Ukraine is running out of Patriot missiles.

"With the cutoff of U.S. aid to Ukraine under President Donald Trump, Patriot missiles have become a particular sticking point. Made only in the U.S., despite new manufacturing under development in Germany, PAC-3 missiles remain by far the best defense Ukraine has against Russian ballistic missiles, which strike frequently."

DEFENSE

The orcs for sure along with every other type of ADA munition.

❗️🇺🇦Ukrainian military personnel from the 1st Separate Center of Unmanned Systems Forces today struck the 🇷🇺Petrochemical Plant in Sterlitamak (Bashkortostan). pic.twitter.com/6xFHsf9xez

— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) April 15, 2026

More bad things happening deep inside Russia.

"A powerful explosion was reported at the Samara Kommunar plant in Samara, Russia, a defense-industrial facility directly involved in the production of explosives and the filling of munitions, according to local sources and open-source intelligence communities monitoring activity in the region."

BLAST

Sq 17 said:

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Isn't everybody running out of Patriot Missiles?

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No one else who's fighting for their country's survival.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces will receive the largest-ever batch of drones from the United Kingdom, BBC reports

The UK will supply Ukraine with 120,000 drones.

The package will include long-range strike drones, reconnaissance UAVs, drones for logistics operations, as well as systems… pic.twitter.com/tXu2nOjwUU

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 15, 2026

💥 Russia: Ukrainian housewife kitchen drones flew 1,500km and struck the Sterlitamak oil refinery in occupied Bashkortostan.
Refinery produced jet fuel, aviation kerosene additives, and is the only manufacturer of neodymium synthetic rubbers in all of Russia. pic.twitter.com/vOJoiyI3Ur

— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) April 15, 2026

I had read several years worth of production of Patriots that were fired in the last couple of weeks of the Iranian "war" on top of all the missiles used fighting the Orcs

Sq 17 said:

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Isn't everybody running out of Patriot Missiles?

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That's kinda true. They've been used to protect not just Ukraine but the entire middle east.

I think the company I started my engineering career with as a co-op might just have to make a **** ton more.

As a side note - I was on the PAC-3 program all the way to downselect (it was ERINT up until then). It was an awesome missile...

Russia's Shahed drones are coming apart in flight.

"Ukrainian military footage shows intercepted Russian Shahed drones arriving with detached access panels, bent wingtips, and missing nose fairings, indicating systemic assembly failures. Russia's Alabuga drone factory in Tatarstan employs unskilled migrant workers, relies on inferior Chinese components, and prioritizes volume output over manufacturing quality."

GOOD

This is uhm...unhelpful.

Russian Defense Ministry’s statement must be taken literally: the list of European facilities which make drones & other equipment is a list of potential targets for the Russian armed forces. When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!

— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) April 15, 2026

That idiot needs to worry about hitting targets IN Ukraine before he thinks about expanding the battlefield to Europe.

Medvedev's sabre-rattling has become a genre unto itself.

He and Putin are essentially what the Trump Taco phenomenon is as described by TDS sufferers. Stake out a wild position (Medvedev/Trump Tweet), then "settle" for a position that appears to be restrained, and was actually the original goal anyway (Putin/Taco).

The 'reasonable' position was always the real ask.

aggiehawg said:

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This is uhm...unhelpful.

Russian Defense Ministry’s statement must be taken literally: the list of European facilities which make drones & other equipment is a list of potential targets for the Russian armed forces. When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!

— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) April 15, 2026

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wow. Shows how weak Europe is. He knows better than to call out Lockheed Martin or other American defense contractors.

lb3 said:

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aggiehawg said:

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This is uhm...unhelpful.

Russian Defense Ministry’s statement must be taken literally: the list of European facilities which make drones & other equipment is a list of potential targets for the Russian armed forces. When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!

— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) April 15, 2026

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wow. Shows how weak Europe is. He knows better than to call out Lockheed Martin or other American defense contractors.

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It shows how weak SOMEbody is.

lb3 said:

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aggiehawg said:

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This is uhm...unhelpful.

Russian Defense Ministry’s statement must be taken literally: the list of European facilities which make drones & other equipment is a list of potential targets for the Russian armed forces. When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!

— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) April 15, 2026

---

wow. Shows how weak Europe is. He knows better than to call out Lockheed Martin or other American defense contractors.

---

I would imagine Sir Keir is wetting down the inside of his leg in fear right now.

