Welcome to a weekly roundup of news from the war in Ukraine you probably did not hear about.
All reports are linked to their sources so you can read the original if you’d like to. If you have any questions, detect errors and omissions, or need more detail, just let me know.
Here are some of the things you probably did not hear about for the week covering Sunday 5th to Saturday 11th July 2026:
By the way, today is Day 1,599 of Putin’s 3-Day Special Military Operation.
HEADLINES THAT NEVER WERE
(BUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN)
As ever, welcome to The Under Reported War.
UKRAINIAN LOGISTICS TAKES TO THE SKIES
Why Ukraine advances with minimal casualties, but Russia advances with huge casualties.
Heavy drones, which the Russians largely lack, provide significant advantage for Ukraine
link
“Heavy drones [are] now being used to transport large quantities of equipment, supplies, and weapons. [This is] a capability that Russia has consistently failed to replicate. Instead, Russian soldiers seek out [scarce] downed Ukrainian heavy drones and repair them for reuse,.” says Russian milblogger Alexander Karchenko.”
Most Russian soldiers who die do so before they ever encounter human opposition. It can take several weeks to move through the 20km deep Drone Wall to begin a mission. Often units take 90% casualties before they even advance.
In contrast, milblogger Karchenko says; “[Ukrainians] are passing through the kill zone lightly. Meanwhile, they are resupplied by air… This isn’t [to] a shabby stronghold where food and medical supplies are dropped [rarely]. This is a fresh assault group, which is being airdropped with protective equipment, ammo, drones, heavy weapons, Starlinks, and so on… Having received everything they need, the Ukrainians make a breakthrough. And the breakthrough is effective, since they didn’t have to lug all their equipment tens of kilometres.”
SHAPING OUR PERCEPTIONS - WHY PUTIN LIES
What Putin says is reported worldwide. Like Trump, it does not matter if he lies, because those lies are often reported as if true. It is sometimes the only snippet many people might remember about the war for weeks or even months. It has had a powerful influence on some parts of western public opinion.
Putin, of course, knows this. His entire high command, the Stavka, knows this. His divisional commanders all the way down to platoon officers on the frontline know it too. They all indulge in ’map colouring’. This is where you claim cities, towns, and villages have fallen (‘turned red’) when the opposite is the reality.
Putin said [recently] Russia is 10 kilometres from [the large city of] Sumy. The real distance is double that and has been for over a year
link
“Vladimir Putin claimed in late June that his forces are “just over 10 kilometers” from the city of Sumy in Ukraine. The figure corresponds to nothing on the map.
The claim is significant because it illustrates how the Kremlin uses exaggerated battlefield narratives to shape western perceptions of the war.
A year of fighting in Sumy Oblast has produced advances measured in hundreds of meters. Near Kindrativka, Russia was pushed back toward the border.
Sumy City sits about 24 kilometers from the Russian border. The deepest Russian penetration into the oblast — near villages of Hrabovske and Myropilske — reaches roughly three to four kilometers inside it”
Russia Claims Victory in Kostiantynivka, UK Defence Intelligence Disagrees
link
“Moscow has declared Kostiantynivka under Russian control, but UK intelligence believes Russian forces occupy only around half of the city as fighting continues.”
Btw, Russia has not captured a single major city (one with a pre-war population of 100,000 or more) since the fall of Sievierodonetsk in May 2022. Kostiantynivka (still not fallen) is not even close. It had a 2022 population of 65,000. Pokrovsk was 60,000, and Bakhmut was 71,000. In contrast, Sumy had 256,000 residents.
RUSSIA HAS HIT OVER 200 UKRAINIAN LOCOMOTIVES THIS YEAR
Russia has its own infrastructure and logistics campaign. New figures reveal the extent of the damage done to the rolling stock of Ukraine’s railways. Two hundred locomotives have been lost.
Russia has destroyed or damaged over 200 Ukrainian locomotives in first-half of 2026 alone.
link
“Ukraine’s locomotive replacement pipeline is limited. Ukrzaliznytsia signed a €470-473 million contract with French manufacturer Alstom for 55 modern electric freight locomotives in November 2025, but the first Traxx locomotive is not expected to arrive until early 2027. Ukraine’s current locomotive fleet averages 46 years old.
Russia is destroying rolling stock faster than Ukraine can replace it.”
Locomotive hit by Russian drone strike / Source: Oleksii Kuleba
RUSSIA HACKS DOORBELL CAMERAS TO TRACK UKRAINE AID
Russian Hackers Hijacked Intercom Cameras to Spy on Ukraine Aid Routes
link
“The General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) and Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) of the Netherlands reported that Russian hackers compromised internet-connected cameras to monitor the transportation of Western military aid to Ukraine. Exploiting weak passwords and outdated software, the operation targeted IP cameras and home intercoms situated along key logistical routes in NATO countries and Ukraine.”
The Dutch AIVD have a genius for penetrating Russian intelligence operations. They even watched on hacked internal security cameras as the GRU’s Cozy Bear hackers compromised the Democratic National Convention’s servers for over a year prior to the 2016 presidential election.
UKRAINIAN FARMER’S STRANGE HARVEST
Many readers will remember how, in 2022-23, Ukrainian farmers towed abandoned but fully functional Russian equipment from their fields. That doesn’t happen so much any more, but last week a Ukrainian farmer decided to remove a crashed but intact Shahed drone from his land. You have to hope the warhead was defused first.
