(intro by Tom Cooper)

Good morning everybody!

…sorry, can’t hear you!!!

All of NATO is loudly protesting the Russian UAV-strike on Poland!!!

…so loudly, should they continue like that, I’ll have to apply for my health-insurance to officially recognise a disability…

Almost as loudly as when Dumpf cries about 300 million deaths from drugs the last year - while the entire US population is at around 340 million: perhaps he wanted to declare the majority of the US population for brain-dead or something?

In other ‘news’…. it turned out that since October 2023, Israel mass-murdered at least 680,000 people in the Gaza Strip: 478,000 of them children. 380,000 under 5-years-old…

Ah yes: that’s no news. Just blanc anti-Semitism.

The fact Zionism has converted the Gaza Strip into the largest graveyard of children in the history of humanity - is not worth anybody’s attention: just another nonsensical calculation. Pure terror. And Israel is the victim. And Hamas is outrageous. And they all deserved that - if they haven’t been burned and buried yet…

The real, real news is - that Germany is going to hand over another two Patriot SAM-systems to Ukraine. Because, you know, when they announce this, then that’s already a matter of fact, even if actually going to happen in months from now. And that’s going to so much improve the stocks of Ukrainian Patriot missiles, too… Sure, doomers and weirdos like me then might also recall that - at most - the USA are currently manufacturing some 50-60 Patriot missiles a month, and each costs more than US$ 1 million, or that Germany is certainly far from buying up all of these, while the Russians are striking Ukraine by 500-800 UAVs a night. Even go on with such blasphemies like conclusion that ‘Europe’ still has no meaningful answer to that threat, and that it’s even less of a solution to go on buying US-made missiles ill-suited to intercept Russian UAVs, while ignoring the research, development, and production of an European solution…

…usually because one group of European chauvinists can’t stand the fact the solution is manufactured by another group of European chauvinists…

But, that’s like explaining that the Earth is turning around the Sun, or that Earth is a giant ball - some 500 years ago… I should burn on stake alone for this.

Nah. Lets get realistic and stop offending all the fine people involved: fact is that the last week was yet another full of great news. Brilliant news. Fantastic news. That non-elected crook in charge of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, has given a fantastic speech. About freedom, and liberty, and peace, and prosperity, and independence. About the European Defence Semester, and a clear roadmap, about how the EU is not going to suspend its support for the Zionist genocide on Palestinians, about how the EU is going to expand through adding Ukraine, Moldova and ‘Western Balkans’… sometimes in the future… then promised scaling up funding of start-ups, support of new industries, then promised a decrease in dependency on Russian fossil fuels, indeed, independence from energy imports, and she also announced that the future of cars, the cars of the future, are going to be made in Europe…

…at which point I rolled off from laughing, thus missing the concluding parts of that brilliant-, wise-, historic speech that so skillfully listed all the European failures: the one about European Anti-Poverty Strategy and the one about new tools for combating information manipulation…

After wiping away tears of pure, distilled happiness, I re-focused on yet more fantastic news. You see: not only Germany, but Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Canada, Sweden, Lithuania, Czechia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland… everybody is announcing investments of hundreds of millions of Euro into arms for Ukraine.

…like acquisition of spares for US-made F-16s, training of Ukrainian pilots and ground crews on US-made F-16s, spending more money on other US-made weapons, or manufacturing ammo by factories in Ukraine which the latter neither can effectively protect from Russian attack UAVs, nor supply with electricity… because 3,5 years into this war …actually: 11,5 years into this war - nobody here has a solution for the hundreds of Russian UAVs striking the country every night, nor wants to be bothered with such issues.

How… I’ve already mentioned that? Oh, sorry. Over to Don…

***

Up front: if anything of the following is ‘not supported by a map’ - then the frontlines in the sector in question did not move the last week.

***

Kursk/Sumy

Artillery is hit by HIMARS 10 km behind the front lines.

***

Kharkiv

The Khartiya Brigade attacked Russians near the reservoir.

Fighting continues in the wasteland of Vovchansk. Ukrainians use anti-tank mines on Russians hiding in holes. A TOS-1A is destroyed, along with other targets.

Southern Vovchansk is hit by seven bombs.

***

Kupiansk

Deep State says Russian troops entered a gas pipeline in Lyman Pershyi and exited in Radkivka 8 km away. Rest and supply stops were set up in the pipeline because it took four days to travel the distance. They infiltrated Kupiansk from there.

The General Staff says that three of the four pipelines were damaged and flooded and that they control the outlet for the fourth, which doesn’t directly lead to the city. They’ve taken counter-sabotage measures and conducted search-and-destroy missions throughout the Kupiansk. They claim in the last two weeks Russia lost 395 in Kupiansk, 288 of which were killed, plus 265 by Radkivka and Holubivka, and 128 nearby Kupiansk.

Ukraine places concertina wire inside a pipeline.

A T-72 tank from the 77th Airmobile brigade south of Kupiansk acts as artillery and fires on a target spotted by a drone that’s 9100 meters away. The 77th used drones for other targets.

For a decade now, both sides know that cell phone signals can give away positions. Unit discipline determines cell phone discipline. In some Ukrainian units, the phones of soldiers are held until they are safely behind the front lines, which could be 10-20 km. In some Russian units, soldiers caught with phones find them nailed to a post. But different units have different command environments. This map shows mobile connections to Russian networks and the phone discipline in Kupiansk is quite minimal. Kreminna and Kherson also display strong signals.

