As Week 123 of Putin's rampage through Ukraine and again we stop to take stock of the situation.
The week's big news is that the US has released another $2.3 billion in security assistance. This aid package comes in the form of $150 million in Presidential Drawdown Authority and $2.2 billion in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funding. This money was appropriated by Congress earlier in the year. As is the practice, this tranche of security assistance covers equipment and munitions in stock that are transferred to Ukraine. The funding backfills the drawdown or is used to purchase weapons, equipment, and munitions from US manufacturers. It is not money transferred to Ukraine.
At the same time, European NATO pledged €40 billion in military aid. Please take a close look at the numbers. I caught some flack in the comments to my Wednesday post on Trump's plan to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours by saying that we didn't have the clout to impose a solution without getting Europe's buy-in.
Hungarian President Viktor Orban celebrated his ascension to the rotating presidency of the European Union by visiting Kiev. This was a bit of a surprise as Orban is fairly openly allied with Russia on foreign and domestic policy. The alliance is so open that Hungary may be stripped of EU voting rights. Unsurprisingly, Orban encouraged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to consider accepting Russia's ceasefire offer. In Orban's view, a ceasefire must precede any negotiations, and Zelensky's peace plan is just too complicated.
BACKGROUND: The Ukraine Peace Summit Ends With Agreement on What a Final Peace Will Look Like
Putin's current offer involves abject surrender as a precondition for any talks, which means Ukraine will probably not accept it.
🇭🇺Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán encouraged Zelenskyy to think about a ceasefire and negotiations with Russia, but did not insist on this.
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 2, 2024
Hungary, known as the EU’s most pro-Russian member, opposes the union’s collective military aid to Ukraine.
Orbán arrived in Kyiv on… pic.twitter.com/VMmuDaPBZR
BACKGROUND: Is Trump's Pledge to End the War in Ukraine in 24-Hours Real or Just Campaign Hyperbole?
His efforts were appreciated where they count.
Russian MP Mikhail Sheremet praised Viktor Orban as a peacekeeper in Ukraine
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) July 2, 2024
But with one caveat:
He should have presented his peace plan in Washington instead of Kyiv
Other than that one stinkbomb, the meeting seems to have gone well. Orban committed Hungary to supporting the modernization of the Ukrainian economy; Ukraine and Hungary plan to sign an international cooperation agreement; Hungary intends to help Ukraine during its presidency of the EU Council; and Zelensky and Orban agreed to open the first school for Ukrainian-speaking children in Hungary. It was the usual political bumf. That said, Orban made a definite effort to establish himself as something more than Putin's sockpuppet.
Just as Orban became the new president of the EU, so, too, did other high positions in the European bureaucracy change. One of the most interesting ones was the selection of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as vice president of the European Commission and the EU's equivalent of foreign minister. As prime minister, she was undaunting in her efforts to eradicate Russian subversion and in her support for Ukraine. They have made her the subject of a full-blown Kremlin-orchestrated smear campaign.
"Ms Kallas (...) has not demonstrated any diplomatic inclinations so far and is well known in our country for her absolutely intransigent and sometimes even rabidly Russophobic remarks. Therefore, we do not think that European diplomacy will act in any way to normalise relations [with Russia].
The prospects for relations between Moscow and Brussels are poor," Peskov told reporters on Friday, commenting on Kallas' appointment.
discrediting Kallas has skyrocketed. It is obvious that Russia has launched an information attack at full power. And the Estonian media are falling into this pit as well. Every day, the Estonian media publish articles that in one way or another denigrate the work of Kallas
— Artur Rehi (@ArturRehi) July 1, 2024
2/11 pic.twitter.com/IyeVukF12i
Here are some of my past updates.
Putin's War, Week 122. Zelensky Scores, Putin Flops, and Crimea Under Fire
Putin's War, Week 117. Jake Sullivan Under Fire, ATACMS Everywhere, and the Stalemate Continues
Putin's War, Week 115. ATACMS Makes a Splash and Russia Opens a New Front
Putin's War, Week 114. Russia Races Against Time As Ukraine Tries to Hold On
Putin's War, Week 112. Ukraine Funding Passes and ATACMS Hit Crimea
For all my Ukraine War coverage, click here.
Politico-Strategic Level
Former Deputy Defense Minister Defects?
There are a lot of rumors swirling about former Deputy Defense Minister Tatyana Shevtsova. She was fired in May in the aftermath of the removal of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Shoigu’s ex-deputy fled with billions to France, propagandists from claim.
— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) June 28, 2024
Tatyana Shevtsova was responsible for financial flows at the Ministry of Defense and over the years of work she acquired expensive apartments, land plots and luxury cars. But after Shoigu’s resignation… pic.twitter.com/4wcUCzJbVK
All reporting on the story is sourced from low-readership East European media. We'll keep an eye on this to see what develops. If people of this level begin fleeing Russia, that is what the FBI calls a clue.
The Pressure on Biden to Allow Strikes in Russia Increases
If you want the one reason that Russia sees no reason to negotiate an end to the war it started, that reason would be Joe Biden. The moronic and obtuse policies his national security cabal has pursued in Ukraine have increased the body count and destruction for no greater reason than to provide material for a graduate seminar on "avoiding escalation." Notice I don't blame Biden directly. After last Thursday's debate, I don't think Biden is in control of his bowel movements, much less our defense and foreign policy.
