Today, there are interesting updates from the Lyman direction. Here, the Russian frustration grows bigger with every day due to the lack of advances, shortage of supplies, and a disastrous kill-to-loss ratio.

This has forced Russian commanders to order even more desperate attacks with Russian soldiers being turned into unintentional suicide bombers by essentially carrying explosive vests with them during assaults.

Relentless Russian assaults bring only casualties

In the Lyman direction, Russian forces have found themselves hopelessly stuck, unable to advance despite relentless infantry assaults. The repeated frontal attacks have become disastrously costly, leading to massive casualties at unprecedented rates. In addition, frontline Russian units are starved of supplies, making it impossible to sustain effective combat operations.

Drones reveal Russian troops carrying mortar shells by hand

In multiple engagements, Ukrainian drone operators have observed Russian soldiers being sent forward carrying individual mortar rounds to deliver to mortar crews on their way to the front, a desperate measure indicating a total logistical breakdown and highlighting the grim conditions Russian troops face in this sector.

Ukrainian drone crews crush Russian night assaults

Geolocated video evidence has extensively documented how Russian forces continually get bogged down in front of Ukrainian defenses, immobilized by dense minefields, carefully placed caltrops, and relentless drone strikes. Ukrainian drone operators from the 63rd Mechanized Brigade have become exceptionally proficient at hunting down and neutralizing isolated Russian assault groups at night with one crew eliminating 23 enemy soldiers in one night.

Whenever Russian troops manage to briefly occupy new positions, swift Ukrainian counterattacks and drone bombardments immediately push them back or eliminate them. This cycle of attrition leaves Russian infantry units trapped in a futile loop of unsuccessful and deadly assaults. This extreme frustration has led Russian commanders and soldiers to adopt increasingly desperate and reckless methods.

Mine-carrying vests turn soldiers into suicide bombers

One striking phenomenon captured repeatedly in battlefield footage is the unintended emergence of kamikaze-like Russian soldiers. In a released video, a Russian soldier was running to assault Ukrainian positions with a grenade in his hand, but when Ukrainian troops met him with heavy fire, he began to retreat, fell on his grenade, and blew himself up.

Instead of reconsidering their reckless tactics, the Russian command doubled down on the idea. Soldiers were soon seen wearing specially designed vests meant to carry anti-tank mines, intended as a practical way to carry mines to the front, and quickly deploy explosives upon reaching Ukrainian positions, allowing troops to remain armed while carrying the mines.

However, these vests turned into deadly traps, as when these mine-carrying soldiers are hit by Ukrainian fire, their vests detonate, instantly killing the wearer and any comrades nearby. Though not intended as literal suicide vests, the practical outcome has ironically turned Russian soldiers into unintentional suicide bombers, grim evidence of the extreme desperation gripping the Russian frontlines.

Russian war crime: Civilian shot dead in Torske

Beyond battlefield absurdity, this sense of desperation has manifested in horrific violence against Ukrainian civilians as well. Recent footage from the village of Torske captured Russian troops cruelly shooting a civilian riding a bicycle, a clear and disturbing war crime. While desperation offers context, it certainly provides no justification for such barbaric and needless violence.

Unfortunately, such incidents have been systematically documented across multiple sectors of the frontline, revealing a broader pattern of brutality and indiscipline among Russian forces.

Ukrainians track and eliminate the killers

However, Ukrainian drone operators and artillery teams swiftly respond to such atrocities. After observing the killing of the civilian on his bicycle in Torske, Ukrainians methodically tracked down and eliminated the Russian soldiers responsible, delivering some measure of justice and demonstrating Ukraine’s resolve in protecting and defending their civilians’ lives.

Overall, such distressing examples highlight a deeply troubling trend driven by Russian desperation and logistical failure. The inability to adequately supply their forward-deployed troops has created the absurd situation of soldiers advancing while strapped with anti-tank mines, transforming themselves into explosive targets. Such grotesque improvisations underline how disconnected Russian commanders have become from battlefield realities, willing to grasp at even the most dangerous and ill-advised tactics simply to achieve some negligible progress.

More than half of the summer offensive season is already gone with virtually no progress achieved near Lyman, and none at all at Torske specifically. Now, Russian forces have resorted to self-defeating and absurd methods out of sheer frustration and desperation vividly demonstrating the catastrophic failure of their offensive ambitions.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Today, the biggest news comes from the Russian alliance.

Here, a new trade offensive reveals the United States has found a soft underbelly in the Brics alliance. Brazil, long seen as the most vulnerable member of the Russian economic alliance, is now facing steep tariffs and mounting pressure, turning it into a frontline state in the economic war to isolate Russia.

So far, the attack has been led by President Donald Trump himself. The White House has confirmed that tariffs on Brazilian seafood will rise to 50 percent starting at the beginning of August, currently the highest such penalty in the world. 

According to reports from Rio Grande do Norte, where much of the industry is based, the impact could be immediate: more than 30 vessels may suspend operations, 1,500 workers could lose their jobs, and major exporters like Produmar warn that sales to the US will become unfeasible. 

While framed as a trade policy decision, Washington has already signaled broader escalation: satellite services like GPS may be restricted, sanctions on government entities are on the table, and US diplomats are pressuring Brazil to break alignment with the Brics coalition, a bloc now increasingly seen as the backbone of Russia’s geopolitical strategy.

The official justification is highly personal. President Trump has repeatedly criticized Brazil’s prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who attempted to orchestrate a military coup through 2022 and 2023, calling it a witch hunt against Trump’s political ally. But behind this statement, a broader strategic move is at play. 

Brics has emerged as the United States’ most significant economic and geopolitical competitor, and Brazil is one of the original BRICS members and the third largest economy in the group behind China and India, yet it is also the most dependent on the United States for exports, finance, and high-tech imports.

By pressuring Brazil first, Washington is testing whether the BRICS alliance can survive an asymmetric economic war, beginning not with the most defiant members, but instead with the most exposed.

That exposure runs deep; roughly 20 percent of Brazil’s exports go to the United States, and many of its most profitable industries, agriculture, energy, and aerospace, depend on access to US markets, machinery, and data systems to function properly. The threat of cutting off GPS access is especially serious: Brazil’s space agency and large agricultural businesses greatly rely on American satellite data for everything from navigation to logistics and crop planning.

Although Brazil is now exploring alternatives, switching systems would take years, cost billions, and potentially isolate the country from its biggest investors. 

This is precisely what makes the US strategy so dangerous for BRICS cohesion. If the glass canon of the Brazilian economy folds under pressure, it might also be forced to halt its participation in key BRICS initiatives or leave the coalition altogether, meaning that Russia will face immediate consequences. 

Moscow has spent years promoting BRICS as a geopolitical counterweight to the West, including through de-dollarized trade, shared financial infrastructure, and new commodity pricing schemes. If Brazil steps back, it could disrupt these alternative Russian trade routes, payment mechanisms, and undermine diplomatic coordination, leaving Russia even more isolated at a time when its access to hard currency, global finance, and reliable partners is already shrinking. 

The pressure comes as Russia faces major economic troubles; sanctions, crackdowns on its shadow fleet, and de-dollarization have sharply limited its trade options. 

Brics remains Moscow’s best shot at salvaging energy exports, arms sales, and financial alternatives, and therefore its economy. Losing Brazil would weaken the bloc’s credibility and further erode Russia’s international pitch of Brics as a viable economic system, and unlike India, Brazil lacks scale, self-sufficiency, or military leverage, and if it folds, others will notice.

Overall, the United States has launched a calculated strike on the weakest point of the Russian Brics alliance, using tariffs, sanctions, and diplomatic pressure to peel away Brazil from its economic allies. What was framed as a protest over Bolsonaro’s prosecution might be a clever move to combat the US’s biggest geopolitical competitor.

And as BRICS fractures, Russia risks becoming even more isolated, losing the alliance’s third-largest economy, and one larger than its own, which would strip Moscow of credibility and critical leverage.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Day 1251

On 28 July, there is a lot of news from the Lyman direction.

Here, one Ukrainian brigade found an ingenious use for ancient Roman tactics on the current battlefield, combining them with modern warfare elements and technology to sabotage the Russian advance toward Lyman. This created a zone so lethal that these Ukrainians are eliminating at an insane ration of 66 Russian soldiers for every Ukrainian casualty they take.

In the sector near Lyman, despite holding a substantial bridgehead across the Zherebets River, Russian forces remain critically overstretched. Their goal to establish a direct route towards Lyman, a town they’ve fruitlessly sought to capture for over two years, remains distant. Consequently, Russian commanders have redirected significant effort toward breaching the defensive lines around Torske, hoping to improve their severely limited logistical situation across the Zherebets River.

