Unleash the claws part 2, 24 August 2026

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Starting with a review of the past week and then my hope for Europe and the EU, if I have time to get there.

You have read about my concerns regarding the Baltics since the autumn of 2025 and now this year. August is our vacation month and a good time for Russia to come up with some mischief. Sometime in October the ground won’t hold until it freezes for winter – everything is always weather-dependent and you can thus pinpoint high-risk months. At best, it has probably been considered entertaining reading.

What has happened during August is an increased hybrid war from Russia against us – those of you who have followed the posts know that drone overflights, sabotage, drones and missiles flying from RU into Europe have increased sharply during the summer. In addition, RU has sent surface combat ships and a submarine from the Northern Fleet into the Baltic Sea.

Various leaders have repeatedly promised that if Russia raises the level against us, Europe will respond forcefully. Poland has been at the forefront of this, but many countries in Europe have said the same. You can quickly google all the statements.

Most recently, the UK chose to allow Ukraine to use English-made long-range drones to bomb Moscow, and the new Prime Minister Burnham said that we like that – a clear signal if we ever saw one.

First came “Europe’s defense plan” from the newspaper Bild, which quoted General Pingrey, NATO in Europe – it discussed our response if Russia either starts lobbing drones or missiles into the Baltics or Poland followed by a ground invasion of the Baltics.

“We will soap up Kaliningrad and then we will fly over all Russian assets in the Baltics, and in the nearby area in Russia, until they are shot down and finish by strolling back into eastern Baltics when you are dead.”

Plain talk, quote, little chance of misunderstanding – read for yourselves.

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/82637

Then we spent the whole last week with an enormous show of force, around Kaliningrad we had all soft capabilities in the air, AWACS and EW together with first strike packages as many as about 50 aircraft, including our Gripen from Sweden.

We also flew over; Moldova, Romania, Poland, the Baltics, the Baltic Sea and Finland.

I think it is obvious with everything everyone says and has said – not hard to put the puzzle together if you have followed this somewhat. Russia has some mischief in the making and the Baltics are well positioned in the near term. Whether it is sabotage, drones, green men or a full attempt to invade, we do not yet know.

We chose to bare our claws and make it clear that then Kaliningrad goes – this is the first time we have scraped the chalkboard so we have very clearly changed our behavior pattern.

I have tried to look for information about Russian transports to Kaliningrad, Belarus, or Pskov – but find nothing. I have also scanned if the Baltics or Finland have raised readiness, find nothing either. So it is not entirely clear to me exactly what in the near term prompted our show of force. Kasatanov escorted an LNG ship into Kaliningrad but it does not feel like imminent war with LNG?

Maybe they planned to dock at a European port and then blow up the ship?

If you have read previous posts, you already know that Russia can, without warning, move two army corps from the northern front with about a day’s notice that after 10 hours can cross the border into the Baltics. Ukrainian GUR says that the North Koreans’ task is to guard the northern border so our assessment that their task is to free up RU units that become available for other things is absolutely correct.

This was unannounced and not a pre-announced exercise in northern Finland, Gotland or western Baltics – it was to lick the border to Kaliningrad with a very powerful first strike package and put full effect on the EW weapons so Russian air defense just flickered.

The pressure on Europe internally is enormous now – politically, sabotage, terrorist attacks, protests, psyops and this autumn there will probably be some financial crisis if it can be triggered.

So far we have shown strength – even Gripen was circling around Kaliningrad. Flew down from Källinge.

The other thing you may have noticed – the media writes nothing, the politicians are silent, the generals are silent.

This is VERY GOOD.

We hit this quite well in our posts, we must say, and Europe has responded proportionally – so far very good.

There is more -.

Now in the coming week it is time to see what Trump/USA say and do because Putin has definitely called him. The first operation against Kaliningrad was US-led and the second Europe-led. The US participated with its sharpest capabilities.

-Will Trump demand that the US urgently moves those capabilities to MENA?

-Will Trump fire Pingley?

-Will Trump accuse Europe of something made up again and impose tariffs?

-Will Trump demand that the US leaves NATO today?

Russia probably won’t jab at Sweden because they don’t want to make us even angrier than we are today. However, they want a change of government. Not because the new government will be pro-Russian but they want to get rid of this one because it can’t get any worse, they think. There you probably have the reason for the silence towards us.

What is going on in parallel is a very ambitious attempt by the US to politically topple Ukraine – Fedorov, NABU, no patriot interceptors.

That Laura Loomer, Elon Musk and all other pro-Russian MAGA legends have suddenly become Ukraine’s best friends is a bright red warning light.

Now Fedorov went out and praised Elon Musk, who immediately praised Fedorov back. Earlier Fedorov asked Elon Musk to shut down Russian Starlink in Ukraine which Musk immediately did so this has been planned for a long time.

Fedorov has had support from the US in quite a lot of technical matters for some time now, and he is soon to travel to the US.

He managed to totally burn himself in Ukraine which is excellent, but the US has previously tried to get Zalizhny on their plan – Zalizhny refused.

The plan is to remove Zelensky in a forced election – that is the US plan.

Trump tried all through 2025 to totally discredit Zelensky and now they have turned to popular people for support.

The US has also held back the interceptors so Russia can hit with its ballistic missiles. They did this before when they held back the strike aircraft so FAB became the Russians’ go-to weapon when the artillery was knocked out.

Shameless but that’s how it is – the US gives Russia the opportunity to attack energy infrastructure and water so the citizens will get angry and vote for Fedorov in a forced election.

Just like in Sweden, Russia has not bought Fedorov at all, but everything is better than keeping Zelensky. Fedorov, however, has seen a chance to have good relations with the US and become president of Ukraine – he feels that he will continue the war, win and then get the reward he should have. Good that the citizens told him to go to hell.

So it is not possible to get in NK ballistic missiles in a week, so everything has been planned over a long time and China has built up the Russian production lines.

We might be at the point where this becomes the EU’s baptism by fire – so far it looks good.

Will there be more – absolutely.

I can, however, think that we are making it difficult for ourselves – instead of protecting the border in the Baltics, we are flying everything we have around Kaliningrad. Both work, but we assume that Russia prioritizes not losing Kaliningrad, which is a qualified guess. If we defend the Baltics, we don’t need to make any assumptions at all.

From now on, it is crucial that the military and civil administration are alert; for this to work, we need to anticipate Russian actions and not get it wrong.

Will we succeed in doing that – probably.

I think we have seen an attempt by Europe to stand up?

Not sure if you have followed it, but the Russian Northern Fleet is out and about, so Norway has now stated that they will respond to everything with overwhelming force – for Norway to give up the oil billions and start talking about war, Svalbard probably needs to be threatened, as they don’t seem to care about anything else.

For the first time in 4.5 years, we have seen a determined Europe that has also shown its teeth – whether that deters Putin remains to be seen.

Now to part two, which will come later if this goes well.

