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2026.13: So Long to Sora

The best Stratechery content from the week of March 23, 2026, including saying RIP to Sora, the 2026 Bullseye list, and Arm's big shift.

Leaky Sky. Videos of attacks on Moscow: Russian missiles miss Ukrainian drones. Experts on the problems of the capital's air defense

Despite loud statements by Russian authorities about the amazing capabilities of their own air defense, Ukrainian drones continue to hit targets in Moscow. "Novaya Gazeta Europe" discussed with experts the work of the Russian army's air defense in the Moscow region of Russia. A man inspects an apartment building damaged by a drone attack near Moscow, Russia, May 17, 2026. Photo: Maxim Shipenkov / EPA. Defective Defense After the largest drone raid on Moscow on June 18, which hit the oil refinery in Kapotnya, markets, and residential buildings, many videos appeared online showing Russian anti-aircraft missiles missing flying drones, flying "into milk" or crashing into objects on the territory of the oil refinery. The day before, "Novaya-Europe" had already reported on the problems of Russian air defense around Moscow. "The problems of air defense in the Moscow region began with the fact that long-range detection systems missed a wave of Ukrainian drones at long approaches," says military expert, retired Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Roman Svitan to "Novaya-Europe". "The absence of an alarm signal in the attacked areas is evidenced by this. As a result, short-range systems - Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun systems - were forced to deploy and operate inside the perimeter. This led to a malfunction in the radars, initially configured to detect targets approaching from the outside. In fact, the air defense was working into its own rear. Although the perimeter system on which the air defense around the Russian capital is built is designed precisely to prevent enemy aerial vehicles from reaching the city itself." Moreover, according to Svitan, missiles launched over dense urban development are very likely to fall on residential areas. The same fate awaits downed drones, which is extremely dangerous for civilians. The absence of warnings about the start of the raid, in turn, makes the threat even more serious. "I am absolutely not surprised by the low effectiveness demonstrated by the Russian air defense in intercepting low-flying small-sized targets," says military-political observer of the "Information Resistance" group Alexander Kovalenko to "Novaya-Europe". "Mainly, the Russian army uses the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system to combat Ukrainian drones. Even in Syria, in real combat conditions, this system has already shown itself to be a rather unsuccessful development. Then, in Karabakh and Libya, these systems also failed to adequately combat "Bayraktars", for which they were created. On the contrary, drones attacked and destroyed "Pantsirs". This anti-aircraft missile system has many "childhood illnesses" and defects, flaws in the target detection, tracking, and fire control systems, which prevent it from working effectively against drones. However, manufacturer lobbying ultimately led to the "Pantsir-S1" becoming the most widespread short-range anti-aircraft missile system in the Russian army." According to Kovalenko, the 30-mm guns of the "Pantsir-S1" are incapable of hitting low-flying subsonic targets. But the missiles also cannot guarantee to shoot down a slow-moving drone. Sometimes 3-4 missiles are used for one target. One missile costs $30-40 thousand, while the drone costs $15 thousand. Municipal workers mow the grass against the background of smoke rising in the background after reports of a Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026. Photo: EPA. The missiles of the "Pantsir-S1" complex can shoot down targets at a distance of 18-20 kilometers, while the "Pantsir-SMD-E" modification fires "Gvozd" missiles at very short distances - up to 7 kilometers. In addition, according to Svitan, many "Pantsir-S1" missiles have a thermal seeker: for such projectiles, target selection occurs by thermal signature. "Simply put, where it's hotter, the missile will fly there. This is the principle by which heat flares on aircraft work. "Some oil processing plant will glow much stronger in infrared radiation than a drone. Therefore, it is not surprising that one of the missiles went instead of the drone directly to the oil refinery infrastructure," explains the expert. The missiles of Russian man-portable air defense systems most often also have a thermal seeker, so they suffer from the same problems when dealing with UAVs, notes Svitan. In this case, "Gvozd" missiles are controlled by radio channel from the ground by a special computing system, which can perceive significant masses of metal as a priority target and direct the missile, for example, to an oil tank. It is the "Pantsir-S1" anti-aircraft missile system that is installed on the roofs of Moscow buildings, claims Kovalenko. "Urban high-rise buildings deprive this complex of the ability to reliably detect and track targets. In such a situation, as happened in Moscow, a missile can go off course and hit residential buildings or industrial facilities. Even in occupied Crimea, "Pantsir-S1" missiles often missed drones and exploded upon impact with the ground. Ineffective Methods Videos of attacks on Moscow often feature gunfire from various small arms - apparently, mainly from assault rifles and machine guns. It is possible that in addition to guarding the oil refinery, mobile firing groups were also operating in the Russian capital, which were previously often used in Ukraine to hunt Russian drones, according to experts interviewed by "Novaya-Europe". Shooting from small arms, even machine guns, according to Svitan, is extremely ineffective in combating massive drone attacks. It is only possible to shoot down a small UAV flying at a speed of 150-200 kilometers per hour from the ground by accident, which is why Ukraine has abandoned the tactic of using mobile firing groups to hunt Russian drones. If a bullet hits the wing or tail, the drone will continue to fly to its target. For effective operation, mobile firing groups - usually pickups with mounted machine guns - need to know in advance where the drones are coming from, how many there are, and what type they are. However, Ukraine uses many different strike drones that vary in speed, flight altitude, and other characteristics. Because of this, small arms fire is often ineffective: there is no universal way to combat all such targets. In addition, covering such large territories as Moscow or even all of Russia with mobile groups is extremely difficult, explains Kovalenko. Svitan did not notice the use of interceptor drones in the videos of attacks on Moscow. He notes that the Russian army has such systems, for example, "Yolka", designed to combat Ukrainian drones. However, launching one such complex requires a crew of at least four people. To deploy similar groups along the perimeter of Moscow, about 250 kilometers long, thousands of trained military personnel would be needed. Even then, each point could only shoot down a couple of drones, and the remaining targets would continue to move. According to Kovalenko's assessment, Russia is significantly inferior to Ukraine in the development and production of interceptor drones. "Moscow's air defense could not stop the strikes on targets in the metropolis," summarizes the expert. "Therefore, strikes on the Russian capital will be scaled up and gain intensity. That's for sure."

