This Is The Operational Rear.

The training camp of VSU near the town of Shostka Sumy Region. 

This is RUK (recon Strike Complex) with Iskander at work. 

This tally, likely tens (if not hundred +) KIAs and shitload of wounded WILL NOT be counted by Russian Defense Ministry. Such strikes are happening every day in this form or another. So, the number of VSU's KIAs is now around 1.3-1.4 million. Reported kill ratios by Russians themselves (from frontlines) vary between 1 to 15, to 1 to 20. 

47th Independent Brigade ...

... of VSU gets its C3 annihilated. Together with commanding personnel in the hamlet Korovintsy in Sumy Oblast. 

Iskander's accuracy is astonishing. RUK in action. Here is the map:

It doesn't matter where you hide--you will be detected, and firing solution will be developed. This is a classic long-range fire in action and Command Post of 47th Brigade is no more--good luck replacing this command. Russia continues to run out of missiles/s. The 1000-km version of Iskander is coming (if not already) and that doesn't bode well for fanatics in Europe. I speak about "adapting by Russia" to NATO weaponry. Poor NATO, already in 1980s what USSR was deploying as its RUK was astonishing, while Vladimir Putin disclosed today at the meeting of military industry captain some shocking numbers of Russia's military production for 2024. 

To understand the league, FYI, French AF altogether has 97 (Rafale) + 64 (Mirage 2000 D) + 28 (2000-F5) = 189 combat aircraft. Listen to the numbers in my latest video, which is coming up soon, as articulated by Putin. Europe is in panic, as it should be, because Russians are really angry, in fact--infuriated and they will not forgive.  

RUK/ROK At Work.

This is why not having real AD, which neither 404 nor any NATO country have, concentrating oneself in predeployment areas, is not a good idea as 516 Battalion of Special Forces of the 1st Independent Brigade of VSU learned the hard way in Sumy Oblast. 

Good hit at ammo depot. Up to 130 personnel KIAs, 23 armored vehicles, special automobiles--15 and 10 trucks. All goners. RUK/RUK--Recon Strike/Frappe Complex. Recon and targeting from drones, satellites, recon units, EW etc. Sensor fusion at its best, after that--firing solution and off Mr. Iskander goes. The power of the stand-off, SMART hypersonic munitions. Now imagine this thing from hell increasing its combat radius to 1,000 kilometers. Already happened. 

Nikolaev Tank Repairing Plant...

 ... doesn't repair anything anymore after a jolly group of five Iskanders paid the visit to this strategic facility. 

The video gives a very good spacial reference picture speed-wise (M=6+ hypersonic weapons arrivals) and why NATO AD complexes are powerless against Iskanders; five building have been completely denazified together with 10 units (6 tanks included) of armor in them. And, as you can see yourself, somehow those damn Russkies have a very (I would say outstanding) accuracy of those missiles. Must be Western microchips from washing machines and backward optronic guidance, I am sure Russians got those from Japanese cameras.

Patriots Have A Very Bad Time...

 ... in 404. Just as we discussed it yesterday--Garland, Scott and me--that Patriot is simply no good against serious targets. Here OTRK Iskander wipes out another one yesterday in 404. 

It tries to launch 2 missiles with no effect and gets its heart and most expensive part--radar and command post--wiped out. After that it is easy. Any slow drone can finish it off. Mind you, this is Iskander, not even Kinzhal, which is impossible to intercept. Iskander's "burn out" speed at the target is about M=6, still hypersonic but slower than Kinzhal with its M=10, albeit both are relatives. 

 

P.S. These were not Ukrainians who have been killed in the command post... Make your own conclusions.

Another One Bites The Dust...

 ... RUK (Recon-Strike Complex) at work couple of days ago at Kherson axis. 

Three M-270 (with ATACMS or HIMARS) and a lovely secondary detonation of ammo storage. Mr. Iskander is getting now its longer--much-much longer (1000 ++ km) version, just in case. 

