Igor Zaytsev's blog

The Dove of Peace, president Rasputin Rasputinovich himself, made a TV appearance, where he “received a briefing” from his best buddy Shoigu, regarding the completion of the Rasputin’s “partial mobilizations”. The other comedian in this farce, the minister of defence Shoigu, was unusually quiet-spoken and jittery in his expressions and responses. Maybe, he feels his heals are starting to smolder above the firepit of the popular rage over his ministry’s conduct in the last 8 months and before.

Yet the Rasputin himself seemed extremely self-confident and decisive. I personally am unable to understand if he is really that stupid not to see what was done by his buddies under his watch, or is he truly believe himself to be above any responsibility? I’m pretty sure he isn’t such a great actor to just fake it.

In any case, the bottom line was as usual — Rasputin instructed the MoD and the authorities to strive for improvements and to fix any issues that were surfaced during the mobilization. It seems he doesn’t think that all his improvements that made the Russian Army into a joke, were apparently enough. I shudder to think what those farther improvements will lead to, considering where all the previous ones led.

For now, those improvements, reportedly, led the Russian MIC to think about restoring the production of the past generation infantry combat vehicles (IFV). By “past generation” I get it means BMP-2, since BMP-3 is still theoretically in production, and the new generation IFV is still nowhere to be seen after almost a decade of “fielding” it. Or, alternatively, the KurganMashZavod plant will instead restore and upgrade the old IFV’s — in the event they wouldn’t be able to restore the 80’s Soviet production line, I’ guessing.

Meantime, the plant is outputting simplified simplified modern IVF. My browser thinks I’ve made a mistake, repeating the same word twice, and it underscored the second “simplified” with a wiggly red line. But in fact, I’m pretty sure it isn’t a mistake. Since the IFV in question is the BMP-2 with added armor and simplified “Epokha” unmanned turret. Simplified, i.e., without all the high-techy devices and new light guided missiles. The unsimplified, original production version was supposed to be a new generation platform, the T-15 Armata, of course. So, in a course of a few decades of peace and less than one year of low intensity (for Russia) war, the future Russian IFV went from T-15, to simplified variant of BMP-2 with full Epokha upgrade, and then to simplified simplified BMP-2 with limited upgrade.

Meantime, the patriotic video clips from the Russian Army’s training grounds show middle aged man loading their T-62’s. Here, from the promised T-14 Armata new generation futuristic main battle tank with active protection system and a more potent main gun, Russian Army went to the Robert Kennedy era tanks with no effective protection against modern AT weapons and with a smaller caliber (than is currently in service) main gun.

The Russian mobilized soldiers (who are for some unholly reason referred in some Russian Media by an oxymoron “mobilized civilians”), are a nostalgic picture of a Soviet military contingent in the Republic of Afghanistan. With their SSh-68 “steel helmet type 1968”, designed to be worn on top of their ushanka fur hats, their AK-74 and simple body armor.

Yet the Shoigu’s “briefing” to Rasputin is meant to fill the hearts of his Russian compatriots with the certainty of the Russian military might to fight and win against their “brotherly nation”. Exactly (?) 300,000 people were mobilized, and about 80,000 of them are already in the conflict zone. Of which some tens of thousands are taking part in the fighting.

I guess those two clown didn’t rehearsed this line good enough, or maybe Shoigu couldn’t read his script straight because of all acknowledgment of his total incompetence, but Rasputin demanded for some explanations for the sake of the people, who still watch government produced spectacles on their TV sets. I suppose those are mostly the elderly, but sadly not exclusively. So, he asked the great general about the rest of eighty thousand who are in the conflict zone, but aren’t taking part in the fighting — are they in fact also still undergoing training, some kind or another? And the Shoigu answered something like: of course they are, it is exactly like Thou sayeth! If Rasputin says the MoD trains its soldiers in the war zone, than that’s how it will be. Sadly, he didn’t elaborate to the reason of training soldiers in the former Ukraine. I guess HIMARS rockets falling on their heads make them learn faster of something.

They (I don’t remember now which one of the two) also reminded to those unwashed morituri, tah they would get paid some rubbles. At least in ancient times then soldiers were sent to fight (and die) in a war, they were given trophies (their enemies’ riches) or lands or something. Here they would get ~200,000 rubles a month, for as many months as they will be able to survive in their T-62’s and their SSh-68’s.

This all happens in the background of my personal realization that if only Rasputin’s Russia had preserved the Soviet Army legacy, this war would be over long ago. But not only under Rasputin’s watch this legacy was looted, wasted and destroyed, the lie of a modern and more efficient army was created. With Su-57’s and T-14’s and netcentric warfare and high-tech drones and best-in-class electronic counter measure systems and what not. Sure, some of it is seen in expositions or on victory parade days, but the reality is 60-80’s era weapons are now doing the real fighting. And those were “modernized” and “optimized” to the point they are talking now about restoring the production of the “older generation IFV’s”. How many did they managed to lose, for God’s sake!?

And a short story. There was a profit whom the God gave a mission of great importance, to save an entire city from destruction. Ancient cities were often actually city states – little countries. Yet the profit feared so much of taking the responsibility for the entire city, even under God’s guidance, he tried to flee, and ended up being eaten by a sea monster. He spent days and weeks inside this monster, until he was finally accepted this mission. You know the story.

My point is, today, people who succeeded in gaining their top position as rulers of their countries, have no sense at all of their personal responsibilities for everyone and everything living under their rule. If they did understand, they would flee from their position of power even if it means risking their own lives. I look at president Rasputin, and even now he looks so comfy in his chair.