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☆ Russia may 'suddenly break' under pressure from Ukraine's counteroffensive, former US general Petraeus says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's arduous counteroffensive is "far from over," General David Petraeus has said. Nonetheless, with enough pressure the Russian line can "suddenly break," he wrote. Faced with this, even the US would struggle, Petraeus told CNN. "Ukraine is applying pressure on their opponent until something breaks, at which point they will commit their reserves and strike," Petraeus and Kagan wrote. "When the conditions are right, they're picking their way through these minefields now," Petraeus told CNN.

Persons: David Petraeus, Frederick Kagan, Petraeus, Kagan, Tony Radakin, Patrick Bury Organizations: Service, CIA, CNN, Washington Post, SPG, Getty Images, Air Assault Brigade, Facebook, Air Assault Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Iraq, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Roman, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Melitopol

☆ HIMARS changed the game in Ukraine, but a former US artillery officer says what they need now is a firepower boost with M26 cluster rockets
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

HIMARS rockets proved to be a game-changing weapon for Ukraine when they arrived last year. Now they need is a firepower boost from M26 cluster rockets, a former US artillery officer says. For this reason, HIMARS rockets aren't used against individual Russian artillery pieces and are instead fired sporadically at higher-value targets, Rice said. A top Pentagon official said last month that Russia's cluster munitions, by comparison, have a dud rate of up to 40%. AdvertisementAdvertisementLike he first did with the 155 millimeter cluster munitions, Rice is currently lobbying for Washington to provide the M26 rockets to Ukraine.

Persons: it's, Dan Rice, M777s, Ukraine's HIMARS, Pierre Crom, Rice, Serhii Mykhalchuk Organizations: Service, Artillery, Pentagon, Russia, HIMARS, Kyiv, Getty, Army Tactical Missile Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Washington, Russia, Kyiv, Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast

☆ Ukrainian sniper ripped apart by a Russian shell says he had 16 operations to put his teeth and body back together so he could return to the front lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In the video of the interview, the snipers were seen using American-made Barrett sniper rifles. The sniper's unit is on the front lines somewhere in the Zaporizhzhia region. AdvertisementAdvertisementA view from the viewfinder of a Ukrainian sniper rifle at a shooting range amid Russia and Ukraine war in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on August 09, 2023. Inflicting psychological damage on the enemy and breaking their morale has long been a part of sniper operations. In a separate report on another front-line Ukrainian sniper unit, BBC reported that the unit, called the "Ghosts of Bakhmut," claims over 500 kills, with the leader claiming over 70 kills.

Persons: Ukraine's SBU, Barrett, Sasha, Nick Paton Walsh, Ignacio Marin, John Moore, Barrett MRAD Organizations: CNN, Service, Anadolu Agency, Getty, BBC, 28th Brigade, Kyiv Post, Defence, TAC Locations: Wall, Silicon, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk Oblast, Kyiv, Bakhmut

☆ Ukrainian soldiers detail desperate maneuvers by Russian forces firing on their own troops: 'They buried quite a lot of their own guys'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NYT reported Russian forces are performing desperate maneuvers against Ukraine's counteroffensive. "They buried quite a lot of their own guys," a Ukrainian soldier told the Times. As the invasion continues into its 18th month, incidents of friendly fire among Russian troops aren't new. Multiple other reports have documented Russian troops being plagued by friendly fire as they advanced in Ukraine, though the Kremlin rarely acknowledges these incidents. The Russian news agency Tass reported on one friendly fire incident involving Ukrainian troops in December, though there have been few additional reports of Ukrainian soldiers firing at each other.

Persons: —, Ukraine's, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Ukraine's, Times, Service, The New York Times, Ukrainian, Territorial Defense Brigade, Kherson, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Government of, Russian Federation Locations: Ukrainian, Wall, Silicon, Neskuchne, Donetsk oblast, Russia, Kherson, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Ukraine's most controversial weapons aren't a 'silver bullet,' but they are giving Kyiv's forces what they desperately needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukrainian forces have been using controversial US-provided cluster munitions for several weeks. The remains of artillery shells and missiles including cluster munitions are stored on December 18, 2022 in Toretsk, Ukraine. Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty ImagesFootage of Ukraine using cluster munitions on the battlefield has emerged in recent weeks. Russia insists it does not use cluster munitions, despite documented use of cluster munitions by the Russian military in Ukraine in the past. But while cluster munitions are operationally effective, they alone won't prove decisive in Ukraine's counteroffensive or the war.

