When things go in unexpected ways crazy things happen: The situation has become so dire that Russian soldiers have begun recording videos urging their families never to join the army, warning that doing so would mean certain death. These harsh messages, discovered by Ukrainians on the phones of fallen Russian troops, reveal the desperation of those who sent these recordings to their relatives just before being forced again into suicidal assaults. Overall, the culmination of several key factors has created a scenario where Russian attempts to retake the Kursk region are met with increasingly high costs and diminishing returns. Rather than adjusting their tactics to account for the harsh realities on the ground, Russian commanders appear locked into a pattern of brute-force assaults, relying on sheer numbers to compensate for a lack of strategy. This approach not only exacerbates their losses but also highlights the limits of their operational effectiveness in the face of adverse weather and resilient opposition. The ongoing campaign in Kursk thus stands as a grim testament to the flaws in Russia's military strategy.