The situation in the Kharkiv direction remains difficult. The commander of the Achilles UAV unit writes -
"Information is now spreading that the occupiers are allegedly retreating from Vovchansk and Hlyboke. I want to emphasize that over the past year I cannot recall a period 1/7
when the enemy retreated. Heavy and difficult battles continued in all the territories that we managed to return and de-occupy. On every part of the front, we have counter-battles. After recapturing one or another position, the enemy necessarily counterattacks with the aim of 2/7
regaining the lost positions. The enemy has more forces and means. So when you hear that the situation is stabilized, or that the Defense Forces have a tactical initiative, you should understand that at this time very difficult things are still going on". Despite the fact 3/7
that the situation in most parts of the front is stabilizing, we must not forget that Russia is not stopping its offensive. Russia is using everything it has. Yes, it has problems with equipment, people and ammunition, but it throws all available means into the battle, 4/7
without ceasing the onslaught on the Ukrainian forces. There are small advances in the areas of Avdiivka and Ocheretyne. Russia is running out of armored vehicles, but they are switching to buggies and motorcycles. The effectiveness of this tactic is debatable, but there are 5/7
many of them. Russia always takes with mass and this tactic has not changed throughout the war. If there is less armor, then more infantry goes into battle. The entire Russian industry is put on a war footing. This is not enough to make a major breakthrough, but it is enough 6/7
to ensure that the onslaught is incessant. Russia will not win this war, but there is still a long struggle ahead and our support for Ukraine must not cease. 7/7
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In mid-October, Putin introduced a moratorium on the cancellation of the fuel damper. This mechanism provides that if the export price of gasoline and diesel fuel is higher than the conditional domestic one, the state compensates companies for part of this difference. 1/8
It is intended to curb fuel prices, but prices continue to rise and have reached record highs not seen in the last 30 years. In September alone, oil companies received more than 30 billion rubles in compensation despite failing to keep their promises not to raise prices. 2/8
The reason is that Putin himself is also a beneficiary of oil companies through various schemes. These companies are the main source of his personal wealth and the financial backbone of Russia’s war machine, and he will keep them afloat at any cost. These payments are an 3/8
The new talks between Trump, Putin, and Zelensky are likely to end in yet another deadlock. This time, Putin has softened his illegal demands and is now “ready to give up” the Zaporizhzhia region in exchange for a ceasefire and control over the rest of Donetsk region. These
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“concessions” have probably signaled to Trump that Putin is ready for negotiations, and that maybe, finally, he can strike a peace deal and get his long-coveted Nobel Prize - since it didn’t work out with Israel, where Hamas opened fire again. The White House rhetoric has
2/16
once again shifted sharply, from “Tomahawks are already on their way to Kyiv” to “Donbas should be Russian.” It’s the same old Kremlin ploy - when things go badly, start pushing for negotiations. All this commotion began after Putin’s call with Trump and has now turned into
3/16
In Russia, a new wave of hatred toward Chechens is flaring up - and this time, the reason seems surprisingly harmless: a Central Bank vote to choose the image for a new 500-ruble banknote. Yet another attempt by the authorities to distract from economic and social problems
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has unexpectedly exposed deep-seated interethnic tensions that have been smoldering in the country for decades. Two options emerged as frontrunners in the online voting: Mount Elbrus and the Grozny City business center - a symbol of the modern Chechen capital. In the region
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itself, the campaign has taken on the character of a national project: authorities, schools, hospitals, and military units have been organized to participate. The process is personally supervised by Ramzan Kadyrov and his administration. This activity provoked a stormy
3/12
The Russian Ministry of Defense has drafted a bill to involve Russian citizens in the Armed Forces reserve in performing tasks during peacetime, RBC reports, citing a copy of the document. The government approved the initiative on October 13, according to a source familiar 1/9
with the matter. The bill proposes that reservists can be called up for special training sessions by presidential decree. These “special sessions” are described as military gatherings aimed at fulfilling specific defense-related tasks in cases of armed conflict, 2/9
counterterrorist operations, or the deployment of forces abroad. According to Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defense Committee, the bill expands the ability to use reservists in various circumstances. He noted that it introduces broad legal definitions that would 3/9
Russian Uralvagonzavod - the country’s main manufacturer of railway cars and also tanks (since Soviet times, Russia has had a tradition of dual-purpose factories, where the producer of metal buckets might also make artillery shells) - is switching its civilian workforce 1/7
to a four-day workweek. The change will affect only employees in the railcar production division. They were offered to transfer to “other divisions with active orders,” since the situation is quite different in tank production. Uralvagonzavod, part of the Rostec corporation, 2/7
is Russia’s largest tank manufacturer. After the start of the war, the plant switched to a three-shift schedule, and since August 2022 has been operating around the clock. Russia’s economy is increasingly shifting to a war footing, while its civilian sector is rapidly 3/7
Another sign of growing problems in the Russian economy. Next year, Russia will cut spending on the production and repair of aircraft by one and a half times — from 139.6 billion to 85.7 billion rubles. This was reported by The Moscow Times. “The Russian government plans 1/9
to reduce funding for the federal project ‘Production of Aircraft and Helicopters’ by 1.6 times in 2026 - from 139.6 billion to 85.7 billion rubles,” the report says. According to the draft of Russia’s new budget for 2026–2028, spending will also decrease in 2027 compared to 2/9
previously planned figures - from 109.7 billion to 86.9 billion rubles (a 21% drop). Funding is expected to slightly increase only in 2028 - to 89.3 billion rubles. The publication notes that the most significant cuts will affect state support for Russian airlines renewing 3/9