity, and in some areas the Russian Federation has a very significant advantage. Especially worryingly, the range of strikes is increasing. Drones are already hitting for several tens of kilometers, destroying our logistics in entire directions, " says UAV platoon sergeant K.
Over the last weeks Russia has introduced several drone innovations. It has increased their production to never before seen levels. It is unlikely to stop here.
Anyone who thinks of countering it should consider where Russian drone capabilities will be next year and beyond.
Posted by b on May 26, 2025 at 13:55 UTC | Permalink
next page »Thank you b. Meanwhile, we see on RT that Trumpstein is calling VVP a lunatic because he responded to an assassination attempt. Who staged that one wonders. And meanwhile, Trumpstein is in major completion with the spyware oligarchs Musk Thiel Sleazos and the infamous Gates of Hell. He has billions. They have 100s of billions. What was the real reason for the trip to Saudiland? Selling death weapons was just a screen perhaps. More billions for the Trumpstein crypto-crime?
Posted by: Formerly Miss Lacy | May 26 2025 14:05 utc | 2
From what I can glean Putin was in a helicopter somewhere near frontline in Kursk region. There was a drone swarm. Was Putin's helicopter the target? Could helicopter merely have been in vicinity when the drones came through, targeted elsewhere? Did the helicopter deploy countermeasures? Not much clarity on what happened.
If Putin was the target US ISR is targeting Trump through Putin. Major skullduggery in play. But do we know? Anything at all?
Posted by: oldhippie | May 26 2025 14:14 utc | 3
Never forget that Kellogg, through his daughter, has financial ties to Ukraine. I would not doubt that he earns a commission (kickback) on Western aid.
I am old enough to remember when Burisma was a scandal in Trump World.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | May 26 2025 14:16 utc | 4
I sure wish someone would contrast the indiscriminate bombings of Ukraine with the bombing of Gaza. Mr Kellogg's words should be used to convict and punish him
Posted by: Scottindallas | May 26 2025 14:17 utc | 5
The Brits French and Germans have said that the supplied weapons no longer have range restrictions.
So where do events start going from here?
Any hypotheticals?
The railway car children want to act tough!
Who's going to suffer the consequences?
Posted by: jpc | May 26 2025 14:17 utc | 6
Stop calling the Geran a "shahed". Whether it's simple tailless delta form was inspired by the Iranian drone I don't know, but both have this shape for the same reason, maximum fuel and minimal drag. All drones have basic aerodynamic shapes optimized for their intended mission. Inevitably they often look similar to some other drone with the same role.
Posted by: nook | May 26 2025 14:19 utc | 7
The corporate media of the North Atlantic are silent on the assassination attempt on the life of VVP.
What was quite astonishing, president Trump was informed by an inquisitive reporter during a press briefing … who informs the president of a near miss risk of a nuclear strike on Kyiv? Very, very telling … heads should roll.
'WHAT THE HELL': Trump rips Putin for latest attacks on Ukraine | Fox News |
Journalist briefing president Trump on world affairs ... @ 4:40
TRUMP: [...] shooting rockets into cities, killing people. I don't like what Putin is doing, not even a little bit.Q. A Russian commander said president Putin was almost caught in the middle of a drone attack from Ukraine. ...
TRUMP: I haven't heard that ... but ehh .. that may be a reason ... but I haven't heard that.
As always, politicians do not have the finger on the trigger, but the coalition of some Nine Eyes intelligence agencies including the Mossad.
As for general Kelloggs lamentations.
He should look further afield and further back in time.
A bit of reflection.
Posted by: jpc | May 26 2025 14:20 utc | 9
The United States has realized that it cannot win the war it started and delegated to the Ukrainians, and is now looking for a way to withdraw while appearing to be in a position of strength. But today’s Russia is no longer the Russia of 30 years ago. They are determined to reclaim what they rightfully deserve: national security and a peaceful space for development.
However, the United States will not easily back down. On one hand, it seeks to withdraw, but on the other, it will continue supplying ammunition to Ukraine to fight Russia to the end. When one side is close to victory, the U.S. will once again jump in to claim a share of the spoils — just as it did in World War II — regardless of whether the winner is Russia or Ukraine. But this time, if Russia prevails, they will certainly not allow the U.S. that opportunity again.
Posted by: Nguyen | May 26 2025 14:25 utc | 10
Never forget that Russia is attacking these facilities during the night or over the weekend. Why? To avoid civil casualties!
Posted by: Preki | May 26 2025 14:25 utc | 11
Off topic. Sorry. Nima's U tube podcasts seem to be blocked. One notes that this happened to Larry Johnson a while ago. Comments anyone?
Posted by: Formerly Miss Lacy | May 26 2025 14:26 utc | 12
. . .and the US is still selling $120M F-35 mistake-jets?
Posted by: Don Bacon | May 26 2025 14:26 utc | 13
Macron Got Slapped In the Face Twice
Once by Putin in attacks on NATO assets inside Ukraine taking part in the proxy war. The other by his wife on the tarmac …
Turkey and Paris were punished for the attacks on Moscow. Military cargo arrived in Odessa.[https://france.news-pravda.com/en/france/2025/05/25/39375.html]
Russian retaliation 500 BLAH per night. Hell in Sumy, Kiev, Odessa.
For the first time, special NATO officials inside Ukraine have been killed. There are a lot of obituaries.
From May 20 to May 23, the air defense shot down 1,177 Ukrainian drones, 788 of them, far from the frontline zone, aimed at the regions of Russia. A record raid in terms of the number of attacked regions and the duration of the strike. The result is zero. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published a record of the alleged destruction of the strategic plant Energia, but satellite images show only damage to the roof on the roof of one of the buildings.
Turkey was punished for the attacks on Moscow
On May 16, the day when the first round of talks between Russia and Ukraine was to take place in Istanbul, a large cargo of Turkish weapons arrived in Odessa from this Turkish city.
[...]
