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.
This week you probably heard about the long-delayed changes at the top of Ukraine’s military leadership and that there was a long-range drone attack against a warehouse outside Moscow belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s more-Amazon-than-Amazon online store. Ballistic missiles continued to rain down on Ukrainian cities. And Russian tankers in the Black and Azov Seas continued to be attacked.
I won’t be covering those news stories except when there is a lot more to, for example, the Wildberries attacks than you may have heard. So here are some of the things you possibly did not hear about for the week from Sunday 19th to Saturday 25th July 2026:
By the way, today is Day 1,614 of Putin’s 3-Day Special Military Operation.
HEADLINES THAT NEVER WERE
(BUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN)
As ever, welcome to The Under Reported War.
WILDBERRIES - MAJOR DRONE ATTACK UPDATE
There were five more major drone strikes on Wildberries warehouses this week. And almost as many near misses too.
A huge fire at the Wildberries logistics hub in Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol Krai.
Scenic view from the workplace of Russian railway dispatchers in Krasnodar: the Wildberries logistics hub burning in the background [VIDEO].
Major fire reported in St. Petersburg as Ukraine struck Wildberries logistics hubs for fifth time in past week, this time in Shushary.
Also the logistics hub in nearby Utkina Zavod, used by Wildberries rival Ozon and other retailers.
Simferopol, occupied Crimea. A massive fire broke out at the complex.
A handy guide to the top 20 Wildberries e-commerce warehouses in Russia
link
“[It] should also help to serve as an indicator of where Ukrainian drones are likely to fly next.”
Attacks on Wildberries likely intended to damage economy and increase public discontent
link
“According to Russian estimates based on previous warehouse fires, financial losses are likely to be colossal.”
UKRAINE’S MULTI-TALENTED COMBAT DIVERS
If you are a combat diver and most of your enemy’s navy has been sunk, what do you then do with your spare time? Last week, Ukrainian divers were featured not for their underwater exploits but for their drone piloting skills as they blew up a Russian Su-24 jet bomber as it was readying for takeoff.
Apparently, there is no end to their talents. They’ve also collaborated with an unnamed tech company to build their own remote-piloted naval drone carrier that launches FPV attack drones.
Ukrainian combat divers who blew up a Russian bomber just built their own sea drone
link
“Ukraine’s National Guard unveiled a naval drone designed by one of its frontline units: Omega, reflecting a growing trend of soldiers building the weapons they fight with.
The drone is built for combat missions in southern Ukraine and serves as a platform for First-Person View (FPV) drones, carrying them closer to targets before they strike. The developers plan to adapt it for intercepting aerial targets to strengthen coastal defense.”
GREECE BLOCKS EU’S TOUGHEST OIL & GAS SANCTIONS
All you need to know about the political leanings of Greek company Dynagas is that it names its vessels after Russian rivers.
Greek company Dynagas keeps Russia’s Arctic gas moving—and Athens won’t let the EU touch it
link
“Greece is blocking the European Union’s newest round of sanctions on Russian gas to shield a single shipping company, the Financial Times reported. The objection has stalled the bloc’s 21st sanctions package for a week and forced an emergency extension of the cap on Russian oil prices. At the center sits one Greek tycoon and a fleet of tankers built for Russia’s Arctic.
Dynagas has carried more than 10 million tons of Russian LNG since 2025 across 144 voyages.
Athens is protecting Dynagas after its ambassador warned the sanctions would “ruin” the company owned by Greek shipowner George Prokopiou. Greece’s ambassador to the EU told fellow envoys on Wednesday that the planned measures, which would ban transporting Russian LNG to third countries, would “ruin” the firm”
NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINE
BABA BOOM!
——————————————
Most people think the success of drones on the frontline is due to the First-Person-View (FPV) quadcopter. The truth is, as ever, a little more complicated. Almost as important are the heavy hexacopter and octocopter bombers known as Baba Yagas. They hover above Russian positions at night and drop bombs on whatever moves. These are the drones that frequently finish off damaged Russian artillery, tanks, and other vehicles. The Russians fear them. Yet they field no equivalent to harry the Ukrainians. Long may it last.
The bombs Baba Yagas drop are usually improvised from anti-tank mines, rocket grenade warheads or 3D printed cases filled with explosive extracted from defused Russian artillery shells. Now a cheap guided munition has entered service. It will make Baba Yagas even more effective.
Ukraine Unveils Firefly Guided Munition, Moves Toward Mass Production
link1
link2
“Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence has completed testing of the new Firefly guided munition, paving the way for serial production of the precision weapon for bomber drones.
The weapon is specifically intended to destroy fortified positions, including bunkers, dugouts, defensive fortifications, and other protected military infrastructure.
By allowing the carrier drone to release the munition from a safer distance, Firefly increases survivability while extending the effectiveness of Ukrainian strike operations… After release, it calculates and corrects its own trajectory, retaining accuracy under enemy electronic warfare and striking from a safe distance.”