Persons: It's, Biden, Pierre Crom, George Barros, Barros, GENYA SAVILOV, there's, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Vladimir Putin, DPICMs Organizations: Service, Russia, White House, Pentagon, Institute for, Getty Images, Kyiv, Getty Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Toretsk, Donetsk, Russia, Washington, Avdiivka, AFP, Russians, Donetsk Oblast, Moscow, Russian

☆ Ukraine banks on vintage Soviet rocket launchers to support the counteroffensive against Putin's invasion, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian troops are using a Soviet-era rocket launcher, the BM-21 Grad, to hit Putin's forces. The BM-21 Grad, which was first developed in 1963, is one of many Soviet weapons that make up two-thirds of Ukraine's artillery arsenal, the outlet said. He said although it often breaks down, the BM-21 Grad can fire many rockets over a short period, per the outlet. Operators within the 60th brigade told the Journal that they had few Western-donated weapons, and would like a HIMARS. At the start of the war, Ukraine held 260 BM-21 Grads, compared with Russia's 500, according to Janes, via the outlet.

Persons: Sunsil Nair, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Volodymyr Sukhilov, Janes Organizations: Street Journal, Service, Russia, Wall Street Journal, BMI, Janes, Rights Watch, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Brigade Locations: Ukrainian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Donetsk Oblast, Russian

☆ Russia says it destroys 20 Ukrainian drones over Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian forces destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched onto the Crimean Peninsula early on Saturday, Russia's defense ministry said. It said 14 drones were destroyed by air defense systems and six were suppressed by electronic warfare. Sergei Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Russia-installed governor of Crimea, said earlier that air defense systems were engaged in repelling air attack in different parts of the peninsula. Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for the attacks but has said destroying Russia's military infrastructure is crucial for Kyiv's counteroffensive. Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, eight years before President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Russia's neighbor in February last year.

Persons: Sergei Kryuchkov, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Mechanized Brigade, Reuters, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk Oblast, Crimea, Russian, Krasnodar, Moscow

☆ Top tanks worth millions and other expensive heavy armor are being hunted in Ukraine by cheap exploding drones worth only a few hundred bucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ukrainian and Russian heavy armor, including their better tanks, are facing a growing threat: FPV drones. Wojciech Grzedzinski/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesWhat are FPV drones? Instead, individual units are putting in orders for FPV drones, and these outfits are doing what they can to meet the demand. It is unclear if or how the FPV drones factored into this figure. Electronic warfare can have an effect on FPV drones, as can the rough cope cages some armored-vehicle crews have welded on their tanks and fighting vehicles to shield it from the exploding FPV drones, though not always.

Persons: Samuel Bendett, Wojciech Grzedzinski, David Hambling, Bendett, Steve Wright, Yuriy Mate, Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds, it's Organizations: Service, Center for Naval, Mechanized Brigade, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Army, Drones, Newsweek, Ukraine, Royal United Services, PBS Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Donetsk Oblast, China

☆ How — and when — Ukraine's war with Russia could end
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Wojciech Grzedzinski | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesThe war between Russia and Ukraine entered a new phase this summer when Kyiv launched its much-anticipated counteroffensive, and there were hopes Ukraine would regain the upper hand. "By the end of this year, both sides will think they still have more to gain by fighting. "Literally, they're [the Ukrainian forces] just running into the first line of defenses now, but that's a 30 kilometer deep belt of minefields and trenches and counter attacks. Meanwhile, any prospect of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine look slim despite efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table. "One outcome is that this war is fought out because Ukraine gets the help to do it.