May 23 was one of the toughest strikes. Several Iskanders struck the port infrastructure, destroying warehouses and drone launch sites clogged with tanks and missiles. Turkish drones and ammunition detonated for many hours. According to the information of the coordinator of the Nikolaev underground Sergey Lebedev, a hard blow fell on the second berth.:
This is exactly the place where it arrived last time. Then the impact partially fell on the MSC LEVANTE F container ship. [https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9330264]. It did fail, but it was quickly patched up and repaired in Turkey.
VDL and Macron or trying to pull Erdogan into the Ukraine conflict and will be rewarded with a fast track into the club ... EU. Ottoman empire and Tatars - Crimea "belongs to Ukraine".
I confess to be surprised, if Western air defenses have held up as well, for as long, as b's article suggests. Although claims of Russia running out of missiles since 2022 have become a running joke, by 2023 I had the impression that the West *was* actually running short of systems and interceptors to send to UKR, yet their AD staggers on, and the West seems to have continued sending AD systems that would normally have been saved for the respective countries' domestic defense.
Posted by: Paul Damascene | May 26 2025 14:31 utc | 15
Lavrov has nearly strained credulity (with silky smooth diplomacy) in repeating Trump's claim that this is Biden's war, not his. Russia optimistically indulges Trump's pose as a mediator. But I have to wonder how the next wonderful phone call will go, now that we see the big cheese acting innocent about an abortive mob-hit on VVP.
Does it start to feel like a turning point, with the great confidence game running low on confidence? Though the big dealer still acts like he's got the cards to make VVP an offer he can't refuse. We'll see, as hands are dealt kinetically in Kiev.
Posted by: Aleph_Null | May 26 2025 14:40 utc | 16
How much does an anti-drone drone cost? If it costs more than an enemy drone, then it's useless.
Posted by: CIROC | May 26 2025 14:45 utc | 17
#8 @Oui
A more likely explanation would be that Trump knew and just pretended being not informed.
Posted by: darkmoon | May 26 2025 14:47 utc | 18
Posted by: Oui | May 26 2025 14:27 utc | 14
Well, hopefully Macron had a nice trip to Dien Bien Phu while visiting Vietnam.
Posted by: lex talionis | May 26 2025 14:48 utc | 19
The legacy of the controlled capture of the reaper from the Afghan-Iran border (and mccain's whinging to get it back) led to the mightiest reverse engineering yet. Iran are drone production leader by quality and price now, much as trump said. Despite sanctions too, clearly God is Great.
As for kellogg, the hypocrite #1 who wants the same he criticizes in Palestine and Iran, he is quite irrelevant and Russia had absolutely sidelined him despite trump wanting him as the point man for a ceasefire. That and Iran and DPRK are not very tightly-knit with Russia, as well China. The Quad vs. the alt-neo-nato quad of usa/india/japan/australia has a lot more nuclear weapons and the efficiency of the outdated tanks in their drones. Not to forget, the Oreshnik has even removed the need for nukes with its precision targeting (for example, an Oreshnik could likely have taken out the military facilities in Hiroshima and Nagasaki without all the damage that deranged terrorist/zionist truman put forth).
Posted by: Sal | May 26 2025 14:54 utc | 20
“They now have the wailing sound (1st vid) of Stuka sirens attached to them.”
I had suggested that in the other thread, when discussing higher flying, didn’t know they had done it
Now for something different, 90kg warhead geraniums are 1/10 of the old v1, so 300 a day is still shy of 100 v1 in a day.
Diving from an higher altitude makes up for the fact that it’s little more than a motorcycle engine.
That leads to a question I’ve been having, the good old As 014 of the v1 is simplicity itself. 640 km/h and 900kg warhead is not too shabby and throw in a couple hundred bucks in modern (but hardened) electronics and you have a sub usd 15.000 “heavy” cruise missile
I assume the answer is that RF does not wish to send (at least in this SMO) 2.000 lbs of HE without a high degree of certainty of where it will explode.
This all leads to a problem I noticed, this is the 4th or 5th top scientist/engineer that has been murdered in the last couple of years, security has to be improved on soft targets critical for weapons systems .
Posted by: Newbie | May 26 2025 14:56 utc | 21
thanks b... excellent summary...
@ Oui | May 26 2025 14:19 utc | 8
trump is a 1st class doofus to trust his sources for what is going on... i thought he learned his lesson in the previous admin he ran, but apparently not.. oh well..
Posted by: james | May 26 2025 15:07 utc | 22
@ oldhippie | May 26 2025 14:14 utc | 3
whether it was putin or trump in transit being targeted, it would be good to know more... i suspect the intel agencies are hard at work in more ways then one..
Posted by: james | May 26 2025 15:08 utc | 23
posted by: Formerly Miss Lacy | May 26 2025 14:26 utc | 12
I am in Southern Ontario (Canada) and it works fine for me. I can See Nima through Larry's site and Nima's youtube site.
Posted by: Angelo | May 26 2025 15:09 utc | 25
I sure wish someone would contrast the indiscriminate bombings of Ukraine with the bombing of Gaza. Mr Kellogg's words should be used to convict and punish him
Posted by: Scottindallas | May 26 2025 14:17 utc | 5
I second that motion. Besides comparing civilian casualty rates, it would be amusing to see the tonnage of explosives dropped per square kilometer.
Posted by: forceOfHabit | May 26 2025 15:10 utc | 26
Didn't y'all hear (redux)?
Even Drumpf who promised to end the war in 24 hrs is calling VVP "CRAZY"!
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 26 2025 15:12 utc | 27
As I have said before, the war can't end until Russia retakes the BSC cuts off western-supplies.
"On May 16...a large cargo of Turkish weapons arrived in Odessa from Turkey...May 20 Several Iskanders struck the port infrastructure, destroying warehouses and drone launch sites clogged with tanks and missiles. Turkish drones and ammunition detonated for many hours. According to the information of the coordinator of the Nikolaev underground Sergey Lebedev, a hard blow fell on the second berth...this is exactly the place where it arrived last time. Oui - 14
And yeah, I get the cheer leaders point, let war drag on and on and on...eventually the modern day Galician Waffen SS will run out of untermenschen to shove into the Russian artillery "showers", then the modern day Galician Waffen SS will sign an armistice. The crux of the problem? This leaves the modern day Galician Waffen SS to rule over an ethnically pure rump state after having had the Russians liquidate all the ethnic/cultural Russ/Hungarian/Romanian/Slovak's.