It was only after an international outcry that the Biden White House finally backed off its prohibition on Ukraine using US-manufactured weapons to strike military targets in Russia.
RELATED: Biden Reverses Course and Permits Limited Ukrainian Strikes Inside of Russia Using American Weapons
That policy allowed Russia to mass troops and equipment to open up a new front north of Kharkiv.
US policy on Ukraine's use of American weapons on Russian territory remains unchanged, says Pentagon spokesman Gen. Patrick Ryder.
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 2, 2024
This means Ukraine may only use them on occupied territories. Meanwhile, Russia has attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles for 2.5 years. pic.twitter.com/knksQnLDeq
Now Russia is lobbing glide bombs into civilian areas of Kharkiv City, and the airbases from which those attacks are launched are again off limits to attack.
As the US still forbids Ukraine from striking the Russian airfields from which they launch these attacks, Russians continue to lay waste to Ukrainian infrastructure.
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) June 30, 2024
Today, a post office in Kharkiv, hit with a glide bomb.
pic.twitter.com/hIV7SdSwPT
Pressure is being applied on the White House, and I think, ultimately, any facility participating in attacks on Ukraine will be declared within bounds.
This week alone, Russia has used more than 800 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine. Against our cities and communities, against our people, against everything that makes life normal.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 30, 2024
Ukraine needs the necessary means to destroy the carriers of these bombs, including Russian… pic.twitter.com/c4pYjSUJZ7
We need long-range solutions against airfields with Russian military aircraft, – President Zelensky.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) July 1, 2024
Russia drops thousands of KABs a month on the front lines, and we will never have the number of missiles that could shoot them down. The missiles, the President added, cost $3… pic.twitter.com/7g0ocT20RK
NATO Raises Profile in Ukraine
Exclusive: NATO will station a senior civilian official in Kyiv, among a raft of measures designed to shore up long-term support for Ukraine that are expected to be announced at the NATO summit next week https://t.co/32Rt0JGI0r https://t.co/32Rt0JGI0r
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 1, 2024
Norway Restricts Land Sales in Contested Territory on Russian Border
I've posted several times on what I think is Putin's territorial ambitions, see Putin's Threats to Sweden and Finland Are Much More Real Than They Are Being Given Credit For, and Did a Quickly Deleted Essay in Russian Media Explain What Vladimir Putin Wants Russia to Gain From the Ukraine Invasion? As recently as June, the Kremlin took action to unilaterally change its borders with Finland and some of the Baltic States, see What's Up With Putin's Russia Trying to Redraw Its Borders With Finland and the Baltic States?
One of the areas open to Russian expansion is Norway's Svalbard archipelago. In response to that threat, Norway has now instituted restrictions on land ownership there.
Norway said on Monday it had demanded the owner of a private property on the Arctic Svalbard islands obtain the government's consent before selling the property, over concerns national security interests could be jeopardised through a sale.
The company AS Kulspids, which owns Soere Fagerfjord in Svalbard, must obtain consent from the ministry of trade, industry and fisheries before negotiating a sale of the property, the Norwegian government said in a statement.
The Nordic country in late May said it planned to increase its control of Svalbard, as security concerns and climate change impact the Arctic archipelago.
The Nordic nation has long been concerned that tensions between western countries on the one hand, and with Russia or China on the other, could spill over to the vast outpost because of the archipelago's strategic position and of growing interest in the Arctic's valuable oil, gas and shipping routes.
Armenia to Attend NATO Summit
For those keeping score, Armenia is a member of Russia's pseudo-NATO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
Armenia will take part in the NATO summit in the United States dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Alliance - Foreign Ministry press secretary Ani Badalyan said,
— Yasmina (@yasminalombaert) June 28, 2024
Armenia has received an invitation to the NATO summit in the United States and confirmed its participation, the… pic.twitter.com/Lc9oO1uqiq
Maltreatment of Prisoners of War
In the last update, I provided some before/after pictures of Ukrainian troops exchanged out of Russian prisoner-of-war camps. This is a bit of a long read, but it is worth it to understand the way Russia treats prisoners once they are away from the front lines.
Russians torture Ukrainian prisoners of war. Some return from captivity dead from torture and starvation.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 30, 2024
Oksana Hrytsiuk, the wife of the deceased Oleksandr Hrytsiuk, shared the story of her husband:
"We live in the town of Kivertsi, Volyn region. My husband Oleksandr worked… https://t.co/aCYRRUz448 pic.twitter.com/jnVVqJQG6s
Can't Improve On This Tweet
Hunger Games: Russian Edition pic.twitter.com/wJsXp6zctR
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) June 30, 2024
Russian Television Personality Calls for Destruction of Ukraine
In this episode, Yulia Vityazeva, a Ukrainian who moved to Russia in 2015 and a regular on Vladimir Solovyov's semi-official " Evening with Solovyov" program, calls for the total destruction of Ukraine as a nation. Why is this important? This program is an extraordinary barometer of Kremlin thinking, giving insight into Putin's intentions. Secondly, it sets the agenda for the public. This kind of statement does not prepare Russia for any end of the war that is not an unconditional surrender by Ukraine.
