How Drone Warfare Is Breaking Moscow - Kyiv Post

[TexasTowelie]

Russia entered summer 2025 promising sweeping victories and decisive advances. Instead, Moscow’s offensive turned into one of its costliest disasters of the entire war. Verified battlefield reporting shows catastrophic losses: more than 210,000 Russian soldiers eliminated from combat, over 1,200 tanks destroyed, 2,100 armored vehicles wrecked, and more than 7,000 artillery systems silenced. At Pokrovsk, once touted as the Kremlin’s key objective, entire Russian units were shattered, leaving tens of thousands of troops ineffective after failed wave attacks met precision fire and drone swarms.

This episode features Chuck Pfarrer, former U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 operator, combat veteran, and internationally recognized counterterrorism and defense analyst. With decades of frontline experience and a reputation as one of America’s most authoritative military voices, Pfarrer brings unparalleled clarity to the battlefield reality. Having traveled across Ukraine’s frontlines and spoken directly with soldiers, he explains why Russia’s Soviet-style mass attacks are being dismantled by Ukraine’s drone warfare, mobile strike groups, and precision systems like HIMARS.

Pfarrer details how the drone revolution has flipped the cost balance of war, why Russia’s reliance on chemical weapons signals desperation, and why Moscow’s claim it can seize cities like Kyiv, Odesa, or Mykolaiv is fantasy. He examines Russia’s attempt to reconstitute another 150,000 troops, breaking down why these replacements will not offset systemic collapse. More importantly, he underscores the resilience, technical expertise, and adaptability of Ukrainian soldiers who are rewriting the modern rules of war.

The Kremlin wanted dominance. Instead, it exposed its weakness. Russia’s summer offensive promised victory but delivered only attrition, failure, and decline - a turning point that will shape the future of this war.