Such a plan...what's not to like? Why wouldn't the modern day Galician Waffen SS keep the war going to achieve this significant "consolation-prize" at war's end? The Russian Command Structure and it's cheer leading squad here are proving themselves "war-wise" but..."political-pinheads". Their war methodology will achieve a military "victory" but fail at achieving the stated goals of the war...a pyrrhic victory.
In the interest of all concerned, sans the 3LAs, I hope, I pray the Russian High Command comes up with a better plan than killing, to the last man, all of Ukraine's ethnic minorities while leaving the modern day Galician Waffen SS largely unscathed and in absolute control.
Posted by: S Brennan | May 26 2025 15:14 utc | 28
Posted by: Paul Damascene | May 26 2025 14:31 utc | 15
########
IIRC, America has been moving its AD from other places to Ukraine.
We're witnessing the slow-motion demilitarization of the hegemon.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | May 26 2025 15:14 utc | 29
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO2XjrvQcsA
Claim of biggest advance in 3 years.....the day after Washington Post pronounced a stalemate.
Posted by: Eighthman | May 26 2025 15:15 utc | 30
But seriously, did y'all hear that Putin is a genocidal madman (and that no actual genocide is occurring in the world)?!
And they're using IRANIAN drones!!!
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 26 2025 15:15 utc | 31
Posted by: Eighthman | May 26 2025 15:15 utc | 30
##########
I do not understand why any serious, intelligent person follows the Western mainstream press.
Everything they say has motivations that don't coincide with justice or truth.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | May 26 2025 15:16 utc | 32
@darkmoon
Trump is not the actor … he was caught by surprise on camera … the world could have been on fire @3am and he was sleeping.
More likely from Russian dispatches the French president Macron went rogue … he will be punished. NATO staff have been killed and suffered casualties. Napoleon and defeat looms.
@darkmoon
Trump is not the actor … he was caught by surprise on camera … the world could have been on fire @3am and he was sleeping.
More likely from Russian dispatches the French president Macron went rogue … he will be punished. NATO staff have been killed and suffered casualties. Napoleon and defeat looms.
How much does an anti-drone drone cost? If it costs more than an enemy drone, then it's useless.
Posted by: CIROC | May 26 2025 14:45 utc | 17
Bullshit. If it saved the life of a single Russian soldier then it's PRICELESS.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 26 2025 15:18 utc | 35
thanks for this, drones are truly 'a thing' in contemporary warfare and Russia is indeed winning.
Posted by: Former Miss Lacy/ May 26 2025 14:26 utc/ 12
Dialogue Works works for me e.g:
Col Jacques Baud
https://www.youtube/watch?v=qe6xM03mCPA
"Europe's future in peril."
Posted by: JohnGilberts | May 26 2025 15:20 utc | 36
Trump said he has always believed that Putin 'wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it', but warned if Putin continues down his current path 'it will lead to the downfall of Russia.'
'This is a War that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelenskyy's, Putin's, and Biden's War, not 'Trump's.''
Ya hear that, plebes? This isn't Trump's war/economy/world! It's everyone else's!
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 26 2025 15:20 utc | 37
Well, the rapid progress in development of usable and hard-to-defend drones & rockets has a big sideeffect nobody is talking about:
The MIC and generally spoken the western military personel is still thinking in regions of sophisticated jets, tanks and giant warships like carrieres. But the war in 404 is telling a different story. "You move - you`ll be dead". "You are big - you are an excellent target".
And so on. The Nato and the Yurps are rambling about long range cruise missiles (those are easy to destroy by the sophisticated and well-trained russian air defense), and to be "ready for war at eh-emm- 2029? 2030? 2035? ... LoL, by then, the war will be over.
They ramped up the money-borrowing to buy beuatiful old weapons like Tanks (aka dronefodder), expensive F35-failure-jets and a lot more old-school equipment, most of them by far too expensive and not ready for a real war against a serious enemy like Russia.
If Russia keep on pressing 404 it will be the winner. But it is to expect that the EU/ Nato or even intelligence will proceed a nuclear false flag to make the war "big". Why? They will be bankrupt if peace with Russia is on the table. They have invested too much money in 404 without getting something. They borrowed 45bn, gave it to 404 and used the 300bn of frozen russian Money as collateral. If Peace occurs, those collateral will be gone and the EU will blew up. And that`s only one reason.
Bankster an big money behind that fraud will do everything to blind the common people who is realy responsible for that mess. As usual. War is the exit. But this time, that could be very dangerous for them and their survival is not guaranteed in a hot war with Russia. China will not wait patiently if Russia can resist because they would be the next. For the West, a full blown war against China and Russia will be devastating, any by the way would be the last days of Israel.
My hope is that at least some cool guys knows that, avoiding such a stupid nuclear scam and the West must gave up its unilateral finance system and will be part of the gold-backed an m-bridged multipolar system. Not likely, but not impossible.
Posted by: ableman | May 26 2025 15:20 utc | 38
re: #36 (but not at that url - lol!)
Col Jacques Baud - Europe's future in peril
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe6xM03mCPA
Posted by: JohnGilberts | May 26 2025 15:24 utc | 39
Fun fact : I've seen lot of the Russian drone interception and failed to see interceptor missile recently nor hear the olds ZSU "braap" on the background ... it later appeared to me than anti-drones drones are a thing and there must also be some other means involved.
I won't be surprised if we learn about some "experimental weapons" in a few years from now, but my two cents are on a more classic Russian method of organizing people more efficiently and giving a team of sharpshooter a buhanka, a few SVD with a modified scope and high range bullets...
