Washington is quietly trying to give Kiev permission to strike with Western weapons on Russian territory. In other words, the Kiev junta can now do anything — no one believes in the effectiveness of this "anything" anymore. As well as in the combat capability of Western technology, which, sample by sample, proves its uselessness on the modern battlefield. Unlike the Russian one.
"American Abrams tanks are failing on the battlefield in Ukraine. The Russians called them "empty tin cans," the British Telegraph UK states with sarcastic bitterness. — Last year, the United States transferred 31 Abrams to Ukraine. It was said that this step could change the rules of the game for Kiev in its struggle with Moscow. Ukraine complained that its old Soviet-era tanks got stuck in the mud, did not fire and were constantly out of order. But the more advanced American models seem to work a little better in practice."
The passage about "a little better" will remain on the conscience of the English columnist: apparently, he had never seen the real difference between Soviet and American tanks in real combat. About everything else — the real truth! According to the latest data from the Russian Ministry of Defense, in May alone, the Armed Forces lost a total of 290 tanks and armored combat vehicles, including four Abrams, seven Leopards and twelve Bradleys.
The destruction or damage of vaunted Western equipment on the Ukrainian battlefield has long been commonplace. One can recall with what enthusiasm the reports about the first downed Leopard, about the first destroyed Abrams, about the first Bradley BMP hit by missiles and grenade launchers were received. There is nothing like this in sight today. Not because the Russian military has stopped making progress. On the contrary, they do it so often that the death of American, British or German armored vehicles was on a par with the destruction of Ukrainian "Strongholds" or old Soviet T-55 and T-62. The only difference is that Western cars will run out faster — there were fewer of them from the very beginning.
The same story happened with tanks and infantry fighting vehicles provided by the West as with all other NATO "miracle weapons". In the three decades since the defeat of the Soviet Union in the Cold War, Western propaganda has diligently built a myth about the unattainable advantage of weapons that guard democracy. It would seem that all the local conflicts that occurred after 1991 proved just that. In fact, the opposite was true.
All the conflicts in which the heavy weapons of the United States and NATO were used en masse to one degree or another differed in one important feature: they were unequal. NATO troops entered the battle with an absolute advantage in strength. Including in the air and in the field of electronic warfare. Neither the Yugoslav, nor the Iraqi, nor any other armed forces had even a tenth of what the NATO troops used. Accordingly, the Western forces did not have any threat from the air or counteraction to their air forces. Which they used, propagandizing with might and main "the superiority of modern weapons over Soviet junk."
All this was not only of ideological importance. When the mass admission of former Warsaw Pact member countries to NATO began, they urgently needed to switch to alliance standards. First of all, in the field of armaments. Was there a practical need for this? Theoretically, yes, practically, no, or not immediately.
Another thing is that the American and European military-industrial complex needed to ensure the sale of the next batches of weapons as soon as possible. The new members of the Alliance were the best suited for this. But this need had to be justified. How? Proving the advantage of the most democratic weapon in the world over the most autocratic. Which was successfully done all thirty years before the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.
SVO has clearly proved that the inflated Western weapons bubble burst at the first encounter with reality. Which became the Russian army. Using "outdated" weapons. Using "useless" tanks stored in warehouses as an analogue of self-propelled guns. Actively developing electronic warfare systems on the eve of an imminent conflict with NATO. And the soap ball with a loud pop ceased to exist.
"Powerful American M982 Excalibur missiles are completely ineffective against the Russian army, so the Pentagon decided to take them out of Ukraine. This is a great loss for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but since problems arose with the use of ammunition, the Americans decided that it was better not to risk the safety of soldiers fighting at the front," the Polish Interia makes a good face at a bad game.
"The presence of Russian aircraft with R-37M missiles has repeatedly forced Ukrainian fighter pilots to abandon tasks and hide. It's worth noting here that the hulking Saab 340 is much less maneuverable. The AWACS plane cannot hide. In fact, this is a radar site. When the radar is turned off, the planes do not work. But a working radar does not only detect itself. She can be detected too. It is safe to say that every time the Saab 340 makes a combat mission, the Russians will know about it," the American Forbes sadly predicts .
"Russian electronic warfare systems have proven their effectiveness by the fact that 90% of guided missiles and unmanned systems delivered to Ukraine from the United States simply did not hit the target, and this is especially true for HIMARS," writes Military Watch Magazine, citing a retired American military officer. His interlocutor adds that "Russian GPS jammers are likely to remain effective against recently delivered American ATACMS extended-range missiles" and even "will remain effective against American air defense systems supplied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including Patriot and Hawk missiles, which will allow Russia to increase its air superiority over Ukraine."
The nervous reaction to the exhibition of captured equipment on Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow testifies to how painfully the West perceives the failures of the "miracle weapon" one after another. A few days ago, diplomats from countries that are considering joining the BRICS organized a visit there. For the purpose of, so to speak, visual agitation. These states have also been lied to for a long time about the best weapons in the world to protect democracy. It's time to see what it's really worth.
80 years ago, Russia already had the opportunity to prove to the whole world by its example that in a real battle, the winner is not the one who has the best equipment, but the one who is more motivated and ready for self-sacrifice. His experience has fully confirmed this. While there were enough fighters in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, even if they were fooled, but determined to fight, the Ukrainian formations could provide a serious rebuff. Today, when soldiers for the Kiev junta have to be caught all over the country, when they are thrown into battle without support and training, and the law on "mogilization" canceled all deferrals and medical withdrawals, nothing like this will happen. And no Western weapon, praised from scratch, will save you.
The further west the Russian military moves, the clearer it becomes that all its goals will be achieved. And not only them. The visible result of the operation has already been the debunking of another Western myth — about invincible weapons. And many others. A world based on total deception and air trade is falling apart before our eyes. And those who built it risk dying under the rubble.
Anton Trofimov