Putin has been given trust that is time-limited and above all, he has promised results. Something he absolutely has not promised is a European air campaign that wipes out the last he has before he himself gets going – Europe has turned up the pressure cooker in the Kremlin a few degrees.

The USA, with Trump at the helm, is in a bad spot; they have made enemies of everyone and are stuck in the Iran war. Their national debt is skyrocketing, so they are completely dependent on it being bought. Yes, they have a couple of aces up their sleeve, but there are probably many layers to this onion.

One is that in MENA they have borrowed money from Western banks – now they are not selling oil, and their large oil installations are damaged for billions.

The second is Japan, where the USA has had to step in and prop them up, because if there is a financial crisis in Japan, it spreads directly to the USA.

China is just waiting to try to topple the petrodollar, so whatever they can do to worsen the misery, they will do.

China itself is a huge bubble, but they have a dictatorship and can implement measures a bit more decisively – however, it is a big deal economically for them if Europe stops buying Chinese goods.

In the best of worlds –

Ukraine continues with what they are doing and the asymmetric warfare increases pressure in Russia; at some point, they will no longer be able to hold together and the country falls into internal power struggles/civil war/popular uprising – something like that.

Over time, Russia is split into about a dozen new countries, Belarus chooses the EU, and Kaliningrad becomes demilitarized.

This is what Ukraine is striving for and it is not unattainable at all – probably even likely if Europe just stops holding Ukraine back.

It wouldn’t be entirely bad for us if Ukraine chooses to fight the Russian Baltic Fleet at the quay or sinks the Kasatanov, for example – if they managed Novorossiysk, they can manage that, but we have repeatedly asked them to calm down with the Baltic Sea.

The USA will probably withdraw back into its shell soon; that would be a logical reaction if they do not very soon achieve military success in Iran or go to war with China. Trump apparently has some room to maneuver, but he is not unreachable at all – November will be a first litmus test.

If we stop buying Chinese goods, China will not do particularly well at all. China is a damn puppet master behind half of the misery in the world now. But they have also incurred enormous costs with Russia, their military expansion, their geographic expansion, and their manufacturing industry. They are a bubble that can explode in a green puff of smoke with pressure on the right points. If the EU invokes the CO2 footprint on Chinese products as too high and closes the door, we will have come a long way.

EU and Europe today consist of 27 countries with 27 governments that all think differently – that is a weakness but also a strength. For example, it guarantees that we do not go full dictator.

If we can just ride out the Russian beaver, we never needed to go into full war economy because we let Ukraine take the whole hit.

Geographically, together with Ukraine and new prospects for the EU, we are well over 500 million, and we have developed trade agreements with many countries that have oriented themselves towards us.

Europe has every opportunity not to take over as a violent world police at all but through trade and strength do a lot of good.

If we then turn to Africa, we have a whole new market where we can lift them in a fair way (emphasis on fair) that becomes a win-win. We buy what sells and they buy what we sell.

Mine the border with Russia again – never try to let them in the warmth again.

Our relationship with the USA should remain good, but with a USA that has crawled back into its shell, it will be a little different.

Support our friends, push for good trade, and there is a great chance that peace in our time can spread with a strong but friendly EU.

This is where I want to get to, but we have a way to go; showing our teeth now was a good first step.

For me, it is indisputable that a far advanced Russian plan for escalation against us was not at all free fantasies.

Yes, you don’t read about it in established media just as no one has directly written about our huge show-of-force last week, but that does not mean it is not what is going on.

Also, a reminder not to forget to rush to a paid subscription to my Substack – perhaps the most important decision you can make this year if you read the posts and over time feel that everything has not been unfounded speculation. After all, it has been recurring over 4.5 years because we are just ahead of the curve.

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194 thoughts on “Unleash the claws part 2, 24 August 2026”

  2. MXT

    Russian losses in Ukraine 2026-08-24

    • 1490 KIA
    • 1 Tank
    • 9 AFVs
    • 68 Artillery systems
    • 2 MLRS
    • 1 Air defense
    • 1761 UAVs
    • 16 UGVs
    • 554 Vehicles and Fuel tanks
    • 6 Special equipment

    SLAVA UKRAINI

  3. MXT

    Massive Ukrainian attack hits three logistic centers

    ** Major Ukrainian attack reportedly targets 3 Ozon warehouses on 3rd night in row of attacks on Russia’s Wildberries competitor.
    Ukrainian forces struck three logistics centers belonging to Russian e-commerce giant Ozon for the third consecutive night, as several sites, including in occupied Crimea, were also hit, monitoring channels reported Aug. 24. **
    https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-reportedly-targets-russias-krasnodar-setting-warehouses-ablaze-in-major-attack/

    3. MXT

      ** 💥 Currently under attack is the Ozon logistics center in Adygea, near the village of Enem, with an area of ​​​​about 91,200 m² **

    7. MXT

      Omni was faster than the blog today…

      “The Ukrainian military has struck the Russian e-commerce giant Ozon for the third night in a row, writes Kyiv Independent. Three of the company’s warehouses are reported to have been hit.

      Ozon states that a “major fire” is raging at one of the company’s warehouses in Krasnodar in southern Russia.

      Ozon is called, just like the country’s other major e-commerce giant Wildberries, “Russia’s Amazon” and Ukraine claims that the companies sell and transport goods to the Russian army.

      The companies have lost several billion dollars due to Ukraine’s attacks, according to AFP.”
      https://omni.se/rysk-e-handelsjatte-utsatt-for-ukrainsk-attack-igen/a/wr0p31

  6. MXT

    Ukrainian General Staff Morning Report

    Operational information as of 08:00 on August 24, 2026, regarding the Russian invasion

    Glory to Ukraine!

    The 1643rd day of the Russian Federation’s full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine has begun.

    In the past day, a total of 231 combat contacts were recorded.

    Yesterday, the attacker carried out 95 airstrikes with 299 guided aerial bombs, used 10,747 kamikaze drones for attacks, and conducted 3,110 shellings against our troops’ positions and communities, of which 29 were with rocket artillery.

    Hostile artillery shelling affected the communities of Neskuchne, Bachivsk, Rohizne, Ulanove, Sopych, Korenok, Shpyl, Budky, Volfyne, and Yastrubshchyna in the Sumy region, as well as Kryvusha and Semenivka in the Chernihiv region. The enemy also conducted an airstrike on the area around Tovstodubove.

    In the past day, the defense forces’ aviation, missile units, and artillery hit eight areas of concentration of enemy personnel, six command posts for unmanned aerial vehicles, five artillery systems, one command post, one communications node, two rocket artillery systems, and one radar station belonging to the Russian attackers.

    In the northern Slobozhansky and Kursk sectors, our defenders repelled six enemy assault attempts during the past day. At the same time, the attacker carried out an airstrike, dropped an aerial bomb, and conducted 95 shellings against our troops’ positions and communities.

