From "The Analyst":
WAR UPDATE
So many things have happened that need talking about.
The attacks at Savaslieka airfield are now known to have destroyed two Mig-31K kinzhal strike fighters, and two Il-76 Candid military transports. Information on the other strikes is still waited for.
There’s been the extraordinary revelations surrounding the Kursk invasion and how Russian General Lapin, who was sent there to act as regional commander after his tactical incompetence was revealed earlier in the war, decided on a major restructuring.
Kursk oblast like the others had a regional committee that coordinated the FSB, police, Rosguardia and army in defending the front and building defences.
He decided he didn’t need it and abolished the whole structure, saying only the army knew what but was doing and would manage the defence of the oblast. So when Kursk was attacked there was basically zero coordination, defences hadn’t been built because nobody was coordinating with civilian contractors, and nobody knew what to do or who was in charge of moving civilians.
And yet still he is in position and a senior commander because he is considered loyal. Loyalty overcomes competence every time.
An interesting drone development was the capture of a Russian experimental unit in Kursk. The drone was immune to EW jamming and target spoofing because it carried a cylinder about the size of a coke can, which contains a spool of tough but very long and thin signal wiring. The FPV drone was being controlled from a handset in the usual way, but used the wire to control its movements, much as missiles like the wire guided TOW do. The upside is it’s impossible to jam, the downside is the weight of the wire and the range - likely no more than a kilometre or two. It might not replace drones across the board, but if you need an FPV at short ranges in an EW contested battle space it has its uses.
The Proletorsk oil storage facility continues to burn with the intense heat continuously overcoming the tanks capabilities to resist one by one.
Today is the fifth day and the site, crucial to Russian army operations for fuel supply, is largely considered destroyed.
The drone attack on Moscow has had several effects despite none apparently reaching their targets. Firstly it’s become obvious where Putin thinks his anti-air needs to be. Screw the oil refineries and the arms factories and the airfields - Moscow is well covered. Clearly the idea of a major drone attack on the capital is feared above all
else - and rightly so. The reaction in Moscow was one of alarm and concern - notable public disquiet in fact. It was the first time drones had tried attacking the city in quite some time. I’d say the Ukrainians had two goals- test the defences and make sure they stay there. If they’re around Moscow they’re not around the other targets that really matter. Yet there’s also an advantage to keep doing it.
The more they do the more missiles Russia uses up and the greater the cost. Eventually they will get through and that’s going to bring the war home more than ever. Kursk will start to feel closer than ever. It’s also a marker of deterrence. If Russia resumes attacks on key structures - not that they have stopped but they’ve been smaller and more easily dealt with of late with a couple of cruise missiles and a wave of drones, then Ukraine is signalling they too will up the ante and reach deep into Moscow and Petersburg. Will Russia get the message?
Another interesting rolling argument is over long range missiles.
The Ukrainians are using HIMARS inside Russia - but the Americans are saying nothing about it. There have been rumours they used ATACMS but I don’t believe it. They just wouldn’t risk the repercussions with the Americans or do so on principle.
The Americans are adamant that Ukraine doesn’t need long range missiles at all inside Russia - including British Storm
Shadow. CONTINUES…
Someone needs to issue Orban a one way ticket to Moscow
https://t.me/WarriorsUkrainian/34376
In Great Britain, they are very surprised that the local population of the Kursk region did not resist the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the offensive in the region.
This was stated by retired British Army Colonel and chemical weapons expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon.
"We are very surprised by the fact that the local russians in Kursk welcomed the entry of Ukrainian forces. This undoubtedly had a profound effect on Moscow," Bretton-Gordon said.
According to him, the russian people were in fact not ready to defend their own territory.
⚡️A ferry attacked by Ukrainian forces at the "Kavkaz" port was carrying 30 fuel tanks, according to local authorities. There were also five sailors on board, whose fate remains unknown.
A fire train has been sent to the port to extinguish the burning tanks.
Website | X | FB | Inst | YouTube | Podcast | LinkedIn
📢 Subscribe to Kyiv Post
I am a Democrat who supports Ukraine in their battle against The Russian fascist invaders.
I am a 73 year old Covid hermit who
lives on 10 acres in a sparsely populated area of the Ozarks. I heat with wood that is leftover by the lumber industry. When cutting oak for lumber only the trunk is used.
The largest town is population 2993. The county is 13k people scattered over 713 square miles.