Clearly things are pretty hot in Kherson. Have seen multiple overrun Russian positions, but also some destroyed western APCs and a destroyed Bayraktar.
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On issue of Russian motivations for the war, their internal propaganda is essentially genocidal, that Ukraine is not a real state and Ukrainians are not a real people. Their international propaganda is that NATO forced them to invade because of Western meddling. These are obviously in tension but neither are true. Putin's personal motivations are probably the biggest factor; taking Crimea was a boon for his prestige and legacy, and Ukraine's capabilities were increasing, so now was his moment to try and take Kiev. Unfortunately for him, nobody could really tell him how stupid and unrealistic that plan was, but it also demonstrates how imperative the personal was, that this was not a Russian "deep state" decision but a Putin decision.
I think it's probably ancillary to the topic at hand, but if you wanted to put Putin on a R/L axis he would certainly be very hard right. Not a surprise that the most extreme American RW politicians/commentators are the ones who are most against supporting Ukraine and make the most pro Russian armed forces statements (MTG, Boebert, Tucker, etc).
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It seems your argument is about purity of the term. Bayraktars may be not functioning in a low altitude role roving the active battlefield. But as you describe, that isn't really how CAS works today for several reasons, even for the US.
As the air arm of a combined arms maneuver, Bayraktar is probably Ukraine's best tool, even if not operating at low altitudes.
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On issue of Russian motivations for the war, their internal propaganda is essentially genocidal, that Ukraine is not a real state and Ukrainians are not a real people. Their international propaganda is that NATO forced them to invade because of Western meddling. These are obviously in tension but neither are true. Putin's personal motivations are probably the biggest factor; taking Crimea was a boon for his prestige and legacy, and Ukraine's capabilities were increasing, so now was his moment to try and take Kiev. Unfortunately for him, nobody could really tell him how stupid and unrealistic that plan was, but it also demonstrates how imperative the personal was, that this was not a Russian "deep state" decision but a Putin decision.
I think it's probably ancillary to the topic at hand, but if you wanted to put Putin on a R/L axis he would certainly be very hard right. Not a surprise that the most extreme American RW politicians/commentators are the ones who are most against supporting Ukraine and make the most pro Russian armed forces statements (MTG, Boebert, Tucker, etc).
.....
It seems your argument is about purity of the term. Bayraktars may be not functioning in a low altitude role roving the active battlefield. But as you describe, that isn't really how CAS works today for several reasons, even for the US.
As the air arm of a combined arms maneuver, Bayraktar is probably Ukraine's best tool, even if not operating at low altitudes.