Persons: King Danylo, Wojciech Grzedzinski, It's, Richard Barrons, isn't, Barrons, Nick Reynolds, they've, you've, Jamie Shea, Shea, John Kirby Organizations: Mechanized Brigade, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kyiv, Russian, Military, Joint Forces Command, CNBC, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Defense Ministry, Battalion, Territorial Defense, Ukrainian Air Force, NATO, Ukraine, U.S . National Security Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk Oblast, Donetsk, Bakhmut, Berdyansk, Azov, London, Russian, Crimea, United States, Vilnius, Lithuania, China, India, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, U.S, Greece, Cyprus, North, South Korea

☆ Ukraine is eating through a key artillery shell, but the US Army has a plan to make hundreds of thousands more each year
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The high rate of fire has strained US stockpiles of 155 mm artillery shells that it's sent to Kyiv. But the Army has a plan to boost munitions production from 24,000 to over 80,000 a month. Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire at Russian positions from a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, July 14, 2022. In any conflict, critical resources like artillery ammunition may be in high demand, Bush said. That includes more than 2 million 155 mm artillery rounds and nearly 200 howitzers that can be used to fire these munitions.

Persons: it's, Biden, Evgeniy, Technology Douglas Bush, Bush Organizations: Army, Service, Russian, NATO, US Army, Pentagon, AP, Acquisition, Logistics, Technology, Roman, Getty Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Wall, Silicon, Washington, White, U.S, Kharkiv region, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast

☆ Russia's army has learned to plug its frontline defenses in Ukraine with convicts, marines, and special-ops troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Russian military has spent months digging in and fortifying its positions in eastern and southern Ukraine. Russian marines during combined exercises with Ukraine's military near Sevastopol in May 2011. "In many cases when they counterattack, this is fundamentally a battle of tree lines," Lee said of Ukraine's advance. "If Ukrainian forces advance and take a tree line, Russian armor moves out and begins to engage that entire tree line at the range of a couple of kilometers. Russian "units are fighting," Lee said.

Persons: Rob Lee, Lee, they've, Stringer Russia, Wojciech Grzedzinski, Putin, Ukraine didn't, we've, They're, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Russian Army, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Storm, REUTERS, Naval, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kharkiv, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Sevastopol, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, Forbes

☆ The 5 deadliest Western-provided weapons Ukraine is using to fight Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The West has been sending Ukraine weapons and armed vehicles since the start of the war. Now, as Ukraine is in the midst of its counteroffensive to regain crucial territory from Russia, many of these weapons are proving useful. Insider spoke to three military experts about which of the Western-provided weapons have been the most effective for Ukraine in the war. Only time will tell how useful the weapons really areIt is still unclear how Ukraine's counteroffensive will unfold, and how long the Western weapons will hold until Ukraine will need more. A top Ukrainian general told the BBC on Thursday that because Russia has littered the frontlines in south Ukraine with multi-layered minefields, Western tanks are proving ineffective.

Persons: Serhii, Ben, that's, Zelenskyy, Fabrizio Bensch, Oleksii Reznikov, Huseyn Aliyev, Javelin, of, Cave, Lewis Joly, Marina Miron, Bradley, Hanna Maliar, Aliyev, Alivey, Alivey said.It, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Tarnavskyi Organizations: Shadow, Service, Leopard, US, Patriot, Challenger, Ukraine, High, Artillery, Getty, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, RAND Corporation, Patriot Missile Systems, Army MIM, Defense, Research Center, East European Studies, Patriots, Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service, Javelin, AP, Military Times, Kyiv, Paris Air, Department of, King's College London, Soviet, Bradley Infantry Fighting, Bradley, BBC Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Germany, Russia, Donetsk Oblast, Ben Caves, Russian, Kherson, Rzeszow, Jasionka, Poland, Moscow, of Ukraine, Le Bourget, Paris, France, Ukrainian, Europe

☆ Video shows a Ukrainian drone slam into a Russian thermobaric rocket launcher, triggering a massive explosion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new video shows a Ukrainian drone hitting a Russian thermobaric rocket launcher. Zaitseve, Donetsk Oblast, a Ukrainian FPV loitering munition hits the launcher of a Russian TOS-1 MRL. The consequence of an RPG-sized warhead hitting roughly 24 MO.1.01.04 220mm thermobaric rockets isn't surprising. Host photo agency/Ramil Sitdikov via REUTERSIt's not the first time Ukraine has touted the destruction of a TOS-1 rocket launcher. Back in February, Kyiv shared a video of an reported destruction of a Russian thermobaric rocket launcher in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

Persons: OSINTtechnical, Oliver Alexander, Sitdikov, REUTERS It's Organizations: Service, Center for Naval, REUTERS Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Wall, Silicon, Zaitseve, Donetsk Oblast, Red, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Donetsk, Soviet