Standing firmly against this intense Russian pressure is Ukraine’s battle-hardened 63rd Mechanized Brigade. Exploiting favorable terrain, the brigade has expertly leveraged local geography for defensive advantage. To the north of Torske, large reservoirs limit Russian maneuverability and prevent effective flanking actions, isolating their frontal assaults. South of Torske, expansive forested areas have allowed Ukrainian forces to establish deep fire control zones, creating lethal chokepoints for attacking Russian infantry and motorbike squads.

The results of this skillful Ukrainian defense have been devastating for the Russians. Despite substantially increased assaults, Russian forces face severe shortages of armor, forcing commanders to resort primarily to infantry assaults on motorcycles and ATVs. In response, the 63rd Brigade has perfected a ruthless, cost-effective defensive strategy that has yielded a stunning kill to death ratio in their favor. The extraordinary figure indicates that for each Ukrainian soldier lost, Russian forces lose around 66 troops, a devastating statistic demonstrating Ukrainian tactical superiority in the area.

Key to Ukraine’s remarkable defensive success here is the innovative revival of ancient Roman warfare tactics, particularly the widespread use of caltrops. Historically, Roman soldiers employed caltrops, metal devices designed with spikes positioned in all directions, as highly effective area-denial tools. Placed on roads, fields, or forest pathways, caltrops punctured enemy horses’ hooves, forced troops into open, vulnerable spaces, and slowed advancing units significantly, enabling Roman forces to saturate their exposed enemies with projectiles.

Now, the Ukrainian 63rd Brigade applies this ancient tactic using drones to disperse modern versions of caltrops across Russian assault paths. Unlike traditional mines, caltrops are inexpensive, safe to deploy remotely, and difficult to detect through drone surveillance.

When Russian motorbike squads inevitably run over these hidden traps, they are flung off their bikes and forced into exposed areas to clear these small but numerous obstacles, instantly becoming easy targets for Ukrainian artillery, small arms fire, and precision drone strikes.

The Ukrainian effectiveness is further strengthened by their approach to active defense. When Russian units temporarily occupy forward positions, the Ukrainians immediately launch aggressive drone strikes before enemy soldiers can consolidate or recover. These rapid, coordinated counterattacks exploit the exhaustion and disorder of freshly arrived Russian troops, further compounding their casualties before they are completely pushed back and eliminated.

The desperation of Russian forces in this area is increasingly evident. Troops are frequently spotted employing thermal cloaks intended to shield them from detection, yet their poor implementation renders them ineffective, making Russian soldiers even more visible to Ukrainian drones equipped with standard or thermal imaging. Consequently, geolocated drone footage frequently shows Russian units easily identified and swiftly eliminated, despite their attempts at concealment.

Recognizing their unfavorable situation, Russian soldiers in this sector are increasingly choosing to surrender. Facing overwhelming tactical and technological inferiority, many Russian personnel clearly understand they will never survive long enough to leverage their numerical superiority and engage directly with Ukrainian positions.

Overall, Ukraine’s creative application of ancient Roman caltrops combined with cutting-edge drone warfare has produced a lethal defensive tactic. The persistent employment of this approach by the 63rd Mechanized Brigade near Torske has devastated Russian infantry assaults, completely undermining the Russian offensive and maintaining relentless battlefield stagnation. The resurrection of ancient warfare techniques, enhanced by current technology, has decisively turned this frontline area into a killing ground that Russian commanders can neither bypass nor penetrate.

Technology is Ukraine’s chance to win the war. This is why we’re launching the David vs. Goliath defense blog to support Ukrainian engineers who are creating innovative battlefield solutions and are inviting you to join us on the journey.

Our platform will showcase the Ukrainian defense tech underdogs who are Ukraine’s hope to win in the war against Russia, giving them the much-needed visibility to connect them with crucial expertise, funding, and international support. Together, we can give David the best fighting chance he has.

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Today, the biggest news comes from the Caucasus. 

Here, as Georgia flexes its muscles by hosting large-scale NATO military exercises, it no longer hides its desire to be rid of Russian influence. The participation of Ukrainian troops, battle-hardened and equipped with extensive drone warfare experience, has only heightened Russian anxieties, suggesting a rising threat that could challenge Moscow from the south.

The NATO military exercise Agile Spirit 2025, recently commenced in Türkiye and Georgia, strengthens ties and coordination between NATO and non-NATO forces in the southern Caucasus. The NATO force includes soldiers from 12 NATO countries, as well as Georgia, Moldova, and notably Ukraine as non-NATO participants, with Armenia and Japan serving as observers. 

Agile Spirit comprises command and staff training, field exercises, live-fire demonstrations, and the exchange of knowledge and experience between participants. The exercise focuses on enhancing interoperability between NATO forces and Western-aligned non-NATO countries, to increase coordination and combat capabilities in the event of Russian military actions in the South Caucasus and possible NATO intervention. 

Georgia’s desire to host these exercises does not come out of nowhere; notably, Russia conducted similar tactics to keep Georgia within its sphere as it did with Ukraine. Russia sponsors the separatist breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia with funding, soldiers, and weapons, to keep Georgia from moving to the West; akin to the Donetsk separatist movements in 2014 in Ukraine. 

Russia has since used its position here to bully and threaten Georgia into submission, with over 54 documented cases of Russian soldiers continuously moving border posts, thereby annexing and splitting whole Georgian towns and communities, to name one example. This has resulted in a large resentment against Russia among the Georgians, and many do not want to stand idly by as Russia continues its war in Ukraine and threatens to do the same to their country. 

As the goal of the military exercises is to enhance combat readiness specifically against a Russian threat, Ukraine’s participation in the NATO exercise is not insignificant, and many Russian analysts are concerned this could lead to a severe threat emerging from the south. 

Ukraine’s over a decade-long experience in fighting the Russian army is a treasury of information for allied armed forces. Sharing Ukraine’s expertise in conducting and countering modern drone warfare with allies will allow Georgia to better prepare for any military or hybrid threat coming from the Russian Federation.

Additionally, Ukraine could easily equip Georgia with its drone technology and production expertise, providing the nation with all the necessary means to counter the Russian army in a direct conflict. 

Essentially, Georgia’s proper preparation for a conflict with Russia means that the country is no longer an easy target for Russian expansion, should Russia attempt to maintain its influence through military means. Georgia could even choose to follow in the same footsteps as Syria and Azerbaijan, taking advantage of the Russian military being too preoccupied by the war in Ukraine to provide any kind of intervention. 

Similar to how the Syrian rebels took advantage of Russian neglect to overthrow Assad’s regime, and how Azerbaijan won several wars and offensives against Russia’s former ally Armenia, Georgia may seek to implement its newfound tactics and technologies to retake the lost territories in the north. 

Militarily, Georgia would already have the capabilities to defeat both separatist regions in a one-on-one engagement, fielding sufficient manpower, armor, artillery, and air support to overrun the two regions. However, Ukrainian technological support and tactical experience would ensure that Georgia could retake its land, as well as hold its own if Russia were to manage a limited intervention, something Russian forces notably were not able to do in either Syria or against Azerbaijan. 

Overall, Ukraine’s participation in this year’s Agile Spirit exercises promises to give Georgia the ability to independently stand up against Russian aggression. Learning from the extensive experience Ukraine has in fighting Russia, Georgia could possibly even retake separatist lands long used by Russia to maintain control over the Caucasus nation. With Georgia fearing it would befall the same fate as Ukraine, the strategically important nation has all the more reason to fight Russian aggression before Moscow can pull the trigger.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Today, the biggest news comes from Serbia.
Despite mounting threats from Moscow, Serbia is deepening its support for Ukraine through covert arms transfers and reconstruction offers, signaling that it is no longer willing to be intimidated.

Belgrade continues to play both sides, but the balance is shifting. Each new step brings it closer to the Western camp.

Serbian weapons factories supply Ukraine

Despite its historical alignment with Moscow, Serbia continues to support Ukraine’s war effort quietly.

Serbian arms producers are expanding shipments of ammunition to Ukraine, using gray-scheme transfers through NATO intermediaries. Shell components from Serbian factories are exported to companies in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, which assemble them and deliver the final products to the front.

Over 100,000 shells and 1 million rounds

Delivering over 100,000 artillery shells and 1 million rounds of ammunition, the scale of these operations has drawn sharp criticism from Russian intelligence.

Moscow has accused Belgrade of profiting from the war while hiding behind a multi-vector policy. But the Kremlin’s warnings have not reversed Serbia’s behavior; if anything, they appear to have emboldened it.

Vucic promises to help rebuild Ukrainian cities

President Aleksandar Vucic has pledged to help rebuild Ukrainian cities as a gesture of continued support.

The announcement came during a summit in Odesa, and Vucic has repeated the message on Serbian television, making it clear that the offer is not just a one-off claim.

