In the final desperate phase of WWII, the Nazis kept boasting about their secret weapons that were being developed. These weapons allegedly had mythical power and were going to turn the tide in the war they were clearly losing.
Of course, the "wonder weapons" were nothing but myths. The rumors were lies, intended to keep the German troops from losing hope in the face of overwhelming opposition.
Now, we hear that Russia is about to employ laser-based superweapons in the war in Ukraine. One is supposed to be able to blind surveillance satellites, and another is supposed to be able to take out drones by burning them. Both are most likely fabrications sprung from wishful thinking, and the choice of lies shows where Russia has most problems: they can't make any move without being spotted by satellites, and their operations are being severely hampered by low cost Ukrainian drones that are a bigger problem that what Russia will admit.
Russia has thrown pretty much everything they had into this conflict, and it wasn't enough. They are desperate.