☆ Russian land mines pose a persistent and deadly threat in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

What lies beneath Land mines left by Russian forces in Ukraine pose a deadly threat to Kyiv's military - and civilians in liberated territory. On average, anti-vehicle mines caused more incidents with multiple fatalities than anti-personnel mines did. GICHD has documented at least 12 types of anti-personnel mines and nine types of anti-vehicle mines in use in Ukraine. Formerly occupied towns in Kyiv; Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv oblasts all saw a large number of mines, especially anti-personnel mines, left in place, Mathewson said. Ukraine is a signatory to the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, and had been destroying its anti-personnel mines when the war began.

Persons: Mark Hiznay, ”, Adam Komorowski, Tymur Pistriuha, Hiznay, PARM, GICHD, Andro Mathewson, “, Komorowsi, Mick Ryan, Mathewson, Nacho Doce, Pistriuha, Komorowski, ” Ryan, Ryan, Jack Watling, Watling, ” Watling, demining Organizations: Russian, Reuters, HALO Trust, Human Rights Watch, Advisory, Geneva International Centre, Humanitarian, Ukrainian Deminers Association, Ukrainian, U.S . Army, Australian Army, REUTERS, HALO, Mines, Royal United Services Institute, United, Surveyors, State Emergency Service, Dnipro River’s Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Eastern Europe, South America, Caribbean, Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Germany, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia oblast, Kherson, Iraqi, Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, ”, Vuhledar, United Nations, Nova, Izium

☆ Video shows Ukraine launching US-provided cluster munitions against Russian infantry as the new weapon wreaks havoc
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A new video reportedly shows Ukraine launching cluster munitions against Russian infantry in the Donetsk Oblast. And now, a new video shows Kyiv is already making use of it — to devastating effects. The footage, posted by the Ukraine war monitoring account OSINTdefender, reportedly shows the first use of cluster munitions near Krasnohorivka, a city west of Donetsk and just south of Bakhmut. The spots hit by munitions pop in bright light randomly, demonstrating the chaos of using cluster bombs on the battlefield. Despite their effectiveness, especially at clearing uncovered trenches and artillery lines, cluster munitions aren't a silver bullet for Ukraine.

Persons: it'd Organizations: Russian, Service, US Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk Oblast, Wall, Silicon, Krasnohorivka, Donetsk, Bakhmut, Kyiv

☆ Ukraine can't advance with tanks alone and is coming up short on what it really needs to break Russia's defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Mines are a big problem for Ukraine's forces, but that's not all there is to it, one warfare expert said. As one expert told Insider previously, Leopards are very capable tanks, but no one should expect a "silver bullet." These systems are effective, but Ukraine's forces needs more of this kind of capability, the top general said. "Lack of a comprehensive combined arms approach at scale makes Ukrainian forces more vulnerable to Russian ATGMs, artillery etc. Ed Ram/For The Washington Post via Getty ImagesUnable to carry out those kinds of complex warfare, Ukraine may find itself stuck in an attritional artillery fight with Russia.

Persons: that's, it's, Valery Zaluzhny, ErtÃ ¼, Zaluzhny, Franz, Stefan Gady, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Gady, Ed Ram, It's Organizations: Service, Bradley, Leopards, Washington Post, New York Times, 35th Marine Brigade, ErtÃ ¼ rk, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images Ukraine, Post, Center for New American Security, NATO, 57th Brigade, Getty, Washington, Western Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, There's, Donetsk, ErtÃ, Kyiv, Donetsk oblast, Russian, Dnipropetrovsk region, Russia

☆ Russian tourists need to cross active war zones in Ukraine to get to their summer vacations in occupied Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian tourists need to cross through occupied Ukraine to get to their summer holidays in Crimea. An expert told Insider that Russian tourism in Crimea is a priority for Putin and the Kremlin. "There's been a huge push on the part of Russian authorities to really sustain and even increase tourism in occupied Crimea for economic reasons, and for an integration of occupied Crimea into the larger Russian system," Hird said. Crimea is a legitimate military target for Kyiv and among the most important territories Ukraine hopes to reclaim in this war. Since the Kerch Bridge's shut down, Russian media released an instruction guide for Russian tourists traveling through occupied Ukrainian territories, Anton Gerashchenko, the advisor to the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine, tweeted.