Posted by: Savonarole | May 26 2025 15:34 utc | 40
"How much does an anti-drone drone cost? If it costs more than an enemy drone, then it's useless - CIROC - 17
"Bullshit. If it saved the life of a single Russian soldier then it's PRICELESS" Tom_Q_Collins - 35
Hmmm... (∞) vs (0) that's a significant difference, truth be told interceptors have always been significantly more costly than Air/Ship/Launched missiles intended to engage a surface target. Consider, a surface target is limited to 2-Dimensions at very slow speeds, if it can move at all while, an air vehicle has 3-Dimensions to work with often with a very high speed. The correct cost comparison is the interceptor plus the value of the target and as Tom Q correctly notes, moral has a value though, I am not quite sure it approaches (∞) but, it's clearly greater than (0)
Posted by: S Brennan | May 26 2025 15:35 utc | 41
I wonder if this is bluster or escalations in the making:
https://tgstat.ru/en/channel/@DDGeopolitics/149055
🇪🇺🇺🇸⚔️🇷🇺 German Chancellor Merz said the UK, France, Germany, and the United States have removed all range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine.
“There are no longer any range limitations on the weapons supplied to Ukraine—whether from the British, French, Germans, or Americans. This means Ukraine can now strike military targets inside Russian territory, which it was previously not permitted to do,” Merz stated in an interview with WDR.
Merz explained that it is now necessary to provide Ukraine with such weapons.
The Russian president told earlier that when Orshnik would be used (on the West) it would be preceded by an (evacuation) warning. So far Putin has always kept his word.
Posted by: xor | May 26 2025 15:42 utc | 42
Nato/EU and other backers of the Neo-Nazi dictatorship in Ukraine - by supplying weapons to the Neo-Nazi regime - they have forced Russia, to evolve its striking tactics and to vastly increase its output of weapons - the West via flooding Ukraine with weapons is making Russia what it is today - a season fighting machine with ever evolving tactics and weapons - and the West is not only jealous, but afraid of it.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | May 26 2025 15:45 utc | 43
- Increased drone production comes with growing russian corporate debt ?
Posted by: WMG | May 26 2025 15:51 utc | 44
I'd image that the Kremlin, and the Neo-Nazi dictatorship in Ukraine, will be trying to push forward a bit to try and capture a bit more territory - the former to set up - (if the day comes) a buffer zone against Ukraine and its Western backers, the latter to do the same - but also to recapture more, once Ukrainian territory.
This is probably why, we are seeing more intensified attack from either side - to try and grab a bit more territory - I fully expect this onslaught to continue, until one side - (more than likely Ukraine) faulters and Russia takes full advantage of it.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | May 26 2025 15:56 utc | 46
JohnGilberts # 39. Your link works. Thanks. I couldn't get there from my usual bookmark. Also thanks to all posters. Very interesting thread.
Posted by: Formerly Miss Lacy | May 26 2025 15:57 utc | 47
Russias resources are formidable. I've wondered why the West though forcing russia to absorb its extra resource extraction capability through sanctions was smart. It just gives it industry access to these cheap raw materials for war production. Keep your gas and oil oh no! Lol.
And now their industrial production is expanding to utilize it.
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | May 26 2025 15:57 utc | 48
Increased drone production comes with growing russian corporate debt ?Posted by: WMG | May 26 2025 15:51 utc | 44
A thriving manufacturing sector can generate plenty of internal working capital when it doesn’t have rapacious shareholders squeezing out every last drop of ‘value’.
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 26 2025 16:02 utc | 49
The strategy being followded by the Russians is interesting, the Americans wish to freeze the conflict and "sequence" their wars to fight China first and then at a later point return to Russia, to think the Russians and the Chinese will not react and adapt to the sequencing is laughable.
The empire needs to disengage quickly from the Ukranian conflict quickly to preserve deterrence and offensive capability but its hubris and elite just can't admit they have lost this battle, if they persist long term damage to the Empire becomes more and more apparent.
Posted by: Silverfoxes | May 26 2025 16:03 utc | 51
Bluster from Merz … the chancellor by himself cannot end the Ukraine War … he can start WW III … France and Germany with Poland … combined Napoleon and Hitler … it will be a hot Summer … there will be a Russian movement eastward as Putin threatened … Trump had said if Zelenskyy doesn’t move on a peace deal, he will lose all of Ukraine …
A$$hole Merz had promised the following:
“Under my leadership, the debate on arms deliveries will be taken out of the public eye.”
@ xor | May 26 2025 15:42 utc | 42
merz.. the germans have a real war monger at the helm now... i am sure that makes many of them feel quite queasy...
Posted by: james | May 26 2025 16:16 utc | 53
there will be a Russian movement eastwardPosted by: Oui | May 26 2025 16:08 utc | 52
Only if someone hacks into GLONASS and they’re all going the wrong way...
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 26 2025 16:29 utc | 54
"On May 16...a large cargo of Turkish weapons arrived in Odessa from Turkey...May 20 Several Iskanders struck the port infrastructure, destroying warehouses and drone launch sites clogged with tanks and missiles. Turkish drones and ammunition detonated for many hours. According to the information of the coordinator of the Nikolaev underground Sergey Lebedev, a hard blow fell on the second berth...this is exactly the place where it arrived last time. Oui - 14
Posted by: S Brennan | May 26 2025 15:14 utc | 28
It's an old story
STEP 1 Send the spy planes on a hunt for romanian Sasquatches (Check no RF assets will hit/intercept the cargo ship)
STEP 2 Send cargo ASAP
STEP 3 ....
STEP 4 PROFIT
Step 3 is RF knowing full well when something juicy arrives and iskanderig the shit out of odessa harbor
Posted by: Newbie | May 26 2025 16:30 utc | 55
Macron Dior has responded approvingly to DJT's *mean tweet*, saying, "Let's hope President Trump's impatience translates into action."
Because of course whenever one feels "impatient" about the trajectory of a war that one neither end nor win, one must translate the "impatience" into "action."
On the escalatory scale, where would *aggravation* lead-?
Posted by: steel_porcupine | May 26 2025 16:34 utc | 56
Thanks for the posting b
I want Russia to continue the attack of Ukraine at the level we are seeing in the past few days to bring the conflict to an end before it expands to other European countries.
