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For the Love of God, Someone Tell Putin He’s Out of Precision Missiles!!

18 November 2022 by Larry Johnson 207 Comments

We are past the point of ridiculous. Western intelligence analysts and pundits who have insisted that Russia is running out of precision missiles have been consistently wrong since March 2022. I decided to dig into this a bit thanks to my brother-in-law, who forwarded me a link to a recent article by Russian born academic, Konstantin Sonin, who currently hangs his hat at the University of Chicago. Sonin wrote:

Economic sanctions did, of course, have other immediate effects. Curbing Russia’s access to microelectronics, chips, and semiconductors made production of cars and aircraft almost impossible. From March to August, Russian car manufacturing fell by an astonishing 90 percent, and the drop in aircraft production was similar. The same holds true for the production of weapons, which is understandably a top priority for the government.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/russian-federation/russias-road-economic-ruin

Sonin apparently wrote this before Russia launched its largest strike ever on Tuesday of this week using precision missiles. Sonin offers as “fact” Russia’s chip shortage when the military facts on the ground in Ukraine show otherwise. Ironically, it is the United States that is suffering from the chip shortage. If you live in the United States and tried to purchase a new vehicle you will find inventories at the new car lots quite low. Why? No computer chips for the new cars. But that is another topic for another day.

So let me take you on a back-to-the-future tour of the repeated, erroneous claims that Russia is running low on precision weapons. Let us start with the clown show known as the Institute for the Study of War:

Then turn the clock back two months. It is early September and the unsuspecting reader perusing Newsweek is told that there is “NO WAY” Russia can replace its dwindling missile supply.

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-no-way-replenish-missile-supply-ukraine-war-denys-shmyhal-1740259

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was quoted in a Politico article published Monday as saying that Ukraine estimated that Russia only had about “four dozen” hypersonic missiles left.

“These are the ones that have precision and accuracy due to the microchips that they have,” he said. “But because of sanctions imposed on Russia, the deliveries of this high-tech microchip equipment…have stopped and they have no way of replenishing these stocks.”

But the claim that Russia was running low came out earlier in the year. In May, for example, the Moscow Times explored the question, “Is Russia Running Out of Precision Missiles” and found a member of the Biden Administration who insisted Russia was on the ropes:

A U.S. official told journalists in a briefing earlier this month that Russia is “having inventory issues with precision-guided munitions.”

These reports are corroborated by a change in Russian tactics, particularly an increasing use of conventional unguided bombs, notably in the port city of Mariupol. Unguided munitions were allegedly used for attacks in Mariupol on the Azovstal steel factory, defended by Ukrainian soldiers, as well as on a maternity hospital and a theater. 

Many analysts believe that Western sanctions mean Russia will struggle to replace its reserves of precision missiles. 

In particular, the guidance systems for precision missiles require semiconductors and transistors that are neither manufactured in Russia nor available from China, according to expert Lewis. 

“So unless the Russians have planned ahead and stockpiled munitions or Western microelectronics, or ramped up production pre-war, they’re going to run out of gas when it comes to precision guided munitions,” Lewis said.  

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/05/17/explainer-is-russia-running-low-on-missiles-a77704

If you are following along, I suspect you are picking up a theme — Ukrainian officials confidently insist Russia has shot its wad and gullible Western intelligence analysts, pundits, politicians and journalists regurgitate this nonsense. Take a look at April 27, 2022:

Do not forget about March 29, 2022:

Given that Professor Sonin and the other distinguished cretins pontificating on Russia’s missile shortage have been so consistently wrong during the last eight months, I want to encourage them to start offering some investment picks. We have a solid empirical record to conclude that whatever they suggest, do the opposite. They do not have a clue about Russia’s military capability.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Natoistan says

    18 November 2022 at 22:41

    Some 4,500 elite US, British & Australian Troops are participating in an advanced series of wargames known as Project Convergence, conducted by the US Army Futures Command.

    It seems pretty clear that US & British troops are training exactly to fight Russian forces and repress Russian-speaking civilians in Ukraine for a probable coming Western intervention in the conflict.

    https://marksleboda.substack.com/p/project-convergence

    Reply
    • TruthwinsOut says

      19 November 2022 at 00:15

      That will be a very short stupid intervention before the Russian Military blows them to Kingdom Come! They’re playing with fire literally with a Super Power! Not too smart for NATO to even think about such insanity with worldwide consequences!

      Reply
    • Dane says

      19 November 2022 at 04:36

      More likely that they are training for the repression of the Western populace with that as the cover, the Lockstep Simulation was quite clear on how they would handle a non-compliant populace.

      Reply
    • k. talaT says

      19 November 2022 at 05:43

      The 45 Hundred, sounds like the 3 hundred Spartins fighting Xerxes the Great. Unfortunetaly, there are no mountain gaps in Ukraine, where a larger enemy can only present an equally smaller force to fit the mountain gap. Dream on.

      Reply
      • Biggus Dickus says

        19 November 2022 at 22:04

        Don’t insult the brave Spartans by comparing them to those cowards. The entire US/NATO clowns are only good at killing women and children. A bunch of lowlife pieces of shit.

        Reply
        • grr says

          20 November 2022 at 05:28

          I hope the Australian assassins, the war criminal SAS scum, are sent there.
          They will meet their reward for the atrocities they have committed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places that we don’t even know about.

          Reply
    • YIU says

      19 November 2022 at 07:06

      They don’t even dare to set up a no-fly zone over Ukraine. I don’t see any possibility that the collected West has the determination to fight a full scale ground war against Russia. That would be suicidal and there is no political support among the western populace to shed their youngsters’ blood in a foreign land that they hardly know or care about.

      Reply
      • Chicago Bob says

        19 November 2022 at 09:48

        I wish they would try to set up a no-fly zone over Ukraine. It would be a total failure and NATO knows it. The Russian air force can launch air to ground missiles from inside Russia and strike any part of Ukraine. That would leave the NATO no fly zone air defense left with the task of shooting down incoming Russian missiles before getting destroyed by hypersonic missiles. It would be fun to watch.

        Reply
        • Mondo Cane says

          19 November 2022 at 12:27

          After 8 years of hand-wringing accompanying MSM Syria coverage and HClinton’s early rantings, NATO never tried to implement a no-fly zone over Syria.

          Why? Because they knew even with the limited air defense Russia deployed, it would have had little chance for survival. I even remember Trump’s touted 100 cruise missile attack on bogus intel, for show. How many really did make it through? The damage report seems to tell the story. Israeli attacks? Aren’t they limited and simply tolerated for poorly understood geopolitical reasons?

          Now multiply that AD capability 10 fold for Ukraine. US cannot politically sustain casualties, other than Ukrainian ones. Those, it’s more than happy to enable.

          Reply
          • Joe Moffa says

            19 November 2022 at 13:34

            Did you ever see the movie? Great movie and the theme song was a big hit back in the day.

          • Mondo Cane says

            19 November 2022 at 17:49

            I believe I did, in a NYC art theater once. It might have been the Thalia.

            Anyway, I think the name absolutely descriptive of Ukraine today. Basically, a freak show sprung from the dark recesses of the human psyche, where inconsistencies such as western liberals celebrating the reawakening of once dormant fascist idealogues and swept away the masses seems to have crept into the mainstream from its post WWII proper place as a remote outlier asleep in the wilderness.

            Might have something to do psychologically speaking, with another outlier coming to dominate mainstream thinking, the woke thingy. Don’t know. If I were back in school, I’d think of exploring the possible connections in a thesis. By all rights, they’re antithetical YET seem to flourish in tandem, reinforcing each other. Go figure.

        • Madeleine Albright's Deathbed Utterances says

          19 November 2022 at 13:27

          What’s the point of having the greatest military this short of Mars if we can’t sucker some foolish proxy into using its stockpiled materiel?

          Reply
          • Michael McFaul says

            19 November 2022 at 13:32

            Christ has risen!

      • Mary says

        19 November 2022 at 11:29

        There already is a no fly zone over Ukraine. Russia has been pretty strict about enforcing it.

        Reply
        • Peter VE says

          19 November 2022 at 19:12

          Mary, you took the words right off my fingertips.

          Reply
      • Casual Observer says

        19 November 2022 at 18:54

        The trick is to get as many illegals enlisted with fast-tracks to citizenship as you can. Then when we run out of ukrops, put their boots on the ground and nobody with voting rights will give a rat’s ass.

        Reply
    • John Blecker says

      19 November 2022 at 10:02

      They will need a hell of a lot more than 4,500 “Hollywood Rambos”!

      Reply
    • YoYo says

      22 November 2022 at 15:46

      A bunch of trannies and fa**** fighting REAL men that would be interesting. Btw, when was the last time the GAE won a REAL war besides bullying the Panamanians

      Reply
  2. Marilynn says

    18 November 2022 at 22:51

    I have just finished cleaning diet Pepsi off of my computer screen because when I pulled up your page I saw this headline and couldn’t contain the contents of my mouth. Thanks for a much needed levity break. Not so much for the mess.

    Reply
    • Just Observing says

      19 November 2022 at 00:16

      I had a somewhat similar (but more subdued) response … fortunately, no whiskey was wasted.

      Reply
      • Pym of Nantucket says

        19 November 2022 at 08:33

        Clearly Marilynn should switch to whiskey.

        Reply
    • Hardrockfan229 says

      19 November 2022 at 02:36

      Since it is now Saturday 8:35 am in Germany, it was coffee in my case 😉

      Reply
    • Longtrail says

      19 November 2022 at 06:14

      My cheeks are wet with the tears of laughter. Sounds like a quote from FJB.

      Reply
  3. Eric Newhill says

    18 November 2022 at 22:58

    LOL. What’s that giant blood sucking vampire bat in the air? Good one Larry.

    Whenever the mainstream media unfortunately enters my aura of awareness, all I hear is blah blah blah, please believe me, blah blah, blah, bah, I’m a fag punk, blah blah blah blah, I’m an idiot whore, blah, blah, blah, woof, woof, I’m a poodle coifed to look like an attack dog, blah, blah, now I’m serious (observe furrowed brow and intense stare at camera), blah, blah, blah, believe me! authority is on my side you fucking meaningless peons, etc., etc., etc.

    Only fags (literal and metaphorical), women and children fall for that shit. The pundit mil brass (= whores) never won a war, but made a lot of money all the same. Democracy is clearly a failure given the ubiquitous ability to fool and buy off the masses. the Constitution has been ignored and subverted o the point it is meaningless. Our ancestors, Larry, were concerned this could happen and now their worst fears are realized. The noble experiment has failed. It’s time to start thinking about what we do next.

    Reply
    • Krzysztof Mróź says

      19 November 2022 at 03:43

      Jesteś smieciem

      Reply
      • Eric Newhill says

        19 November 2022 at 12:31

        Polish troll. Why aren’t you in Ukraine fighting the Russians and getting killed along with thousands of your meathead countrymen?

        Reply
    • BobW says

      19 November 2022 at 04:55

      I’m in Australia and the stories the same. msm parrot crap and everyone parrots msm or facecrap or whatever sites their mobile phones are pimping in their faces. No one has a brain or the ability to reason anymore.
      I’m literally losing friends over it because I can’t stand the crap they come out with and they all think I’m the crazy conspiracy one for knowing the truth of what’s actually going on.
      It’s a real crazy world we live in right now.

      Reply
      • spudslayer says

        19 November 2022 at 12:10

        Hey Bob, I’m in the USA and I’m suffering the same abuse from absolutely clueless friends and colleagues who get their info from the main stream media. The zombies that get their “news” from NPR are the most snooty. They have no idea how absolutely brainwashed they are. I try to show them information from the independent media and they instantly dismiss it as misinformation without even giving it a glance. I’m acutally enjoying the notoriety. The truth will prevail in time.