Persons: Putin, Ukraine didn't, Karolina Hird, Evans Hanson, Vladimir Putin, There's, " Hird, We've, Hird, Anton Gerashchenko Organizations: Service, Ukrainian Security, CNN, Institute for, Russian Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Kerch, Wall, Silicon, Russia, It's, Moscow, Kherson, Melitopol, Donetsk Oblast, Russian

☆ A fired general's pleas from the front lines reveal Ukraine is bloodying Russian forces in a critical fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

He said Russia is struggling to knock out Ukrainian artillery while Russian forces suffer "mass deaths." The counter-battery fight is critical in the counteroffensive, and it looks like Ukraine has an edge. After he was fired, he revealed publicly that Ukraine is bloodying his forces in an important fight, the artillery battle. In this fight, Ukraine relies heavily on rocket artillery systems like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, or howitzers like the 155mm M777s. Russian artillery can have the same effect on Ukraine though if left unanswered, which is a reason why the counter-battery fight matters.

Persons: Ivan Popov, Popov, vilely, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Jack Watling, Gen, Valery Zaluzhny, Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy, Jake Sullivan, Patrick Hinton, Hinton Organizations: Service, Artillery, Arms Army, Getty, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Royal United Services Institute, Washington Post, Publishing, Hudson Institute, NATO, Systems, National, AP, Forbes, British Army's Royal Artillery, Staff's, Military Sciences Research, RUSI Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk Oblast, Kharkiv Region, U.S, Kherson region, Hinton

☆ Russian reserves running low as Ukrainian forces make 'tactically significant gains' around the besieged city of Bakhmut, a think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Alia Shoaib | George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine has made "tactically significant gains" around the besieged city of Bakhmut, a think tank says. Geolocated footage published Thursday shows that Ukrainian troops made gains in Yahidne, around a mile north of Bakhmut, according to Washington DC-based think tank the Institute of the Study of War (ISW). However, it is unlikely that they have many more reserves to commit to the battle, the UK Ministry of Defense said. Along with the gains around Bakhmut, Ukraine's forces have also continued operations in at least three other sectors of the frontline on Friday, according to ISW. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesIn August 2022, Russia attacked Bakhmut using a combination of Wagner Group mercenaries, Russian soldiers, and pro-Russian separatist forces.

Persons: ISW, Bakhmut, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mark Milley, Milley, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: MoD, Service, Washington DC, of, Ukrainian, Staff, UK Ministry of Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Moscow, US Joint Chiefs, CNN, Bakhmut, Wagner Group, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, Wall, Silicon, Yahidne, Russia, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, Zaporizhia Oblast, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Russian, Belarus

☆ Russia is 'accepting risks' and dropping its guard against other threats to hold its ground in Ukraine, British military says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Shifting the bulk of its military to Ukraine has made Russia vulnerable elsewhere, experts say. The war has become a nearly all-consuming effort for Russia's military. Units from across Russia are now "bearing the brunt" of the Ukrainian counteroffensive that kicked off in early June, the British Ministry of Defense said in an update published Thursday. "The way Russia is accepting risks across Eurasia highlights how the war has dislocated Russia's established national strategy," the ministry said. "Russia has really made itself vulnerable globally," Dara Massicot, an expert on the Russian military at the Rand Corporation think tank, said in April.

Persons: —, Ukraine's, Ben Wallace, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, Dara Massicot, Adm, Tony Radakin, Radakin, ANATOLII STEPANOV, Christopher Cavoli, Cavoli, we've, Justin Bronk, They'd, Bronk, they're Organizations: Service, British Ministry of Defense, Russian, Eastern Military District, 61st Naval Infantry Brigade, NATO, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Arms Army, Rand Corporation, US European Command, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, Belarus, Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Crimea, Velyka, Donetsk Oblast, Bakhmut, Moscow, Russian, Oskol, Ukraine's Kharkiv, AFP, British, Kaliningrad, Finland

☆ No Russian ammo depots would be safe in Ukraine if the US provided longer-range HIMARS missiles and better drones, retired US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

ATACMS and new drones would allow Kyiv hit all Russian positions in Ukraine, a retired US general said. The Biden administration has been reluctant to send longer-range missiles and drones to Ukraine. Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told Insider that Washington is likely concerned about Russian escalation. ATACMS in particular could make it easier for Ukraine to target the occupied Crimean peninsula and Russia's Black Sea Fleet. "Because we, the US, have continued to refuse to provide ATACMS, we have, in effect, created a safe haven for the Russians inside Ukraine.