Judge Admonishes Musk Over 'Extinction' Talk in OpenAI Trial

During his lawsuit against OpenAI, Elon Musk's testimony regarding AI safety risks, including his use of the term "robot army" and the potential for human extinction, prompted a judge to instruct him to cease discussing such scenarios. The judge stated that issues of extinction were excluded from the case.

"STOP HITTING THEM!": Shock in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu Receives an UNEXPECTED MESSAGE from Trump! Are We Entering the Final Days of the War?

Tramp made a post on the social network Truth Social yesterday stating that Washington "knew nothing about this particular attack," and that Israel would not further attack the gas field unless Iran attacked Qatar again.

Secretary of War Hegseth Declares End of Free Ride for Allies at the Shangri-La Dialogue

“The National Defense Strategy makes clear that the old toothless, utopian, and globalist course of foreign policy was headed for a disaster that all changes under President Trump,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told a group of international defense ministers, military chiefs, diplomats, and analysts at the Shangri-La Dialogue. The post Secretary of War Hegseth Declares End of Free Ride for Allies at the Shangri-La Dialogue appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Dwelling and Practicing

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Opera makers have always engaged with the latest inventions while also preserving historic crafts. I believe it’s possible to look both forwards and backwards in this fast-evolving landscape

Serbia is closer to Iran by air than we thought! We were friends during Tito's time, and then they sent fighters to help the terrorist KLA

The war in the Middle East after the aggression of Israel and the USA on Iran is much closer to Serbia than it seems at first glance, so much so that it is astonishing.

Rubio Says US Not Withholding $14 Billion Taiwan Arms Package

The secretary of state told lawmakers that U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed and that a pending arms package remains under review.