On Russian state TV, presenter Yulia Vityazeva calls for the complete destruction of Ukraine and depriving the Ukrainian nation of a state
— Денис Казанський (@den_kazansky) July 1, 2024
Russian propaganda is now no different from the propaganda of the Nazis. They said the same thing about Czechoslovakia and Poland in 1939 pic.twitter.com/dp29Fkawwx
Russian Duma Declares War on Childlessness
European Russia is in a demographic death spiral. Putin has created various tax breaks to encourage families to have children, but with no success. The Duma has grown tired of carrots and wants to use sticks. It has declared war on "extremist childfree ideology."
🤯🤯🤯 Russia is preparing to ban “extremist childfree ideology”.
— Natalka (@NatalkaKyiv) July 1, 2024
Deputy Minister of Justice of Russia Vsevolod Vukolov stated at the St. Petersburg legal forum that the bill is already being worked on.
Now the question is: would childless young women be fined or sent to jail?… pic.twitter.com/Le8T5UTmom
Demining Task Force in the Black Sea
This is just another indication of Russia's increasing relevance in the Black Sea. Ukraine has broken Russia's blockade of Ukraine's remaining ports and continues grain exports, and it has driven the Black Sea Fleet from Crimea. Now Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey have joined forces to clear Black Sea shipping lanes of Russian mines.
🚢 Today, #Türkiye, #Romania, and #Bulgaria launched a joint mine-hunting force in the Black Sea to enhance shipping safety, particularly for #grain exports from #Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
— UkraineWorld (@ukraine_world) July 1, 2024
Illustrative photo via Suspilne pic.twitter.com/4nf8SIVr7h
Snake Island, A Year After
A year ago, Ukrainian commandos liberated Snake Island after Ukrainian missiles had made the place a living hell for the garrison. This is some just-released video of the assault. I can't tell you how it warmed my heart to see the troops in the helicopters carrying their weapons muzzle down.
Today is the second anniversary of the liberation of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 30, 2024
New POV archive footage by SBU.
Its location makes it crucial for controlling the western Black Sea and the mouth of the Danube River. pic.twitter.com/4V7tkyC3GZ
RELATED:
Peak Russia
A naked man is thumping two old ladies. No one cares.
The atmosphere in Russian-occupied Sevastopol: a naked man attacked pensioners with punches in the middle of the day
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 29, 2024
So much for the "Russian world." pic.twitter.com/pXViyPoO09
Operational Level
Ukraine seems to have finally brought some sort of order to its mobilization system.
⚡️Currently, there are about 11.1 million men aged 25-60 in Ukraine who are potentially subject to mobilization — 565,000 of them are booked.
— BLYSKAVKA (@blyskavka_ua) July 4, 2024
This was stated by People's Deputy Dmytro Natalukha from the "Servant of the People" faction.
The deputy assumed that among these… pic.twitter.com/jeNzuXQzVT
According to reports, this has enabled Ukraine to create 14 new brigades. What that means in terms of manpower is anyone's guess. But they are expanding their army at a rate that their supply chain is findning difficult to support as everything is focused on supply troops on the line of contact.
😞 "We have 14 unequipped brigades. Without weapons", - Zelensky
— MAKS 24 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) July 4, 2024
❗️"Counter-offensive action is possible when we have all the equipment that Congress voted for and that European leaders have supported", he added. pic.twitter.com/pQEu2rqBuV
The problem of equipping new brigades is small change when compared to the struggle to man them. This problem will sort itself out.
The operational outlook is a mixed bag. Ukraine is showing some offensive moves in the area of the Russian incursion into Kharkiv Oblast, pushing the Russians back. They are also having success in the Kreminna area in northern Luhansk. The Russians are still focused on Chasiv Yar in central Donetsk and are having some success. Whether this is due to offensive prowess or the Ukrainian command adopting a Fabian approach by trading land for time and Russian casualties is unclear.
If Ukraine has an area of concern, it is the area evacuated after the fall of Avdiivka, where the Russian Army has racked up a steady stream of small advances. Unlike Chasiv Yar, if a breakthrough happens in this area and it has the follow-on echelons of forces and logistics to support it, this could turn pear-shaped very quickly for Ukraine.
Cumulatively, the Russian Army has gained 19 mi2 during its Winter Offensive.
As of the end of June, 🇷🇺 occupies a total of 17.57% (+0.01%) of Ukraine, including Crimea and the areas of Donetsk and Luhansk occupied before 2022.
— War Mapper (@War_Mapper) July 3, 2024
This represents a net gain by 🇷🇺 of approximately 50km². This is the 8th consecutive month of net 🇷🇺 advances. pic.twitter.com/Si6gKWagTr
The amount of territory controlled by Russia is about the same as it was controlled in October 2022.
Russian missile strikes have fallen off the scale. The previous pattern was one major attack, by that I mean over 30 missiles, every 30 days or so. If the current drought holds up for another week or two, we are looking at a very significant happening. The number of Russian airstrikes is also declining. As I've said before, I attribute that to a shortage of spare parts reducing sorties. I imagine about a third of Russian fighters are probably in the process of being cannibalized for parts.
The OPTEMPO of Russian ground attacks remains high, but the size of the attacks remains small.
