I image Ukrainians have a different view of seeing dead Russian soldiers, no matter where they lie.
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Now for something completely different in the world of military innovation.
Ukraine to unleash robot dogs on its front lines
Ukraine could soon unleash robot dogs on its front lines, replacing soldiers for perilous missions like spying on Russian trenches or detecting mines.
At a demonstration in an undisclosed part of Ukraine, the metallic dog known as model “BAD One” stood up, crouched, ran and jumped according to commands transmitted by its operator.
Stealthy and agile, they could soon become an invaluable ally on the front line for a Ukrainian army that is short on manpower to repel the Russian invasion, its makers said.
Low on the ground and therefore difficult to detect, the robot dogs can use thermal imaging to inspect enemy trenches or the inside of buildings in combat zones.
“We have surveillance soldiers who get sent on reconnaissance missions (who) are most of the time very highly trained people, very experienced people (and) always exposed to risks,” said the operator who called himself “Yuri”, as he showed it off to AFP journalists.
“This dog limits the risk for soldiers and increases operational capabilities. This is the core function of the dog,” said the operator, who works for a British company providing military equipment.
A more advanced model, known as “BAD Two” could not be shown for security reasons.
The device used in the demonstration has a battery that powers it for around two hours.
Useful for detecting mines or improvised explosive devices, the robot dog can also be used to carry up to 7kg of ammunition or medicines to hot spots on the battlefield.
“I can’t say how many we deployed” in Ukraine, Yuri said, adding: “But it will have a significant impact on the operations and increase the safety of soldiers.”
And if the robot dogs were ever to fall into Russian hands, he said, an emergency switch allows the operator to erase all its data.
Gee, you’d reckon they could program it to ■■■■ its leg at Russian soldiers and pi$$ hot engine oil all over them.
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Ummm. Are they nipples?
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Russia’s economy faces a demographic disaster and risks seeing its population reduced by half by the end of this century, think tank says
- Russia’s population could shrink by half by the end of the century, an Atlantic Council report says.
- The Russia-Ukraine war has accelerated the population decline.
- A shrinking population threatens Russia’s economy and could result in worker shortages and low growth.
Russia’s economy has a dire demographic problem on its hands, and the nation could see its population slashed in half by the end of the century, an Atlantic Council report says.
Researchers at the Washington, DC, think tank pointed to Russia’s long-running population decline, with the nation’s overall population growth shrinking over the past 10 years, according to World Bank data.
That decline has been exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war. More than 300,000 Russian troops had died or been injured by the end of 2023, US intelligence officials estimated, and about a million Russians fled the country after Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The demographic trend spells trouble for Russia’s economy, which is already dealing with a severe worker shortage. At the end of 2023, Russia was short a record 5 million workers, according to an estimate from the Russian Academy of Science’s Institute of Economics.
Russia has turned to migrant and even prison labor to supplement its workforce, but those aren’t sustainable solutions to its population problem, the think-tank researchers say.
“Putin’s government has not evinced visible concern that Russia’s population might be cut in half by century’s end. Unless Russia’s leaders can develop and finance a more effective set of policies, the only solutions to population decline will be a combination of incorporating non-Russian territory and/or immigration from Asia and Africa,” researchers said in a report this week. “As Russia’s population continues to decline, immigrants will be increasingly vital to economic recovery,” the report adds.
Experts have said a shrinking population could result in several problems for Russia’s economy, such as lower growth and productivity. The Atlantic Council previously predicted that by 2026, Russia’s economy could fall behind Indonesia’s, where the population is rising.
“Putin’s choice of timing for military aggression in Ukraine might have reflected an understanding that Russia’s demographic (and economic) situation would not improve in the next two decades. However, the war is turning a growing crisis into a catastrophe,” the recent report says.
Russia’s economy isn’t on solid footing to begin with, particularly as its invasion of Ukraine grows more costly and damages its economic ties to global markets. One UC Berkeley economist previously told Business Insider that Moscow was on track to fall into a severe recession by the end of the year, pointing to Russia’s collapsed energy trade and its waning access to the US dollar.
By jingo, that Putin truly is a master strategist.
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Yikes. Did you see those robot dogs on War of the Worlds series on SBS?
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“Think Tanks says”
FFS, that analysis is not as dire as what I posted from analysis of the demographic data back in the “Russia invades Ukraine - part 2” thread.
Blitz is ahead of most other media [especially MSM] in reporting and analysis of this conflict.
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Nope, but Boston Dynamics youtubes are nightmare fuel for some.
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Yes well that is probably where both came from.
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Think Tanks says”
I know. It’s great to be a (small) part of the Blitz Deliberation, Comprehension, Evaluation and Deduction Tank.
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russian propaganists stunned by Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region
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Bump
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Thanks for the bump @robthommo!
Russia is preparing to defend the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) because of some groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly approaching the nuclear facility.
Source: Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories), a Russian news outlet
Details: Russian media outlets reported that Russian forces blocked the entrances to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant on the afternoon of 9 August.
A Vazhnye Istorii source at the plant reported earlier that all men had been removed from the station’s security, leaving only female fighters of the Russian Guard (Rosgvardia). Immediately afterward, Rosgvardia reported that security at the Kursk NPP had been strengthened. An employee of the plant confirmed to Vazhnye Istorii today that the male Rosgvardia officers have been returned to duty.
The source also said that the management of the Kursk NPP recommended that the employees take unpaid leave and evacuate their children.
Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear company, confirmed that it had reduced the number of construction workers at Kursk NPP-2. Currently, the Kursk NPP is the only plant in Russia where new power units are being actively built.
One pro-war Russian blogger also reported that the Kursk NPP is preparing for defence, as small mobile groups of 5-20 people from the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been spotted 39 kilometres away from the plant.
Background:
- On the morning of 6 August, the Russians claimed that Ukrainian forces had mounted an attempt to infiltrate Kursk Oblast, Russia. Russian propagandists and military bloggers are claiming that Ukrainian forces have secured a foothold in the border area. Russian ruler Vladimir Putin called the situation a “provocation”.
- Ukraine has not yet commented on the events in Kursk Oblast.
- A state of emergency has been declared on the second day of the breakthrough on the border in Kursk Oblast.
- Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), having analysed the data collected, have confirmed the advance of Ukrainian troops up to 10 kilometres deep into Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
- Earlier, Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed the advance of supposedly Ukrainian forces in two districts of Kursk Oblast and noted that it had moved reserves to the border and was “attacking Ukrainian troops from the air”.
- Russia’s Ministry of Defence issued a statement on 9 August on the situation in Kursk Oblast, acknowledging that Ukrainian forces were on the outskirts of the town of Sudzha.
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Right on queue a Kadyrov style video fighting no one.
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