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5. As for targets in russia, there are many interesting possibilities. What would you target?

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4. At this point it appears that Crimea is very close to going fully dark. A big question is what happens then? Will the Kerch bridge be hit? Will Ukraine start eliminating substations inside russia? The website russiaoilpowermap.com provides a nice list of potential targets.

2. A corresponding image from August 11, 2026 shows large parts of Crimea including Yalta and Yevpatoriya are now without power. Simferopol is dimmer, suggesting reduced power. Mariupol and Berdiansk have gone dark. Lack of streetlights is just a proxy and not a big problem.

DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

1. Ukraine has been targeting electrical substations in Crimea and other parts of occupied Ukraine. The NASA Worldview data lets us see the effects on night-time lighting. An image from April 5, 2026 shows where there are lights and thus power.

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Live Fight Survive by @shaunpinner.bsky.social 1. This intense and unforgettable account is a powerful study of survival in the face of extreme hardship. Written in the first-person, Pinner describes how he and other soldiers defended Mariupol after russia invaded in 2022.

DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Solar eclipse today. We only catch the edge in Canada.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

1. I wrote an article about a Ukrainian drone that for a long time did not have a name. Now it has two names, an interesting engine, and a curious business arrangement. These drones are being made in quantity and have been spotted flying into russia. Here's your chance to see what's inside.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

2. Here is the full video showing the drone and capture of a russian prisoner.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

1. Ukrainian soldier shoots at a nearby russian drone. The subsequent explosion must hurt.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Ukraine has systematically targeted russian air defence, and pretty much everyone (including me) predicted that the situation could rapidly change once these defences were sufficiently degraded. The result is still surprising though. This is like watching baby seals being bludgeoned.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Ukraine continues to hit electrical infrastructure in Crimea. Unfortunately, it was partially cloudy the night of July 5 but obviously russians are struggling to keep the lights on. The city of Yevpatoriya is dark.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

2. A more recent photo from July 2, 2026 shows that Crimea is close to being completely dark.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

1. Ukraine has been targeting substations and other infrastructure in Crimea. The NASA Worldview data lets us see the effects on night-time lighting. An image from May 10, 2023 shows there was plenty of lighting (light pollution).

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

4. (ps) The location 46.735955, 36.329734 posted by Dominik @99Dominik_

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Posted by Dominik @99Dominik_ 46.735955, 36.329734

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

2. What makes this special is the video also shows the car's GPS display thus giving the exact time and location. OSINT folks greatly appreciate videos like this.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

1. There must be some sort of geolocation award for a video showing the results of a Ukrainian attack on russian trucks. There are two burned trucks along with an air-defence vehicle.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

A video showing the Behemoth drone by Culver Aerospace. In a few days, I will release a story on this drone.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

3. The way the motors and arms retract is very cool.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

2. The fact that drone is also available in camo may make some folks feel uneasy about the intent.

DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

1. This is a toy drone that looks disconcertingly like interceptor drones seen in Ukraine. Yes, we are aware that this is a toy and not a weapon - at least not a very good weapon. A larger version with different, but off-the-shelf, electronics would be much more capable.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I took this photo in a parking lot (it's not AI). Apparently, only defence lawyers can park here.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

While a russian was being chased by a Ukrainian drone, a second drone flys in. Notably, the second drone is controlled using a fibre optic link. There are many such videos showing two drones attacking a single russian soldier with a predictable outcome.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

$350 billion is enough money to buy every active F-16 fighter jet and every active M1 Abrams tank with enough money left over to buy every Black Hawk helicopter, several aircraft carriers and some nuclear submarines. However, the USA sent zero F-16 fighter jets and thirty-one M1 tanks to Ukraine.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

A useful summary of the situation in Iran.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

And then he played golf - again.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Drone has an inverted V-tail and high wing so is mostly likely a Ukrainian FP-1.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

In the latest news, everything is fine. Nothing to see here. Move along.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

The near collision occurs 38 seconds into this video.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

A Ukrainian FP-2 drone nearly collides with another FP-2 drone while flying over a russian air defence system that was destroyed earlier by a Ukrainian FP-2 drone. Ukraine has been quite successful at destroying russian air defences with these drones.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

2. Not only was it a superior image to film, it was trivial to capture. That was the moment I knew film was dead. By the way, here is a photo of the cheap telescope I used.

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DanielR @danielr-phd.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

1. Twenty-three years ago I held a Canon A10 digital camera up to the eyepiece of a cheap 60 mm refracting telescope and pressed the button. This is the photo I captured on that cold winter night. It was far better than I could have ever got using film.

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17. So, it probably was not a false-flag operation but the Midvolga 2 may have been the wrong target. If you found this thread interesting, please repost as a quote. Respectful comments are appreciated. Also, see my previous posts listed under "highlights".

16. This ship seems a strange target. Possibly this was a targeting error, which would also explain Ukraine's denial. Regardless, it appears the ship's crew simply got lucky when the drone hit the radar antenna instead of the wheelhouse.

15. If a Ukrainian drone hit this ship why did Ukraine deny it? This was a single exchange on X, so it's hardly an official response. There was also some confusion because the ship's location was inconsistent with "sailing from russia to Georgia" as claimed.

14. Hitting the mast could easily have caused the drone's engine to land in the sea. One component assumed to be part of the drone may actually be part of the radar antenna. The deck is very dirty, possibly with debris from the explosion.

13. A photo taken after the attack shows the radar mast is leaning, consistent with an impact. This event would have flexed the wheelhouse roof causing the door frame to pop out and the ceiling tiles to fall. The masts are also scorched from the drone's fuel burning off.

12. What likely happened is a Liutyi drone dove towards the wheelhouse but collided with the ship's radar antenna. The explosion destroyed the antenna but did minor damage otherwise.

11. A drone view of the damaged ship (when being inspected) shows the radar antenna is missing and the antenna's mounting plate is bent. What is not seen is any obvious impact damage to the roof of the wheelhouse.

10. A closer look at the images sheds some light. This photo of the ship taken a few years prior helps explain what happened on December 2. There is a radar antenna mounted on its own mast. Also note how the masts are painted white.

9. A number of inconsistencies made me wonder if this was some sort of fake, i.e., a false-flag operation. These inconsistencies include:

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8. One curious detail is that Ukraine denied this incident.

7. Whatever happened here, it was violent enough to knock the door frame out of the wheelhouse. The screens covering the lights were also knocked loose. Oddly, no injuries were reported.

6. One photo shows damage to the ship's ECDIS display. This provides a lot of other useful information including location (42° 26.224', 35° 08.225'), heading (182.2° @ 8.8 kn), date (02 Dec 2025) and time (03:20).

5. Although the bridge suffered quite a bit of damage, there are no signs of fire or smoke damage. Two windows are broken and there are multiple small shrapnel holes scattered about. Unexpectedly, the books on the shelf were undisturbed.

4. An older photo of the ship shows the same deck markings seen in #2, confirming the Liutyi parts were photographed on the deck of the Midvolga 2.