    In the southern Slobozhansky sector, Ukrainian units repelled nine enemy attacks. The attackers attempted to advance towards Okhrimivka, Symynivka, Kruhlyi, and Zarubynka, as well as in the area around Vovtjansk.

    In the Kupiansk sector, the enemy conducted 16 offensive operations towards Radkivka and Kupiansk.

    Attempts to break into our defense were repelled in the Lyman sector, where the occupiers carried out 14 attacks towards the communities of Stepove, Chervonyi Stav, Druzheliubivka, Novyi Myr, Drobysheve, Lyman, and Novoselivka.

    In the Sloviansk sector, the enemy conducted eight assault attempts in the areas around Ozerne, Kryva Luka, and Zakitne.

    In the Kramatorsk sector, the Russian attackers conducted an offensive operation towards Yurkivka.

    In the Kostiantynivka sector, 35 attacks were recorded. The attackers conducted assault operations in the areas around Kostiantynivka, Illinivka, Toretske, Sofiivka, and Dovha Balka, as well as towards the communities of Stepanivka, Pavlivka, Rusyn Yar, and Vilne.

    In the Pokrovsk sector, the enemy conducted 20 attacks. The occupiers attempted to advance towards the communities of Bilytske, Novyi Donbas, Svitlé, Serhiivka, Hannivka, Shevchenko, Matiashéve, and Novopavlivka, as well as in the areas around Dorozhnie and Udachne.

    In the Oleksandrivka sector, the attackers launched an attack towards Nove Zaporizhzhia.

    In the Huliaipole sector, the occupiers attacked our defenders’ positions six times. The enemy attempted to advance towards the communities of Verkhnia Tersa, Staroukrainka, and Hirke, as well as in the areas around Zaliznychne and Tsvitkove.

    In the Orikhiv sector, our defenders repelled two enemy attempts to advance towards Pavlivka and Novoandriivka.

    In the Prydniprovsk sector, the enemy conducted no offensive operations.

    In the Volyn and Polissya sectors, no signs have been detected that the occupiers are forming offensive force groupings.

    The total losses of the Russian attackers in the past day amounted to 1,490 personnel. Additionally, one tank, nine armored combat vehicles, 68 artillery systems, two rocket artillery systems, one air defense system, 16 ground-based missile systems, 1,761 unmanned aerial vehicles, 554 vehicles, and six units of special equipment were neutralized.

    Join the defense forces! Together we will win! Glory to Ukraine!

  7. MXT

    👍

    ** UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will visit Ukraine today on his first overseas trip since taking office. He is expected to announce British support for expanding Ukraine’s domestic production of long-range missiles.

    Britain will allow MBDA to release classified information on British-made components of the SCALP cruise missile, helping France and Ukraine establish local assembly lines.

    Burnham will also meet President Zelensky and co-chair a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. “Ukraine’s security is our security,” Burnham said. **

    https://bsky.app/profile/stratcomcentre.bsky.social/post/3mtslxcjk5z2h

    2. MXT

      “The United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham makes his international debut today when he visits Ukraine on the country’s Independence Day, several media outlets report.

      Burnham is set to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and participate in a meeting with the ‘coalition of the willing’ organization, which the UK leads together with France and Germany.

      Burnham, who took office this summer, is expected to emphasize that British support for Ukraine will continue as before.

      – I want the Ukrainian people to hear directly from me that our support will not waver, he says in a statement according to Bloomberg.”
      https://omni.se/burnhams-forsta-utlandsresa-som-premiarminister-lovar-stotta-ukraina/a/aJyd37
      Locked:
      https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-23/burnham-enters-world-stage-with-debut-foreign-trip-to-ukraine

    1. Proxima

      Svea is owned by SLU, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. An almost identical vessel is m/s Skagerak, which is owned by the University of Gothenburg. On board these ships are researchers who can conduct advanced investigations on the seabed. But here it concerns the marine life in the sea. I am somewhat doubtful about using these ships for defense purposes. We have 5 minehunter vessels that are fully capable of checking what is happening beneath the surface, with trained military personnel.
      If that were the case, it would be that military personnel accompany Svea because the ship has features that the minehunter vessels lack. The minehunter vessels in Karlskrona are currently being upgraded, so it is conceivable that Svea is used as a complement.

  10. MXT

    ** ANALYSIS: Independent Ukraine at 35: State-Building Under Immense Pressure
    In brief: Thirty-five years after declaring independence, Ukraine has built democratic institutions, an active civil society and a distinct European identity while confronting economic upheaval, incomplete reforms and more than a decade of Russian aggression. **
    https://www.kyivpost.com/analysis/81905

  12. MXT

    Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) is traveling to Kyiv on Monday to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day. She states in a press release from the government offices that Sweden is “unwavering” in its support.

    – I look forward to visiting Ukraine once again. When Ukraine declared independence 35 years ago, it was the beginning of a path away from oppression – for freedom, for democracy, and for the right to peacefully choose its future, she says.

    1. MXT

      Lovely, thank you! Inspiring that the ratio is holding!
      If I interpret it correctly, have the unlocalized now surpassed the localized? Or are they exactly equal?

      1. 205

        Not today, but yesterday.

         

        The whole of August, from the latest high:

        0.9576271186

        1.032

        0.8878504673

        0.8449612403

        0.8870967742

        1.133928571

        0.8625954198

        0.7878787879

        0.737704918

        0.6884057971

        0.8048780488

        0.871559633

        0.6808510638

        0.8596491228

        0.660130719

        0.723880597

        1.123809524

        1.026086957

        0.947761194

        0.9473684211

        0.8225806452

        0.7844827586

        0.8571428571

        0.8692307692

         

         

  15. MXT

    OZON

    Posted a post higher up where Ozon had dropped 12%. Apparently, that was just the beginning; it has since dropped twice as much.

    Unlike Wildberries, Ozon is publicly traded, so we can follow the market’s reactions in a different way. This also means that it is not only Ozon and their customers (businesses and individuals) who are financially affected. Shareholders will likely also lose significant money if the stock does not recover, and for Ozon, this could lead to secondary consequences such as more expensive loans, etc.

    AFK Sistema is an investment company that in turn owns a large part of Ozon, and they also see their stock decline, although not quite as much.

    Here is the top ten list of companies included in MOEX that are performing the worst right now:

    And before I could post, I saw that Ozon is now at -28.2%.. 😄

    By the way, it might be worth mentioning that they had already dropped significantly earlier; currently, they are down 49% over the past three months.

      1. MXT

        Unfortunately, it has recovered now when I checked. Only -10%, but there will probably be more holes in OZON’s stock that can help it further down.

