ODESSA, UKRAINE—Too often, policymakers in the White House and Pentagon, or pundits on cable news shows, approach war fighting in far off lands with a 6,000-mile screwdriver.
They try dictate strategy and often criticize states for their failure either to follow U.S. practices. Many proponents of and participants in the Iraq and Afghanistan surge, for example, chide allies for not following that playbook without any sense of self-awareness that the surge appeared to sacrifice short-term quiet for long-term chaos in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The ‘6,000-Mile Screwdriver’: Why US Must Stop Dictating to Frontline Allies
Accompanying criticism about failure to follow U.S. diktats is the tendency to chide allies for their refusal to engage in diplomacy with sworn adversaries.
Hence, for decades U.S. diplomats and even many military officials, urged Israel to accept Hezbollah as a fact of life. A sitting U.S. ambassador once told me at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut that “Hezbollah is not a terrorist group” and that Washington would fail in its policy until it accepted that. During the Biden administration, U.S. policy—especially that of Special Energy Envoy—Amos Hochstein was to accommodate the terrorist group.
Hochstein was not alone. Both the Biden and also George W. Bush’s team criticized Israel for its tactics and efforts to fight Hezbollah. Quietly, officials in each administration urged diplomacy with the group, if not directly than through intermediaries like Germany.
Israel shocked the United States with its sabotage of Hezbollah beepers. After years of planning and with an imagination that the U.S. national security and intelligence bureaucracy lacks, it castrated Hezbollah, figuratively and in many cases literally.
The same boldness and creativity marked Israel’s July 31, 2024 assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps safe house in Tehran. While American officials—many of whom have no experience in the military—try to dictate to Israel how to address terrorism and often threaten consequences if Israel does not acquiesce, they remain unaware that they would have been better off listening and learning rather than trying to guide Israeli defense and security policy from afar.
The same is true in Ukraine. I have spent the last several days in Odessa, Ukraine, attending the Black Sea Security Forum. It was a humbling experience to listen to the experiences of Ukrainian officials as they described how they had rallied and rebuffed Russian aggression. Still, from the very first signs that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine in a war of eradication, the White House and State Department counseled Kyiv about how to respond, never mind the U.S. decision-makers neither understood Russian nor Ukrainian nor had any sense of Ukraine’s national dynamism nor the deep corruption that had eroded Russian capabilities.
While many Americans treat the Soviet Union and Russia almost synonymously, they failed to appreciate the Cold War-era role of the Ukrainians. Simply put, the Soviet military operated on Ukrainian ingenuity. Many of the biggest military factories were in Ukraine and while Moscow exploited the Soviet Union’s constituent republics, it was the Ukrainians who innovated. The independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union was a disaster for Russia because with Ukraine’s exit so left much of the brain trust upon which Russian power depended.
In hindsight, then, Ukraine’s ability to rally at a time of crisis and stop Russia’s attempt at annexation should not surprise. First Ukraine—with very little navy itself—delivered a bold and from the West’s perspective—unexpected defeat of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, sinking its flagship, the Moskva missile cruiser. Ukraine’s innovation with drones caught Russia by surprise several times, as did its incursion into Russia itself.
Ukraine’s Pearl Harbor Moment Has Arrived
The “Pearl Harbor moment”—Ukraine’s brilliant surprise attack on Russia’s air force, destroying planes based thousands of miles away—is a game-changer. Every night I was in Odessa, the “incoming” siren sounded. Not only does the attack on aircraft used to launch missiles into Ukraine blunt Russia’s ability to attack Ukraine effectively, it also undercuts the military structure with which Russia could strike at Europe or the United States.
Once again, retired generals who counseled surrender or the civilians who repeated the mantra that Ukraine was losing and should cut its losses have egg on their face. Like Israel, what Ukraine may lack in personnel or equipment it compensates for with tactical brilliance.
While Americans famously always prepare for and fight the last war, Israel and Ukraine catch opponents off-guard with innovation. Lebanon, Gaza, and Ukraine are not Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. military’s experience and model too often blinds U.S. pundits and politicians who seek to export it, never mind the lackluster results that followed.
Perhaps rather than lecture to democracies on the frontline of wars against terrorist and genocidal dictators, the United States should humbly start to listen to them for Washington could use a dose of the brilliance that both Jerusalem and Kyiv now demonstrate.