Now, I understand that Glenn Diesen worries (rightly so) about possible NATO-Russia clash--the burning ferry with loaded oil at Port Kavkaz does look impressive. But as I stress non-stop--in the end it is COFM (Correlation of Forces and Means) and posture which dictates approach to any kind of war. NATO has neither, trying to hide behind the backs of VSU. NATO simply doesn't have enough of anything. In other words--NATO cannot assemble and predeploy required force to even have a chance against Russia. At least some people in Pentagon understand it. Pathos-ridden rhetoric from West's "elites" (a euphemism for BS) is just that. NATO is effectively de-militarized now. The required FORCE is not there for NATO, period! The best division-size force packed with US and other "volunteers" has been wiped off the face of the earth in ten days in Kursk. 

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday that U.S. officials have been in near-daily contact with Ukrainian counterparts and have made no recent changes to guidance on how U.S. weapons can be used in the Kursk offensive. “They are allowed to use U.S. provided material to defend themselves against Russian aggression. And, as you know, the president allowed them to use U.S. munitions across that border to deal with imminent threats,” Kirby told reporters in Washington. Kirby added that it's unclear how successful Ukraine's operation in Kursk will be over the long term. Russian officials on Friday reported some success in turning back Ukrainian forces in some areas of the Kursk region.

Oh, it is very clear, Mr. "Admiral" Kirby, very clear. 

Fate Of Air Defense...

 ... of NATO. Let me remind you this: 

So, yesterday--Mr. Iskander visits some Patriot launchers and spreads the love, I mean cluster munitions. They cannot intercept Iskanders.

 

Then the turn of the German Iris-T comes. This time Mr. Iskander gets close and personal. 

So, as I write for decade--to fight a real war one needs really good, if not outstanding air defense, especially when we are talking about strike weapon systems and complexes RUK/ROK of Russia. NATO doesn't have it. Moreover, the gap only grows with new strike systems coming on-line. Meanwhile, as was expected Kursk adventure has already turned into a strategic catastrophe for VSU. My video about it is coming up shortly. 

It Is Difficult To Hide...

 ... from Mr. Iskander. Here is "Here is Johnny" moment. Ukrainian Buk M1 met the maker. Modern ISR is such a bitch.

Some Points.

Larry Johnson pointed me to a good solid professional, former US Army, Jacob Dreizin, who surely understands the issue. I give you some taste of Jacob's sitreps here: 

It will be difficult for the Ukraine to use regular motorized forces on the offense in this area, as they would be traversing flat, open country, and would be hugely susceptible to air and rocket strikes, especially as Russia has largely finished off the Ukraine’s high-altitude air defenses east of the Dniepr in the last week.  However, in place, they could conceivably blunt a Russian effort to deepen the Donbass blockade substantially westwards in line with the Little Saturn (1942-1943) playbook. 

I like, in fact--love, references to Little Saturn, and if we begin to draw parallels to WW II (some of them are correct), and you know how squeamish I am drawing those parallels, recall what Zhukov did in Winter of 1945 in Pomerania and WHY he did it, instead of going for the jugular of Berlin. That explains a lot in terms of Russian view of this operation and blocking and liberating Mariupol the way it was done. 

Right now Kadyrov guys started storming of the Azov Steel plant and US media go bananas making all kinds of shit up with new BS of the week that Putin suffers from cancer. As I say all the time--they are single cell creatures in US media. And now another living fraud, Nikita Khrushchev's seed, Nina, spews her ignorance around (she has degree in Russian language and comparative literature, face-palm) and now predicts Russia's "dark fate":

Whatever happens in Ukraine and in the rest of the world, Russia’s fate is sealed: A future as dark as its darkest past

Generally speaking, this woman just confirmed what I state all the time: US loves all kinds of ignoramuses and people with agenda to "consult".  I am sure Khrushchev's granddaughter knows it all(/s). 

In related news, it is down right stupefying to observe the whole industrial-economic drama unfolding in Germany. Holy smokes. As Bernhard points out:

Europe Must Learn To Cheat On Its Sanctions (Just Like The U.S. Is Doing It)

Russia, of course, gave EU a face saving (cosmetic really) "exit" of sorts when stated, OK, you may open Ruble accounts in Gazprom Bank. You transfer Euros there for gas, but until euros are converted to Rubles, you don't have the gas. Simple as that. EU is hysterical, because they know what is coming. And now Germany begins to remove metals from Russia from sanctions, LOL. It is a complete mad-house in the combined West. So, here is your primer for weekend. In conclusion:

Here is Konashenkov's briefing and Iskandering of the staff of VSU near Kharkov, many foreign nationals there among reported 100 KIAs.  

