1/ The Russian MOD's reported decision to block the supply of drones to frontline troops and reserve them solely for the Unmanned Systems Forces continues to cause consternation among Russian warbloggers. Former drone pilot Andrey Filatov predicts disastrous consequences. ⬇️ 
2/ Writing on Telegram, Filatov says:"Judging by rumours and the shortage of drones, there is a sense that Mr. (or whatever title the reader prefers) Krivoruchko, First Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, wants to take drones away from frontline units,…
3/ …thereby effectively destroying the personnel trained at the cost of enormous losses on the front lines.
4/ "Even the small measure of effectiveness that currently exists—hard-won by the troops—will be wiped out: at best, the fighters will be transferred to the Unmanned Systems Forces; at worst, they will simply be ground down in assaults."
5/ Filatov notes that Krivoruchko has long-established links with the military-industrial complex, including part-ownership of the Kalashnikov concern which he acquired in a 2013 buyout. As Filatov puts it, "He's formally exiting business, but his connections remain intact."
6/ "...The centralisation of UAVs is the wet dream of any major defence supplier. Small manufacturers, frontline engineers, and other passionate individuals are being squeezed out, the innovation market, which relies on speed and flexibility, is collapsing.
7/ "The result is less room to manoeuvre on the battlefield, but more money for the major players.
[W]here in his biography is anything related to combat operations? What does he understand about battlefield tactics and strategy?
[W]here in his biography is anything related to combat operations? What does he understand about battlefield tactics and strategy?
8/ "At least at the battalion level of battle planning? Now they're whispering that his decision to remove drones from infantry due to (!) low effectiveness... what does he even understand about effectiveness?
9/ "Even without such appointments, the generals' systemic lies regularly delay key political decisions, including those related to mobilisation. Actual losses are concealed entirely or spread out over time, creating a perception at the top that things aren't so critical.
10/ "As a result, the army isn't being renewed, there's no normal rotation, and no one to pass on accumulated combat experience. Military academies continue to operate according to peacetime logic.
11/ "Cadets graduate with diplomas but without an understanding of modern warfare, and (thanks in part to Krivoruchko) there won't be any soldiers left at the front who could advise them on how to survive and preserve their units.
12/ "I'm a frequent critic of the military and the Ground Forces Regulations adopted in 2019, which even then didn't reflect the realities of modern warfare. This criticism is based on personal experience on the front lines.
13/ "I spent almost four years on the line of contact, two and a half of which were in dugouts, 500-700 metres from the enemy. We survived and operated thanks to the drones I purchased with donations from subscribers—and we built real combat tactics on them.
14/ "Now, thanks to Krivoruchko, the front-line infantry is simply being blinded, deprived of their own drones. The infantry-drone connection will collapse.
15/ "Controlling drones from the second echelon is impossible: there's no unified system, no proper communications, no real-time data transfer. Radios and civilian devices don't work—speed is lost, and therefore effectiveness. But how would he know that?"
16/ Filatov notes that former plumbing fixture salesman Yuri Vagonov, known unofficially by the callsign 'Toilet', was put in charge of the newly created Unmanned Systems Forces (BPS) last November, despite a complete lack of military experience.
17/ "Krivoruchko, they say, "won" him a general's position from scratch. Vaganov is linked to a large number of defective Sudoplatov drones and the deaths of FPV operators (the head of the Sudoplatov project courses sent the fighters the coordinates of the training site…
18/ …via [Telegam]. HIMARS arrived). The dead were blamed for everything, of course.
By the way! During the coronavirus epidemic, Vaganov is said to have successfully sold medical masks, then switched to drones. What a genius!
By the way! During the coronavirus epidemic, Vaganov is said to have successfully sold medical masks, then switched to drones. What a genius!
19/ "Not someone in stripes, but some kind of business weather vane, trembling at the cutting edge of modernity. And these people forbid us from picking our noses...
20/ "Now Vaganov will decide how to develop unmanned aerial vehicles at the combined arms level, where to buy what, and who to force under his thumb. It will be a great success if this results in at least something on the level of the popular Rubicon unit, Lubikon.
21/ "Let me remind you, in case anyone has forgotten: Once upon a time, enthusiasts and philanthropists financed the mass introduction of FPV and operator training.
22/ "Local commanders, often violating the organisational structure of units, themselves sent people to study, and this produced results, the situation at the front began to level out. And then Lubikon appeared – a kind of showcase that everyone admires.
23/ "Sometimes deservedly so, of course, but it often happened that the Lubikon “homunculus” would simply buy videos from those who were actually serving on the front lines—and pass them off as evidence of its own effectiveness.
24/ "Meanwhile, the actual units’ performance was underreported, while Lubikon was credited with better results. (It should also be noted that Lubikon’s best pilots are those who were initially trained in regular units using private funds and then poached.)"
25/ "Unmanned systems forces are built on the same principle, pulling in everyone who even slightly knows how to fly drones, but over time, pilot skill has declined significantly... I started flying when it wasn't mainstream.
26/ "We learned to find enemy positions ourselves, gradually accumulating experience in target acquisition. With the widespread introduction of Discord [for command and control], a certain degradation occurred.
27/ "If the commander is experienced, preferably combat-experienced and knows what he wants, he at least somehow trains new pilots.
28/ "But many tyrants (see above) come from the rear to replace the departed "first wave" commanders, with a complete lack of understanding of what's going on and a great love of a pretty picture.
29/ "They demand [to use] Discord (not anymore [it has now been banned]) – and instead of the planned, effective work of finding and engaging targets, they begin to indulge in whimsical behavior: fly here, look here, fire here and there...
30/ "As a result, a lot of time is wasted, and the overuse of ammunition on decoys, which the enemy, unlike us, is actively developing, increases. Here, competent mock-ups are a rarity, and more often than not, they're the work of volunteers." /end
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