My assessment is that we are starting to see a shift in the initiative on the battlefield. Ukraine is beginning to claw back territory in small operations rather than being totally on the defensive. Russia's ability to create significant offensive action is receding.
More Patriots
The Department of Defense has announced a $5.3 billion contract for Patriot missiles.
The Army's base budget MSE request for FY2024 is $1.2 billion, which includes funds for Advance Procurement. This will be increased by additional reprogrammed funds from the supplementals to buy replacement missiles for those drawndown to Ukraine. A very sizeable amount of the…
— Colby Badhwar 🇨🇦🇬🇧 (@ColbyBadhwar) June 28, 2024
More ATACMS
❗🇺🇲 The US Department of Defense has awarded Lockheed Martin a $227 million contract for the procurement of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS). This is for Foreign Military Sales customers, including:
— Colby Badhwar 🇨🇦🇬🇧 (@ColbyBadhwar) July 2, 2024
🇪🇪 Estonia
🇱🇻 Latvia
🇱🇹 Lithuania
🇲🇦 Morocco
🇵🇱 Poland
Quantities are… https://t.co/NBkE2ExfYv pic.twitter.com/kDEEyn4YRo
Officer Casualties
A lot of ink is spilled on competing casualty estimates in both armies. If you read Douglas Macgregor or David Sacks, you'd be excused for believing the entire male population of Ukraine has been wiped out two or three times. One number we have with some degree of certainty is the number of Russian officers killed because most of those deaths are announced in local Russian media or on social media. The number of officers killed has particular importance because the Russian Army does not have a professional NCO corps. Their officers are the primary trainers of units and the primary combat leaders. Keep in mind that this number is a floor, not a ceiling. Many deaths have not been announced or cataloged.
Russia is consistently losing an average of 5–6 officers a day.
— KIU ✪ Russian Officers killed in Ukraine 🇨🇿🇺🇦 (@KilledInUkraine) June 29, 2024
At least 4 327 Russian officers have been eliminated in Ukraine since 24 February 2022. Weekly update: +42 newly registered.
Each name is confirmed by a Russian source via funeral notices, obituaries, graves etc. pic.twitter.com/yvNViQGPaI
Nadia Goes to War
Having been successful in emptying the Russian prison system for use in Ukraine, the Russians are now working on the women's prisons.
🇷🇺 Russia has now begun forming Storm-Z penal battalions out of female convicts. pic.twitter.com/20EaJtBUaT
— Astraia Intel (@astraiaintel) June 30, 2024
The 🇺🇦Ukrainian 47th Mechanised Brigade also reports that their positions were attacked by a woman.
— Cloooud |🇺🇦 (@GloOouD) July 2, 2024
She was prepared and had high-quality ammunition, but she did not manage to escape from FPV drone as did her comrade. pic.twitter.com/VSaQLqrEzB
Well, Don't Get Wounded...
If you thought the VA was messed up, you have to read the whole thread to really appreciate what is going on.
2/ The Russian blogger Anatasia Kashevarova (a former adviser to State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and then to the LDPR party) has posted an angry denunciation of the army's treatment of the men of the 26th Tank Regiment, based in Mulino in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
— ChrisO_wiki (@ChrisO_wiki) July 2, 2024
From a Russian Defector
More and more of these stories are surfacing. Taking into consideration that the people telling the story have a vested interest in making the Russian Army look bad, there is a consistency between the stories and the other information we have. We've known for nearly two years that Russian mobiks have to provide most of their own gear. We know that the Russian training base has been hollowed out by sending experienced trainers to Ukraine and replacing them with over-age retirees. We've known for quite a while that the Russian logistics system is under pressure and not equipped to supply equipment to combat units and keep up with the demands of equipping new soldiers. Read the whole thread and make your own judgment.
units. Even during training in the Kirov region, there were problems with equipment - “Everything is f*ked up there. They should have provided us with the basics. At least one set of clothes. By the time they registered us, by the time they took us to the clothing
— Artur Rehi (@ArturRehi) July 3, 2024
2/18 pic.twitter.com/8uZyH09oYz
Another defector, this one from Russia's Baltic Fleet has surfaced. He is an ethnic Ukrainian recruited by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR). If you recall, Ukrainian intelligence also recruited a Russian helicopter pilot to defect in August 2023.
BACKGROUND: Putin's War, Week 78. Prigozhin Crashes, Two Russian Bomber Bases and Moscow Hit by Drones – RedState
He is taking responsibility for a fire that severely damaged the Buyan-class guided missile corvette Sherpukhov in April.
This guy going under the callsign “Goga” is a Russian national of Ukrainian descent and a former serviceman with Russia’s navy, namely the Baltic Sea Fleet.
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) July 4, 2024
Allegedly, months ago, he secretly got in touch with Ukraine’s secret service and defected Russia to join the Ukrainian… pic.twitter.com/XzYaOseRKq
Cholera and Typhus Outbreaks
There are multiple reports of cholera and typhus outbreaks in the Russian Army. The root cause seems to be a logistics system that is incapable of providing fresh water or evacuating corpses.
According to his information, every soldier of the criminal army of the Russian Federation is given 18 liters of water every 2 weeks in plastic containers.
Commanders receive an order to issue subordinates 1.5 liters of water per day, but in this case, the allocated volumes will be enough for a maximum of 4 days.
