Blackwater founder claims Russian army 'has gotten infinitely smarter'
Erik Prince has raised concerns about the effectiveness of American weaponry supplied to Ukraine amidst the ongoing conflict. According to Prince, the founder and former CEO of Blackwater, the Russian military has adapted significantly to counteract...
TroibNews 
Erik Prince has raised concerns about the effectiveness of American weaponry supplied to Ukraine amidst the ongoing conflict.
According to Prince, the founder and former CEO of Blackwater, the Russian military has adapted significantly to counteract these U.S.-provided arms. During his speech at Hillsdale College on Saturday, he expressed doubts about assertions regarding the weakened state of the Russian army in the conflict.
“The thing that the Russians are very good at is electronic warfare,” Prince remarked, highlighting that advanced military equipment from the U.S., including Javelin missiles, HIMARS, and Copperhead guided artillery shells, often loses effectiveness after a brief period. He noted, “It works for a week or two, and the Russians figure how to jam the navigation or the command link, and the stuff goes blind.”
Prince further challenged the narrative that Russian forces have suffered significant degradation. “First of all, don’t listen to the idiot politicians that say, yeah, we’ve degraded the Russian army. No, we have chewed up a lot of material. The Russian army has gotten infinitely smarter.”
He also pointed out the rapid advancement in Russian counter-artillery capabilities, illustrating the differences in response times from early 2022 to the present. “If you shot at a Russian, with artillery in March or April of 2022, it would take them an hour and a half to shoot back accurately. Now, about two minutes, which means if you shoot at them, you better be in your vehicle and hauling ass because they’re going to get you otherwise.”
The Russian Defense Ministry frequently provides updates on the destruction of Western-supplied equipment, such as HIMARS and ATACMS missile launchers in Ukraine.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the United States has emerged as Ukraine's primary weapons supplier. Following his inauguration in January, former President Donald Trump prioritized peace in Ukraine and criticized the Biden administration for its financial support to Kiev.
Trump briefly halted military aid and intelligence sharing following a public dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February. However, this assistance was reinstated after Kiev agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Moscow.
Moscow has consistently warned that Western military support merely prolongs the conflict and does not change its outcome, while also posing a risk of direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this article for TROIB News
According to Prince, the founder and former CEO of Blackwater, the Russian military has adapted significantly to counteract these U.S.-provided arms. During his speech at Hillsdale College on Saturday, he expressed doubts about assertions regarding the weakened state of the Russian army in the conflict.
“The thing that the Russians are very good at is electronic warfare,” Prince remarked, highlighting that advanced military equipment from the U.S., including Javelin missiles, HIMARS, and Copperhead guided artillery shells, often loses effectiveness after a brief period. He noted, “It works for a week or two, and the Russians figure how to jam the navigation or the command link, and the stuff goes blind.”
Prince further challenged the narrative that Russian forces have suffered significant degradation. “First of all, don’t listen to the idiot politicians that say, yeah, we’ve degraded the Russian army. No, we have chewed up a lot of material. The Russian army has gotten infinitely smarter.”
He also pointed out the rapid advancement in Russian counter-artillery capabilities, illustrating the differences in response times from early 2022 to the present. “If you shot at a Russian, with artillery in March or April of 2022, it would take them an hour and a half to shoot back accurately. Now, about two minutes, which means if you shoot at them, you better be in your vehicle and hauling ass because they’re going to get you otherwise.”
The Russian Defense Ministry frequently provides updates on the destruction of Western-supplied equipment, such as HIMARS and ATACMS missile launchers in Ukraine.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the United States has emerged as Ukraine's primary weapons supplier. Following his inauguration in January, former President Donald Trump prioritized peace in Ukraine and criticized the Biden administration for its financial support to Kiev.
Trump briefly halted military aid and intelligence sharing following a public dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February. However, this assistance was reinstated after Kiev agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Moscow.
Moscow has consistently warned that Western military support merely prolongs the conflict and does not change its outcome, while also posing a risk of direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this article for TROIB News