  20. MXT

    ** Three pieces of worm aviation were hunted down: Su-33, MiG-29, Orion strike-reconnaissance UAV, plus an entire zoo of enemy air defense elements: 8 radar systems, an S-400 battalion position in Gelendzhik, and 2 air defense systems: Tor + Pantsir. 11 of the 14 targets were successfully struck in the swamps in Rostov Oblast and Krasnodar Krai, russia, with the other three in Crimea. A colorful assortment of contraptions:

    🔥Su-33 fighter jet, Vityazevo, Krasnodar Krai, russia, 1st Separate Center, USF

    🔥MiG-29 fighter jet, Vityazevo, Krasnodar Krai, russia, 1st Separate Center, USF

    🔥Orion UAV, Vityazevo, Krasnodar Krai, russia, 1st Separate Center, USF

    🔥Tor air defense system, Pudovyi, Rostov Oblast, russia, 1st Separate Center, USF

    🔥Nebo-U radar, Dolotinka, Rostov Oblast, russia, 1st Separate Center, USF

    🔥Nebo-U radar, Sevastopol, Crimea, 9th Battalion “Kairos,” 414th Brigade, USF “Magyar’s Birds”

    🔥Kasta 2E2 radar, Latonovo, Rostov Oblast, russia, 1st Separate Center, USF

    🔥Podlyot radar, Pryhybskyi, Krasnodar Krai, russia, 1st Separate Center, USF

    🔥36D6M radar, Uiutne, Crimea, 20th Brigade, USF “K-2”

    🔥Kasta 2E2 radar, Shabelskoe, Krasnodar Krai, russia, 1st Separate Center, USF

    🔥Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system, Yeysk, Krasnodar Krai, russia, 1st Separate Center, USF

    🔥S-400 “Triumf” air defense system position, Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai, russia, 413th Separate Regiment, USF “Raid”

    🔥ST-68 radar, Yevpatoriya, Crimea, 1st Separate Center, USF

    🔥Podlyot radar, Holovativka, Rostov Oblast, russia, 1st Separate Center, USF

    Happy National Flag Day of Ukraine!🇺🇦 We will stand. Moscow will fall. USF online scoreboard “PIDRAKHUYKA” sbs-group.army MAGYAR🇺🇦 23.08.26 ** Movie: https://x.com/414magyarbirds/status/2091487506071961775

  21. MXT

    Zelenskyy:

    ** The fate of Ukraine and our Independence is determined by the daily efforts of everyone who defends our country and helps it stand strong. And it is important for all of us to remember the price at which our freedom is won. To honor all those who fought and continue to fight for Ukraine. And to be grateful to everyone who contributes to keeping Ukraine free. Today, together, we honored the memory of our fallen heroes at the Wall of Remembrance in Kyiv. Eternal gratitude to all who defended and continue to defend our country. Eternal memory to our defenders who gave their lives defending Ukraine. ** Movie:
    https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2091805539495723465

  22. MXT

    ** A Hungarian Jas Gripen plane has crashed in Hungary, reports Reuters citing Prime Minister Péter Magyar. The aircraft belonged to the country’s air force.

    The pilot managed to eject before the crash occurred. The incident took place in Szolnok in the central parts of the country.

    “An investigation is ongoing and the Minister of Defense is on the way to the site,” Magyar writes on Facebook. **
    https://omni.se/ungerskt-gripen-plan-har-kraschat-i-ungern/a/GxngGQ

  23. MXT

    Off-Topic, the climate:

    “91 percent of Swedish white-collar workers are somewhat worried that climate change will lead to extreme weather and accidents in Sweden already this year. This emerges from a new Novus survey by the trade union central organization TCO.

    55 percent also believe that the municipality where they live is poorly or very poorly prepared to handle climate-related events.

    – While the fires rage, the government and parliament are lowering the gasoline tax instead of discussing how we should reduce emissions and increase preparedness. That is the wrong way, says TCO’s chairperson Therese Svanström in a press release.”
    https://omni.se/91-procent-ar-oroliga-for-effekterna-av-varmare-klimat/a/Gxn279

  25. MXT

    Off-Topic, the US national debt and economy

    One of Trump’s campaign promises (one of the few sensible ones) was to reduce the national debt. That hasn’t really gone so well.

    It continues to increase and has now, according to public estimates, passed 100.6% of GDP, and if you count the entire public sector, it is up to 126% of GDP. The biggest problem is, of course, the interest costs.
    https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/23/economy/national-debt-40-trillion

    (It’s no wonder his approval ratings continue to fall. The tariffs were basically a failure and have not brought in the large sums of money he promised, and have mostly contributed to inflation and poor relations with the US’s allies. He has partly solved migration, but dissatisfaction remains high with the way he has handled it, and he is far from his goals there as well. The Epstein files were not released in full, etc. etc.)

     

      1. MXT

        👍

        I think he is absolutely right there. Sooner or later, they (and other countries) will have to do something about it.

        I’m sure many people realize that too, and I guess quite a few actually voted for Trump because they believed he would tackle it.

        His solution was to bring in Musk to run Doge, but they haven’t really been able to show that they actually succeeded in making any savings worth mentioning.

        The problem is probably that it will be quite difficult to solve, which is why neither Republicans nor Democrats have wanted to take it seriously.

        We in Sweden have managed quite well so far when it comes to debt. Now we have taken on quite a bit, and that’s not wrong when it comes to support for Ukraine and our rearmament, but many election promises feel off the wall, as does borrowing to keep gasoline prices down.

        1. Pehr

          We were also very lucky with the timing of our debt crisis in the nineties and were able to clean up at a time when the Russian bastards were licking their wounds after the USSR collapse.

  26. MXT


    416 parties are participating in the election – a new record


    More parties than ever will take part in this year’s election, according to the Election Authority in a press release. In total, there are 416 parties spread across elections for municipal councils, regional councils, and the parliament.


    At the parliamentary level, in addition to the eight parliamentary parties, there are also a number of returning small parties such as the Donald Duck Party, the Communist Party, Alternative for Sweden, and the Nyans Party.


    The number of participating parties also increased in the last election.


    I myself tried to register the “Ukraine Party,” but unfortunately was three days too late. They must have the application 30 days before the election. Of course, you can vote for anything, but if a party is not registered, the votes are simply invalidated. If it is registered, the votes are reported.


    My idea was that you could vote for the Ukraine Party if you otherwise planned to vote blank (or planned to stay on the couch) but still wanted to show your support for Ukraine. As a guide to those who will govern the country.


    If the party, against all odds, received enough votes, it would only advocate issues concerning Ukraine (and the situation of Ukrainians in Sweden) and abstain from voting on all other matters.


    Hopefully, the war will be over in four years; otherwise, I’ll just have to be earlier next time.

  27. MXT

    Off-Topic, the tariffs against Canada

    “After the failed tariff talks between Canada and the USA over the weekend, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney sees little chance for new negotiations before the US midterm elections. This is reported by Bloomberg citing sources.

    Canada refuses to give in to Washington’s demands, and is now instead outlining a support package for industries affected by the tariffs.

    – We will support the business sector as long as needed, longer than the current administration’s lifespan if necessary, said Prime Minister Mark Carney over the weekend.”
    https://omni.se/kallor-kanada-ser-liten-chans-for-tullsamtal-fore-mellanarsvalet/a/bOaBL3

    1. MXT

      I was thinking there. You are the king.