Humanitarian aid without sanctions

Although Serbia has not joined any EU sanctions against Russia and refuses to sign anti-Russian declarations, the government continues to emphasize Ukraine’s territorial integrity and provide humanitarian assistance.

These actions include earlier deliveries of generators and medical supplies, and now a readiness to contribute to postwar reconstruction.

The Kremlin has taken notice, but public threats have not deterred Vucic’s position.

A nation divided between West and East

This balancing act is made even more delicate by the divide between Serbia’s political leadership and its population.

Serbian society remains overwhelmingly sympathetic to Russia, a legacy of cultural, historical, and geopolitical ties, along with a deep distrust of the West after the Yugoslav wars.

The government, however, remains committed to European Union accession and understands that cooperation with Ukraine is now part of that deal.

Quiet alignment with the West

Rather than openly choosing a side, Belgrade is trying to appease Brussels through quiet aid deliveries and public gestures of goodwill, without provoking domestic backlash or triggering a confrontation with Moscow by cutting ties with Russia completely.

This strategy of silent alignment has worked so far, but each new step toward Ukraine and the West makes it harder to sustain.

Russian sabotage hits Serbian arms plant

Russia has already responded with escalation: a powerful explosion struck the Krusik munitions plant supplying arms to Ukraine, injuring seven workers.

Serbian officials did not publicly assign blame, but the timing and pro-Russian analysts strongly suggest sabotage.

Moscow has also used diplomatic pressure, state media smears, and veiled threats to signal that further alignment with the West will carry consequences.

Pressure mounts as Serbia chooses its future

With Russian stakes in Serbia’s energy sector, particularly through Gazprom’s Serbian subsidiary, being increasingly vulnerable to European sanctions, Serbia faces growing pressure to choose between Russia and deeper Western integration.

Arms shipments continue through third countries despite public denials, and reconstruction offers are now made openly.

Russia’s pressure backfires

Russia’s decision to escalate with sabotage may have backfired: it did not silence Serbia and may have convinced its leadership that neutrality is no longer sustainable.

Despite deep social and historical ties to Russia, Serbian officials may now realize that continued alignment with Moscow is a losing hand, and that integration with the West offers a more secure long-term path.

Overall, Serbia is quietly leaving Russia behind.

Its aid to Ukraine is expanding and is becoming harder to ignore. The longer this balancing act continues, the more obvious it becomes that Serbia sees its future in cooperating with Europe, and not as Moscow’s last outpost in the Balkans—recalibrating the country’s position through quiet defiance, economic opportunity, and geopolitical necessity.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Day 1249

On 25 July, the biggest news comes from Europe.

New sanctions from the United Kingdom and the European Union are tightening the noose around Russia’s shadow fleet, the covert network of tankers that has long helped Moscow dodge oil export restrictions. This time, enforcement is not only more coordinated but also more surgical, and the effects are beginning to show across the broader infrastructure of Russia’s war economy.

Most recently, the United Kingdom unveiled its latest sanctions package, which directly targets dozens of tankers suspected of transporting Russian oil in violation of the G7 price cap, operating under flags of convenience and obscure ownership structures to avoid detection. London has now imposed asset freezes on over 100 shadow fleet vessels and sanctioned several front companies that provide critical insurance, financing, and logistical support, embedded in global maritime hubs. Beyond targeting individual vessels, the UK’s restrictions also prohibit any UK-based companies from interacting with ships or firms linked to sanctioned oil trade, thereby closing off access to a broad range of legal and financial services that have long sustained the shadow fleet.

In parallel, the European Union has adopted its 18^th sanctions package, with new measures aimed at undermining the legal and logistical foundations of shadow fleet operations. The package introduces enhanced penalties for any port offering services to re-flagged or disguised Russian tankers, creates a public blacklist of vessels involved in price cap violations, and extends sanctions to intermediaries that provide false documentation regarding the origin of cargo. Perhaps most importantly, the European Union now authorizes penalties against third-party countries, companies, and organizations that facilitate Russian circumvention efforts.

This move places significant pressure on states such as Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates, which have quietly hosted the fleet’s support infrastructure. Taken together, the actions of the United Kingdom and the European Union amount to the most comprehensive assault yet on Russia’s oil export system.

The effects of this crackdown are already being felt in the water. Earlier this year, a Russian-affiliated tanker docked in Belgium, and was only later identified as part of the shadow fleet, triggering internal reviews across European ports and prompting the introduction of stricter inspection protocols. Since that incident, insurance firms have come under increased scrutiny, maritime monitoring has intensified, and cooperation between European customs and naval forces has expanded. This makes it significantly harder for Russian tankers using falsified or re-flagged registrations to access European ports or services, forcing the fleet into riskier, longer, and more expensive trade routes.

These constraints are showing the effect of a deeper financial crisis. Russia is no longer able to rely on stable dollar-denominated transactions and has instead turned to trading with strategic partners, paying Iran 104 million dollars in gold for Shahed drones and offering weapons and industrial components to North Korea in exchange for artillery shells and frontline soldiers. As covered in a previous report, the Kremlin has also resorted to using cryptocurrency and shell companies based outside of Russia to hide the nature of arms deals and payment transfers. These improvisations may help Moscow stay afloat in the short term, but they reflect how their economic system is losing access to hard currency and struggling to sustain even the most basic elements of war finance.

The geographic consequences are just as significant. With the Baltic Sea under increasing surveillance and the Black Sea heavily contested, Russia has shifted some of its shadow fleet activity to Arctic ports such as Murmansk; however, these are a last resort, as they remain ice-free for only seven to eight months of the year. Yet even these fallback routes are becoming less viable, as the United Kingdom and Norway have increased maritime patrols in the Barents and North Seas, regions where they maintain logistical and geographic naval advantages. The result is a tightening noose around the shadow fleet: as evasion options shrink and enforcement improves, Russia’s ability to maintain oil flows and convert the revenues into weapons faces a steadily rising cost curve.

Overall, the clampdown on Russia’s shadow fleet marks a shift from symbolic pressure to systematic disruption. As enforcement expands from financial tools to maritime routes themselves, Moscow faces a narrowing horizon, where every export, workaround, and transaction becomes harder to hide, more expensive to maintain, and less capable of sustaining the war.

Day 1247

On 24 July, there is a lot of news from the Sumy direction.

Here, after Russian commanders forced their soldiers into a bloodbath in the fields, the result of a larger Ukrainian strategy in play began to bear its fruits. With fresh reserves stationed too far from the frontline to reinforce, Ukrainians executed a beautiful pincer maneuver that pushed Russians back from yet another settlement, as the Russian Sumy offensive seems to have reached a complete stall.

As you remember from a previous report, after weakening Russian positions through precise airstrikes, Ukrainian forces launched successful multi-directional counterattacks, prominently retaking Andriivka in a swift maneuver. The goal behind Ukraine’s push is clear: disrupt Russia’s forward momentum, slow down their offensive, and exploit the resulting vulnerabilities. By preserving their combat power for only surgical strikes and inflicting maximum damage on Russian units, Ukrainian commanders are carefully taking the initiative and systematically weakening enemy forces.

Determined to regain the initiative themselves, Russian commanders immediately ordered repeated counterattacks to recapture Andriivka. However, evidently based on faulty intelligence, Russian troops appeared unaware that Ukrainian forces had already fully secured the settlement, mistakenly expecting to meet and support Russian forces on the ground. As a result, these Russian assaults quickly devolved into catastrophic failures.

Geolocated footage revealed fields surrounding Andriivka littered with Russian casualties and burning motorcycles, clear evidence of the heavy price paid for their reckless and misguided attacks. Not only did these fruitless assaults drain Russian manpower, but they also achieved no real gains, compounding Russia’s operational predicament.

Russian difficulties intensified further amidst the ongoing Ukrainian strike campaign targeting rear-area troop concentrations, command posts, and logistical hubs. These strikes not only inflicted substantial casualties on Russian forces but also forced Russian commanders to position their reserve forces further from the immediate area of operations. However, with these reserves stationed away from watchful Ukrainian drone reconnaissance, Russian forces are also unable to respond swiftly to rapidly unfolding events on the frontline, playing right in the hands of Ukrainian commanders. Following the devastating losses and bloodbath in the fields around Andriivka, Russian units near the frontline faced a critical manpower shortage, and lacked immediate reinforcements to stabilize their weakening positions.

Recognizing this window of opportunity and the vulnerability of the Russians, Ukrainian forces acted decisively. With Russian reserves either dead in the fields or stationed too far to provide timely reinforcements, Ukraine pressed its advantage, launching coordinated air, drone, and HIMARS missile strikes against known Russian troop concentrations in Kindrativka. Ukrainian drones methodically hunted down and eliminated Russian infantry clusters, while precise HIMARS strikes obliterated remaining fortifications and munitions stores with devastating effect. Airstrikes with AASM Hammer bombs ensured no immediate reinforcements could move forward safely, effectively neutralizing major resistance within Kindrativka itself and limiting the possibility of surviving Russian troops finding cover within the ruins.