        Reply
        • NPR Fan says

          19 November 2022 at 21:48

          Didn’t NPR run a special last month about the untold history of the swastika and how its original Buddhist meaning of ‘to be good’ was picked up by Ukrainians in about 1995, as their version of the peace sign and later became quite popular in tattoo art and street demonstrations throughout Ukraine?

          Reply
          • subhuti37 says

            21 November 2022 at 03:05

            It’s true the original Buddhist symbol of the Swastika was used but the Nazis REVERSED it. Which is a bad sign, obviously, perverting the good for the evil.
            What’s worse is that the word Aryan in Buddhism was used to refer to Noble Enlightened Beings. It had nothing to do with race, a purely superficial characteristic of human beings, compared with someone who erased all faults of greed, hatred and ignorance, in their many forms.

      • As the World Churns says

        19 November 2022 at 12:34

        When a NYC documentary club paraded a bona-fide neo-nazi to its progressive liberal audience replete with his twitter excuses that ‘Oh, those nazi tattoos? They were just a sarcastic dig at Russian propaganda”, that’s when I knew we were past the point of no return and that no furniture maker in the world could craft a psychiatrist’s couch big enough to accomodate the Western public.

        That’s when I seriously began looking at real estate in Patagonia.

        Reply
        • Eric Newhill says

          19 November 2022 at 17:03

          Yeah. I’m with you. I have really just had it. Can’t deal with it anymore. The BS is so thick, fast and furious and it’s not going away. It’s going to become even more asinine. And we’re not voting our way out of it. Even if the elections were fair, there are too many lazy dope citizens that apparently are ok enough with how things are that they’d keep asking for more.

          Reply
      • Warren says

        19 November 2022 at 14:57

        I fee your pain, Bob. I no longer discuss anything at home or with friends – the manifest lack of critical thinking ability is astounding to me, until I reflect on our education system.

        Reply
        • paleblue says

          19 November 2022 at 21:18

          It’s intellectual laziness, for one thing. They’re too lazy to do their own thinking, and just want to be led by their nose-rings.

          But it’s also fear. They sense where the rabbit holes are, and won’t venture near them lest they end up with the deplorables and excommunicates.

          Reply
          • As the World Churns says

            19 November 2022 at 22:17

            They’ve all been ‘podified’ by their liberal arts degrees and will swarm on any dissenter like a pack of wild-eyed geckos:

            https://www.vintagemovieposters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/IMG_9071.jpg Invasion of the Mind-Snatchers (Look! A Kremlin Stooge!) LOL

            My sister lives amongst them, a ten-minute walk from Harvard Square and she’s a card-carrying liberal and even she says they’re literally out of their gourds. She thinks maybe they really are pod people from another galaxy.

      • Warwick says

        19 November 2022 at 17:13

        Same with me in Australia.

        I sometimes wear a black T shirt with a large white “Z” on the front when I go into town.
        Watching people faces is an education regarding the level of brainwashing of the population.

        Not once a positive comment but many aggressive.

        Reply
        • Costa-Gavras says

          19 November 2022 at 19:14

          They might have been supporters of the 60’s Greek Junta. You never know.

          Reply
        • OneAngryAussie says

          20 November 2022 at 06:06

          I like your attitude with the Z. I buying the relos Alex Jones Was Right t-shirts for Christmas.

          I too, laughed at the headline. Nice one Larry.

          Reply
        • Eric Newhill says

          20 November 2022 at 18:28

          LOL

          Reply
        • Rak Vulture says

          21 November 2022 at 05:02

          In Germany you’ll be convicted to a hefty fine with such a shirt or a ‘Z’ sticker on your car because “you’re condoning the russian aggression against the peaceful Ukraine”.
          Germany turned into a madhouse at the beginning of 2020.

          Reply
      • Lika says

        19 November 2022 at 17:50

        Same here. I’m an American from Ukraine and I lost some Ukrainian friends here, whom I have known for a decade, and who are pro-war. But to me, if you are pro-war, vote for it not with words, but with your own blood – send your only son to the front, and don’t sit thousands of miles away from the frontline, and push other women’s sons to die for Zelensky’s Nazism!

        Reply
        • J'Accuse! says

          19 November 2022 at 19:39

          Anybody know anything about Parubiy’s whereabouts lately? A Ukrainian acquaintance told me he was jailed. Not sure if I believe that one but if so, to keep his mouth shut I’d assume.

          Ha, now get a load of this. Wikipedia’s whitewashed him, calling references to him being a neo-nazi as ‘Russian disinformation’.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andriy_Parubiy
          Despite having left the far-right in 2004,[28] Parubiy has frequently been the target of disinformation and fake news by pro-Russian media, who routinely refer to him as a “Nazi”

          OK, so why not call him a ‘reformed Nazi’ then, or does founding a party called the Social-Nationalist’ Party along with Heil Hitlering Tyahnybok, renamed Svoboda for western consumption, not qualify? Seems to me, a reformed nazi has much in common with a guy trying to leave the mafia.

          Anyway, I like to just call him a generic ‘brownshirt’, based on his pic on the Ukrainian version of Mein Kampf “A View from the Right’. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cxy0hs2VQAIx817?format=jpg&name=900×900

          BTW: All those pics of his book that readily popped up on an internet search years ago have been scrubbed. Tough to find one these days; same with the copious galleries and vids of civilian slaughter in the Donbass, oh – and that precious one of Parubiy and the Maidan sniper rifle in a car trunk. I wonder why.

          PS: are whitewashing and scrubbing synonymous terms?

          Reply
          • J'ACCUSE! says

            19 November 2022 at 22:31

            BTW: 2004 was when America’s finest Banderite, Yushchenko was finally ‘voted’ into office, so that would be the time that devotees like Parubiy might have shed their gaudy fascist skins, declaring themselves ‘champions of democracy’ for all the Congressional fans out there. Yes indeed. Not hard to read the little turd like a book. Didn’t we exercise the same sleight of hand with Thaqi the Snake? You betch’ya we did.

            Wikipedia faux-editor: You give us too many facts to hang you with. Must put to work less transparent whitewash if you want to cover your objects of desire, deary. I’d say, add more titanium dioxide to the batch but unfortunately, that plant is located in Crimea. Out of luck again. Schucks, can’t we give you a break? No way, Jose. You deserve it, in spades.

      • WayneP says

        19 November 2022 at 18:29

        I fully agree with you. My disgust with the ABC and the so called Xspurts (Spelling deliberate) they pedal out to support their insane claims, only increases with each new dawn. Early in the conflict they interviewed a so called military intelligence annalist. Who claimed that the biggest problem the Russians had was that they running out of vodka, fuel and ammunition. That all their equipment was breaking down. That the Ukrainians were capturing hundreds of young pimple faced Russian conscripts. Confiscating their mobile phones and calling their Mothers to come and pick them up. Not long after that I saw an horrific video clip of a Small group DPL soldiers who were captured by a group of Georgian Mercenaries, had their hands tied behind backs and their throats cut. I am astounded by the disconnect from reality by our politicians from all parties, the military and the MSM it is beyond my understanding.

        Reply
        • Citizen Kane says

          19 November 2022 at 19:54

          Give me a single day at the helm of MSM, revealing inconvenient truths about post-Maidan Ukraine and I’d have Americans beating Ukrainians in the street instead of offering them cookies and milk.

          THAT’S how powerful our MSM is.

          Reply
      • SuzyM says

        19 November 2022 at 21:40

        Hi BobW, I’m Australian also and feel so isolated in supporting Russia – I know no one who feels the same in real life – so it is reassuring to find I am not the only Aussie who does stand with Russia! I have never known the MSM here to be so united in reporting only one side of a conflict; the Russia hate is absolute and dismaying. Similarly with politicians – I would vote for anyone who spoke up for the Russian side, but not one has (or perhaps dares to). I feel ashamed to be Australian.

        Reply
        • SteveM says

          20 November 2022 at 05:58

          I never feel “isolated” but I keep convos short and sweet.

          Usually say something like: “you don’t know anything but what media, who’s been lying to you since Vietnam says” and end it. Let them do the heavy lifting if they choose to. Everyone will eventually as trust is at all time low (11% for congress for example and was 88% in the 1960s)

          Reply
      • grr says

        20 November 2022 at 05:35

        Same here mate. Was /is the same with the scamdemic.
        No longer talk with some life long friends and a sibling due to their abject ignorance.

        Reply
        • Peter fletcher says

          20 November 2022 at 14:15

          So basically from Australia to the US with a stopover in Germany we are just a bunch of people siting in our pijamas sitting by the computer fighting for Russia and not really doing anything in real life to change what we don’t agree! United we stand!!!

          Reply
    • MirrorGazers says

      19 November 2022 at 05:56

      “….fall for that shit.”

      So why complain – a function of your purpose?
      If so what makes you believe that others fall for that shit.

      “The noble experiment has failed.”

      Many in the rest of the world don’t fall for the shit of “the noble experiment”

      Not everyone shares purposes, and so some leave “mainstream media” to drown in its own shit, whilst some “criticise” to encourage the continuing flow of shit.

      Reply
      • Eric Newhill says

        19 November 2022 at 16:59

        So you don’t value personal freedom. I get it. You prefer to be ruled.

        Reply
        • MirrorGazers says

          19 November 2022 at 19:58

          “So you don’t value personal freedom. I get it. You prefer to be ruled.”

          “whilst some “criticise” to encourage the continuing flow of shit.”

          Thank you for your confirmation of the encouragement of continuing flow of shit, in negation of Mr. Rove’s notion that:

          We are an Empire
          We create our own reality
          To which others react
          Whilst they are reacting
          We create another reality
          To which others react.

          Another illustration of “The American Way”.

          Reply
          • Eric Newhill says

            20 November 2022 at 18:32

            That’s not America. That’s the assholes that ruining America. Prior to those pukes and those that followed, The USA was the best system, ever, in the history of the world for those who valued freedom and industry. You’re just some hater. Probably Eurotrash or Chinese.

    • Longtrail says

      19 November 2022 at 06:11

      On my tailgate is a quote from fabiusmaximus blog, “We are breathing the embers of our dying Republic.”

      We couldn’t keep it. Yeah, Franklin is spinning in his grave.

      Reply
    • Gwyneth Cann says

      19 November 2022 at 07:22

      Excuse me for pointing out your rather mysogenistic statement, but “many women do not fall for that shit”. Not being either a “fag” or a child, I cannot speak for those groups.

      Reply
      • Rachelk says

        19 November 2022 at 09:36

        I can second that! Ditto for my 2 daughter-in-law and 4 closest friends.

        Reply
        • Eric Newhill says

          19 November 2022 at 10:35

          Who sits around watching news entertainment / mind warping propaganda shows like “The View” or “Oprah”. Who tunes into the blatantly gay reporters at CNN? It’s not men, honey.

          Reply
          • MirrorGazers says

            19 November 2022 at 14:15

            ” It’s not men, honey.”

            Thank you for your illustration of “The American Way.”

      • Eric Newhill says

        19 November 2022 at 10:25

        It’s suburban women that really love the deep state/big government and vote for democrats, hate MAGA/Trump, etc. So, yes, on average, it is women that fall for the act hook, line and sinker – and homosexuals and assorted other perverts. All predominantly vote for the deep state b/c they crave attention and handouts.

        Reply
        • Randolorian says

          19 November 2022 at 17:37

          It’s Karen. Screeching about the unvaccinated, keeping unruly adolescent boys on meds, cancel culture, just to name a few, all of that goes back to Karen.

          But of course men have the ultimate responsibility. So who’s fault is it really?

          Reply
    • Trubind1 says

      19 November 2022 at 07:37

      We must be mind-melded, as I in the US, also only hear…”blah, blah, blah…” rinse/repeat… well said!! And agree, need to give more serious thought of not just “what to do next”, but” how “ to get to “next”…feel like the USA is stuck in a “loop”, going round and round.

