I can’t see how going back to the status quo after 4 years of war would be possible politically in Russia. I expect that any scenario where the war ends will result in Ukraine having a compliant regime and forced neutrality. It will not be allowed to join NATO or EU at this point, and there will be a big cap on the size of the army. So, I think the Georgian scenario is the most likely one as well.
I can’t see how going back to the status quo after 4 years of war would be possible politically in Russia.
The Kill Zone—it is constantly expanding. This has fundamentally altered the nature of warfare. Victory now belongs to whoever exercises superior control over the Kill Zone. In this context, defense is far easier, as infantry is rendered virtually obsolete.
To seize the strategic initiative, one must establish absolute dominance within the Kill Zone.
We are currently engaged in a war of technology—not a war of men or tanks. You have likely heard about the recent visit from an American entrepreneur who owns a company contracted by the Pentagon to develop and manufacture AI technologies for the defense industry. The Pentagon’s cutting-edge innovations are currently being field-tested in Ukraine. Russia is finding it difficult to keep pace.
And it is precisely this factor that will play the decisive role in the upcoming summer campaign.
I think we’ll have to wait and see here. American technology has proven itself to be hype many times in the past, and I wouldn’t jump to conclusions here.
If Russia was intentionally going to do an attack outside Ukraine they would do a bigger one, likely with Oreshnik and on a military target. I think two most likely possibilities here is either a stray drone or Ukraine using a scavenged one to try draw NATO in.
Yes, it was probably Ukrainian electronic warfare that deflected the Russian drone, or it was a Ukrainian provocation to draw NATO into the war. Ukraine is also provoking Belarus to join the war. This is all part of Zelenskyy’s strategy.
What you and I predicted has begun: a frenzied wave of propaganda has recently erupted in the Ukrainian media. Every morning I open the news and it’s filled with headlines like: Russia has almost lost Crimea, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have broken through at the front, Russia is panicking, Putin is almost dead, etc. I haven’t seen such a wave in a long time. People are talking about the 1991 borders again.
It’s been suspiciously quiet here lately. Not even the sirens are wailing.
Kyiv has finally been affected. People are heading down to the metro at night. Everyone’s waiting for that blow.
By the way, look, this is Yakutsk, where socialism still reigns… )))
I expect there might be genuine panic that Russia will open up another front from Belarus and threaten Kiev again. And that video was interesting, it’s good to see how much of Russia still retains so much Soviet imagery. I think that as people continue becoming disillusioned with capitalism, there is a real possibility of changing course. While I know we disagree on China, I do think that China, Vietnam, and DPRK being major allies and trading partners will help nudge people in the right direction. Now people can travel there easily, see how things are for themselves, and they will ask natural questions after that.
I expect there might be genuine panic that Russia will open up another front from Belarus and threaten Kiev again.
Russia doesn’t need this; it would have to redeploy additional troops. The front line there is 1,500 kilometers long. It would take about 300,000 men just to hold it. Nor does Lukashenko need this; Ukraine would simply overwhelm Belarus with drones.
And that video was interesting, it’s good to see how much of Russia still retains so much Soviet imagery.
What surprised me was that this memorial was built in 2017. Inscribed on it is an expression of gratitude to the USSR from grateful descendants! This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this in Russia. You probably realize now just how much better people living beyond the Urals had it under the USSR—if they still miss it so intensely to this day! Complete devastation reigns there now.
While I know we disagree on China, I do think that China, Vietnam, and DPRK being major allies and trading partners will help nudge people in the right direction. Now people can travel there easily, see how things are for themselves, and they will ask natural questions after that.
Yes, I can see that the process has begun—right before my very eyes, thoughtful Westerners are starting to see the light!
You have to admit that the war in Ukraine gave it the push it needed, don’t you?
There is a big reserve Russia hasn’t committed yet, and people have been wondering why for a long time. I’m also not really sure Ukraine can overwhelm anything with drones. While you get pictures and videos with lots of fire, there’s no systemic effect from this. The whole drone campaign is just meant to produce propaganda videos to keep the money flowing.
The fact that capitalism made life worse for the majority of people is why I think it will fail once again. And the war is absolutely the catalyst here. It’s what severed relations between Russia and Europe forcing Russia to look to Asia. There wouldn’t be free travel to DPRK right now if it wasn’t for the war, I can tell you that. A lot of people go there and they’re nostalgic because they see echos of USSR there. The war also hurts the domestic economy, so people are much more aware of the contradictions as a result. On top of that, the west has discredited itself, and shown it’s true face. I don’t think there’s any going back from that. So, eastern model of development is the one that will be the one that Russia will likely emulate.
This company has secured a contract from the Pentagon to manufacture American-made Shahed-style drones equipped with AI. New models are being tested in Ukraine under combat conditions—something we are witnessing right now.
Currently, Russia and the U.S. are essentially competing in technology. I believe that the U.S. holds the advantage in the use of AI.
Perhaps China, too, might want to test something of its own… ))
However, China has no desire to escalate tensions with the U.S., so it is highly unlikely to do so.