The Russian occupiers suffer from thirst and are forced to drink water from rivers and wells, primitively filtering it with cloth.
I can't imagine expecting troops to fight while limiting them to a little more than 1.5 quarts of water per day. This will not sustain a soldier in combat. Drinking local water can be hazardous. Once, in a pinch, I filled my canteen with water from a stream below the paddy line near Bumfuk, South Korea. Unlike the Russians, I had iodine tablets and used enough to make my thyroid do (metaphorical) jumping jacks.
When you delay evacuating your dead, like the Russians do, the corpses become a disease hazard if you try and move them later.😱⬇️ https://t.co/kiTHkjDVLX
— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) June 30, 2024
Some of the problems have been caused by Russia blowing up the Nova Kakhovka Dam, which contaminated water supplies on the Russian-occupied left bank of the Dnieper River.
annnnnnd its offical pic.twitter.com/5WuQ7l91Vw
— david D. (@secretsqrl123) June 30, 2024
RELATED: Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka Dam Is Blown up Unleashing Widespread Flooding
More Ukrainian Cities Bombed
Russians hit another post office in Kharkiv. One is dead, 8 wounded, one kid among them.
— Paul Shapoval (@Frialum) June 30, 2024
Another civilian target, another war crime https://t.co/MkhJDBQng2
The number of injured rose to 38, including 9 children, after the Russian attack on Vilniansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast on 29 June.
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) June 30, 2024
A pregnant woman is among the wounded.
7 people died, including 3 children.
📷 State Emergency Service of Ukraine pic.twitter.com/bkt50N4eQH
#Russia has already attacked with missiles this morning.
— Tim White (@TWMCLtd) July 1, 2024
In the early hours, #Dnipro was the target.
7 people were injured - the youngest 15 years old.
A supermarket and nearby houses were damaged.#StopRussia #SaveUkraine pic.twitter.com/KNSAVO7Mgb
As I reported last night, #Kherson had one of its 'heaviest' nights in recent weeks.
— Tim White (@TWMCLtd) July 2, 2024
Across the region in the last 24 hours, 10 people have been injured.
In Kherson city, the cleaning up begins after the overnight barrage, a hospital and a school among buildings damaged. pic.twitter.com/csTdHWUAnl
Just kids playing football in Kharkiv, Ukraine…until russian missile is going right over their heads , so game is stopped and kids are rushed to bomb shelter .
— Margo Gontar 🔱 (@MargoGontar) July 2, 2024
📹 IG Kharkiv. vibe pic.twitter.com/THQ5cU9lZ8
The country currently in charge of UN Security Council is hitting civilians in Dnipro with missiles
— Georgian Legion (@georgian_legion) July 3, 2024
Surreal! https://t.co/J7SbOPqawv pic.twitter.com/gcoauCAPa8
North Korea doesn't share the same concerns about its weapons being used in terror attacks that we do about attacking military targets.
Proof of Russian use of North Korean missiles in Ukraine unveiled at UN
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) June 29, 2024
The experts analyzed missile debris from a Russian strike on Kharkiv on 2 January 2024. https://t.co/KUUS37zD7F
New Weapons
F-16s Finally Arrive
The first group of F-16s will be delivered to Ukraine from the Netherlands in July. They will initially be employed to engage Russian cruise missiles over Ukrainian territory. However, it isn't difficult to see part of that mission being counter-air against the Russian strike fighters that launch some of those missiles.
Dutch government issued permission to export 24 x F-16 fighter jets and 7 engines for them to Ukraine on June 19.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 2, 2024
Dutch government earlier said it'll allow Ukraine to carry out strikes on Russian territory with its F-16s. pic.twitter.com/NOEAgQd90h
Combat Operations
The End of Motorcycles?
I've posted several times on the emergence of motorcycles and Chinese-made Desertcross 1000 ATVs as assault vehicles. I'm a skeptic. I haven't seen video of a Ukrainian battlefield where you can use the full speed of the vehicles. I've seen no evidence that the Russians have the tactical skill to coordinate a vehicular assault with an artillery barrage. While defenders can hear and see them coming, the troops on the motorcycles and ATVs have limited situational awareness.
BACKGROUND: Putin's War, Week 112. Ukraine Funding Passes and ATACMS Hit Crimea – RedState
RELATED:
Putin's War, Week 119. – RedState
I'm getting more and more confident in my judgment. There are about two dozen motorcycles stacked up around this burned-out track.
Graveyard of Russian motorcycles. Approximately two dozen of motorcycles just on this spot. https://t.co/9nUrLYbENv pic.twitter.com/bZI0micYXZ
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) July 1, 2024
Even so, more and more motorcycles are being issued to Russian forces probably to make up for the massive losses of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.
🤣 "The Second Army of the World". The orc shows the equipment that will carry his comrades into meat assaults. pic.twitter.com/P0ilqPb7r6
— ✙ Albina Fella ✙ 🇺🇦🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪🇵🇱🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (@albafella1) June 28, 2024
But nope does spring eternal.
