"unique radio-electronic weapons based on new physical principles" sounds an awful lot like the breathless tales of secret Russian Tesla death rays that have been circulating since the 80s, if not earlier.
If Russia could "neutralize entire armies with just one short electromagnetic impulse", or even just "disable missile warheads and onboard aircraft electronics miles away", don't you think they'd be using that capability against Ukraine?
The author of that paper was obsessed with the idea of EMP weapons,[1] so I'd take it with an entire shaker full of salt unless you can find solid supporting evidence elsewhere.
> don't you think they'd be using that capability against Ukraine?
No, and that's entirely the point.
Their non-use of their advanced weapons systems is as equally interesting a subject as their forward-deployment of expendable, less advanced systems.
The Russian military certainly have their inefficiencies - as all modern militaries do, including "our own" - but they also have capabilities that are going to be more important to use against NATO/USA, than Ukraine.
The Russian mindset appears to support the idea that World War Three is well and truly under way and has been since the West illegally invaded Iraq, in 2003. Ukraine is merely the latest in this conflagration that has been rendering 'lesser nations' asunder, for two decades already. The whole world has been watching not only American/NATO, but also Russian doctrine in play for decades.
So I guess the doctrine is, don't play your best hand first .. and reserve your big muscle for when you fight big muscle.
NATO is adding its muscle to Ukraine, no question. But I wouldn't expect to see Russian - or NATO - advanced weapons systems in use until there is actually direct, open conflict between Russia and NATO.
Only then would non-nuclear EMP's, and indeed tactical ("micro") nukes, and other such more 'advanced' weaponry end up on the battlefield, if there is even one after the first few hours of 'real war'.
Russia have thrown everything they have at Ukraine over the last year-and-a-half. Cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles, their best troops and naval assets.
Now they're buying equipment from Iran (!?) and North Korea.
Russia, in their deep USA envy thought they'd have their own Shock and Awe! 3 day SMO.
Instead they overestimated themselves, and massively underestimated Ukraine.
The cupboard is empty. The only thing they have left is nuclear weapons, which they're quite rightly terrified of using. All that remains now is a long slow and grinding defeat as Putin expends every available Russian male in his desperate attempt to remain in power and not back down.
>Russia have thrown everything they have at Ukraine over the last year-and-a-half.
I don't believe that's the case. Russian military doctrine has always been to reserve the best systems for the end-game, and front 'fodder' in the beginning stages of things.
I see Russia's war theatre manifest also in Syria, where the very same tactics are utilized to suppress the field.
"Shock and Awe" is a US doctrine. Russian is more "Shake and Hold".
"Massively overestimating themselves/underestimating themselves", is very difficult to contextualize, if you don't actually speak Russian.
>The cupboard is empty.
I'm sorry, I really don't agree. You might want to take a deeper look:
>> Russia have thrown everything they have at Ukraine over the last year-and-a-half.
> I don't believe that's the case. Russian military doctrine has always been to reserve the best systems for the end-game, and front 'fodder' in the beginning stages of things.
This still doesn't explain the BMP-T's, the T90's and S300's that are deployed to Ukraine and destroyed in Ukraine.
If Russia could "neutralize entire armies with just one short electromagnetic impulse", or even just "disable missile warheads and onboard aircraft electronics miles away", don't you think they'd be using that capability against Ukraine?
The author of that paper was obsessed with the idea of EMP weapons,[1] so I'd take it with an entire shaker full of salt unless you can find solid supporting evidence elsewhere.
[1] https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtontimes/name/pe...