Farmer removes crashed Shahed from field
link1 (video)
NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINE
HINTS THAT THE LOGISTICS CAMPAIGN IS BEGINNING TO BITE
——————————————
Reports that some frontline Russian soldiers are starving
link
“Frontline Russian soldiers are literally starving due to constant Ukrainian drone and artillery strikes preventing food deliveries, but also because of their commanders’ incompetence, according to Russian accounts…
In some cases, soldiers are said to be deliberately starving themselves so that they can be evacuated.”
——————————————
RUBIKON RUBBED OUT
——————————————
Rubikon is one of Russia’s elite drone unit. On whichever part of the frontline it operates, Ukraine makes it a priority to hunt down its drone pilots. Doing so saves many Ukrainian lives.
Ukraine Hits Rubikon Drone Training Hub in Pokrovsk
link
“The airstrike reportedly destroyed drone command posts, communications infrastructure, and a training site where Russia’s elite Rubikon Center was preparing new UAV crews.”
——————————————
UKRAINE IS LEARNING HOW TO BUILD MORALE
——————————————
Every army in history has had to deal with deserters and reluctant conscripts. And perhaps every army in history dealt with these challenges by building unit cohesion. You fight for your mates in your squad, for your platoon, your company, your regiment and, soemtimes, for your country too. In this fascinating piece, Asami Terajima does a great job digging into how Ukraine is trying to cope with lack of motivation.
Inside the Ukrainian military’s fight to motivate new recruits
link
“More than four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the majority of Ukraine’s recruits were drafted to serve in the military, with the lack of motivation being an issue, especially if, in some cases, they were violently grabbed off the streets.
The recruits in the 66th Brigade are no different. Trying to get recruits to change their mentality and understand the importance of defending their country is difficult, particularly when working with full-grown adults, many of them well past middle age, according to the officers.”
RUSSIA’S ‘INVINCIBLE’ WAR MACHINE
‘BUTCHER COMMANDER’ REWARDED WITH PROMOTION
——————————————
Drug-Dealing Officer Promoted
link
“An infamous Russian ‘butcher commander’ accused of sending his subordinates to their deaths to cover up his own drug-dealing has been promoted to command the 114th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade”
——————————————
MERCENARY CHIEF AND GENERAL ARRESTED
——————————————
Russian general arrested after accusations of ‘selling’ nearly 90 soldiers to a mercenary leader
link
“The case involves Lt Gen Dembitsky, who is the former commander of the 44th Army Corps and Alexey Marushchenko, the head of the ‘Yastreb’ private military company, which fought in Ukraine. Yastreb’s recruiters are said to have promised those who wished to enlish for military service that they would fight with Yastreb, rather than the regular army.
The prospective contract soldiers were required to pay up front for this privilege. However, Russian criminal investigators found that Yastreb pocketed the recruits’ money and they were sent straight to regular military units without any opportunity to serve with Yastreb.
Marushchenko had a St Petersburg war correspondent, Roman Semenov, kidnapped, waterboarded, and buried in a coffin for 12 days while Semenov’s wife organised a ransom payment. At least one murder has also been attributed to Marushchenko.”
NEWS OF THE MIDDLE STRIKE
Ukraine has continued its relentless campaign to isolate Crimea. Bridges have been attacked again and again: far too many times for me to list them all. There appears to be little or no attempt to defend any of them. Likewise, undefended electricity substations have been knocked out across the peninsula, as has the ‘electricity bridge’ that links Crimea with the Russian distribution grid. More high-end surface-to-air missile systems and radars have also been struck.
Once again, over two thousands trucks and road tankers were destroyed or damaged in the last seven days.
Meanwhile…
——————————————
CHAOS IN THE SEA OF AZOV
——————————————
Undoubtedly, the biggest news from the Middle Strike last week was at sea. Ukrainian FP-2 kamikaze drones ran amok when Russia attempted to resupply Crimea with gasoline and diesel by sea. Undefended by the Russian navy and air force, scores of strike drones attacked a fleet largely composed of small tankers and disabled many of them.
10 Russian vessels struck overnight July 6th in Sea of Azov
link
“The targets included 8 sanctioned shadow-fleet fuel tankers, 1 dry cargo ship, and 1 ferry.
The identified tankers are Venera-3, Sanar-1, Sanar-17, Klimena, Teti, Alexey Savrasov, and Penelope, with one more still being identified.”
Drones struck 9 more Russian shadow-fleet tankers in the Sea of Azov overnight on July 8
link
“According to Magyar, this brings the total to 21 Russian vessels hit in 72 hours: 19 shadow-fleet tankers, 1 dry cargo ship, and 1 [car] ferry in Kerch.”
Skip to Friday morning…
12 more Russian tankers were hit today, according to USF statistics
link
“48 vessels in the last five days.”
And then Saturday morning:
Drones hit 28 Russian ships last night
link
“76 [ships] in the last 6 days.”
Until…
Russia Suspends Shipping Through Kerch Strait Following Attack by Ukrainian Drones
link
“Russia has temporarily suspended the passage of ships through the Kerch Strait and the Don-Azov Shipping Channel following an attack by Ukrainian drones on Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov.”