With organized resistance in Kindrativka decisively broken, Ukrainian commanders rapidly executed a lightning assault to retake the town. Swiftly deploying units to sever Russian reinforcement routes in a pincer maneuver, Ukrainian forces prevented any additional enemy units from reaching Kindrativka and helping the entrenched but scattered Russian soldiers holed up in the town. Simultaneously, Ukrainian assault teams penetrated the settlement, systematically sweeping through houses and basements, clearing the area of remaining Russian holdouts. Within hours, Ukrainian troops secured Kindrativka, facing minimal opposition and establishing full control over the strategically significant village.

Overall, the recapture of Kindrativka represents an important milestone in Ukraine’s wider strategy to halt the Russian offensive into the Sumy region. By reclaiming this key border settlement, Ukraine significantly disrupted Russian logistics and troop rotations, effectively sabotaging Russia’s goal of establishing drone and artillery fire control over the regional capital, Sumy. By exploiting Russian vulnerabilities created by previous strikes, Ukraine has carefully engineered tactical breakthroughs, forcing Russia into unsustainable losses and operational confusion. The strategic success in Kindrativka showcases Ukraine’s ability to leverage precision firepower and agile maneuver warfare, systematically dismantling Russian advances while creating opportunities for further counteroffensive actions.

Day 1245

On 22 July, the biggest news comes from Russia.

Here, a staggering announcement has pulled the curtain back on the country’s wartime manpower crisis. Moscow plans to import one million Indian workers, a move that reveals the scale of Russia’s internal collapse and its growing dependence on foreign labor to sustain even basic functions. The announcement came from the Ural Chambers of Commerce and Industry, which revealed plans to bring in one million Indian laborers to fill vacancies left by Russians sent to the front.

These workers are not being hired for skilled industry or reconstruction, but keep everyday systems running, a signal that Russia’s domestic labor pool has been gutted by conscription. Framing this as a commercial initiative barely conceals its real function: covering for the massive depletion of able-bodied workers across the country.

The impact was immediate, and while state media largely ignored the news, regional outlets and officials confirmed it quietly, and the announcement circulated widely on military-focused channels.

What little commentary emerged from Russian politicians was vague and avoidant, focused on economic partnerships rather than addressing the underlying issue. But the move did not go unnoticed; it broke a powerful illusion that Russia, despite mounting casualties and mobilization rounds, could rely indefinitely on its population. This moment also reveals growing fatigue inside Russian society; the silence of the state has left a vacuum filled with sarcasm and unease. Russian veterans’ associations and military analysts, many of whom have supported earlier mobilizations, are now beginning to question the logic of replacing conscripted citizens with foreigners. Their tone has shifted from patriotic confidence to guarded discomfort, a trend that points to a broader decline of the war narrative.

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The scale of this decline was underscored by a separate development just days earlier. Pavel Gubarev, a former official of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, publicly admitted that Russia has suffered over one million killed, wounded, or missing in just three and a half years. A million is not a small number, he said, a statement all the more notable because it came not through official channels, but during an informal interview that quickly spread online. No Kremlin spokesperson has confirmed the figure, but Gubarev’s words offered a rare breach in the wall of censorship and illustrated how deeply the toll has cut into Russian society.

The Indian Labor plan is not an isolated event; it is part of a broader shift in how Russia is attempting to offset its mounting losses. In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have captured multiple Cameroonian nationals in frontline areas. These individuals had been promised factory work in Russia but were issued military gear upon arrival. Their contracts promised just about 1 million rubles or 13 thousand dollars, significantly less than Russian recruits, confirming that Moscow is sourcing expendable labor from abroad.

Many appear unaware of their actual assignments until it is too late, and a similar pattern is emerging with Laos. According to Ukrainian intelligence, a contingent of Laotian engineering troops is being deployed to the Kursk region under the label of demining operations.

But the same pattern, masked deployments of foreign military personnel, has already been seen in cases involving North Korea and other partners. Moscow appears to be rebranding foreign troop presence as humanitarian aid to skirt domestic sensitivities and international scrutiny.

Russia’s military reliance on imported labor is no longer a rumor or an isolated tactic; it is becoming an institutionalized strategy. In doing so, Moscow is quietly acknowledging what it cannot say openly: that the war has drained its population, that patriotic mobilization is no longer enough, and that without external manpower, even the home front may begin to falter.

Overall, the decision to bring in one million Indian workers is not simply a logistical fix; it is a political rupture.

Russia’s war is now visibly outsourced, with foreign labor increasingly filling roles once held by Russian citizens. India, Cameroon, and Laos are not volunteering support; they are being drawn into a system that conceals its real costs and intentions.

For Ukraine and its partners, this shift is a clear indicator that Russia’s manpower crisis is not just real, it is accelerating.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Technology is Ukraine’s chance to win the war. This is why we’re launching the David vs. Goliath defense blog to support Ukrainian engineers who are creating innovative battlefield solutions and are inviting you to join us on the journey.

Our platform will showcase the Ukrainian defense tech underdogs who are Ukraine’s hope to win in the war against Russia, giving them the much-needed visibility to connect them with crucial expertise, funding, and international support. Together, we can give David the best fighting chance he has.

Join us in building this platform—become a Euromaidan Press Patron. As little as $5 monthly will boost strategic innovations that could succeed where traditional approaches have failed.

Day 1243

On 20 July, the biggest news comes from Azerbaijan.

Here, the government has arrested Wagner fighters who fought for Russia in Ukraine, directly targeting the Kremlin’s most dangerous organization. It is a bold move that does not just reject Russian influence in the South Caucasus but actively begins to dismantle Moscow’s entire post-Soviet power network.

This is the first time a post-Soviet country has prosecuted its citizens for joining Wagner. The first two mercenaries, Ramil Aliyev and Ismayil Hasanov, had both served time in Russian penal colonies before being recruited into Wagner under Prigozhin’s Project-K and sent to fight in Ukraine. Both men had served time in Russian penal colonies before being recruited under Wagner’s Project-K, a prison pipeline organized by Yevgeny Prigozhin to fuel Russia’s war in Ukraine. The two Azerbaijanis are accused of using firearms and explosives in Ukraine, as well as attempting to recruit others to fight for Wagner.

A court in Baku ordered them detained, applying criminal statutes typically used for mercenary or terror-related offenses. These charges go beyond domestic law; they are a warning to all former Wagner fighters: they will be treated not as veterans, but as war criminals.

The decision to prosecute Wagner fighters comes as part of a broader shift in Azerbaijan’s posture toward Moscow. Rather than quietly distance itself, Baku is now actively targeting Russian influence across multiple fronts: military, political, and informational. The arrests are not just about justice or legality, they are about cutting off Russian leverage. Project-K was one of Wager’s most controversial efforts, blending criminality with state-backed warfare. By going after these individuals now, Azerbaijan is effectively retroactively criminalizing its citizens’ involvement in Russia’s proxy structure.

This legal offensive follows Baku’s decision to label Sputnik-Azerbaijan a Russian intelligence front, accusing its staff of running information warfare campaigns and building pro-Kremlin influence networks inside the country.

While that episode focused on soft power, the Wagner arrests are something different: they mark the beginning of hard legal action against Russian hybrid operatives on Azerbaijani soil. No other country in the region has drawn such a hard legal line, making this a precedent-setting moment.

Diplomatic tensions have escalated in parallel, when a Russian delegation led by Emergency Situations Minister Aleksandr Kurenkov visited Baku in July carrying a diplomatic message from Vladimir Putin, President Illham Aliyev refused to meet them. That snub was deliberate and deeply symbolic, in the post-Soviet space, as Russia has traditionally relied on in-person meetings and backchannel diplomacy to maintain leverage.

But this time, Azerbaijan shut the door; the refusal to receive Putin’s envoy suggests that Baku no longer sees Russian diplomacy as useful or necessary. It also signals that Azerbaijan is prepared to let relations deteriorate further if Moscow keeps pushing.

In the meantime, Azerbaijan is strengthening ties with Ukraine in both practical and symbolic ways. Baku recently sent specialized demining equipment to Ukrainian forces, support that may appear modest on paper, but carries real strategic weight. It directly contributes to Ukraine’s ability to clear liberated areas, protect civilians, and prepare for counteroffensive operations. Azerbaijan is openly siding with Ukraine on key security issues, while simultaneously targeting Russia’s covert networks at home. And it is doing so without Western prompting, showing that Russia’s isolation is becoming self-reinforcing.

