The most interesting evidence so far that Ukraine may have the capability to strike targets at a range of 280km+ with domestic systems has come from an unlikely source: a high profile espionage case involving an employee of Ukraine's Pivdenne Design Bureau.
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KB Pivdenne is the state owned design bureau that works with PA Pivenmash, the state owned aerospace manufacturer that famously built the Soviet R-36M or "Satan" nuclear ICBM. Post 1991 they have continued designing and manufacturing missile and space launch vehicles.
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Russian born Reseda Perkova was arested on September 7th for leaking documents related to the "Sapsan" missile system to FSB agent Yevgeny Zykov.
Sapsan is one of many working names for the Grom/Grim-2/Hrim-2 ballistic missile being developed by the Pivdenne Design Bureau.
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Perkova is alleged to have leaked a range of sensitive information to Zykov; The location of Tochka-U repair facilities, documents relating to the as of yet uncompleted "Kilchen" air defense system and even a project to convert R-27 a2a missiles for ground launch.
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Most interestingly though, Perkova stated on June 7th that work on the Sapsan had already resumed and tests were planned soon.
After the strikes on Saky airbase in occupied Crimea, she was asked if the Sapsan could be responsible.
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Perkova responded to her FSB handler that prior to the RU strike on the Pivdenmash plant outside Dnipro on July 2nd, Sapsan "Was at the stage of readiness and release."
After the Russian strike, "Production stopped but [the project] was not canceled"
How far up shit creek is the russian army in 2023?
Well volunteers are having to manufacture Kontakt-1 analogues to supply to russian tankers.
A short thread 👇
I've come across two russian channels/volunteer groups who have been manufacturing and supplying ERA to russian tankers since at least February of this year.
The first was "¡No Pasaràn!" run by an guy in Kaluga who does the best fascist Santa Claus impression I've ever seen.
The second is Andrey Anatolyevich, admin of "In Light of Events" and "Politics without Pictures" on Telegram and VK.
Note the Russian Tank Troops flag center and the so-called DPR flag on the right.
Prigozhin just published a report and images of the mining of their exit route from Bakhmut and subsequent attack on them by the 🇷🇺 72nd Brigade. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
In the aftermath of the drone strikes on Moscow, Wagner-linked GREYZONE posted such a rant against Ru MoD, that many of their followers started calling them Khokhols and suggested they had been hacked.
Some highlights. It gets better as it goes on👇
Right out the gate admitting stories about strikes on “decision making centres” yesterday are absolute fantasy by Shoigu and part of a predictable and ongoing PR campaign to distract from continued attacks in Belgorod
Ukrainian air defence is much stronger than russian officials will admit. Zero evidence of any breakthroughs yesterday.
“Shoigu and his department of degenerates” couldn’t even list what targets were supposedly struck.
Fascinating interview with Ukrainian Air Force Brigader General, Serhii Golubtsov.
Covers F-16s, JDAMS, Storm Shadows and everything in between. Worth a full read but some highlights below;
1.
The F-16 meets Ukraine's strategic requirements; Multi-role and capable of using a wide array of NATO country weapons. AIM-120 air to air missiles will be enough of a threat to force russian fighters and bombers much further back from the border.
2.
3 or 4 squadrons (48-64 F-16s) will be enough to cause russia to abandon its current air strike campaign in one given area.
Occupied Luhansk is burning for the first time in a long time.
Milbloggers seem convinced Storm Shadow is already at play.
Additional images
Some Ukrainian and Russian channels are stating there were two impacts - one at a fuel tank farm in the South of the city, and one at the Poly-Pak factory that the Russian army was using to store/repair equipment.