A few things to note:
These are not supertankers. They are only small riverine or coastal tankers operating mostly in rivers or in Ukrainian and Russian coastal waters.
The tankers were either static—moored at the entrance to the Kerch Strait—or moving in slow convoys prior to mooring.
Not every ship is a tanker. If you watch the strike videos you will see some of the vessels have cargo holds. Most likely these vessels carry (possibly stolen) grain upriver to central Russia or along the Black Sea coast.
Ukrainian drone pilots targeted the vessels’ bridges. It’s a very effective way to put a ship out of action. However, even the smallest riverine tankers are difficult, if not impossible to sink with the light warheads carried by FP-2 drones. The ships are heavily compartmentalised and designed to withstand collisions or, in this case, explosions. That said, most are ageing, prone to metal fatigue, and badly maintained, so it is still possible.
Watching the videos you can see how problematic it can be for drone pilots to hit even these quite large targets. Wind direction and strength has a big say in the accuracy of lightweight drone attacks. They often miss—we only ever see the successful attacks—but that is always factored into the total number launched in every mission.
Most cargoes appear undamaged. Each ship will carry thousands of tons of fuel: the equivalent of hundreds of road tankers. There is a chance many will still be able to tranship their gas or diesel at sea or to unload in a port. Ukraine needs to sink them with much bigger ship-killer missiles like the Neptune.
However, the reason for the bottleneck either side of the Kerch Strait is clearly that, although this was conceived as a rescue mission to resupply Crimea, whoever is in charge of security at the Kerch Bridge was not happy with the idea of these damaged, floating bombs passing beneath it. They were only being allowed to sail through after a safety inspection. After four days, it looked like that measure was dropped. There was then an increase in the number of ships sailing through the strait. Finally, today, the strait is now closed to all shipping.
It is a Russian omnishambles of immense proportions.
——————————————
ANOTHER EXTENDED RANGE FPV ENTERS THE MIDDLE STRIKE
——————————————
A year ago, it would have been impossible for a FPV drone to conduct an attack nearly 70miles (110km) behind the Russian lines. Such is the pace of design and development, that it has now happened.
In the video, you can see heavy electronic warfare jamming the signal being transmitted back to base. But that is now irrelevant. The drone’s onboard machine recognition algorithm locks on to the Russian truck below it regardless.
Small Ukrainian FPV Drone Breaks Through 110 km Behind Russian Lines (video)
link
“The 15-inch VYRIY 15 FPV strike drone, built on a carbon fiber frame, was equipped with a guidance module from The Fourth Law. The system tracks the target’s outline and guides the drone toward its center.”
THE WAR ON RUSSIAN AIR DEFENCE
Away from the continued dismantling of air defences in Crimea, there have been multiple reports of not only the usual Tor-M2 and Pantsir strikes, but also Buk-M3 and S-400 kills.
——————————————
LOITERING WITH INTENT
——————————————
Why a long-range S-400 was within range of a Ram-2X loitering munition is anyone’s guess. It had no short-range protection and was an easy target. It could be incompetence or merely a dummy. Either is equally possible.
RAM-2X takes out Russian S-400 launcher
link
“RAM-2X loitering munition strike on a Russian S-400 Triumph launcher in Bryansk Oblast of Russia.
——————————————
ANOTHER BUK GOES BOOM THEN TWO COMMAND POSTS ARE DESTROYED
——————————————
This is a classic piece of modern drone warfare. a surveillance drone spots a high value target, it then coordinates an attack by a drone bomber. The Russian missile launcher’s destruction opens up a gap for two fighter-bombers to launch glide-bomb attacks on two Russian command posts.
A Ukrainian surveillance drone spotted this Buk-M3 launch (pretty hard to miss seeing the smoke trail it left) A Baba Yaga quadcopter bomber flew to the location and destroyed the Buk. Again, it is amazing that the Russians placed this asset within range of the Baba Yaga.
Ukrainian drone destroyed a Buk-M3 then Air Force flew through hole
link
“The strike cleared a corridor for Ukraine’s Air Force to incinerate two Russian command posts.”
UKRAINE’S LONG-RANGE WAR
This was the week Russia’s largest and second most distant oil refinery was attacked for the first time. It suffered heavy damage.
——————————————
RUSSIA’S LARGEST REFINERY ATTACKED IN SIBERIA
——————————————
Extended Range FP-1 drones strike deep into Siberia
link1 [video - drone dives and detonates]
link2
link3
link4
link5
“This is Russia’s largest refinery, with a processing capacity of around 21 million tons of crude oil per year — almost 8% of the country’s total oil refining.
During the attack on Omsk Oil Refinery, located around 2,500 km from the front line, Ukrainian drones flew a route of 3,400 km.
NASA FIRMS data shows active fires at the AVT-10 and AVT-11 processing units of the Omsk Oil Refinery
And then the inevitable happened:
Russia’s largest oil refinery halts processing after drone attack, sources say
link
“As a result of the strike, the CDU-10 primary crude distillation unit, which accounts for approximately 38% of the facility’s production capacity and is capable of processing 24.5 thousand tons of feedstock per day, sustained damage.