🎯 Ukraine’s Defense Forces have taken control of Russian logistics around occupied Donetsk

The key routes include Zuhres, Andriivka, Starobesheve, Horlivka, Lysychansk, and the Donetsk ring road. Ukrainian strike drones are actively “hunting” equipment and troop movements in… pic.twitter.com/rcRfTQzWzf

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 16, 2026

equipment and troop movements in these areas.

The 1st Corps of the Azov Brigade notes that such UAV activity indicates weaknesses in Russia's airspace control system. Until recently, these directions were considered relatively safe by Russian forces.

"There is no safe rear for the occupiers. Hiding and protecting themselves is impossible," the corps emphasized.

Man, that is crazy easy pickings. Driving a tanker truck in there?, no damn way, suicide trip

Russia is preparing a new ground offensive in southeastern Ukraine, drawing on its strategic reserves to reinforce its forces in the country with another 20,000 troops, HUR representative Skibitskyi told the Financial Times.

With roughly 680,000 soldiers currently deployed on… pic.twitter.com/I5BG8BLezp

— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) April 16, 2026

Good luck, 20,000 troops.

Quote:

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Russia is preparing a new ground offensive in southeastern Ukraine, drawing on its strategic reserves to reinforce its forces in the country with another 20,000 troops, HUR representative Skibitskyi told the Financial Times.

With roughly 680,000 soldiers currently deployed on Ukrainian territory, Moscow is aiming to seize the entirety of Donbas by September.

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Color me skeptical.

aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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Russia is preparing a new ground offensive in southeastern Ukraine, drawing on its strategic reserves to reinforce its forces in the country with another 20,000 troops, HUR representative Skibitskyi told the Financial Times.

With roughly 680,000 soldiers currently deployed on Ukrainian territory, Moscow is aiming to seize the entirety of Donbas by September.

---

Color me skeptical.

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likely 500k of those are drunks, druggies, not from Russia or haven't the slightest clue as to what to do. If Ukraine could ever scale up for any kind of sizable combined arms offensive, It feels like they could crack the Russian lines pretty seriously and the whole damn front would turn tail and run.

That's a stretch. The front is very long. It would be nice to see them take some chunks back, though.

you are right; but maybe a key sector where logistics are at a nexus, and threaten all supply lines from the rear

Waffledynamics said:

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Russia is preparing a new ground offensive in southeastern Ukraine, drawing on its strategic reserves to reinforce its forces in the country with another 20,000 troops, HUR representative Skibitskyi told the Financial Times.

With roughly 680,000 soldiers currently deployed on… pic.twitter.com/I5BG8BLezp

— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) April 16, 2026

Good luck, 20,000 troops.

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Russia gonna need more holes and more sacks of potatoes. You want job security in Russia these days? Be a gravedigger.

2wealfth Man said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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Russia is preparing a new ground offensive in southeastern Ukraine, drawing on its strategic reserves to reinforce its forces in the country with another 20,000 troops, HUR representative Skibitskyi told the Financial Times.

With roughly 680,000 soldiers currently deployed on Ukrainian territory, Moscow is aiming to seize the entirety of Donbas by September.

---

Color me skeptical.

---

likely 500k of those are drunks, druggies, not from Russia or haven't the slightest clue as to what to do. If Ukraine could ever scale up for any kind of sizable combined arms offensive, It feels like they could crack the Russian lines pretty seriously and the whole damn front would turn tail and run.

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Come on in boys, the water is fine…

Waffledynamics said:

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Good luck, 20,000 troops.

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Isn't that a month's supply currently?

Dim Medvedev better stay away from windows.

Ukrainian jets just did something that should have been impossible.

On 14 April, they dropped American GBU-39 glide bombs on a Russian drone depot at Donetsk airport—a target 40 km behind the front line. The bomb only ranges 40 km from low altitude, meaning the launching MiG-29s… pic.twitter.com/OQoOCPNSBY

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) April 17, 2026

The bomb only ranges 40 km from low altitude, meaning the launching MiG-29s either flew high over Russian-held territory or flew low and got close.

A year ago, both were suicide. On 14 April, both came home.

The reason is a methodical campaign that destroyed 492 Russian air defense systems between June and early March. "Collapsing the layered defensive architecture that the Russian integrated air defense doctrine depends upon to function," as http://Tochnyi.info put it.

It's also why Russian Shahed strikes, once trending toward 7,000 a week, have flat-lined at 1,500. Ukraine is blowing the drones up before they fly.

As of today, Ukraine's SBS units claim to have struck 25 SAM or radar systems in April - the same number e hit in the last 3 months of 2025 combined.