Russia uses such "motor sheds" for defense against drones and for assaulting the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 30, 2024
However, the degree of protection, judging from the video, is questionable. pic.twitter.com/WDqZ48r92p
Glide Bomb Malfunctions
The Russians began using glide bombs a few months ago, and these do a lot of the work that artillery did in the past to reduce Ukrainian strongpoints. They have also replaced missiles as the preferred tool for hitting population centers within striking range of attack aircraft. They also seem to drop on Russian territory with some regularity.
The Washington Post obtained internal documents from the Bilhorod region authorities, revealing that glide bombs launched by Russia into Ukraine frequently landed on Russian territory. Between April 2023 and April 2024, at least 38 bombs fell in the Bilhorod region, with most… pic.twitter.com/O3zSLeeGR6
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) July 1, 2024
Reports attribute these accidents to a failure in the kits, though, truth be known, pilot competence probably plays a role. The fact remains that no matter how much this upsets the people on the ground, the failures don't represent a large percentage of strikes and, more importantly, no one cares.
“A certain percentage of Russian bombs is defective. This problem has existed since they started using these UMPK kits and it’s not being fundamentally solved. We think these accidental releases are caused by the unreliability of these kits, something that does not seem to bother the Air Force,” Ruslan Leviev, a military expert with the Conflict Intelligence Group that has been tracking Russian military activities in Ukraine since 2014, said in a recent front line update.
“According to our estimates, only a fraction of these bombs fail, so it doesn’t affect the practical effectiveness of this weapon, no matter how cynical that may sound,” Leviev said. “Unlike Western high-precision bombs, the UMPK kits are produced relatively cheaply and in large quantities, using civilian electronics, where reliability requirements are much lower.”
Based on statements from the Ukrainians about the numbers of bombs launched and the tallies from Astra about misfires, the CIT estimated a failure rate of 4 to 6 percent.
Ukrainian Air Bases Hit By Iskander
This is what happens when you let Russian recon drones mope around overhead. One Su-57 was destroyed, and an undetermined number were damaged to some degree.
Myrhorod Air Base. Not the first time that Russian recon drones have been able to quietly observe before striking with an Iskander cluster missile. It appears that at least 1 Ukrainian Su-27 has been destroyed, while several others are also believed to have been damaged. pic.twitter.com/OsZeeuCMp1
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) July 1, 2024
In this video, a Ukrainian helicopter base was clobbered. The Ukrainians claim no helicopters were destroyed but it is a safe bet that some were damaged. Note there is no Russian post-strike video.
Another #Ukraine aircraft hit while parked on the ground in #Poltava region today.
— Tim White (@TWMCLtd) July 2, 2024
A day after Su-27 jets were bombed while a drone loitered overhead, another drone hovered for 3 hours until filming a hit on a Mi-24 helicopter, though not clear how damaged it is. pic.twitter.com/sTjLhaqxER
This kind of sloppiness is difficult to understand in the context of protecting critical assets, but it is endemic on both sides.
FPV Strikes on Antiaircraft Systems
There has been an uptick in the number of videos showing Ukrainian attacks on Russian antiaircraft systems. This shows eight attacks: four TOR-M2 SAMs, three Pantsyr-S1, and one BUK. There is no information on the location or timing of the attacks.
The SBU special forces destroyed eight Russian air defense systems using "RAM" strike drones, including four TOR-M2 SAMs, three Pantsyr-S1, and one BUK air defense system. pic.twitter.com/NLrwDkGZM7
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) June 29, 2024
Oldie But Goodie
Images appeared sometime in 2023 of Luhansk People's Republic/Dontesk People's Republic militias being issued M1891 Mosin-Nagant rifles. Like the M1903 Springfield, the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield, and the KAR98, the Mosin-Nagant is a classic bolt-action rifle, but it doesn't have a place on the modern battlefield — or so one would think.
🇺🇦Ukrainian soldier published the results of an unsuccessful 🇷🇺Russian assault on their positions.
— Cloooud |🇺🇦 (@GloOouD) July 2, 2024
In this attack, 30 invaders were killed. But the most interesting thing is that one of the killed had a Mosin rifle, a rifle that has been in use since 1892.
The second army in… pic.twitter.com/odgQecVB36
🇺🇦Ukrainian soldier published the results of an unsuccessful 🇷🇺Russian assault on their positions.
— Cloooud |🇺🇦 (@GloOouD) July 2, 2024
In this attack, 30 invaders were killed. But the most interesting thing is that one of the killed had a Mosin rifle, a rifle that has been in use since 1892.
The second army in… pic.twitter.com/odgQecVB36
Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures
Drone vs. Drone
I've posted a few times on engagements between Ukrainian and Russian UAVs.We've seen nets dropped, sticks lowered into rotors, and ramming attacks. In this video, a Ukrainian FPV chases down a Russian Lancet loitering munition and is detonated.
⚡️🇺🇦Ukrainian FPV drone with remote detonation destroys 🇷🇺Russian kamikaze drone "Lancet" in Kharkiv region pic.twitter.com/K4IH0csBcY
— 🪖Military news (@front_ukrainian) June 29, 2024
Drone Operators Targeted
Nine members of a Russian drone operation team were tracked to their base camp and attacked by FPV drones.
Nine Russian drone operators were killed as a result of a Ukrainian drone strike pic.twitter.com/Y1Wbb4r8fO
— TOGA (@TOGAjano21) July 3, 2024
The operators of a Russian SuperCam drone are caught in the open.