About the Author: Dr. Michael Rubin
Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum. The views expressed are his own.
Michael
June 2, 2025 at 5:08 pm
Oh dear, the comment field orcs will really burst blood vessels over this one…
from Russia with love
June 2, 2025 at 6:10 pm
Indeed, how much the rules of the game have changed. Ukraine spent a year and a half preparing an action that worked 10%. Russia needs 1-2 hours to strike Ukrainian airfields, factories and warehouses.
The question of who dominates is still open? 🙂
PS
The author does not want to cover another “successful operation” of Ukraine to blow up a passenger train in the Bryansk region? Americans, please remind me what the US did after the attack on the skyscrapers on September 9? 😉 Are there any questions about what Russia will do with the Ukrainian terrorists and why?
Ol'Timer
June 2, 2025 at 7:52 pm
American warfighters are among the best in the world. They can teach a lot to our allies . . . and learn something, too
American policymakers are among the worst in history. Trump has called them “very stupid people.” He’s not wrong. They can only teach our allies what not to do and how not to do it.
It is worth asking why and how that is?
Tragedian
June 2, 2025 at 7:57 pm
From the Ukrainian perspective, Russian aviation works like flying, super long-range artillery. Ukraine must destroy these aircraft to protect its front-line soldiers.
Ukraine also needs to bring home to the Russian people that no matter what the Kremlin says, Putin’s imperialist mis-adventure — i.e., his Special Military Operation — is not necessary, not right, and not going very well.
From the Russian perspective, these aircraft are the least important part of Russia’s nuclear triad. And life in the West is too good for any Westerner to want to pick a fight with Russia.
Russia is safe.
Keep doing your duty, Ukraine. Your only hope for success lies there. Russia’s response will be hard and barbaric . . . befitting a ruling clique of ex-KGB. But not doing your duty offers no hope — only slavery.
Jim
June 2, 2025 at 8:08 pm
“Tactical Brilliance” If that doesn’t reveal sentiment and proclivity?
Why dictate to front line allies?
Because potentially we’re on the hook for what they do.
And, it may effect our national interests, geopolitical interests, in a negative or detrimental way.
Of course, there is an assumption right off the bat.
Tactical Brilliance… strikes like Kiev’s… more often than not strengthen the resolve of the nation attacked… where does it lead to? What’s the next move?
Does it change the basic battlefield equation presently holding forth along the front line… as Russia advances in the Sumy region and beyond.
So Trump gets boxed into a Biden 2.0?… more money down a sinkhole… and depleting our own defensive resources… we’re running out of Patriot air batteries… so says Secretary Rubio.
Do these “go for broke” kind care at all?… apparently not. (“I don’t do logistics” is their motto.)
Israel… we hope for the best, we respect & support Israel, but not the Netanyahu coalition or the policies they carry out in Gaza (Israel’s internal politics are bursting at the seems in divisiveness & acrimony).
And We worry Netanyahu will try and bum rush Trump into an ill-advised bombing raid on Iran… which could potentially trigger a domino effect after an Iranian response with conventional ballistic missiles… which causes an even more powerful reaction from Israel… who knows where that could go…
That’s the Domino Theory… from Dr. Strangelove…
This is all wrong… and you’re misguided to want to go down the path of escalation… that’s the direction it seems Mr. Rubin wants to go in.
Ill-advised.
Brilliance…?? No. It’s potentially heading down a road of escalation to where the American People don’t want to go… and we hope Trump listens to the American People… not the Lobby.
Zhduny
June 2, 2025 at 8:41 pm
The weekend sneak attack on Russian airfields by ukro Nazis shows that countries with a large bullseye painted on them need to deploy nuke arsenals in space, or in low Earth orbit.
More importantly it is unthinkable that the sneak attack was carried out alone by the ukros.
The Ukrainian intelligence agency must have received top secret intel and advice from anglo quarters like MI6 and others.
No wonder, keir starmer quickly announced right after news of the strike took the world by surprise, that the UK is planning to spend billions on new warheads and new strategic submarines.
Perhaps starmer is worried that Russia will soon discover who’s the black hand behind the ukro pearl harbor strike and take suitable revenge.
Maybe starmer is now very worried that the Russian navy might soon be planting a few or several underwater nuclear drone torpedoes in the north sea.
Once those explode, it’s gonna be game over for the UK.
A giant tsunami will wash over the UK coasts and cities like Liverpool could become underwater havens.