Behind all of this lies a deeper shift; Azerbaijan is no longer trying to balance between East and West. It is picking sides, and doing so with surgical precision. The prosecutions, media clampdown, and diplomatic snubs are part of a coherent policy aimed at dismantling Russia’s influence in the South Caucasus. For Moscow, this is not just a diplomatic headache; it is a strategic defeat, its once loyal partner is now helping Ukraine, rejecting backchannel envoys, and arresting Wagner fighters as criminals.

Overall, the crackdown on Wagner is not just a domestic legal move; it reshapes the regional landscape. By treating Russian mercenaries as criminals rather than veterans, Baku is signaling to the rest of the post-Soviet world that the old rules of Russian dominance no longer apply. Russia’s soft and hard power tools are being dismantled from within, and Azerbaijan is leading the way.

Today, the biggest news comes from Azerbaijan.

Here, the government has arrested Wagner fighters who fought for Russia in Ukraine, directly targeting the Kremlin’s most dangerous organization. It is a bold move that does not just reject Russian influence in the South Caucasus but actively begins to dismantle Moscow’s entire post-Soviet power network.

This is the first time a post-Soviet country has prosecuted its citizens for joining Wagner. The first two mercenaries, Ramil Aliyev and Ismayil Hasanov, had both served time in Russian penal colonies before being recruited into Wagner under Prigozhin’s Project-K and sent to fight in Ukraine. Both men had served time in Russian penal colonies before being recruited under Wagner’s Project-K, a prison pipeline organized by Yevgeny Prigozhin to fuel Russia’s war in Ukraine. The two Azerbaijanis are accused of using firearms and explosives in Ukraine, as well as attempting to recruit others to fight for Wagner.

A court in Baku ordered them detained, applying criminal statutes typically used for mercenary or terror-related offenses. These charges go beyond domestic law; they are a warning to all former Wagner fighters: they will be treated not as veterans, but as war criminals.

The decision to prosecute Wagner fighters comes as part of a broader shift in Azerbaijan’s posture toward Moscow. Rather than quietly distance itself, Baku is now actively targeting Russian influence across multiple fronts: military, political, and informational. The arrests are not just about justice or legality, they are about cutting off Russian leverage. Project-K was one of Wager’s most controversial efforts, blending criminality with state-backed warfare. By going after these individuals now, Azerbaijan is effectively retroactively criminalizing its citizens’ involvement in Russia’s proxy structure.

This legal offensive follows Baku’s decision to label Sputnik-Azerbaijan a Russian intelligence front, accusing its staff of running information warfare campaigns and building pro-Kremlin influence networks inside the country.

While that episode focused on soft power, the Wagner arrests are something different: they mark the beginning of hard legal action against Russian hybrid operatives on Azerbaijani soil. No other country in the region has drawn such a hard legal line, making this a precedent-setting moment.

Diplomatic tensions have escalated in parallel, when a Russian delegation led by Emergency Situations Minister Aleksandr Kurenkov visited Baku in July carrying a diplomatic message from Vladimir Putin, President Illham Aliyev refused to meet them. That snub was deliberate and deeply symbolic, in the post-Soviet space, as Russia has traditionally relied on in-person meetings and backchannel diplomacy to maintain leverage.

But this time, Azerbaijan shut the door; the refusal to receive Putin’s envoy suggests that Baku no longer sees Russian diplomacy as useful or necessary. It also signals that Azerbaijan is prepared to let relations deteriorate further if Moscow keeps pushing.

In the meantime, Azerbaijan is strengthening ties with Ukraine in both practical and symbolic ways. Baku recently sent specialized demining equipment to Ukrainian forces, support that may appear modest on paper, but carries real strategic weight. It directly contributes to Ukraine’s ability to clear liberated areas, protect civilians, and prepare for counteroffensive operations. Azerbaijan is openly siding with Ukraine on key security issues, while simultaneously targeting Russia’s covert networks at home. And it is doing so without Western prompting, showing that Russia’s isolation is becoming self-reinforcing.

Behind all of this lies a deeper shift; Azerbaijan is no longer trying to balance between East and West. It is picking sides, and doing so with surgical precision. The prosecutions, media clampdown, and diplomatic snubs are part of a coherent policy aimed at dismantling Russia’s influence in the South Caucasus. For Moscow, this is not just a diplomatic headache; it is a strategic defeat, its once loyal partner is now helping Ukraine, rejecting backchannel envoys, and arresting Wagner fighters as criminals.

Overall, the crackdown on Wagner is not just a domestic legal move; it reshapes the regional landscape. By treating Russian mercenaries as criminals rather than veterans, Baku is signaling to the rest of the post-Soviet world that the old rules of Russian dominance no longer apply. Russia’s soft and hard power tools are being dismantled from within, and Azerbaijan is leading the way.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Today, there are interesting updates from the Kupiansk direction. Here, the Russians have opened a dangerous new axis to put the Ukrainian defense northwest of Kupiansk in danger. The Ukrainian command has acted decisively, sending in experienced tank units to smash the enemy and push him back over the border.

Russian forces have recently opened a new offensive axis near the Ukrainian border by swiftly capturing the village of Milove and adjacent forested areas. Having rapidly consolidated this foothold, Russian units are now attempting to advance deeper into Ukrainian-held territory, specifically targeting a line of villages culminating at Velykyi Burluk, the largest settlement in the area.

Russia eyes Velykyi Burluk as a logistics hub

The strategic importance of Velykyi Burluk lies in its infrastructure, which offers the Russians critical space for troop accommodation, storage of munitions, and logistical hubs necessary for further pushes.

The Russian decision to initiate this new axis is driven by their broader strategic intent to sever critical communication and supply lines between Kharkiv and two key frontline cities, Kupiansk and Vovchansk. Russian forces around Vovchansk have been stuck in a stalemate for over a year, failing repeatedly to achieve significant breakthroughs. By introducing this northern axis, Russian commanders hope to renew their stalled momentum around Vovchansk, creating additional pressure from a fresh direction.

Ukraine acts fast to stop encirclement

However, Kupiansk remains their central objective. Russian troops have faced substantial challenges near Dvorichna, unable to sufficiently expand their limited bridgehead on the western bank of the Oskil River. Thus, a successful push from the north toward Velykyi Burluk could support renewed thrusts along the Oskil and help fulfill Russia’s stalled ambition to encircle Kupiansk.

This Russian goal is gaining urgency as half the summer campaign season has already passed without meaningful progress. Russian tactical advantages in this new direction lie primarily in their proximity to their border-based supply lines, which have allowed relatively steady reinforcement and resupply efforts.

Ukrainian armor and drones strike back

Furthermore, because the region around Milove had previously been relatively calm compared to more fiercely contested sectors, Ukrainian forces deployed there were thinly spread and not immediately prepared to resist a sudden, concentrated attack. Russians have exploited precisely these gaps in Ukraine’s extensive defensive line, advancing with small, mechanized units and infantry raids to quickly establish control over key positions.

Ukrainian forces, however, have swiftly recognized the severity of this emerging threat. Despite initially limited troop presence, Ukrainian commanders promptly redeployed mechanized reinforcements from nearby positions to counter this new threat. Ukrainian units are now actively conducting tactical hit-and-run raids, effectively leveraging Russia’s assault groups’ vulnerability.

Videos of these engagements vividly document Ukraine’s response, with one clearly showing a Ukrainian T-64BV tank and a BTR-4E Bucephalus engaging Russian infantry hidden within tree lines at point-blank range, effectively neutralizing the advancing enemy assault group.

Drone warfare halts Russian advance near Kamianka

Meanwhile, Russian attempts to support their northern advance by expanding their precarious bridgehead near Kamianka over the Oskil River have met fierce resistance. Ukrainian forces recently thwarted a mechanized assault there, utilizing FPV drones and drone-dropped munitions to decisively halt the advance.

In the engagement, Ukrainian drone operators and infantry destroyed two Russian MT-LB armored vehicles, a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle, and eliminated 17 assault troops, demonstrating again their skillful use of drones in such situations.

Ukraine moves quickly to contain Russian gains

Overall, given the strategic significance of this region, it is critical for Ukrainian defensive operations that this new Russian offensive axis is decisively neutralized as early as possible. Ukrainian military leadership clearly understands the urgency and has mobilized forces to rapidly counter and contain Russian gains near Milove.

Their determined response aims to close existing defensive gaps swiftly, denying Russia further opportunities to advance toward Kupiansk, Vovchansk, or even threaten approaches to Kharkiv itself. It remains to be seen if Russian forces will simultaneously escalate their actions near Vovchansk to attempt a coordinated, multidirectional offensive to achieve the long-sought encirclement of Kupiansk this summer.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Day 1239

On 15 July, the biggest news comes from the United States.

