Shantanu meets Ganga | Mahabharata By Short Sparks | Episode 2

Russia Suffers Pearl Harbour Style Attack from Massive Ukrainian Drone Strike

The latest Ukrainian FPV drone strike on Russian airbases has shown footage of massive damage inflicted on Russian aircraft including Tu-95 strategic bombers. The obvious success of this attack means it would be noted for possible imitation by others. 

We should worry about something like this being done to us, whether by China or by Pak. If any country is vulnerable to such an attack like this, it would be us more than anyone. This is especially true given the number of major terror attacks we've suffered across the years and decades. Once again, the rules of warfare are being re-written, and we need to be sitting up and paying attention. And it's not only our military facilities which could be attacked in this way, it could even be our dams and other vital infrastructure.

Although, to be frank, I think Baloch Liberation Army or TTP should try this out on Pakistan military. The best defense is a good offense.

We've all heard about these little pinprick attacks against Indian military bases, or cross-border drops detected by BSF, etc.

But the ambition, scale and scope of this latest strike from Ukraine shows tremendous operational planning. Again, it shows the possibility of a 'Drone Pearl Harbour'.

Here's more analysis of this Ukrainian operation:

And remember this strike was aimed at Russia's nuclear triad, and has has significantly affected it.

I would compare it to a Pahalgam style strategy -- ie. a strike that was designed to force a major response from the other side. Right now, the Russians are hold emergency cabinet meetings to decide what kind of Sindoor they'll have to carry out in response. Such an inevitable counter-strike will in turn impact peace talks (which obviously certain hidden people don't want to see take hold.) So this looks to have been orchestrated as part of a carefully laid out plan.

Quick notes: Brain drain | Deep tech...

• GOP versus scholars: The US is witnessing the beginnings of a Science brain drain. Other countries may benefit.
  
  India must decide if it’s ready to welcome back scholars: A perceived threat to academic freedom is prompting many academicians to consider relocating. Countries in Europe have taken swift action on the perceived brain drain from the US. Emmanuel Macron extended an open invitation to the best brains to relocate to France.



• Deep tech, shallow pockets: Indian deep tech startups raised only about 3.2% of the total funds funneled into Indian startups since 2014. Unlike e-commerce, ride-hailing or financial services, where revenues kick in from the beginning, startups focusing on deep tech take years to develop and commercialize their products. While Silicon Valley might have become obsessed with startups dealing in robotics, rockets, chips and other complex technologies, such deep tech companies are having a much harder time fundraising in India. . . Frugal tech.



• Bharat Karnad: "The trouble lies in Modi’s inordinate desire to please America, to be in Trump’s good books, and that’s the joker in the pack".
  
  Remittance Tax: Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' proposes 5% remittance tax, may cost India $1.65 billion
  
  Tenacity: Xi defiance pays off as Trump meets most China trade demands
  
  Stand tough: China-US trade truce prompts nations to consider tougher tactics
  
  ‘Trump Was Forced to Back off’: Even Fox news reporter thinks President caved on China tariffs



• Al-Bakistan: Afghanistan plans to build dams to cut water flow to Pak . . . Pak always wished to turn into Arabia.. water scarcity coming soon :)
  
  




• #FundKaveriEngine trending: Many called on PM Modi to allocate more funds and resources for the Kavera engine. The goal is to end India's dependence on foreign engines for building fighter jets, promoting self-reliance in defence technology.



• US DIA Report: China still India's 'primary adversary', Pakistan mere security problem.
  
  Prepare for China conflict: "If India really did lose between two and five aircraft, as most outside analysts believe is the case, the explanation for that appeared to be the superior radar of the Chinese aircraft. I hope Indians are really reflecting upon what does this mean for a potential China-India conflict, not just what does this mean for future India-Pakistan conflicts".



• Self-Reliance looks like this: China's first 6nm domestic GPU has powered on.
  
  Tech rival: HarmonyOS replacing Windows on Huawei laptops — delivers connectivity across the ecosystem
  
  What the U.S. Feared Is Happening: China’s Chip Empire Is No Longer a Fantasy—Huawei and Xiaomi Just Opened a New Front
  
  



• Toxic work culture: Suicide due to work pressure at the OLA Krutrim, the worst place to work.



• White Man's Caste:

If Japan Pulls Its Money Out of US, Then Can India Reap That Windfall?

The Japanese, who are America's largest creditor, are starting to pull their money out of the US, which is going to cause massive effects on the US economy and world economy. But in pulling all that money out of the US, they'll have to put it somewhere. Can India reap that windfall?

Greece, India, Israel: An Emerging Alliance

The increasing tilt by Turkey towards Pakistan in regional geopolitics, again shown during Operation Sindhoor, may necessitate increased Indian hedging through outreach to Greece. Given existing ties with Israel, and the prospect of an IMEC corridor for economic trade stretching from India to Israel to Greece and beyond, should these 3 countries form a new nucleus of cooperation?

Turkey Expanding Into Africa - Will India Have to Counter It?

Given Erdogan's communal Islamist ideological bent, should Indians view his expansion into Africa as benign, or should we be concerned that it may become another new axis to link up with Pakistan, similar to what's been happening with Azerbaijan?

pahalgam: imperial fortresses and the settler-colonial complex

written on apr 28, posting now as I was traveling abroad. but the arguments remain valid.

https://open.substack.com/pub/rajeevsrinivasan/p/ep-163-abroad-at-home-pahalgam-imperial?r=66qfh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true