Just like Stalin before him, Putin is trying to eradicate evidence of Ukraine’s culture, history, and identity. An art exhibition in London is a reminder of the Soviet efforts, and chance to reflect on current ones.
Evacuated artworks exhibit details attempts to wipe out Ukrainian culture – and shows what survives
Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) are the latest wave of drones deployed by both sides in Ukraine. With the growing number of drones on the battlefield, machines are increasingly fighting each other.
https://www.wired.com/story/robots-are-fighting-robots-in-russias-war-in-ukraine/
Not just a name from Bond stories, Smersh (“Death to spies”) was a real organisation. As much an instrument of terror to control the civilian population as an intelligence unit, it was responsible for thousands of deaths on its own side.
Now the name has resurfaced in the Ukraine war, though it’s unclear whether there’s a new version of the organisation operating or if it’s just being used for propaganda purposes.
Ukraine is celebrating Christmas today, rather than on the traditional Russian date of January 7th.
Or maybe on both dates. Which they deserve.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67816987?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA
The USV project stalled a while because of some of the materials I used, but here it is, done.
The Guardian got to visit a Ukrainian factory building decoy weapons to draw Russian fire and waste their resources.
From relatively simple contraptions at the start of the war to drone boats and attacks on Moscow, there have been dramatic changes in the tech and tactics Ukraine is using.
The term used in the book discussed is collaborator, but I’m sure there are many who’ll argue either term is appropriate.
The commentators and politicians who’ve been giving support to Russia over Ukraine are a twist on the traditional collaborator, with so many at a safe distance from the reality of the conflict. They have to be driven by money or ego, given that self preservation isn’t an issue.
The conflict isn’t over yet, but Ukraine is thinking of ways to rebuild and recover. The hope is that the country can become greener, less corrupt, and more connected.
Rebuilding Ukraine Is an Act of Resistance | WIRED https://www.wired.com/story/ukraine-war-rebuilding-already-begun/
When I saw the Mikro Mir model of the Ukrainian Maritime Drone, I knew I had to have one to build in a seaborne diorama. I’ve not built any other boats, but this company’s kits could tempt me to try a few.
I also bought their model of the Turtle submersible, so I got one of the first naval innovations of the modern era, and one of the latest.
Find out more about Mikro Mir and its range at http://mikro-mir.com/en/
A video of the full build of the hull is also available.