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☆ Russia is sending troops to 'less experienced' Belarus for training because most of its own instructors have been deployed to Ukraine, says UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Belarus is training Russian troops despite its army being "much less-experienced," the UK MOD said. Russia resorted to this after its own training system was upended by the war in Ukraine, it said. The UK MOD said that Russia likely deployed at least 1,000 troops in March 2023 that were trained at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus. The training of Russian troops has been heavily scrutinized since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The UK MOD also said that Russia had political reasons for training troops in Belarus.

☆ Wagner founder rejects claim that he is about to pull back from Ukraine, saying the group will fight there 'as long as our country needs us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The boss of Russia's Wagner Group denied reports he's set to reduce operations in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin has been feuding with Russia's military and said his troops have been denied ammo. Instead, he plans to focus on Africa, where Wagner has been accused of war crimes, the sources said. As long as our country needs us, we are fighting on the territory of Ukraine"Wagner, a private paramilitary group, has sent tens of thousands of mercenaries and former prisoners to fight in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Wagner has been barred from recruiting more prisoners from Russia, the UK MOD said, predicting that it would struggle with troop numbers going forward.

☆ Russia's assault on Bakhmut is losing the limited momentum it had, says UK intel, complicating its best chance at a symbolic victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's efforts to take the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut seem to be losing momentum, the UK MOD said. Bakhmut has huge symbolic importance to Russia, and failing to take it would be a big blow. The city is one of the few places Russia has made recent progress, as its latest offensive fails to grow. The UK MOD said that momentum may be slipping "partially because some Russian MoD units have been reallocated to other sectors." The UK MOD said in December that capturing Bakhmut would have "limited operational value" for Russia.

☆ Putin claimed the UK is ramping up nuclear tensions by sending Ukraine depleted uranium armor-piercing shells. The UK says that's nonsense.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The component: depleted uranium armor-piercing shells, which have no role in nuclear weaponry. Depleted uranium, a by-product of the nuclear enrichment process, is used in making penetrating tank shells because it is extremely dense. "There is no way that you could create a nuclear reaction or a nuclear explosion with depleted uranium." The UK MOD also cited research that it says shows the health risk of depleted uranium munitions is "likely to be low." Depleted uranium is much less radioactive than the original fuel.

☆ Russia faces an 'exodus' of troops as prisoners recruited to fight in Ukraine start to be pardoned and return home, says UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's Wagner mercenary army fighting in Ukraine is about to see an "exodus" of personnel. It's due to release thousands of troops recruited from prisons in exchange for pardons, UK intel said. It will likely face personnel issues as a result, since it's no longer allowed to recruit prisoners. The Wagner Group is a private, pro-Kremlin group that has sent tens of thousands of mercenaries and former prisoners to Ukraine. Evidence from Russia suggests that the Wagner Group is "following through on its promise to free survivors," the MOD said.

☆ A massive explosion in Crimea destroyed a cache of Russian cruise missiles, a key weapon in its attacks on civilian infrastructure, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's MOD said that Russian Kalibr missiles were destroyed in a blast in Dzhankoi, Crimea. Meanwhile, Russia said it had foiled a drone attack in the area. Ukraine said that Kalibr missiles are a key weapon in Russia's attacks on its civilian infrastructure, according to the Kyiv Independent. The paper cited military officials as saying dozens of Kalibr missiles were located on ships in the Black Sea as of January. A composite image appearing to show wreckage from a claimed drone attack in Dzhankoi, Crimea, on March 20, 2023.

☆ Russia gives awards to Su-27 pilots who knocked out a US drone this week, after Western officials slammed the incident as 'unsafe and unprofessional'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia decorated the two pilots whose intercept took down a US Reaper drone over the Black Sea. US and EU officials have described the incident as "unsafe and unprofessional" on Russia's part. The accolade comes after US European Command accused the pilots of making an "unsafe and unprofessional" intercept. The incident forced the Reaper to crash into the Black Sea, increasing tensions between the US and Russia. Russia claims that the drone was flying with its transponders turned off, and that it was violating airspace restrictions Russia says it made public in relation to its military activities.

☆ Russia is confiscating its officials' passports to stop them fleeing the country or defecting, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some Russian officials have had their passports taken away, UK intelligence said. Thousands have fled Russia, including some officials who offer secrets to try and get asylum. Some European countries have banned Russian tourists, and many nations closed their airspace to Russian planes. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of young Russians fled the country when Russia announced a partial mobilization of reservists in September. Some officials have fled Russia and are offering to hand over secrets in exchange for being granted asylum.

☆ Russia expanded its territory in Ukraine by less than 0.04% in a month of brutal fighting that cost it thousands of soldiers and vital equipment, says think tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia gained just 0.039% of additional territory in Ukraine in February, the ISW told Insider. It continues to lose equipment and a large number of soldiers in exchange for meager gains. Washington DC-based think tank The Institute for the Study of War told Insider that its mapping data showed Russia had gained just 0.039% more territory in Ukraine between January 31 and February 28. Russia gained this tiny amount of land while losing thousands of soldiers and hemorrhaging military equipment. And a senior US diplomat was also scathing about Russia's progress, saying: "Russia has declared that it is launching a new offensive.