The sources said another primary processing unit, CDU-11, was also halted. It accounts for 37% of the plant’s capacity and is able to process 24,000 tons of oil per day.”
Russian air defence showed up in the form of an A-50U radar early warning aircraft which should have been able to track the drones, and a Sukhoi Su-57, Russia’s most advanced fighter. Neither did any good.
Russian AWACS and a stealth fighter unable to defend giant refinery
link1 [A-50U AWACS video]
link2
“ Russia raised an A-50U into the sky over Omsk to repel an attack by Ukrainian drones on the refinery, but even that didn’t help…
A Russian Su-57 was reportedly seen flying over Omsk region as Ukrainian drones struck the Omsk Oil Refinery. The fifth-generation fighter did not prevent the attack.“
In the video, the A-50 early warning aircraft looks like it is climbing for altitude. It could simply have just taken off from Omsk Central Airport and not been on a drone hunting mission at all. OSINT researchers noted that the Kremlin has recently been hiding its few remaining flightworthy A-50s at civilian airports . This all could have been a mere coincidence.
——————————————
REFINERY ROUNDUP
——————————————
Elsewhere, the non-strop attacks against distillation towers, storage depots, export terminals, and pumping stations continued.
Drone attacks damaged Russia’s Baltic Sea ports of Vysotsk and Ust-Luga, a major oil export outlet.
Drones hit [the] Slavneft-Yanos oil refinery in Yaroslavl overnight, about 250 km northeast of Moscow, with a reported capacity of about 15 million tons of oil per year.
The Bashneft refinign cluster at Ufa was struck again. The cluster has a total processing capacity of up to 23.5 million tons of crude oil per year.
The Saratov Oil Refinery was attacked again. Its isomerization unit and associated infrastructue is now burning. The refinery has a processing capacity of around 7 million tons of crude oil per year. Next day, it ceased operations.
Multiple drone impacts were visible over the Nizhnekamsk oil refining cluster. The city hosts two major refining facilities: TANECO, 16 million tons per year, and TAIF-NK, whose AVT-7 crude distillation unit was damaged. It produces around 7.3 million tons of oil per year. The Nizhnekamskneftekhim petrochemical plant is one of the largest in Europe.
Drones struck the Cherkasy oil pumping station in Bashkortostan, a key Transneft-Ural facility 1,500 km from Ukraine’s border. At least 8 SBU drones reportedly hit the site.
Ukrainian drones struck oil depots in Russia’s Tver Oblast and Stavropol Krai overnight on 9 July, setting fuel tanks ablaze at both
Ilsky refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region was targeted. The plant processes around 6.6 million tons of oil per year. It is export-oriented and sits near key Black Sea routes — Novorossiysk, Tuapse and Taman. AVT-5 and AVT-6 towers are on fire.
The Azovnefteprodukt oil depot in Azov, Rostov region, was attacked overnight on Friday.
Ukrainian drones struck the oil depot in Mikhailovsk, Stavropol region. The facility forms part of Russia’s rear fuel and energy logistics network, supporting the movement and storage of petroleum products.
The Kurgannefteprodukt oil terminal in Taganrog was attacked.
——————————————
DEFENCE INDUSTRY ROUNDUP
——————————————
Drones attacked Kremniy EL JSC Group in Bryansk again. The company is among Russia’s leading microelectronics manufacturers.
The Bryansk Chemical Plant was attacked once more. The plant is a critical element of Russia’s defense-industrial base, manufacturing electronic components for missiles, propellants, explosives, and rocket fuel components.
Drones attacked the Azov Optical-Mechanical Plant, producing electro-optical, radar and precision systems for Russia’s defence industry.
PETROL QUEUE MAYHEM
There have been the predictable punch ups and furious rows at the gas pumps, but there have also been some uniquely Russian incidents. Here are a few of them:
——————————————
ANTI-DRONE TEAMS DENIED FUEL TO HUNT DRONES
——————————————
Much of Russia’s air defence is outsourced to companies and regional civilian governments willing to pay for their own protection. This being Russia, their heavily-armed but civilian drone chasers do not get instant access to gas station pumps.
Russian mobile air defence teams denied preferential access to scarce fuel
link
“The problem has arisen because the teams don’t drive military-registered vehicles.”
——————————————
ADULTERATED FUEL NOW ON SALE
——————————————
Here’s a blow for all the Russians driving BMWs and Audis stolen from Western Europe. Such a shame.
Russia faces a car apocalypse in the next few months
link
“Due to the government’s decision to allow scarce gasoline to be adulterated,… low-quality gasoline will inevitably cause mass failures of vehicles across the country.
All cars manufactured after 2015 will be at risk—especially those with highly-powered turbocharged engines, and virtually all modern Chinese, German, Korean, Japanese, and other vehicles.”
——————————————
MANY RUSSIANS DON’T BELIEVE UKRAINE IS RESPONSIBLE
——————————————
And when your Orwellian disinformation works a little too well, it can have unforeseen consequences:
Russian government’s denial of refinery strikes is backfiring
link
“The Russian government’s aggressive suppression of news about Ukraine’s oil refinery drone strikes appears to be backfiring..According to Russian sources, ordinary people don’t think fuel shortages are real and are blaming the government instead.”
