#52. Russians are like the Scythians

“[Stalingrad] is our reference point now more than ever, an unparalleled symbol of resistance, our enemies’ worst nightmare…Whosoever tries it will meet the end of all the others – Swedes, Napoleon, the Germans and their allies…Russians are like the Scythians¹,²: they wait, they suffer, they die, and then they kill.” Source

This post is opened with a quote from an article published on Substack in June 2024, by Kit Klarenberg (investigative journalist): The Franco-British Plot to Dismember Russia, because I was impressed by the last sentence of that specific quote: “Russians are like the Scythians: they wait, they suffer, they die, and then they kill“.

That last sentence fits Russia’s president Vladimir Putin’s system, in the way he protected his sacred red line, dating back to the 1990s: “Ukraine must never join NATO”, and all that has followed ever since, and what has created a logical historical timeline about what has been provoked by the west, by NATO expansion, and it seems that the last point of the quoted sentence has been reached: “…. then they kill”. Reason to believe so: the constantly increasing amount of shameless, provoking Ukrainian (=NATO) drone attacks, deep inside Russia, created severe, deadly answers and more are expected³,⁴.

To offer eventual readers the possibility to become updated about the causes of the long awaited answers from Russia on Ukrainian (=NATO) drone attacks on targets even deep inside Russia, the following articles and videos are published here, without additional personal comments.

Admin.

1. NRK⁵ shows a map

Ukraine: The Lord of the Drones
Fredrik Tombra – Correspondent
Torstein Georg Bøe – Photojournalist
Published June 20, 2026

2. Col. Douglas Macgregor⁶ explains

3. Stanislav Krapivnik⁷ explains

Timestamps
00:00:00 Donbas school strike report
00:08:20 Targeting civilians and terror claims
00:19:01 Diplomacy, trust, and Trump
00:26:23 Russia prepares for wider war
00:35:23 Retaliation and war aims
00:45:51 NATO control and war cohesion

4. Alexander Mercouris⁸ explains

Timestamps
00:00:00 Introduction and Kiev strike overview
00:00:37 Scale of the massive strike
00:02:20 Missile and drone types used
00:04:32 Oreshnik hypersonic speculation
00:09:28 Why Oreshnik was held back
00:11:41 Russian justification for the strikes
00:14:09 Targets hit including Volgograd factory
00:16:15 Casualties and future strike campaign
00:17:04 Why Kiev is being targeted
00:20:37 Zelensky warns of Belarus threat
00:22:34 Source confirms Chernihiv offensive plan
00:28:01 Kupyansk situation update
00:33:30 Kharkov region recapture plan
00:34:14 Donbass pressure and Dobropillia advance
00:37:01 Sloviansk and Kostiantynivka clearing operations
00:41:11 Zaporizhzhia and Orikhiv front
00:47:21 Zelensky floats autumn elections
00:48:43 Zelensky requests more EU funding
00:50:48 UK defense spending controversy
00:59:04 Europe energy crisis and Trump LNG threat

5. The Duran⁹ explains

Timestamps
00:00:00 Russia launches massive strikes on Kiev and Sumy
00:00:58 Why Russia calls these strikes retaliatory
00:01:58 The pattern behind Russia’s escalating campaign
00:06:24 Russian air campaign targets Ukrainian logistics
00:08:32 Drones hit gas stations to choke supply lines
00:11:04 Ukraine’s Flamingo missiles strike
00:12:34 The new Dirty Dagger missile threat
00:17:56 Russia’s gasoline import mystery explained
00:18:30 Zelensky’s Pantheon of Heroes sparks backlash
00:21:35 Belarus Lukashenko meets Putin as Syrsky¹⁰ breaks with Zelensky

Footnotes

1. Information about the Scythians is published on the Russian Wikipedia page, marked as a good article with a silver star. Скифо-сибирский мир. Since not any other language offers guaranteed correct information, it is a must to read all other languages with caution: Wikipedia can also provide misinformation, this depends on the editors. The opening text of the Russian page, machine translated:
   —- The Scytho-Siberian world (sometimes Scytho-Saka, Scythian world/circle, etc.) is a conventional name adopted in archaeology for a cultural and historical community whose sites are widespread in the steppe, part of the forest-steppe, and foothill zones of Central Eurasia (from the Lower Danube region to the Baikal region and Mongolia). It included a number of archaeological cultures, primarily united by the presence of three distinctive artefact complexes (the so-called Scythian triad). The probable place of formation is Central Asia, and the period of existence is the first millennium BC. This period in the Eurasian steppes is commonly referred to as the Scythian era.
   —- Representatives of the Scytho-Siberian world are Iranian-speaking Caucasoids, sometimes with Mongoloid elements. The majority were nomadic pastoralists, while a small portion of the population in the forest-steppe were sedentary herders-hunters and pastoralists-farmers. In the Eurasian steppes, the advent of the Early Iron Age is associated with the cultures of the Scytho-Siberian world; they had contacts with Ancient Greece, China, the Near East, and other countries.
   