Starmer is clearly worried and the guilty conscience shows thoroughly. Can’t hide what ya have done.
pagar
June 2, 2025 at 8:58 pm
Countries that lie at the top on the target list of US and NATO now have to develop fleets and fleets of spaceplanes and spacebombers ASAP.
Such fleets of spaceplanes and spacebombers will keep in check the nefarious sneak attack plans of fascist or nazist nations.
The sneak attack or surprise attack by herr zelenskyy couldn’t have happened without vital satellite info provided by western nations.
The sneak attack would have been totally avoided had Russia today already has spacebombers circling the Earth.
That’s because spacebombers take less time to initiate a strike than, say, submarines sailing in the Atlantic.
A sub sailing in the Atlantic waters would require something like fifteen minutes to prepare and launch a nuke strike at Kyiv.
A spacembomber would have completed the job in less than ten minutes or even in as fast as six minutes assuming it was flying over or near Europe when the signal to hit was given.
But now or today, the Kyiv fascists and their backers are aware Russia is a fading space nation, and has zero ability to hit straight down from space.
The pearl harbor attack is a much required lesson for today, even though the damage was quite minimal, mostly old and elderly aircraft that only suck humongous amounts of money to maintain.
Old aircraft should be replaced by mountains and mountains of rockets and missiles and similar type projectiles like hypersonics or kinzhals or oreshniks.
404NotFound
June 2, 2025 at 9:07 pm
The surprise attack or sneak attack by volodymr zelenskyy cannot be left unanswered.
Zelenskyy is the hitler of today’s modern era nazis or 21st century nazis.
The FSB needs to keep a check on where zelenskyy is presently available to the media, or the location of his latest whereabouts.
Once that’s known, a strike by a single RS-12M2 on Kyiv should be quickly carried out.
That will teach thr modern day hitler that pearl harbor attacks don’t benefit fascist criminals, especially ukro nazis. None at all.
One-World-Order
June 2, 2025 at 9:22 pm
US has never learned anything useful. Though to be fair, it has always loudly lectured other countries on human rights and human freedoms while busily supplying arms and ammo to nations like Israel and Ukraine.
That’s what is called US two-faced foreign policy practice, but, alas, US has never learned it’s just thoroughly evil to be two-faced in today’s life.
US actually provided heavy weapons to Ukraine while the extremist Nazi faction was firmly in control of ukraine, and that was in donald trump’s first term as US president.
While trump actively projected an image of no-war or anti-war.
Trump’s act of supplying the ukranian Nazis with heavy arms was continued by Joe Biden, also better known as genocide joe.
Genocide Joe and boris johnson and jens stoltenberg (& western media) are directly responsible for sparking the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Thanks, joe. How’s the cancer today.
As for Zelenskky, he was and still is the main ukro nazi puppet on the string manipulated by the western powers and the western media. Time to cut the string or just eliminate zelenskyy.
bobb
June 2, 2025 at 9:33 pm
Israel is on a daily basis, carrying out slaughter of Palestinian people in gaza, but the US and other western nations are pretending to be unaware of what’s actually happening.
But they are fully aware that they need to save Ukraine’s fat ass, even though the ukro fascists were the ones that attempted a similar gaza-style pogrom against the russian-speakin’ inhabitants of Donbass.
The ukro fascists are having less success compared to their Israeli IDF counterparts, but nonetheless both are receiving mass amounts of help and generous amounts of supplies from NATO countries.
The world needs to stand up and speak out against such hypocrisy and double standards.
Where’s genghis when he’s needed. Genghis should be able to wipe out the fascists.
In history, Genghis wiped out scores of sedentary people and helped the spread of non-western Moslem beliefs. Unfortunately.
Very very unfortunately.
JingleBells
June 2, 2025 at 9:41 pm
The ukro Nazis or banderovtsy bandits need to be wiped out from the face of Europe.
That’s becuz the ukros or bsnderovtsy bandits will eventually lead the whole of Europe into fighting ww3 on its behalf if they don’t get wiped out now.
Where’s putin.
Is Putin still fast asleep.
If he ‘s still fast asleep, time to wake him up. A knife straight into his side should do the trick. Wake him up. Now.
Putin needs to employ tactical nukes against Kyiv and other cities. Now, in 2025.
A nuke strike will be a wake-up call to newbie fascist leaders like macron and merz.