——————————————
RUSSIAN BORROWS DISABLED CHILD TO JUMP QUEUE
——————————————
This incident is wrong on so many different levels. That this woman thought it okay to shamelessly boast about her cunning plan online is particularly Russian.
Russian driver uses disabled child in fuel pump ‘lifehack’
link
“A woman borrowed her friend’s disabled child to skip the gas station queue and is now proudly posting about it on social media.”
This woman thinks what she did is admirable. And a lot of ordinary Russians would agree and will be copying her. Putin’s far right supporters in the West claim Russia is fighting against ‘decadent’ Ukraine to uphold Christian values. This is the true Russia: degraded, immoral, and entitled.
RUSSIA’S LONG-RANGE WAR
UKRAINE’S PATRIOT DROUGHT
——————————————
Attacks on Ukrainian civilians and cities remains the most reported upon aspect of the war this week. Ukraine intercepts around 95% of Shahed/Gerbera drones, and 90% of cruise missiles. However, as has been publicised widely, Ukraine has almost run out of the Patriot and Aster interceptors used to shoot down the larger, more dangerous ballistic missiles.
Out Of Patriot Interceptors, Ukraine Can’t Down Any Ballistic Missiles Striking Kyiv
link
“Ukraine is trying to get allies to donate more Patriot interceptors at a time when the missiles are in very low supply and extreme demand.”
At the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump announced he had granted a licence to Ukraine to build its own the Patriot interceptors. As usual, this was often reported only superficially and mostly as: ‘problem solved!.’ Not so. There is a lot more to this story.
Ukraine needs missiles right now, but it will take 3-4 years minimum to source components and construct the production line from scratch. By that time, Ukraine plans to be mass-producing its own interceptor missile, the FP-7 Freya. The FP-7 has flown already and is built from advanced but readily available components. Ukraine was the core missile design powerhouse of the Soviet Union and that legacy survives today. It knows how to build missiles.
Ukrainian-Built Patriot Missiles Won’t Be Defending The Country’s Skies Anytime Soon
link
“Trump promised to give Ukraine a license to assemble its own Patriot interceptors, but actually doing so will take many, many months, at best.”
Oh, and Trump didn’t consult the company that builds the Patriot, Lockheed Martin, let alone get Lockheed’s agreement first. Such is the way of floundering, fascist fools.
There is a global shortage of Patriot missiles. Trump’s aggressions and profanity-laden volatility has made every Patriot-equipped nation determined to hold on to their missile stocks. I cannot blame them. Only three nations have large stockpiles: the USA, Japan, and South Korea. The latter two face the very real ballistic missile threat of North Korea. And America, well, if Trump was being genuine, he could release a few hundred missiles for Ukraine, but, no, he won’t. That’s because America’s stockpile has shrunk from 2,500 before the Iran War to just over 1,000 now. The consequence of America’s strategic defeat is that there is now a queue of approximately twenty nations competing for the relatively small numbers of new Patriot missiles rolling off the production line annually.
Meanwhile ,Poland put aside its differences with Ukraine to donate five PAC-3 interceptor missiles. It has only two hundred missiles itself and faces the nuclear armed Russian enclave of Kaliningrad on its border. Not even Germany, who has been by far Ukraine’s greatest donor of Patriot systems, has any to spare (it has already donated a lot).
There is no shortage of nations who want to help. Many have already donated hard cash for Ukraine to buy Patriot interceptors (see the FOREIGN AID & INVESTMENT IN UKRAINE section below). It will take time to build them and Trump, if he were genuinely trying to help, could have demanded that Ukraine be given priority. He did not. His involvement in this (apart from triggering the shortage with a foolish war) is pure PR bullshit.
——————————————
HUMPBACK GERBERA DRONE APPEARS
——————————————
As Ukraine’s drone defences take an increasing toll, Russia constantly looks to defeat those defences.
Gerbera Drone Improved With Winglets and Additional Fuel Tank
link
“Winglets increase effective wingspan by reducing induced drag caused by wingtip vortices. This improves wing efficiency and increases lift… Gerbera drones were also observed with external [humpback] fuel tanks installed on the upper fuselage.”
——————————————
RUSSIAN ESCALATES ELECTRONIC WARFARE BATTLE WITH LIMA LINE
——————————————
The lima Line, Ukraine’s chain of innovative electronics warfare stations jams and deflects the guidance systems of all Russia’s long-range weapons: from drones to ballistic missiles. It’s largely why Russia is reduced to aiming its weapons at big cities and hoping they hit something, anything at all.
The jamming has been very successful (see ISSUE 34). Russia’s response has been to increase the number of inbuilt Kometa satellite receivers wherever possible. It only needs one more antenna than can be jammed to defeat the Lima Line.
Russia Equips Iskander-M Missile With New 12-Element Kometa-M12R-VT Antenna
link
“Russia has equipped the 9M723 Iskander-M ballistic missile with a new autonomous guidance system, Kometa-M12R-VT.
The main upgrade is a 12-element multi-channel digital antenna array (DAA) installed in the missile’s nose section. It is designed to receive satellite navigation signals during the initial and mid-course phases of flight, improving accuracy and resistance to electronic interference.“
Ukraine Captures 32-Element CRPA Antenna from Russian Shahed
link
“A [Chinese-made] CRPA (Controlled Radiation Pattern Antenna) is an antenna with a controlled radiation pattern that is installed on drones, missiles, and other equipment to provide protection against electronic warfare (EW) systems. The number of elements determines how many EW sources the antenna can block simultaneously.”
