A buried lede in the news about the war in Ukraine is how Russia is remotely dumping mines to destroy Crimea for everyone.

Zaluzhny tells the Economist that the Kremlin is oblivious to the huge losses sustained by the Russian army – well over 100,000 men according to many estimates. In the last few days, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov says Russia has lost 4,000 men around Avdviika alone. Open-source imagery suggests the Russians may have lost up to 200 tanks and other vehicles in that battle.

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Even where dense minefields are penetrated, often at great cost, the Russians restore them through remote mine-laying.

The real killer analysis, when you put both of these points in context, is that Russia has completely devalued human life.

They spread mines, throw away assets, and wallow in deep trenches as an antique and polar opposite to Ukraine, which clearly uses cutting edge light strike methods as it fights for human rights.

Remote mine laying is old hat Cold War stuff for Russia. However, in typical evil snark (a nod to Molotov’s “bread baskets“), they have named their newest system “Земледелие” (agriculture) because in minutes an entire field 15 kilometers away in Crimea is “planted” with humanity destroying munitions.