Persons: Biden, Ben Hodges, —, it's, Hodges, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Pat Ryder, Mark Milley, ATACMS, they've, Abrams, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Army Tactical Missile, US Army, Army, Getty, Street, Pentagon Press, Air Force, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Artillery, Shadow, AP, NATO, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, US, Washington, Moscow, Russian, Army Europe, Kyiv, ATACMS, Crimean, Ukrainian, Odesa, Sevastopol, Donetsk Oblast, Zaporizhzhia region, Russia

☆ Ukrainian soldier says he tricked Russia into wasting an exploding drone on what it thought was a tank — but was just a decoy made of wood
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A viral video of a Russian Lancet drone strike claimed to show a Ukrainian tank being destroyed. The "tank" was made of empty boxes from 155 mm shells, Lt Cmdr Oleksandr Afanasyev told Insider. The "tank" was a decoy made out of wood, according to Ukraine's Lieutenant Commander Oleksandr Afanasyev. The left-hand image below shows the decoy, Afanasyev said. Oleksandr Afanasyev (R), marked up by Insider to show the resemblance between roofing that appears in both.

Persons: Cmdr Oleksandr Afanasyev, —, Lyman —, Vladimir Solovyov –, –, Oleksandr Afanasyev, Afanasyev, Oleksandr Afanasyev Oleksandr Afanasyev, Cmdr Organizations: Russia, Service, Telegram, 2nd Armored Group, 54th Brigade, Brigade Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Donetsk Oblast, Lyman

☆ Russian pundits are blaming the rain for Ukrainian advances
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Lauren Steussy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian forces have gained ground along the border of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russian milbloggers reportedly said it's only because rain and fog grounded Russian aircraft. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the rain but said his forces remained strong. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the weather but said his troops did just fine with it. By Monday, the rain cleared, allowing Russian forces to launch a counterattack in western Donetsk Oblast, said former Russian officer and nationalist Igor Girkin, according to the ISW.

Persons: Russian milbloggers, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, —, Zelenskyy, Insider's Ryan Pickrell, Igor Girkin, Vladimir Putin, milbloggers Organizations: Service, Russian, Institute for, Kyiv Independent, The New York Times, Associated Press Locations: Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Zaporizhia, Kyiv, Donetsk Oblast, Russia, —, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine has destroyed 2 prized Russian thermobaric rocket launchers. They were taken out by US-supplied howitzers, say reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine appears to have destroyed two Russian thermobaric rocket launchers, using US artillery. If Ukraine continues to damage these systems, it could affect Russia's defensive capabilities, ISW said. Images of destroyed TOS-1A heavy thermobaric rocket launchers have circulated on social media from respected war-monitor platforms. —🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) June 9, 2023The thermobaric rocket launchers are mounted on top of tanks and can launch rockets up to two miles, per Forbes. Serhii Mykhalchuk/Getty ImagesAlthough Russia has a limited supply of highly destructive weapons, Russian sources have highlighted the use of them in striking Ukrainian positions in recent days, ISW said.

Persons: ISW, — Organizations: Service, Washington DC, of Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Western

☆ Reports of Russian casualties as they 'withdraw through their own minefields' driven back by Ukraine's counteroffensive, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Reports of Russian casualties as they 'withdraw through their own minefields,' per UK intel. Military progress on both sides of the conflict has been mixed in the last two days, the UK MoD said. "In some areas, Ukrainian forces have likely made good progress and penetrated the first line of Russian defenses. In others, Ukrainian progress has been slower," Britain's MoD said in a statement. "Russian performance has been mixed: some units are likely conducting credible maneuver defense operations while others have pulled back in some disorder, amid increased reports of Russian casualties as they withdraw through their own minefields," the ministry added.

Persons: —, Mykhalchuk, Sam Fellman, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Insider's Ryan Pickrell Organizations: intel, MoD, Service, UK's Ministry of Defence, Russian Airforce, CNN, US, Mine Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk Oblast, Russia, Russian, Azov

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