One of Ukraine’s responses has been to attack repeatedly the only Russian electronics factory, VNIIR-Progress, that manufactures Kometa antennae. Only three weeks ago, Ukraine’s heavyweight Flamingo cruise missiles reportedly did demolition-scale damage to the building at VNIIR-Progress that houses the clean rooms used to make the antenna’s electronic components (see ISSUE 38).
——————————————
DRONE INTERCEPTOR NEWS
——————————————
Because of Ukraine’s success in destroying propeller driven drones, Russia is producing faster jet-powered kamikaze drones and battlefield loitering munitions.
Ukraine’s interceptors so good that Russia is changing its drone strategy
link
“Beskrestnov says Ukraine intercepts 92-96% of gasoline Shaheds in the deep rear, forcing Russia to reorient production toward jet variants.”
This shift to jet engines means that Ukraine’s interceptor drones now struggle to overtake and destroy these latest models before their internal batteries run out of power. The response of Ukraine and its allies has been to develop even-faster drones, and jet-powered interceptors too.
British Griffen Interceptor Downs Shahed Drone for the First Time
link
“Griffen is a jet-powered fixed-wing unmanned aircraft capable of speeds exceeding 350 km/h, operating at altitudes above 7,500 m, and covering distances of up to 120 km. It is launched using a dedicated catapult launcher.
[Firebolt Engineering] explained that the Griffen was developed in response to the emergence of jet-powered loitering munitions in Russia’s arsenal.”
A lot of an electric-powered interceptor battery life is used in accelerating away from th eground and climbing to altitude. The famous Bullet interceptor has now been given a rocket booster to save the battery’s energy for the interception.
Ukraine’s Bullet interceptor gets rocket upgrade
link1
link2 (Video of launch with booster)
“It now has chemical rocket accelerator to chase down Russian 500 km/h Geran-4. The accelerator burns chemical fuel [and] is integrated directly into the Bullet airframe, meaning there are no components to jettison after the burn completes.
The booster gives a rapid launch profile and conserves the Bullet’s main battery for the pursuit and terminal phases of the intercept… [It is] designed to catch jet-powered Shahed variants, including Geran-4, as Russia expands use of faster attack UAVs.”
CORRUPTION SCANDALS
It is to their credit that the ani-corruption investigators in Ukraine are tackling corruption both in businesses and in local or national government. It seems an uphill struggle.
——————————————
SHIP OF FOOLS
——————————————
Ukraine shipping giant is sinking amid allegations of mismanagement and corruption risks
link
“Leaked internal documents obtained by the Kyiv Independent suggest one of Ukraine’s largest state-owned shipping companies is being run into the ground and may be under the influence of external interests — offering a rare look at the governance failures that continue to plague the country’s state-owned enterprises.”
Excellent investigative reporting by Luca Léry Moffat at the Kyiv Independent.
——————————————
PRICE FIXING AND TAX DODGING INVESTIGATION OF DRONE MAKER
——————————————
Is this a bad thing? The founder says he is unjustly targeted. The investigators found large amounts of hard currency. It needs to be sorted out.
Raid on leading drone company fuels fears of crackdown on Ukraine’s defense tech sector
link
“The CEO of top Ukrainian drone firm Vyriy Industries denied allegations of price gouging after law enforcement carried out large scale searches of his home, offices, and family members on July 7.”
——————————————
JUDGE GRANTS PRE-TRIAL PUBLICATION BAN
——————————————
‘Manifestly unlawful’ — Ukrainian court bans publication of investigative report on top official’s brother
link
“In what appears to be an unprecedented move, a Ukrainian court has banned journalists from publishing an investigative report on the brother of Oleksiy Sukhachov, head of the State Investigation Bureau.”
A Kyiv court gagged reporters probing the anti-corruption chief’s brother’s 143 properties
link
“No verdict, no trial—just a ban, and a lawsuit that may never come.”
SHADOW FLEET NEWS
HIGH SEAS AMBUSH
——————————————
Ukraine’s naval drones don’t have many targets these days. They sunk most of the Russian Black Sea Fleet they could get to. However, this week they ambushed a shadow fleet tanker hugging the Crimean coast. It’s an odd place for it to be since there is are far less dangerous waters it could sail through to exit the Black Sea.
Naval drone strikes Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Black Sea.
link1
link2
“The sanctioned Suezmax-class tanker ‘Blue’ was hit near occupied Yalta and suffered serious damage to its stern…. The strike was carried out by the Sea Baby maritime drone.
The video shows Russian military aircraft attempting to intercept the attack by dropping bombs directly into the water ahead of the drone. Despite the heavy fire, the Sea Baby successfully maneuvered and struck the stern of the tanker, causing significant damage.“
A Russian fighter bomber tried to bomb and strafe the Sea Baby drone, but once it got close to the tanker, the aircraft had to break off its attacks.
FOREIGN AID & INVESTMENT IN UKRAINE
CO-PRODUCTION DEALS OF THE WEEK
——————————————
Confirmation the hybrid Bars jet-powered drone/cruise missile to be produced in Germany.
