1/ Tens of gigabytes of secret data on Russia's strategic electronic warfare systems has been hacked by the pro-Ukrainian Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK). They say that Russia's EW shield is "not just fragile - it's full of holes" due to multiple flaws and vulnerabilities. ⬇️
2/ Two weeks ago, the RDK announced that it had obtained a large quantity of data on Russia's EW systems, including technical specifications, diagrams, official correspondence, equipment setup methods, drawings, test reports, and functional information.
3/ RDK commander 'Fortuna' says that "We got more than just the external appearance. We see the internal logic, architecture, connections between nodes, we know who designed it, which companies supplied the units, which research institutes are responsible for the developments."
4/ "We received a number of important military developments along with protocols, engineering solutions and approvals from the Russian Ministry of Defence. In addition, we managed to establish the entire chain of enterprises involved in production and supply.
5/ "And it is also important that all the persons involved in the development and creation of these stations were identified. Upon completion of the operation, the RDK had their names, addresses, car numbers, places of work."
6/ RDK announced in a YouTube video that it had obtained data on the following:
🔺 "ANCHAR-K — a polar warfare naval station. An automated station for electronic suppression of satellite communication lines in Arctic conditions. It is installed on icebreaker-class ships.
7/ "Developed as a response to the vulnerability of the Russian Federation in high-latitude areas."
8/ The system is intended to disrupt signals from satellites, aviation radars and ship navigation. However, the documents obtained by the RDK indicate that it is not capable of resisting Arctic conditions, including wind, cold and icing.
9/ According to the RDK, "When the ship maneuvers, the Anchar loses tracking. The guidance time is more than four minutes. In the event of a failure, the entire system is switched off." Its location is exposed when it is in operation.
10/ 🔺 "OZON-MEI — over-the-horizon. Over-the-horizon radar project using the evaporation waveguide effect. It works by forming a plasma channel in the near-surface atmosphere."
11/🔺 "Tirada-2.3 — "Interference". Satellite communications electronic suppression station. Part of the Tirada-2S complex."
According to the RDK, this is a narrow-target system for disabling satellite communications which uses directional antennas to focus on specific targets.
12/ Operating in ranges from 225 MHz to 15 GHz, it is used to temporarily disrupt communications with US and British military satellites (WGS, MUOS, Skynet).
13/ 'Fortuna' says: "Such a complex jams communications and also generates false signals. For example, a drone flying over the Bryansk region may "think" that it is over Ethiopia. Disorientation and substitution of coordinates occur."
14/🔺 "NMS REP DDV — suppression radio brain. Ground-based mobile station for suppressing long-range satellite communications. Controls other electronic warfare systems. Suppresses FleetSatcom, Milstar, MUOS, etc. links."
15/ The RDK desribes this as a key element of Russian signal suppression technology:
“This is a radio brain, everything depends on it: it determines radiation modes, types of interference, phasing."
16/ However, they say that it has serious flaws. It is reported to be extremely sensitive to weather, vibrations, requires complex settings and a stable power supply. The system copes poorly with combat conditions.
17/🔺 "Software modules, OS, CORVETTE. Operating systems and software modules used for protection and work with electronic warfare. We understand the architecture, but will not disclose all the security details."
18/ The hacked documents also reveal that Russia exploits China's satellites, apparently without China's knowledge. "Russia uses civilian Chinese satellites to cover the calibration of its systems."
19/ "That is, Russian electronic warfare systems are posing as terminals of the PRC’s civilian fleet in the Pacific Ocean. China has not been officially notified of this. If a signal is detected, Russia is betting that the responsibility will fall on the Chinese channel.
20/ "This is a risky game. Sooner or later, China will understand this. And we already know which satellites they “hang on to,” which channels they mimic. This is an extremely interesting and unexpected observation."
21/ 'Fortuna' says that Russian strategic electronic warfare systems suffer from the lack of an operational ecosystem. "This is a huge, overloaded structure, not ready for a real war."