——————————————
MAP-COLOURING, UKRAINE STYLE
——————————————
The previously Russian contagion of claiming territorial gains in order to receive bonuses, promotions etc, has spread to the Ukrainian army. Many Russian units maintain two maps: the official map where spurious advances are coloured in, and another that shows the reality of the frontline. It looks like at least one Ukrainian unit is doing the same.
The ‘fortress city’ of Kostiantynivka has been fought over for years. Recently, there were headlines that it has fallen to Russia. It turned out that credulous journalists fell for Russian ‘map colouring’ yet again. Then we were told Ukraine had recaptured Kostiantynivka:
Soldiers from Skelya Regiment Conduct Mop-up in Kostiantynivka
link
“Soldiers of the 425th Assault Regiment “Skelya” successfully cleared the town of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region of Russian invaders… After completing this combat mission, the soldiers evacuated a group of servicemen who had held their positions in the area for 18 days.
[They] successfully stormed Russian positions using the Droid TW 12.7 ground-based robotic system….. The use of the robotic system made it possible to pin down the enemy in their positions, paving the way for their subsequent elimination using strike drones.
The regiment also reported that the soldiers raised the Ukrainian national flag over the liberated territory.”
Turns out that was map-colouring too:
Ukrainian regiment that raised flag in Kostiantynivka says it’s aware of reports that its soldiers were captured there
link
“These are the same troops who filmed a flag-raising after clearing the center.”
The reality is that there are huge swathes of the frontline that are literally no-man’s-land, including Kostiantynivka. Neither combatant has more than partial and often very tenuous control over this territory. It is a consequence of the Drone Wall concept.
However, pro-Russian map-colouring does have a huge influence on public perceptions. Unwittingly, many western analysts and journalists frequently fall for it. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is a particularly egregious example. For years its daily updated maps showed no-mans-land as light pink and yellow, implying Russian control. Here’s an example below, picked at random, from 2023. All the light pink and all the yellow is contested no-mans-land, yet the map does not communicate that. It gives the impression of far greater Russian success than in reality. After much criticism, the ISW is better than it used to be, but not by much.
——————————————
LARGE NUMBER OF RUSSIANS CAPTURED IN NO-MAN’S LAND
——————————————
Ukrainian regiment claims capture of 64 Russian soldiers
link
“Ukraine’s 225th Separate Assault Regiment claimed on July 20 that its troops captured 64 Russian soldiers during an operation to clear infiltrating Russian groups from several settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
According to the regiment, Russian troops had been tasked with infiltrating behind Ukrainian positions without engaging in combat. Their reported mission was to locate Ukrainian drone crews, gather intelligence, and plant Russian flags in villages for “propaganda footage” falsely portraying the settlements as captured by Russian forces.
Sixty-four prisoners in one operation is unusual when most of the fighting consists of tiny groups of two to three Russian infiltrators being blatted by FPV drones. Currently, Russian suffers between-1,200 to 1,300 casualties a day, most of them from these infiltration teams wiped out.
——————————————
“FIRST ALL-ROBOT AIR ASSAULT”… ER, HOLD ON A SECOND
——————————————
This sounds great:
Ukraine Just Carried Out The First All-Robot Air Assault
link
“Just days after landing robots on an enemy shore in the first all-robot amphibious assault, Ukrainian forces flew one into battle. This week, a Russian video circulated depicting a Ukrainian heavy bomber drone airlifting an explosives-laden unmanned ground vehicle.”
Wow!
Some Ukrainian bomber drones aren’t carrying bombs anymore. They’re carrying robots.
link
“Roads can be treacherous for Ukraine’s explosive unmanned ground vehicles. So heavy bomber drones are now airlifting them into action.”
And it really is great until you realise you are looking at this world’s first robo-airlift from the perspective of a Russian interceptor drone closing on what had to be its pilot’s easiest kill of the day.
——————————————
MUL.E - UKRAINE’S NEW FRONTLINE MOTORBIKE
——————————————
Motorbikes have a mixed track record in this war. Early on, Ukrainian special forces used silent electric motorbikes to great effect before the frontline solidified. Then Russia thought it would be a good idea to run the FPV gauntlet at high speed with motorbikes. There were many problems with this, not the least of which was that these ‘Mad Max’ charges usually just led to complete obliteration of the bikers by FPV drones. Ukraine tried the same and discovered it didn’t work for them either.
Now Ukraine’s army has a purpose-built electric motorbike with tyres so soft it is claimed it won’t trigger anti-tank mines. Personally, I would not be willing to test that statement.
Ukraine’s newest frontline motorcycle drives over anti-vehicle mines and works as power station
link
“The MUL.E [is Ukraine’s] first all-wheel-drive electric military motorcycle, whose detachable generator can charge FPV drones and power a whole unit in the field.
It carries personnel with weapons, small cargo, and wounded across all surfaces, including off-road, and can tow a loaded trailer... It has a 2×2 all-wheel-drive design, two independent motors for survivability if one fails, near-silent operation, fast deployment and packing, long autonomous running time, and significant range.
The mine resistance is the standout. The MUL.E’s wide off-road tires and all-wheel drive let it cross difficult terrain, washed-out ground, sand, deep snow, and marsh, and because it exerts low ground pressure, roughly like an infantryman’s foot, it does not trigger most mines designed to destroy cars and armored vehicles”
——————————————
UKR AIR FORCE INCREASES GROUND ATTACKS
——————————————
The Ukrainian air force is becoming increasingly active along the frontline.