      It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to become something as silly as a party leader or prime minister; you have to take power by force and not through some lousy democratic election!

    2. MXT

      I was otherwise thinking of appointing The Old One as party leader.
      You can become the speechwriter while I handle the proofreading so it doesn’t get too far off track..

  29. johan No.1

    We have something new for this year as well, the Vision Party in Malmö besides Nyans.

    We will see if they make a difference locally, they are out on social media with things that attract their target audience and if they gain influence, they will probably push such things.

    I am curious if we have reached the level where they can take over a municipality, which would be bad.

    416 parties is completely crazy many 😳

    How many were there in the last election?

    1. MXT

      Soon we will have as many parties as voters! 😂

      In 2022, there were 103 who participated in the parliamentary election, 130 in the regional elections, and 328 in the municipal elections.

      The corresponding numbers this year are 165, 173, and 380.

      Of course, there is some overlap as the same party participates in several of the elections.

       

  31. johan No.1

    The USA is tricky.

    They want Ukraine’s “wealth” but make an enemy of Canada, which is balancing between turning to China or the EU, both of which are counterparts to the USA.

    Try to understand that 😳

     

  32. johan No.1

    Well Pehr, Burnham so far is right on a few important issues.

    That’s good 👍

    He could have isolated himself but chose not to do that

  33. MXT

    In July, three Ukrainians were killed when a drone struck a gas station in Zaporizhzhia. Experts, the military, and police investigators all agree that the drone was entirely controlled by an experimental AI system, reports the New York Times.

    Human pilots are said to have guided the drone to a specific area, and once there, the drone itself chose the target.

    Colonel Serhiy Minayev, head of Zaporizhzhia’s air defense, is concerned and says that weapons fully controlled by AI pose a threat to the entire world. He fears that the development will continue.

    – In a few years, we will be living in a “Terminator” movie. This is no joke.
    https://omni.se/ai-styrd-dronare-dodade-tre-ukrainare-snart-lever-vi-i-en-terminator-film/a/QJ3BWR

  34. johan No.1

    One should not underestimate the USA at all, and they have already shown a willingness to defend the petrodollar with force.

    They are good at triggering a financial crisis that they manage to export to someone else.

    In the best of worlds, they turn against China and leave us alone with Russia.

    The EU must be quick with Canada, they are an important member of the EU.

    1. MXT

      No, I am not underestimating the US’s ability to cause trouble. The last crisis also started there and then spread. Unfortunately, we are very dependent on them, so they pull us down as well. Of course, they have to defend the dollar; if confidence in it is lost, they would have serious problems. 

      But I’m not sure that’s really what has happened now. It feels more like Trump was unlucky when he started a war without sensible planning and anchoring among his partners, and then he’s left holding the bag.

      The US has been lucky that inflation hasn’t actually surged more than it has. Now it’s ordinary people who have had to take the hit with real wage cuts. Higher costs but not corresponding wage increases. If demands for wages start to escalate because people want compensation, inflation will rise even more.

      It would be very good if we could take the opportunity to bring Canada closer to us. 👍

    1. MXT

      Yes, one would probably assume that. China is significantly ahead when it comes to laser technology.

      They probably want to have them field-tested.

  38. MXT

    Off-Topic

    I wonder if it’s not time to review the recruitment routines if you have to buy out managers in such numbers.
    Otherwise smart to become a manager, make yourself impossible, get bought out, then move on to the next municipality. 😂

    Unless, of course, it is a question of structural problems, then the problem is much worse.

    “Municipalities and regions paid over 260 million kronor to buy out managers last year, according to a survey by the union Vision’s magazine Chefen i fokus. A total of 472 managers were bought out in 2025.

    – It is disgraceful that so much money is spent on buying out managers. This money needs to go to core operations, says teacher Pablo Mendoza to TV4 News.

    Vision describes the buyouts as a growing phenomenon and argues that managers too often have to bear the blame for structural problems.”
    https://omni.se/chefer-koptes-ut-for-260-miljoner-bedrovligt/a/7p4gBv

    1. MXT

      Are you aiming to become a manager within the municipality now? Maybe you can start by becoming one at the local building office so you can also get your house renovations done exactly the way you want?

  40. MXT

    Off-Topic, the war in Iran and D-day

    “China is identified as the key when the US tonight is set to present powerful economic measures against Iran. President Donald Trump has promised an ‘economic D-day’ and warned that ‘enormous’ consequences await the countries that continue to trade with Iran.

    Trump must get China, which accounts for about 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil exports, on board, writes John Liu in CNN. He does not believe that China will care about Trump’s threats and emphasizes that there are few ways for the US to put pressure on Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    ‘Trump has every reason to prevent tensions between the world’s two largest economies from flaring up again,’ he writes.

    David Pierson and Berry Wang had a similar analysis in the New York Times over the weekend. They argue that China does not need to worry about Trump’s latest threats – if they indeed become reality. China holds a very strong trump card:

    ‘A major reason why the pressure could backfire on the US is that China has the ability to stop deliveries of critical minerals to American companies.’

    The Chinese minerals are, among other things, important for American manufacturing of vehicles, phones, and weapons.”
    https://omni.se/analyser-trump-behover-xi-for-att-komma-at-iran/a/vrz17L

  42. MXT

    😢😡

    ** Russian drone strikes residential building in central Chernihiv, injuring at least 20, including 3 children, on Ukraine’s Independence Day.
    “Cynical strike by Russian terrorists on a residential building in Chernihiv. Right in the middle of the day — on Independence Day,” Chernihiv Oblast Governor Viacheslav Chaus said. **
    https://kyivindependent.com/russian-drone-strikes-residential-building-in-central-chernihiv-injuring-at-least-15/

  44. MXT

    Russia has held a readiness exercise in the exclave of Kaliningrad between Lithuania and Poland, sources told the Wall Street Journal. According to the newspaper’s information, Russian officers have been flown in from Saint Petersburg to review procedures ahead of a possible mobilization. Western intelligence sources say that this is one of several readiness exercises that have been conducted. However, no final decision on a new mobilization is said to have been made. According to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia plans to mobilize an additional 300,000 soldiers later this year.

    https://omni.se/a/wr0JlG

  48. MXT

    USA has launched “Operation economic outcast” to economically isolate the Iranian regime, says Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a press conference on Monday evening. As part of the initiative, new sanctions are being imposed on more than 60 individuals, companies, and vessels that, according to the US, help Iran acquire nuclear and missile technology, generate oil revenues, and conduct cyber operations, writes the Wall Street Journal. – There should be no doubt about the US stance: Anyone who has economic ties with this murderous regime should expect to face the full force of the US government, says Bessent. In an opinion piece in the Financial Times on Sunday, Bessent wrote that the US goal is to “cut every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime, until Tehran stands alone.”

