The strike, comprising a ~$1,000 asset versus a ~$16,000,000 asset, showcases the future of modern warfare as traditional ordnance and infrastructure comes under increasingly challenging threat.

In the early afternoon of March 20th, a Russian Ka-52M helicopter belonging to the 17th Army Aviation Brigade was brought down by a Ukrainian fiber optic FPV drone.

A Ukrainian FPV Drone Downs a Russian Attack Helicopter, Illustrating the Asymmetric Future of Modern Warfare - OffBeat Research In the early afternoon of March 20th, a Russian Ka-52M helicopter belonging to the 17th Army Aviation Brigade was brought down by a Ukrainian FPV drone, in an incident which highlights the changing fa...

As the Iran war exposes gaps in the defensibility of military infrastructure, a $16 million Russian helicopter’s downing on March 20 by a small Ukrainian FPV drone showcases the sheer cost disparity of modern warfighting. offbeatresearch.com/2026/03/a-uk...

An Assault Over Dogs in Brooklyn Calls Into Question Hate Crimes Criteria - OffBeat Research Levi Kabakov, a 31-year-old Jewish father of two, is charged with assault for pushing Troy McLeod, who is Black, out of his wheelchair, video shows.

New — almost a year after Levi Kabakov pushed Troy McLeod out of his wheelchair in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Black residents are still demanding hate crime charges be added. Randi Richardson reports: offbeatresearch.com/2026/02/an-a...

The Secret Deconfliction Line: How Assad Sold His Allies With the Help of Russia - OffBeat Research OP-ED: After years of rumors, leaked documents revealed after the fall of the Assad regime expose previously untold depths of collaboration between Russia, Israel, and the former Syrian government.

New: Documents leaked in the aftermath of the Assad regime’s collapse in December 2024 reveal years of previously undisclosed collaboration between Israel, the Assad regime, and its Russian guarantors. Patrick Hilsman and Nizar Al-Rifai report -- offbeatresearch.com/2026/01/the-...

Revisiting Jammu & Kashmir Six Years After the Revocation of Article 370 - OffBeat Research A retrospective analysis of the political, economic, and social situation in Jammu and Kashmir since the Indian government’s revocation of the territory’s special status in 2019.

New: An anonymous author conducts a retrospective analysis of the political, economic, and social situation in Jammu and Kashmir since the Indian government’s revocation of the territory’s special status in 2019.

offbeatresearch.com/2026/01/revi...

Waters also traced Kabineh’s history from 2011 onwards, from peaceful protests to transitory armed resistance, when the town emerged as a key element in various coastal offensives before ultimately serving as a stalwart against the regime’s push on Idlib in 2020.

Waters interviewed locals and once-displaced former residents, some of whom have slowly begun trickling back into the town in an effort to rebuild their lives years after Kabineh was forcibly depopulated by aerial and artillery bombardment.

Kabineh: The Syrian Town That Helped Save the Revolution - OffBeat Research Gregory Waters reports from Kabineh, a Syrian ghost town in the mountains of Jabal al-Akrad which for years served as a hub of fierce resistance against the Assad regime.

New: Gregory Waters reports from Kabineh, a ghost town in the mountains of Jabal al-Akrad which for years served as a hub of fierce resistance against the Assad regime. offbeatresearch.com/2025/12/kabi...

"I Know We Can Win": Ukraine's Most Famous Soldier on the State of War - OffBeat Research Jimmy Rushton sits down with Bohdan Krotevych, the decorated former commander of the Ukrainian National Guard’s elite Azov Brigade, for a wide-ranging interview on the current state of Ukraine’s leade...

NEW: @jimmyrushton.bsky.social sits down with Bohdan Krotevych, the decorated former commander of the Ukrainian National Guard's elite Azov Brigade, for a wide-ranging interview on the current state of Ukraine's leadership and military operations. offbeatresearch.com/2025/11/i-kn...

Years On, Sumy Struggles with Russian Bombardment - OffBeat Research Neil Hauer reports from Sumy, a city which has grown increasingly war-weary as the threat of constant drone attacks and bombardments drag on the daily lives of its residents.

New: @neilphauer.bsky.social reports from Sumy, a city which has grown increasingly war-weary as the threat of constant drone attacks and bombardments drag on the daily lives of its residents.

offbeatresearch.com/2025/11/year...

Supplying the Frontline: Ukraine's Drone Logistics - OffBeat Research Dylan Burns reports alongside Ukrainian night drone teams on the front between Dnipro and Donetsk, where the evolution of drone operations has changed the face of warfare for better and worse.

New: Dylan Burns reports alongside Ukrainian night drone teams on the front between Dnipro and Donetsk, where the evolution of drone operations has changed the face of warfare for better and worse.
offbeatresearch.com/2025/10/supp...

The Accidental Liberation of Kafrnabl - OffBeat Research In Kafrnabl, Gregory Waters explores the stories of local residents who lived and often resisted through the Assad regime's decimation of life, and life's ultimate resurgence, in the town and longtime...

In Kafrnabl, Gregory Waters explores the stories of local residents who lived and often resisted through the Assad regime’s decimation of life, and life’s ultimate resurgence, in the town and longtime revolutionary hub. offbeatresearch.com/2025/08/the-...

The 59th Shkval Battalion: Holding the Front in Dnipro - OffBeat Research Dylan Burns and Devin Woodall follow the 59th Separate Assault Brigade's "Shkval" battalion of prisoners as they train to counter the Russian advance into Dnipro.