      Reply
      • Spanky says

        19 November 2022 at 11:32

        …need to give more serious thought of not just “what to do next”, but” how “ to get to “next”… — Trubind1

        Cannot say exactly what comes next, but do have an idea about how to get the ball rolling… But, whatever the how, essentially, it must be a polarizing and non-violent public political act that invites government repression…

        Reply
      • Spanky says

        19 November 2022 at 13:29

        For example… a direct political assault on Citizens United.

        No person, except a natural-born person, may make a campaign contribution to any candidate standing for elected office.

        No person, except a citizen of the United States and of the state in which the election is held, may make a campaign contribution to any candidate standing for elected office.

        No person, except a citizen residing within the political district in which the election is held, may make a campaign contribution to any candidate standing for elected office.

        No person shall make a campaign contribution to any candidate standing for elected office except in the twelve calendar months before the election.

        Each state legislature shall set a limit on the value a person may contribute to a political campaign of a candidate standing for elected office within the state.

        A bit rough, but you get the idea… What do you suggest?

        Reply
        • anodinous says

          20 November 2022 at 09:55

          rough? i’d call it obvious!

          Reply
    • Olivier Sauvage says

      19 November 2022 at 10:25

      That the new Russian Geran III drone, buddy.

      Reply
      • Eric Newhill says

        19 November 2022 at 14:43

        I know, but it looks like a big bat. Humans – at least westerners – have a natural aversion to bats. They’re associated w/ evil in western culture (see vampires, etc). The media probably featured the photo to increase the fear of evil bat loving Russians. Though, weirdly, Chinese bat munching gets a pass, even if some alleged that to be the source of deadly plagues.

        Reply
      • Green with envy says

        19 November 2022 at 18:00

        I wish I had a surname like ‘Sauvage’.

        Reply
    • Olivier Sauvage says

      19 November 2022 at 10:37

      I do not understand this very commonly accepted fallacy that you need high-performance chips for military equipment. It is so untrue. The computing power required by most military electronics involved in targeting, detection, navigation is rather in the mid range of currently existing microchips, except for those application with heavy duty usage of streamed video imagery. It is a know fact that graphics is what requires a lot of computing power in addition to Artificial intelligence when applied to graphics for automated reconnoitering, identification and targeting. That means only the latest fifth generation weaponry would be affected by an embargo. Then again, they’re tiny things, as their name suggests (microchips) and it’s not that hard to smuggle into Russia a box of them bought on the black market – you’d be amazed if you knew ! – that would contain thousands of them chips. Enough to end the Ukie war.

      Reply
      • John says

        19 November 2022 at 18:30

        I have to agree. The compute power required for the missiles is not excessive and with a payload of 50kg for the paltry geran II i guess even archaic 140nm tech would be sufficient. it’s not rocket science…well technically you could argue it is…but it’s not a complex problem.

        Reply
  4. Rudy says

    18 November 2022 at 22:59

    The Russian mic uses strictly Russian manufactured semiconductors. Sanctions may have affected commercial aircraft production, and certainly did affect automobile manufacturing… but no bearing whatsoever on military manufacturing.have

    Reply
    • iwick says

      19 November 2022 at 00:36

      Correct…a guy with a lot of experience in the ‘chip’ industry commented….Russia has some domestic fabs and they are all oriented to III-V or military type designs.

      Reply
      • Cato the Uncensored says

        19 November 2022 at 08:56

        You don’t need 7 nanometer technology to make precision guided munitions. The shortage of chips is largely in the gee-whizz sizes, and it could be readily solved by stepping back to slighly older designs. Good on Russia if they’re still cranking out “old” tech that takes up a little more room but still gets the job done.

        Reply
        • soohtsayer says

          19 November 2022 at 10:02

          That’s what I repeatedly try to explain to technically challenged people. Good engineers coud send people to the Moon, without any of the modern bells and whistles. Still, idiots are worshiping Musk & and co. for launching a rocket into low earth orbit. A Soviet mutt from last century achieved more that Bezos.

          Reply
        • As the World Churns says

          19 November 2022 at 12:37

          When a NYC documentary club paraded a bona-fide neo-nazi to its progressive liberal audience replete with his twitter excuses that ‘Oh, those nazi tattoos? They were just a sarcastic dig at Russian propaganda”, that’s when I knew we were past the point of no return and that no furniture maker in the world could craft a psychiatrist’s couch big enough to accomodate the Western public.

          That’s when I seriously began looking at real estate in Patagonia.

          Reply
        • anodinous says

          20 November 2022 at 09:57

          not only that, but thicker designs are more resilient to EW.

          Reply
    • Russians says

      19 November 2022 at 09:31

      Only idiots can believe that our rockets are built on transistors!
      Only radio tubes, real old-school lamp warmth!…
      There are not enough tubes…
      To create new missiles, Putin ordered to get tubes from Russian private smartphones…
      This is horror, Russian tyranny…
      And that’s not it!
      Hypersonic Russian rockets use a clockwork engine from an old cuckoo clock …
      [/sarcazm]
      P.S. – Before your comment, I thought that there was only one idiot on this site, and that one from Poland …

      Reply
  5. Archie says

    18 November 2022 at 23:31

    I guess the, “without evidence” qualifier for anything that came out of an official’s mouth was kind of a situational but temporary standard? I don’t think I’ve seen it since 2021.

    Reply
    • MICHAEL JENKINS says

      19 November 2022 at 14:45

      To quote Bismarck, “Nothing is confirmed until it is officially denied.”

      Reply
  6. Carlton Meyer says

    18 November 2022 at 23:50

    If I had time, I’d love to assemble a montage of short news clips since March where American experts (mostly retired Generals) proclaimed that Russia had run out of ammo and missiles.

    Reply
    • Roger says

      19 November 2022 at 11:18

      A simple search of Google (using duck duck go) shows page after page of articles on how Russia is running out of missiles.

      Reply
      • Slow to mount, quick to gallop says

        19 November 2022 at 18:07

        Those may have been typos and they really meant Russia has run out of mistletoe, along with patience.

        No more kiss and make up for the RF and the EU garden keepers. That steppe horse is halfway to Hidalgo by now.

        Reply
        • John says

          19 November 2022 at 18:43

          Love your monicker! Bismarck definitely could definitely turn a phrase…

          Reply
  7. Matt says

    18 November 2022 at 23:54

    can I add another dimension to the idiocy of Western intelligensia, whilst constantly observing Russia and incorrectly predicting their imminent demise, they completely fail to observe what is happening on their own doorstep,
    MIT produced a model and report in 1972, the establishment poo poo’d it, took no heed of the early warnings,

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_to_Growth#/media/File:Limits-to-growth-figure-35.svg

    In 2020, an analysis by Gaya Herrington, then Director of Sustainability Services of KPMG US,[51] was published in Yale University’s Journal of Industrial Ecology.[52] The study assessed whether, given key data known in 2020 about factors important for the “Limits to Growth” report, the original report’s conclusions are supported. In particular, the 2020 study examined updated quantitative information about ten factors, namely population, fertility rates, mortality rates, industrial output, food production, services, non-renewable resources, persistent pollution, human welfare, and ecological footprint, and concluded that the “Limits to Growth” prediction is essentially correct in that continued economic growth is unsustainable under a “business as usual” model.[52] The study found that current empirical data is broadly consistent with the 1972 projections and that if major changes to the consumption of resources are not undertaken, economic growth will peak and then rapidly decline by around 2040

    if you look on the graph we are collectively at the point where the red, green, yellow lines run parallel,
    this is a major reason the Western advanced economies are all tanking,
    the East is largely emerging market economies that are less complex, require less energy and resources to keep them going,
    the frankly retarded sanctions have stripped the West of access to cheap and plentiful Russian energy and resources that we need to prop up our dying economies and handed them to the East, a windfall that will allow them to keep growing even while we enter into collapse,
    to me, it seems as though the Western elites can only be communist sleeper cells planted in our societies and activated to self destruct our economies and societies,
    the only other plausable explanation is that they’re all fricking idiots!

    Reply
    • John B Dublin says

      19 November 2022 at 03:10

      Matt this is an excellent observation but I respectfully disagree with your conclusions.

      I always say that when the actions of political leaders are patently not in the interests of the people they represent then we have to ask in whose interest are they acting. This is especially relevant in Germany now as we are witnessing deliberate and targeted destruction of their industrial and social systems. I don’t believe Germany’s leaders are stupid but I do believe they are deliberately and maliciously acting against the German national interest.

      Reply
      • John B Dublin says

        19 November 2022 at 03:11

        …for whatever reason.

        Reply
        • Matt says

          19 November 2022 at 18:59

          I stand by my belief that Western elites are all idiots, the politicians are just puppets, the billionaires only know their one shtick,
          the real question is who is pulling the strings of these people, I think it’s shadowy figures in MI6, The City of London, US alphabet agencies, US Banks, Wall St, Euro Central Banks, WEF, Bilderburgers, the BIS, etc.

          basically all the unelected people that serve as the permanent ‘deep state’, but I don’t think they’re all singing from the same hymn sheet, they all have interests, form factions, vie to steer things in the direction that suits them and damn everyone else,
          Tom Luongo seems to have figured out quite a bit of it by observation and deduction;

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hra7CX_5AkA

          hell, if us little people knew what was really going on we might actually be able to sabotage it in some way by publicising it, hence we have to be treated like mushrooms.

          Reply
    • Carl Schurz says

      19 November 2022 at 03:50

      idiot hits the core. The assumptions since the Club of Rome are unrealistic. Behind it are probably oligarchs who have neither empathy nor a trace of basic Christian values.
      What hasn’t been staged by the bored and insatiable oligarchs in the last 150 years with the help of the useful idiots (Lenin) from the press? In 1914 there was no more hard coal. Oil production peaked in 2000. At the same time, an ice age and a warm period were presented to the interested public in constant alternation.
      An American geophysicist said years ago about resources: we’ve only just scratched the earth’s crust. The resources of the earth are similar to the human spirit/mind. Seems inexhaustible to us, but is very unequally distributed.
      All these forecasts may have been calculated correctly. But if the assumptions (BS) are wrong or unrealistic, there will be a wrong or unrealistic result (BS) at the end of the model calculation.
      Unfortunately, there are too many mediocre scientists (who, strictly speaking, aren’t and only wear their titles like monstrances in front of them to hide their actual tinyness and insignificance = compensation for lack = big car to compensate for … ) who are ready for sale to be in the spotlight. However, they are more like moths that get too close to the hot light and… hiss.
      Conclusion: the resources of the earth are finite insofar as we do not yet have the technology to reach even the most remote sources. And regarding fossil energy sources. Regarding coal, I agree. However, I have reasonable doubts about oil and especially natural gas. A satellite of Jupiter (or Saturn) consists largely of frozen natural gas (metane). How does that get there? About 80-90 years ago, a Russian geologist put forward the abiotic thesis of the origin of oil and gas. In the West, this was never really advocated or discussed, but declared as a mistake. Understandable. For Rockefeller & Co that would mean a slump in the financial satisfaction of their greed. It is therefore very important for energy companies to keep the end-time mood among consumers and prices high with the scarcity of resources. And nuclear energy. Including thorium, we can generate electricity for well over 100,000 years with the available resources. Oh, nuclear energy is also a red rag for Rockefeller & Co. If electricity is almost exclusively produced from nuclear energy, how can Rockefeller & Co be able to sell their oil and natural gas at high prices? That shouldn’t be a problem for Russia. It’s only a problem for those who can’t get enough.
      But what am I talking about, unenlightened old white man? Nonsense, that’s clear.

      Reply
      • Nadiejda says

        19 November 2022 at 06:16

        About natural gas, beware a lot… Methane is made in interstellar clouds, a lot of it. Amply available within the ice limit (beyond asteroid belt) at the beginning of our solar sytem (hence lake of methane and ethane on Titan for ex), far less closer to the sun, because methane ice melts and is dissociated by UV solar light, more intense the closer you are to the sun.
        Abiotic methane do exist and can be found in Mars’s crust for ex, probably within our crust. No one expects much and to wrap up the point, no one has ever be able to prove it by doing a very simple isotopic ratio that would prove easily an abiotic origin. The methane we do use is from extinct forms of life.