  49. johan No.1

    Starting to wonder if the USA is crashing itself in this fight.

    The MENA countries that usually buy are having problems.

    China wants to topple.

    Europe has the euro and will not miss the chance to come out on top if we can.

    Japan is standing and trembling.

     

    2. MXT

      Hope not. We’ve been hearing about that for over a year. I think Zelensky wants Ukraine to be seen as the adult in the room who is ready to negotiate peace, while at the same time he is probably quite sure that nothing will come of it.

      1. schoolbook

        What one can hope for is that if Russia at some point would be positive towards similar proposals, Ukraine adds: “And of course, we want to have all the kidnapped children back.”

        A little more focus on this could probably make support for Ukraine rise again if it were to waver. At Sergels torg yesterday, it didn’t feel like it was wavering anyway.

  57. Pehr

    ”A former member of the Russian protest group Pussy Riot was recruited by the intelligence service FSB to spy on other activists, writes The Independent.
    Margarita Konovalova founded the movement together with 14 other women in 2011. According to her own account, she has been leaking information about artists and other Pussy Riot members since 2023.
    Konovalova says she became an informant out of fear that her relatives would be killed, and that the recruitment process was exactly “like in the movies.”
    – They said I would never be able to prove who murdered my mother, she says.
    She was recently smuggled out of Russia and talks about the cooperation in order to help others in a similar situation.”
    https://omni.se/a/oE8GE7

  58. Pehr

    Part 2 of Scott Lucas with #Ukraine journalists Daniel Tkiie and Sofia Nazarenko

    1. Analyzing interaction between #Russia’s invasion, #Ukraine’s domestic politics, and possible interference by #ElonMusk

    2. Effect of former Defense Minister #MykhailoFedorov’s call for elections during wartime amid reports that he may soon visit the US.

    3. Possible benefit of getting Musk’s consent to use Starlink for drone strikes inside Russia, including on ballistic missile sites

    4. But concern that Musk may be considering an intervention with Fedorov to undermine or even replace President #Zelensky

    Recorded August 20, 2026
    https://youtu.be/ERD8u8rYBAE?is=NeEk19W6-B2sxU7b

    1. 205

      Iran is not implementing the sanctions against Russia. Instead, the country is actively undermining the main purpose of the sanctions, which is to get Russia to cease its aggression against Ukraine. This opposition has notably manifested itself in military cooperation with Putin’s “special operation,” which is justified by the desire to eliminate a Ukrainian leader, according to the Kremlin, who is “drug-using” and “Nazi” in the form of Zelenskyy, of Jewish descent, who has been in power in Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion. This cooperation has been expressed, among other things, in Iran’s support for the Russian military’s missile forces that attack and extinguish civilian lives every night.

      Why is trade with this country even an issue? Why is it seen as directed against us?

       

      Why is everyone so benevolent and sympathetic towards Iran? Is yet another covert visit to the regime looming?

      1. Pehr

        Flattering Iran is truly offensive.
        A regime that terrorizes both its surroundings as well as its own population.
        Equally unbelievable that the USA is trying to reach some sort of new “deal”.

        1. 205

          As mentioned, the fact that the USA imposes sanctions on a European institution that, despite sanctions, trades with Iran, which was the context, is perceived as offensive!? A threat? A problem?

          It is precisely this navel-gazing world perspective that has significantly set Europe behind in world events, and diminished our relevance as a global player.

          Good night.

  62. MXT

    Good morning!

    1230 KWIA

    9 AFVs

    48 Artillery systems

    2 MLRS

    1 Air defense system

    1555 UAVs

    10 UGVs

    448 Vehicles and Fuel tanks

    7 Special equipment

  64. Pehr

    ”A third drone has been found in connection with the investigation of the suspected attempted attack on the airport in Leipzig in early August. This is reported by several German media outlets citing sources.
    The drone was found on August 14, ten days after a drone with explosives was found near a Ukrainian airplane. Experts have pointed to Russia as responsible.
    The new drone is also said to have contained explosives.”
    (Strangely illustrated in Omni’s article)
    https://omni.se/a/JORAxX

  70. johan No.1

    is apparently secdef code if you look at the comments.

    Has any USA flown to Russia without fanfare?

     

    (remembered that edit existed)

  78. johan No.1

    WNBA has some problems with what counts as women’s sports, so now a bunch of male basketball players have decided that enough is enough.

    They are going to take it to the extreme.

    Besides being brilliant, the next logical step is how the discussion will go.

    Male basketball players in lower leagues earn 10% of what they can get in the WNBA, so there are some who would gladly move up if possible.

    This is therefore irony, but they are doing it with the purpose of protecting the WNBA entirely on their own initiative.

    https://x.com/highway_30/status/2091982456450920693?s=46&t=Vah3JXV31B9lXwZOK5gF7w

  81. alfaomega

    Does MTX have a lot of work?
    Good news today is that the Armed Forces have gone to the government to expropriate the Russian’s house at the Muskö base. It’s unbelievable that any civilian was allowed to buy that land at all, and even worse, the building permit that was granted…..

    1. johan No.1

      Well, Russia, China, and Iran have been allowed to operate undisturbed for many years to weaken us.

      We have quite big problems with all sorts of things and previous decisions are completely insane but what’s done is also done.

      There is nothing that stops purges when the situation moves towards more conflict, so then this kind of thing is actually good.

       

  82. Pehr

    A little encouragement during the election campaign
    “Everything is going to hell, according to domestic political debate. Not at all, says the message from abroad: Sweden has actually figured out the solution.
    Anders Q Björkman
    Published 2026-08-23 10:47
    Updated 2026-08-23 13:16
    This is a column. Any opinions expressed are the author’s own.
    Anyone who intends to listen to the party leaders in all the debates that follow one after another right up to election day risks ending up with the impression that the Swedish economy and thus our country are completely going to hell. “Ordinary hard-working people” can no longer afford food and rent, and this at the same time as higher taxes will “chase the rich out of the country.” We are threatened by “record-high unemployment” and “economic catastrophe.”

    And it will get even worse – no matter which bloc wins the election, our elected representatives make it sound like that.

    Those who view Sweden from the outside, however, see something completely different, something much brighter and more successful.

    When Mario Draghi, former ECB chief and Italian prime minister, presented his otherwise gloomy report on European competitiveness 2024, he highlighted one exception and role model for other European countries: Sweden. Here there is “an IT sector that is more than twice as productive as the EU average” and we Swedes “show that a strong social model and technological success /…/ are compatible.”

    In December last year, Draghi was supported by The Economist, which stated that “Stockholm is Europe’s new capital of capital,” because “Sweden is the only country in Europe that has a functioning capital market.” European companies, they wrote, turn here when they want to raise new capital without having to turn to the USA.

    Last Thursday, the British magazine came with even more praise: Sweden is something as unusual as a collectivist individualistic society that is so successful that it is now praised in the USA by both left-wing radicals and right-wing hawks.