***

Terny

Russia raised their flag on the western edge of Zarichne. Then part of the 425th Regiment supported by the 63rd brigade raised the Ukrainian flag in the center of Zarichne. Russia took that flag down and put their own up in its place, and one at the northern edge of the village. All this means is that no one has total control of the village.

In Yarova, 9 km from the front, pensioners lined up to receive their checks near a postal van. An airstrike killed 25 people and wounded 19.

***

Siversk

Small Russian groups infiltrate Ukrainian defenses and “wait to get killed”, according to a Ukrainian soldier. Five armored vehicles, 11 motorcycles and some number of Russians are eliminated.

***

Kostiantynivka

The Azov brigade clears out a village that has been heavily bombed. Civilians living in basements don’t want to leave, even though there is fighting all around them. Russians buried in a basement are still alive but can’t get out. The Azov soldiers pretend to be Russian and tell them they’ll come back for them later. They come back with explosives to clear the rubble and four Russians come out to surrender.

Ukrainian ground drones and infantry are attacked by drones near Oleksandro-Schultyne. A gun from the 28th Brigade, which has been featured before, attacks various targets. The 36th Brigade attacked Russian infantry pushing forward.

More Russian airstrikes on Kostiantynivka.

The Pomsta Brigade uses a 57 mm anti-aircraft gun to shoot down drones within 6,000 meters.

***

(…to be continued…)

Pokrovsk

For once, it’s interesting to monitor the Russians being boxed into a cauldron - though then one created by their own advance. And to monitor Ukrainian operations against the same.

Russia was able to reenter Udachne and is pushing out from Poltavka. But inside the finger cauldron and the bulge to the south, marked by the purple box, there is more gray zone than clearly controlled territory. Consider that two weeks ago, when the Ukrainian soldier and two Russian soldiers were walking down the road together, it was in the middle of the box, marked by the green circle.

That said, Ukraine is pushing towards Novotoretske and Razine. It’s not quite Ukrainian-controlled territory, but it’s no longer Russian-controlled territory. Ukraine is also closer to cutting the finger cauldron off from the bulge north of Nykanorivka. East of Nove Shakhove, Russia made the gray zone there a little more red.

This means that it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Russians to move, supply, reinforce and evacuate casualties inside that purple box. Ukrainian forces, on the outside, are also continuously threatened by drones, as everyone is along the front lines, but it is still much easier to move about. As the Russian spaces on the inside shrink, they will find it even harder to move about.

The 92nd Brigade repels a Russian assault. Some of the 69 prisoners that the 1st Corps captured. A battalion of the 95th Brigade attacks Russians 3 km east of Volodymyrivka.

A Russian infantryman carrying fuel 1 km northwest of Maiak is hit by a drone.

The 414th UAV Brigade mines avenues of approach to Ukrainian positions. The mines did not require the Russians to step on them.

***

Velykomykhailivka

The stability continues to hold in the northern part of the sector, in part because Russia is prioritizing the south which remains unstable. Some reports suggest that Ukraine is planning to use the Vovcha river as a defensive line.

The Vovcha river is a significant terrain feature in the Velykomykhailivka sector, but it is no guarantee that Russia won’t advance over it.

The Vovcha river runs through Dachne, Filiia, Ivanivka, Andriivka-Klevtsove, Novoselivka and Velykomykhailivka.

A single Russian swam a river to raise their flag in Filiia. Russian artillery later bombarded the village and Ukraine cleared it.

The 141st Mechanized Brigade received 30 M-84 tanks from Croatia, which are upgraded versions of the T-72. Croatia will replace them with 50 Leopard 2A8 tanks.

…probably because there is a latent danger of the Russians penetrating the Ukrainian frontline and then driving all the way - to Zagreb…

***

Zaporizhzhia

Russia had been building up forces in Zaporizhzhia but the units were redirected to the Pokrovsk region.

A Ukrainian Su-27 was shot down and the pilot was killed. Official explanation from the top of the Ukrainian Air Force and Air Defence Force (PSZSU): ‘crashed’.

…well, it’s certain - at least obvious - that the jet crashed, and the pilot was thus killed. But: why did it crash…? Ah yes: this is the PSZSU. An organisation that needs not knowing the reasons…

***

Crimea

A substation was attacked by a drone north of Dzhankoi and knocked out power to 40 settlements.

Back in August, three unguided rockets landed near an artillery depot in southern Crimea. It is unclear if anything was damaged.

In an update, an Mi-24 helicopter that was searching for Ukrainian naval drones stopped communicating and disappeared from the radar. The next day, it was found in 15 meters of water without any evidence of being shot down so mechanical malfunction is believed to be the cause.

***

Occupied Territories

An 41st Army command post in Donetsk was hit by missiles and drones.

An oil depot in Luhansk was attacked and set on fire.

Back in February, Russians were lining up in parade formation every morning near Trudivkske, 55 km from the front, which was just west of Kurakhove then. At least 65 Russians died. A Russian officer provided the information to Ukraine about the regular formations. He continued to provide information for seven months before defecting and is now fighting for the Russian Volunteer Corps.

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This text is published with the permission of the author. First published here.