        Reply
        • ed says

          19 November 2022 at 12:02

          Good comment. Nature has had its own way and in orders of magnitude we cannot begin to match.

          Yet, from the media I was supposed to think it was from cows and sheep pooping and farting as Bill Gates might argue to convince us we were contributing to climate change unless we switched from beef or lamb to his vegi mash.

          Or how about from land fills which are not so different from what he wants to feed us. Or from decaying waste used in methane digestors in third world countries for some form of inexpensive energy, which contributes more to the sustainable quality of life the poor are trying to scrape out for themselves, than the effect on climate.

          As for Larry’s last sentence in his post, quite a coup de grace, especially with the collapse of that money laundering ponzi scheme FSX, which has given even more meaning to where the billions with which we are funding Ukraine are going.

          Reply
      • Erny72 says

        19 November 2022 at 06:44

        Regarding ‘natural gas’ elsewhere in the solar system, you’re correct.
        Titan (the largest moon of Saturn) has an atmosphere comprised of roughly 5% methane, it’s surface rivers and lakes are liquid methane and dunes on the surface are comprised of grains of hydrocarbon.
        Enceladus, the 6th largest of Sturn’s moons, features geysers of water, CO2, methane and ammonia (the spray from these formed Saturn’s E-ring).
        The blue-green colour of the upper atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune is due to the presence of methane.
        Pluto’s, admittedly thin, atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen and methane.
        The most distant object in the solar system to be explored by a sapcecraft is Arrokoth, a small body of ice resembling a red snowman that was visted by New Horizons after it had passed Pluto. Evidence of water, methanol and organic molecules was observed in the surface ice.

        Reply
      • Matt says

        19 November 2022 at 19:14

        the Limits to Growth study was the first act of the Club of Rome, they comissioned it, the guys at MIT did the job and no one has ever been happy with the result,
        ever since the Club of Rome has been trying to find ways of not having to take full heed of this study that they actually instigated!
        my personal opinion is that the LtG is uncannily accurate, it’s stood the test of time eerily well,
        but the implications are so huge that some people just can’t bear to accept it, I can understand that, but I’m afraid it’s what is happening, I’ve been watching it unfold over the last couple of decades,
        that’s why it’s so crucial that the USG and all other govt’s act wisely at this point, there’s hardly any wiggle room left and a bad decision is the difference between managed decline and a full blown societal collapse,
        this will only happen once, you won’t get another try if you screw it up .

        I think the Russians are much more switched on to an understanding of a physical economy and can see all this, the West is obsessed with money, finance and abstracts, they’re blindsided by their hubristic belief in an economic model that doesn’t represent physical reality.
        if you understand energy and the physical economy it looks like the Kremlin is playing a blinding game, perfect timing, the West’s hubris and lack of understanding is doing it more damage than the Russians, just look at what a balls up the sanctions are.
        I’ve been on this stuff full time for 15 years now, it takes a while to get your head around it all.

        Reply
  8. Marcos aguilera says

    18 November 2022 at 23:56

    Western pundits don’t seem to know even a little bit of history. Already in World War II, the USSR had a unique industrial capacity that allowed it to manufacture 100% of its weapons while defeating the Nazis. Today, Russia is in the final stage of total import substitution. Hundreds of factories are starting up. March while Europe is de-industrialized, I think Russia had planned to dissociate itself from the West by eliminating imports. Although the numbers are secret, it is estimated at 2,500 or more Kalibr missiles and the same number or more of x101 cruise missiles. without taking into account the wide range of challenging missiles in operation.

    Reply
  9. Biswapriya Purkayastha says

    19 November 2022 at 00:05

    In February some liberal blueyellow ragwagging twitter twit informed me that Russia was incapable of fighting a long war.

    Reply
  10. Just Observing says

    19 November 2022 at 00:15

    And if nobody will tell them that they are out of missiles – maybe somebody should remind them that Putin has died (of cancer, Parkinson’s, assassination, et al) already, or at least a few times for sure…

    Certainly, the UKR’s are at the gates of Moscow as I type?

    Reply
  11. Bubblehead TW says

    19 November 2022 at 00:16

    Andrei has a great write up today on a similar theme: https://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2022/11/nyt-again.html?m=1

    Reply
  12. Rain says

    19 November 2022 at 00:17

    Dear Larry,
    You have not been following the news. The Russians are using microelectronics from stolen washing machines to build their missiles. That EU lady said it so!
    Moreover, these missiles are part of the reparations as requested by that UN order thing….
    /sarc

    Lol basically the running themes on Russia telegrams whenever there is a wave of missile strikes…

    Reply
  13. Horace says

    19 November 2022 at 00:19

    I read something many, many years ago on Russian microchip production. (Alas I did not save it.) The article stated that they had their own production facilities for internal government market. IIRC, it was claimed that the chips were no where near being competitive for sale on the open market (vs. intel/amd). The purpose was for their military and defense industry to be immune to either embargo or potential hardware-level killswitch by avoiding external reliance for critical applications. Their logistics system, which like everyone else’s is dependent upon computers, is not going to go poof during a war, assuming the program was maintained. Can we say the same?

    I don’t know if the chips used in their missiles are manufactured inside Russia. If the article made a claim on that I don’t remember and the info would be very old anyway. I suspect that they are, though, if they are still doing internal manufacturing. So what if a chip masses 250g instead of 100g? Accounting for the mass inefficiency from not buying abroad is just one element of the design optimization process.

    Reply
    • ISL says

      19 November 2022 at 01:46

      milspec chips are never going to be the latest – as they must operate in the battle environment, which means they are larger and designed against interference. and survivability is a far more important feature than, as you note, mass when carrying a 1000 kg warhead.

      Reply
    • JamesJonesJr says

      19 November 2022 at 07:59

      My late father worked as a contractor for one of the alphabet agencies. I always remember a quote from him regarding how back then (early 90s) they hired ex Soviet programmers. He said “junior, they have had all the new chips we do but they do in 10 lines of code what folks here do in 200). You don’t need fancy chips if you can code is what I got from it.

      Reply
    • soothsayer says

      19 November 2022 at 10:07

      There are some links here:
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbrus_(computer)

      Reply
    • Peter Williams says

      19 November 2022 at 12:35

      Mikron has the capacity to produce at 65 nm. It supplies Government and Military chiops.

      Reply
  14. Suresh says

    19 November 2022 at 00:26

    Anyone remembers how Iranians were too dumb to fix and fly F14 Tomcats or their missiles were too inaccurate to be meaningful. So how do countries like North Korea and Iran under sanctions for way longer build reliable weapons?

    Reply
    • soothsayer says

      19 November 2022 at 10:11

      They use commercially avilable chips. One article claims TMS320 F28335 processors by Texas Instruments.
      https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_and_tech/not_only_shahed_136_a_detailed_study_of_another_iranian_shahed_131_kamikaze_drone_used_by_russia-4320.html

      Reply
  15. aGrim says

    19 November 2022 at 00:29

    Larry: Due to a different website on which I am commenting, I was hoping to find the article you posted on the comparison of arty shells Russia is firing vs what the US is sending to the Ukraine. Would you be so kind as to reply with a link or quick stats. Thanks. Today’s article will be most useful so again thanks.

    Reply
  16. Aaron says

    19 November 2022 at 00:36

    The Head Lines are getting better. “Laugh Click,” is one way of describing them.

    True boxing story. Newcastle upon Tyne , UK about 1950. Boxer gets in the ring bopping and weaving insults the opposition crowd then calls his opponent a rude name.

    Nothing happens until the bell rings. Big mouth immediately received a powerful left hook to the side of his head and a devastating right to his guts.
    He shit himself, literally!

    Dad told me the “laughing ref,” stopped the fight and called for a brush and pan to have the turd removed. The crowd went completely wild. Big mouth just left the ring, (one assumes he’d had enough of the missiles.)
    Remind you of anyone?

    Reply
  17. maskazer says

    19 November 2022 at 00:40

    Certainly Russia has many friends in other countries which could easily support shortages of advanced chips, if needed. Also there’s this huge black market and private suppliers across the globe – even in the US – looking forward to supply those chips. No problems about that.

    Reply
    • Carl Schurz says

      19 November 2022 at 04:45

      Quite possible to get chips via detours. However, Russia would never build its future on it. It would only be helpful for short-term bridging of a deficiency. In the long term, Russia will build up its own chip production or already has it (pretty sure). And of course the emphasis will be on the military, because Russia needs to defend itself and its rest of the country. Chips for consumer products are therefore still of secondary importance.
      I see the years of western embargo against Russia as a poor and desperate attempt to keep the Russians from a quick technological catch-up. The mistake, however, lies in the fact that the official values of the West completely underestimate the Russians. Now the value west is experiencing a little more reality and is noticing a little discomfort in its bubble and echo chamber. Well, that’s just the beginning.

      Reply
  18. Webej says

    19 November 2022 at 00:42

    One of the sanctions packages sanctioned imports of micro-electronics FROM Russia, if memory serves correctly, to the tune of $500 million.

    Hence they make micro-electronics that the EU imports, and have their own micro-electronics sector. Maybe their missile gear does not depend on stocks of Japanese or Taiwanese chips? Like ours do?

    Do any of these geniuses know the components list for a Kinzhal?

    Reply
    • Peppe says

      19 November 2022 at 02:15

      I refer to these “academics” as simple “peniuses”! They think with a member of the male anatomy lodged tightly in between their ears.

      Reply
    • soothsayer says

      19 November 2022 at 10:14

      They don’t, but Wikipedia just might.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbrus_(computer)

      Reply
  19. Sam says

    19 November 2022 at 00:49

    A long-lasting question with regard to electronics (the whole gamut) and Russia’s capabilities in that field, isn’t Russia the only country in the world with fully developed and operational hypersonic weapons, up to 27 match? Hasn’t Russia already deployed the Poseidon, the nuclear undersea drone?
    Are these weapons made with transistor-based guidance and operational systems perchance?
    Had Russia been importing top-end electronics, microchips for his strategic and tactical defence needs from his bitter enemies until February 2022?
    If it had, they are not as clever and far-sighted as they think they are – and as they should have been. One can conclude, more logically and reasonably, that they are truly autartic regarding their defence industry – which surely requires the highest degree of electronic development (one would safely asume)

    Reply
    • JamesJonesJr says

      19 November 2022 at 08:04

      I remember one of Larry’s earlier posts… effectively while we threw away $1 trillion (weird typing that number) in Afghanistan and how much more in Iraq, Russia has been selling oil and gas and buying the shit they’ve known they would need someday. Yeah an oligarch yacht here or there is Pennies

      Reply
  20. SmallStepForMan says

    19 November 2022 at 01:25

    Regarding the MSM, if I wanted to read some feel good fantasy, I’d rather read Literotica than the nonsense coming from the MSM.

    I honestly dont know which fetish (in the readers) these clowns (journalists) fulfill. I understand that deep in our subconcience (pack animal brains) there is a primitive tribal element that releases some positive endorphins when we experience home team victory (evolutionary us vs them), however wiser men than me have exposed the dangers of state controlled mass hysteria leading towards fascism, nazism and eventually genocide. This is pure insanity, and evil.

    The irony is that the people who are susceptable to this fetish journalism also have an elevated sense of (mistaken) rightousness. Their “educated” brains cannot process the notion that they are being lied to – ie. how could they be influenced by propaganda, when they’re so smart. It’s the other team that are brain washed, right? Critical thinking is clearly lacking.

    To illustrate my point, if the average IQ is 100, statistically speaking, every second person you meet is below average intelligance. Which would explain who the MSM target audience is. I guess these readers haven’t discovered Literotica yet.

    Reply
    • Constantine I says

      19 November 2022 at 10:02

      you gotta try some of the audio!

