Putin Is Waging War Against Russia Too

As a direct consequence of their country's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, over 300,000 Russians have been killed or wounded, and tens of millions more are economically worse off than they were on February 23, 2022. Although over 70% of Russian respondents continue to tell pollsters that they "personally support the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine," Kremlin-controlled propaganda has largely succeeded in preventing its audience from learning the truth about Russian forces butchering Ukrainian civilians in Bucha, or about the Russian military's use of Russian convicts as cannon fodder, or the ongoing Russian shelling of civilian neighborhoods in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kherson.

There is every reason to believe that, if Russians were aware of why their armed forces were sent into Ukraine and what it has done in the nearly two years since openly attacking, they would be opposed. As late as December 2021, polling showed that only 8% of Russians supported "send[ing] Russian armed forces to participate in battles in Ukraine."

As a likely result of this fact, the Kremlin's domestic propaganda campaign in the weeks leading up to the invasion did not focus on concepts of patriotism, imperialism, or history, nor did it claim that Kyiv would fall "in three days." Instead, Russia's rulers prepared their population for war by claiming right up until the very end that there was no Russian invasion force positioned on Ukraine's borders and that war was anything but "imminent."

The lie worked. In September 2021, only 47% of Russians said that they "would like to see Vladimir Putin in the post of president after the end of his current term in 2024." Yet despite the sanctions, isolation, death, and destruction that Vladimir Putin has brought on his own country in the years since, in December 2023 an all-time high 78% of Russians answered that they hoped to see their president-for-life continue in office following the elections that are slated to be held this coming March.

Contrary to Kremlin officials' increasingly outlandish words, Putin and those around him do not act as if they are involved in an existential struggle against the "Collective West." Their invasion of Ukraine has left Russia's western border—the one with NATO–significantly less physically protected than it was. Instead, the Kremlin acts as if it understands that the real threat to the current regime's continuing rule is domestic. While its forward progress on the battlefield in Ukraine has stalled, its war against Russia itself has—thus far—proven to be a paradoxical success.

Russian casualties in Ukraine have surpassed 450,000 since February 2022, according to figures published by Ukraine's military on Wednesday. Moscow's forces lost 830 troops in the past day, by Kyiv's count, bringing the total number of reported casualties in the more than two years of full-scale war to 450,080. Here's how that compares with Ukraine casualties

By Jon Jackson

Ukraine has relied heavily on drones throughout its war against invading Russian forces, but many of those unmanned aircraft are no longer coming from the United States because of American drones' high cost.

The details of U.S. drones' shortcomings in the Ukraine war were detailed Wednesday in a published report. Along with being too expensive for Kyiv, American drones have not performed well against Russian defenses, according to the story in The Wall Street Journal.

Drones have become a valuable weapon for both sides during the war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022. Military analysts have credited Ukrainian drone strikes for putting Russia on the defensive in the Crimea region, and drones from Kyiv have made it all the way to Moscow.

But after an initial supply of American drones was sent to Ukraine during the early days of the war, Kyiv has increasingly turned to drones from China. The Journal wrote that Kyiv has "found ways to get tens of thousands of drones," along with drone parts, from the communist nation, which has a close alliance with Russia.

Georgii Dubynskyi, the deputy minister of the agency in charge of Ukraine's drone program, told the newspaper that while his country wants to try out more American drones, they are "looking for cost-effective solutions."

Along with high price tags, American drones have been too easy for Russia's defenses to detect. Many U.S.-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been found to be "glitchy and hard to repair," the Journal said, which doesn't justify the price when cheaper Chinese alternatives have gotten the job done on the battlefield.

"The general reputation for every class of U.S. drone in Ukraine is that they don't work as well as other systems," Adam Bry, an executive for Skydio, a Silicon Valley company that outfitted Ukraine with drones, told the Journal.

In a statement to Newsweek, a U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson said the department is "fully aware of the challenges faced by our Ukrainian partners in employing drones in the current conflict environment, particularly in the face of sophisticated Russian electronic warfare capabilities."

"We are working closely with our industry partners and Ukrainian counterparts to address these issues and ensure that the drones provided are as effective, reliable, and resilient as possible," the spokesperson wrote.

The statement added: "The DOD actively collaborates with the defense industry to identify, develop, and field technologies that can meet the rigorous demands of modern combat and electronic warfare environments. We are committed to supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity by providing them with the best possible mix of capabilities to counter Russian aggression.

"While we cannot comment on specific operational details, we continuously evaluate and improve the systems we provide to our allies, incorporating valuable feedback from operational environments to drive iterative improvements and innovations in our military capabilities."

Guy McCardle, managing editor of Special Operations Forces Report (SOFREP), told Newsweek that U.S. drones "no doubt" cost more than Chinese counterparts, "but it is an apples-and-oranges comparison."

"Most American drones are amazingly sophisticated and capable, even though they may be working out a few kinks encountered on the battlefield. This is to be expected as combat technology must constantly be refined and honed to remain cutting-edge," McCardle said. "Cheap Chinese drones are exactly that—stamped out by the millions and sold to both sides in the Ukraine-Russia war."

Meanwhile, Ukraine has made great strides in breaking its dependence on drones from its allies by dramatically ramping up production of domestic UAVs and first-person-view drones, as well as unmanned surface vessels, commonly known as sea drones.

McCardle described Ukrainian drones "as a sort of middle ground" between Chinese and American drones.

"Ukrainian drones, such as the SkyKnight, SHARK and Raybird-3, often utilize components common in the hobbyist drone market, indicating a focus on ease of assembly and operation," he said. These drones are designed for specific tasks like reconnaissance, targeting, and carrying small bombs...The cost difference is significant."

He added: "Ukrainian drones are somewhat effective for their intended limited roles and focus on direct support to military operations and a hands on operational approach."

During a year-end press conference this past December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a goal of domestic drone production reaching 1 million units in 2024.

Last month, Ukrainian Strategic Industries Deputy Minister Hanna Hvozdiar indicated the nation is ahead of schedule. Speaking on local television, she said Kyiv now has the capacity to produce 150,000 drones every month.

"Ukraine is already well past the million mark in terms of production," Hvozdiar said.