Ukrainian MiG-29 Strikes in Kursk Region Stop Russian Advance Into Sumy Region
link
“Russian assault groups supported by drones attempted to advance from the border town of Tyotkino in Russia’s Kursk region. [Air] strikes [on the Russian force] were carried out by MiG-29 fighter jets using GBU-39 and AASM HAMMER guided bombs.”
——————————————
UKR AIR FORCE GETS LONGER RANGE GLIDE BOMBS
——————————————
And now they’ll be able to attack from even greater security:
Ukraine Expands Production of New Jet-Powered Guided Glide Bombs
link
“The program centers on modernizing existing unguided aerial bombs by fitting them with guidance kits, glide systems, and, in some cases, propulsion units.
Similar concepts have been employed by several militaries worldwide, allowing older bomb stocks to be transformed into precision-guided munitions capable of striking targets at significantly greater distances.
These new variants use turbojet engines to extend their operational range by 100 to 200 kilometers, allowing aircraft to engage targets from much safer stand-off distances.”
——————————————
ONCE COMMON, NOW RARE, A RUSSIAN ARMOURED COLUMN ATTACKS
——————————————
Two years ago, an attackled by an armoured column would have been considered an everyday event, repeated all along the frontline. Now, it is a rarity because, as this report demonstrates, only a fool would order such an attack inside the Drone Wall. Fortunately, Russia has plenty of fools in positions of power.
Drones stopped Russian assault by dozens of armoured vehicle
link
“ Revenge Brigade destroyed 9 tanks, 2 [other] armored vehicles, 3 Grad launchers and eliminated dozens of occupiers. The rest of enemy armor was left burning in Donetsk fields.”
RUSSIA’S ‘INVINCIBLE’ WAR MACHINE
RUSSIAN STEALTH FIGHTER SHOT DOWN BY HACKED FRIENDLY FIRE?
——————————————
Russia’s Su-57 Felon stealth fighter does crash quite a lot. So it could be that. It is also possible that this was an accidental friendly fire incident. Or it could be evidence of the claim made a few months ago by OSINT researchers at InformNapalm that a Russian aircraft’s IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) radio transponders could be spoofed by hackers into signalling they were ‘foe’ rather than ‘friend’ and triggering air defences into shooting it down.
Su-57 Fighter Jet Shot Down Near Moscow
link1
link2
link3
“InformNapalm claims a Ukrainian HUMINT-CYBINT operation manipulated Russia’s BARS Moscow air defenses into downing a Su-57 in Moscow region. It said intercepted training materials exposed vulnerabilities passed to Ukraine’s military and used in the operation. “
——————————————
HOW RUSSIA RECRUITS CANNON FODDER
——————————————
Botswana warns its people about Russian job scams that end in the trenches against Ukraine
link
“Botswana has become the latest African country to accuse Russia of tricking its citizens into fighting against Ukraine, luring them abroad with fake job offers and then forcing them into combat….
Officials say they keep getting distress calls from citizens already at the front, describing dangerous conditions they never signed up for.”
——————————————
WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND
——————————————
The ‘SVOshnik’ – a drunk, traumatised, violent veteran of the Ukraine war – has become a figure of fear in Russia
link
“Many participants in the Ukraine war [SVO] have been discharged, usually through ill-health or in some lucky cases, having completed contracts. They have brought with them a wave of violence and crime, with even prostitutes avoiding them.”
——————————————
NEPOTISM NEWS OF THE WEEK
——————————————
To absolutely no one’s surprise it turns out that the Russian army’s newest Lieutenant General (with zero military experience) and Deputy Minister of Defence is a relative of Putin’s: his cousin’s niece.
Claims by a senior Russian military official that the army’s tactical medicine system is efficient and rapid greeted with incredulity
link
“Deputy Minister of Defence Anna Tsivileva – a relative of Putin’s who was controversially appointed a lieutenant general despite no previous military experience – has given an upbeat assessment of the performance of Russian tactical medicine.”
Here a a few of the outright lies Tsivileva delivered at a recent live-streamed meeting of the board of the Ministry of Defence:
“The wounded are now treated at the front line during the ‘golden hour’ after their injury, before being transported to military hospitals within 24 hours for treatment and recovery. Assault groups are said to be 100% equipped with first aid kits. ”
As Russian warbloggers demonstrated with evidence tine-and-again during this war, none of that is true.
——————————————
RUSSIA’S TANKS RE-EMERGE AND… OH DEAR
——————————————
Last week I mentioned Russia was fielding its vaunted Arena-M active protection system (APS) for new tanks. In theory such systems should restore the main battle tank to its former preeminence on the battlefield by shooting down any attacking drone or missile.
Unfortunately for Russia, its APS’s radar appears unable pick out low-flying drones against the background clutter of vegetation. Israel discovered this too when its ‘APS protected’ Merkava tanks took heavy losses from Hezbollah drones in Lebanon.
