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.
4/ "The Shaheds are a very outdated version of our Gerans, and even so, they inflicted considerable damage. The destruction of the FP-132 radar in Qatar, worth over $1.1 billion, alone proves this. There were also strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait.
5/ "If the Americans had mobile fire teams, this could have been partially avoided. The US airborne early warning system is quite well organised thanks to its sophisticated intelligence, but there aren't enough multi-million-dollar SAMs for everyone.
6/ "How many of these exercises have been conducted in Europe in 2025? How many times have US troops, along with NATO partners, trained to fight Russia in a modern warfare scenario? What's the point of all these exercises if the reality shows a weak readiness to counter drones.
7/ "It's also been noted that Iran is attacking oil and gas storage and processing facilities. Energy prices in Europe have already begun to rise.
8/ "Of course, this is still a drop in the bucket; everything depends on how long the conflict lasts, but strategic facilities are strategic for a reason: they need to be protected.
9/ "And now the enemy faces a major problem: SAMs are running low, and the cost of replenishing them will be no less than the damage from hits. This is why rumours have circulated that the British intend to send Ukrainian troops to organise a defence." /end
1/ Russia is entering a full-scale debt crisis, according to newly published official figures. Non-payments have reached an all-time high equivalent to nearly 4% of GDP or a fifth of the entire federal budget. It's a fresh sign of a deepening economic crisis worsened by war. ⬇️
2/ Russian media is reporting today that data from Rosstat, the official statistics agency, says that as of the end of January 2026 unpaid business debt has reached a record 8.2 trillion rubles ($109.3 billion). Non-payments have nearly tripled since 2022.
3/ This is equivalent to about 20% of the annual federal budget, 150% of Moscow's budget, and 1500% of the budget of large and wealthy regions such as the Sverdlovsk Region and the Krasnodar Krai.
1/ Russia's Ministry of Defence has hailed its first "airborne religious procession" – a fly-by of an icon of the Archangel Michael in a Mi-8 transport helicopter over Russian units in eastern Ukraine. However, it has received a sour response from those on the ground. ⬇️
2/ According to the Russian MOD, "an Mi-8 helicopter carrying an icon of the Archangel Michael flew along the operational zone of the 27th Motorised Rifle Brigade and the 68th Motorised Rifle Division of the "West" group of forces.
A Ka-52 helicopter provided escort."
3/ One of those on the ground, the warblogger 'Vault No. 8' – a serving Russian soldier – points out that the 27th Motorised Rifle Brigade (military unit 61899) has a dire reputation for sending its men to their deaths en masse and otherwise abusing its soldiers.
1/ Russia's continuing difficulties in the war in Ukraine is leading to multiple warbloggers admitting that the war effort is failing. The latest entry in the genre comes from Alexander Karchenko, who says that ordinary Russians are more concerned about the "price of a latte". ⬇️
2/ Writing on his Telegram channel 'Witnesses of Bayraktar', Karchenko admits:
"Yes, we’re struggling. We’re all in this together. Me, you, and everyone reading this. For four years, we’ve been living in limbo."
3/ "The army is fighting, but the rest of us might not have been affected. The regrouping in the Kharkiv direction gave a push for change, but it fizzled out.
1/ Ukraine's increasing dominance in drones is reportedly leading to individual Russian soldiers being attacked by 20 or 30 drones at once. Russian warbloggers say that Ukrainian drones are operating with impunity while their side faces a shortage. ⬇️
2/ A report by Russian news outlet RT says that as many as 20 to 30 drones are being used to attack individual Russian soldiers. 'Belarusian Silovik' responds: "Unfortunately, that’s exactly how it is."
3/ "What’s even worse is that in some areas, our side is conserving drones due to a shortage, while the Ukrainian Armed Forces can deploy 20–30 UAVs in a single sortie over a short period of time.
Right now, the average ratio of UAV deployment is probably 3 to 1."
1/ Ukraine's success this year in stalling Russia's offensive, and driving Russian forces back in some places, has prompted increasingly bleak assessments from Russian warbloggers. In a lengthy series of posts, Yuri Kotenok warns that Russia's war effort is faltering badly. ⬇️
2/ In a six-part series of posts on his 'Voenkor Kotenok' Telegram channel, he writes:
3/ "I. If, at the very beginning of the conflict, as soon as the story broke about the Rzeszow airfield in Poland, where weapons for the Kyiv regime were being massively deployed, we had acted decisively, like Iran did against Israel and the United States in the spring of 2026,…
1/ Russian soldiers are being sent to their deaths by the military police for infractions as trivial as not wearing a seatbelt. Many avoid doing so in order to jump out quickly if their vehicle is attacked by a drone, but they are finding that they face death either way. ⬇️
2/ The Military Police (VPs) are the target of widespread hatred from ordinary Russian soldiers for their corruption and zealous enforcement of arbitrary rules. They are also helping to meet the army replenish depleted assault units by sending arrested individuals to them.
3/ Russian warblogger Alexander Zhuchkovsky writes:
"In colloquial speech among soldiers, enemies are often referred to as "faggots" or "roosters." This is a simpler and more common derogatory term among soldiers than "khokhols."