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 A village in the Russian Far East which has sent 62% of its able-bodied men to fight in Ukraine has been recognised by the regional administration as Russia's first-ever "village of military glory". Nearly half of the men have already been killed or gone missing in action. ⬇️
2/ Sedanka is a tiny village in Kamchatka with a nominal population of 457 registered inhabitants, but only 258 actually live there, of whom only 67 are men of fighting age (18 to 55 years). Its inhabitants are principally members of the indigenous Koryak and Itelmen peoples.
3/ The village is extremely poor and remote, requiring an 18-hour drive from the regional capital on a road that is only passable between May and October. The local economy is moribund; traditional reindeer herding is long gone and people survive by fishing.
1/ Russians are responding in the traditional way to the plight of their fellow-countrymen trapped in Dubai – by scamming them. Scammers are offering desperate Russians fake $260 car rides and $20,000 private jet flights to neighbouring countries, with a 70% deposit up front. ⬇️
2/ Baza reports:
"Scammers are targeting Russians trying to escape Dubai.
The scammers offer stranded tourists "transfers" to neighbouring countries—most often Oman—from where they can return home. Prices start at $260 (~20,000 roubles) per seat in the car."
3/ "Victims told Baza that the scammers don't disclose the exact price upfront, citing "dependence on the situation," including the driver's availability, the car's make, and any additional services.
1/ Russian tourists trapped in Dubai are complaining that they are being screwed over by their (Russian) tour operator, and are being kicked out of their hotels. They say that the Russian Foreign Ministry has been of little help. ⬇️
2/ The Russian Telegram channel Baza reports:
"Hundreds of Russians are being thrown out of hotels in the UAE—tour operators are not extending their stays, forcing them to pay for inflated room rates amid the escalating military conflict."
3/ "Konstantin and his wife told Baza that at the reception desk at Dubai's C Central Resort The Palm, they were told that their tour operator, Biblio-Globus, had not paid for their stay extension and had refused to do so.
1/ Videos of Iranian Shahed drone strikes in the Gulf have been eye-catching, but lack an important nuance: they are less technologically advanced and used differently than Russia's similar Geran-2 drones, as Russian warbloggers point out. ⬇️
2/ The Gulf states, the US and Israel have generally been very effective at shooting down incoming Shaheds, but the few that have got through have caused highly visible localised destruction in US military bases, energy production facilities, and residential buildings.
3/ The prominent Russian Telegram channel Rybar notes that after Russia adopted the Shahed-136, it subsequently made many changes to the design after Ukrainian air defences became more effective at jamming or shooting the drones down:
1/ Russian commentators say that the success of Iranian drones – which are less sophisticated than their own – in hitting US and other targets in the Gulf shows that America and Europe have failed to prepare for the threat of Russian drone attacks. ⬇️
2/ 'Archangel Spetsnaz' writes:
"After observing the Iran-US war for the third day, we came to the following conclusions:
The Americans, who were planting military bases around the enemy, were reckless in failing to provide closer cover for their own troops and allies."
3/ "For many years, it was entirely predictable that the Iranians would actively employ jet-powered UAVs, yet the Americans have already let through quite a few strikes.
1/ Russians shouldn't help to defend Iran, suggests Russian journalist and politician Andrei Medvedev. He argues that Iran was a long-time enemy of Russia and more recently merely a fair-weather friend that only ever did what it thought would most benefit it at the time. ⬇️
2/ Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of the Moscow City Duma and deputy general director of the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK), writes:
"Dear friends, do you know what the "Shia Eight" is? Well, let me remind you."
3/ "These are eight Shia parties in Afghanistan that united in the 1980s to fight the Soviet army, to wage jihad against the USSR. The Nasr Party, the Hezb-e Allah Party, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Afghanistan, the United Front for the Islamic Revolution,…