      Reply
  21. ISL says

    19 November 2022 at 01:49

    United States of Amnesia!

    Reply
  22. Jambo says

    19 November 2022 at 02:03

    Thanks for this, Larry.
    I recall an interview with Glazyev earlier this year or late last year, he mentioned specifically that Russia has– and has had for some time as a national security priority–enough “materiel” *in reserve* to wage a major kinetic/conventional war against a peer capable adversary for 3 years minimum.
    I guess by now they’ve enough for 4 and might even be looking at 5.
    Somehow I doubt they’re gonna need that. This shitshow will be over sooner than many think.

    Reply
  23. Peppe says

    19 November 2022 at 02:09

    The words of a Russian academic now residing and working at an American institute of “higher learning” has the intellectual weight of a 5 year older’s snort ball. Nothing to see here, move on…

    Reply
  24. Peppe says

    19 November 2022 at 02:24

    If anyone were to do a simple research on all of the world’s militaries, Russia’s military is by leaps and bounds, the most nationally independent in terms of arms procurement. Nearly 99% of Russia’s weapons systems are manufactured in house. No other country can even come close. Even China still relies heavily on Russian arms and technology. Right up until 2014 however, Russia was still using Ukranian manufactured aircraft engines and naval turbines, but then we all know what’s happened since then and why.

    Reply
  25. JP Heino says

    19 November 2022 at 02:30

    If economic sanctions work how it is possible that North-Korea has nuclear arsenal?

    Reply
  26. Slonym says

    19 November 2022 at 02:30

    Konstantin Sonin is not too smart. As an academician, he should have known that it is forbidden to use foreign electronic components in the creation of Russian weapons. Moreover, Intel and AMD produce commercial chips that are not even used in American weapons. Chips for military use are made in other factories and they are available in Russia. Thus, Russia is not threatened by a shortage of high-precision weapons.

    Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

    Reply
  27. Roland says

    19 November 2022 at 02:34

    Run out of chips?
    A normal factory for washing machines, like Candy which is part of the Chinese Haier, will definitely produce more than 100 000 machines per year.
    Will you need 100 000 missiles? Probably 10 000 are enough. So, produce 10 000 washing machines less.

    Reply
  28. HMS Terror says

    19 November 2022 at 02:37

    The great thing about having run out of missiles back in March is that you can’t be blamed for destroying UA’s electrical grid, much less for attacking Poland.

    Reply
  29. Carl Schurz says

    19 November 2022 at 02:40

    Do you know the name of the people in the largest organization who are responsible for this? idiots. And they are everywhere.

    Reply
  30. the blame-e says

    19 November 2022 at 03:04

    So what? You want the western propaganda machine to be right? And everything they are saying about Putin, and Russia, and the Russian people has to be right; has to be wrong?

    “Economic sanctions did, of course, have other immediate effects. Curbing Russia’s access to microelectronics, chips, and semiconductors made production of cars and aircraft almost impossible.”

    I doubt this. I believe this is just more western confabulation on the part of the US government, our famously free press, and the lap dogs that call themselves allies, the same people that have not told themselves the truth in over 30-years. Not once.

    The Chinese lockdowns have been a trade war with the US. COVID and “zero tolerance” has allowed the Chinese to redirect their industries toward supporting their allies — the Russians.

    China is an economic powerhouse (thanks primarily to the United States out-sourcing (practically giving away), the world’s strongest economy; practically committing suicide. Now China has a huge manufacturing base, all thanks to the United States. Benedict Arnold would be so proud. Hell, the US even gave the Chinese the same stamps used to produce the same nutcracker my grandmother had back in the 1940s. The Chinese got it all.

    Whatever Russia needs China can easily make. Russia has everything — natural gas, oil, coal, minerals, rare earths — that China needs to make what Russia wants.

    It wouldn’t surprise me, if things go really south in the Ukraine, that the next round of Russian militarization will be the callup of Chinese nationals to fight alongside the Russians.

    All this is beside the point. Conventional warfare is outdated, impractical, unaffordable, and obsolete. All this technology will turn on you long before any enemy objectives are reached. There are also just too many people (civilian casualties), that need to die in order to achieve desired military objectives, like victory — both abroad and here at home.

    You better hope the Russians don’t run out of missiles and smart bombs. After that comes the bright light in the sky.

    Reply
    • Snowleopard says

      19 November 2022 at 12:12

      I doubt the Russians are likely to run out of missiles any time soon…even in a full conventional contest with NATO. As for bright lights in the sky….and considering if only non-secret weapons are used…. it is highly likely that Russia could mount a significant threat to the combined West without putting ANY bright lights “in the sky” though some might be needed under the ocean surface.. Of course, in such a contest, everything, secret or not, is likely to be used by all sides; and few, including myself, know enough to predict the outcome.

      Reply
      • the blame-e says

        20 November 2022 at 10:37

        “I doubt the Russians are likely to run out of missiles any time soon . . . .”

        Assuming Russia’s will is strong. And Russia’s will appears plenty strong. Maybe Russia will not run out of the will and the resolve to fight, but certainly the Earth will runout of the cheap energy, the raw materials, the natural gas, oil, coal, minerals and rare earths to make endless, total war, possible. At that point you reach for the weapons you have left.

        If it ever came down to some bright lights in the sky it will be over communication and decision-making centers here in the United States. The Russians have said as much.

        The chicken shit always falls from the top down. You go for the head troublemaker, the head Hedgemon. You cut off the head, first. So, say goodbye (and good riddance), to Washington, DC.

        We are already fighting World War III. You don’t blow up $20-Billion dollars in civilian infrastructure, essentially declaring war on your own allies, not fess to it and not take responsibility for it. Why? Because you know what’s coming next. Or what used to come next when there was actual honor and character calling the shots.

        Whether we (the people, the cannon fodder, the sheeple), like it or not is irrelevant.

        Reply
  31. MirrorGazers says

    19 November 2022 at 04:44

    “We are past the point of ridiculous.”

    You have been past the point of ridiculous since at least 1971 with the alchemy of turning gold into paper, but this became more apparent to more people over time – a component part of why the use of segmentation by some to obfuscate, and a growing number of opponents choosing “The United States of America” as their “propaganda” agents.

    Reply
  32. Kenan Meyer says

    19 November 2022 at 04:55

    As Bonhoeffer noted, there is a kind of stupidity which has nothing to do with IQ. The west is currently flooded by it

    Reply
    • Art Thomas says

      19 November 2022 at 08:49

      Regarding the FTX fiasco:

      “The suggestion that this was so elaborate a ruse that no one — neither the most seasoned VCs nor the investigative arms of media conglomerates run by billionaires — could’ve known it might end in tears, beggars belief. The fact is, nobody looked, because nobody wanted to see.” (from the Heisenberger Report)

      The stupidity you refer to sounds like the willful ignorance described in the above quote.

      Reply
  33. Arthur says

    19 November 2022 at 05:14

    I am surprised at the requests for negotiations by Russia when it is very far from the objectives of the special military operation. None of the annexed provinces is completely liberated, let’s not even talk about Odessa, the neo-Nazis still in place. Ukraine refusing negotiations despite the few objectives achieved by Russia?
    What do you think ?

    Reply
    • soothsayer says

      19 November 2022 at 10:23

      Those aren’t request but “requests” intended to be refused by other side. Lavrov is top level diplomat, not an idiot.

      Reply
  34. Tim says

    19 November 2022 at 05:17

    It will be rather sobering to see US soldiers returning to Dover by the hundreds in iced aluminum transfer cases.

    Reply
  35. Sgt. Based says

    19 November 2022 at 06:13

    I mean people have been predicting the apocalypse for 10,000 years and yet people believe them everytime

    So I’m not surprised they keep being wrong about Russian arms supplies.

    Reply
    • the blame-e says

      19 November 2022 at 08:32

      “Everyone, deep in their hearts, is waiting for the end of the world to come.” — Haruki Murakami.

      Even a broken clock is right twice a day. This is just a rather long (or short) day.

      About those Russian arms supplies. It’s not that the western propaganda, misinformation, and mal-information machine keeps getting it wrong on purpose. It’s what I fear the magnitude of all this lying, cheating, cold-hearted, two-timing, home-wrecking, loserdom is stroking. Keep this up and we run a real chance of activating the broken clock response. A Cosmic Doomsday Machine. If revenge is a dish best served cold, then this remains my hope.

      Reply
    • Cato the Uncensored says

      19 November 2022 at 16:50

      There are enough ancient artifacts of what appears to be advanced civilisations scattered across the Earth to suggest humanity already experienced an apocalypse several thousand years in the past.

      Lather, rinse, repeat.

      Reply
  36. k. talaat says

    19 November 2022 at 06:23

    In my humble opinion, I think it’s about blind hate and its components are projections, wishful thinking and reality refusal.
    I can’t escape the contradictory conclusion, we are witnessing adolescent behavior from grown ups who have lost their cognitive abilities.
    As for Mr. Sonin, he would be a great addition to the CIA, for they are the intelligent people who missed the collapse of the Soviet Union along with other less significant events.

    Reply
  37. Nanker says

    19 November 2022 at 06:30

    “You better hope the Russians don’t run out of missiles and smart bombs. After that comes the bright light in the sky.”

    That’s a very wise comment, probably the wisest one I read in weeks on the Net.
    Thank you.

    I’m beggining to think Russians are the adults in the room while the West are little boys playing with big toys (and losing the “game”… I know it’s not a game and people die as I type this).

    Reply
    • k. talaat says

      19 November 2022 at 09:09

      Russians so far have been the ONLY adults in the room.

      Reply
  38. AleaJactaEst says

    19 November 2022 at 06:30

    all you need to know about the ISW Larry…..

    ISW Founder/President: Kimbery Kagan > spouse < Frederick Kagan brother < Robert Kagan spouse sister in law < Kimberly Kagan

    keeping corruption in the family eh?

    Reply
    • AleaJactaEst says

      19 November 2022 at 06:56

      well that got badly formatted…. musty have been the >’s

      Kimberly Kagan, Founder/President of the ISW is married to:

      Frederick Kagan, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute is the brother of:

      Robert Kagan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute is the husband of:

      Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary , US Department of State who is the sister in Law of:

      Kimberly Kagan

      Reply
  39. Oblomovka daydream says

    19 November 2022 at 06:44

    Russia has vowed to resurrect its own aviation & automotive industry as well as its own production of medicine (which during the Soviet era was taken care of by the Czechoslovak and Polish satellites). I’ve read lots of Russian articles which document this. Russia is actively replacing its Airbus airplanes (which require regular expensive maintenance abroad) and is – together with China, which is also building up its own aviation industry – on the way to become a feared competitor of Airbus & Boeing on the expanding BRICS + market. Russia & China used to be important customers for the now ailing Airbus & Boeing aviation industry. The BRICS + countries are quickly developing their own car industry (which requires a vast array of spare parts production facilities), and again: they will soon become feared competitors for the established carmakers in the West. Thanks to the prolongation of the SMO the Western woke habit of bullying & denigrating its competitors is boomeranging back self-devastatingly.

    Reply
    • ISL says

      19 November 2022 at 11:21

      Oblomovka daydream,

      Well said! Russian automobile production is slowly recovering from 140k last year to just 4k vehicles a few months ago, to I think 24k last month. As noted, autos require a massive supply network, much of which was outside Russia, with factories operated by foreign concerns. Interestingly, the abandoned factories and other infrastructure in Russia by Europe, is, I believe, significantly larger than the amount stolen from the Russian central bank (final accounting was 90 billion).