They will arise and quickly smell the smell of acrid fumes from ukro cities.
Taco
June 2, 2025 at 9:54 pm
After Donald trump ceases to be the sitting US president, the entire world will descend into the very depths of hell.
What the hell’s that.
Once trump leaves the US white house, either in a luxury car, helicopter, plane or in a wooden box, his successor will quickly flesh out the plan for ww3, what else !
The whole world will experience the coming of the dreaded apocalypse. Or as marco rubio once said, a cataclysmic event. Whatever he meant.
The US today is controlled by the deep state or secret agency also known as the blob.
That began its existence with the 1947 national security act, although it could have occurred a bit earlier, when the first A-bomb was being developed.
The deep state is in control of everything in the US today, from the DoD right up to wall street, the media, the banking groups, the investment management funds and the state dept and various allied groups overseas, including ukraine’s current ruling fascists.
The world needs to be aware of what’s coming after Donald trump leaves the white house. Amen.
Mr Positive
June 2, 2025 at 10:01 pm
Global partners are being given a choice. America can survive, and so can other countries – question is – who will they choose to be a strategic partner. Germany/Europe are fundamentally funding the Russian aggression through their energy dependence on Russia. There is a bigger game that is playing out. Do you choose China/Russia (be ruled or be governed) or do you choose America as a partner.
Zhduny
June 2, 2025 at 10:06 pm
World war three is inevitable.
As such, humankind needs to prepare for this world war three.
The reason world war three is coming is because the fascists or globalists are in charge.
They’re in the driving seat, or in full control.
Right now someone is holding the fascists and globalists back, globalists like keir starmer and co.
To hell with starmer and his ilk. Globalists won’t last very long, as proved by hitler and Hirohito. And soon, zelenskky.
Yet, there are too many other globalists present today, and they’re now all over the place, from the pacific to the Americas and to Africa, the middle east and Europe.
As a result, world ear three is inevitable. Recall the admonition of the story of 200 million pieces of cavalry, infantry and mechanical insects.
That’s the ancient description of world war three.
To hell with the fascists the globalists and ukro nazis.
Bankotsu
June 3, 2025 at 1:51 am
I agree with Rubin. U.S. military has a lot to learn from IDF.
IDF should send some officers over to West Point and lecture American officers on how to tactically kill women and children, bomb schools, hospitals and starve millions of civilians to death. How to tactically conduct genocide with over 50 000 people killed.
American military must LEARN all these tactics from Israel.
Israel must TEACH American military on all these things.
Commentar
June 3, 2025 at 3:09 am
The June 1 treacherous attack on Russia must not go unpunished.
It is a re-enactmrnt of the December 7 1942 treacherous attack on Hawaii.
It is inconceivable that the Ukrainian nazis truly worked alone and weren’t assisted by western intelligence.
To hit two birds with one stone, Russia needs to pulverise Odessa to the ground.
Once Odessa is turned into a big large parking lot, western intelligence will think twice before working with the Ukrainian nazis for future kind of treacherous attacks.
If no action is made, it will greatly encourage the Ukrainian nazis to work with their backers.
Time to whip thrm to hell, today.
Commentar
June 3, 2025 at 3:11 am
The June 1 treacherous attack on Russia must not go unpunished.
It is an exact re-enactment of the December 7 1942 treacherous attack on Hawaii.
It is inconceivable that the Ukrainian nazis truly worked alone and weren’t assisted by western intelligence.
To hit two birds with one stone, Russia needs to pulverise Odessa to the ground.
Once Odessa is turned into a big large parking lot, western intelligence will think twice before working with the Ukrainian nazis for future kind of treacherous attacks.
If no action is taken, it will greatly encourage the Ukrainian nazis to work with their backers. For many more attacks.
Time to whip them to hell, today. Send them to hell !
403Forbidden
June 3, 2025 at 5:57 am
On Friday 28 February 2025 (three months ago), zelenskyy had a furious bust up with JD Vance in the US white house.
Vance told zelenskyy it was time to seek a diplomatic solution to the ukro-russo conflict.
An angry zelenskyy immediately shot back, “What kind of diplomacy are you speaking about. What kind.”
Vance shot back at zelenskky who obviously wanted trump to provide a military solution.
“The kind of diplomacy that would end the destruction of your country,” said vance.
Trump interjected and told zelenskyy he had no more cards to play with.