That brings the total for 2026 so far to 110. There are still 2 weeks of April left. Seems sustainable. https://t.co/AEX9xFmlaR

— Kyle Glen (@KyleJGlen) April 17, 2026

PJYoung said:

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🎯 Ukraine’s Defense Forces have taken control of Russian logistics around occupied Donetsk

The key routes include Zuhres, Andriivka, Starobesheve, Horlivka, Lysychansk, and the Donetsk ring road. Ukrainian strike drones are actively “hunting” equipment and troop movements in… pic.twitter.com/rcRfTQzWzf

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 16, 2026

equipment and troop movements in these areas.

The 1st Corps of the Azov Brigade notes that such UAV activity indicates weaknesses in Russia's airspace control system. Until recently, these directions were considered relatively safe by Russian forces.

"There is no safe rear for the occupiers. Hiding and protecting themselves is impossible," the corps emphasized.

---

"The Greatest Threat to Logistics in Our Rear Areas." In the Donbas, Ukrainian forces have begun using the new American kamikaze drone "Hornet" on a large scale.

(1/2) The "Hornet," nicknamed "Martian-2" by Russian forces, first appeared in the Donbas at the end of September 2025. At that time, however, the Russians observed only a small number of these drones, which were likely still in the testing phase. The drone then disappeared for several months. However, at the beginning of March 2026, this model of loitering munition began to be used in large numbers by Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk area, 50 km from the current front line.

Attacks focused on Russian military supply vehicles moving along a section of the former H-20 highway north of the city toward Ocheretyne, as well as the former E-50 road to Selydove (see video below). The routes: Donetsk - Ocheretyne - Myrnohrad and Donetsk - Selydove have long been the main supply routes for the "Center" Group of Forces. Hundreds of Russian trucks and "Buchankas" pass through them daily en route to the front in the Pokrovsk area and back. Until now, these road sectionsdue to the actions of Russian electronic warfare (EW) unitshad never been reached by Ukrainian kamikaze drones, which is why no anti-drone nets were strung up over them.

Initially, the Russians were not 100% sure what was attacking them. The drone was equipped with a shaped-charge fragmentation warhead weighing 1.5 kg, which always initiated its combat load upon impact. For this reason, for many weeks the Russians did not have a single intact specimen and could only examine its remains. It was only at the beginning of April that the Russians managed to capture a drone in nearly pristine condition. At that point, it was quickly confirmed that what was attacking themas they had suspectedwas the "Hornet" loitering munition produced by the American company Swift Beat, founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

The "Hornet," nicknamed "Martian-2" in Russian forces, is built from styrofoam and molded plastic, measures 1.4 m in length and has a wingspan of 2.2 m. Its weight is about 5 kg. The drone uses autonomous inertial-optical odometry for navigation, an advanced autonomous system of two daytime cameras with excellent image quality for target acquisition and recognition and guiding onto them using artificial intelligence, as well as non-standard frequencies for encrypted data transmission using a digital modem.

The "Hornet" has a flight range of up to 70 km, flies at low altitude below 200 m, with an average speed of 100-120 km/h but significantly accelerates in the final phase just before impact. According to accounts from Russian soldiers, it is very quiet and undetectable by both popular handheld drone detectors and EW radars. EW systems are said to be only marginally effective against it. Even if frequencies can be jammed, thanks to the automatic target-tracking function, the "Hornet" can still reach and effectively hit the target.

On Russian Telegram channels, one can find opinions from Russian soldiers about the "Hornet." According to them, it is a "carefully assembled drone made from very high-quality components." It has been rated by them as "extremely dangerous," currently "actively terrorizing our rear areas," and posing "the greatest threat to logistics." According to reports, since early March it has been gradually introduced to the front by Ukrainians in ever-increasing numbers. In addition to the Donetsk area, it has also begun to be used in the Mariupol and Belgorod regions.

Below - 1. video recorded by Russian soldiers of Hornet drone attacks in the Donetsk area at the beginning of March 2026, 2 - video published yesterday by the Telegram channel of the 1st Corps of the ON "Azov" showing Hornet drone attacks in the Donetsk area.

"Największe zagrożenie dla logistyki na naszych tyłach". W Donbasie na szeroką skalę ukr zaczęli używać nowego amerykańskiego drona kamikadze "Hornet".

(1/2) Pierwszy raz "Hornet" zwany przez rus wojsko "Marsjaninem-2" pojawił się w Donbasie pod koniec września 2025 r. Wówczas… pic.twitter.com/cRsvi5uRJK

— Thorkill (@Thorkill65) April 17, 2026