      I got the production #s from statistica

      Reply
  40. Top Gum says

    19 November 2022 at 06:48

    Citing western, so called, experts and anyone from the Ukrainian regime is a total waste of time. They have no clue about Russia or Russian military. All they do is follow the narrative and put out a piece that must be critical about Russia and in favor of the west and Ukraine. It is simple how the west copes with their utter failure. Is sometimes like with people. Is not about who they talk about, is about what they say. The west is running out of ammo and hardware, so Russia must be too. They assume but they are wrong. If anything, people interested should be following the official Russian outlets and see and analyze the actions of the Russian military. Gives you by far a better picture of what is what. Otherwise Russia is always on the ropes, Putin is about to be canned, the military is beaten and fleeing while Ukies are winning and only do tactical withdrawals, luring the Russians into yet another deadly trap. While Ukies have lost only about 9000 men, Russia has over 100’000?!?! Whoever believes that crap is already lost. But to everyone else, stuff like that tells you how badly the west is coping with reality.

    Reply
  41. Spirou says

    19 November 2022 at 07:06

    Anybody seen Medvedev tweet ? Russia is ready to supply Poland with the best air defense systems to prevent further aggression from Ukraine.
    I just love the guy’s irony.

    Reply
    • Wunderwaffles says

      19 November 2022 at 20:37

      And to think we once greeted him as Russia’s great white hope and the Russians called him weak in the knees.

      All US foreign policy is run by six people permanently sequestered in the psychiatric ward at Walter Reed.

      Reply
  42. Misha says

    19 November 2022 at 07:38

    “So unless the Russians have planned ahead and stockpiled munitions or Western microelectronics, or ramped up production pre-war, they’re going to run out of gas when it comes to precision guided munitions,” Lewis said.

    But that’s just silly! How on Earth would the Russians have been able to see this coming? It’s not like they’ve had 20 years of every single concern of theirs being ignored without even the dignity of a response!

    /sarc

    It’s hardly surprising, at least here in the US, that everybody seems surprised and dismissive of the Russians maybe, just MAYBE being perfectly capable of stockpiling resources, using their own and ramping up industry when needed, since it’s “highly unlikely”, as that laughable club of propagandists at Bellingcat like to say, that any of the decision makers in this US idiocracy have even HEARD of the Great Patriotic War.

    “Books? What are those? Can you put them on avocado toast?”

    Thanks for the post, Larry, your mastery of sarcasm and snark is remarkable and I really needed the laugh!

    Reply
    • No business like snow business says

      19 November 2022 at 20:46

      What’s Integrity Initiative up to these days, their old tricks or have they finally run into an indivisible integer?

      Reply
  43. Michael Droy says

    19 November 2022 at 07:55

    The very purpose of Nato and Soviet/Russian military is to prepare for a massive conventional war somewhere between E Germany and Ukraine which necessarily will involve huge quantities of shells, rockets and if available accurate long distance missiles.

    That is why there is such a need to show that Russia has no more missiles.
    The implication is NOT that western analysts are stupid.
    The implication is that western generals and politicians are stupid and corrupt and have completely failed their voters.

    Reply
  44. milce says

    19 November 2022 at 08:06

    “The Russians are using microelectronics from stolen washing machines to build their missiles. That EU lady said it so!”
    Beware of the people with von in front of their names. Pure parasites, living of the flesh of their fellowmen. And offten get fat pays for their ‘services’, like the EU lady.

    Reply
  45. wiz says

    19 November 2022 at 08:14

    If his missiles are so precise why doesn’t he take out the bridges over Dnieper ?

    Reply
    • soohtsayer says

      19 November 2022 at 10:27

      Because Soviet bridges are made to take damage. HIMARS is supposed to be the most precise thing in the known universe and beyond, and yet Russians had to blow up Antonovski bridge by themselves.

      Reply
    • Baron says

      19 November 2022 at 11:44

      To wiz:

      Good question, wiz, and here are two speculative answers:

      (a) The Russians have tried but the seven bridges are so well protected they didn’t succeed destroying them, the crossings should be well guarded, they’re the only connect to the East, as Larry says the airspace is closed to the Ukrainians.

      (b) The Stavka is waiting for the bulk of the NATO forces and the still arriving supplies of the killing gear and manpower to move East to liberate Donbas, hopefully also the Crimea (and then, as the drug addict said to the G-20 admirers ‘to liberate the Kuril islands, heh, heh, heh), this is where the target for Kiev is located, the two breakaway Republic have to retaken, there’s nothing to recapture in the west from the Dniepr river.

      After Surovikin, the Russian guy in charge, decides that most of the fighting force of NATO has transferred East only then will the Russians demolish the seven bridges and move at strength via Belarus from the north down the eastern side of Dniepr (have a look at the map) up to the Kherson town possibly more to the west to include Odesa in the carve up.

      What the drug addict will be left with is the area to the right of the Dniepr river, the Poles will claim the Lvov district plus, it was theirs for centuries, what happens to the rest of the Western Ukraine only He knows.

      Reply
      • wiz says

        19 November 2022 at 16:34

        I think it is option a, they cannot take them down.
        The Russians have in the past and still do target western shipments as far west as Odessa and Lviv, so they ARE trying to stop as many as they can.

        It is difficult to believe that Ukrainian airdefence is able to defend many bridges over Dnieper it controls while Russia was unable to protect Antonovsky and Nova Kakhovka bridges.

        Strange, this.

        Reply
    • Tom Hickey says

      19 November 2022 at 12:41

      At Awful Avalanche by yalensis (Russian-speaker):

      “In honor of today’s commemorations, the Russian Ministry of Defense published some communications on its web site [in Russian].

      Including the news that all of Russia’s rocket units have been converted to the Iskander-M complex. This is considered a major milestone. The modernization of the systems took place in the course of an actual war, which is a great motivation.

      Systems are supplemented by self-propelled howitzers of the type 2С19М2 Мста-С, with which the artillery units are equipped.

      As reporter Anton Nikitin notes: “This fighting machine is able to produce a wall of fire, in the course of which, several shells, launched from a single weapon at different angles, can all reach their targets simultaneously; by so doing, thickening the volume of fire and securing a guaranteed strike at the opponent.”

      This in reference to recent remarks coming out of Kiev, wherein the Ukrainians claim that Russia is running out of rockets. I don’t think they are, but I mean, even if they were, they can build more; because Russia still has factories and a military-industrial complex.…”

      https://awfulavalanche.wordpress.com/2022/11/19/ukraine-war-day-269-happy-artillery-day-poetry-slam/

      Reply
  46. JustTruth says

    19 November 2022 at 08:20

    Didn’t anyone notice the chip shortage was global? No one could get cars in the USA or appliances for many months. Chip shortages affected every producer of products worldwide that require chips! Some context please!!

    Reply
  47. Tony says

    19 November 2022 at 08:42

    Academics live inside their own echo chambers….Russia planned for this years ago. A decent stockpile of parts is hidden somewhere and being manufactured as we speak on a fast clip. If I have to guess, they probably planned on fighting the entire west for next 5 yrs in a drawn out conventional war. As we speak, China is likely assisting them w/ certain parts and logistics via their own vast network of global contacts. Who woulda “thunk”, WW3 started over Lil Ukraine, one of the most corrupt nation on earth…….

    Reply
    • Snap Dragon says

      19 November 2022 at 13:09

      Correction: WWIII has started over the most corrupt nation in Europe, infested with neo-nazis and infected bats flying out of neocon belfries.

      But Zelensky has just declared that Ukraine is now ‘corruption free’, so I guess maybe WWII can start winding down or winding up, depending on how tightly wound Zelensky is.

      Reply
  48. Baron says

    19 November 2022 at 09:30

    Those that keep yapping that Russia has run out of semiconductors for her rocketry know FA about the semiconductor sector, if they knew only the basics, they would keep quiet.

    The latest ICs (integrated circuits) with the gate width going as low as a few nm (nanometers) are essential for gadgets that are small and run mostly on batteries (power consumption is of importance), the mobile phone being by far the biggest application for them (for comparison, the diameter of the covid virus is around 100nm).

    For missiles, rockets, guided shells and stuff the size of the gate/cell matters not at all, weight is not an issue, neither is power consumption, what is of importance is packaging, the military ICs must withstand radiation, and any interference by the enemy’s electronic countermeasure (ECM) for inst. by the HiJENKS (High-Powered Joint Electromagnetic Non-Kinetic Strike Weapon).

    Any problems Russia may have would be in manufacturing the stuff, it takes weeks to months making them depending on the type.

    Reply
  49. Paulo Guerra says

    19 November 2022 at 10:03

    In Europe, Ursula has not tired of telling Europeans since March that what the Russians do now is fill the tub of washing machines with explosives, which is what we see flying!!! Because they don’t have chips to make real missiles!!! Maybe they’ll solve the question of precision with a pilot inside the drum too! Who know’s? Russians are very inventive!!!

    Don’t forget that they also sent a dog Laika to drive a rocket for space. And we all know that re-entry into the atmosphere is a very dangerous turn! Now imagine if the British terrorists didn’t discover in May that Putin at the Victory Day celebrations was a Putin look-alike. That had already succumbed to cancer nº 34!

    I just hope some day some director make a movie with all this brilliants caracteres! From the greatest disinformation campaign on earth!

    Reply
    • Casual Observer says

      19 November 2022 at 13:16

      Druzilla forgot to add that they’re running out of explosives too, and reduced to launching Soviet-era cruise missiles sans the warheads.

      Oh, sure….they’ll tell you that they’re simple decoys, to exhaust Ukraine’s anti-missile stocks but who reads such blatant Russian propaganda? Only sneaky VPNers and Druzilla’s busily working with Justin.ian to trace them all and send them off to the salt mines in chains.

      Reply
    • MirrorGazing says

      19 November 2022 at 14:22

      “From the greatest disinformation campaign on earth!”

      Disinformation only becomes disinformation when people believe it, including but not restricted to, “the greatest disinformation campaign on earth.”

      Reply
  50. CF2 says

    19 November 2022 at 10:03

    Pride (arrogance), anger and revenge do crazy things to people. They are all summed up in hate, the underlying cause of all of the irrational behavior and chaos we see in western culture. A common reaction to these obsessions is telling people to “get over it” and move on to more productive behavior. People like Zelensky are hopelessly stuck in hate and spoil the world for everyone else. Maybe the final solution is a bullet in the back of the head… like he gave those surrendering Russian soldiers.

    Reply
  51. Paulo Guerra says

    19 November 2022 at 10:15

    Today there are many people in the West interested in taking the place that Bagdad Bob so arduously conquered in history. I just don’t know if they realize how ridiculous they are! But I’m betting the prize goes to England! Missile night in Poland was memorable in sky news!

    Reply
    • Three Card Monty says

      19 November 2022 at 21:39

      The UK: A country full of Monty Pythons that think they’re Monty Montgomery.

      Reply
  52. old man says

    19 November 2022 at 10:32

    The Russians are ready for an all-out war with NATO. They knew that when they entered Ukraine they had to be ready for this at all times. Nothing less than several thousand missiles are needed for such a confrontation. 4 thousand, 5 thousand, more who knows? At the very least, without escalating to nuclear weapons, they must be capable of a strategic strike on several key EU cities in addition to critical military installations. Do your count.

    Reply
  53. Dave Huff says

    19 November 2022 at 10:41

    Maybe the missiles were retrofitted with tubes……

    Reply
    • Ay Yay Yay says

      19 November 2022 at 21:30

      Well, then the Biden folks should have no trouble handling them. Just send in the folks doing tubal ligations on the 10 year olds.

      “Mama, I wanna have my tubes tied. It looked really cool in the video at school today.”

      ‘Well, ok… daughter. If your school nurse says so.”

      Reply
  54. Old auntie says

    19 November 2022 at 10:51

    President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen assured, the Russian military were cannibalizing washing machines and refrigerators because of shortage of semiconducturs, .
    Russian video bloggers show the true reason, why Russian army bears need washing machines. It‘s all about camouflage in winter:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXkA9AQLHX4
    Very funny.

    Reply
  55. Juan Valdez says

    19 November 2022 at 11:22

    re: “Many analysts believe”

    This is now a stock phrase in the propaganda machine, which is followed by whatever lies Big Brother is pushing that day.