Update On Kinzhal.

Russian MOD decided to shut down this molasses of butt-hurt speculations by fanboys on actual existence of some weapon systems described in Putin's March 1st speech and published a short video on Kinzhal being launched by regular MiG-31BMs. The video gives some good view of Kinzhal's direct relation to Iskander. Plus, in a typical Russian manner, some additional data was disclosed about guidance and targeting system and EW capabilities of Kinzhal. As was expected it has radar and optronic targeting systems and is capable to work on any surface (ground, sea) targets and yes--nothing can stop Kinzhal.  

As was expected, the video gathered in less than 24 hours three quarters of a million views and a lot of butt-hurt "this all is not real" comments. Interesting fact about all this, however, is that more than 130 MiG-31s are currently in active service (with another 150 or so in storage) and out of those 130 many, probably as many as 50, are updated to BM and the work on modernization continues. Gives some perspective on Salvo Model and capability. 

So, Will Donbass Forces Get Iskanders?

As NBC reports, Pentagon insists on providing Kiev's junta with $50 million worth of Javelins. As report says:

 The most common Russian tank is the T-90, according to Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, a conservative think tank. The Javelin attacks tanks from above, one of the most vulnerable spots of the tank, he explained, adding that other shoulder-fired weapons like an RPG could not take out a Russian tank. Thompson warned that providing lethal weapons to Ukraine — a country "on Russia's doorstep" — is not without peril for the U.S. "What would we think if the Russians were arming Mexico?" he asked. "This could potentially spark a wider war."

Really? Why so? After all, judging by Pentagon's "successes" of the last 17+ years, strategic thinking and calculating consequences of the actions is not really its strong point. But the issue here is completely different and it reminds me a good contemporary anecdote about Ukrainian nationalism:  

Son: Hey, Dad, let's go and kill some Moskalis (Russians)? 
Dad: Sure, but what if they kill us? 
Son: Us? What for? 

I guess this is the level of the strategic "thinking" of people (be them from CIA or Pentagon) who still think that they can get away with it. Like in Iraq. Or Afghanistan. But, after all, who said that it takes too long to train Iskander combat teams to launch? I kid, I kid.

Former Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin, an NBC News analyst, said that the Russians had "earned" the U.S. aid to Ukraine, "but will see it as an escalation even though it poses no immediate danger to their forces given the disposition of the two sides and the nature of the current skirmishing." "The U.S. should portray this as an enhancement of Ukrainian defensive capabilities, and part of the deal with Kiev should be that they not use the Javelins to provoke fighting but instead hold onto them for a contingency in which Russia actually uses armor to extend its invasion — which it has not been doing lately."

I applaud John McLaughlin's "analysis" since Russia sure as hell can "portray" a transfer of some really cool tech to LDNR forces as "an enhancement of Donbass defense capabilities." In the end, LDNR forces also can "hold on" to Iskanders, or some serious other toys, for a contingency Kiev "actually uses armor to extend its invasion" into Donbass.  But mocking bird exchange apart. All these last moves in Washington (including Russia sanctions) are signs of a real desperation and it all testifies to a growing burden of internal problems and rot inside the Beltway. Considering a level of utter ignorance of US "political elites" about real war and what it can bring, all this can only be driven by sheer insanity. Come to think about it, it is exactly the main driving force behind US obvious decline. Now, one can understand the reason for a slimy stream of accusations against Russia in alleged "arming" of Taliban.  But hey, you get where it is all going, right? One might as well start living up to a reputation. But I don't think this is going to happen. For starters, for all his flaws, President Trump is a sane person (unlike many in his cabinet) and this could be his next test. We'll see. But I would suggest James Mattis read up a bit on Russia's military history--may come handy. After all, he doesn't know what is it to defend his home.