Thousands More American Troops Stationed in Middle East This Memorial Day as Peace with Iran Looms on the Horizon

This Memorial Day, thousands more U.S. servicemen and -women than usual are stationed in the Middle East due to the ongoing tensions with Iran, even as recent developments suggest a peace agreement may be near.In late March, the New York Times reported that 50,000 U.S. troops were in the Middle East, an increase of about 10,000 from the 40,000 troops who are typically in the region. Many of those troops were stationed "at sea," the outlet noted.At the time, an additional 2,500 Marines, 2,500 sailors, and 2,000 Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division had just arrived. While the exact location of the Army paratroopers was not made public, they would be "within striking distance of Iran," the Times reported.It seems that little has changed in the weeks since. The Times reported on May 6 that the 50,000-strong U.S. forces remain "on standby in the region" as the delicate ceasefire with Iran hangs in the balance.As recently as May 11, Trump said the ceasefire is on "life support" after Iranian officials sent a proposal that Trump called a "piece of garbage."RELATED: Trump administration establishes ‘red, white, and blue dome’ to allow safe passage through Strait of Hormuz U.S. Navy/Getty ImagesWhen reached for comment, the War Department referred Blaze News to U.S. Central Command. A source familiar with the matter told Blaze News that for safety reasons, CENTCOM does not comment on troop movements or schedules.The four-to-six-week timetable President Donald Trump initially gave for the attacks on Iran has long since expired, but the president does not seem as focused on the protracted process as he is on the results.And his patience may be paying off.Over Memorial Day weekend, news of a possible peace deal began spreading online. While Trump has not divulged many details, he wrote on Sunday that "negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner" and that America's "relationship with Iran is becoming a much more professional and productive one." Trump even teased that should a deal be reached, Iran may someday join the "Nations of the historic Abraham Accords." Still, he cautioned that the U.S. would not "rush into a deal in that time is on our side."Above all, Trump pledged that Iran will never have nuclear weapons and that any agreement he reaches with Iranian officials will be "THE EXACT OPPOSITE" of the "pallets of cash" deal former President Barack Obama made in 2016, quipping, "Unlike those before me who should have solved this problem many years ago, I don’t make bad deals!"Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

"There is lawlessness at the front, just as there is throughout the country." How Russian soldier Alexander Lunin demanded a meeting with Putin, explaining it as an attempt to "convey the truth to Vladimir Vladimirovich"

