Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Iranian drones aren't quadcopters, they're flying wings with a model aircraft petrol engine up front, using a standard propeller. A shot gun would probably do the job.

https://www.justsecurity.org/83605/addressing-putins-nuclear-threat-thinking-like-the-cold-war-kgb-officer-that-he-was/

Timothy Snyder being awesome, as always:
https://snyder.substack.com/p/how-does-the-russo-ukrainian-war?r=f9j4c

TL:DR
His hypothesis is that there are four separate forces fighting in Ukraine; Army with special forces, National Guard, Kadyrovites and Wagner. Due to the power play in Moscow, each of these might start pulling men away from Ukraine and back to Moscow, just in case any of the other three players makes a move on the throne. At some point this trend will have increased until there will be no fighting men left in Ukraine.

he's got a series of lectures on youtube about the history of Ukraine which is really interesting so far (only watched the first one) - still need to finish reading Bloodlands too...

https://youtu.be/bJczLlwp-d8

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction...

Mass theft of speed cameras across Sweden connected to war in Ukraine. According to SÄPO, more than 100 speed cameras (Canon DSLR) have been stolen in recent months, some of which have allegedly been sold to Russia(n proxies) & used in improvised drones

https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/VPPe8l/stulna-fartkameror-blir-donare-i-kriget-i-ukraina

There was coverage early in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, of a Russian missile, (or drone, forgive me imprecise memory), that had failed to explode. It had a commercial Canon DSLR as part of the tracking system.

That explains why I didn’t get flashed a few weeks ago…

Think less than half of them were operational even b4 the thefts

Expensive tho, about 25k gbp for each replacement i read.

So are we starting to see General Armageddon going to work? first the energy infrastructure and now the heavy speculation that they are preparing to blow up the Kakhovska hydroelectric dam and flood the Dnipro, hence the sudden need to evacuate Kherson and and get troops and equipment off of the west bank

Seems Iran have personnel on the ground as well supporting the drones they have supplied
https://mobile.twitter.com/JM_Szuba/status/1583152559144910848

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/10/could-russia-try-to-take-kyiv-again-the-war-in-ukraine-is-far-from-over/

Someone re-painted the plinth of a Soviet war memorial in Czechia to make it look like a washing machine:

I've seen reports of Russia evacuating civilians from Kherson due to heavy fighting expected.
But where are they taking them?

To RuZZia - those coming voluntarily will be scattered round and those not will end up in makeshift camps and prisons. Proper Nazi style

But they're evacuating russians, no?

If you believe 100% of population are Russians than yes

Aha, so they're sending their own russians home, but takes the ukrainians as well?

According to Putinesque thought, there are no Ukrainians. Just Russians suffering from a collective mass delusion that they live in a different country that isn't Russia.

Videos posted on social media appear to show lots of them getting dumped in Crimea

Yeah I know that, but I assume there's a mix of people there. OG Ukrainians that hasn't left + Russians that has been placed there?

I don't know how many if any native Russian civilians as opposed to military personnel are there. Not many, I'd assume, but I don't know.

That's what I thought. Horrible.

(loosely connected) I thought this was interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4O3D7CfThA

Goes with the thought that Russians don't protest because the country is so large and diverse that it causes mass apathy amongst the population, people don't really know where the borders are or care it all just falls under a blanket which is why it's easy for them to dismiss Ukrainian sovereignty

Not sure if it fully holds up, but interesting

Some grains of truth there, but ignores the fact that several of the largest revolutions in history were in Russia, by the Russian people.

If you are talking about Crimea one thing to understand it is kind of nice weather wise. Just like brits are moving to Magaluf or Malaga ruzzians have been getting property in Crimea. Ruzzian government did not have to force anybody there. People were willing and eager to relocate from miserable Moscow to somewhere nicer. With the population growth resources like clean water really are a limitation to development.