US Airforce Gets Rude Awakening In Ukraine; Plus

Retired USAF Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski has given an interview to Sputnik, in which she claims that the advanced capabilities of the Russian Aero-Space forces have been a “rude awakening” for the West, and for the USAF in particular. It makes for interesting reading. Most military commentary on the war on Russia typically comes from former Army officers. An Air Force perspective is welcome:

Ex-Pentagon Analyst: US Got Rude Awakening in Ukraine After Downplaying Russian Air Power

Russia’s overwhelming superiority in the air has played a decisive role in halting Ukraine’s offensive operations, striking whenever they attempt a major armored maneuver, and keeping an eye out for movements in coordination with satellite intelligence and reconnaissance drones. So intense has the devastation of Ukrainian forces been that panicky NATO and Ukrainian officials have begun to blame one another over “tactics” or the lack of equipment and ammo instead of asking questions about the reasonableness of pushing Ukrainian troops to attack entrenched Russian positions without air cover or artillery superiority.

Rude Awakening

The Russian Aerospace Forces' performance in Ukraine "has probably surprised many in the West," says retired US Air Force veteran, former Pentagon analyst, anti-war whistleblower and activist Karen Kwiatkowski, "in part because of Western assumptions."

"I think that the level of advanced technology in…the current Russian Air Force, and the relative newness of many of these systems compared to what we have in the West, has been a surprise, in part because Western analysis of intelligence is geared to downplay Russia and Russian capability in all ways. The Russophobia, and also a certain contempt for Russia, in DC and inside the Pentagon is a factor," Kwiatkowski told Sputnik.

"I suspect also that how the Russian Air Force uses these systems in battle is also a surprise for the West, and particularly the US. Obviously, the Ukraine battlefield has been a testing ground for high-tech and rapidly adapting drone warfare, even as in some ways it reminds of a slogging land war in Europe faced in World War I," she said.

Characterizing the Russian Aerospace Forces as a true "national defense air force," as opposed to the "offensive, forward-operating Air Force" which the US has, Kwiatkowski said that Russian air power seems geared toward supporting land and sea operations "in a tightly integrated way" with "focus and exceptional skill set for ground support." This is as opposed to the US and NATO powers, "where air forces seek to ‘dominate the skies’ in a somewhat competitive way with the separate Army and Navy missions," she said.

"For us in the West, it remains difficult to get accurate assessments of battlefield performance in Ukraine, and that deficiency of hard data impacts not just commentators and technicians, but our top Pentagon and national political leadership," Kwiatkowski stressed, after being asked to assess the performance of Russian Aerospace Force assets in Ukraine. "That said, it seems to me that the US media is somewhat hysterical over Russian drones, attack helicopters like the modern and capable Ka-52, and the Su-27 fighters in their various battlefield and defensive roles," indicating their effectiveness.

Kwiatkowski highlighted the Lancet drone in particular, which is used by the Ground Forces, as a major "game changer" in Ukraine, given its success in devastating even the latest NATO ground-to-air weapons and Leopard tanks.

"The Lancet represents the evolution of Russian drone technology and design. It can carry different munitions, and serve different purposes on and above the battlefield, and appears to be cost effective to produce. It really represents what rapid evolution and development in a weapon, using real world data and learning, can produce," the former Pentagon analyst said.

Plus:

This news item is an indication that Russia means business with its Black Sea blockade. This is being reported as a live fire incident:

Russian Warship Fires Warning Shots At Cargo Vessel Seeking Ukraine Port Entry

In the latest in the battle for the Black Sea and its export routes, Russia has confirmed Sunday that its warship fired on a foreign cargo vessel which was headed towards the Ukrainian port of Izmail.

Russia is now intercepting and inspecting cargo ships near Ukrainian ports, after Kremlin officials complained that the prior grain deal enabled the Ukrainians to secretly import military cargo.

The Russian patrol ship has been identified as Vasily Bykov. It fired after the Palau-flagged civilian cargo ship allegedly did not respond to the request that it stop for "the inspection for the transportation of prohibited goods."

"To force the ship to stop, warning shots from automatic small arms were fired from the Russian warship," the Defense Ministry said, and described that Russian troops on a helicopter then boarded and inspected the vessel.

Nothing illicit was found aboard the Vasily Bykov and it was allowed to continue on its way, but likely other ships will take note, given the 'live fire' incident and rising dangers.

On a different note:

Taliban’s Massively Successful Opium Eradication Raises Questions About What US Was Doing All Along

The major source for this article appears to be an article that appeared in The Telegraph:

How the Taliban launched the ‘most successful counter-narcotics effort in human history’

Experts are divided on the consequences of the nationwide ban on poppy production

US officials are concerned that eradication of opium in Afghanistan will lead to shortages of heroin. That, in turn, could lead to increases in fentanyl usage. During the US occupation of Afghanistan the country provided as much as 90% of the world’s heroin.