Thread by @DanielR33187703

1. A russian video claims to show a field laboratory set up near the front lines for servicing #drones. We know this is russian propaganda because in the entire history of human ingenuity, a tablecloth has never been used to cover a workbench. Let’s have a closer look.

2. Although, this (front-line!) workshop is inside a building, the walls are covered in camo net for some reason. For the front line the soldiers are extremely clean & tidy. The floor may be the cleanest in the entire russian military. That flag appears in other propaganda.

3. This is propaganda so the choice of tools is not an accident. The soldering iron stand is brand new. We know this because sponges are shipped compressed and will expand to normal size when water is added. These are still compressed. Oddly, the box has been left on the bench.

4. This soldering iron stand is from the russian company Rexant. This is a privately-owned company based in Moscow. It has been doing very well during the war but is otherwise murky.

5. Using a pocket knife on a drone seems odd. The soldering station is a model 852D++ made by the Chinese company Yihua. It has the brand name, “Element”, which is widely available in russia. However, it’s not obvious what company owns the brand “Element”.

6. That the soldering station is not plugged in is a big sign that this is not a real repair shop. Oddly, this a big & not very useful SMD rework station. Some things, including the calipers, are still in their packages, i.e., never used.

7. The hot air gun is blowing very hot air directly onto the camo net suggesting this group of russians is unfamiliar with their equipment. Also, the soldering iron is set to its maximum temperature of 500°C, which is very hot for a little drone’s circuit board.

8. There are a lot of new Dexter-branded tools on display. Many are still in their original packaging. Dexter is a store-brand of Leroy Merlin, a subsidiary of the French company Groupe Adeo. Leroy Merlin does very good business in russia and pays a lot of taxes to the kremlin.

9. Leroy Merlin has been named an “international sponsor of war" by the Ukrainian government. Ukraine may have indicated its disapproval when one of its long-range drones blew the windows out of Leroy Merlin’s Moscow office building.

10. One curious detail concerns their 3D printer. Specifically, it is really dirty when everything else is very clean. These printers generally don’t tolerate dirt. Because it is not printing for the video, there is a good chance it isn’t functional.

11. A video claiming to be a workshop is, upon closer inspection, actually a happy heap of russian horse poop.

If you liked this thread, please bookmark it & repost as a quote. Respectful comments are appreciated. Also, please see my previous threads listed under “highlights”.

12. (ps) My hunch is that originally there were a couple of guys with a few tools repairing drones, and then the propagandists transformed it into this performance. This is also odd by what is not shown, e.g., bins of parts.