There Is A Saying In Russia...

... a very popular one, actually, that "for those who don't know what Physics is--the world is filled with miracles". It is, of course, a bit over the top but its foundation is solid and could be interpreted as judging things on their own merit when you have the tool kit. As SMO demonstrated, and, in fact confirmed it unequivocally--media all over the world are simply incapable of proper reporting, let alone analysis of modern warfare and they will NEVER be able to grasp as a professional class anything beyond lower level tactics (and even that is questionable) at the most on the company level, period. Anything above and what transitions into the high level tactics (brigade-level) let alone operational-tactical (division), not to speak of operational-strategic (corps, army, all forces) is and will remain beyond their grasp. 

And so--we had last 72 hours of all kinds of info-shysters who would have issues even with famous book by Alexander Vainer The Tactical Calculations, not to speak of things which are classified and require clearance. 

But then again, people who never commanded a squad in their life and do not understand what combat training of even enlisted rank is, they will not grasp it. Some of them, of course, will continue to push their agendas and do it in the most amateurish manner, which is characteristic of most media. Here is an example--a boy, a graduate of the Moscow State's Journo "department" who doesn't even have command of proper professional military terminology who passes at English RT for ... military expert.

Here is his CV. A typical butthurt liberal. 

Sergey Poletaev is an information analyst and publicist. He specializes in Russian foreign policy and in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Born in 1980 in Moscow, Poletaev is a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University. In 2017, together with researchers Oleg Makarov and Dmitry Stefanovich, he founded the information and analytical project Vatfor. A Russian expert on international relations and a contributor of the Russian International Affairs Council, his articles have been published in specialist media like Russia in Global Affairs, Profile, Eurasia-Expert, and others. Poletaev is also a facilitator/organizer of interviews, online streams on political topics, as well as scientific and workshop conferences.

And this is all while real military and intel experts such as Larry Johnson or Scott Ritter appear in writing only occasionally on English RT. The issue here is NOT that the wider audience should suddenly be drowned in the issues of Required Force, communications networks (highly classified), or Combat Effectiveness of units and formations. NO, average Joe doesn't need it, but what average Joe (or Ivan) need is a professional assessment, which cannot be done at all by anyone with "degree" in journalism. You may ask but what about Marat, well--Marat being a very bright person and, actually, war correspondent--he communicates with real serious professionals on the level of Chiefs of Staffs of Brigades and Divisions. Plus, his and our friend, combat veteran Colonel Mikhail Popov is always there. Feel the difference? 

Same goes for me. I do not have expertise in all of it, but I know my limitations and when need be I ask and communicate with my good friends Colonel Trukhan, Lt. Colonel Shalandin and other people, many of who a senior and very senior officers with enormous academic and command (including operational) experiences such as many of you know--this group of sharp-witted dudes known as Callsign Katzman, or simply--Katzmans. And, of course, I constantly study myself. I can continue with this list for a long time--this is what "social circle of professionals" means, we know each-other and recognize each-other as professionals. Same goes to my good friends Larry Johnson, Scott Ritter, Colonel Daniel Davis and his friends, Colonel Jaques Baud, Commander Robinson Farrinazo of Brazilian Marines et al. My work has been recognized already in 2018 by Vice-Admiral Kumar, then Commander of one of the two fleets of Indian Navy. And, of course, I am invited to RT all the time. Last time I declined was ... three days ago. I declined--Christmas, you know.)) I will be there soon. I hope media, including RT, will learn some lessons. 

My task here is to underscore that while in the US we are staying more or less informed due to a vast and powerful network of the alternative media, not that what they report is necessarily always accurate, in Russia a completely obverse situation have developed--the so called "alternative media" in Russia (not all, of course) are, actually, the main generators of FUD and downright misinformation, while state or close to the state media, not least through the press-service of Russia's Defense Ministry, remain most truthful and non-dramatic. I am not going to go here into who and how covers up a destructive activity of all those Rybars, Podolyakas, or how the graduate of the philosopy department can run reviews on military-technological developments, but I want to stress, again--none of those are "military experts". All of them do not even know what it means and what comes into this. It is also understood that they are all being watched.

As hysteria around Kupyansk demonstrated in the last 72 hours--informational hygiene remains a critical requirement for extricating oneself from emotionally charged and downright hysterical "news cycle" and much of it depends on tuning out from those "voices" and info shysters who for the last 40 months completely discredited themselves and confirmed what Hunter Thompson (actually Agnew) noted astutely:

The press is a gang of cruel faggots. Journalism is not a profession or a trade. It is a cheap catch-all for fuckoffs and misfits—a false doorway to the backside of life, a filthy piss-ridden little hole nailed off by the building inspector, but just deep enough for a wino to curl up from the sidewalk and masturbate like a chimp in a zoo-cage.

This is who most of them really are. They decided to ride the wave of war but forgot that it was for real professionals, especially starting from the brigade level up--a level at which none of them can understand what hits them and they do not even grasp how those levels operate. In the end, the lowest unit which gets its own staff is battalion. There is a reason for that. 

In related news, Randy, Larry and yours truly exchanged opinions on shit yesterday)) 

Randy also got the cameo in what is shaping to be a huge blockbuster this season: Marty Supreme. 

Randy plays ... a rich man)) In conclusion, never stop learning--I heard from doctors that it is not "training" of the brain through repetition but constant learning new things, which is real neural stimulation, which helps to stave off dementia. SMO is an incredible learning opportunity.