1/ A Russian soldier at the front line writes of the harsh conditions at the front line, under continuous fire from "German artillery" [sic] and FPV drones in such a high density that soldiers often cannot move from their dugouts without getting hit. ⬇️
2/ An administrator of the 'Management Speaks' Telegram channel says that they are "slowly but steadily moving through the fields and plantations. The faggots stand to the end and are not going to give up!"
3/ "It is very difficult to work on the flanks because of the German artillery and FPV, they work point by point and [so] densely that we cannot take out the bodies of people!
4/ "In some places we have consolidated but we cannot move because of the density of the kamikazes and the boys have to sit in the holes without leaving, thank God that there is a single Mavic [drone] for dropping water and food!
5/ "Brothers, I am not joking, the task in the direction is carried out at any cost and believe me that it is harder now than in 2023 and 24!
6/ "The front has become wider, there are a lot of useless ones who sit in the rear, wander to the local prostitutes and get drunk to drooling, but because of people like them, do not think that we are all in a fairy tale and there is nothing here,…
7/ …from everything that is happening it seems to me that there will soon be [another] mobilisation! I'm not a spectator and I don't know how to get used to it and treat the shit that's happening as everyday life!
8/ "They won't let me lie that Donetsk got into such a mess in its own area that they still can't get it out of because it's physically impossible!
9/ "The faggots got a new frequency [to operate drones, they fly like they're at home and I'm not speaking for myself, we don't have any electronic warfare at all, but for our neighbors who are equipped!
10/ "If they are trying to bother you and complain and ask for help, please take my word for it, behind every advancement there is a fucking expense, you are simply shocked and it is physically impossible to cope without you and I am not telling you this to whine but because…
11/ …I want you to know that it is not as sweet as they write in the reports and more of our equipment and faggots are burning and being destroyed here than they show on TV, only there are special persons who can appropriate other people's trophies and merits for themselves…
12/ …and I have even come to terms with this because I do not trust any of those who give me commands, my task is to win faster and end this war because there is nothing cool in killing people but if we do not bring everything to the end we will come back here…
13/ …in a few years again and I do not want to, I want to live, fulfill my dream and buy myself a house or an apartment, do what I like and live for my own pleasure!
14/ "It seems I have spoken my mind, forgive me for my moment of weakness, I just want you to know that without your warm words of support, without your financial assistance, we would have been lost long ago!
15/ "I am not flattering you or buttering you up, I give you my word that I am grateful to you as to my own people, thank you very much that you exist and that you are near! Once again, forgive me for this long, sappy story, let's move forward! Victory will be ours!🇷🇺🫡" /end
1/ A Russian artilleryman has written a highly critical commentary on the way that the Russian army manages small units, which he says discourages independent thought and empowers "scoundrels". ⬇️
2/ The 'Ghost of Novorossiya' Telegram channel posts the thoughts of an artilleryman with the callsign 'Lame', about the controls of small units at the platoon-company/battery level:
3/ "1. The old army maxim does not work: "Until you have risen to the rank of colonel, you do not need to think. Just follow orders." In general, it is a bad habit not to think, and in a modern war it is fraught with death.
1/ The defendants in the case of the 22 March 2024 terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall venue near Moscow, in which 145 people died, have appeared in court this week. The testimony of an alleged ringleader has been published, providing a detailed account of the plot. ⬇️
2/ Shamsiddin Fariduni, allegedly the leader of the terrorists who attacked Crocus, was photographed shortly after his capture being tortured by the FSB. He appeared to have been severely beaten before his first appearance in court. His testimony should be read with this in mind.
3/ According to his testimony, Fariduni had a criminal record in his native Tajikistan for "committing a crime against sexual inviolability." He went to Russia to get a job in Podolsk, where he became interested in radical Islam and subscribed to ISIS-linked Telegram channels.
1/ The short and potentially tragic journey of American émigré Derek Huffman, who moved with his family from Texas to Russia to escape gays and pornography, joined the Russian army and was sent to the front in Ukraine, is documented by his YouTube channel. ⬇️
2/ Until recently, Huffman has vlogged his migration to Russia on his family's YouTube channel, 'Huffman Time'. He described his reasons for the move in a video of March 4, 2025:
3/ "We were motivated by our concerns over LGBT indoctrination in the American schools, unhealthy food, and a desire for a safer environment that is aligned with our Christian values.
1/ At least 226 million rubles ($2.88 million) is reported to have been stolen during the construction of border fortifications in Russia's Bryansk region. The deputy governor, Nikolai Simonenko, has been been raided by investigators pursuing a criminal case. ⬇️
2/ Bryansk has become the third Russian region bordering Ukraine to become the focus of a scandal over corruption in the fortification programme, after Kursk and Belgorod. Kursk's governor and deputy governor are currently detained and awaiting trial.
3/ The corruption scandal in the Kursk region is reportedly the reason why another former governor, Roman Starovoit, shot himself on 7 July. He was said to have been about to face charges over a $190 million fraud.
1/ Residents of the Russian-occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine have issued a desperate appeal to Vladimir Putin to resolve a disastrous shortage of water. A Russian warblogger admits that the region was better off before the Russian takeover. ⬇️
2/ The entirety of Russian-occupied Ukraine is experiencing a severe and worsening lack of water for domestic, agricultural and industrial use. War, neglect, faulty infrastructure and corruption are widely blamed for the problems.
3/ The 'Blue Z Beard' Telegram channel has published the text of an "appeal to the Tsar" which residents of Donetsk have made to Vladimir Putin. It's unlikely to have much effect, as similar appeals have simply been referred to the local authorities.
1/ Russian convicts are being violently press-ganged into the Russian army, according to relatives. They say that hundreds of prisoners have been beaten en masse until they have agreed to sign a military contract. The army "really needs meat", says one relative. ⬇️
2/ At least 50,000 Russian convicts were voluntarily recruited by the Wagner Group and subsequently the Russian Ministry of Defence, with promises of pardons and lucrative payouts. However, many remained behind, particularly after reports of huge numbers of casualties emerged.
3/ As the mother of one man who resisted recruitment says of her son, "He said that he was not a fool to go to his death. Even after the Wagnerites returned six months later (not all of them, of course) with medals and millions."