Ukraine signs drone cooperation deals with Estonia, Denmark, and the Netherlands under the Drone Deal framework.
——————————————
CANADA FUNDS AIR DEFENCES
——————————————
Canada announced C$900 million military aid package for Ukraine
link
“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed support for strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses and announced C$900 million (about US$633 million) in military aid for Ukraine.”
——————————————
NORWAY FUNDS AIR DEFENCES
——————————————
Norway to Allocate Over $300 Million to Strengthen Ukraine’s Air Defense
link
“Norway will provide approximately $306 million to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and will participate in developing a joint missile defense system… Together with Denmark, Germany, and Canada, Norway will procure new missiles for Patriot air defense systems directly from the manufacturer.“
——————————————
SWEDEN FUNDS ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE REPAIRS
——————————————
Sweden allocates further 1.37 billion kronor, or €124.1 million, to support Ukraine’s energy sector
link
“Sweden’s total contribution to the fund has now reached €386 million.”
——————————————
STATE OF THE -ART HOWITZER NOW BATTLE-TESTED
——————————————
Last year, Ukraine became the first operator of the RCH 155 mobile howitzer when KNDS delivered a small batch of six for training for field testing. That phase is completed, now the wait is on for the additional fifty-four RCH 155s Germany has already announced it will be donating to Ukraine.
Latest RCH 155 Self-Propelled Howitzer Already “Combat Proven” in Ukraine, KNDS Advisor Says
link
“KNDS did not specify where exactly the RCH 155 underwent combat testing. However, the system is currently operated only in Ukraine, while other customers — Qatar, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom — are still awaiting deliveries.”
EUROPE & CANADA REARM
Because of the NATO summit this week, there has been a flurry of rearmament announcements and, not including the Patriot missile license nonesense, some monumentally embarrassing contributions from Trump.
——————————————
BLITHERING IDIOT OF THE WEEK
——————————————
First, Greenland:
Trump renews call for US to take over Greenland as he arrives for Nato summit
link
“President also threatens to pull all American troops from Europe and rails against Nato stance on Iran war.”
Then the UK:
Trump suggests Starmer’s refusal to support America’s war led to his downfall
link
“The prime minister’s stance had in fact been popular with the British public.”
Next, Spain:
Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore by the way... Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate, they don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits. Watch them, watch them come running back; oh, they’ll come running back.”
Donald Trump, Ankara, 8th July 2026
What The U.S. Military Could Lose If Trump Cuts Off Trade With NATO Ally Spain
link
“Naval Station Rota and Morón Air Base provide vital air, maritime, and logistics capabilities that would be difficult to replace.”
It should be pointed out that all three nations host American bases vital to the USA’s ability to project power around the world and to defend itself from nuclear attack.
——————————————
ANOTHER BLOW FOR US — CONFIRMATION OF NATO GLOBALEYE PURCHASE
——————————————
America’s Boeing loses out to Sweden’s Saab. And to Bombardier of Canada too. It’s unlikely that this might ever have happened but for Trump. Fourteen ageing Boeing E-3 AWACS are the only manned aircraft NATO itself operates. The fleet needs replacing and, normally, the natural choice would be the E-3 successor: Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail.
These are not normal times. NATO has opted for Saab’s GlobalEye early warning and command aircraft, based on the Canadian-made Bombardier Global 6500 business jet.
NATO Picks Saab GlobalEye To Replace Aging E-3 AWACS Fleet
link
“The GlobalEye acquisition comes alongside a raft of NATO capability announcements spanning drones, maritime patrol aircraft, tankers, and airlifters.
It also marks another major victory for Saab in the increasingly competitive AEW&C market, while underscoring a broader shift toward European-developed defense capabilities as the alliance races to modernize in response to the rapidly evolving security environment.”
Three other countries: France, Sweden, and Canada have also bought the GlobalEye to protect their airspace.
——————————————
EU BUYS CANADIAN FOR MOLDOVA
——————————————
In one of the last holdovers of the Soviet Union, there are Russian troops stationed on Moldova’s soil. The Russian-speaking breakaway republic of Transnistria in eastern Moldova hosts about 1,500 Russian soldiers. Transistria is one of those liminal states where corruption, smuggling, fraud, scams, and cronyism run riot. Moldova’s government may have had enough. It has been rearming with modern artillery, anti-air missiles, armoured personnel carriers and now the tough Canadian Senator, battle-tested in Ukraine.
Moldova to Receive 100+ Senator Armored Vehicles From Canada
link
“A new European-funded military aid package will deliver more than 100 Canadian Senator armored vehicles... Moldova is continuing a gradual modernization of its armed forces through carefully selected acquisitions rather than large-scale rearmament, even as the European Union prepares another major military assistance package.”
——————————————
CANADA JOINS GERMAN-NORWEGIAN SUBMARINE PARTNERSHIP
——————————————
Canada to Procure Up to Twelve Type 212CD Submarines
link1
link2
“The 12-boat procurement is one of Canada’s biggest-ever defense buys and marks a major shift toward closer military cooperation with European allies.
The Type 212CD was developed by the shipbuilding company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) for the navies of Norway and Germany… Last month, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that Germany and Norway were prepared to give up [some of] their production slots if Canada decided to procure the Type 212CD submarines.