On June 25, a soldier from the Voronezh region, Alexander Lunin, posted a video appeal to Vladimir Putin on social media, demanding a personal meeting with the president. If refused, he threatened that "the army will turn its weapons against the Kremlin." Later, in new videos, Lunin explained that he is not calling for a coup and does not consider himself a leader of an uprising. According to him, he is only trying to convey information to Putin about what is happening at the front and to "warn" about possible consequences for the country. More details about the content of Lunin's video and the reaction to his accounts of brutality and violence in the Russian army can be found in the material by "Novaya Gazeta Europe." Photo: Alexander Lunin's personal Instagram account. The video, watched by over 11 million people. According to Lunin, on June 24, in the village of Lizinovka, Voronezh region, a black SUV, similar to a Land Cruiser, pulled up to him. In the car, he claims, were three men: one introduced himself as being from the Ministry of Defense, the second from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the third's affiliation was not precisely known, but Lunin understood he was from a structure also related to the Ministry of Defense. The man stated that Lunin had "no choice" and that he "must highlight the problem to the president." "Yesterday, people met with me, representatives of high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Defense and security agencies. And they delivered a message to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin that if he does not grant an audience in live broadcast, I will tell the whole truth about what is currently happening in our country. Currently, tens, hundreds, thousands of our soldiers are sitting in zindans (pit prisons - editorial note), punished by their commanders. They sit, rot, are subjected to torture and violence by so-called 'Gestapo' for refusing to obey stupid suicidal orders, for refusing to hand over their financial resources. And in the end, they are zeroed out, declared missing. Vladimir Vladimirovich, pay attention to this, invite me to you. The consequences will be very serious. If I do not arrive at the Kremlin in the near future and speak in a live broadcast, next to you, the army will turn its weapons against the Kremlin. I am only conveying a message." Lunin was allegedly told to convey that if order is not established at the front, then "the guys will rise up because they simply have no strength left." "The people who came yesterday showed me videos where such horrors are happening that you cannot even imagine. And it is no longer possible to remain silent about this," the soldier later repeated. The video quickly went viral. In the first four hours alone, the video garnered over 2 million views and over 80,000 likes. By noon on June 26, the video had almost 12 million views. "Not a mutiny" In the comments under Lunin's video appeal, many recalled the attempted mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner PMC, which occurred exactly three years ago. But Lunin was quick to reject these comparisons: "No one said they wanted to carry out a coup. If they wanted a coup, it would have been done quietly and silently. They want to convey to the president that lawlessness is happening at the front, just as it is throughout the country." Lunin stated that he had "put his whole life on the line." "I am not a resistance leader, I am the one who will convey the information to Vladimir Vladimirovich at the cost of my life," he emphasized. In one of the videos, the man also spoke about how difficult it was for him and his comrades to fight in the Kursk region. "We never left our positions... Such a mess was happening there... And for some reason, no one was awarded, while those in the headquarters who never went to the front lines received bravery awards," he complained. Lunin also expressed anger that people listen to "liberals and enemies of the people" who allegedly call his actions an attempt at mutiny. "Guys - envoys from serious people - passed on to me and showed me videos of our fighters being tortured. Of course, I was shocked! I'm still shocked! And I'm trying to reach the president," he clarified his intentions again. Photo: Alexander Lunin's personal Instagram account. The Presidential Administration "heard" As Lunin said, he was informed that his video appeal had been seen in the Presidential Administration: "No one asked me to record the video, I was presented with a fait accompli, and I recorded it. I still believe it is my sacred duty to warn our commander-in-chief that great trouble could befall our country." Lunin warns that the country awaits "chaos like never before" because "the external enemy sees everything and will use it for its own purposes." "If the guys who are currently on the front lines leave their positions, our country will collapse." On June 26, Lunin announced he was driving to Moscow. According to him, Vitaly Borodin, head of the Federal Project for Security and Anti-Corruption, contacted him. Kremlin Reaction On June 26, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the presidential administration had heard about Alexander Lunin's appeal but had not yet had time to watch it. "We were told that there is such an appeal, but we haven't had time to review it yet. Therefore, I wouldn't say anything. Judging by your words, some rather strange wording, it needs to be reviewed first," Peskov said. The Kremlin did not comment on either the threat of mutiny or Lunin's statements about the torture of Russian soldiers. Lunin announced that he was going to Moscow and began collecting appeals from other citizens about "crimes" committed "against our fighters by commanders and all these Gestapo members." What is known about Lunin According to leaked data from "Meduza" and "Mediazona," Lunin fought in Ukraine as part of the 150th Motor Rifle Division, which is part of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army, and was wounded. "Agentstvo" found out that Lunin is 39 years old. Alexander Lunin is his real name and surname. But he received his current surname in 2023; before that, he was Pustovalov. Photo: Alexander Lunin's personal Instagram account. According to leaks, writes "Agentstvo," in 2023 Lunin traveled to Melitopol and served in the volunteer battalion named after Sudoplatov, first as a rifleman, then as a commander. Later, he worked at the State Unitary Enterprise "Sudoplatov Center for Technical Development and Services" in the Zaporizhzhia region. Journalists managed to reach the man by phone. "Novaya Gazeta Europe" also tried to contact Lunin, but he refused to speak with the publication. In a conversation with "Agentstvo," Lunin said that since this year he has been running his own channel on several platforms. According to him, acquaintances from the front send him messages and videos about the situation of Russian soldiers. "I receive a lot of messages, video messages. I'm even afraid to post them because there are horrific images," he said. "I receive a lot of messages, video messages. I'm even afraid to post them because there are horrific images," he said. Lunin claims that this is why he decided to appeal to Putin - to "show personally" these materials and speak directly with the president. Lunin has two sons. He is not currently fighting because he was "kicked out," according to him, for failing to perform his duties in 2025.