   Name
   The name “Scytho-Siberian world” refers to the geographic distribution of this cultural and historical community, limited to the territory of its most famous tribes, the Scythians, in the west and encompassing part of the Siberian region in the east. Literature also sometimes uses the term “Scytho-Saka world,” adding another eastern boundary—Central Asia, inhabited by tribes known collectively as the Sakas. A shorter name, simply the “Scythian world,” is also used. Some authors use the word “world” in parallel with the meaning “circle,” for example, the Scythian-Siberian circle of archaeological cultures or monuments. Also synonymous is the term “Scythia” in the broad sense of a toponym or the Scythian-Siberian historical and cultural region. The term “Scythian cultures” is also present in literature.
   For all other following info please visit the Russian Wikipedia page.
   
   Since it is relevant here: Russian classical music, composed by Alexander Borodin, the video: In the steppes of East Asia – Mongolia ↩︎
2. World History: Scythians ↩︎
3. Videos APT, July 2, 2026
   – Russian Drones Hit Central Kyiv, Damaging Biochemistry Research Institute | APT
   – Russia Pounds Kyiv Overnight: Missiles, Drones Kill 11, Apartment Blocks Reduced to Rubble | APT
   ↩︎
4. Ray McGovern: Ukraine has launched a string of high profile drone strikes on Moscow, St Petersburg and oil refineries. Commentators are, once again, claiming Russia is losing the war. But is it? ” Read his full article, published on June 23, 2026, on his website, and on Substack. ↩︎
5. NRK is the Norwegian public broadcasting, radio corporation and news website. The corporation is state-owned, guided by its bylaws and ethical guidelines, with a board partly appointed by the government, through the Ministry of Culture and Equality, and elected by staff. Its bylaws and ethical guidelines secure independent editorial control for journalists and editors. ↩︎
6. Colonel Douglas Macgregor is is a decorated combat veteran, an author of five books, a PhD, and a defense and foreign policy consultant. Macgregor was commissioned in the Regular Army in 1976 after 1 year at VMI and 4 years at West Point. In 2004, Macgregor retired with the rank of Colonel. In 2020, the President appointed Macgregor to serve as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense, a post he held until President Trump left office. He holds an MA in comparative politics and a PhD in international relations from the University of Virginia. YouTube playlist – Substack ↩︎
7. Stanislav Krapivnik is a former US Army officer, supply chain exec and military-political expert, now based in Russia. He was born in Lugansk during the Soviet times, migrated to the US as a child, served in the US army, did not like what it was doing in former Yugoslavia, quit, and returned to Russia. Mr. Krapivnik is an independent contractor and consults and appears in the international media in his areas of expertise in military matters, NATO, America, history, economics and supply chains. Substack ↩︎
8. Alexander Mercouris (The Duran) is a writer on international affairs with a special interest in Russia and law. He has written extensively on the legal aspects of NSA spying and events in Ukraine in terms of human rights, constitutionality and international law. He worked for 12 years in the Royal Courts of Justice in London as a lawyer, specializing in human rights and constitutional law. His family has been prominent in Greek politics for several generations. Together with Alex Christoforou he hosts the “The Duran” YT channel, plus his own YT channel. Bio, Videos ↩︎
9. The Duran is a very popular YouTube channel, founded on 25 May 2016, by Alex Christoforou, a geopolitical analyst and Alexander Mercouris, who is a writer on international affairs with a special interest in Russia and law. He has written extensively on the legal aspects of NSA spying and events in Ukraine in terms of human rights, constitutionality and international law. He worked for 12 years in the Royal Courts of Justice in London as a lawyer, specializing in human rights and constitutional law. His family has been prominent in Greek politics for several generations. Videos. Total views, as of July 2, 2026: 256,185,789 and total subscribers is 530.000. ↩︎
10. Oleksandr Syrskyi is a Ukrainian military officer holding the rank of four-star general who has served as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 8 February 2024. ↩︎