    Using it is a way of lending an air of legitimacy to an article that is actually riddled with lies, as if the “journalist” went out and did actual research, consulting experts in the particular subject being written about and presenting the consensus view.

    At least, that is what many analysts believe. ☺

    P.S. Here’s a google news search over the past year using that phrase:

    https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Many+analysts+believe%22&biw=1280&bih=620&source=lnt&tbs=cdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A11%2F19%2F2021%2Ccd_max%3A11%2F19%2F2022&tbm=nws

    Reply
  56. A A Ron says

    19 November 2022 at 11:25

    One of the most ironic and risible claims from commenters and the main stream media has been that Russia is on the ropes and cannot possibly win becuz one or more of the following: 1 – propagandic (new word) claims of astronomic Russian casualties in any pro-Western outlets who rely on intel agencies “unnamed officials”, 2 – reliance on buying ammunition from NK, Iran, etc. 3 -anecdotes of a Russian tank or ammo depot getting destroyed or some other small action that doesn’t necessarily represent the larger situation, and lastly, 4 – Russia is having to “conscript” green soldiers.

    the rejounder are: 1 – Other observers, such as Richard Black and Doug Macgregor indicate that Ukrainian casualties are 4 or 5 times the Russians with 1/5 or so the population of Russia. 2 – This one is especially ridiculous, since Ukraine is COMPLETELY dependent on welfare from foreign countries in the form of materiel and cash, and don’t even have the ability to BUY weapons. 3 – There are tons of pro-Russian videos on telegram, etc. that show the same kind of anecdotal videos of Ukrainians getting mauled. 4 – Ukraine is now conscripting all men up to 59 years of age.

    I expect Russia to lie, I expect Ukraine to lie, what really bothers me is that OUR OWN intel and law enforcement agencies are even worse liars.

    I learned my first lesson from OIF when we found no significant WMD in Iraq, after most mainstream newspapers, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield, Tenet and even Colin Powell (who was tricked by Cheney and Tenet) insisted that there were WMD and the situation was an existential threat to the USA.

    Their behavior has not improved one bit.

    Reply
    • Just call me Woke says

      19 November 2022 at 13:49

      I learned MY first lesson when William Walker used a long sebatical from his duties in El Salvador covering up actual government civilian massacres to trek off to Kosovo to miraculously uncover staged government civilian massacres to trigger an intervention. He’s a multi-tasker.

      But I’m sure some could cite instances further back than that.

      Reply
      • Casual Observer says

        19 November 2022 at 18:41

        I sometimes wonder if Larry is ever impressed with how much people here actually know about stuff that we’re not supposed to know about.

        Reply
    • MirrorGazers says

      19 November 2022 at 14:09

      “I expect Russia to lie..”

      Many in “The United States of America” do.

      That is useful, so thank you for your service.

      Reply
  57. Tom says

    19 November 2022 at 11:31

    “The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie.” -Goebbels
    Saying the Russians are out of missiles when missiles are hitting vital targets daily is not effective propaganda.
    They truly believed their own bs that Russia would be unable to wage a long war and the propaganda fed to the mass media reflects this assumption. They look ridiculous at this point which is something no government can afford.
    We are at an inflection point for the Western elite and they will have to come up with a new policy (maybe a cease-fire deal).

    Reply
  58. Alex Thrace says

    19 November 2022 at 11:59

    This is just more proof that the Russians are just ignorant barbarians. They are out of missiles yet they keep on firing them anyway.

    Reply
    • Presto Digito says

      19 November 2022 at 18:14

      Well, they always said Putin is a Svengali. Trump too. Those damned populists.

      Reply
  59. ed says

    19 November 2022 at 12:30

    Larry, you forgot to include Ursula von der Leyen’s claim in September at the annual plenary session of the European Parliament that the Russia has been forced to cannibalize washing machines and refrigerators for their chips and that the Russian economy is on its last legs- see: https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/news/2022-state-union-address-president-von-der-leyen-2022-09-14_en – (while at the same time she has been authorizing for the EU millions more vaccines- from which her husband and his position with the Pfizer’s German vaccine partner BioNtech will be profiting- something the EU is stonewalling in a coverup) – see, for example:
    https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-stonewalls-over-von-der-leyens-role-in-multi-billion-euro-pfizer-jab-deal/

    Reply
  60. Carolyn says

    19 November 2022 at 13:38

    I’m in the market for one of those Russian washing machines with “those” chips in them. Must have a hell of a spin cycle.

    Reply
  61. Paulo Guerra says

    19 November 2022 at 14:14

    When Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, after talking to Joe Dementia, runs to the newspapers to say that a ceasefire needs to be negotiated urgently, what does he see coming? A great victory for Ukraine and NATO ? Or the total annihilation of Ukraine and NATO?

    Meanwhile, the President of the German Civil Protection has also come to warn that will be a lack of electricity in January and February. And they only tried the pumps on the gas pipelines! But they can’t tell the Germans who the terrorists were for reasons of public interest for the Germans?! It’s not worth laughing!

    https://www.express.de/panorama/blackouts-katastrophenschuetzer-prophezeit-grosse-stromausfaelle-372317?cb=1668884643676

    Reply
  62. Spanky says

    19 November 2022 at 14:16

    🏳️‍⚧️🇷🇺🇺🇦 NATO is not looking for a confrontation with the Russian Federation, will not be drawn into the conflict in Ukraine, but will help it – Pentagon chief — Intel Slava Z

    Comedy gold from clown world… Can’t say the Russians don’t have a sense of humor.

    Reply
    • Don't put all your eggs in one woke bloke says

      19 November 2022 at 18:25

      I think the official term for that sort of American behavior is ‘provocateur’, but I prefer Egg Boy myself.

      It also answers the age old woke mystery of whether men can carry eggs and give birth. The two definitions complement each other nicely, I’d say.

      Then we have egg basketcase. Jeez, I see all sorts of Venn diagrams bouncing in front of my eyes now.

      Reply
  63. ebear says

    19 November 2022 at 15:58

    Back in the early 80’s I was working on a software project for the Commodore 64. Rumour at the time had it that the USSR was buying PC’s and pulling the 6502 and 6800 chips to use in missile guidance systems.

    If I were in charge of procurement for Russian missile systems, I think I’d have been stocking up on chips and other vital components these past 8 years, although I suspect they’re quite capable of making their own at this point. After all, it’s not rocket science;)

    Reply
    • Emily Litella says

      19 November 2022 at 18:33

      Oh, the Commodore 64. Eyuw, what memories. The one with the teeny tiny, ity bity……..screen like a postage stamp?

      Reply
      • Kit Carson says

        19 November 2022 at 21:01

        Those were the days……I remember one in the computer lab back room where I was busy breaking code locks on floppy disc software that was resistent to CopyPC, so I could make a freebie. Some of those little critters were pretty slick, hiding their tracks from view.

        Reply
  64. Stefan Richter says

    19 November 2022 at 17:16

    One comment about the use of so called “conventional bombs” by the russian airforce.
    The US some time ago developed a “smart pack” for use as a strap-on solution on its own “dumb bombs” . This equipment enhances the precision for pinpoint-attacks at greater hights a lot. With this equipment a dumb bomb converts into a sort of guided bomb. Well , but the equipment gets lost with the bomb every time you use such a bomb. The russians took a different approach to give a good use of its huge stockpiles of conventionel bombs.
    They developed a system fixed into the airplane which monitors the airspeed , direction , height , weather conditions , wind and other data which can be useful. The system decides autonomously the optimal release moment. This system replicates the features of the US-version but without throwing away scarce and costly electronics.

    Reply
  65. West of England Andy says

    19 November 2022 at 17:18

    All these Western hand-wringing ‘experts’ pronouncing about Russian chip shortages have surely never heard of over-clocking. Personally, I have known someone who took a Pentium-level chip that was nominally rated at at 400 or so MHz and pushed it to 1·2 GHz. Sure, he had his CPU fan running at full chat and quickly killed his experiment, but for a single-use device, like a missile guidance system, there is not much need to be concerned about longevity or heat output, so, just take a basic design and over-clock the heck out of it.

    Reply
    • Clem says

      19 November 2022 at 21:22

      Them neocons sure do know how to overclock that doomsday clock though.

      Reply
  66. Charles E. Fromage says

    19 November 2022 at 17:35

    Advanced chips are used for AI programming, gaming, video, etc… A chip that only has one function and output can be quite simple in design and manufacturing. Russia probably makes all these chips itself.

    Reply
    • Lex says

      19 November 2022 at 18:38

      The diamond path for analyzing US politicians and media is to assume projection. It’s not 100% but it a quick and dirty method that’s right more than it’s wrong. The stinger and the javelin production lines are both having chip supply issues. It might be safe to assume that the MIC assumed JIT production and delivery of components like chips and/or that the US no longer has dedicated, domestic chip manufacturing for military use. We know the US could not sustain this conflict’s intensity because we’ve already sent a solid 40% of our artillery shells to supplement Ukraine’s stocks and Ukraine still fires much less than Russia.

      Russia’s MIC is not without its own problems, but it did seem to maintain production capacity. At least mostly. It seems to be having some issues with basic kit for troops and it appears that it had to play catch-up on some items. The lancet was shown and then disappeared but is making a lot of noise today, and that’s indicative of Russia’s MIC not correctly predicting the value of drones on the modern battlefield. That’s a place where the latest chips might be important.

      But as others have said, a top notch missile probably doesn’t even need a chip as fancy as what goes into a modern washing machine. Our media coverage is probably slanted by it not understanding (and not bothering to learn about) the actual contours of chips, chip making and usage. We believe in science here, we don’t practice it.

      Reply
      • Spanky says

        19 November 2022 at 22:41

        …we’ve already sent a solid 40% of our artillery shells to supplement Ukraine’s stocks… — Lex

        Could you provide a source for this statement, please?

        The lancet was shown and then disappeared but is making a lot of noise today… — Lex

        Suspect it was being tested early on, found useful, and placed into serial production. More or less the same with the Geran, depending on the drone’s actual backstory.

        No doubt, the Russians were unsure if drones (esp. recon drones) would be able to survive in the front’s combat environment. Based on what I’m seeing on Telegram currently, however, Russian tactical recon and attack drones operate over the front without serious opposition.

        Think the Russians might be interested in the capabilities of the latest generation of NATO air defenses? Zelensky’s incessant demands are a real boon for Russian military intelligence.

        The Russians are ready for an all-out war with NATO. They knew that when they entered Ukraine they had to be ready for this at all times. — old man

        Exactly so… old, but not stupid.

        Reply
        • Lex says

          20 November 2022 at 10:50

          Hard to source an airtight number but the US has sent just over a million shells at this point and the stockpile it has is said to be 2.7M. It seems reasonable given that orders for artillery shells have been declining year over year. And it fits in the general force posture the US has had of short, sharp conflicts far away. It wasn’t long ago we contemplated stopping making tanks all together.

          RUSI has done some decent work on this topic and it’s starting to go mainstream. A crunch in shells does seem likely given asks for increased Canadian production and purchases from S Korea.

          Reply
  67. Michael Creighton says

    19 November 2022 at 19:12

    Alexander Mercouris quoted a source that Russia has 14nm node semiconductor manufacturing technology. If that is true, it’s extremely advanced, only two generations behind state of the art, but plenty good for supercomputers, etc.
    Automotive, appliances, use way older technology. These imbeciles don’t understand the semiconductor industry.

    Reply
    • Paulo Guerra says

      19 November 2022 at 20:44

      They just want to downgrade Russia. Billions have been invested in weapons in Ukraine since 2014 and Russia, with one arm behind its back, undid the sanctions and dreams of the entire West! Imagine now with reinforcements…

      Reply
      • Clem says

        19 November 2022 at 21:05

        Them tricky russkies done did snooker us, that’s for sure.