After weeks of record-breaking Russian strikes, President Donald Trump has reversed course and resumed US military aid to Ukraine. The decision ended a three-week pause that had delayed critical defense systems just as Ukraine’s air defenses were being pushed to the limit.

That peak was reached just days ago, when Russia launched its largest aerial attack of the war so far. Over 700 drones and missiles were fired in a single night, primarily targeting energy facilities, airbases, and ammunition stockpiles.

Russian state media claimed the attack was a coordinated operation to dismantle Ukraine’s war effort, but most of the actual damage was inflicted on civilian infrastructure. Several Ukrainian airfields suffered minor damage, but many of the intended military targets were either missed or intercepted. Ukrainian air defense claimed to have shot down over 500 incoming projectiles, including nearly every Shahed drone. While some ballistic and cruise missiles slipped through, the scale of destruction fell far short of what the Kremlin had likely intended.

And that miscalculation may have backfired. The original reason the US paused military aid was to open space for de-escalation and preserve its own shrinking stockpile of interceptors. But Russia’s response was to escalate, not slow down. As you remember from a previous report, Russia is dramatically increasing drone and missile output, aiming to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses and outlast Western patience.

But by unleashing the biggest strike of the war just as talks stalled, the Kremlin made clear that its goal is not negotiation, it is devastation. The strategy seems to have convinced President Trump that further delay would only invite more bloodshed. Moscow’s aggression ultimately ended the pause, forcing the decision back onto the table.

What followed was a rapid green light for aid shipments, with renewed focus on US patriot systems. These systems are not designed to intercept drones; they are used against ballistic and cruise missiles, including Iskander-M, Kinzhal, Kalibr, and other high-speed threats. While Patriots are among the most capable interceptors in the world, the challenge is industrial; the US currently produces around 550 Patriot missiles per year, and is working to double that output by next year.

In recent strikes, Russia has only needed a few missiles per wave to break through. With Ukrainian air defenses already stretched thin, it is the ballistic and cruise missiles that do real damage, hitting power grids, command hubs, and airbases with precision.

That is why having enough Patriots matters, because when even one slips through, it can knock out a power station or command node. But Russia is also expanding its missile production. The real race is between how many advanced missiles Russia can fire and how many interceptors Ukraine’s allies can supply in time. If that ratio tips the wrong way, critical infrastructure will fall, and Russian air dominance will grow.

For now, the US still holds the edge in quality and output. NATO countries are scaling up their production lines, while Ukraine is adapting its defenses by blending cheaper systems like Gepards and laser-guided short-range interceptors with high-end Patriots. But the problem is volume: if the US sends 100 interceptors and Russia fires 150 cruise or ballistic missiles, Ukraine can only defend so much. The new aid package is not just about blocking the next attack; it is about buying enough time and firepower to shift the ratio before winter sets in.

Overall, Russia’s strategy is ruthless, but far from subtle: escalate pressure, trigger delays in Western support, and then exploit the gap with concentrated firepower. But this time, the sheer scale of the offensive may have backfired. By striking while the West was still hesitating, Moscow may have overplayed its hand and pushed Washington and its allies to recommit more forcefully. For Ukraine, it is a temporary lifeline, but also a warning, as long as Russia can launch, no pause in aid will ever hold for long.

Day 1237

On 14 Jule, there is a lot of news from the Borova direction. 

Here, the Ukrainian Third Assault Brigade conducted a groundbreaking operation by employing FPV drones alongside ground-based kamikaze drones to attack fortified Russian infantry positions. This forced the Russians into panic and allowed the Ukrainians to recapture territory without even setting their foot on the ground.

The Ukrainian Third Assault Brigade, now the leading formation within Ukraine’s Third Army Corps after recent restructuring, operates in the Borova direction and is frequently deployed in offensive operations across the entire sector. Renowned for its battle-hardened capabilities, the brigade works closely with local units, demonstrating exceptional planning, tactical precision, and advanced assault methods that set the standard for modern warfare.

This status was recently confirmed through an unprecedented achievement: they executed the world’s first successful assault entirely using air and ground drones, capturing Russian-held positions without deploying infantry.

During the assault, FPV drones first struck enemy fortifications, causing severe damage and panic among the defending troops. Following this, unmanned ground vehicles loaded with powerful explosives moved toward the already battered Russian dugouts. As the first drone, loaded with anti-tank mines detonated, the Russian soldiers became aware of the imminent death threat and quickly created a makeshift cardboard sign to signal their surrender. With no Ukrainian soldiers physically present to engage, the enemy troops found themselves defenseless against this innovative, drone-only offensive.

After their surrender, the surviving Russian soldiers were guided by an aerial drone directly to Ukrainian lines, where they were taken prisoner without resistance.

Shortly afterward, Ukrainian infantry calmly entered and secured the captured positions, including nearby forested terrain, without firing a single shot or spilling a drop of Ukrainian blood. Officers from the Third Assault Brigade emphasized the significant tactical value of this operation, highlighting that the positions had previously resisted conventional assaults by neighboring Ukrainian units. The success achieved solely through drone warfare marked a crucial turning point.

The tactical logic behind the combined use of aerial and ground drones is straightforward but effective. While aerial drones excel in reconnaissance, target identification, and precision strikes, ground-based UGVs offer complementary capabilities due to their higher payload capacity, improved concealment, and ground-level approach.

Ukrainian ground drones, many of them affordable and domestically produced, can carry significantly heavier explosives compared to airborne drones, making them ideal for breaching reinforced enemy positions or performing destructive assaults from a new unexpected perspective. Additionally, ground drones provide versatile battlefield support; beyond offensive roles, they serve as evacuation vehicles, resupply carriers, or even remote-controlled mining platforms.

Ukraine’s latest advancement, the ground drone Termit, illustrates these capabilities effectively, being a highly mobile, tracked robotic system capable of carrying up to 300 kilograms. Its low-profile, tracked chassis ensures smooth operation across various terrains, and its powerful battery enables several hours of continuous, remote operation over substantial distances. This versatility allows it to function as a kamikaze system, a medical evacuation device, a combat module carrier, or a resupply unit. Such technologies increase Ukraine’s tactical flexibility and significantly reduce the exposure of infantry to lethal threats on the frontline.

The Third Assault Brigade continues to lead innovation in warfare, marking a distinct evolution in combat operations. Although drones had been extensively utilized before for softening enemy positions, reconnaissance, and support tasks, successfully capturing enemy-held territory exclusively through drone technology represents a new era in ground combat operations. Given Ukraine’s ongoing manpower constraints and the critical need to minimize human casualties, drone-driven assaults offer invaluable advantages.

Overall, the revolutionary Ukrainian drone-only assault likely marks a cornerstone moment in modern warfare history that will continue shaping its future. It underscores Ukraine’s commitment to continuous technological innovation under extraordinary wartime pressures. Ukrainian military developers and engineers are tirelessly working to enhance drone and robotic capabilities, seeking innovative solutions to counteract Russia’s numerical superiority and evolving battlefield threats.  

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Day 1236

On 13 July, the biggest news comes from the Baltic region.

Here, Russia is jamming GPS across Europe’s eastern flank with growing precision and reach, targeting not just military systems but civilian aviation and maritime traffic as well. Despite NATO safeguards, flights are being rerouted or canceled, and sea navigation is becoming increasingly compromised, with several governments now warning that a major accident is only a matter of time, but that might be exactly what Russia is looking for.

Russian GPS interference has now become a constant feature across the Baltic, northern Poland, southern Finland, and parts of Germany.

Civilian aircraft flying over these regions are regularly forced to switch to backup systems, and in more severe cases, divert or abort landings altogether, with Finnair already canceling all flights to Estonia for over a month due to safety concerns. Disruptions have been traced back to military installations in Kaliningrad, including the Okunevo antenna and jamming systems such as Borisoglebsk-2 and Murmansk-BN, also used in Ukraine. 

The most dangerous aspect of these operations is their unpredictability; pilots can lose satellite navigation mid-flight with little warning, raising the risk of crash landings, instrument failure on approach, or even mid-air collisions in dense or low-visibility airspace. Although NATO has rapidly developed a backup navigation system called R-mode to guide aircraft and ships with ground-based radio beacons without GPS satellite input, even this system may not be reliable enough to prevent a crash, according to Baltic and German officials. 

Maritime disruptions are also growing, with vessels losing positional accuracy in the Baltic Sea near Kaliningrad, adding strain to both civilian shipping and military logistics.

If a commercial plane or passenger ferry were to crash due to Russian jamming, the event would be treated not as an accident but as a deliberate escalation, one NATO has warned Moscow about for years. Such an incident would force NATO to respond, triggering a chain reaction that could escalate the confrontation far beyond electronic warfare.

