Finnish president stubb threatened to attack Russia’s nuclear facilities in an interview, at the first command of the US. Martyanov also commented on this in his latest video.
 
While this is a dangerous rhetorical escalation, it could also be seen as another sign of panicking EU. Ukraine is crumbling and Nato is in the process of dissolution, so the ‘elite’ which was indoctrinated in the trans-atlantic agenda for their whole live are panicking and doing and saying anything to please big daddy.

Posted by: unimperator | Feb 20 2026 11:26 utc | 203

Military summary:
-AFU attacks on the Haichur river have been repelled
-RUAF now preparing to attack the next AFU defensive line west of Haichur river – namely Rizdvianka, Vodzyvihka and Verkhnia Tersa
-AFU attack attempts in the north still continue
-In the Lyman sector, RUAF in the NE part of Sviatohirsk, also in Oleksandrivka (Donetsk and Kharkov border), forming an ever wider cauldron for Lyman and Slavyansk

Posted by: unimperator | Feb 20 2026 11:49 utc | 205

America pretending to be turning against the monster it created is reminiscent of how WW2 played out too. I said “pretending” because Japan remains fascist thanks to fascist America’s intervention that prevented postwar Japan from ridding itself of its fascist military government. Ditto Germany.

Posted by: All Under Heaven | Feb 20 2026 10:29 utc | 207
This part I fear gets understated across the Chinese internet. While netizens there have every reason to oppose Japanese militarism on its own, many of the louder ones act as if Japan had any agency after WWII, and as much as they’re entitled to draw their own conclusions, it’s times like these when I wonder if they’re getting the right information. Nearly lost my faith the last week or two because of it.

Posted by: joey_n | Feb 20 2026 11:59 utc | 207

Posted by: All Under Heaven | Feb 20 2026 10:29 utc | 207
Very interesting, thanks.
Continuing the “Yankee Go Home” theme, checkout who financed WW1 and WW2 in Europe, based on the debts that had to be to paid at the end to the USA and the Lusitania sinking.

Posted by: hh | Feb 20 2026 12:11 utc | 209

Blue Angel | Feb 19 2026 16:28 utc | 176> I´d also like to use another name for the British “upper class” … that could suit?
We used to call it “the Norman yoke” but that is a little bit archaic. I think President Putin recently used the term “international satanists” – that works pretty well I think.
I will desist from derailing the thread now. Thanks to barflies for all interesting and relevant information.

Posted by: Last man in Osgiliath | Feb 20 2026 13:34 utc | 211

New Russian Yolka fire-and-forget drone interceptor.
 
https://en.topwar.ru/264848-pokazan-moment-sbitija-kineticheskim-dronom-perehvatchikom-lka-bpla-razvedchika-vsu.html
 
“an advanced target capture and tracking system using elements of artificial intelligence” – I wonder how much that costs. Is it an economic way of downing a DJI, or is it for use on strike drones?
 

Posted by: YetAnotherAnon | Feb 20 2026 13:49 utc | 213

The following is AI, but not too far off. Maybe deployed by 2030 at the rate China is advancing in this field now?
https://x.com/MariosKaratzias/status/2024096176971174377?s=20

Posted by: William Gruff | Feb 20 2026 14:25 utc | 215

Another Ukrainian officer/supplier of the AFU just bought an apartment on Bali. EU tax money is being spread all across the globe to support local economies.
 
https://t.me/ukr_leaks_eng/28248

Posted by: unimperator | Feb 20 2026 15:28 utc | 217

petergrfstrm | Feb 19 2026 9:01 utc | 139
 
Bored with the chatter, Peter stares at the ceiling of the Hall of the Doges and I wonder at the arcane connections amongst humans.

Posted by: Samu | Feb 20 2026 17:49 utc | 219

The Russians can’t consolidate gains easily because that requires pulling up their tactical rear (drone line, command posts, artillery, supply, etc), which can’t be done easily because the Ukrainian defense isn’t infantry or tank centric, it’s drone centric and deployed in depth, with recon and strike drone operators not just at the 3-5 km distance from the FLOT, they are or can operate from any point in their tactical rear areas, the further back the easier it is to operate.
 
