Ukraine launches the largest attack against the Russian Air Force of this war.
Drones smuggled into Russia have struck Russia’s strategic bombers at airfields deep in Russia.
Up to 40 planes destroyed, including several A-50 (AEW&C) & Tu-95 & Tu-22 long-range bombers.
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Any word yet on the path the containers took to get into Russia? Must have been shipped through at least one other country, probably several?
Historically, Russia/Soviet Union always relied on the vast and mostly cold and hostile expanse of land to thwart its enemies: Napoleon and Waterloo, Hitler and the loss of his army trying to attack Moscow.
This is a main reason they regarded Ukraine’s NATOization as one step too far (plus most of Russia’s major cities on near Europe already).
But that vast expanse is now proving to be a liability, with distances quickly and easily covered by trucks on paved roads, and too few soldiers to guard that much land. Russia is now too open and accessible to fully defend, especially with troops already at the front lines.
What will Russia do now? Surrender and pullback to pre-invasion conditions would be suicidal for Putin. Escalation to nuclear weapons would be suicidal for the whole world.
What are the alternatives?
Well, Russia *could* destroy all the bridges crossing the Dnieper and keep them that way.
The Russian Army will go home to the poverty Putin created. The Subject slave States of the Russian Federation will become independent feifdoms. The only question is whether they go home before demographic/economic collapse or after. Russian attrition in Ukraine is 400,000 men per year out of a pool of only 5.5 million. Inflation is over 20% per year and rising rapidly. President Trump made an unspoken deal with the Saudis to bring oil prices below Russian cost of production before the 2026 midterm election. Putin plans to confiscate personal bank accounts to save the banks and fund his army. Putin is confident enough that he has not conscripted the elite populations of St. Petersburg and Moscow. Russian oligarchs are fleeing to Saudi Arabia and Dubai with their ill gotten gains. Oligarchs expect catastrophe that Putin does not.
Does that mean that my original statement that “Russia *could* destroy all the bridges crossing the Dnieper” (thereby interrupting resupply of forces east of Kiev) is somehow invalid? Do you not think RF is holding back from scorched earth policy? Any victory or show of strength by UKR is a direct result of the RF holding back. RF will till/glass/scorch (choose colorful verb) that breakaway province before they’ll let the Western power have it – RF will not walk away while UKR remains unfriendly – even in the context of “RF started it” whataboutism. I find continuation of the conflict particularly unwise on the part of UKR.
You are correct. The Russian Federation will disappear and Ukraine will be collateral damage. USA will rebuild Ukraine by exploiting mineral wealth investment. Nobody will rebuild the Moscow slave state. Every adjacent state will take a piece of it.
And foxnews states, “the pentagon was in the dark until it happened” within the first few sentences of the article – wat a lie.
At this point the Ukrainians know not to trust the U.S. with critical plans so I full believe that the Pentagon was actually in the dark until it happened. Had they known someone likely would have tipped the Russians off. The good news here is that the SBU has fully purged itself of Russian spies/sympathizers. That means they will be more effective going forward.
This may be an event like Pearl Harbor in military history not because of any similarity of circumstances but because both were the iconic first dramatically successful use of a new generation of top tier military tech against an older top tier. Then carrier launched bombers and torpedo planes against Battleships and fixed air defenses and now autonomous drones against strategic bombers.
This is the future of war.
Damn it, Brian! You were warned about crossing the streams!
Now META is attacking the Anthropic CEO’s Soviet-era bombers with AI controlled NAFO avatars!
LOL there is only Zuul.
One wonders what Russian retaliation will be for such things. >_>
Probably attacking a children’s playground or hospital.