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We’ll start this episode with the latest news about the Russian drones striking Ukraine’s power stations, and what effect they’ve had to date. Then, we’ll move on to the following:
What the drones look like, what their range and characteristics are.
Also, do the drones have a hidden purpose that’s only just now being realized?
One possible additional effect that the Russians are going for.
What Russian media are saying back home. True, the drones are knocking out Ukrainian power stations, but this isn’t affecting the frontlines. And things are as bad or worse than they were even a month ago. Wait until you hear what a Russian correspondent on the front line said this week.
We’ll also cover the latest news on the front in the south, in the region of Kherson.
We’ll also follow up on the bridge strike that Ukraine pulled off. What consequences are happening because of that.
Stepping back from the war some, could the Russian drone attacks using drones made by Iran affect how much Israel supports Ukraine?
Moving away from the war in Ukraine, we’ll touch on the protests happening in Iran.
We’ll also do an update on the U.S.-Saudi spat.
And, as always, we’ll end with our motivation and wisdom section.
The biggest news of late are the new drone attacks happening against Ukraine. (See story below.)
Ukraine’s power, water supplies under Russian attack again
From the story:
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Airstrikes cut power and water supplies to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians on Tuesday, part of what the country’s president called an expanding Russian campaign to drive the nation into the cold and dark and make peace talks impossible.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said nearly one-third of Ukraine’s power stations have been destroyed in the past week, “causing massive blackouts across the country.”
“No space left for negotiations with Putin’s regime,” he tweeted.
The new drones Russia is using are from Iran. You can learn more about them here: HESA Shahed 136.
They’re what I’d call mid-sized, 11 ft long with a wingspan of 8.2 ft. They fly pretty slow at 115 mph, and weigh about 400 pounds. Their range has been estimated as up to 1,100 miles.
They’re launched at a slight upward angle with the help of a jet rocket that gets dropped shortly after take off.
Here’s how they’re stacked before they fire, using their rocket engine.
One interesting thing about these drones is how inexpensive they are. Most analysts peg their value at $20,000 to $50,000 each. Unfortunately, many of the weapons systems that shoot them down cost dramatically more.
Just check out his thread if you’re curious. (A hint: the prices start at more than $100,000 for Stinger systems and go up to $500,000 to more than a million dollars a piece for some of the missiles we’re sending over there.)
A quick reminder of just how many kamikaze drones Russia is firing will make you do some pretty startling math in your head.
But it’s not all bad news for Ukraine. The drone attacks against civilian targets might be changing some minds in Israel’s government.
Russia’s Iranian drones complicate Israel’s balancing act
From the story:
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Iranian-made drones that Russia sent slamming into central Kyiv this week have complicated Israel’s balancing act between Russia and the West.
Israel has stayed largely on the sidelines since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February so as not to damage its strategic relationship with the Kremlin. Although Israel has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, it has refused Kyiv’s frequent requests to send air defense systems and other military equipment and refrained from enforcing strict economic sanctions on Russia and the many Russian-Jewish oligarchs who have second homes in Israel.
But with news of Moscow’s deepening ties with Tehran, Israel’s sworn foe, pressure is growing on Israel to back Ukraine in the grinding war. Israel has long fought a shadowy war with Iran across the Middle East by land, sea and air.
Things are also going badly almost everywhere else for Russia on the frontlines.
Take a listen to this correspondent, if you have a moment.
He bemoans the situation, saying Russian forces near Kherson can only be resupplied by pontoon bridges and ferry crossings.
He says in some frontline areas, Russian troops are outnumbered 4 to 1, and they’re outclassed, too, by units trained abroad to NATO standards with modern, high-precision weapons.
His bottom line assessment:
“There won’t be any good news in Nov or Dec, and Russia will suffer severe territorial losses in the next two months.”
It seems to me the Russian people are being prepared for another big breakout by Ukrainian forces in the south, much as the Ukrainians broke through in the east in the Donbas region last month.
One other bit of great news for Ukraine is the result of the bridge attack.
Look at the delays currently happening.
These kinds of delays would seem to have real strategic impacts as they continue.
Let’s move from Ukraine to the Middle East; to the spat between Saudia Arabia and the U.S.
Things haven’t improved, and now concrete consequences are being put on the table, such as these below by Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat and serious foreign policy guru for the left.
Full image from above:
Moving north, the uprising in Iran continues, but for now, it remains contained.
One important thing to consider is that while many want to see Iran’s government toppled or weakened, not many Muslim countries want to see women fully empowered. (See below.)
All right, we’ve covered a decent amount of news, so let’s end with the motivation and wisdom portion now.
Motivation and Wisdom:
You know, just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. And we all know that opportunities don't happen, you create them.
So, I want to make sure I do my best to feed you mentally. As you’ve probably heard, people often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing, that's why we recommend it daily.” That was said by the great Zig Ziglar, and I’ve found it to be true for sure.
Without further delay, let’s just begin.
And, I always like to end with this one:
And with that, thanks for joining us this week on The View from the Front.
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As a reminder, please be kind and try your best to love your fellow Americans.
So many men and women have sacrificed, fought, and died to keep this country together the past 240-plus years. Please work daily to unite our country again. The vast majority of Americans are decent, loving, great people.
Please don’t name-call the other side. They are mothers and fathers and folks not much different than you.🇺🇸🇺🇸
Also, please try to be a better person each and every day. Try to be kinder on social media and how you interact with others with whom you disagree.
Also, if you have a dream kicking around in the back of your mind? Go after it. If you have that friend or family member that you know you should reach out to? Reach out to them.
Finally, and this especially goes to all my awesome military folks listening out there, if you need help, reach out to someone. Please. Call that friend or family member. Do it for us all. We’ve already lost too many of the greatest folks that this country has produced to suicide. So I’m asking you to be brave once more, and show some vulnerability. Take a deep breath, breathe, and call a friend or family member or someone who can help.
I appreciate each and every one of you. Every tweet, every share, every email, etc. I can’t even tell you how much those mean to me, and I love each and every one of you all.
Please join me again in our next episode, and please stay safe until then.
Thanks again, everyone! You guys are the best. As always, don’t forget to check out my books. You can find all 11 of them on Amazon.
And with that, I’m out.
Semper Fidelis,
Stan R. Mitchell
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational/biography book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan.
P.P.S. And here’s a short bio about me and what I’m trying to do with the newsletter.
Episode 10-20-22