September 6, 2026, 3:04 pm
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In the first part of my interview with Dmytro & Rob released two weeks ago, we discussed what the fighting in Ukraine tended to like in 2026 – largely static and attritional with most advances limited to relatively shallow penetrations.
This week, we talk about how both sides are trying to change that and restore at least some degree of offensive manoeuvre.
That includes looking at an example of a recent Russian mechanised assault where the active protection system Arena M was trialed under combat conditions and other innovations were deployed (ultimately unsuccessfully) in an attempt to overcome the Ukrainian defences.
It also includes a warning, that before you go investing in everything you might need to make traditional armoured manoeuvre possible on a drone saturated battlefield, you should probably make sure that you get your own UAS and firepower house in order first…
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/PerunAU
Reading and Sourcing (partial):
Reporting on Russian mechanised assault discussed
Ukraine Repelled Large-Scale Offensive by Two Russian Armies and Division in Dobropillia Sector
https://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/land/russian-tank-observed-for-first-time-likely-using-arena-m-aps-against-uav
Reports suggesting Russia is working to increase the number of interceptors available to Arena M
Russia Working to Increase Number of Interceptor Munitions in Arena-M Active Protection System
Ukrainian and other reporting on scale up of Russian Unmanned Systems Forces:
https://kyivindependent.com/russia-plans-to-increase-its-unmanned-systems-forces-size-to-165-500-by-end-of-2026-syrskyi-says/
https://jamestown.org/russias-unmanned-systems-forces-become-wildcard-in-moscows-military-modernization/
NATO Allied Command Transformation – Innovation challenge results including counter Fiber Optic UAS competition winners https://www.act.nato.int/article/innovation-challenge-front-lines/
Reporting on CUAS turret development, tests and deployment
https://united24media.com/latest-news/ukraine-develops-advanced-anti-drone-turret-equipped-with-neural-network-technology-5043
https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/ai-powered-turret-that-hunts-russian-drones-meet-sky-sentinel-ukraines-new-air-defense-8589
https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-citadel-zak30-anti-drone-turret-30mm-programmable-airburst-rounds-2026-5
https://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/c4isr/australia-awards-eos-contract-for-r400-slinger-c-uas
Ukrainian Predator Anti-Drone Turret Tested Aboard NATO Frigate
Caveats & Comments:
Nothing in this episode should be taken to represent an opinion or advice on any legal matter, including with regards to the potential application of domestic or international law to any of the events described or alluded to.
All normal caveats and comments apply. In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive examination of the topic in question and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions.
Any content relating to the conduct, views, activities or any aspect of any person or character in this video is included for entertainment purposes and does not represent an assertion of fact on those matters or any matters in relation to that person or character.
Care has been taken in compiling data, quotes, and other inputs from various sources but errors can occur. Quotes and included data should be considered illustrative, not definitive and their veracity should not be relied on.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 — Intro
00:01:08 — What Are We Talking About?
00:03:41 — Manoeuvre 101
00:07:08 — Setting Some Minimum Criteria
00:13:50 — the Russian Attempt
00:34:30 — How Do You Mitigate the UAS Threat
00:51:12 — the Cart-Horse Problem
01:04:19 — Channel Update
Content Creator – Perun