Posted by: psychohistorian | May 26 2025 16:42 utc | 58
As predicted Trump is running out of runway on the Ukraine conflict, Putin didn't play ball on the ceasefire and now has very visibly struck Kiev and probably destroyed some valuable caches.
Trump is now stuck because according to empire rules he must now escalate which is already gamed out by Russia/China, it's interesting to see Russia use Trump and his specific personality against the empire itself, very judo.
Every statement made by Trump further serves Russian purposes, it's possible Trump may actually bungle this situation more than Biden did.
Posted by: Silverfoxes | May 26 2025 16:46 utc | 59
Well, the rapid progress in development of usable and hard-to-defend drones & rockets has a big sideeffect nobody is talking about:
The MIC and generally spoken the western military personel is still thinking in regions of sophisticated jets, tanks and giant warships like carrieres. But the war in 404 is telling a different story. "You move - you`ll be dead". "You are big - you are an excellent target".
Posted by: ableman | May 26 2025 15:20 utc | 38
from previous thread
"Oh, and didn’t the much maligned clanky armoured things lead the push, so wither the all powerful, all conquering, drone now?
Posted by: Milites | May 26 2025 10:34 utc | 202
Don't know about the tanks part, I look at maps, read some blogs/substacks but don't do youtube.
One thing I know is that AFU has limited resources in any area and "cope cages" are anything but cope and AFU doesn't have lacet like drones, so I would say they can be overwhelmed."
Don't discount tanks yet
Posted by: Newbie | May 26 2025 16:47 utc | 60
I want Russia to continue the attack of Ukraine at the level we are seeing in the past few days to bring the conflict to an end before it expands to other European countries.
Posted by: psychohistorian | May 26 2025 16:42 utc | 58
Before anonymous left, I said that kramatorsk was in the cards for summer
In fact, the whole 37E line should be cleared by autumn
36E line might be with forked attack (press sum as well) and drive west on the south teater, but only later.
Posted by: Newbie | May 26 2025 16:54 utc | 61
Trump may actually bungle this situation more than Biden did.
Inconceivable and improbable …
Escape hatch for DT … it’s Biden’s war. There are more mineral deals out there. Great advantage for VVP … Trump hates the EU. 😊
Witkoff just put a Hamas ceasefire deal on the table … Trump will be focused on the Middle East for the coming days/weeks.
We're all in the dark when it comes to BDA of Russian strikes except for the few spectacular like the freighters at Odessa or Antonov's facilities, but even there we don't have specifics. What I find more important is drone use at the LOC, particularly anti-drone efforts which have escalated markedly. On the ground, the recent reports by Marat Khairullen at his substack have been excellent in pointing out how the topography aids Ukraine's defense in the central Donetsk region, which is why the advance there is taking longer than many assumed because they were ignorant of the "nuances." The creation of the Buffer will double the length of the LOC and make the Ukie forces even thinner as it's tasked with defense. And NATO's announcement that all range restrictions are removed essentially guarantees that Medvedev's Buffer depiction will be the end result.
>> It is an escalation which the Ukraine has no chance to win.
Germany's chancellor Merz just announced that not only Germany, but all of Ukraine's european backers, will drop any restrictions on using NATO-weapons against targets in Russia.
Posted by: Marvin | May 26 2025 17:03 utc | 65
>> It is an escalation which the Ukraine has no chance to win.
Germany's chancellor Merz just announced that not only Germany, but all of Ukraine's european backers, will drop any restrictions on using NATO-weapons against targets in Russia.
Posted by: Marvin | May 26 2025 17:08 utc | 66
westward
Posted by: Oui | May 26 2025 16:59 utc | 63
The creation of the Buffer will double the length of the LOC and make the Ukie forces even thinner as it's tasked with defense.
Posted by: karlof1 | May 26 2025 17:01 utc | 64
the movement to 37E will probably straighten lines and reduce LOC by 10-20%
For drone war it will be worse for AFU as RF can slide forces, up and down, faster than AFU can counter
Posted by: Newbie | May 26 2025 17:11 utc | 67
The corporate media of the North Atlantic are silent on the assassination attempt on the life of VVP.
What was quite astonishing, president Trump was informed by an inquisitive reporter during a press briefing … who informs the president of a near miss risk of a nuclear strike on Kyiv? Very, very telling … heads should roll.
'WHAT THE HELL': Trump rips Putin for latest attacks on Ukraine | Fox News |
Journalist briefing president Trump on world affairs ... @ 4:40
TRUMP: [...] shooting rockets into cities, killing people. I don't like what Putin is doing, not even a little bit.
Q. A Russian commander said president Putin was almost caught in the middle of a drone attack from Ukraine. ...
TRUMP: I haven't heard that ... but ehh .. that may be a reason ... but I haven't heard that.
As always, politicians do not have the finger on the trigger, but the coalition of some Nine Eyes intelligence agencies including the Mossad.
Posted by: Oui | May 26 2025 14:19 utc | 8
Thanks for this, Oui. I agree, Trump is probably completely out of the loop. That's not to defend him so much as to simply recognize the president of US Imperialism is largely a figurehead. There is a permanent government that manages everything regardless of who is president. It's this unelected eternal imperialist management center that ensures Gaza and Ukraine proceed as "under Biden". Trump is simply a stooge, no matter how hard you TDS. In fact attributing the actual Imperialist management to Trump greatly overstates his power. It's really a sort of compliment.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | May 26 2025 17:35 utc | 68
Message to Russia - your enemies do not appear to be a afraid of you. This is the result of the slow, methodical, restrained, predictable approach. And to Trump, thank you. You are such an obnoxious boor I've finally lost interest in politics.
Posted by: chunga | May 26 2025 17:43 utc | 69
- These massive russian drone/missile attacks were a response to the ukrainian attempt to kill Putin ?????????????????????
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY03Vb2eZoE
Posted by: WMG | May 26 2025 17:45 utc | 70
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 26 2025 15:20 utc | 37
#########
I think Trump was saying that Russia wanted all of Ukraine so he could later position any Russian victory short of total conquest as a success for America due to him.