FPV drones successfully struck a Russian tank protected by Arena-M APS
link1
link2
“FPV drones struck a Russian tank and armored fighting vehicles after detecting an armored column on the front line. The first combat use of T-72B3A tanks equipped with the Arena-M active protection system against FPV drones ended unsuccessfully… An FPV drone [struck] the rear of a T-72B3A tank without triggering [its] Arena-M APS.”
——————————————
EXPOSED - THE REALITY OF LIFE INSIDE THE RUSSIAN ARMY
——————————————
More excellent reporting from ‘The Insider’.
Confessions of a Russian headquarters sergeant who fled the front
link
““He saw a document — 19,500 losses from the Airborne Forces”.... Andrei Chernenko, a junior sergeant from Russia’s 76th Guards Air Assault Division who fled the army, told The Insider about his work at the headquarters of the so-called “Pskov Division” — notorious for committing war crimes in Bucha.
Among other things, Chernenko described how troop numbers are inflated to reassure the higher-ups in Moscow, how people bribe their way out of participating in assaults, what kind of gaps there are in the security system, and how high Russia’s actual battlefield losses might be. “During periods of active combat the division was losing up to 200 people a week killed and missing in action.””
THE CRAZY WORLD OF RUSSIAN WARBLOGGERS
(AND OF RUSSIANS IN GENERAL)
A SNAPSHOT OF LIFE INSIDE RUSSIA
——————————————
Here I need to distinguish between ‘warbloggers’ and ordinary members of the Russian public. The former are crazed ultra-nationalists (AKA fanatics) permitted to report the frontlines to boost morale. The latter are self-centred and wilfully ignorant both of the war and of Russia’s atrocities until their own standard of living is threatened. Then they go bonkers.
——————————————
TIME TO “FIGHT FOR REAL”
——————————————
A trademark of Russian warbloggers is that no matter how brutally Russia wages war, no matter how many war crimes its military commits, it is never enough.
Ukraine’s attacks on Wildberries’ again prompted warbloggers to ask “when will we start fighting for real?”
link
“The attacks on Wildberries warehouses and oil refineries, and the mass shelling of ships in the Sea of Azov, are once again fueling a wave of questions: “When will you finally start fighting for real? What needs to happen for you to understand? How much longer will we appear to be pushovers, with whom you can do anything with impunity?” And so on.”
——————————————
A RUSSIAN IS SURPRISED HE IS AT WAR
——————————————
A Russian got extremely angry because the Wildberries warehouse was hit [video]
link
“He started threatening Zelenskyy. Viewer discretion advised, one very angry Russian.”
——————————————
“BUREAUCRATIC PIMPLES”
——————————————
Another warblogger trope is that is never their “brave boys” busy war crime-ing… sorry, fighting at the front who are at fault. It is always faceless bureaucrats undermining them. Usually at the behest of the CIA and MI6.
Angry denunciations from Russian warbloggers of the “bureaucratic pimples” allegedly sabotaging air defences
link
“Anti-drone mobile fire teams, in particular, are said to be in disarray.”
——————————————
WELL, DUH!
——————————————
Destruction of Wildberries warehouses an act of psychological warfare intended to remind Russians of the ruinous 1990s
link
“RIA Novosti correspondent Sergei Shilov argues Ukraine aims; “to “flood” Russia with chaos” by striking at “a more vulnerable target: the public psyche.”
According to Shilov, the Wildberries strikes are not just intended to burn goods and cause financial losses, but to undermine the morale of the Russian population by creating shortages and disrupting the economy”
True to Shilov’s deluded ultra-nationalist worldview, he says:
“This could trigger a backlash against the adversary: the number of people willing to defend their accustomed way of life may well increase, defying the “despondency of the Perestroika era… Moving beyond passivity—and the occasional bouts of panic and hopelessness so blatantly amplified by algorithms—people may shift toward active defence.”
——————————————
MOST SENSIBLE SUGGESTION OF THE WEEK. TRULY
——————————————
What a surprise. Not. A Russian milbogger sees the destructive 1937 purge of the Red Army as a good thing, instead of being the act of a paranoid dictator who, by executing or imprisoning most of the officer corps, guaranteed the entire frontline collapsed when Nazi Germany invaded.
It’s time for another purge of the Russian army, along the lines of Stalin’s Great Purge of 1937
link
“Russian warblogger ‘Two Majors’ castigates the army’s culture of shifting responsibility and performative work for its systematic failures in Ukraine.
“1937 was necessary to judge such scumbags based on the facts, not through lengthy legal proceedings.””
——————————————
ARE WE AT WAR?
——————————————
Russians are sharing their emotions and impressions of the attack on the Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal
link
“They even thought a war had started.”
Some residents of Elektrostal thought the attacks on the local Wildberries warehouse were so loud that:
“It’s really just like a war.”
“Scary! We thought a war started.”
At one level they know a war has been fought for more than four years. But at another level they know it’s in their interest to pretend that there is no war.
——————————————
WAR BLOGGING IS RISKY EVEN AWAY FROM THE FRONTLINE
——————————————
If you go too far in your criticisms in Putin’s Russia, you pay a heavy price.