The first step would likely involve indirect pressure: an immediate surge in military aid to Ukraine, including systems that have so far remained in reserve, combined with a renewed push to scale up Western defense production, and possibly even actively aiding Ukraine in taking down Russian jets, missiles, and drones flying into Ukrainian airspace.

However, if hundreds of civilians die in a GPS-jamming-related crash, NATO might pursue a more direct route, potentially targeting Kaliningrad’s jamming installations directly. Kaliningrad’s jamming systems might be targeted through cyberattacks or covert sabotage of the electronic warfare nodes with secret operatives. In a worst-case scenario, NATO countries could take direct individual military action to eliminate the Russian GPS jamming threat. These measures remain unlikely for now, but they are no longer theoretical, as Russia is operating near the line, and every near miss brings the region closer to a tipping point.

But this is exactly what Moscow wants. These GPS disruptions, hybrid strikes, and sabotage campaigns are not random acts of nuisance; they are part of a broader strategy designed to provoke the Baltics to strike first.

If a country like Estonia or Poland were to act on their own, and preemptively strike Russian systems, Moscow would claim it was under attack, flipping the narrative and eliminating the defensive nature of Article 5 from the playing field.

That ambiguity would fracture NATO unity, allowing Russia to isolate smaller countries and deal with them one at a time, while larger members stall, negotiate, or only send a limited response. A limited strike could also be used by Russia to justify military escalation, foreign support from its allies in Asia, or even the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons according to Russian nuclear doctrine, using it as an excuse to scare others into backing down.

The Kremlin’s goal is to test the outer limits of Western tolerance without crossing a line itself, hoping that someone else on the other side will.

Overall, Russia is not just interfering with airspace or shipping routes; it is baiting its adversaries into a conflict of Moscow’s choosing. These GPS jamming operations are part of a pattern: stretch the rules, create instability, and wait for a mistake. But the more successful this strategy becomes, the greater the chance that one of those mistakes will spiral out of control. The Baltics know they are being pushed, but they also know what is at stake. One crash, one overstep, and the hybrid war may turn into something much harder to contain.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Today, there are important updates from the Russian Federation. As the intensity of Russian drone attacks reaches levels never seen before, Ukraine has taken drastic measures to counter the threat. Repeatedly targeting Russian drone production facilities helps ensure that Ukrainian air defense systems can better manage the relentless enemy drone swarms.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has faced a dramatic increase in Russian drone strikes. Russian forces have adopted a new strategy: launching around 100 Shahed drones per night for one or two nights, while producing even more daily — allowing them to build up reserves. Once stockpiles are sufficient, they unleash massive waves of over 500 drones in a single night, combining Shaheds with decoy Gerber drones.

This tactic is designed to overwhelm air defenses, targeting multiple cities or inflicting heavy damage on a single strategic location. These drone assaults are often followed by ballistic missile strikes, exploiting depleted air defense resources.

Russia expands drone production with massive new facilities

This dangerous shift is fueled by Russia’s rapid expansion of domestic drone manufacturing. The country is now reportedly producing over 5,000 drones per month.

The largest facility is in Yelabuga, Tatarstan, which recently added a new production wing to increase output further. Strategically located near key logistics routes, the site is well within range of Ukrainian long-range assets and has been struck multiple times already.

Ukraine strikes Yelabuga factory, forces airport closures

To combat this threat, Ukrainian forces launched long-range strikes targeting Russian drone production infrastructure. A major attack hit the Shahed manufacturing plant in Yelabuga, igniting large fires and forcing the temporary shutdown of airports in Kazan and Nizhnekamsk due to the proximity of active threats.

The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the strike caused severe disruption to drone output at this key facility. In a coordinated operation, Ukraine also hit the Progress plant in Cheboksary, which produces Kometa antennas — critical components that protect Russian drones from electronic warfare. This significantly weakened Russian drone resilience against Ukrainian countermeasures.

Repeat attacks cripple Russia’s electronic warfare capabilities

Following temporary repairs in Cheboksary, Ukraine launched a second strike, once again triggering large fires and further degrading the plant’s production capacity.

In a separate operation, Ukrainian drones struck the Research Institute of Applied Chemistry in Sergiev Posad, Moscow Oblast, which manufactures thermobaric warheads for Shahed drones. Disrupting this facility directly reduces the lethality of Russian drone attacks.

Precision strikes hit Russian missile and drone systems

Ukraine also successfully targeted the Kupol Electromechanical Plant in Izhevsk, part of the Almaz-Antey defense conglomerate. This site produces Shahed drone components and elements of Tor air defense systems. Satellite imagery confirmed major fires and damage to four key workshops, significantly hindering drone and missile production.

Another high-impact strike hit the Rezonit Technopark in Zubovo, Moscow Oblast, a major electronics assembly plant. This disruption affects critical microelectronics essential for drone guidance and control, intensifying production delays and bottlenecks.

Ukraine dismantles Russia’s drone command systems

Ukrainian drones also struck the Progress advanced control systems plant in Michurinsk, which builds guidance systems for missiles, aircraft, and drones. The damage here further destabilizes Russia’s drone production chain and precision weapon development.

Russia upgrades drone arsenal with deadlier payloads

While Ukraine targets production, Russia is upgrading its drones for greater devastation. New Shaheds now carry expanded payloads, including thermobaric and cluster munitions, and are equipped with delayed-fuse explosives designed to injure emergency responders.

Ukraine’s strikes protect civilians and Infrastructure

By preemptively targeting drone facilities, Ukraine is directly preventing hundreds of potential civilian casualties. These precision strikes are not only strategic but also humanitarian in nature.

As Russia escalates its drone campaign, Ukraine urgently needs continued international support — particularly in air defense systems and real-time intelligence sharing — to protect critical infrastructure and population centers.

Ukraine’s systematic campaign against drone manufacturing is proving effective. By striking every phase of production — from control systems to warheads — Ukraine is reducing the volume, accuracy, and lethality of incoming drone swarms. This allows air defenses to respond more efficiently, preserving both lives and infrastructure.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Today, there are a lot of updates from the Russian Federation. Here, Ukraine has not only expanded its efforts to directly target the Russian Shadow fleet on the sea, but has wreaked havoc on each point in the Russian production line, exporting millions of tons of oil every month. Burning ships, depots, oil wells, and striking refineries in the most technically critical parts, generating revenue for the Russian war economy has never become more difficult.

Explosions rock the Eco Wizard in Russian port waters

Recently, a Russian vessel named Eco Wizard sank in the Russian port of Ust-Luga near Saint Petersburg. Two subsequent explosions went off in the engine room, damaging the ship’s hull and causing water to enter rapidly, and tilting the ship to port side.

Notably, the ship docked in the Russian port after arriving from Belgium, and is reportedly part of Russia’s shadow fleet, transporting oil, chemicals, and other cargo while bypassing Western sanctions. While this ship in particular transports liquid Ammonia, the blast happened in port while loading was still being conducted, and Russian authorities report only a small spill of ammonia which was quickly cleaned up by port authorities. The ship itself however, will remain out of commission till it can be towed into a dry dock, pumped dry, and repaired.

Ukraine suspected in string of shadow fleet sabotage incidents

This has been the sixth instance of suspicious explosions rocking the Russian shadow fleet, with many analysts speculating Ukraine may be behind these targeted strikes. It has to be noted that none of the suspicious instances surrounding the Russian shadow oil fleet have resulted in any environmental damage; with the only such cases of ecological damage being a result of shadow fleet vessels running aground, crashing into each other at port, or sinking during a storm.

Deep strikes: Ukraine hits Russia’s refineries in Nizhny Novgorod and Saratov

However, Ukraine not only targets Russian shadow fleet exports at port and at sea, but also continues to destroy Russian oil refining, storage, and production facilities on the ground. Ukrainians recently targeted the fourth-largest Russian oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod, producing over 5% of Russia’s total refined output. While official statements only note one hit on a bitumen tank, eyewitnesses claim a massive inferno engulfing the Lukoil refinery.

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Drones cross 1,500 km to penetrate Russian defenses

Next, Ukrainians targeted the Russian Lukoil refinery in Saratov, striking the facility’s technological workshops, housing the last stage in the refining process where crude oil is processed and converted into refined petrochemical products. Notably, the Ukrainian drones crossed over 1,500 kilometers of Russian territory while en route to the Russian plant.

This both underscores how extensive Ukraine’s range abilities have become as well as the depletion of Russian air defenses, unable to detect or intercept Ukrainian drones even during an estimated flight time of 10 hours.

Oil depots burn near Moscow, Engels, and Bryansk

Russian oil depots were next, with Ukrainian drones targeting a Russian fuel depot on the outskirts of the city of Moscow. As black smoke rose above the Russian capital, firefighters struggled to put out the flames, with the fire not stopping till all the oil was burned out.

