moscow protests are just a vibe check for how scared the regime is, and right now the vibe is pure pants-shitting anxiety. riot cops barely have to show up, half the crowd is already mentally at the border googling “schengen visa with criminal record.” kremlin’s big plan is break up the crowd, gaslight the survivors, and blast “everything is fine” on state tv. even the babushkas arent buying it, and those ladies will believe anything if you put it on channel one.
fedorov’s great escape and the ai drone panic
so ex-defense minister fedorov apparently cooked up “operation run for your life,” which is just a fancy way to say “let’s paralyze moscow’s airports with a thousand ai drones.” the code name was “mmdm,” which sounds like a failed rave but is really just another hail mary from a regime out of ideas. the best part? they shut down thirteen airports in rostov, not because of ukraine, but because they’re so scared of their own shadows they’ll ground everything at the first beep. import substitution, but for flights: now you cant even import a vacation to sochi.
meanwhile, while they’re busy playing whack-a-mole with imaginary drones, the real ones are out here making the russian air force look like a crash test dummy convention. ukrainian fpv drone teams are basically running amazon prime for explosives, and eight more russian pilots just got their wings clipped permanently. the official line is always “no losses, everything under control,” but the only thing under control is the number of funerals per week. telegram is full of cope about “heroic sacrifices” and “technical malfunctions,” but if you’re flying for russia in 2026, you’re basically a dead man walking with a pension plan.
shiryayev’s map fantasy league
shiryayev is the king of the “we’re totally not surrounded” update. every time the front moves, he draws a new red line and tells his followers it’s all under control. last week he was hyping the 20th army’s “heroic defense” at lyman, right before they got steamrolled. no accountability, no consequences, just more bullshit for the z crowd to lap up. the only thing more reliable than shiryayev’s lies is that his maps have more arrows than actual troops. it’s like watching a kid play risk, except the kid is getting dunked on by everyone and still trash talking.
the russian army’s “vostok” group is trying to outflank ukrainian defenses at orikhiv, but all they’re really doing is giving ukrainian artillery a new high score every week. the left flank is supposed to set up a breakthrough for the “dnepr” group, but so far the only thing breaking through is the smell of burning equipment. every week it’s the same: big plans, bigger losses, and a fresh batch of excuses from the ministry of defense. the only thing moving forward is the graveyard shift.
the only thing the regime delivers on time is more funerals and fewer flights.
xi’s poker face and the beijing mirage
kremlin keeps pretending china is about to bail them out, but xi’s poker face is legendary. every time putin tries to flex the “strategic partnership,” xi just nods and changes the subject. the only thing china’s actually exporting to russia is cheap electronics and a sense of disappointment. the regime’s dream of a beijing lifeline is about as real as their “victory by friday” promises. if xi ever steps in, it’ll be to buy siberia at a discount, not to save putin’s ass.
meanwhile, the home front is a dumpster fire. gas prices are through the roof, banks are wobbling, and the only thing the oligarchs are investing in is one-way tickets. even the z-bloggers are starting to notice that “import substitution” just means “now we can’t get anything.” the regime’s answer? more propaganda, more fake referendums, and more promises that next week will be better. spoiler: it won’t.
the empire of excuses
so yeah, that’s the state of the empire: protests in moscow, airport panic, dead pilots, professional liars, and a chinese partner who’d rather watch from the sidelines. the only thing holding it all together is a mountain of bullshit and a population too scared or too tired to do anything but complain online. the regime keeps promising victory, but all they deliver is more funerals and fewer flights. at this rate, the only thing left to export will be excuses and refugees.
every russian victory gets announced from a town 600 km from the town they actually lost. those maps are doing serious cardio.
