1/ Million-dollar electronic warfare systems sit useless in Ukraine. The only defense against the newest drones? Shotguns—or scissors to cut the 20-MILE Chinese fiber-optic death cables. I share the chilling reality here—so you know what's coming your way ...

2/ My friend David Kirichenko (@David Kirichenko) reports from Ukraine's frontlines that soldiers now carry scissors instead of relying on signal-jammers. Russia's un-jammable fiber-optic drones fly directly into dugouts, tethered to miles-long cables made in, of course, China.

3/ These fiber-optic drones use hardwired connections through threads thinner than fishing line—able to target and blow people up in ways that can't easily be stopped. "In winter, the cables glint with frost," one soldier told Kirichenko. That glint is your only warning.

4/ The assault pattern is brutal: Standard drones clear entry points. Fiber-optic drone flies INTO the dugouts. Then come the MOTORCYCLES—yes, up to 10 bikes racing through the breach. "Even if only five make it through," the wave turns to chaos, Kirichenko reports.

5/ Russian unit "Rubicon" has perfected long-range fiber strikes—hitting Ukrainian logistics 20+ miles behind lines, hugely expanding the "front line." Their presence on the Kostiantynivka front forced brigades to rethink supply routes—adding protective nets on key roads.

6/ These drones must fly low and straight—any height or turns risk snagging the cable on trees, buildings, anything. But that "weakness" is becoming deadlier. Ukrainian company 3DTech now produces 30km fiber-optic drones optimized for low-altitude ambush strikes.

7/ Fiber-optic drones are already spreading beyond Ukraine. In Myanmar: Rebels downed a government Mi-17 helicopter with one. Is the U.S. ready? Trump and Zelenskyy do appear poised to make a drone deal: Big US weapons for Ukraine + Ukrainian drone know-how for the USA.

8/ The chilling foundation: China dominates global fiber optic production. The same Chinese suppliers sell to BOTH Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky warns China has started restricting such exports to the West. The free world needs to be more self-sufficient, Ukraine urges.

9/ Drive through Ukraine's east and south and you'll see it: Mad Max-style trucks wrapped in improvised metal cages. Ukraine's acute vehicle shortage isn't from missiles or artillery. It's from $500 drones on gossamer threads, systematically destroying logistics.

10/ Ukraine's top general admits it: Russia holds the fiber-optic advantage "in both quantity and range." Warfare's future: a gossamer thread that can't be stopped by electronic defense. Your best bet might be scissors—if you see the frost-or-sun-glinted cable in time.

11/ But as I report here from Ukraine every day of this war, Ukrainians have a knack for adapting and innovating. Will the US embrace such an ally? See Kirichenko's report at @The Lowy Institute: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/fibre-optic-drones-reshape-ukraine-s-technological-war… Follow me for daily updates!