☆ Russia is recruiting female convicts to serve in Ukraine amid growing battlefield losses, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Reports have emerged of Russian efforts to recruit female convicts to fight in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said a carriage full of female prisoners was seen heading towards Donetsk. The report suggested that Russia was seeking to find new sources of fighters against a backdrop of heavy losses. The region borders occupied Ukraine by way of the Kerch bridge that connects Russia to Crimea. Prigozhin later announced that he was ending this policy, amid reports that inmates were put off by the mounting death toll.

☆ Russia has been forced to issue old ammunition that was previously declared unfit for use, says UK intel, deepening its struggles in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia is issuing old military stock that was previously seen as unfit for use, UK intelligence said. This is likely a key reason why Russia's new offensive hasn't progressed, the MOD said. The UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update on Tuesday that Russia "has almost certainly already resorted to issuing old munitions stock which were previously categorised as unfit for use." This likely explains why Russia has not made any significant gains since it started its long-awaited offensive earlier this spring, the MOD said. The UK MOD said earlier this month that Russia has been showing off advanced military technology around the world, at the same time that its soldiers in Ukraine are forced to rely on old equipment.

☆ Half of all Russian prisoners recruited to fight in Ukraine have likely been killed or wounded, says UK intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Around half of the prisoners Russia recruited for Ukraine have been killed or wounded, per UK intel. The private pro-Kremlin Wagner Group has sent many prisoners to one of the war's bloodiest battles. But the group can no longer recruit from prisons, limiting its ability to reinforce, the UK said. The UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update on Monday that "about half of the prisoners Wagner has already deployed in Ukraine have likely become casualties." In February, it was reported that Wagner had stopped recruiting prisoners as growing numbers refused to be enlisted on suicide missions in Ukraine, according to multiple reports.

☆ Russia's elite tank unit was meant to get its most advanced armor. Instead it's fighting with obsolete Soviet tanks from the '60s, UK intel says.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But instead it's relying on 60-year-old T-62 tanks, per a UK Ministry of Defence update. Russia has retrieved approximately 800 T-62 tanks from storage since the summer of 2022, it said. But, instead, it is receiving T-62 tanks, which were first adopted by the Soviet Union in 1961, and ceased production in the 1970s. The UK Ministry of Defence also noted the absence of modern explosive reactive armor as a potential vulnerability. Since the summer of 2022, approximately 800 T-62 tanks have been retrieved from Russian storage, the MOD intelligence update said.

☆ Russian troops ordered to fight with 'shovels' in hand-to-hand combat, UK defense intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian soldiers were told to fight with only "firearms and shovels," the Ministry of Defence saidThe shovels are believed to be the MPL-50 entrenching tool, designed in1869, said the UK ministry. "The 'shovels' are likely entrenching tools being employed for hand-to-hand combat," said the briefing. It is thought that the "shovels" in question are the renowned MPL-50 entrenching tools first designed in 1869. The increase in hand-to-hand combat in Ukraine was due to a declining number of troops, artillery, and munition, it said. Indeed, it has been reported that Russian forces have been deploying "barrier troops" or "blocking units" to shoot Russian soldiers who defect and desert the war.

☆ Ukraine is reinforcing Bakhmut with its elite troops as Russian forces make advances, UK defense ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is sending elite units to Bakhmut as Russian forces make further advances, the UK MoD said. Ukrainian forces are now vulnerable to Russian attacks from three sides of the city, it said. The Russian army and Wagner Group forces have been making advances into the city's northern suburbs amid intense fighting, and Ukrainian forces are now vulnerable to Russian attacks from three sides, the department said in an intelligence update. Ukrainian soldiers shelter in the woods along a road outside of the strategic city of Bakhmut on January 18, 2023 in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Ukrainian emergency workers try to extinguish a fire caused by Russian attacks in the center of Bakhmut on December 23, 2022.

☆ Russia is showing off advanced military tech around the world while its troops in Ukraine struggle with obsolete Soviet-era weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has been showing off advanced military technology around the world, according to the UK MOD. But its soldiers are struggling in Ukraine with Soviet-era equipment and limited supplies. This comes at the same time as Russia's own soldiers are dying in droves in Ukraine using old Soviet-era equipment. TASS also said that other Russian defense companies were due to show off "more than 200 full-scale samples of weapons and military equipment, ammunition and gear" at the event. As a result, the country's military has had to take Soviet-era tanks out of storage to fight, and has been using less-accurate Soviet-era missiles.