Strike on the Russian Supercam reconnaissance drone and drone operators https://t.co/jJejdmIHXc pic.twitter.com/H3XFUZRia9
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) July 4, 2024
This highlights the war fought between drone operators that isn't given the coverage that it should receive.
Minelaying by Aerial Drone
This is a Ukrainian aerial drone lifting an antitank mine to place it behind Russian lines.
🇺🇦 Ukrainian forces are using drones for remote mining to stop Russian assaults and disrupt logistics.
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) June 29, 2024
The Queen Hornet drone by Wild Hornets can carry an anti-tank mine weighing nearly 10 kg.
This method enhances safety by keeping sappers out of harm's way. pic.twitter.com/6U0azrlP6N
HIMARS Strike on Russian Drone Unit
HIMARS strike on the Russian Zala reconnaissance drone and Lancet loitering munition crews. https://t.co/wvIRABARSq pic.twitter.com/OQI3akAo7O
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 29, 2024
FPV Hunts Down Self-Propelled Howitzer
The target is a Russian 2S18 Msta-S self-propelled 152mm howitzer. As an aside, the reason I use so many Ukrainian drone videos is because Russian videos are always from the FPV and end before impact. The Ukrainians usually provide context via reconnaissance imagery so you can see what happened.
A small Ukrainian kamikaze drone hit a hidden Russian 152-mm self-propelled Msta-S gun.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) July 2, 2024
Its detonation is incredible. Watch the whole video.
📹: 10th Separate Edelweiss Mountain Assault Brigade, Donetsk region. pic.twitter.com/DUdo7JP4ER
Tank vs Tank
A view, as the author states, on a Russian T-80BV through the gunner's sight of a Ukrainian T-64BV with its subsequent detonation of the T-80.https://t.co/7DrcXSgouR pic.twitter.com/RYrs1fkLBS
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) July 2, 2024
Heal!! Heal!!
A Ukrainian drone attacks a Russian stretcher team while they are evacuating a casualty. Religions have been founded on less than this.
I have so many questions pic.twitter.com/QDXPgPPwu9
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) July 3, 2024
Northern Front
Kharkiv
Ukrainian forces are making small tactical gains throughout this area. There is no indication of another feared Russian incursion west into Sumy Oblast.
Lyptsy-Vovchansk
Ukrainian forces continue to have success in pushing back the Russian Army in this area. This is where the Ukrainian Air Force is most active and where the Russian Army is the weakest.
2/ Ukrainian forces recently made marginal gains within Vovchansk (northeast of Kharkiv City) amid continued fighting in northern Kharkiv Oblast on July 3. Geolocated footage published on July 3 indicates that Ukrainian forces recently advanced along Soborna Street in central… pic.twitter.com/W1dHcM9API
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) July 4, 2024
Donbas
Kreminna-Svatove
Ukrainian forces advanced in several places in this area.
4/ Russian forces recently advanced within easternmost Chasiv Yar. A Ukrainian battalion commander operating in the Kanal Microraion reported in a now-deleted Telegram post that Russian forces have entirely seized the Kanal Microraion as of July 2 and warned of further advances… pic.twitter.com/UZUXGcpZin
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) July 4, 2024
Bahkmut-Klishchiivka-Andriivka
The most significant Russian activity is their offensive directed at Chasiv Yar. The Russian Army made some advances here, and the Ukrainian Army seems to be giving ground. Absent a collapse of the Ukrainian defenses, I still don't see how taking this city is more than a propaganda victory. The Russians don't have the resources to turn this into a breakout or the logistics base to support a breakout if it did materialize.
4/ Russian forces recently advanced within easternmost Chasiv Yar. A Ukrainian battalion commander operating in the Kanal Microraion reported in a now-deleted Telegram post that Russian forces have entirely seized the Kanal Microraion as of July 2 and warned of further advances… pic.twitter.com/UZUXGcpZin
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) July 4, 2024
🗺️ Ukrainian forces withdrew from the Kanal microdistrict of Chasiv Yar yesterday, confirmed by geolocations and Ukrainian officials. #RussiaUkraineWar pic.twitter.com/5UyXw4MtQn
— Spatial Grounds (@spatialgrounds) July 4, 2024
Avdiivka
The area of the former Avdiivka Salient continues to be the softest spot on the Ukrainian front. The description of "significant tactical gains" includes a footnote stating that the gains are only now being geolocated.
5/ Russian forces recently made significant tactical gains in the Toretsk direction and continued offensive operations on July 3. Geolocated footage published on July 3 confirms that Russian forces have advanced over one kilometer from the previously confirmed Russian front line… pic.twitter.com/0YBaIrCaoS
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) July 4, 2024
Airstrike on North Suburb of Bakhmut
This attack was carried out by Ukrainian strike aircraft using French-made "Hammeer" standoff bombs. Note that Ukrainian strike aircraft operate more freely in Donbas than in the past and play a larger role in operations.
✈️🇺🇦 Strikes of our aircrafts with high-precision AASM-250 "Hammer" air bombs on locations of deployment of the Russians in Paraskoviivka in Donetsk region, - UTAC TEAM pic.twitter.com/B6c8zjICk6
— MAKS 24 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) June 30, 2024
Ukrainian Tank Clears Russian Strongpoint in North Donbas
A singleton Ukrainian tank brings smoke on Russian defenders.