Russia jails two more of its own warbloggers days apart—one for extortion, one for “justifying terrorism”
link
“One is a former military pilot now bound for a penal colony, the other is a self-styled mercenary chief sent to pre-trial detention. Their cases add to a growing list of hawkish commentators punished for questioning how Russia runs its war.”
NEWS OF THE MIDDLE STRIKE
TRUCK AND ROAD TANKER LOSSES SPIRAL
——————————————
The pressure continues on Crimea’s bridges, ports, shipping, and power infrastructure. You might well have heard about some of that. In the background, the attacks on Russian road logistics, headline news only a month ago, increase in intensity every week that passes. The 7-day tally keeps on rising. It is now over three and a half thousand confirmed destroyed or damaged:
——————————————
MILITARY TRUCKS NOW TRAVEL IN CONVOYS
——————————————
FP-2 strike drone hit a Russian military convo [video]
link
“A drone hit a Russian military convoy at the Chongar checkpoint near occupied Crimea. The local governor previously claimed to Putin this route was fully secure and free of threats.
Looks like the danger is definitely there.”
It’s amazing how civilians just stand or park near military targets. The FP-2 came at head height just in front of the guy in the black pants on the left. Lots of guns were firing wildly. No one took cover. So very Russian. So very dumb.
——————————————
THE RUSSIAN WAY OF DRONE SELF-DEFENCE
——————————————
There are plentiful videos of Russian mobile fire teams running away when drones attack. Although this particular fire team may have left it too late.
Russian mobile air defense group scatters in all directions after encountering Hornet strike drone
link
“The correct reaction is, of course, to abandon the vehicle and run. Maybe a little sooner.”
——————————————
THE WAR AGAINST RUSSIAN AIR DEFENCE
——————————————
[Drones] struck 8 Russian air defense assets overnight on July 20 [video]
link
“Six were hit in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai and two in occupied Zaporizhzhia region.
The list includes a Tor-M2, a Buk-M1, Kasta-2E2, Gamma-S1M, Nebo-U, two Nebo-SV radars and another radar system.”
——————————————
BUK GOES BOOM!
——————————————
There was no video footage of last week’s Buk kill, but it’s back this week. Yet another of the Russian missile system that murdered the passengers and crew of Malaysian Airlines MH17 in 2014 is vaporised. And that is always worth celebrating.
FPV Drone Destroys Buk-M3 Air Defense System Worth $50 Million (Video)
link
“The Buk-M3 is among Russia’s most modern medium-range air defense systems, designed to intercept aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and certain ballistic targets.”
——————————————
ANOTHER FSB SEASIDE RESORT DEMOLISHED
——————————————
The FSB makes it easy for Ukraine. Its officers do love to requisition holiday resorts. And Ukraine likes to blow up their Secret Policemen’s Balls (ISSUE 36).
Drones found the FSB where it felt safest—a seaside resort deep in occupied Kherson Oblast
link
“[The drone] strike set off a large blaze at a base ringed by checkpoints, guards and bunkers.
By the SBU’s early assessment, around 100 servicemen may have been at the site. Thirteen SBU drones hit the location where the FSB staff were based. The strike touched off a large fire.
UKRAINE’S LONG-RANGE WAR
This week, as well as the continuing destruction of Russia’s oil industry and the campaign against Russia’s Amazon, Wildberries, there have been long range attacks on the Iranian supply line to Russia across the Caspian Sea and on defence manufacturing.
——————————————
LONG-RANGE ROUNDUP
——————————————
Wave of Ukrainian strikes across Russia and Caspian Sea overnight target warships, air defenses, logistics
link
“Ukrainian officials say long-range drones targeted Russian military infrastructure across several regions, including a missile boat, S-400 components, radars, drone command posts, and [defence manufacturing and] logistics facilities in Kirov, Tyumen, Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don, and the Caspian Sea..”
Ukraine’s heavyweight FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile against inflicted substantial damage:
FP-5 Flamingo missile strike on Avitek defence plant in Kirov [video]
link
“Avitek produces surface-to-air guided missiles, components for Tor air defense systems, and parts used in Kh-101 and Kh-59M2/Kh-59M2A cruise missiles.”
——————————————
THE WORLD’S WORST JOB
——————————————
Russia is deploying thousands of air defence teams to shoot down Ukrainian drones. Under-equipped and poorly trained, they do not do a very good job and have a high risk of being immolated in a drone strike (See NEWS FROM THE MIDDLE STRIKE). Maybe it’s not so surprising if they are not even being paid.
Russian warbloggers say that air defence teams aren’t even being paid currently
link
“Russia’s leaky air defences are once again coming under scrutiny following the huge destruction caused by last night’s Ukrainian strikes on Russian distribution centres. Russian warbloggers say that air defence teams aren’t even being paid currently.
‘Combat Reserve’ reports that mobile air defence teams in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, formed from the Moscow police department (MOGI), “aren’t receiving their salaries. Payments are delayed throughout 2026. Not only these regions, but the entire border region as well.”
——————————————
REFINERY ROUNDUP
——————————————
Drone strikes hit parts of the TAIF-NK oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, Republic of Tatarstan.