However, the following strike on the Engels oil depot burned for far longer. Ukrainian drones hit the Engels fuel depot for the third time since 2025, igniting a fire that burned for three consecutive days. As a finishing blow on depots, Ukrainian Bober (Beaver) drones devastated the massive Russian oil depot in Bryansk, just across the border with Ukraine.

Ukraine hits oil wells near Grozny in final phase of energy disruption

Lastly, Ukraine hit Russian oil production at its source, striking Russian oil wells near Grozny in Chechnya, causing a large fire to break out and emergency services to rush toward the scene.

Russia’s war economy falters under pressure

Overall, Ukraine’s campaign targeting Russian oil revenue is disrupting Russian streams at every possible point in the production line. Often, these facilities have a dual use, producing fuel and oil for exports through the Russian shadow fleet, as well as providing fuel and lubricants to Russian military aviation and ground forces, without which the Russian army cannot function. With even these crucial Russian assets becoming increasingly unprotected by sufficient air defense systems, the number of Ukrainian strikes promises to only grow further as time progresses.

As the campaign has now even expanded to targeting the Russian shadow fleet itself, Ukraine is taking matters into its own hands, ensuring Russia continues to suffer both economically and militarily. As the economic cost of the war grows, this will only further widen the $50 billion Russian budget deficit, which is already projected to grow larger than $100 billion before the year ends.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

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Today, there is big news from the Russian Federation. Ukrainian forces executed a series of precision strikes aimed at critically undermining Russia’s air strike capabilities, delivering powerful blows to several strategically significant Russian airfields and ammunition storages.

By limiting Russian air power, Ukraine aims to leave Russian ground forces without fire support, making their attacks much more vulnerable. One of the most impactful attacks occurred at the Borisoglebsk airfield in Russia’s Voronezh Oblast, home to advanced Russian jets including Su-34, Su-35S, and Su-30SM aircraft.

The attack resulted in massive fires, destroying a critical depot containing KAB guided aerial bombs and severely damaging at least one combat training jet—with likely several more jets destroyed. Damage assessments are ongoing, but preliminary reports suggest substantial impairment of Russian aerial offensive capabilities.

Ukrainian drones destroy bomb depots and air defense in Kursk and Bryansk

Another successful strike targeted the Khalino airbase in Kursk Oblast. Ukrainian munitions precisely hit a storage facility housing aerial bombs and missiles, destroying a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system guarding the site.

Ukrainian intelligence also coordinated a devastating strike on the 1060th Logistics Support Center in Bryansk Oblast, triggering extensive fires and secondary detonations. Multiple Russian munition depots full of rocket fuel, lubricants, and air-launched bombs and missiles were destroyed.

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Su-34 fighter-bombers destroyed in Marinovka airbase attack

The most painful strike for Russia occurred at the Marinovka airbase in Volgograd Oblast, where Ukrainian Special Operations Forces confirmed the destruction of four advanced Su-34 fighter-bombers—Russia’s key tactical aircraft for strikes on Ukraine.

Satellite imagery shows extensive damage, including multiple craters, indicating the destruction of several ordnance storage sites. A former Russian military pilot and aviation analyst called this strike a multibillion-ruble loss that could have been prevented, citing serious operational security failures.

Tires on jets? Russian bases use ineffective defenses

Despite mounting losses, Russian airbase personnel continue placing tires over jet aircraft as a defense against drone strikes—a tactic repeatedly proven ineffective. This futile measure adds strain to Russian maintenance crews, further reducing operational readiness.

Ukrainian drones and missiles, unaffected by these rudimentary barriers, continue to destroy Russian aircraft on the ground with alarming precision.

Ukraine targets Russian air-ground strategy at its core

Ukraine’s strikes follow a clear strategic logic. Russian ground tactics depend heavily on air and artillery support, typically locating Ukrainian positions by using waves of low-skilled infantry to draw fire.

By destroying aircraft, ammo depots, and air-defense systems in rear areas, Ukraine disrupts Russia’s ability to coordinate ground assaults, easing pressure on frontline troops and forcing Russia into riskier air operations with fewer assets.

Accidents rise as Russia pushes overworked aircrews

With fewer aircraft and an increasingly strained maintenance workforce, Russian aviation is suffering from higher accident rates. A recent crash of a Su-34 due to a landing gear malfunction killed an experienced pilot.

These self-inflicted losses, combined with the depletion of skilled personnel, are worsening Russia’s battlefield attrition.

Russian airbases left vulnerable as protective measures stall

To reduce turnaround time, Russia has moved many aircraft dangerously close to the front line. While earlier efforts were made to build concrete protective shelters, satellite evidence suggests this work has stalled or been abandoned.

Without public or military pressure to resume fortification, Russia risks further devastating losses in future Ukrainian strikes.

Ukraine’s sustained campaign is strategically critical—weakening Russian air power, protecting civilians, and degrading offensive potential during the decisive summer months. Neutralizing Russian air superiority remains key to Ukraine’s battlefield success.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

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Today, the biggest news comes from the Russian Federation. Russian oil revenue is collapsing faster than expected, with over a third evaporating as global energy prices drop and sanctions tighten. In response, the Kremlin has turned to offshore crypto schemes in a last-ditch effort to stay financially afloat—an unusual and revealing sign of just how unstable its financial position has become.

Russia’s oil revenues just dropped nearly 30% in June compared to the same month last year, bringing in just under $5.4 billion, with total oil and gas revenue falling by a third. This sharp decline stems from falling oil prices, Russia’s shrinking market share, and decreasing exports as shadow fleet routes face growing interference.

Budget deficit soars to $45 billion

These figures are not just technical; they expose the collapse of a revenue stream that once funded nearly half the Russian national budget. As a resource-exporting economy, or petrostate, Russia has long relied on oil and gas exports to support everything from social payments to military procurement. In wartime conditions, with sanctions increasing and operating costs surging, the Russian federal budget cannot absorb these losses for long. The annual deficit is now estimated to be over 2.5% of Russian GDP, roughly translating to $45 billion.

To close the gap, Moscow is burning through reserves and raising domestic borrowing, but cannot sustain these efforts for long. Unless replacement income is found, Russia’s ability to sustain high-intensity operations in Ukraine while also running the country will start to break down.

Kremlin pushes crypto to raise funds

To compensate, Russian authorities have launched a cryptocurrency project aimed at generating income and skirting sanctions. The A7A5 cryptocurrency, created in Kyrgyzstan, is reportedly backed by Promsvyazbank, Russia’s main defense-linked bank, and Ilan Shor, a fugitive oligarch known for Moldova’s billion-dollar fraud. The system generates income by selling tokens, charging transaction fees, and incentivizing activity to attract users. It mimics a functioning payment network, allowing the Kremlin to extract value from users or controlled intermediaries.

Russia uses crypto to dodge sanctions

Separately, it helps circumvent sanctions by hiding who is sending and receiving money. Crypto wallets don’t require verified identities, and payments can be routed through anonymous channels outside the SWIFT international banking system. This provides Russian entities with a way to acquire restricted goods or pay foreign actors while avoiding Western surveillance.

Although over $9 billion in transactions has been reported already, most of this volume is likely artificially inflated by moving funds between accounts run by the same person to simulate real usage, creating the illusion of popularity and large-scale adoption. Even if the platform works, it falls far short of what Russia needs. A single cryptocurrency cannot replace tens of billions of dollars in lost oil and gas revenue this year, nor can it match the reliability of formal trade routes.

Digital currency can’t plug oil gap

To make a real dent in its deficit, Russia would need significantly higher usage and trade partners willing to accept this currency at scale, all while avoiding legal consequences from Western regulators now scrutinizing suspicious crypto transactions. With no clear entrance into stable markets and nothing backing the currency, the project remains marginal in economic returns and politically radioactive due to the threat of secondary Western sanctions.

Moscow risks pariah status with crypto move

Unless Russia either expands this cryptocurrency drastically or builds multiple parallel networks to launder and move money—catering to underworld organizations—it will remain a fringe tool, not a lifeline. This would essentially make Russia act as a banker for arms traffickers, criminal syndicates, and terrorist networks already accustomed to moving money through untraceable systems.

That may keep the flow alive in the short term, but it also places Russia deeper into pariah status with its allies on the geopolitical stage.

Overall, Russia’s turn to cryptocurrency reflects improvisation and desperation, not strategy. The budget hole left by collapsing oil revenue is too large for a crypto scheme to fill, and while creative, it is built more for evasion than resilience. Unless Moscow finds a real alternative to its former energy income, the strain will spread—not just on the battlefield in Ukraine, but across the entire Russian war economy. What we are witnessing is not a new financial model, but a state trying to keep the lights on with tools made for evasion and black market trade, not endurance.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.