🇺🇦 Pictured: This is what 150 days of war looks like for Russia.
🇺🇦 Ukraine has gained fire control of SOME of Russia’s logistics routs in Kherson.
🇺🇦 Note: Though UA is registering advances in Kherson, sourcing suggests that Kherson is NOT under full counter attack as initial reports implied Some areas are being encircled while others are being repelled (Thanks, [uncited]).
🇺🇦 Russian forces continue to fortify and strengthen positions in Kherson Oblasts in anticipation of Ukrainian counteroffensives.
🇺🇦 Ukraine made offers to Russian pilots to defect and bring their planes. The operation was busted and “flipped” by the FSB.(Thanks for the lead Phil)
🇺🇦 In the above operation, the UA intelligence agents were reportedly lured to identify themselves, other trusted sources, and UA anti-aircraft systems details & positions.
🇺🇦 In the above operation, a defecting pilot for example would reasonably need to know many such details in order to fly over Ukrainian territory with a reasonable assurance of not being shot down and killed.
🇺🇦 This was a failure of UA intelligence. UA propaganda portrays a lot of stories of Russians defecting, and UA agents likely applied this same thought to all Russians, which allowed for the failure to occur. Successful intelligence enemy penetration operations require a very accurate understanding of foes. (Thanks Phil, and thanks @ZimermanErik)
🇺🇦 Ukraine will receive anti-radar missiles (from..?), which were not previously in the arsenal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is according to Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
🇺🇦 UA’s air defenses intercepted all four Russian cruise missiles launched at the Khmelnytskyi Oblast (Western Ukraine). Russia launched four Kaliber cruise missiles from the Black Sea
🇺🇦 Kazakhstan is preparing an army to defend against Russia, fearful of becoming next on the Kremlin's list of geopolitical ambitions. They have a $918 million military budget, and are expanding cooperation with China and NATO
🇺🇦 Social media is no longer pushing UA content to the top.
🇺🇦 Germany increases support for de-mining efforts and war crimes investigations.
🇺🇦 Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskiy discussed the above additional support during German Minister of the Interior and Community Nancy Faeser’s visit to Ukraine on July 25.
🇺🇦 Ukraine seized a Kyiv shopping mall. The Kyiv shopping mall is co-owned by oligarch-led gas giant Gazprom. Surprise, the mall was never hit by artillery fire.
🇺🇦 Speaking of Gazprom, Gazprom will reduce gas flow through the Nord Stream to 20%
🇺🇦 Zelensky met with Guatemala’s president to sign a visa-free agreement. This is the first visit of a Latin American president to Ukraine in 12 years.
🇺🇦 Two former UA ministers were charged with treason. Former Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko and former Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych, who served under fugitive ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, were charged in absentia for their involvement in the so-called Kharkiv accords, Prosecutor General's Office said on July 25.
🇺🇦 Viktor Yanukovych was previously mentioned in my updates twice: 1) he made a statement back in March about how all differences with Zelensky were settled and they were one Ukraine (or something, I’m paraphrasing). That was a post where I mentioned both left and right were working together, just like America’s left and right were united on this issue. 2) I later mentioned him in an update where he was caught on the border trying to flee
🇺🇦 UA Security service arrested a Russian collaborator in Kyiv. The 41-year-old was taking photographs of the deployment locations of Ukrainian troops since April. He is accused of passing the information to Russia through a contact located in the occupied territories. Russian operators ‘subscribed’ to his updates.
🇺🇦 UA will not host the next Eurovision, as organizers deemed Ukraine unsafe for the contest
🇺🇦 HIMARS have destroyed about 50 Russian ammunition depots.
🇺🇦 Russian forces made marginal territorial gains south of Bakhmut on July 25 but are largely suffering from the same fundamental limitations that previously prevented them from rapidly gaining substantial ground during offensive operations in Luhansk Oblast.
🇺🇦 Ukrainian forces are continuing to strike Russian strongholds along the Southern Axis.
🇺🇦 Russian forces are withdrawing additional military equipment outside of their original committed equipment, to support war efforts. Satellite imagery showed that Russian forces withdrew 60 units of 2S7 Pion howitzers from storage at the 9th Arsenal in Omsk, Russia. They are doing this because they face challenges replacing battle-damaged equipment.
📢 Countries apply to be in NATO. NATO is a defense alliance that has never, and does not, consider offensive operations. Saying NATO is encroaching on Russia is Kremlin messaging. Russia has three primary propaganda efforts directed at the West, and that’s the first.
📢 Yes, Ukraine has a nazi problem, but it’s a very small percentage of the country, and not representative of the whole. Using a small group to smear the entire group is called “guilt by association.” Russia has three primary propaganda efforts directed at the West, and that’s the second.
📢 If you ever hear anyone say “What about this thing America did…” in an effort to redirect attention away from Ukraine and onto the west, that is called “Competitive victimhood” and the associated meme is *always* created by Russian-backed media. Russia has three primary propaganda efforts directed at the West, and that’s the third.
⚠️ Sorry about the typos or awkward sentences!!!! This is the inevitable result of putting out a finalized research product once every 24 hours, with no staff. If anyone feels like giving me staff, we can polish this b right up!
⚠️ I got lazy with my citations and I apologize. My top sources are: Current and former military planners, singularly-focused pundits, and all manner of vetted open-source intelligence. Top cited open source pundits and sources include: CP Scott, Institute for the Study of War, Kyiv Independent, and mainstream news with high levels of journalistic integrity and track records. Sadly I can’t source private individuals, of course.
⚠️ Speaking of sources, thanks to all of you who have forwarded me tips or given me data from the front line. You’re the private individuals I wish I could source publicly
⚠️ Though my awesome employer taught me everything I know about OSINT, these posts are not affiliated with my employer, nor done during my employer’s time. Every item I report is from my own research, my own opinion, and written during my own time.
⚠️ Note: War happens fast and even high fidelity news needs a ton of corrections after the dust settles.
🇺🇦 Sorry to my Substack readers who get this weird “ua” symbol instead of a flag emoji!