Ukrainian drones targeted the NS-Oil liquefied gas facility in Novospasskoye, Ulyanovsk region.
The Transneft-Ural’s Subkhankulovo pumping station in Tuymazy, Bashkortostan was targeted. Eight explosions were heard.
An oil depot in Armavir, Krasnodar Krai was attacked.
Tyumen oil refinery strike on July 25 also confirmed, 7 million tons per year capacity.
Kazakhstan slows oil output after drone strikes on Russian Black Sea export port.
PETROL QUEUE NEWS
The ramifications and repercussions of the escalating fuel crisis in Russia spread even further in the last seven days.
——————————————
NINETY TIMES DIRTIER THAN DIESEL
——————————————
Russia offers farmers boiler fuel for tractors after Ukraine’s strikes wipes out clean diesel suply
link
“Russia’s Agriculture Ministry is offering farms fuel 90 times dirtier than the diesel they bought last year—fuel that halves an engine’s life.”
——————————————
UKRAINIAN HACKERS TARGET GASOLINE QR CODES
——————————————
Russians in Crimea thought they’d pulled a fast one by buying black market QR codes that would permit them to buy fuel illegally. Unhappily for them, their cash was diverted as donations to Ukraine’s 110th Mech Brigade.
Cash from fake QR codes for fuel redirected to Ukrainian army unit
link
“Russians in occupied Crimea bought fake QR codes for fuel, unaware that the scheme had been turned against them. The money they paid was directed to support Ukraine’s 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade.”
——————————————
THE LONG SLOW BEGINNING OF THE END
——————————————
Off-season: How the war has devastated tourism in Russia
link
“Hotel bookings in June were down by 15% year-on-year, and the situation is dire not only in occupied Crimea and along the oil-polluted coast around Tuapse, but across all tourist destinations from Lake Baikal to Kaliningrad.”
——————————————
A RUN ON THE BANKS IS AN INEVITABLE CONSEQUENCE
——————————————
‘Significant Problems’ in Russian Banking System as Public Withdraws Cash en Masse
link
“Russians have withdrawn more than 2.4 trillion rubles (€26.9 billion) in cash since February as internet blackouts and economic uncertainty undermine confidence in electronic payments. The surge has left banks short of liquidity, forcing the central bank to inject billions of rubles into the financial system.
“The Kremlin] says the internet outages are intended to help counter [drone] strikes.
RUSSIA’S LONG-RANGE WAR
RUSSIA FINDS FIX FOR STARLINK LOSS
——————————————
Ever since Russia was blocked from using Starlink terminals aboard Kamikaze drones over Ukraine, it has been searching for solutions to this navigation headache. It tried and failed to install drone guidance stations in Belarus. It is now trying to use Gerbera drones with on board repeater signals and MESH networking to shepherd flocks of Molniya drones onto targets.
Russian MESH network controls Molniya drones through Gerbera drones
link1
link2
“[Because of intense jamming], a MESH network is the technology Russia now relies on for its entire drone-control system. In it, radio modems on the drones connect to one another in the air, each relaying to the next, so that if one drone drops out, the signal routes around it through another… Even if 80% of the drones are destroyed, the rest can still relay. The network lets operators inside Russia steer drones over Ukraine from hundreds of kilometers away, and it is what makes the online-controlled Shahed a [challenging] air-defense problem.
[Ukrainian drone expert] ‘Flash’ Beskrestnov says the fix is simple: kill Gerberas. “”If anything, we drop the Gerbera, and the Molniyas fall on their own,” he said.”
——————————————
ARRESTS MADE OF SECRET STARLINK OPERATORS
——————————————
We should never forget that because of its complex history and Soviet Russification campaigns, there are a large number of pro-Kremlin sympathisers in Ukraine.
Alleged Russian agents in Kyiv accused of activating Starlink terminals to support missile and drone strikes
link
“According to the SBU, the suspects registered dozens of Starlink terminals that Russian intelligence planned to use for missile and drone attacks and to detect Ukraine’s electronic warfare defenses.”
——————————————
ISKANDER MISSILES HIT ARMS FAIR
——————————————
The organisers of a drone trade show made it very easy for the Kremlin by publicising it. The exhibition was target by three Iskander missiles. One was shot down.
Ten killed in Russian attack on drone exhibition near Kyiv
link
“At least 15 people have been killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine, including 10 dead in ballistic missile strikes on an exhibition near Kyiv showcasing drone technology… The weapons exhibition announcement was publicly available online.”
RUSSIAN ACTIVE MEASURES AND SABOTAGE
MAGA ‘PET EATER’ SEES SENSE?
——————————————
Laura Loomer was the person who persuaded Trump to rant about immigrants eating pet cats and pet dogs in Ohio. She now claims to have altered her pro-Russian stance.
Laura Loomer says she has changed her views
link
“[MAGA extremist] commentator Laura Loomer says she has arrived in Ukraine after previously opposing aid and writing for RT. Loomer says she has changed her views, now believes she was influenced by Russian propaganda, and plans to share her findings with her audience in the US.”