22/ Russia has invested heavily in its EW systems to compensate for its relative lack of satellites, compared to the United States or China. The leak is likely to be a considerable setback, as it will enable Ukraine's Western partners to develop countermeasures. /end
1/ Russia's recent creation of a salient north of Pokrovsk has been met with dismay by the Ukrainians, but with a surprising degree of caution from Russian warbloggers. They caution that it's an extended meat assault with an uncertain chance of success. ⬇️
2/ Roman Saponkov writes:
"Given the successes near Pokrovsk, I would still recommend waiting a little longer. As it turned out, reserves were withdrawn from there to another important direction."
3/ "But if nothing happens, it is a very good sign that they have learned to operate in conditions of drone warfare and a positional stalemate."
1/ Russian commanders are able to commit crimes with impunity, according to a Russian commentator, because they can send witnesses to their deaths, obstruct investigators, and exploit the relative powerlessness of investigative bodies. ⬇️
2/ Notorious cases such as the killing of two drone pilots (pictured above) by their commander after denouncing him for dealing drugs have gone unpunished. Russian warblogger Anastasia Kashevarova explains why criminal commanders are able to evade military justice:
3/ "Problems with inspections at the front: inaccessibility of the front line for the supervisory authorities, failure of the command to comply with the orders of the supervisory authorities, lack of authority of the supervisory authorities,…
1/ The Trump Administration is reportedly planning to cooperate with Russia in exploiting rare earth minerals in occupied regions of Ukraine. It is also said to be planning to offer Russia the chance to exploit Alaska's mineral resources and to ease aviation sanctions. ⬇️
2/ The Daily Telegraph newspaper reports that the US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, has been presenting ideas on US-Russian economic cooperation to Trump ahead of Friday's summit. They are said to include:
3/🔺 US-Russian cooperation on mining Ukrainian mineral deposits;
🔺 Lifting export bans on parts and equipment needed to service Russian aircraft;
1/ The Times newspaper reports that the Trump Administration is planning to propose to Russia that the occupation of eastern Ukraine should be modelled on Israel's occupation of the West Bank, with Russia in full control but the borders remaining unchanged. ⬇️
2/ According to a Times source, "It’ll just be like Israel occupies the West Bank. With a governor, with an economic situation that goes into Russia, not Ukraine. But it’ll still be Ukraine, because … Ukraine will never give up its sovereignty."
3/ "But the reality is it’ll be occupied territory and the model is Palestine."
The proposal is said to have been raised with the Russians by Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, who is also the US Special Envoy to the Middle East.
1/ The war in Ukraine has resulted in so many Russians joining war industries, the army, dying or being crippled that the Russian government needs to import millions of Indians and North Koreans to replace them. Ordinary Russians aren't keen, calling them unhygenic or robotic. ⬇️
2/ Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin recently admitted that the country is currently experiencing a drastic shortage of labour, due to "the consequences of the demographic collapse and the movement of workers to the military-industrial complex".
3/ Russia is forecast to be short of 2 million workers by 2030, particularly in the trade, healthcare and manufacturing sectors. An official of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives says that a shortage of construction workers could mean that housebuilding will cease in 5-7 years.
1/ A retired Russian paratrooper says that "half-dead" Russian soldiers are being sent back to the front line in handcuffs after being denied medical treatment or examinations. He complains that Putin should be conscripting foreign migrants rather than Russians. ⬇️
2/ The man, who identifies himself as Sergei from the Lipetsk region of Russia, has recorded a pair of videos complaining about the way in which the 98th Airborne Division (military unit 65451) is treating its men. He sarcastically calls it the "98th Penal Battalion".
3/ "Our valiant soldiers are being shoved into buses half dead and taken to the front lines. That's the morality of the shit commander... Why is this done by the leadership? It is not only the Airborne Forces, it is everywhere, in all directions.