☆ A Ukrainian soldier took out 5 Russian tanks in a single day using US-supplied Javelin missiles, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Eight Russian armored vehicles lie smouldering thanks to one Ukrainian soldier, Ukraine's MOD says. He took out five tanks and three other vehicles in a single day in Donetsk, according to Ukraine. A social media post of the apparent feat included praise for the US-provided Javelin missiles used. During the fighting, the paratrooper took out the five tanks, as well as three infantry fighting vehicles known as BMPs. The Ukrainian MOD's video post was accompanied by text that said: "American weapon in Ukrainian hands works wonders."

☆ Two Germans parked a mangled Russian tank in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin as an anniversary gift
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A ruined Russian tank has been dumped outside the country's embassy in Berlin. The rusted heap appeared as a vivid symbol on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The gesture came on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The destroyed T-72 1B tank sits at an intersection near the embassy on the city's famed Unter den Linden boulevard. A ruined Russian T-72 tank sits on a flatbed truck outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, in February 2023.

☆ Russia has changed its plan to take over Ukraine, with the goal now to exhaust the country rather than conquer new territory, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's plan to control Ukraine has changed and now focuses on trying to exhaust it, UK intel said. It added: "The Russian leadership is likely pursuing a long-term operation where they bank that Russia's advantages in population and resources will eventually exhaust Ukraine." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said in January that Russia was trying to "exhaust" it with drone strikes. The UK defense ministry said this strategy shift occurred over the last few weeks, and contrasts with Russia's earlier approach. The UK defense ministry update suggests that this strategy has now started to impact Russia's battlefield tactics.

☆ Russia is likely to claim a big victory in Bakhmut as 1-year anniversary of its invasion approaches, regardless of the reality on the ground, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is under increasing political pressure to capture Bakhmut by February 24, UK intel said. It's "likely" that Russia will claim victory there regardless of the reality on the ground, it said. Analysts say that Russia will struggle to seize Bakhmut by the first anniversary of the Ukraine war. "It is likely that Russia will claim that Bakhmut has been captured to align with the anniversary, regardless of the reality on the ground," the MoD said. The UK intelligence update added that Russia is continuing to pursue several offensive axes in eastern Ukraine, with casualties reportedly remaining high in Bakhmut.

☆ 30,000 Wagner Group fighters have been killed or injured in Putin's invasion of Ukraine, says White House spokesman
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

More than 30,000 Wagner Group fighters have been killed or injured, according to US officials. John Kirby said that half of the Wagner fighters who perished in the war have died since mid-December. Kirby stated that, according to US intelligence, 90% of the Wagner Group soldiers killed in the last two and a half months were convicts. While the Wagner Group has made limited advances in Bakhmut, Kirby said this gain has come at a "devastating cost that is not sustainable." According to British intelligence, 40-60,000 Russian soldiers and Wagner Group fighters have been killed since February 2022.

☆ Adani's fall reignites scrutiny of billionaire's close ties with Modi
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ashok Swain Uppsala UniversityHindenburg's report has further sharpened the focus on the billionaire mogul's close ties with Modi. After Modi became prime minister, Adani continued to benefit from the relationship but on a much larger scale, said Swain. In his address to parliament last week, the prime minister seemed unfazed by the opposition's criticism and made no mention of Adani. "And you can never breach this safety shield with the weapons of abuse and lies," he said, as opposition lawmakers chanted "Adani, Adani." "Prime Minister Modi and I are from the same state.

☆ Japan says 3 balloons that floated into its airspace years ago are 'strongly presumed' to have been Chinese spy balloons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( David Cenciotti | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three balloon-shaped flying objects were spotted in Japanese airspace in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Japan's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that they were "strongly presumed" to have been Chinese reconnaissance balloons. "If a balloon enters Japan's airspace without permission, it constitutes an infringement of Japan's airspace. Three additional unidentified objects, later appearing to have been much smaller commercial or research balloons, were also spotted and shot down. The Chinese balloon carried "multiple antennas" capable of collecting signals intelligence, a senior State Department official said, and the balloon maker has proven ties to the Chinese military, according to a CNBC report by Abigail Williams.

☆ A UK nuclear submarine had its broken bolts fixed with superglue, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The British Navy launched a probe after finding a " defect" in a nuclear submarine, The Sun reported. Broken bolts on HMS Vanguard's reactor chamber were glued on instead of replaced, the report said. A Royal Navy source told The Sun that the discovery was a "disgrace." Nuclear standards are never compromised." A spokesperson for both the Royal Navy and Babcock did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Russia dismissed a successful commander as power struggles grip its top ranks, UK intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia dismissed a top general who had been praised for his performance in Ukraine, the UK MOD said. The MOD said there are "continued divisions" in the Russian military since the shake up. Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported on Tuesday that Teplinsky "cursed at" Gerasimov during a meeting and was "immediately dismissed." Other Russian military figures have also been given new roles as part of the reshuffle. The UK ministry suggested earlier this month that Russia had been using almost all deployable VDV troops as ground-holding troops up until November.

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