I obtained a russian document titled "Regulation on Storm Units Z of the 8th Combined Arms Army." This document outlines the objectives, organization, and logistical requirements of 'Storm Z' units. After analyzing its contents, I have distilled the main points.
2/ The document defines "Storm Z" Company as an independent, joint, tactical, combined-arms company temporarily created outside the regular army corps unit structure for immediate operational use in performing particularly complex combat missions.
3/ The document outlines a request to establish 'Storm Z' companies within the following units:
Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades: 1st, 9th, 110th, 114th of the 1st Army Corps
Motorized Rifle Regiments(150th division): 102nd, 103rd
4/ Tank Regiments(150th division): 68th, 163rd
Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades: 4th, 6th, 7th, 110th, 123rd, 132nd.
5/ The composition of the company (or detachment) has a flexible structure that varies depending on the received combat mission, the situational conditions, the terrain, and other factors, and is completed with the necessary number of personnel
6/ "Storm Company Z" (100 personnel) structure:
4x Capture Squad (10 personnel each)
4x Fire Support Squad (10 personnel each)
1x Company Command (2 personnel)
1x Combat Engineering Group (5 personnel)
1x Reconnaissance Group (8 personnel)
8/ The goals of the Storm 'Z' company are:
• To conduct combat operations in a city (settlement) or areas with difficult geographical conditions.
• To capture important objects such as strongholds, command posts, communication centers, buildings, structures
9/ • To carry out sabotage operations in territories controlled by the enemy.
• To search for and destroy sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
10/ • To block structures and eliminate enemy forces within them.
• To adjust artillery fire and air support
11/ It should be noted that the servicemen who join the Storm-Z unit are granted a status equivalent to that of "BARS" volunteers, and they receive a salary of 205,000 rubles per month for the duration of their contract.
12/ GROUP TRAINING
The training and coordination of Z Company typically requires 10 to 15 days and is conducted in three stages.
During the first stage, the focus is on restoring military personnel's proficiency in various skills, including weapons handling, first aid,
13/ camouflage, shelter preparation, reconnaissance, and communication. The training also includes specialized instruction for UAV operators and mine and booby trap deployment and removal.
14/ The second stage of training involves squad coordination, with a focus on joint actions of military personnel in combat pairs, trios, and squads. It includes self-help and mutual assistance, mutual fire cover, radio communication,
15/ and preparation for coordinated actions during marches, urban assault, capturing fortified points, and securing gains.
The third stage of training involves the coordination of platoons, with a main focus on preparing them for conducting assault operations
16/ and coordinated joint actions during marches, urban assaults, capturing fortified points, and securing gains.
It is noteworthy that Company Z includes inmates, and there are particular regulations concerning their participation, which I will cover in the Part II.
17/ Kindly ensure to like and follow, as Twitter algorithms tend to demote content related to war and Ukraine, so you do not miss the second part.
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Reminder: the account that posted a photo said to show Iryna Zarutska, with a BLM poster in the background, drew 18 million views. In May 2025, France’s defense and security secretariat tied this account to Storm-1516, a state-backed Russian disinfo group. But there’s more:
2/ According to a report by VIGINUM, the French agency for countering foreign digital interference and disinformation under the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security, this unit is a Russian information manipulation set (IMS) linked to Russia’s intelligence (GRU)
3/ EclecticIQ, a Dutch cybersecurity and threat-intelligence firm, identified the LordBebo account as linked to the Storm-1516 disinformation unit in its report on disinformation campaigns. My team also looked into the matter and found a rather interesting pattern:
A recurring question is whether Russia categorizes AWOL cases as a way to conceal combat deaths in its official reports. The short answer is no. The longer answer is more complicated, and requires looking at how AWOL is treated within the Russian military system. 🧵Short thread:
2/ Most AWOL cases can escalate into actual criminal proceedings if all other measures to bring soldiers back fail. High rates of desertion or absence trigger investigations on record - problems that weigh more heavily on commanders and unit statistics than combat losses do
3/ Casualties themselves are rarely the main concern, provided objectives set by higher command are met. By contrast, desertion is seen as evidence of weak leadership and poor control over subordinates. KIA and MIA are regarded as an acceptable cost of war; AWOL is not.
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2/ Before proceeding, we thank the Ukrainian project @hochuzhit_com for providing additional documents containing the full list of service members. While the source is trusted, we carried out our own inspection and verification to confirm the list’s authenticity.
3/ Our team randomly selected 21 cases from the file and used third-party services to verify each soldier’s name, date of birth, and address or region. In 19 cases the data fully matched; the two discrepancies were in addresses, likely due to changes before/after enlistment
Since July, our team has published 4 major investigations: on foreign mercenaries and Cuban fighters in Russia’s ranks; procurement and targeting pod issues with the Su-57; and China’s role in Shahed UAV production. We also analyzed Russian losses in units and North Korean arms:
2/ We’ve also completed, but not yet published, data on Russian desertions and losses in several major units. Our research on artillery barrels is wrapping up, after which we’ll also release exclusive investigations into Russia’s weapons production
3/ None of this would be possible without your continued financial support and donations. Some of our earlier investigations have already helped several governments pursue their own inquiries into sanctions evasion
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2/ With only days left before the fall season, the chances of Russia taking Pokrovsk by summer’s end are virtually nil. Amid the so-called “peace talks,” the lack of progress risks undermining Russia’s resolve to fight for “years”, as they like to boast
3/ That does not mean Russia will stop advancing. But if the political goal remains the takeover of Donbas, achieving it by the end of this year appears impossible.
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2/ When North Korean forces arrived in Kursk in the latter half of 2024, they entered a war already deep into its “drone phase.” Adapting to this reality required three urgent adjustments: countermeasures, offensive drone tactics, and battlefield surveillance.
3/ In a 19-minute video released by Korean Central Television, an FPV drone team, a pilot and a co-pilot, is shown striking Ukrainian vehicles in Kursk Oblast. The wiring setup suggests a reconnaissance unit with quadcopters was likely operating from the same building.