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As you who read this likely well know by this point, things are not looking up for Russia. Not only recently, but pretty much ever since they engaged in an armed conflict with Ukraine. I'm saying this empathetically; they are struggling. Not talking about Kremlin, but the people.
Economy has not only been steadily going downward since the end of Soviet, but now it's really being flushed down the drain. Their population is decreasing from both military losses and emigration. Working-age men are dwindling, and the brain-drain has left many to themselves (read; people who only speak & understand Russian are subject to state propaganda). And let's not forget the numerous sanctions.
That said, I've been thinking a lot lately, and wish to discuss some thoughts with people from around the world: What does their future look like?
With the dwindling population and increasing disproportions of societal roles, will we see even more ghost towns and villages across the country? Will a city like Khabarovsk survive only through the benevolence of China? What are the hopes of those already in poor conditions in such areas that see no hope for any prosperity?
Will there be help packages offered by countries in the forms of deals or treaties? Like "you will get your money/trade deals back if you help rebuild Ukraine"? Or "we will provide fair treatment to Russian expats through this program"? Are there any countries that want to help Russians after the armed conflict is concluded? I can't say I've seen much about this..?
Or are there thoughts among countries that Russia should be further isolated and treated harshly?
And historically, what is the closest comparison to what we're seeing here? Yugoslavia? Will the nation likely become divided into new countries?
NOTE: I'm not here to discuss what is deserved and "what about X". My personal relation is with people whom have family on the other side of the border. That's where my mind is at, and this is not to take away from everything else that happens in the world that is messed up, but I can only focus on so much without going crazy in this brutal world we live in.
The point of the post is rational discussion of the current situation and likely outcomes in order to still some errant minds. I ask you to please refrain from bandwagoning and/or activism here.
I imagined them as fully isolated signal-wise, which is what makes them able to travel such distances without being intercepted? I recall reading an article a little while ago that there has already been used "Fire and Forget" drones that truly do not send or receive any external electronic signals, and with the sole directive of flying to their destination and explode.
Also, a Raspberry Pi is very capable of handling all those signals and do video recognition to the level of steering real-time. The challenge I imagine is doing it accurately enough not to hit anything but the intended target. But to your point of having backup systems, they could also do multiple layer imaging using LiDAR and IR to get further accurate positioning based off of satellite imagery. This would require a bit more than an RPi for real-time use probably, but still very possible in a missile with a one ton payload capacity.
The Javelin missile is an example of how capable these steering/guidance systems were even 20 years ago.