Russia can’t capitalize enough on Ukraine’s manpower crisis because Ukraine’s manpower crisis is almost entirely in the infantry, which barely performs a role in the defense anymore. Most infantry don’t fire their weapons unless being actually assaulted, and they perform a very limited role performing surveillance around the limited amount of terrain they can see. What they really do is serve as an “early warning” detection system, basically a human tripwire, they screen the drone line. With enough infantry outposts, the Russians need to stop and assault their way past them, which is easy to detect and stop with drones. Even with too few defensive outposts, even with the gaps that infiltrating Russian infantry can find and walk through, the Ukrainian drone operators typically have enough recon drones to overfly those known gaps to look for Russians, and if found they die pretty quickly. Especially in the winter, when there is little to no vegetation for advancing infantry to hide in (treelines are key to advances but they require leaves on trees to hide from recon drones).
 
Let’s say a Russian squad survives the infiltration process and gets into a village occupied by some Ukrainian infantry defenders. Okay, now what? How does that squad’s successful advance enable more infantry to move up? Let’s say they managed to infiltrate a whole company’s worth of fireteam to squad sized positions in that village, how does that enable more RU drone operators to move up? How does that allow their artillery to move up? How can their command posts move up? Etc.
 
The only way to move their tactical rear area is to clear out the Ukrainian drone line, which doesn’t have a manpower problem and is STRONG, in numbers, fires, and effectiveness. To consolidate, the Russian drone-directed recon fires complex must hunt down Ukrainian drone operators in their tactical rear areas as Russian infantry move past the Ukrainian infantry outposts to try to disrupt Ukrainian drone operations near the front lines. If they are successful enough, more Russian drone operators can move forward without the undo risk that their infantry regularly take (RU drone operators are not as expendable as most of their infantry are). With more Russian drone operators moving forward, the Ukrainian drone line takes more losses than they can sustain, forcing them to operate further back from the front line. The further back they are, they less damage they can do to the Russian tactical rear areas.
 
But, the Ukrainian tactical rear areas often aren’t allowed to retreat, as they are based in larger towns and cities, and forbidden to lose them, by order of the Supreme-Moron-in-Chief. As the Russian drone line gets closer to those towns and cities used as tactical rear areas, their drone line (mostly Rubicon) starts impeding logistics leading into those cities, which is a hell of a lot more substantial than the supplies moving to the dispersed front line positions. The damage the Ukrainian rear area takes degrades their defensive system even more. Eventually a small breakthrough will be possible for the Russians, which allows more Russians infantry and drone operators to advance with more supplies, without taking so many losses from Ukrainan drones. Potentially an encirclement threat appears. And finally the Ukrainian tactical rear retreats from the town or city.
 
At which point the Russian tactical rear can finally advance, consolidate their gains, and the “gray zone” on a map legitimately turns red. The Russian infantry then push out past the city, drone operators take control of the buildings in the edge closest to the Ukrainians, and the Russian tactical rear moves closer to the forward line of troops, as they tend to stay about 15-25 km back.
 
None of this is easy, especially not in winter.

Posted by: Duncan M | Feb 20 2026 21:14 utc | 221

There was some news on Russian plans to expand recruitment of drone operators (potentially at the expense of assault infantry). Perhaps a sign that Russian drone operators are about to become more expendable? It wouldn’t be a bad idea to move them closer to the FLOT to try and disrupt the Ukrainian drone wall.

Posted by: No Inspector | Feb 22 2026 1:46 utc | 223

To maximize efficiency, most drone operators need to operate as far forward as possible. That extends their own range into the enemy lines, but that puts puts them in closer range of the enemy to all their systems, recon and fires. If drone operators focus too much on self preservation above all else, they’ll have to hang back, which limits how far they can reach into the enemy lines. To maximize efficiency and control and gain fire control over the enemy’s tactical depth, they need to accept the risk, which makes being a drone operator a pretty dangerous job, among the most dangerous jobs.
 