    And an extra plus is of course that the Swedish population enthusiastically participates in stock trading.

    Our pension system is highlighted as a role model by Friedrich Merz.
    One reason Swedes are so active on the stock market is our pension system – which is highlighted as a role model by Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Germany. There, a commission presented a proposal this summer for Schweden-Rente, that is, a Sweden pension. One of the cornerstones of this reform is that pension savings should be invested in funds, as the Swedish premium pension works.

    In early June, Scott Galloway, an American marketing professor, visited Stockholm to participate in a conference. In a video he posted on YouTube, he stated that Sweden is “a non-European European country” that “has figured out the solution.” We have, said Galloway, “a German industrialization,” low national debt, a purely Californian innovation environment, a “Bernie Sanders-like welfare system,” and manage to “prove that all this can coexist.” The keyword is trust, he said during his walk through Stockholm: “What a wonderful place!”

    Of course, not all foreigners agree with that last point – SVT recently highlighted the American tourist Renne, who in a viral video clip on social media called Stockholm “dead” and “the most boring destination ever,” fully comparable to Salt Lake City.

    Our country’s real strength lies in “an outstanding ability to reach consensus.”
    But if we stick to the economy, the Indian-American journalist and political scientist Fareed Zakaria also delivers a Sweden tribute, which aired on CNN this week. In American fashion, he praises that Sweden has gone from “democratic socialism” to “an entrepreneurial market economy,” but makes a point that our country’s real strength lies in “an outstanding ability to reach consensus” and “a culturally conditioned readiness to change when the old model stops working.”

    So why all this gloom among the Swedish party leaders? My advice to them: Hold back on the dystopias in the series of broadcast debates, duels, and interrogations you have ahead of you (P1 4/9, TV4 8/9, SVT 9/9, TV4 10/9, SVT 11/9 and TV4 12/9). Rather highlight that our country is incredibly well-functioning and wealthy – and how you want this to remain or develop.

    Cheerful inspiration.
    Cheerful inspiration. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT
    After all these pats on the back from abroad, you should be able to allow yourselves more of the cheerful forward spirit that – in sharp contrast to the tone in the TV debates – characterizes this year’s election posters (which I admittedly mocked earlier this week – I know, I am not easy to please…).

    Try to see life a little more positively and – like the foreigners I have just quoted – believe in Sweden (as the message on the Christian Democrats’ poster reads), show that we actually live in a country that can do better (the Centre Party’s slogan) and that therefore absolutely should be taken seriously (à la the Social Democrats), not least because we are so incredibly good at getting things done (according to the Moderates’ slogan).”
    https://www.svd.se/a/e76n3O/utlanningar-hyllar-sveriges-ekonomi

  83. Pehr

    ” Spain is overhauling migration legislation after tens of thousands of people crossed the border from Morocco to the exclave of Ceuta in July. This was stated by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska following a government meeting on Tuesday, according to Bloomberg.
    Asylum applications will be processed directly at the border, or investigated within a maximum of twelve weeks during which the asylum seeker must “be at the disposal of the authorities.”
    – This does not mean that any application for international protection will be left unprocessed, says the Interior Minister according to RTVE.
    Irregular migrants, that is, people who cross the border without passing through a border control as in the Ceuta crisis, will be held in custody for up to 72 hours and undergo health checks and biometric data registration while decisions are made about where they will be sent next.”
    https://omni.se/a/0pX1m0

  87. johan No.1

    This is damn ridiculous now 😡😡

    The USA didn’t send anyone to Ukraine, Pence and Kellogg went on their own accord and they are not part of the administration.

    Kushner and Witkoff are canceling their trip to Ukraine.

    And the CIA chief is secretly going to Russia.

    It’s easy to see that our show of force last week has shaken the Russians, so now all American presence should be out of Europe pronto – just waiting for that.

    Or some economic move against us via Iran…

    https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/25/cia-director-ratcliffe-arrives-in-moscow-on-secret-visit-us-reports-claim

    1. maggan

      The CIA chief is obviously not a world champion at sneaking around. This must have been a trip he wanted to be official. Maybe a warning against dealing with Iran?

  89. johan No.1

    There MUST still be sensible people in the USA who at some point feel that it is going too far?

    Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and a few others are allies with the USA.

    Anyway, I believe that within a few months we will have black and white on where the USA stands in all this.

    1. CB500four

      Surely there are sensible ones, but as soon as they open their mouth, the broom comes out.

      Trump does not want allies, he wants vassal states, like Russia has. He wants to be able to decide over their domestic and foreign policy and trade.

      The agreements he makes should be made behind closed doors; democratic processes are just a hassle for him.

      The agreements and alliances made before Trump he considers automatically bad.

      He is a dangerous man in the completely wrong place, but I believe that he is gradually starting to lose his grip. One can only hope that it is not Miller who takes over then.

       

  91. johan No.1

    205 – didn’t manage to respond before because I am stuck with the world’s worst travel schedule for the vacation.

    Iran is going to be scrubbed so damn hard.

    Europe trades with Iran, we buy Russian LNG, we sell equipment to Russia and so on – USELESS.

    But my concern was that the USA is using Iran as a pretext to scrub a big bank in Europe ahead of the upcoming financial crisis. Then we become the scapegoat again this time as well.

    We’ll see 😀

  93. Pehr

    More about Krasnov regarding his love for Kim.
    “Donald Trump’s decision to cancel planned military exercises with South Korea is causing concern among other Asian countries, several Reuters writers write in an analysis.
    Japan worries about ending up in Trump’s crosshairs, Taiwan is closely monitoring the upcoming US-China meeting, and India is becoming increasingly uncertain about the strategic role they play for the president, they write.
    SVT’s Stefan Åsberg notes that South Korea’s government officially says that Trump’s approach to North Korea gives diplomacy a greater chance. But beneath the surface there is concern and a “deep domestic political conflict.” Left-wing forces want dialogue while conservatives want to see military deterrence in the relationship with the neighboring country.
    – The decision came completely without warning, which creates uncertainty, he says.”
    https://omni.se/a/q675bO

  94. CB500four

    Very interesting writings in the past few days.

    I was a bit doubtful about Ratcliffe, whether he is a similarly senseless puppet like, for example, Hegseth, but he seems sharp and has also been Director of the CIA from 2020 to 2021, so him going to Moscow might actually be good.

    One can ask what the purpose is, but as Gregg wrote, the last time a CIA chief went there was before they invaded Ukraine, so something must surely be underway.

    At the same time, there must have been someone in the US who managed to convince Trump to send someone more sensible than his son-in-law and friend. That alone indicates that it is quite serious.

    Maybe Johan’s predictions are starting to come true. The rat is cornered, and moreover, this rat doesn’t even know how bad the situation really is, so the risk is probably imminent that it will do something reckless.

