1/ The Starlink shutdown has reportedly made 'flag-sticking' – one of the most suicidally dangerous and militarily useless Russian combat missions – even more lethal. Deprived of high-speed Internet, Russian soldiers now have to courier drone videos on USB sticks. ⬇️
2/ 'Flag-sticking' is the practice of sending a small group of soldiers to carry a Russian flag to a Ukrainian-held settlement and unfurl it prominently, to be videoed by a Russian drone for a commander's video report to his superiors, so that he can falsely claim a capture.
3/ This often turns out badly for everyone except the commander. The soldiers are often killed shortly afterwards, having exposed themselves to Ukrainian drones, and many Russian soldiers die when they enter a settlement that is supposedly now Russian-held.
4/ Generals draw maps showing the front line kilometres ahead of where it actually is, leading to bad tactical and strategic decisions. Meanwhile, the commander who ordered the settlement 'taken on credit' is rewarded with cash bonuses, medals, and promotions.
5/ Until Starlink was shut down, the Russians used it to transmit drone videos to commanders for review. This is no longer possible and the only alternatives, the Gazprom Yamal satellite system and Wi-Fi bridges, are slow, bulky, expensive, unreliable, and in short supply.
6/ 'Combat Reserve' on Telegram posts a report from a frontline contact noting that in the absence of Internet connections, soldiers are now having to risk their lives couriering USB sticks containing drone videos between the front line and headquarters:
7/ "Here's a quick rundown of what Wi-Fi bridges are for.
In reality, the connection technically exists, but it’s shaky at best. The “Tutus,” “Liras,” “Peanuts,” and other assorted junk are working, but as Krivoruchko used to say, “everything works” — yeah, right.
8/ "Some time ago, the brass saw that everything was working via Starlink and rushed to report that EVERYTHING IS FUCKING AWESOME AND WE’RE AHEAD OF THE WHOLE PLANET. They tied all operations to photo and video reporting as objective confirmation.
9/ "And when the white dish got switched off, what happened, happened. The whole constructed system collapsed.
Idiots are idiots everywhere, as it turned out — transmissions don’t go through on a Baofeng [analogue radio].
10/ "☝️😳 what, seriously????
So how are they supposed to send videos of successful strikes now without internet?
And what about their beloved flag-planting videos?
HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO JERK OFF TO THEM NOW WITHOUT ANY IMAGES?
11/ "That’s why a courier is running back and forth with flash drives, unloading and uploading them so that fresh information in the form of videos can be viewed and reported to the “higher mind.”
12/ "IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE THAT THERE ARE SUCH FIGHTERS WHO HAVE NEVER HELD AN ASSAULT RIFLE OR A CONTROLLER IN THEIR HANDS, BUT THEY DRIVE AROUND IN A UAZ VAN WITH FLASH DRIVES FROM THE FRONT LINE TO HQ AND BACK.
13/ "LATER THEY’LL TELL EVERYONE HOW THEY WERE SMASHING THE UKROPS, BLOOD, SHIT, AND “GERMANS”
☝️😳😳😳😳
And by the way, where he brings those flash drives, there are always people sitting there editing and uploading videos." /end
1/ Goldman Sachs analysts report that the biggest oil crisis in history is about to hit globally, with profound and highly destructive consequences. A new report asks ""Are We Running Out of Oil?", and concludes that the answer is yes. ⬇️
2/ Goldman reports that average daily flows of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen by 94% from their pre-war levels.
3/ This has led to a 63% collapse in the flow of oil and its refined products from the Middle East. Exports are down from 7.4 million to 2.8 million barrels per day of oil, 39% of which is flowing via a pipeline to Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports.
1/ A shortage of drones reportedly means that Russian drone pilots often don't attack Ukrainian vehicles again after disabling them. This, says a serving Russian soldier, means that the Ukrainians are frequently able to retrieve disabled vehicles. ⬇️
2/ Russian forces in Ukraine have been complaining for a long time that they lack drones, with those provided by the Russian MOD being few and often of poor quality.
3/ Instead, they often have to rely on voluntary donations and unofficial drone production by the so-called 'people's military-industrial complex' – an ecosystem of enthusiasts and ex-military personnel who make or import drones for military use.
1/ News of the destruction of yet another US aircraft on the ground is being met with incredulity by Russian Air Force pilots. They ask if the United States has learned nothing from Russia's own very costly experiences. ⬇️
2/ 'The Voivode Broadcasts', a Telegram channel run by a group of Russian military helicopter pilots, expresses astonishment at pictures published overnight of a US CH-47 Chinook helicopter that was destroyed on the ground in Kuwait.
3/ "I look at this photo and realize that the Americans, with all their budgets and all, haven't studied or systematized our experience in any way.
1/ Russian army commanders are reportedly refusing to allow stored ZSU-23-4 Shilkas mobile anti-aircraft guns to be refurbished and put back into service, despite Russia's desperate need for more defences against Ukraine's increasingly large-scale drone strikes. ⬇️
2/ 'The Voivode Broadcasts', a Telegram channel written by three Russian Aerospace Force pilots, writes:
"I was talking to some guys from one of the repair battalions the other day."
3/ "They were showing us what Category 5 [the lowest condition] equipment they're getting off its knees with their own resources.
BMPs [armoured personnel carriers], BTS [armoured recovery tractors], and so on.
1/ Russia has "shot itself in the dick" with its block on Telegram, according to a scathing commentary. A Russian warblogger notes that pro-Kremlin propagandists have seen huge falls in views of their Telegram channels, but not dissident and pro-Ukraine channels. ⬇️
2/ Komsomolskaya Pravda journalist Dmitry Steshin calls it "a day of celebration for foreign agents, as the audience for pro-Russian channels on Telegram has plummeted."
3/ "Margarita Simonyan saw a 52.3% drop, while propagandist Alexander Sladkov saw a 49.4% drop. Views for ‘RT in Russian’ fell by 42%, whilst those for propagandists Vladimir Solovyov and Pavel Zarubin fell by 47.2% and 42.7% respectively.
1/ In a further sign of an economic slump in Russia, the giant vehicle manufacturer AvtoVAZ will shut down production entirely for 17 days due to falling demand and overcrowded warehouses. Its vehicles aren't selling and storage facilities are overflowing. ⬇️
2/ The Russian news outlet Mash reports that AvtoVAZ will shut down its assembly lines for almost the entire period from 27 April to 17 May, with the workforce sent on mandatory leave.
3/ Workers will be sent to do maintenance work between 27-30 April, 12-13 May will be covered by a postponement of vacation days from December, and staff will be paid at two-thirds their normal salary on 14-15 May.