What Everyone Gets Wrong About the Kharkov Offensive

Everyone just argues about how many forces Russia has available and that is the wrong way to frame this question. What we should be asking is “Does Ukraine have the forces to defend Kharkov?” The vast majority of commentators and even so-called experts fail to understand that a battle space is an eco system with a maximum capacity. Just … Read more

My Trip to Crimea in Photos

The major downside to going right now is that there are no flights in or out, you have to go by train, car, or bus from mainland Russia, which is time consuming if visiting from abroad. Over the last two weeks I saw Sevastopol, Yalta, and Kerch, and there is much more to see if/when … Read more

Victory Day in Crimea

Today Maria and I are in Kerch. There was not a sensational spectacle like in Moscow, but this morning thwre was a wreath laying ceremony and some ceremonies at the the city’s eternal flame, and at Kerch’s “obelisk of glory” at the top of the mountain. The eternal flame: Units that earned the “Kerch” designation … Read more

What happened to Gordon Black?

sorry for the sloppy post, we are in Crimea this week and internet access hasn’t been great. I’ll post some fun updates about our wanderings here soon, hopefully tomorrow. But anyway, let’s talk about the guy who was arrested. Allegedly a certain Staff Sgt. Gordon Black left his duty station in South Korea on leave … Read more