    It could be an attack on the Baltics, but it could also be that the CIA has indications that they have started processes to use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

    Regarding an attack on the Baltics, I think Trump wants to split Europe, because we are too economically strong together, but wants to avoid Russia extending its state terrorism to NATO territory. Not because Trump himself cares about Europe or NATO, but I think he knows there is such strong support for NATO within the US that if Russia were to attack NATO, he would not be able to avoid the US becoming involved, and thus his power would erode, even his “good contact” with Putin would be damaged.

    Regarding the use of nuclear weapons, it has been communicated at some point, I think it was during Biden’s time, that a nuclear attack on Ukraine would be met with a massive attack with conventional weapons against all known Russian bases on land and at sea. Trump has mostly mentioned nuclear weapons in connection with Iran, so it is hard to say what he would do if Russia uses them in Ukraine. I think he would become more confused than usual.

    Exciting times..

  95. Pehr

    ”An autonomous Russian AI drone has killed civilians in Ukraine for the first time. Ukrainian investigators have examined a mini computer from the American company Nvidia with the text ”Made in China” among the drone’s remains. ”Not surprised,” says an FOI expert.
    Image by Jani Sallinen
    Jani Sallinen
    Published 11:33
    Updated 14:35
    The drone looked like an ordinary model airplane from the ground. But it dove and crashed into a wall, exploded, and sent out a hail of metal shrapnel.

    Three civilians died, one of them a 19-year-old student.

    The attack took place near a gas station in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, a month ago. The incident seems to indicate a change on the Russian side, writes the New York Times, which has spoken with the investigators who examined the drone wreckage. The drone was autonomous; it had chosen by itself where to dive with its explosive power.

    The drone’s computer was programmed to hit the gas station. As it approached, it likely targeted large containers of butane gas because its artificial intelligence had been trained specifically on that type of target.

    ”In a few years, we will live in a Terminator movie. This is no joke. Machines make decisions to strike,” says Serhiy Minaiev, colonel in Zaporizhzhia, to the NY Times.

    50,000 AI drones from the USA

    Tomas Malmlöf is a senior researcher and Russia expert at the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), in the department for defense analysis and the Russia and Eurasia project.

    – I am not really surprised that drones are appearing on the Russian side; Russia has evidently obtained Western technology before, says Tomas Malmlöf.

    Drones with AI systems have previously been used by Ukraine. The country’s drone system Hornet, for example, has been trained for thousands of hours on Russian military targets.

    Hornet has succeeded in disrupting and interfering with important logistics chains in Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine.

    In early August this year, the drone system Shrike from the Ukrainian company Skyfall was described by the tech site Ars Technica. Shrike has been upgraded with a higher degree of autonomous AI system from the American-Swiss company Auterion.

    A total of 50,000 such kamikaze drones are expected to be delivered “within a few months,” with the system Skynode S from Auterion, which has been funded by Germany. The first drones were already delivered to Ukraine in July.

    Auterion’s AI system is controlled by humans, targeting an area or region where a target is selected. It can then be released in a ”fire and forget” mode. The system navigates, tracks, and locks onto the designated target to then hit and detonate.

    As long as there is contact with the drone, humans are involved in decision-making; the target can be changed and an attack can always be aborted.

    Available for ordinary consumers

    In the remains of the Russian drone in Zaporizhzhia, a mini computer from the American tech giant Nvidia was found, model Jetson Orin.

    According to Nvidia, it is intended for the ordinary consumer market and is sold to everyone from students to start-ups. The product is not designed for military use, the tech giant told the New York Times.

    Jetson Orin is also not sold directly to Russia, according to the company. But it is available on the second-hand market worldwide. The mini computer in the Russian drone also bore the text ”Made in China,” indicating where the computer was manufactured.

    How the Russian military obtained Nvidia components is not clarified, but it is well known that the country has well-established channels for technology smuggling.

    The same mini computer from Nvidia has, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence service, also been found in a new type of Russian robot (S71M Monokrom), which has been used against Ukraine.

    Tomas Malmlöf, FOI, says that the finding of Nvidia’s component in Russian weapons systems shows that the country continues to develop its own technology, albeit with foreign components.

    – Generally, Russia has been more of a follower in most technology areas, rather than being pioneering and leading in research, he says.

    Ethical debate in the West

    Using fully autonomous weapons systems that are to have decision-making power over human lives is far from a given in a military context. It is likely to become one of the most important debates of our time.

    – My view is that Western countries have had a more advanced ethical debate about how autonomous such AI systems should be. Whether they should make every decision, or whether humans should be in the loop to make the actual decision to engage specific targets, says Tomas Malmlöf, FOI.

    An organization warning about the development is the International Red Cross.

    ”Autonomous weapons are not science fiction in a distant dystopian future. They now constitute a source of serious humanitarian concern that requires an urgent, international political response,” writes the Red Cross on its website.”
    https://www.svd.se/a/e7y4kg/ryssland-utnyttjar-teknik-fran-vast-i-ai-dronare

    1. CB500four

      That was probably expected, and a completely natural evolution, even though it is wrong in so many ways.

      There will certainly be an ethical debate, but just like with landmines, it is a debate that must not influence our decisions as long as it does not affect the enemy either.

      If the Russians have autonomous drones, we should have autonomous counter-drones. They do not need to be trained for offensive purposes but for defensive ones.

      There we have my nightmare again, 10,000 autonomous drones released from the shadow fleet flying over a large coastal city, some programmed to seek out substations and power stations and fly into the large iron mass humming at 50Hz and with a temperature at least 10 degrees above ambient temperature. The rest of the drones fly into the city along the streets and attack anyone who looks like a human.

  98. johan No.1

    Good that we clarified that it “with 95% probability will not happen,” too bad we didn’t get to tell the CIA chief before he went to Moscow.

  99. johan No.1

    The only thing we can probably rule out is that Radcliffe is in Moscow because Putin will increase conventional war in Ukraine.

    Belarus is not joining Russia either.

    It is either, as CB33.2 writes above, to increase tactical nuclear weapons or some mischief against us in Europe.

    And the beautiful picture some world leader posted above suggests that the threat is directed against us.

    —

    How much time do we have?

    If Putin attacks in September, I’ll be damn angry because all my trips in Europe are then 😡

    Probably it will be after the election, and if he needs to mobilize, it won’t be in order before early 2027.

    Last time it happened, the CIA chief went there in November, and Russia had planned to attack earlier but China stopped them.

    A couple of months max?

    —

    Do you need to mobilize for hybrid war, asking a friend.

  100. johan No.1

    Open question – discuss it tomorrow, those of you who are sleeping.

    Has the USA split??????

    Do we have the group that does the right thing and what they must.

    Do we have the pro-Russian team that tries but cannot fully control them?

  105. MXT

    Good morning!

    1450 KWIA

    7 Tanks

    10 AFVs

    74 Artillery systems

    4 MLRS

    1 Air defense system

    1723 UAVs

    9 UGVs

    533 Vehicles and Fuel tanks

    10 Special equipment

    Glory to Ukraine

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