Maybe we should wait a while to see how truth there is to all of this.
——————————————
RUSSIAN CAR BOMBER ARRESTED
——————————————
Russian Agent Tried to Blow Up Service Member in Central Mykolaiv
link1
link2
“Counterintelligence officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) arrested a Russian intelligence agent in Mykolaiv as he was planting an improvised explosive device (IED) under the car of a member of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
The suspect was identified as a serviceman who had deserted his military unit… Investigators also established that the deserter had received another assignment from Russia—to register Starlink satellite terminals on behalf of Russian intelligence.”
GRIMLY HILARIOUS MOMENT OF THE WEEK
SO VERY DUMB
——————————————
Pretending that you did not sell military equipment for years to support the Special Military Operation (SVO)—AKA the invasion of Ukraine—might work but for the existence of an internet archive and the ability to create screengrabs. It’s so very Russian that Wildberries would do this even though it knows its war effort is alreadywidely known and documented.
Wildberries just pulled the “All for SVO” section from its app
link
“Russia’s Wildberries marketplace warehouses storing goods for sale often contained some interesting items far from civilian use.”
FOREIGN AID & INVESTMENT IN UKRAINE
Not many new co-production and development deals announced this week. Instead, lots of weapons whose development started years ago are now arriving in Ukraine and entering service. And a European alternative to HIMARS is being tested on the battlefield.
——————————————
CO-PRODUCTION ROUNDUP
——————————————
Ukrainian SAKER UAVs to be manufactured in Denmark
Airlogix and the Czech company PBS Velká Bíteš have signed a memorandum of understanding to organize the licensed production in Ukraine of small jet turbine engines for aerial drones.
——————————————
BRITISH HOWITZER LICENSED BY UKRAINE
——————————————
Towed artillery pieces are popular on both sides of the frontline in this war. Modern self-propelled howitzers are very expensive, costly to repair, hard to hide, and very heavy. Their towed cousins are easy to tow, easier and cheaper to repair, can be relocated almost as quickly, and cheaper to build. Like so much modern battlefield tech in this war, it turns out that being light, simple, and agile brings huge advantages. Ukraine certainly thinks so.
British L119 105mm artillery will be produced in Ukraine
link
“An unnamed Ukrainian defence company will receive technical information and support to build and test the first prototype, while the partnership develops a Ukrainian version for the Armed Forces.”
Ukraine Is Not Only Localizing L119 105mm Howitzer Production but Also Developing Domestic Variant
link
“Agreements have finally been signed for the licensed production of L119 105mm light guns, which, according to BAE Systems, comes with an interesting bonus... This refers to the development of an L119 variant for use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In other words, certain modifications may be made in accordance with military requirements and operational experience.”
——————————————
GERMANY IS FUNDING AND DELIVERING VIRTUS MIDDLE STRIKE DRONE
——————————————
Virtus Drones Tested in the Zaporizhzhia Region Now Supplied to Ukraine with German Funding
link
“The drone has an operational range of up to 100 km and a payload capacity of up to 5 kg, which can accommodate various types of munitions. The camera is mounted in the nose section, while the guidance system is based on visual navigation supplemented by a sensor module.
Machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms enable target recognition. The operator can manually confirm the target before the strike. If required, the drone can return to its launch point. Communications are implemented through multiple channels adapted to electronic warfare conditions.”
——————————————
HIMARS RIVAL TO BE BATTLE-TESTED IN UKRAINE
——————————————
French Thundart Missile System to Be Tested in Ukraine
link
“The Thundart multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) is intended to provide a sovereign European alternative to foreign long-range rocket artillery systems, most notably the M142 HIMARS.”
——————————————
NEW IRISH AID PACKAGE ANNOUNCED
——————————————
Ireland to Provide New €125 Million Aid Package to Ukraine
link
“The package includes 100 million euros for non-lethal military equipment, as well as an additional 25 million euros for the restoration and protection of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.”
——————————————
POLAND’S WARMATE 5 ALREADY IN ACTION
——————————————
Ukrainian Military Already Using Polish Warmate Loitering Munitions
link
“It is also currently unknown whether the Polish Warmate 5 loitering munition systems are being purchased as part of a Ukrainian defense order, or their supply is financed by Poland. It should be noted that other countries may also be involved in the supply of these UAVs to Ukraine.”
——————————————
DUTCH RUTA BLOCK-1 MISSILE ALREADY IN ACTION
——————————————
Evidence Of Ukraine Using Dutch Ruta Block 1 Cruise Missiles Emerges
link
“The combat debut of the low-cost missile underscores Ukraine’s accelerating shift toward increasingly capable, mass-produced, long-range strike capabilities.
According to the manufacturer, the Ruta Block 1 has a range of more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) and carries a payload of 150 kilograms (330 pounds).”
EUROPE & CANADA REARM
Germany and the UK have been very active this week. But so have some of the smaller European nations.
——————————————
GERMANY’S TUBE-LAUNCHED DRONE SUB ALREADY IN SEA TRIALS
——————————————
Germany Tests Torpedo-Tube-Launched USV Which Could Help Counter russia in Baltic Sea
link
“The Germans believe that deploying drones like the Ranger from submarines or ships will eventually allow for conceptually new missions.”