New: @dylanburnstv.bsky.social and @devinsanluis.bsky.social follow the 59th Brigade's "Shkval" battalion of prisoners while they train to hold the line as Russian forces threaten to advance further into Dnipro. offbeatresearch.com/2025/07/the-...

For OBR, Devin Woodall followed the 113th as they utilized several unique systems, including a retrofitted ZU-23-2 and a stolen Russian chaingun, in defense of cities and towns across Kharkiv whose residents live under the ever-increasing threat of Russian drone warfare.

From the Ashes of Occupation, Phoenix Squad Rises - OffBeat Research Devin Woodall reports alongside the 113th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade ‘Phoenix Squad’, whose volunteers spend their days hunting for Russian drones which constantly seek to disrupt the lives ...

New: @devinsanluis.bsky.social reports alongside the 113th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade 'Phoenix Squad', whose volunteer defenders work night and day to hunt down Russian drones intent on terrorizing locals in Kharkiv. offbeatresearch.com/2025/06/from...

Reclaiming Life Under Assad’s Rubble - OffBeat Research Gregory Waters reports from the towns of Suqaylabiyah and Qalaat al-Mudiq in the al-Ghab plain, where displaced residents are slowly returning home despite pervasive reminders of the death and destruc...

New: Gregory Waters reports from the towns of Suqaylabiyah and Qalaat al-Mudiq in Syria's al-Ghab plain, where displaced residents are slowly returning despite pervasive reminders of the death and destruction wrought by years of relentless regime bombardment. offbeatresearch.com/2025/05/recl...

India's Exploitation of Climate Change is Killing Kashmiri Women - Offbeat Research OP-ED: Women in Kashmir are at the forefront of the climate crisis, and India’s weaponization of climate change and water rights exists in pursuit of a policy which seeks to systematically oppress Kas...

New op-ed by Aisha Malik: India’s weaponization of climate change and water rights in Kashmir exists in pursuit of a policy which seeks to systematically oppress Kashmiri women and advance a total erasure of Kashmiri identity. offbeatresearch.com/2025/05/indi...

Dysfunction and Dereliction: The Collapse of the 155th Brigade Through a Deserter's Eyes - Offbeat Research Ukraine’s 155th Mechanized Brigade was positioned as the pinnacle of inter-European cooperation - but mass desertions and institutional ineptitude nearly derailed the project before it began. OffBeat ...

NEW: Ukraine’s 155th Mechanized was the pinnacle of European cooperation, but mass desertions nearly derailed the effort before it began. @dylanburnstv.bsky.social spoke to a deserter about his time in training and his decision to go AWOL during training in France offbeatresearch.com/2025/05/dysf...

The Road to Damascus: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government - Offbeat Research For years, US policy in Syria has led from behind. In the shadow of HTS's evolution and the country's new reality, a pragmatic policy reassessment is long overdue.

ICYMI: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government offbeatresearch.com/2025/03/the-...

The Road to Damascus: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government - Offbeat Research For years, US policy in Syria has led from behind. In the shadow of HTS's evolution and the country's new reality, a pragmatic policy reassessment is long overdue.

New by Juwayriah Wright: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government offbeatresearch.com/2025/03/the-...

The Road to Damascus: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government - Offbeat Research For years, US policy in Syria has led from behind. In the shadow of HTS's evolution and the country's new reality, a pragmatic policy reassessment is long overdue.

New by Juwayriah Wright: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government offbeatresearch.com/2025/03/the-...

3 Years On: Fragments of the Battle for Kyiv - Offbeat Research A retrospective on the lives of townspeople in Kyiv oblast during the early days of Russia’s 2022 invasion and failed attempts to encircle Kyiv.

Patrick Hilsman reflects on life and resilience in the towns surrounding Kyiv during the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion. offbeatresearch.com/2025/02/3-ye...

Governing on the Front Line in Sumy Oblast - Offbeat Research Dylan Burns tours Bilopillya - a front line town in Sumy oblast, whose residents have shown remarkable resilience amid nearly three years of indiscriminate Russian bombardment.

New: @dylanburnstv.bsky.social tours a town on the front line in Sumy oblast, where local residents and the town's civic life have shown remarkable resilience despite nearly three years of constant, indiscriminate Russian bombardment. offbeatresearch.com/2025/01/gove...

ICYMI:

Winter Training with the 100th Mechanized Brigade’s “Marder” Crew - Offbeat Research Dylan Burns observes training movements from the 100th Mechanized Brigade’s IFV “Marder” crew outside Toretsk, in Donetsk oblast.

Happy New Year's Eve! New from @dylanburnstv.bsky.social today is a (snowy) report from his recent embed with Ukraine's 100th Mechanized Brigade as their crews field several unique Western-provided IFVs, including the German-made "Marder". offbeatresearch.com/2024/12/wint...

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Russia Bets on Pokrovsk Push as Resistance Stiffens - Offbeat Research Dylan Burns embeds with a Grad artillery team near the crucial front line city of Pokrovsk, where Russian advances threaten to topple one of Ukraine's major logistical hubs.

New: @dylanburnstv.bsky.social embeds with a Grad artillery team near the crucial front line city of Pokrovsk, where Russian advances threaten to topple one of Ukraine’s major logistical hubs. offbeatresearch.com/2024/11/russ...

The wreckage of a technical vehicle reportedly belonging to the pro-regime Liwa al-Quds, after being targeted by opposition forces in Syria. / Photo credit: Omar Albam