Unknown to trump and Vance, zelenskyy already had his nazi thugs planning the secret sneak attack on Russian airfields. It now has happened.
Trump told zelenskyy he was gambling with ww3. Now, clearly trump’s warning has come true.
Give the nazis what they have always wanted – ww3. Give it to them now !
megiddo
June 3, 2025 at 6:22 am
The US, or in today’s immediate period, US president trump should teach zelenskky how not to continue fighting someone who’s not his size.
Zelenskyy is like a pipsqueak dwarf who’s just learned some basic dark arts mixed martial moves and wants to fight Russia all the way.
That’s totally stupid, even though zekenskyy right now has the support of fellow mixed martial dark artistes.
Trump should tell zelenskyy he’s like a schoolboy trying to take on Mike Tyson.
Zelenskyy will end up with a smashed up face, if he wants to continue fighting.
But Nazis will always be nazis.
MuricanSwamp
June 3, 2025 at 7:14 am
The author apparently doesn’t know many nations still regard Israel as an illegal entity, and so its operations against other people are illegal as well.
Israel’s unauthorized method of hijacking products manufactured and sold by foreign intetests and inserting in explosives are totally illegal and immoral.
That method shortchanges the sovereignty of foreign nations and at the same time threatens the safety of innocent humans who have no quarrel with anyone in the middle east.
And it is unlikely that Ukraine acted alone in the dastardly attack inside Russia.
That covert operation is very very very similar to the operation that destroyed the NordStream gas pipelines in Sept 2022.
Till today, suspicion falls mostly on biden’s sidekicks, the US Navy and undercover divers, although ukro and Norwegian culprits and NATO operatives have also been mentioned.
No nation dares to fight Israel today, but for Ukraine, all that’s required is a nuke warhead against Kyiv. From Moscow.
PseudoExpertent
June 3, 2025 at 7:33 am
Many people, including famous Americans like Elon musk, Tucker Carlson and even Keith Kellogg have openly said the ukro war is a NATO proxy war against Russia.
That explains why ukros nazis have been able to deal and carry out the sneak attack.
Elements of the deep state are surely involved. Up to their nostrils.
When you deal with uncle sam, by talking to the orange man trump, you’re talking to just one part of the US.
The deep state is the true or real controller and has the final authority. Like planning and carrying out sneak attacks.
Jim
June 3, 2025 at 9:24 am
Tactical Brilliance?
Regarding Ukraine’s strike into Russia, as opposed to the extravagant claims made by Kiev of over 40 aircraft destroyed which they claim equaled seven billion Dollars in damage, it appears the number of aircraft was around five aircraft damaged.
What is claimed and what is reality are two different things… it’s called propaganda.
Yes, it shows Kiev is still kicking amid steady Russian advances at the front… but does it advance Kiev’s strategic position? These kind of attacks more often than not strengthen the resolve of the side attacked, by inflaming emotional passions, while failing to provide the benefits envisioned from the attack.
(It does provide an emotional “sugar high” in the attacking nation, but is that eventually outweighed by the ultimate response from the nation attacked in these kind of ways?)
Netanyahu’s coalition has engaged in ruthless actions in Gaza and elsewhere, but has that helped Israel’s international standing in the Community of Nations or healed internal divisions withing Israel, itself? Or has it left Israel dangerously isolated in the region?
Finally, letting front line allies “do what they want” in terms of military actions potentially puts the U. S. on the hook for what they do.
And, raises tensions… in both situations, here, there are valid concerns the “front line ally” could do something which causes a cascading effect into a great-power, potentially nuclear, confrontation.
The U. S. can’t let “allies” actions drag us into those potential great-power confrontations.
Do we want the Ukraine conflict to escalate beyond the territory of Ukraine (and Russia) into a General European War?.
Do we want a full-blown Middle East war because the Netanyahu coalition wants to attack Iran and uses tactics which inflames the other side into attacking Israel?
Tactics are fine, but you also have to think about the potential strategic consequences of said actions.
I don’t think the author of the article considers the full ramifications of said actions on United States national and geopolitical interests in these regions.
Jim
June 3, 2025 at 9:44 am
Tactical brilliance… see Pearl Harbor.
Letting smaller allies actions drag Great-Powers into strategic confrontation… see World War One.
Is either an example we want to follow?
