Andrei Martyanov’s assessment of the Ukraine situation

 ... of VSU air-assets during their latest (disastrous) attempt at Snake Island. As Russian MoD reports:

«Замыслом операции киевского режима предусматривалось нанесение массированных воздушных и артиллерийских ударов по острову Змеиный с последующей высадкой десанта и его захвата. В воздушном налете было задействовано более 15 украинских беспилотных летательных аппаратов в ударном и разведывательном исполнении, наведение которых осуществлялось двумя беспилотными летательными аппаратами «Байрактар ТБ-2», – говорится в официальном Telegram-канале Минобороны.«Кроме того, в воздушном пространстве в районе острова Змеиный российскими средствами был зафиксирован на больших высотах стратегический разведывательный беспилотный летательный аппарата ВВС США «Глобал Хок» RQ-4.

Противовоздушное прикрытие украинских БПЛА обеспечивалось зенитными ракетными системами «С-300» с боевых позиций в районе Тузлы и Очакова.Ракетные и артиллерийские удары по острову Змеиный наносились украинскими баллистическими ракетами «Точка-У», реактивными системами залпового огня «Ураган» и 155-мм гаубицами М-777 с огневых позиций западнее Одессы и на острове Кубанский», – сообщил Конашенков.«Российскими средствами ПВО: зенитным ракетно-пушечным комплексом «Панцирь» и зенитным ракетным комплексом «Тор» все средства поражения противника, выпущенные по острову Змеиный, были уничтожены.Сбиты в воздухе: 13 беспилотных летательных аппаратов, четыре ракеты «Точка-У» и 21 реактивный снаряд системы залпового огня «Ураган». Ни одно из украинских огневых средств не достигло цели на острове Змеиный. 

Translation: “The plan of the operation of the Kyiv regime provided for the infliction of massive air and artillery strikes on Zmeiny Island, followed by a landing and its capture. More than 15 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in strike and reconnaissance versions were involved in the air raid, which were guided by two Bayraktar TB-2 unmanned aerial vehicles. “In addition, in the airspace in the area of ​​​​Snake Island, Russian means detected a strategic reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle of the US Air Force Global Hawk RQ-4 at high altitudes. Air defense cover for Ukrainian UAVs was provided by S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems from combat positions in the Tuzla and Ochakov areas. Rocket and artillery strikes on Zmeiny Island were carried out by Ukrainian Tochka-U ballistic missiles, Uragan multiple launch rocket systems and M-777 155-mm howitzers from firing positions west of Odessa and on Kubansky Island,” Konashenkov said. “Russian air defense systems: the Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun system and the Tor anti-aircraft missile system destroyed all enemy weapons fired at Zmeiny Island. Shot down in the air: 13 unmanned aerial vehicles, four Tochka-U missiles and 21 Uragan multiple rocket launchers. None of the Ukrainian munitions reached the target on Zmeiny Island.

This explains frustration and attack on... civilian oil rigs in the Black Sea after that. Typical. Well, now some videos of those M-777 being blown to smithereens are also provided by MoD (in Russian). 

Surprise attack of 16 units of American M777 howitzers destroyed by Russia

Half of the M777 artillery pieces in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed by a massive air raid of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Combat aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces staged a surprise raid on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and destroyed at least 16 M777 artillery pieces, transferred to the Ukrainian military from the United States a few days ago. 

It is clear that Pentagon and NATO are trying to gain some kind of insight into the operations in Ukraine, including by being directly involved into operational planning for VSU, but the truth is--NATO militaries, led by the US, are not configured for protracted and extremely painful and brutal combined arms operations against the opposition which is not only "peer" (a condescending BS invented in Pentagon) but is fully capable to disrupt NATO's C4ISR and has air defense which is simply the best and most advanced in the world. The situation with the Snake Island and VSU's utter failure there exposed the complete obsolescence of Western fighting doctrines which are designed for one thing only--intimidation and bombing with impunity of the third world defenseless nations. And that is the main lesson of yet another Ukie failure.

Not the famous Savrasov's 1871 The Rooks Flew In (original Russian title, Грачи Прилетели, not Anglicized The Rooks Have Returned) painting. 

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Nor Nikolai Anisimov's, piercing in its genius poetry, a song about Rooks (Su-25s) combat work in Chechnya. This phrase alone: "Bernoulli's equations carry The Rook in the skies", is something that only those who went through it could write. No, these are SU-25SMs now in Ukraine. Excellent show of combat work.

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One can clearly see the terrain which is highly conducive for air-defense ambushes, including with still not 100% annihilated Ukrainian Buk-M1s, Osas and even remaining S-300s, albeit most of those are being hidden or deployed around key military objects in 404 and in Kiev. I am not talking about Stingers which performed dismally and are absolutely obsolete on the modern battlefield, and the new Russian ECM employed on all combat aircraft of RuAF reduced them to merely a PR.   

Meanwhile, Dmitry Peskov didn't mince words in his interview with NBC today and was very blunt:

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Peskov: Americans Captured In Ukraine ‘Committed Crimes’ Against Russian Forces

Americans are not accustomed to having their soldiers treated as war criminals, especially by a peer power capable of making good on its threats. In an exclusive interview with Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, NBC News’ Keir Simmons pressed the Russian official on the two American veterans who were captured by Russian forces while fighting alongside Ukraine’s military. Peskov said they should be “held responsible for the crimes they have committed,” adding that they are not protected by the Geneva Convention as prisoners of war.  

In continuation of this whole discussion on American "realism", my suggestion for many to go here, is the preview of my second book on Amazon, and read attentively in the available part of the first chapter WHY so much discussion about Mearsheimer and American "realists". I make on those pages a case about "liberal" view of history and geopolitics as not valid.