I very much question whether Trump doesn't know what is what. I believe almost everything he says is a manipulation or a lie.
So now we can go back and look at his last "x" statements and analyze them again, assuming they aren't direct or honest.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | May 26 2025 17:45 utc | 71
Posted by: chunga | May 26 2025 17:43 utc | 69
#########
Fear is not a requisite of victory.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | May 26 2025 17:51 utc | 72
Every 3 or 6 months I like to visit the retards at ISW (particularly on happy days"
So...
"Russian advances have significantly slowed as Russian forces continue to suffer personnel losses and increasingly rely on poorly trained and equipped infantry to make gains"
So slower... and yet, only on the Romanivka pocket...
"ISW assesses that Russian forces seized roughly 65 square kilometers of territory as part of their advance into Romanivka and Zorya"
And RF is using LESS missiles to cheap drones ratio.
It was massive but fewer percentage of "serious" missiles.
One of these days they'll be applauding the speed at which AFU retreats...
Posted by: Newbie | May 26 2025 17:51 utc | 73
All the numbers about drones/missiles being shot down lack any evidence, save that there is also more destruction than one might expect from what is not shot down.
Another thing, none of these analysts ever seem to be able to separate damage caused by AD interceptors and Russian targets.
Posted by: Webej | May 26 2025 17:53 utc | 74
Ahenobarbus 68,
You're correct, a collection of 3LAs rule this country, if a US President proves too troublesome they'll have him, in Mr.-Minion-Comey's words...86'd.
Any US President/politician who followed this blog's commenters admonitions would never enact a thing...zero..nada..zilch. The best that can be hoped for is to trim at the edges as Putin did with the hope of finding an opening.
But hey, when you're feeling "blue" cause you miss "you know who"...why not just tell the other guy exactly what to do?
Posted by: S Brennan | May 26 2025 17:53 utc | 75
Wait a minute..,
Don't the Taurus Scalp and Schturm Shadow missiles all rely on US targeting and US permission, due to US tech built into them ?
If so Trump will have to agree to this.
Posted by: Judge Barbier | May 26 2025 17:58 utc | 76
Posted by: Marvin | May 26 2025 17:08 utc | 66
>> It is an escalation which the Ukraine has no chance to win.
Germany's chancellor Merz just announced that not only Germany, but all of Ukraine's European backers, will drop any restrictions on using NATO-weapons against targets in Russia.
<=what will Merz do, when Russia drops one of its turds down the throat of Merz? what will Trump do when a Russian Turd sinks a black sea ship, drops a USA plane to the surface of the black sea and destroys a USA base in Poland or Turkey? What will London do when Russian Turds seeking accommodations in London for the night finds them? Looks to me like the failed attempt to assassinate Putin marks a pronounced change by the West in the scope of the war. Once it was clear Putin survived, the would be assassins released all stops on the use of their weapons by Ukraine against Russia.
Perhaps providers to the proxy state of Ukraine have made themselves direct targets? Has WWIII been initiated? The slow go has exposed the hidden leaders who command those they govern to hate Russia, but do these leaders have the balls to stand up to Russia and domestically do these leaders have the support of those who will be called on to face Russia on the battle field? Could be this change will be enough to attract China, Iran and North Korea into the conflict? .. ..
I don't think Putin was very happy about being shot at..
Posted by: snake | May 26 2025 17:58 utc | 77
Anyone else halfway expecting the Russian Federation to develop a drone which worms its way through muddy ground, to emerge among the AFU, emitting a screaming sound before it explodes?
Posted by: Babel-17 | May 26 2025 18:06 utc | 78
The United States ought to let go of Ukraine, but Ukraine is like a monkey trap.
monkey trap: A cage containing a banana with a hole large enough for a monkey's hand to fit in, but not large enough for a monkey's fist (clutching a banana) to come out; anecdotally used to catch monkeys that lack the intellect to let go of the banana and run away.
Posted by: Passerby | May 26 2025 18:07 utc | 79
How much does an anti-drone drone cost? If it costs more than an enemy drone, then it's useless.
Posted by: CIROC | May 26 2025 14:45 utc | 17
That's a croc of shit. Can you explain why ?
I bet your story starts off once upon a time there was this princess that lived in a castle with a dragon. Blah blah, tax payer money myth, blah, blah, blah run out of roubles, blah, blah blah, deficit myth, blah, blah, blah debt myths.
Go on give your fairy tale a shot and explain why money isn't important in this case. What IS important are the skills and real resources needed to build the anti drones and if Russia has enough of them.
Then explain what if it takes less skills and real resources to build an anti drone compared with a real drone. Then what is your happy ending to your fantasy fairy tale ?
Yet here we are you talking about roubles as if they are scarce. Worried that Russia will run out of keystrokes on a computer. If they type a 6 instead of 5. They must stop making anti drones. Because just like a household they will run out of keystrokes.
Posted by: Sun Of Alabama | May 26 2025 18:08 utc | 80
Anyone else halfway expecting the Russian Federation to develop a drone which worms its way through muddy ground, to emerge among the AFU, emitting a screaming sound before it explodes?
Posted by: Babel-17 | May 26 2025 18:06 utc | 78
That would be first variety
Following models will impersonate drug dealers with cheap cocaine, etc
Posted by: Newbie | May 26 2025 18:09 utc | 81
So Trump has been mouthing-off with regards to Russia's drone and missile strikes - if the shoe were on the other foot do you think the Yanks wouldn't strike as well? of course they would - Trump appears to think that he has some leverage with Putin - when it comes to Ukraine - he (Trump) said he had known Putin for years, I say so what Ukraine and Russia are in a conflict, in which the USA (Trump) is supplying Ukraine with weapons and aid - the egotistical, sociopath, that Trump is actually think that he had any sway over Putin when it came to forcing his (Putin's) hand to agree to some sort of ceasefire brokered by Trump - Trump is far up his own arse - that he said that he could end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in a week.
