1/ Russian commentators are sounding the alarm over America's use of a new kamikaze drone against Iran, the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS). They note that it appears to have an integrated Starlink terminal and warn that it's a serious threat to Russia. ⬇️
2/ The use of LUCAS drones against Iran was announced yesterday by CENTCOM. This is the first time that the drone has been deployed in combat. It is reportedly reverse-engineered from the Iranian Shahed-136, which Russia has also adapted as the Geran-2 to use against Ukraine.
3/ 'Obsessed with war' writes:
"The Americans are showing a photo of their Geran-like LUCAS drones launching at targets in Iran."
4/ "And what do we see? A Starlink receiving antenna, which will allow the drone to be guided precisely to its target, if it's not shot down, remaining in contact until the last split second."
5/ "And if we don't find a solution to this satellite constellation within a year, things will be ugly for us."
'Russian Engineer' calls it "a very serious wake-up call. You could even say it's a warning bell."
6/ "The fact is that the latest Starlink modification, in addition to the communication channel, provides alternative navigation, which, unlike conventional GNSS, has very high interference immunity.
7/ "It also has an extremely narrow communication beam, which is difficult to detect and virtually impossible to jam with conventional electronic warfare systems.
8/ "Moreover, the cost of such a terminal is pennies compared to that of a heavy UAV, meaning the Americans can integrate it into almost all their weapons systems, including Tomahawks, JASSMs, and the new PrSMs.
9/ "In other words, all these long-range strike systems will be able to be controlled anywhere on the planet and achieve the same precision as FPV drones, literally through a window.
10/ "This isn't just an evolution in military affairs; it's a genuine revolution. And it's happening right here and now.
11/ "It's possible that such a small number of Iranian missiles [being launched] in a salvo is due to this innovation; Epstein's coalition is simply knocking out the launchers, no matter how camouflaged and dispersed they are.
12/ "A hyperspectral camera easily detects camouflage nets made from synthetic and cotton materials, and Starlink's fat data pipe allows for immediate attack on any detected launcher.
13/ "It would be good if our leadership understood the threat posed by such a dramatic increase in the effectiveness of the enemy's conventional weapons."
14/ Dmitry Konanykhin says that the development of LUCAS is "the results of laboratory work, conducted under ideal conditions by the US on the territory of the former Ukraine: a Starlink module on a Shahed-like drone."
15/ "And there's no doubt this module will be installed on any drone where aerodynamics allow.
16/ "In other words, by sending Russians, repurposed by the communists as "Ukrainians," to die, the US has gained free infantry that is vulnerable to losses (there are no people on the planet who will endure losses as much as even former Russians) and free bait for gentlemen…
17/ …who, since the Indian genocide, have become accustomed to luring tigers with the cry of a child tied by the leg. Racists—whether Anglo-Saxon or Kyiv Israeli—couldn't care less about the deaths of former Russians.
18/ "Conclusions have been drawn, the drones have been tested: the recent cruise missile flight to the Urals, when the mission was changed en route and the missiles were diverted to the Urals, bypassing our air defence zones, demonstrates the effectiveness of Starlink.
19/ "And, yes, forget the Soviet tales about nails scattered in orbit, destroying satellite constellations. That might have worked against hundreds, but not tens of thousands of satellites.
20/ "As Elon Musk snapped: "The Russians won't have enough anti-missiles to shoot down as many satellites as we launch."
Moreover, nuclear weapons can't destroy such a constellation of thousands.
21/ "You haven't forgotten that the Americans' main emphasis is on a surprise beheading strike?
That's called decapitation.
22/ "Yet our hyper-patriotic, cheerleading propaganda would rather trot out glassy-eyed, cookie-cutter talking heads sporting the Lviv Political Academy badges on their epaulets.
23/ "Well then.
Let's wish our engineers luck and pray for the success of Bureau 1440 [developer of the planned Russian Rassvet satellite constellation]." /end
1/ Iran has reportedly assessed that Donald Trump is "mentally incompetent" and has incorporated psychologists into its negotiating team to adapt the wording of the proposed agreement "as if the recipient were a [mental] patient ... whose capacity is limited." ⬇️
2/ The Russian 'Political Report' says that "Iranian authorities have included leading psychologists in the negotiating team to review drafts of all messages before sending them to Trump."
3/ "This is not a supplementary measure, but a direct consequence of an internal assessment that the American president is mentally incompetent, whose reactions cannot be predicted by conventional diplomatic methods.
1/ Russian commanders routinely make false claims to have captured territory, in order to win awards and personal bonuses. However, the army is reportedly stepping up efforts to uncover instances of "painting over" the map of the front line in Ukraine. ⬇️
2/ Russian warblogger Vladimir Romanov highlights how the practice is causing mass casualties among Russian soldiers, with some commanders maintaining two parallel maps – one of the true line of contact, and a more flattering 'painted over' version to show to their superiors.
3/ "Returning to the paint-overs, the higher-ups periodically conduct compliance checks on the personnel data.
In some places (like in the Kupyansk sector), this is purely formal.
1/ An increasingly severe shortage of fuel is gripping wide areas of western Russia as well as occupied regions of Ukraine. Russian warbloggers report that there is no fuel at all in some regions, with fuel rationing affecting the army as well as civilians. ⬇️
2/ Following repeated Ukrainian attacks against Russian oil refineries, fuel shortages are spreading across western Russia. The Tatarstan-based Tatneft group appears to be particularly badly affected.
3/ Restrictions on fuel sales have been introduced in St. Petersburg, Moscow, the Moscow region, Samara, Nizhegorod, Udmurtia, Kazan, Cheboksary, Ulyanovsk, and other Russian cities, and in the occupied east and south of Ukraine, most notably in Crimea.
1/ A Russian soldier reports that he and four of his comrades were whipped, chained around the necks, tortured, and imprisoned in a sewer, while his officers stole his possessions and emptied his bank account. He says the men experienced "punishments like in Ancient Rome." ⬇️
2/ Dmitry Strelets is a soldier in the 4th Assault Company of the 68th Tank Regiment (military unit 91714). He says that he has endured torture and slave-like conditions at his Avdiivka-based unit.
3/ According to Strelets, these abuses were perpetrated by a sergeant major with the call sign "Foma," a political officer named "Dobry," his deputy "Bzhik," and their accomplice "Putnik."
1/ Ukraine's increasing dominance of the airspace over Crimea and southern Russia is causing great alarm amongst Russian warbloggers. One predicts impending catastrophe for Russia: "Panic and the total collapse of all the main roads." /end
2/ Commenting on the video above, 'Alex Parker Returns' observes:
"In Crimea, Ukrainian drones are freely flying over major roads. For now, they're programmed to target fuel trucks and various military targets."
3/ "But when the drones become significantly more numerous, the target pool can be expanded to include anything, and then the drones will start attacking passenger vehicles or, say, GAZelles [light trucks].
1/ Russia's attempts to block Telegram and force the population to switch to the state-approved messenger app MAX have simply resulted in the population adopting VPNs en masse. Ordinary Russians describe how they are evading the government's blocks. ⬇️
2/ VPNs are a booming business in Russia, with a massive increase in downloads over recent months. Circumvention is routine, even for pro-regime loyalists. According to one Russian citizen, "even the vatniks at work have VPNs."
3/ Readers of the Russian news outlet 'We can explain' (MO) have been describing how they get around the government's restrictions and are continuing to use Telegram. (Ironically, many state-owned businesses and government entities are doing the same things.)