Russia Gets Knocked Off Its Horse || June 24, 2026
Ukraine has struck a key semiconductor facility in Voronezh that could significantly weaken the Russians' ability to produce advanced military equipment.
Russia is already struggling to replace military hardware lost in the war, and damage to this facility (and the other major chip plant near Moscow) would force it to depend heavily on Chinese components. These would be less compatible with Russian military systems and would reduce the quantity and quality of Russia's weapons.
As Ukraine continues to expand its drone capabilities with foreign support, we're entering a new phase of this war where Russian tech limitations play a bigger role on the battlefield.
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Comments (33)
I realize few Americans speak Russian (at one point there were more teachers of English in Russia than students of Russian in the U.S.), but before reading the transcript I had no idea where “Verezna” was. Then I read that Voronezh was meant., a major western city with about a million people. That should be pronounced more like “verOHNyezh”
Putin is getting backed tighter into a corner and with less options, becoming more dangerous. The possible good (for him) solutions coming out of this war are dwindling and I imagine he's thinking more and more about using nukes no matter the consequences. Hopefully saner minds prevail and he falls out of a window before he can give the command.
Peter has never seen my washer dance halfway across the room as it high-speed spins a handful of towels. Plus it makes that happy song when it stops.
They hit the Angstrem plant in Zelenograd a month ago.
That's bad for semiconductors because every stage of the process requires not being on fire 🤣
Petrol bombs are cheap.
Next stop, Zelenograd (lit., "green city"), 37 km north of central Moscow, where Mikron Group and Angstrem have, for now, their miltech plants. Also Sitronics Group, though it doesn't seem to (yet) be adapted to producing miltech. It's a very Soviet story: Central planners decreed Zelenograd's buildout as the Soviets' main electronics R&D and production center in 1958 (initially as a textiles town, then in 1962 suddenly repurposed by central decree to electronics), and naturally was a closed city until 1989.
The Chinese actually wants Russia weakened from war with Ukraine so they can make Russia their permanent junior partner in the CCP's extractive economy (as a good source of energy/resources) without relying too much on the Middle East (Strait of Hormuz) and Strait of Malacca. This also plays in the whole Central Asia dominance thing (China replacing Russia as the dominant power in Central Asia region where all the -istan countries are).
RE: Russia's 'tech' capabilities, a joke from the Soviet era: Q: What doesn't fit in your a∬ and doesn't buzz? A: A Soviet-made a∬-buzzer.
Hey Peter, greetings from Cheesequake, New Jersey! I'm in the middle of making 350 nanometer chips in my kitchen and I need your advice. Should I use the standard sunflower oil or try avacado, or even olive oil? Also, deep fry or air fry? If you could get back to me within the hour, that would great!
Deep fry with industrial acid until golden brown. Be sure to scoop up the left over sludge and dispose properly, New Jersey wouldn't like it if you flush industrial waste down the toilet. 🤣🤣🤣
How is this war still going on
There’s no referee to stop it, and the bloody, battered, big palooka is still on his feet, even though both eyes are swollen shut and he can’t raise his hands above his waist.
I don't understand why Russia can't procure hardened chips from the Chinese, other than the need to pay.
The nukes question is an interesting one. Vlad clearly fear for his life. There's no better way to draw the attention of a B2 bunker buster than using a tactical nuke. I really can't see him risking certain death for uncertain victory via nuclear deployment.
Are we about to see another technology transfer to North Korea with the goal of sourcing military grade microchips there?
Leave the Russians with no option but to target Europe or nuclear or both.
Look for Russia to deploy and use non nuclear EMP bombs (NNEMP) These have been around for 70 years with ever advancing sophistication. There are several types that are known and probably some that are classified. NNEMP weapons tend to be localized in effect with limited structural damage, but if Russia wanted to fry everything electrical in a city block, this might be the ideal device.
The Russian military adapted the "Z" which translates to "For victory." Might be time to change it to a “L” that represents the true situation of historic strategic miscalculation.
No Peter, you could not build a 150nm process node in your garage if you wanted to. We can't even easily make 6µm chips from the late 70's. Otherwise, I'd be making and selling chips to retro computer hardware enthusiasts that are becoming increasingly rarer and expensive. A few years ago a high school senior built a 12µm (that's 12,000 nanometers) process node in his parent's garage; and he was a genius working with some pretty dangerous chemicals and guidance from his father, a semiconductor engineer.
Okay, so Peter exaggerates sometimes…, um…, sometimes. Yes, sometimes.
Putin is evidently pushing Belarus to get involved as a direct combatant. If he is getting more desperate to gain some advantage, how would Ukraine deal with a second front north of Kiev?
Both Naftan and Mozyr refinaries are vulnerable to Ukrainian missiles. That adds up to 100% of Belarussian oil production.
Ukraine did not get this good at drones on their own. US send "contractors" or China helping in the background?
They largely did. Their drones are far better than those of the U.S. for guerrilla warfare.
We, Ukrainians don't want to think, that China will go into the war big. Because if they will help russaistanians, there will be not much wins for them, but if russiastanians will start separate into federations, China might really get their chunk easily
It’s in the interests of China to keep this spinning, as long as it does not cost them money. They get cheap oil and a weakening Russia, with the potential for dismemberment and the chance to pick off parts of the country / align regions to them.
Slava Ukrani! It does seem Ukraine has found the way to penetrate Russian defenses and significantly degrade their offense which would allow re-taking occupied territroy. Except, they simply don't have the manpower or related resources to do it on a large scale. It almost seems the war has morphed into a different kind of trench war, with the no man's land becoming hundreds of miles wide on both sides. It's instructive for any country thinking about assaulting another country that has a robust drone defense.
The wars in Ukraine and Iran have exposed a hard truth that militaries have repeated throughout history: once again, we're preparing to fight the last war. The problem is that the next war won't look like the last one—and when I say "next," I mean tomorrow, not twenty years from now. What concerns me even more is that China appears far better positioned to adapt. With its industrial base, technological capacity, and ability to make strategic decisions without years of political infighting, it may be preparing for future conflict while the rest of us are still debating the past. A small example from Northern California illustrates the problem. A developer and a defense contractor have spent two years trying to build a port and manufacturing facility on privately owned, port-zoned land. After all that time, they've made almost no meaningful progress. Local opposition is driven largely by old retired people who don't want change and have little interest in the jobs or economic benefits the project would create. Regional leaders are reluctant to take a public position because they fear being labeled anti-environmental. This is especially true for our state representatives…save one. The Governor's office sends junior staffers to meetings, and the best-case scenario is a budget trailer bill that might provide the regulatory flexibility necessary to move the project forward. In other words, we're still arguing about whether to build. The oldsters are sacrificing our kids future! Meanwhile, China is building!
Why not keep with the course, bleed the russians dry and never let them be on the defensive?
At this rate they'll be knocked on the horse when that's the only remaining mean of transport
I thought they ate the horse in January?!?
I thought that was that was like Rule #5 in Taiga Wars, is you eat the horse in January.