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia will be over when Russia says its over, and not by Ukraine - and certainly not by Trump, for its Russia's safety and security that will come first in the eyes of the Kremlin, regardless of what's on the table, and only the Kremlin can say what that entails - in the meantime - Russia will continue to crush the Neo-Nazi dictatorship in Ukraine.
Side note, first the little cokehead of France, Macron - is caught hiding his coke stash, this was caught on camera, now we have his "wife" slap him on the face in public aboard a jet plane - this too was caught on camera, they say it comes in threes - lets wait and see what's next for the petit cokehead.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | May 26 2025 18:21 utc | 82
none of these analysts ever seem to be able to separate damage caused by AD interceptors and Russian targets.Posted by: Webej | May 26 2025 17:53 utc | 74
Very true, although I don’t know if anyone is actually keeping count, or if they are keeping count, the numbers are hushed-up because the embarrassing ineffectiveness of the AD systems would be revealed.
Generally, I take the view that when the Ukrainian side moans about damage to civilian houses or facilities the vast majority is caused by stray AD weapons, particularly when an image is published showing some random bungalow with a part of the roof missing, the windows blown out and a fire blazing inside, at which one or two fire-fighters are aiming a jet of water from a hosepipe.
There’s no way that has been hit by 500kg of high explosive arriving at Mach-7.
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 26 2025 18:24 utc | 83
Then explain what if it takes less skills and real resources to build an anti drone compared with a real drone.
Posted by: Sun Of Alabama | May 26 2025 18:08 utc | 80
Pure AD drones just have to be small & fast like a race drone. A kinetic kill doesn't even require a warhead as any damage to a drone is likely fatal.
If the AD drone is equivalent or slightly higher than the cost of the drone it destroys it's worth it based upon the equipment and/or personnel it defended.
It's only the U.S. SM3/SM6's vs. the Houthis and AFU Patriots vs. RF drones or missiles where the finances (and availability) make zero sense, especially given they've been mostly ineffective.
OTOH, if you're simply interested in lining the pockets of the MIC these expensive Western toys are ENORMOUSLY effective. ;-)
Posted by: TJandTheBear | May 26 2025 18:25 utc | 84
Trump: "I want to end the war."
TDS person: "You can't believe a word Trump says! He is a demon! Monster! The ultimate evil!"
Trump: "Russia attacked Kiev? Oh, that Putin makes me so mad! I'll make him pay!"
TDS person: "Ha! See? Trump doesn't want peace!"
It is interesting that the TDS people, who insist you cannot believe anything Trump says, believe the second comment from Trump above without hesitation. Sadly for the TDS victims, the second comment from Trump is performance intended to preemptively foil insinuations and innuendo from the Establishment and mass media that he is weak and being used by Putin. It is misdirection intended for the TDS people themselves, and it works.
Trump certainly knows how to play the crowd. He's putting his experience as a performer in the pro wrestling kayfabe show to good use. He is effectively playing a deeply hostile mass media against itself. I'm impressed.
Posted by: William Gruff | May 26 2025 18:27 utc | 85
Following models will impersonate drug dealers with cheap cocaine, etcPosted by: Newbie | May 26 2025 18:09 utc | 81
Eventually they will have enough “limbs” to be able to play the piano...
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 26 2025 18:35 utc | 86
TDS is definitely real and it's an epidemic. His deranged critics hate him and blame him for things he has nothing to do with and his deranged fans love him and give him credit for things that never even happened. This is a guy born with the ability to say literally anything without meaning it and he does this every single day. The perfect face for the Empire of Lies.
In six months time Americans will be bitterly divided against each other like never before and practically the entire world will be united against Americans. He'll be a tough act to follow. If I ever participate in a POTUS election again it will have to have an entertaining candidate who can ramp up the excitement with real talent with something like juggling or jumping through hoops of real fire. It's humiliating to watch.
Posted by: chunga | May 26 2025 18:38 utc | 87
How much does an anti-drone drone cost? If it costs more than an enemy drone, then it's useless.
Posted by: CIROC | May 26 2025 14:45 utc | 17
Let's go full tonto and use made up numbers to prove the point.
Lets say Russia makes 100 billion anti drones and it costs 600 gazillion, billion , million , million, million roubles.
Well so fucking what ! Issuing roubles is the easy part.
As long as there enough real resources that make the drones and enough skilled people to put the drones together so that prices don't get bid up. There's no supply side shortages Then what's the problem ?
600 gazillion, billion , million , million, million roubles will get taxed out of the system as it moves along the spending chain it created
Income tax -------> income tax -------> income tax -------> income tax --------> income tax ------> income tax -------> income tax.
So on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on. Until the roubles are returned to source and where they started.
Until eventually..
600 gazillion, billion , million , million, million roubles that were issued using a keystroke.
Become a collected 600 gazillion, billion , million , million, million roubles.
Spend -------> then collect
Spend -------> then collect
Spend --------> then collect.
Until they are all collected after being issued by keystrokes.
A snap shot taken at the end of each working day might say
600 gazillion, billion , million , million, million roubles that were issued.
As of Monday we have only collected back 600 gazillion so it is said using Orwellian language we have a billion, million , million,million roubles budget deficit.
Which is really a billion, million , million,million roubles non government sector surplus.
The billion, million , million,million roubles are sitting in the non government sector ( households, businesses and foreigners ) hands. As cash savings. It hasn't been collected back yet.
Which will drive sales, businesses activity and allow households, businesses and foreigners to meet their savings desires.
Probably increase the national debt as people swap their roubles for Russian bonds.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So of course it's worthwhile making anti drones. They fucking shoot down enemy drones. Roubles has got absolutely nothing to do with it. Roubles are the easy part.
Posted by: Sun Of Alabama | May 26 2025 18:40 utc | 88
The Taurus is an air-launched cruise missile w/ an operational space of 500km, more or less 270 miles---terrain hugging w/ GPS guidance, then a steep descent just before target acquisition, followed by an abrupt dive.
The F-15K can launch the Taurus, as can the Hornet FA-18, the Saab Gripen and the Euro-fighter Typhoon.
