In a blog entitled “Unthinkable,” Russian war correspondent and blogger Nikita Tretyakov is deeply critical of the results and consequences of Russia’s disastrous “special operation” in Ukraine. 1/
“Sergey Lavrov:
‘I don’t want to even suspect that Alaska, just like European actions, was designed to buy time for the rearmament of the Kiev regime, which would last longer than the First and Great Patriotic Wars.’
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“How can I not agree with Mr. Lavrov — there are many things that are hard to think about, and I really wouldn’t want to think about them, for example:
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“I don’t want to even suspect that instead of a carefully planned and organized special operation, Russia could get drawn into a trench war that would last longer than the First and Great Patriotic Wars, I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did. 4/
“I don’t want to even suspect that every week in the war launched to protect the civilians of Donbass, hundreds of civilians could be killed and injured hundreds of kilometers away from the front, I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did.
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“I don’t want to even suspect that the enemy could have so surpassed our air defense system that it could hit strategic defense and industry objects almost every day with missiles and drones. I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did. 6/
“I don’t want to even suspect that after five years of war, a great energy power would not be able to protect its oil industry and would be forced to impose fuel limits on the population, I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did. 7/
“I don’t want to even suspect that the country that once opened the world to space could not overcome the lag in communication and reconnaissance satellites, I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did.
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“I don’t want to even suspect that a country with advanced development in information and telecommunications technologies could launch a campaign to block the Internet, …
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“… including for its own troops and the military-industrial complex, I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did.
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“I don’t want to even suspect that Russia, with all its fleets, special forces, and marines, could not or would not defend its tankers from enemy pirate seizures, I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did. 11/
“I don’t want to even suspect that our country’s official representatives could easily do business and hope for friendship with those who create and supply weapons that kill our fellow citizens, I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did.
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“I don’t want to even suspect that Russian businessmen and oligarchs could still be trading with the enemy and its allies, selling materials used to kill civilians, I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did.
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“I don’t want to even suspect that short-sightedness, compromise, and weakness could lead to the nullification of all successes and all efforts in Syria, to the betrayal of those who trusted and hoped for Russia, I don’t want to even think about it, …
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“… but it turned out the way it did.
“I don’t want to even suspect that the fear of Washington could have led Russia to betray the people of Cuba and not come to their aid in a difficult moment, I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did.
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“I don’t want to even suspect that the commitment to negotiations with a global predator could have alienated potential allies from Africa, Latin America, and Asia, who were ready to see in Russia a focal point of resistance to imperialism. I don’t want to even think about…
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“… it, but it turned out the way it did.
I don’t want to even suspect that the former terrorists from Afghanistan, who are wreaking havoc in their own country, could be welcomed and flattered in Russia, I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did.
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“I don’t want to even suspect that a strategic plan to counter the expansion of NATO could have led to Sweden and Finland joining the alliance and the emergence of NATO bases on the approaches to St. Petersburg, I don’t want to even think about it, …
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“…but it turned out the way it did.
I don’t want to even suspect that our country could have ended up in the deepest crisis since the end of the last century due to the inability to recognize the seriousness of the current situation, …
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“… due to the fear of implementing emergency measures designed and prepared for an emergency situation, I don’t want to even think about it, but it turned out the way it did.
And you, dear friends, what don’t you want to think about, what don’t you want to suspect?”
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“Of course they will. It’s the cornerstone of their ‘greatness’ ideology and comes with a whole pile of bonuses: the ‘Russia's internal Azov Sea’ and all that other crap.
That said, using Crimea as a launchpad to attack Ukraine is already pure military absurdity.
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“From here on, the Freedom-Loving Ukrainian Bird’s borscht recipe is in full effect:
complete air-defense collapse, the remaining fleet getting more and more holes punched in it, the shadow fleet getting shut down, total resource and logistical exhaustion, … 3/
Led by Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine is forging vital partnerships with America tech billionaires — such as Alex Karp of Palantir, Eric Schmidt from Google, and Elon Musk.
These collaborations will deliver a decisive advantage over Russia in AI-enabled systems. 1/
Alex Karp wants to build AI systems that would give the U.S. a decisive technological edge in future wars.
Ukraine possesses a massive dataset and a rich library of real-world combat video that is highly valuable for training advanced AI models. 2/
In exchange for access to this priceless dataset, Palantir has provided Ukraine with AI tools that process enormous volumes of battlefield data, significantly enhancing capabilities such as long-range UAV strikes. 3/
Russian blogger “Rybar” claims that 60% of Ukrainian long-range strike UAVs are launched without a warhead.
Their purpose is to saturate Russian air defenses and force them to engage, because decoy UAVs cannot be distinguished from armed ones. 1/
This way, expensive surface-to-air missiles are traded for cheap UAVs, emptying the batteries and steadily exhausting the total remaining missile resources.
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He also notes that even though Russia claims to shoot down 96% of Ukrainian drones, so many are launched that enough get through to cause great damage to facilities — far in excess of the cost of the UAV strikes. 3/
Prominent Russian blogger “Veteran’s Notes” laments the “humiliating” failure of the State to provide heavy lift drones like the Ukrainian “Vampire.”
Instead, Russian frontline units must be supplied by human bearers and a handful of salvaged Ukrainian drones. 1/
“Recently, our unit lost a trophy drone, which I mentioned earlier.
It served the Russian army faithfully for exactly one month.
1/
“By the standards of modern warfare, it was a long-lived device, as it flew several times in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and was then shot down, repaired, and given a second life. 2/
The Russians recovered an 8-element GPS-jamming-resistant CRPA satellite navigation system that is apparently from an AGM-188A “Rusty Dagger” cruise missile.
This is a 930-km range, low-cost missile to be carried by F-16s and intended primarily for use by Ukraine. 1/
Initial deliveries are scheduled for October, but the recovered device may indicate that a test batch has already been sent to Ukraine.
The Russians claim that the CRPA was made by Zone 5 Technologies, the developer and manufacturer of the missile. 2/
Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas resist jamming by adjusting reception.
Using multiple elements, directions of lowest sensitivity (nulls) are aimed toward a jammer, while maintaining gain for GPS signals.
Adaptive beamforming defeats multiple jammers for stable reception. 3/
“It's obvious that Russia had a rather unsuccessful winter campaign, and they completely failed their spring campaign. In fact, in May, they managed to capture about 10 square kilometers of territory.
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“And I'm sure that when the overall result is calculated, Ukraine's achievements in May will be greater than those of Russia. There is a turning point at the tactical and operational levels.
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