Bankotsu
June 3, 2025 at 10:12 am
I think U.S. military should swallow its pride and admit that Israel is superior army and learn from Israel on how to kill children, starve out civilians and conduct genocide. Those are the kinds of operations that U.S. needs to learn from Israel. Israel is the expert at genocide, with over 50 000 civilians killed so far in Gaza, including over 10 000 children killed.
U.S. army must learn how to kill children and babies from Israel.
Michael
June 3, 2025 at 11:34 am
Kerch bridge.
Tick-tock.
STEVE RODRIGUEZ
June 3, 2025 at 1:32 pm
Only way an embassy official said that to you was if they were part and parcel of the deep state or an anti-American traitorous Democrat. No sane functioning life-form on Earth thinks Hezbollah is not a terror group.
The surge was a tactical victory, and someone who I know mentioned at an embassy event that it’s sole strategic value was IF we received…or simply imposed…..an SFA on Iraq. So of course the long-term plan was thwarted by the election of Obama. It is unlikely a McCain administration was leaving Iraq to its Iranian overlords.
US forces can be innovative when they are in the fight. Political generals and Administration NatSec appointees are the dummies, not our warriors.
Good article and support Ukrainian fight as the front line to defend Western interests. But don’t confuse “American” incompetence with Democratic or State Dept buffoons.
Roy Kay
June 3, 2025 at 1:33 pm
The US is an uneven ally. Ukraine has to do what it estimates best given its assessment of the situation. This is an existential war and Putin will never stop. So the best case is to bleed Russia as much as possible.
Ol'Timer
June 3, 2025 at 4:11 pm
There must be more of these modified containers inside Russia. . . so many more . . . far too many to inspect.
If Russia doesn’t come to terms, then who knows what else (or who else) will unexpectedly go boom in Russia?
Even if Russia achieves its maximum war aims in Ukraine, it will come out of the war a much reduced regional power.
Europe and China will be the big winners.
David Chang
June 4, 2025 at 5:45 am
God blesses people in world.
People in world should obey Ten Commandments, confess their sin and repent to God, should stop worshipping democracy and science, should never believe socialism, evolution and liberation theology again, so that we will avoid more wars.
However, most people in Israel and Ukraine violate Ten Commandments, Augustine’s just war theory, and Convention (IV) respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land and its annex.
Their unlimited wars, are the same as the Democratic Party’s use of atomic weapons, has brought us more immoral strategies and tactics. Unlimited war is general war. Israel and Ukraine are trying to escalate the war, the Taipei authorities have also announced that they will have strategic aerospace offensive operation against the China Communist Party many years ago. All of them are sins in the sight of God, so we will not prevent from the future atomic weapons war.
May God has mercy on the people.
from Russia with love
June 4, 2025 at 10:11 am
@Michael
“Kerch bridge.
Tick-tock.”
Looks like Ukraine sucked it off well. 😉 The bridge was closed for an hour and now it’s working as usual.
But what’s in Ukraine itself?
For this night:
A warehouse in Odessa
Tick-tock.
Barracks with French mercenaries
Tick-tock.
Military-industrial complex enterprises in Dnepropetrovsk
Tick-tock.
Military training center in Poltava
Tick-tock.
Bioethanol plant in Sumy
Tick-tock.
And Russian FPV drones over Sumy are already on a permanent basis.
Tick-tock.
And this is in 24 hours.
Are we going to list the settlements that Ukraine has lost in these 24 hours?
Bankotsu
June 5, 2025 at 1:49 am
Israel’s genocide in Gaza of over 50 000 civilians, including over
10 000 children shows tactical Brilliance.
U.S. military must learn from that.
Michael
June 6, 2025 at 2:15 am
From rashka-paraska,
Working as usual? The bridge was poorly built from the start (evidence: years old pictures of the pylons with corrosion damage showing the rebar – with far to great distance inbetween. Corruption or incompetence? Pick your poison) and a blast by the pilings is no good – the outermost pilings are angled, to take the lateral forces. Real important to have. When trains and heavy loads run as usual, well see. Feel free to buy into your propaganda. But it has no building permit, so it’s coming down.
Tick-tock – aggravating, isn’t it? You throw all you have at the Ukrainians, take help from North Korea and still you can’t invade the territory you claim is yours.
And all you can do is attack apartment buildings. Terrorizing civilians never won a war. But to sub-humans who are beginning to understand they have lost, it is the last straw.
Ergo, Tick-tock.