        Reply
    • Savonarole says

      21 November 2022 at 08:54

      Of course they don’t understand electronics ! They wouldn’t have voted the CHIP act if they did.
      Anyway , idiocracy is on a suicidal course and it’s entertaining to watch. /popcorn !

      Reply
    • HMS Terror says

      22 November 2022 at 22:31

      One thing that has to be kept in mind is that it’s far more important that the processors that run a missile to its destination remain reliable through some heavy stresses, including EW defence.

      The ultra-latest 3/5/7nm platforms have been developed to minimize power consumption and allow “n features +1″ to be added to already grossly over-achieving mobile phones, VR visors and the like. Quite likely the developers are also gunning for a big pay day in the bio-digital convergence business the WEF et al are pushing so hard for.

      To survive the flight through an EW dense battle zone, the first criteria is the processor must accommodate relatively high voltages and current flows. The latest
      generations are all about minimizing both to the lowest possible number. That makes them much more vulnerable, irrespective of their lower overall reliability.

      A few years ago I took delivery of an ~$800k Japanese hi-speed, hi-precision, multi-axis CNC machine. The beating heart of its ($$$) FANUC controller was a good ol’ 486 processor. Reliable as a brick. It did everything it needed to do day in day out, but it didn’t run Win10, and it didn’t play movies or multi-player games.

      Even the video-guided missiles and recon drones simply don’t need much processing power to do their job, and they don’t need to do it in an ultra-slim, jewellery equivalent package.

      Reply
  68. Erelis says

    19 November 2022 at 20:44

    The narrative managers (as Caitlin J calls them) flobbed this one, but it served its purpose well for several months. The narrative managers will simply have the mass media bury the claims and go onto the next narrative. I think the next narrative will involve the incompetency of the Russian army in winter. As in mass stolen boots, stolen tents, horrible food, lack of coordination, soldiers who have froze to death. Just to mention a few.

    Reply
  69. Lou Cypher says

    19 November 2022 at 21:21

    Russian offensive capabilities are lackluster to say the least. They are still pussyfooting around in Donetsk region the size of Massachusettes after almost 9 months!

    Reply
    • Maximus says

      19 November 2022 at 21:42

      stupid ignorant fool. If the Ukrainian Army is destroyed Russia can take whatever territory it wants. And Russia is well on the way to doing this. Cue Elenksy and his pals screaming for weapons and money. Nice try though

      Reply
      • old man says

        20 November 2022 at 04:49

        I am very far from having the skills of our host. But I think that when the Russians advance, they will do it so quickly that many will be very surprised. It will be a devastating blow to the narratives of the west.

        And I think they will be forced to move on. The collapse of the Ukrainian state will leave a vacuum that will have to be filled. Ideally, the maintenance of a semblance of Ukrainian statehood in the west of the country could relieve the Russians of a heavy task. At this point, Ze’s supporters may be working against him. Interested time! isn’t it??

        Reply
    • Top Gum says

      20 November 2022 at 05:07

      Destroying Ukrainian military by the hundreds every day is not exactly pussyfooting to me. Some people have no clue what is going on, but like to criticize anyway.

      Look at what is going on, try to understand the bigger picture. That is what Russian military does. Things don’t always go as planned, so decisions have to be made and corrections to future actions. That doesn’t mean that things are bad. In the end is the amount of destroyed hardware /forces that shows you who’s on the winning side.

      Reply
    • soohtsayer says

      20 November 2022 at 09:36

      They should learn from ‘murican offensive capabilities that are definitely not lackluster in any way, shape or form. Pussyfooting around Afghanistan for 19 year, and then bravely running is how things are done.

      Reply
  70. MrDomingo55 says

    19 November 2022 at 22:08

    The restrictions imposed on Russia affected cars heavily because car manufacturers don’t build engine ECUs but use outside suppliers, most often a company such as BOSCH. Lack of these affected car industry drastically. Since then they have found alternative suppliers and besides China, Turkey also makes these I believe, and many more auto/truck industry related components.

    I do not know much about effect on Aircraft production but I have seen articles pointing out that there are Russian manufactured alternatives for glass cockpit instrumentation. These may rely on externally manufactured processors and microcontrollers but I am sure its impossible to stop these being purchased in China and then shipped to Russia. Articles I saw related to work on MS-21 and Sukhoi Superjet 100 civilian aircraft. MS-21 already has a Russian manufactured engine (PD-14) and a downrated version (PD-8) is currently being developed for Superjet 100. Because MS-21 development has not been finalised and changes to Superjet 100 to make it independent of foreign suppliers will also take time, the production of TU-204 has been cranked-up to temporarily fill the void. That aircraft is fully Russian made but is not ideal as its heavier than MS-21 and requires 3 crew in the cockpit.

    Situation with missile electronics is as follows; These items use electronics that do not need to be latest and greatest 7nm or 5nm (nano-metres) silicon manufacture from TSMC or Samsung. Generally they rely on microcontrollers that are essentially microprocessors but geared towards hardware control. For this, Giga-hertz clock speed is not necessary and silicon technology used is generally 40nm, 64nm, 90nm etc. Restrictions imposed on sale of silicon chip manufacturing equipment limit what Russia can import and I believe it may be 64nm. Until this war, some high-end general purpose processor manufacturing was outsourced to TSMC I believe, something everyone has been doing for years. There are chip manufacturers in Russia and one that comes to mind is “Mikron”. As an example, they produce microcontrollers for industrial or consumer devices, eg. https://www.cnx-software.com/2021/09/10/mikron-mik32-made-in-russia-32-bit-risc-v-mcu-stm32l0-mcu/ . That one is not very fast but it would be perfectly fine for guiding a missile to a particular GPS coordinate. If one is also assisting the guidance process with cameras for automated terrain following, the solution may have to use a faster processor and maybe one with Digital Signal Processing support. What Mikron produces for military is anyone’s guess. Remember that military spec electronics have much greater requirements, eg. operating temperature range, etc.

    Home grown micro-processors in Russia do exist and I can give a couple examples:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbrus-8S – a conventional processor for workstations,
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELVEES_Multicore – has a DSP,
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KOMDIV-64 – oriented towards industrial use.

    So, when it comes to producing cruise missiles. they can produce locally most of what they need. Anything else they can source in China, they certainly don’t need to import lots of washing machines to harvest microcontroller from them.

    Finally, this subject of ‘running out of missiles’ is so silly. For one thing, they do not rely on just-in-time manufacturing and are likely to have stocked-up on components, regardless whether locally manufactured or imported. More importantly, as was the case during the Soviet Union, Russia has very likely scaled its stocks of munitions with one key thing in mind; the most likely enemy in any serious war would be NATO and consequently would have ensured that it always has enough munitions and missiles for that eventuality. I am sure that current conflict is not being allowed to degrade the reserves needed and I have read that some of the factories have been working 24/7 for a while now.

    Reply
    • old man says

      20 November 2022 at 04:57

      Yes, Andrei Martianov has given us some insight into the contengency planning of the Russian armies. Their ammunition stockpile is simply gigantic. Out of all proportion with the safari that are the neo-colonial wars of the West since Vietnam (50 years ago).

      Reply
      • SteveM says

        20 November 2022 at 06:00

        Of course it is. Russians had 27 million dead due to being unprepared in WW2. Simple logic and putting yourself in their shoes says they will never be unprepared again.

        Reply
  71. FRONT_TOWARD_ENEMY says

    20 November 2022 at 05:50

    We are so much “past the point of ridiculous”

    History teaches us that lots of people have been making assumptions about Russia that were sorely mistaken.
    And all of them forgot to make sure of Russia’s compliance with their assumptions before carrying on.
    It would seem history repeats itself.
    Who knew?

    We turn communist and Russia now defends decency better than us.
    I’ve never liked the Russians much. None at all when they were openly communist.
    But this Ukraine adventure is just a leftoxenomorph PSYOPS for the distraction of Venezuericans and Westerners in general.
    Isn’t it ironic? Commie Russia tried for decades to make the USA communist.
    And we turn rabidly communist when they decide to abandon it.

    We are going to find out how much we have depleted our own stocks if things go with china as they seem they will.

    We are going to find out if the F-35 is anything more than a suicidal fraud.

    We are going to find out if elbowing out of the military the best men was a good idea.

    We are going to find out if letting our Navy go to rot was a good idea.

    We are going to find out if filling the military with leftoxenomorphs, feminazis, dykes, fagots, manginas, trannies and “yes ‘men’” was good idea.

    We are going to find out if putting females in any positions except nurses and administrative auxiliaries was a good idea.
    I’m pretty sure all of them are “stunning” and “brave”
    But I’m afraid they are going to be more of a liability than an asset and they are going to get a lot of good men killed and a lot of missions failed and they might cost us a war . . . or two. Posing and winning wars are two different things.

    We are going to find out if all the leftoxenomorphism they tried to indoctrinate into our Armed Forces was a good idea.

    We are going to find out if the decapitation of our Armed Forces officers by selecting them by their willingness to worship leftoxenomorphism instead of military merit was a good idea.
    And this didn’t start with hussein obozo the classless lowlife soros-toilet-squeeze crypto-pisslim kenyan although it did its part enthusiastically.
    Reminds us of stalin’s purge of the Russian armed forces officialdom before WW2 and how badly things went for them because of it until, with America’s considerable help, they managed to turn things around.

    We are going to find out a lot of things about the leftoxenomorphs attacks against our Armed Forces and we are not going to like what we find.

    And as to our depleted stocks those will take years to replace. And that could end up being a really serious problem for us and pretty soon.

    china doesn’t have much of a window to start the fireworks before the prospect of things going badly for them here gets too close.
    For them the time is now.

    OTOH, we should never attribute to anything else, at all what can better be explained by evil.

    The old saw about “once is happenstance, twice is coincidence and the third time it’s enemy action” is bullsh!t.
    If you want to stay alive, the first time is enemy action and you act accordingly.
    Well . . . we didn’t.

    We are now at about the 499,643,456 times of leftoxenomorph action against America and human civilization since even before WW1.

    Perhaps it is time to pay attention.

    Those “in charge”, TPTB, are leftoxenomorphs.
    Leftoxenomorphs are evil.
    Theirs is a ratcheting game.
    Every time, they win and we lose.
    And they win, all the time.
    And we are pushed, just like the Overton window, more to the left, towards total leftoxenomorphism.

    According to the dogma of the religion of leftoxenomorphism, if Venezuerica loses a war with china that is good for leftoxenomorphs.

    The sooner they finish ruining the remains of America, the better for them. By any means necessary.

    Terrence Popp has said recently “The United States As I Used To Know It Is Now Dead”

    Many of us have been saying that since 2020.

    As to methane there seems to be a considerable quantity at the bottom of the oceans.
    Peculiar it is seldom mentioned today.
    There doesn’t seem to be any real need to go finding it in outer space.

    And again, on methane, Israel found a considerable amount recently and the bideT illegitimate, usurper, fraudulent occupants of the White House vetoed its sale to eurabia that would be by now with it much better off than they are.

    Better for our leftoxenomorphs to keep eurabia poor, desperate, leftoxenomorph and under control and to damage Israel as much as they can since Israelis seem reluctant to go fully leftoxenomorph.

    Reply
  72. George says

    20 November 2022 at 20:57

    It seems that the Western media is now relying on psychic powers to concoct anti-Russian stories.

    They also claimed Putin had cancer, that he also had no friends left in Russia, that Aleksandr Dugin was his closest adviser and confident, and recently that Lavrov was suffering from some kind of illness too. And then there’ s been the ongoing failure of the Russian economy too.

    All done with a crystal ball.

    Reply

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I am a bona fide Son of American Revolutionaries. At least 24 of my ancestors, men and women, fought to free the American Colonies from British rule. Some died for the cause of liberty. Though two and a half centuries have passed since my great grandfathers and grandmothers took up arms, the principles they fought for remain valid and relevant to the 21st Century. This blog is dedicated to the pursuit of truth without regard to partisan advantage. I welcome like minded patriots.

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