Germany’s Ministry of Defense stated that Canada’s accession to the existing German-Norwegian naval partnership offers significant operational and economic advantages.”
——————————————
MOST MISLEADING HEADLINE OF THE WEEK
——————————————
IT’S THE DUMBEST ONE TOO.
Poland’s military expansion reveals the gap between ambition and battlefield readiness
link
“NATO’s biggest eastern spender would meet a Russian attack today with two divisions ready in a week and four that need weeks, or aren’t built yet.”
There’s this prevalent thought that Russia somehow possesses the ability to launch an overwhelming attack on any of its neighbours instantly and without warning. I have two things to say. First, the Russian armed forces are in no state to attack anyone and if the war in Ukraine stopped tomorrow, it would be many years before any neighbour has to fear the Russian army again. Second, satellites make surprise attacks an impossibility. You might recall that it took four months for Russia to amass the forces to invade Ukraine in 2022. The buildup was slow and very obvious to the whole world. Britain and the US warned repeatedly that Russia intended to invade. Ukraine’s leadership ignored those warning, and a lot of people lost their live as a result.
No peacetime army is ready to spring into attack or defence. Every army has mobilisation plans. Poland is busy building one of the strongest armies in NATO. It has not finished, so complaining about “divisions on paper” is pointless, they will exist and no one but the journalists involved in this alarmist reporting thinks they could exist already.
——————————————
BOEING RINGS UP A SALE
——————————————
Even much-threatened Denmark is not above buying American if it needs to.
Boeing Anti-Submarine Patrol Aircraft for Denmark
link
“[Denmark will buy] an initial two P-8A Poseidon martime patrol. These will also be of particular value in the Arctic and the High North, as well as in the context of Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said should be under U.S. control.
Denmark joining the P-8 community also offers the potential for close cooperation in anti-submarine warfare with Canada, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom, all of which are Poseidon customer.”
——————————————
MULTINATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT FLEET FORMS
——————————————
Many NATO members cannot afford the heavy airlift capacity they require on top of their other commitments. A new international fleet of shared Airbus A400 transports.
There is a pre-existing multinational fleet of A300 transport-tankers operated collectively by Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and Denmark. This week, Finland announced it would join this Multinational MRTT Fleet.
Heavy Lifter Multinational Fleet Created
link
“Belgium, Croatia, France, Poland, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom launch a program to establish a Multinational Fleet operating the Airbus A400M airlifter… The new A400M Multinational Fleet will address strategic airlift capability gaps among European allies, many of which lack a transport aircraft in the A400M class.
The multinational air transport initiative builds on the model of the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF), which operates a ‘pooling and sharing’ arrangement with Airbus A330 Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft on behalf of NATO.”
——————————————
NATO NAVIES REARM FOR THE BALTIC AND ARCTIC
——————————————
Not every American company is failing to make sales, far from it. NATO already operates an earlier model of the high-altitude, stealthy surveillance Triton drone from a base in Italy, now four northern NATO members want their own fleet..
Four NATO Allies to Procure Up to Five MQ-4C Triton HALE Drones
link
“Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Norway today announced they would acquire up to five Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) drones.”
And a coalition of Baltic NATO member have joined forces to buy advanced naval mines.
Multi-million Euro deal for Forcit Blocker naval mines
link
“[On behalf of its partners,] the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command has signed a contract with the Finnish company Forcit on procuring the Blocker Influence Mine for the participating countries. So far, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Lithuania and Norway have joined the project. The total value of the contract is hundreds of millions of Euros.
The mine with a fiberglass, body is equipped with a programmable non-contact fuse and is capable of detecting targets in magnetic, acoustic and hydrodynamic channels.. The importance of naval mines in defensive operations is widely recognised and the conditions in both the Baltic Sea and the North Sea are well-suited for naval mining.“
——————————————
NATO PREPARES (FINALLY) FOR DRONE WARFARE
——————————————
It’s taken a few year, and it may take a few more to see it through but NATO, following on the UK’s major shift in military doctrine, is taking serious steps to prepare for drone warfare.
NATO Commits $40 Billion to Counter-Drone Defense
link
“One of the most significant announcements [at the NATO summit] was a $40 billion commitment to counter-drone capabilities. The combined investment, to be spent over the next five years by NATO member states, is intended to rapidly expand the Alliance’s ability to produce, deploy, and defeat unmanned aerial systems at scale.”
——————————————
BELGIANS JOIN DUTCH TO FORM INTEGRATED AIR DEFENCE NETWORK
——————————————
From having no ground-based air defences, Belgium is spending big to pay for its share of the new Benelux integrated air defence network.
Belgium joins the Netherlands in building a shared air defence network
link
“Belgium will [spend more than €3 billion to] acquire 10 Norwegian NASAMS missile systems, 20 SkyRanger 30 systems, 14 GM200 radars and IVECO trucks.
Belgium currently has virtually no ground-based air defense capability, relying on combat aviation specifically its F-16s, which are being transferred to Ukraine, and the incoming F-35s.”
That’s all for now. See you next week.
Wow
With everything being so incredibly serious, I especially enjoyed – – chuckled at – – the Shahed as a trophy! A super report, as always. And am glad so many countries are continuing to help Ukraine with money and materiel. As always, glad you’re not counting on Trump for anything.