Ukraine War Update NEWS
Table of Contents 📖
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"You want to see people chaotically being arrested and then crowds supporting the person being arrested, which means that they're against the authorities arresting them. And then it's all just a bit of a mess as to who, you know, I don't know, get your popcorn, sit back and enjoy, I guess."
Hello Team!
Jonathan apologises for the video being a bit later today as he was at a quiz at a local cricket club with friends where they came second by only one point. He gave a £150 Amazon voucher they won in the raffle to a little boy helping out.
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Ukrainian Losses
- 640 liquidated Russian personnel, which is higher than the 500s seen recently
- 7 tanks and 16 APVs lost, likely due to the defeated Russian attack around Krasnohorivka
- 19 artillery systems and 1 MLRS lost, another bad day for Russian artillery
- 8 anti-aircraft warfare systems lost, terrible for Russia in terms of taking out Ukrainian drones
- No cruise missiles lost as the inaccurate Onyx or Kh-22 anti-ship missiles got through
- 14 vehicles/fuel tanks and 5 pieces of special equipment lost
Importance of Air Defences and Contested Airspace
Jonathan discusses how the Russians need to do SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defences) or DEAD (Destruction of Enemy Air Defences) to be able to effectively use aircraft near the front lines. Ukraine wants ATACMs and their own air defence systems to defend cities and have greater ability to operate in the sky themselves. The contested airspace makes ground manoeuvres very difficult for both sides, with the artillery having to do the job of the air force. Since the initial Russian invasion, no side has had much success with offensives due to mines, trenches and the contested airspace.
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Ukrainian Drone Losses and Strikes
- 5 out of 5 Shahed drones destroyed overnight, a much smaller attack
- 9 reconnaissance drones taken out during the day
- Video of a massive explosion at an ammunition depot in Zhytomyr sometime between 17-19 July, claimed by Russia to be storing US-supplied DPICM cluster munitions
- Analysis suggests it was actually an old Soviet-era depot storing obsolete munitions like many other sites struck recently (Pavlohad chemical plant, Khmelnytskyi munitions depot), which make big explosions for Russian propaganda videos but don't significantly degrade Ukraine's military
Strikes in Crimea
- Smoke rising near a military base in occupied Crimea, claimed by Russia to be a foiled drone attack on an oil depot
- Video shows two large explosions, one at the oil depot and another at a nearby airfield, with secondary explosions heard by locals
- Explosions also reported in Sevastopol, Crimea
Russian Strikes and Ukrainian Counterattacks
- Russian forces bombed the town of New York using FAB guided bombs, their equivalent of JDAMs, which they have been using in high numbers with mixed effectiveness
- Video of a Ukrainian tank and BMP assault on a tree line, involving multiple vehicles and smoke screens, but appearing quite chaotic with some vehicles hitting mines. Illustrates the difficulty of attacking with mechanised forces under artillery fire and in minefields.
Arrest of Igor Girkin and Criticism of Putin
- Prominent Russian nationalist and military blogger Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov) arrested on 21 July for "extremism" after directly criticising Putin, in a move likely to infuriate the mil-blogger community who see him as an astute analyst
- Girkin's ally Pavel Gubarev also arrested while demanding Girkin's release, with the crowd shouting "shame"
- UK intelligence suggests Girkin's arrest shows the taboo against open criticism of Putin has weakened significantly since Prigozhin's aborted mutiny in June
- Ukrainian intelligence claims to have information about possible preparations for new rebellions in Russia
Crimean Bridge and Black Sea Fleet as Legitimate Targets
- President Zelensky stated the Crimean Bridge is a legitimate military target for Ukraine as it is used by Russia to transport weapons and ammunition to Crimea outside the framework of international law
- Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Malyar warned that the longer the war lasts, the less chance the Russian Black Sea Fleet has of surviving, as Ukraine gains the ability to push it further east away from Crimea with longer-range weapons
Discontent Among Russian Soldiers' Families
Another video of despairing wives and mothers of Russian soldiers from Stavropol who were sent to the front lines without air support, leading to many dead and wounded. They say the command cannot be contacted and think Putin doesn't care. Jonathan notes that this kind of discontent can spread as each of these women talks to many others, forming a growing network of desperation online and offline.
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Wrap up
Jonathan thanks the viewers and advises them to check out part 2 of the update which will be coming out soon.
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