Russia has mastered hybrid warfare...both soft and hard power aspects of it!

The first Il-76 aircraft of the #Russian Aerospace Forces with military specialists and equipment flew from the Chkalovsky military airfield to the #Italian Republic to assist in the fight against #coronavirus#Coronaitaly #coronaitalia pic.twitter.com/DZ78DREFi5

— Sukhoi Su-57 Felon 🇷🇺🇮🇳 (@I30mki) March 22, 2020

Jesus!  You could send the Russians to hell and they'd start making smores.  The crafty bastards are turning the lemons of this pandemic into a win for them.

Italy is suffering...reached out to the EU and got smashed.  We stepped up but not as visibly as the Russians are doing now.

THIS IS HYBRID WARFARE BOYS AND GIRLS!

Its the soft power aspect of it but make no mistake this is hybrid warfare.  It covers all the bases.  Information warfare.  These pics are all over Twitter.  Propaganda.  They're rushing to aid Italy while others sit on the sidelines.  Counter Diplomacy.  We've spent the last 3 years calling them hell spawn and yet now they're acting as angels of mercy.

Throw in the economic woes, immigration crisis and now the pandemic that Italy has suffered and I will find it very hard to believe that they'll freely participate in any vote against Russia in the future after they made such a dramatic show of aid.

The US military is in a huddle getting ready to fan out in the US to keep order (have it on good authority from a variety of sources...National Guard will be the face but active duty will be waiting in the background) so they're not able to respond.

But I wish we could.

Our friends need help.  Real help and we're not doing anything visibly to help (again I know we are in the background but visibility is needed especially to the citizens of the affected nations).