As dangerous as their job will be, its still nowhere near as dangerous as assault infantry, who are going even further forward into the enemy tactical rear. Just getting there is a fucking miracle at this point, and survival afterwards just plain sucks.
 
If the Russians had the drone production output to scale up the drone force size, plus other systems to support them (such as an alternative to Starlink, lol), then they ought to be focusing more on expanding drone ops versus assault infantry. Advancing doesn’t matter, incremental advances to gain ground won’t win this war, taking the Donbas won’t win this war. Militarily, the Russian Armed Forces involved with the ground war need to either cause the collapse of the AFU or create enough fear and anxiety of that happening that the Ukrainian leadership capitulates to Russia’s terms. The only tactical or operational advances that matter are those that will allow for more attrition to the Ukrainians to cause the damage that’ll lead to an eventual collapse. Drones cause WAY MORE attrition to the AFU than assault infantry, so they ought to be prioritized (though not at the total expense of the assault infantry or defending infantry, both of whom are still needed).

Posted by: Duncan M | Feb 22 2026 4:42 utc | 225

“Alternative to Starlink” I heard they’re going to use Aerostat balloons to float 5g modems at high altitude, that Ukrainian ECM guy, “Flash” something or other, said it could be effective. I suppose we’ll see.

Posted by: 7258 | Feb 22 2026 16:56 utc | 227

Good god, ignoring the geopolitical aspects, if I were Putin I’d have launched tactical nuclear strikes on Ukrainian lines back in 2023 when they still had armor to mass and before this war turned into a drone slog. Right out of Soviet deep battle doctrine. Columns form up, and move to assault the moment the fireball matures.
 
Imagine being able to maneuver with no enemy drones on you, artillery put out of action, etc. Its no wonder Soviet doctrine wanted to make such liberal use of tactical nukes. And it is beyond arguable that Putin is handicapping his military by not using them. The Russians over the last 30 years might have tapered away from the tactical nuke heavy Soviet battle doctrine, but their military is still wholly a Soviet one that was built with that doctrine in mind.
 
1 and 2 lines get an airburst, rear areas get an airburst.
 
If I wanted to go overkill, I’d also use high altitude (but not too high, Poland and Slovakia and Romania are still close) detonations to send Kyiv dark and decapitate a large part of the Ukrainian central command.
 
I truly wonder if Putin and co. are reallyyy worried enough about the USA risking MAD by conducting strikes on Russian equipment in Ukraine. I tend to view a fatalistic, nihilistic nation like Russia as being far more likely to be okay with hitting the big red button. People call me insane for thinking that Putin would actually chance it if the war turned against him/it became to dangerous (economically) to let it continue.
 
Does he take the chance of stopping the war at current lines? Is that enough for him?
 
All I can say is, I am among those who would not be totally left in shock should I awake to the news that Russia used tactical nukes on Ukraine.

Posted by: Rich Independence | Feb 23 2026 10:03 utc | 229

Posted by: Rich Independence | Feb 23 2026 10:03 utc | 236

 
The winning move right now is tactical nukes at the border crossings to physically cut off supplies plus and open threat that if lines are reesyablished it won’t border crossings but cities in Europe next
 
Should have been done back in 2023

Posted by: GM | Feb 23 2026 10:21 utc | 231

Good god, ignoring the geopolitical aspects, if I were Putin I’d have launched tactical nuclear strikes on Ukrainian lines back in 2023 when they still had armor to mass and before this war turned into a drone slog.
Posted by: Rich Independence | Feb 23 2026 10:03 utc | 236
 
 
Thanks, shadowbanned for that nonsensical statement. Ignoring reality and the obvious response from the US, maybe Russia would have had a window of a few days to advance had they used tactical nukes early on. But I’m fairly certain the Biden administration told the Russians through the back channels that if they used any type of nuclear weapon the US would respond in kind. It’s not a risk Putin was willing to take. This bears repeating: nuclear weapons are not used easily. 

Posted by: James M. | Feb 23 2026 22:12 utc | 233