Tankers of the Ukrainian 1st Tank Brigade destroy Russian positions from close distance. In the end you can see Russian infantry flee the building which was just hit by a Ukrainian tank. pic.twitter.com/PZHSFUmCsr
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) June 30, 2024
Southern Front
Zaporizhzhia
Robotyne-Verbove- Novoprokopivka
The lines in this area remain stable.
ORIKHIV AXIS /1615 UTV 4 JUL/ RU forces conducted a number of small-scale attacks in the Orikhiv Axis. These contacts include two failed assaults south of Novoandriivka. Another RU attack failed west of Novodanylivka on the H-08 HWY, as did a Russian attack north of Robotyne. pic.twitter.com/S0uP0S274r
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) July 4, 2024
Kherson
Krynky
The front in this area is stable.
KHERSON AXIS /2230 UTC 1 JUL/ UKR forces repel eight RU attacks on Krynky. Bild magazine reports that Typhus and Cholera is spreading among RU troops in the Kherson area. pic.twitter.com/HgdLJ6Lzx6
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) July 1, 2024
Amphibious Movement Gone Awry
Here, a Ukrainian drone attacks five Russian troops, fleeing a disabled boat (lower) left.
⚡️🇺🇦Ukrainian drone against 🇷🇺Russian infantry pic.twitter.com/yyyF6Tk1du
— 🪖Military news (@front_ukrainian) July 1, 2024
Russian Soldiers Abandon Positions
A forest fire swept through Russian lines.
Russians are seen evacuating a wooded area in the left bank of occupied Kherson region (south of the area between Oleshky and Krynky) after a forest fire ignited
— The Russian Invasion of Ukraine (@wogoa1) July 4, 2024
One orc reports, "The island is burning, our soldiers are on it" pic.twitter.com/o2cMqCekas
Rear Areas
Crimea
Cyber Attack
⚡Source: Military intelligence stops traffic on Kerch bridge, collapses accounting systems in Crimea.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) June 27, 2024
The attacks targeted the servers of propaganda media, telecom operators, and the traffic control system on the Kerch Bridge, according to a source in Ukraine's military…
Shahed Warehouse, Cape Fiolent
Consequences of yesterday's missile attack on HF 99375 near Cape Fiolent, Sevastopol district.
— Feher_Junior (@Feher_Junior) July 2, 2024
The target of the attack was the Shahed-136 attack UAV warehouse, where approximately 90 units of these drones were kept. There is no information about the loss of the o/s pic.twitter.com/v33O8Qw6Ca
Russia
Vehicle Interdiction in Belgorod Oblast
The Russians are complaining about Ukrainian drones hitting civilian vehicles in Belgorod Oblast. Belgorod is the area from which Russian troops are supplied on the Kharkiv front. The Russians are trying to create an analogy between their air and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and random civilian vehicles, though not necessarily carrying civilian passengers or cargo. Most vehicles used by the Russian military are civilian and clearly marked as in military use. Using drones to shut down highway traffic is legitimate and sure to cause difficulties on the front lines.
#Russia says #Ukraine is attacking private vehicles with drones on roads in the #Belgorod' region.
— Tim White (@TWMCLtd) June 29, 2024
2 civilians were injured in #Borisovsky district where 3 cars were hit.
The local governor says the driver of a KamAZ truck was also injured on the Ziborovka - Nechayevka highway. pic.twitter.com/Lbft4XMx6V
Swarm Attack
There are no reports on outcomes or specific targets.
Russian media report about the alleged downing of 36 UAVs during the repulse of a Ukrainian drone attack across six regions. Specifically, 15 drones were downed in the Kursk region, 9 in the Lipetsk region, 4 in the Voronezh region, 4 in the Bryansk region, 2 in the Oryol region,… pic.twitter.com/9BgJeh8zDF
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) June 30, 2024
Military Base, Kursk Oblast
🔥 Russia: Military base on fire in Kursk. Unit #13830. Lots of equipment for servicing aviation. pic.twitter.com/5fzgqAvDWb
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) July 2, 2024
What's Next
Not a lot has changed since last week other than the Ukrainian Air Force showing its fangs more often. We can expect the Ukrainian Army to try to capitalize on the modest success it has achieved on the Russian border in Kharkiv and in northern Luhansk in the Kreminna area. The Russians will continue bashing away at Chasiv Yar, but I can't see much coming from that. Russia's chance for a real success is in the Avdiivka area. There, they have gained ground that is not measured with a micrometer.
The arrival of F-16s in July, even if they merely fly Combat Air Patrols to shield cities from missile attacks, will affect the deployment of Ukraine's air defense system. It will allow Patriots and NASAMs to be pushed out, contesting more Russian-controlled airspace and restricting the Russian Air Force's ability to support operations.
Again, I believe we can expect a limited Ukrainian offensive before the autumn rains start. It is a political necessity to show success on the battlefield, particularly with the likelihood that Biden will not survive the election (metaphorically and figuratively). I'm not sure I believe any longer that an offensive to reduce the Russian incursion into Kharkiv will serve that purpose. I still look for an attack focused on further isolating Russian troops in Occupied Kherson and Crimea.
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