——————————————
FIRST OF GERMANY’S LATEST EUROFIGHTERS TAKES FLIGHT
——————————————
Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 4 Takes Flight, Giving Europe a Powerful New Rival to Russia’s Su-35 and Su-57
link
“The aircraft is part of Germany’s order for 58 new Eurofighter Typhoons. The Luftwaffe initially ordered 38 aircraft in 2020 and expanded the order with another 20 in 2025. Deliveries are scheduled to begin later in 2026 and continue through 2030.
The most significant upgrade introduced with Tranche 4 is the ECRS Mk 1 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Compared with earlier mechanically scanned radars, it offers greater detection range, faster target acquisition, improved tracking accuracy, and better performance against small or low-observable targets, including modern cruise missiles and stealth aircraft.”
——————————————
UK REPLACES ITS GIANT BATTLE TANK WITH DRONE TROOPS
——————————————
Last year, a joint UK-Estonian armoured battle group was defeated on exercise by a small team of Ukrainian drone pilots. The UK is the first of the major European powers to re-shape its forces in the light of that shocking experience.
UK Pulls Challenger 2 Tanks From Estonia, Replaces Armoured Group With Drone-Focused Mobile Anti-Armour Force
link
“British armed forces are genuinely very actively transforming and changing military doctrine based on Ukraine experience. Mobile anti-tank forces equipped with high-mobility equipment, modern weapons and high-technology drones will be specially developed for Estonia’s operational environment. Overall British contingent numbers will grow from 800 to 1,200 personnel.
Additional effectiveness will be provided by Asgard system— AI-based digital headquarters platform significantly accelerating so-called kill chain. It was precisely tested in Estonia during Hedgehog exercises in May 2025.”
——————————————
ROMANIA REARMS WITH EU’S SAFE FUND
——————————————
For obvious reasons, in recent years Romania has concentrated on its air defences. It is always difficult for poorer nations to upgrade and rearm (something Russia has frequently taken advantage of in the past), but with EU’s SAFE loan fund of €150 billion to draw on they can now do so. Romania has already used SAFE funds to buy new helicopter and radars. It is now buying even more weapons.
Romania to Buy €7.5 Billion in Weapons, Including UAVs Co-Produced with Ukraine
link
“Romania currently has weapons orders worth a total of €7.5 billion, which will be funded through the SAFE program. This list includes NSM coastal defense systems, IRIS-T air defense systems, as well as an unnamed type of drone manufactured as part of a joint production program with Ukraine.”
——————————————
MONTENEGRO REARMS
——————————————
Tiny Montenegro is a NATO member. In 2016 it thwarted a coup plot devised by Russian GRU agents. It has a lot of aged weapons and equipment inherited from the former Yugoslavia. It too is upgrading its air defences, but also buying new firearms for its military.
Montenegro Orders 6,500 Czech guns for Rearmament
link
“The Czech Ministry of Defense announced that the contract calls for the delivery of Bren 3 assault rifles, pistols, sniper rifles, and submachine guns.”
——————————————
BRITAIN BOOSTS LONG-IGNORED AIR DEFENCE
——————————————
UK Doubles Sky Sabre Air Defense Arsenal
link
“Britain confirmed doubling its Sky Sabre surface-to-air missile system arsenal. Over £350 million, or €411.8 million, was allocated for this in Defense Investment Plan (DIP) for coming years. At the same time, delivery timelines are quite fast.
According to a British MoD response to a parliamentary inquiry, additional command posts will arrive by end of 2026 and be commissioned in early 2027. Also in 2027 additional Land Ceptor launchers and support vehicles from system composition will arrive.”
——————————————
UK TAKES BIG STEPS TOWARDS UNMANNED FIGHTERS
——————————————
Replacing piloted fighters with cheaper, more powerful, and more manoeuvrable drones is an obvious step. It should have happened decades ago, but the officers in command of air forces are usially former pilots and highly attached to the romantic image of ‘knights of the sky’. Prototypes of unmanned collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs) have been flown by many nations in the past two decades. In the UK the concept is about to mature into reality with the stealthy Brontanax technology demonstrator.
Typhoons Paired With CCA Fighter Drones Armed With Meteor Missiles Eyed By UK
link
“The emerging concepts envision Typhoon commanding loyal wingman drones with help of new radar and next-gen cockpit.”
Brontanax Fighter Drone Is The UK’s Big Leap Into Collaborative Combat Aircraft
link
“In terms of missions, BAE Systems says the Brontanax is intended to provide electronic warfare, precision strike, and air-to-air capabilities.”
That’s all for now. See you next week.
First of all, don’t believe anything Laura Loomer says. It’s all fake and only to influence Trump who can do nothing but lie and will change his mind at any moment. But to comment on a couple of things: that Omega drone is a wow! And oh, maybe Dynagas needs to be ruined? And I love the Baba Yaga drones! Gosh, I can’t remark on every item, but thank you so much for your remarkable reporting. I wish our MSM could pick this up so they would have something GOOD to tell us about occasionally! 🤗