Right now, everyone is anticipating strikes on Kyiv. If this turns out to be yet another “final Chinese warning” from Russia, it will start looking a lot like Trump’s style. The Russians need to take action—but at this moment, I simply cannot imagine what that action could be that would actually take everyone by surprise. Putin currently finds himself in a difficult situation. The Europeans are becoming increasingly brazen; they have refused to evacuate their embassies from Kyiv, thereby demonstrating that they have absolutely no fear of Putin.
Ukraine’s strategy is clear, and they have staked everything on it: to destabilize Russia internally as much as possible—and as intensely as possible—before the Russian elections this autumn. Their objective is to hold the front lines against any major breakthroughs, while simultaneously inflicting maximum damage through strikes deep inside Russian territory.
What countermeasures Russia will be able to deploy against this—and whether it will be adequately prepared to do so—remains to be seen.
I honestly don’t think China cares what US thinks because they have Americans by the balls. The US economy cannot function without Chinese exports. Period. Did you see how Trump was behaving in China? That tells you everything. Not only will China be testing their AI for drones in Ukraine, they will also continue to cut off rare earths supply to the US which is what you need to make components for these drones.
And I expect there will be strikes coming. I also don’t understand Ukraine’s strategy. It’s important to remember that Putin is a moderate, and if he lost then it would almost certainly be somebody much more hard line, and then gloves will come off fully.
Indeed, Russia does not seek escalation—a fact evident in the absence of retaliatory strikes against Kyiv for the past eight days.
Ukraine’s drone strategy has recently come to light. Ukraine lacks secure airfields near the border from which to launch drones deep into Russian territory. Consequently, they have adopted Iranian tactics: installing a three-drone launch system onto standard civilian semi-trucks. The truck rapidly moves into position, the crew deploys, and the drones are launched. The problem is that launching 200 drones requires 70 trucks—a quantity that is extremely difficult to conceal. The Russians are now actively hunting down these trucks. It is possible that this campaign has already yielded results. To put it roughly: the day before yesterday saw 200 drones launched; yesterday, 15; and today, 70. Significantly, today—for the first time in a long while—not a single video surfaced showing a target being struck.
Russia must have finally found the key to countering this threat; otherwise, the situation would have continued to deteriorate. We shall see, as events unfold, whether this proves to be true.
I can’t see how going back to the status quo after 4 years of war would be possible politically in Russia. I expect that any scenario where the war ends will result in Ukraine having a compliant regime and forced neutrality. It will not be allowed to join NATO or EU at this point, and there will be a big cap on the size of the army. So, I think the Georgian scenario is the most likely one as well.
The Kill Zone—it is constantly expanding. This has fundamentally altered the nature of warfare. Victory now belongs to whoever exercises superior control over the Kill Zone. In this context, defense is far easier, as infantry is rendered virtually obsolete.
To seize the strategic initiative, one must establish absolute dominance within the Kill Zone.
We are currently engaged in a war of technology—not a war of men or tanks. You have likely heard about the recent visit from an American entrepreneur who owns a company contracted by the Pentagon to develop and manufacture AI technologies for the defense industry. The Pentagon’s cutting-edge innovations are currently being field-tested in Ukraine. Russia is finding it difficult to keep pace.
And it is precisely this factor that will play the decisive role in the upcoming summer campaign.
I think we’ll have to wait and see here. American technology has proven itself to be hype many times in the past, and I wouldn’t jump to conclusions here.
It has begun—the very thing you and I discussed long ago… The thing I was banned for for 10 days—it has happened.
https://www.bbc.com/russian/articles/cx21rjge20po
Here is the move by Russia that could produce the intended effect.
If Russia was intentionally going to do an attack outside Ukraine they would do a bigger one, likely with Oreshnik and on a military target. I think two most likely possibilities here is either a stray drone or Ukraine using a scavenged one to try draw NATO in.
Yes, I agree with you. I was just emotional… )))
Yes, it was probably Ukrainian electronic warfare that deflected the Russian drone, or it was a Ukrainian provocation to draw NATO into the war. Ukraine is also provoking Belarus to join the war. This is all part of Zelenskyy’s strategy.
What you and I predicted has begun: a frenzied wave of propaganda has recently erupted in the Ukrainian media. Every morning I open the news and it’s filled with headlines like: Russia has almost lost Crimea, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have broken through at the front, Russia is panicking, Putin is almost dead, etc. I haven’t seen such a wave in a long time. People are talking about the 1991 borders again.
It’s been suspiciously quiet here lately. Not even the sirens are wailing.
Kyiv has finally been affected. People are heading down to the metro at night. Everyone’s waiting for that blow.
By the way, look, this is Yakutsk, where socialism still reigns… )))
It’s as if time stood still there.
https://youtu.be/1V2Y_6c58Oc?t=130
I expect there might be genuine panic that Russia will open up another front from Belarus and threaten Kiev again. And that video was interesting, it’s good to see how much of Russia still retains so much Soviet imagery. I think that as people continue becoming disillusioned with capitalism, there is a real possibility of changing course. While I know we disagree on China, I do think that China, Vietnam, and DPRK being major allies and trading partners will help nudge people in the right direction. Now people can travel there easily, see how things are for themselves, and they will ask natural questions after that.
