EDIT:
what is with the music on military videos?
No idea.
The Russians are paying him off? 
Turkish president could have one eye on elections
Erdogan only ever has both his eyes on elections, these days.
From the Guardian liveblog - Zelensky on Wunderwaffe, at greater length.
In his nightly address, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia’s alleged use of laser weapons systems “indicates the complete failure of the invasion”.
He said:
Today, one of the representatives of the Russian state said that the occupiers allegedly began to use laser weapons systems in Ukraine. Allegedly to save missiles.
Firstly, it is noteworthy that they need to save missiles and somehow explain it. That is, more than two thousand missiles fired by the Russian army at Ukraine were the main part of their stockpile of missiles. That is, only the remnants are left.
Secondly, everyone has already seen Russia at war. Inexperienced conscripts, which it throws into battle like cannon fodder. Marauders who see normal appliances for the first time in a foreign country. Old Soviet “armor” without modern protection. Forbidden phosphorous bombs, which they use to burn schools and ordinary houses.
And missiles, most of which were spent by the Russian army on the destruction of absolutely civilian infrastructure without any strategic military outcome. Today they hit missiles in such a way at Mykolaiv and Dnipro.
Well, in the propaganda of Nazi Germany there was such a term “wunderwaffe”. Wonder weapon. The clearer it became they had no chance in the war, the more propaganda there was about the wonder weapon, which would be so powerful that it would provide a turning point in the war.
And here we see that in the third month of a full-scale war, Russia is trying to find its “wunderwaffe”. Allegedly laser. All this clearly indicates the complete failure of the invasion.
Russia has said it is using a new generation laser weapons to burn up drones, according to Reuters. Per the agency:
President Vladimir Putin in 2018 unveiled an array of new weapons including a new intercontinental ballistic missile, underwater nuclear drones, a supersonic weapon and a new laser weapon.
Little is known about the specifics of the new laser weapons. Putin mentioned one called Peresvet, named after a medieval Orthodox warrior monk Alexander Peresvet who perished in mortal combat.
Yury Borisov, the deputy prime minister in charge of military development, told a conference in Moscow that Peresvet was already being widely deployed and it could blind satellites up to 1,500 km above Earth.
ETA On another topic (and it is very annoying that the BBS does not allow three replies in a row)…
Emphasis on “could”… as in “if we could aim it that well” …
So, my guess is it’s a bundle of stock green laser pointers strapped to an old anti-aircraft turret.
Really laying it on thick with their religious iconography aren’t they?
There was a Soviet space laser program back in the 80s and from time to time there have been signs of Russian activities in the area.
What I find most interesting about the space laser is how spectacularly unsuitable it is for this war. While Ukraine manufactures satellites, from what I can find its is not clear that there is even a single one in orbit right now. So the laser is just a kind of impressive thing that vaguely threatens everyone and nobody in particular.
I’m not seeing how another tank is a game changer for them.
Unless it 1) can be deployed in significant numbers and 2) is NLAW/Javelin-proof, I suspect it cannot. We are well into the “Wonder Weapon” stage now. “This time, i promise, for real, this one will turn the tide. Trust me on this!”
Sadly, the Putin regime is likely counting on some of their Know-Nothing base believing these are being deployed.
In reality this is much less devestating than the name suggests. It’s a new armoured support vehicle with relatively up-to-date technology meant to protect the outmoded Cold-War era tanks and other vehicles from the kinds of attacks we’ve been seeing (drones, guys with anti-tank bazookas, helicopters, etc.).
Given the level of corruption in the Russian military-industrial complex, they’re probably not what they’re touted to be in terms of either quality or quantity. My bet is that they’re spreading what few they have around Donbas for morale and propaganda purposes.
Russia: we are just going to shoot our lasers wildly into the sky and if the optics on your reconnaissance vehicles looking at our ships get burned out it’s your own fault.
Meat grinder.
https://tass.com/defense/1452083
Defense firm delivers new batch of T-90M main battle tanks to Russian troops
Under the defense procurement plan, Uralvagonzavod delivers to the Russian troops both new T-90M ‘Proryv’ tanks and armored vehicles upgraded to this level