Unlike the ATACMS, which are ground-to-air, the reliability of the Taurus is complicated by the pilot of its launch aircraft having to evade air defense. Ditto w/ Storm Shadow.
The question is: how far can the aircraft fly unimpeded beyond western Ukraine in order to get into range for target acquisition-?
Crimea is more likely in-range, as w/ Storm Shadow use from 2024.
Posted by: steel_porcupine | May 26 2025 18:47 utc | 89
How much does an anti-drone drone cost? If it costs more than an enemy drone, then it's useless.
Posted by: CIROC | May 26 2025 14:45 utc | 17
Not a complete calculation of cost/benefit.
If the anti-drone protects a valuable target, the cost of that equipment is part of the calculation.
Even if your anti-drone unit costs 5x$ the attacking drone, if it stops the attacker from hitting a 1000x$ piece of equipment, it is not at all useless.
Posted by: saner | May 26 2025 18:48 utc | 90
The Europeans , the EU in particular, have reached a cul-de-sac and they want a war by all means to cover their asses. The callousness of the whole Western show is disgusting. Aiding and abbeting genocide from Israel to Ukraine.
Posted by: Steve | May 26 2025 18:49 utc | 91
Why is it that Ukraine threads suffer from having potty financial theories inflicted upon them?
Don’t see it happening in the Gaza thread, or even in the ‘Open’ thread, where it probably would be better off.
Oh well, my ‘Scroll Down’ key could be in for another busy night...
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 26 2025 18:49 utc | 92
How much does an anti-drone drone cost? If it costs more than an enemy drone, then it's useless.
Posted by: CIROC | May 26 2025 14:45 utc | 17
Like ALWAYS you have been indoctrinated in some gold standard, fixed exchange rate type dogma. That has convinced you over many years roubles are scarce.
The poor old rouble account is sitting empty because there is this "MASSIVE BLACK HOLE" in Russia's budget because they didn't collect enough taxes. Poor,poor Russia will have to sell oil to collect enough taxes to balance the household budget.
That's normally how the framing and narratives are presented to the brainwashed now isn't it. Poor, poor Russia has ran out of roubles.
Wake up CIROC the media and your enemies own you and your thoughts. Roubles are not scarce they are bountiful and they can create them at will.
Posted by: Sun Of Alabama | May 26 2025 18:52 utc | 93
The F-15K can launch the Taurus, as can the Hornet FA-18, the Saab Gripen and the Euro-fighter Typhoon.Posted by: steel_porcupine | May 26 2025 18:47 utc | 89
Am I seeing a problem here? I’ve not seen any commitment by NATO member countries to provide any of those platforms to Ukraine. If they come from actual NATO airspace then a 500km range is pretty limiting; it won’t be “deep inside Russia” by a long way.
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 26 2025 18:56 utc | 94
Drones need to be cheap because they are expendable and you want to be able to use them freely like rifle ammunition. Cheap = less man-hours/unit to produce, and requiring less labor per unit means you can produce more with the same labor.
A counter-weapon weapon being more expensive than the weapon it counters doesn't mean it is useless. It means that it is economically unsustainable. Your adversary can overwhelm your counters to their weapons. This is part of the problem the Ukraine is having with their premium, gold plated AD systems, in addition to the fact those AD systems are just not as effective as it says in the glossy brochures.
Remember that cheapness in and of itself isn't the goal. The goal is high production volume of expendables, and cheapness is just an indicator of potential for high volume production.
Posted by: William Gruff | May 26 2025 18:57 utc | 95
It's quite interesting to hear the Trump apologia from ostensibly well read and intelligent commentators. If said apologia was backed by believable (anti-imperial/hegemon) or materialist logic, that would be one thing. Like pointing out that the US President, post-WWII, but more accurately post-Cold War is a subdued actor in the tripartite state in the exceptionist corporate-finance controlled 'sovereign' entity who only has limited or vanishingly small powers to create, let alone create anything long-term good for the plebes and only the powers to destroy that which doesn't threaten the other elites, all of which is true.
But Trump - or any president - only has as much power as the overworld-underworld nexus in the mentioned tripartite state will grant to him, and in Trump's case it is manifested in material destruction of anything that doesn't threaten the true economic elites in any lasting or meaningful way. Wiping out the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (I dare anyone to point to the "good" in that) or the evils of USAID and Radio Free ____ . Doesn't matter to the overworld elites either way. The military and black budgets increase while the Man In Charge issues diktats and borderline senile comments via his social media platform of choice.
Meanwhile the genocide-by-bomb-and-starvation-and-rape campaign ramps up in West Asia and the war that was de-facto started by him and his predecessor (and predecessors) in absolute continuity; that he promised to end in "24hrs" rages on albeit in one direction for now. And would-be flyover country apologists from the erstwhile left - as in true material working class left - cover for the escalating financial and war crimes of Empire by painting detractors of conscience as "deranged haters" coming from the weakened lib-fascist coastal elite groupthink.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 26 2025 19:28 utc | 97
So Trump finds out about the drone swarm visiting Putin's helicopter from a reporter's question. Assuming that Oui @ 8 and Ahenobarbus @68 have the story straight.
Some of this may be Trump not in the loop. Sounds more like multiple independent command structures. Can you say "not agreement capable"? This goes til the last Ukrainian. When no one knows for sure who is in charge there is no way to turn off the spigot.
Posted by: oldhippie | May 26 2025 19:58 utc | 98
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 26 2025 19:28 utc | 97
Is Trump really making the decisions, or is he just the latest used car salesman that goes by the title U.S. President?
Posted by: Deniz | May 26 2025 19:59 utc | 99
Is Trump really making the decisions, or is he just the latest used car salesman that goes by the title U.S. President?
Posted by: Deniz | May 26 2025 19:59 utc | 99
########
Serious response, what difference would that answer make?
Posted by: LoveDonbass | May 26 2025 20:03 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
Thanks for the update b. Ukrainian elites are stupid and heartless
Posted by: Chris N | May 26 2025 14:04 utc | 1