Russia doesn’t need this; it would have to redeploy additional troops. The front line there is 1,500 kilometers long. It would take about 300,000 men just to hold it. Nor does Lukashenko need this; Ukraine would simply overwhelm Belarus with drones.
What surprised me was that this memorial was built in 2017. Inscribed on it is an expression of gratitude to the USSR from grateful descendants! This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this in Russia. You probably realize now just how much better people living beyond the Urals had it under the USSR—if they still miss it so intensely to this day! Complete devastation reigns there now.
Yes, I can see that the process has begun—right before my very eyes, thoughtful Westerners are starting to see the light!
You have to admit that the war in Ukraine gave it the push it needed, don’t you?
There is a big reserve Russia hasn’t committed yet, and people have been wondering why for a long time. I’m also not really sure Ukraine can overwhelm anything with drones. While you get pictures and videos with lots of fire, there’s no systemic effect from this. The whole drone campaign is just meant to produce propaganda videos to keep the money flowing.
The fact that capitalism made life worse for the majority of people is why I think it will fail once again. And the war is absolutely the catalyst here. It’s what severed relations between Russia and Europe forcing Russia to look to Asia. There wouldn’t be free travel to DPRK right now if it wasn’t for the war, I can tell you that. A lot of people go there and they’re nostalgic because they see echos of USSR there. The war also hurts the domestic economy, so people are much more aware of the contradictions as a result. On top of that, the west has discredited itself, and shown it’s true face. I don’t think there’s any going back from that. So, eastern model of development is the one that will be the one that Russia will likely emulate.
The situation here is somewhat more serious.
This company has secured a contract from the Pentagon to manufacture American-made Shahed-style drones equipped with AI. New models are being tested in Ukraine under combat conditions—something we are witnessing right now.
https://www.eadaily.com/ru/news/2026/05/27/iz-ssha-edut-na-ukrainu-kak-na-safari-ispytat-smertonosnye-tehnologii-na-rossii
Currently, Russia and the U.S. are essentially competing in technology. I believe that the U.S. holds the advantage in the use of AI.
Perhaps China, too, might want to test something of its own… ))
However, China has no desire to escalate tensions with the U.S., so it is highly unlikely to do so.
Right now, everyone is anticipating strikes on Kyiv. If this turns out to be yet another “final Chinese warning” from Russia, it will start looking a lot like Trump’s style. The Russians need to take action—but at this moment, I simply cannot imagine what that action could be that would actually take everyone by surprise. Putin currently finds himself in a difficult situation. The Europeans are becoming increasingly brazen; they have refused to evacuate their embassies from Kyiv, thereby demonstrating that they have absolutely no fear of Putin.
Ukraine’s strategy is clear, and they have staked everything on it: to destabilize Russia internally as much as possible—and as intensely as possible—before the Russian elections this autumn. Their objective is to hold the front lines against any major breakthroughs, while simultaneously inflicting maximum damage through strikes deep inside Russian territory.
What countermeasures Russia will be able to deploy against this—and whether it will be adequately prepared to do so—remains to be seen.
I honestly don’t think China cares what US thinks because they have Americans by the balls. The US economy cannot function without Chinese exports. Period. Did you see how Trump was behaving in China? That tells you everything. Not only will China be testing their AI for drones in Ukraine, they will also continue to cut off rare earths supply to the US which is what you need to make components for these drones.
And I expect there will be strikes coming. I also don’t understand Ukraine’s strategy. It’s important to remember that Putin is a moderate, and if he lost then it would almost certainly be somebody much more hard line, and then gloves will come off fully.
We talked a long time ago about bridges across the Dnieper. Something like this should probably exist.
I would still argue that the fact that Russia is not destroying the bridges is a clear indication that they’re expecting to keep moving further west.
Indeed, Russia does not seek escalation—a fact evident in the absence of retaliatory strikes against Kyiv for the past eight days.
Ukraine’s drone strategy has recently come to light. Ukraine lacks secure airfields near the border from which to launch drones deep into Russian territory. Consequently, they have adopted Iranian tactics: installing a three-drone launch system onto standard civilian semi-trucks. The truck rapidly moves into position, the crew deploys, and the drones are launched. The problem is that launching 200 drones requires 70 trucks—a quantity that is extremely difficult to conceal. The Russians are now actively hunting down these trucks. It is possible that this campaign has already yielded results. To put it roughly: the day before yesterday saw 200 drones launched; yesterday, 15; and today, 70. Significantly, today—for the first time in a long while—not a single video surfaced showing a target being struck.
Russia must have finally found the key to countering this threat; otherwise, the situation would have continued to deteriorate. We shall see, as events unfold, whether this proves to be true.
amusingly also using trucks as mobile platforms