1/ The recent destruction of a Russian column at Volodymyrivka has prompted strong reactions from Russian warbloggers. Some claim the attack to have been successful, despite the losses; others castigate commanders for sacrificing lives and vehicles. ⬇️
2/ 'Military Informant' is in the first camp, commenting:
"While during the summer months, the vector of combat operations along the entire front had shifted toward small infantry groups of several men, transported to the front lines by light wheeled vehicles, in this case,…
3/ …for the first time in a long time, we are witnessing the mass use of tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and armored personnel carriers. Clearly, the accumulated reserves were deployed to expand the existing breakthrough zone, simplify its logistics,…
4/ …and reduce the threat of Ukrainian forces cutting off the breakthrough's "gut," as Volodymyrivka and the adjacent Shakhove are a vital road leading toward Kucheriv Yar and Nove Shakhove.
5/ "Footage released by the enemy of attempts to repel the assault once again demonstrates the extreme difficulty of conducting such offensives with masses of armour, as well as the high price paid each time due to the dominance of kamikaze drones in the skies.
6/ "Nevertheless, due to the weak infantry component of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defence in this sector, a column of Russian vehicles was able to enter the village and land troops, who have already consolidated their position."
7/ [Note: reports on Russian successes are conflicting, with the Russians claiming to have taken territory while the Ukrainians claim to have eliminated the troops who were landed from the vehicles.]
8/ "Most likely, the worse the weather becomes in the near future, the more difficult it will be for the enemy to detect the concentration of Russian armoured vehicles near the front lines, meaning they will have less time to react.
9/ "The situation in the Dobropillia breakthrough zone is still extremely precarious and will remain so until Shakhove is captured, thereby expanding the front and establishing supply lines.
10/ "Therefore, we can soon expect more similar attacks involving armoured vehicles, which, however, are becoming less and less common on the modern battlefield with each passing month.
11/ "Moreover, it can be noted that it is quite difficult for Ukrainian FPV drone operators to completely destroy tightly "trapped" vehicles, and the vehicles themselves do not explode from every second hit.
12/ "This is likely also a positive factor in the BMP-3's refusal to use 100mm shells during assault operations [to prevent them exploding catastrophically when hit]".
'Razvedos' is also in the glass-half-full camp:
13/ "They waited for the weather to clear.
They assembled a GOOD force and equipment and blew it away.
The enemy was hitting everything—tanks, armored vehicles, motorcycles…
But SUDDENLY, they couldn't get it out.
14/ "❗️The MASSIFICATION of forces and resources was decisive, but it could not help but be decisive - no means of destruction can contradict the basic principles of military art!
❗️Yes, a lot has been lost—unfortunately!
But EVERYTHING LOST is within our zone of control.
15/ "This means evacuating the wounded, evacuating equipment, and returning it to service.
This isn't a 'grey area' where more is lost in a month than during the assault."
16/ Taking a more sceptical view, 'Fighterbomber' points out that a lot of men and materiel were expended against a relatively marginal location:
17/ "The question remains unanswered as to how many people and how much equipment, resources and rainy days would be needed for such a massive operation to liberate all the Vladimirivkas in Ukraine.
18/ "And there are fortresses and strongholds that are, to put it mildly, more serious than Vladimirivka."
Alexander Garmaev is scathing about "losses are no big deal" commentators such as Razvedos:
19/ "It's complete nonsense from someone who, judging by what I've read, doesn't give a damn what's going on here.
Give frontline analytics to someone who has never been to war, and they will run wild...
20/ "Unfortunately, he's not alone; there are tons of channels spouting similar nonsense, but he certainly distinguished himself.
Of course, there are plenty of authors like that. Fuck the tactics, warriors!
21/ "Stay on track, write reviews about rags and tactics, like killing cardboard, but the arrow goes here, that goes there, and how everything's fine, they fucked us up so much that it became good, that's not your thing.
22/ "That's roughly the message behind the high-flown post about taking yet another village full of old women. Everything's fucking fine, and I'm writing this about the Pokrovsk front.
23/ "Not a word about the equipment he described in the post being operated by real people, our soldiers.
Shouldn't you at least voice the problem and ask yourself if there are ways and means to reduce losses? Isn't it possible? Is it bothering you?
24/ "Read a bunch of armchair generals they don't care about casualties, they don't care about the mistakes of butchers, they don't care about supply problems, they don't care that people are dying. They're experts, opinion leaders, and what's going on here?
25/ "Why the hell should you share a piece of bread with trench cattle? So what if they made a mistake on a 1:10000000 scale map by a couple of centimetres?
In a warm hut in Moscow or somewhere else, you can see the front better, who cares." /end
1/ Large numbers of elderly Russian men are being attracted by fat recruitment bonuses to join the war in Ukraine for the financial benefit of their families. "I've lived my life, we'll get an apartment for my son now, so what if I get killed?", asks one. ⬇️
2/ The independent Russian media outlet Verstka reports that men over 50 from all over Russia are travelling to Moscow to join the army there, enticed by what have until recently been the highest military recruitment salaries in Russia.
3/ Ukraine's incursion in the Kursk region in August 2024 galvanised enlistment, according to staff at one Moscow recruitment office. They say that lines began forming at the office after the incursion, with 500 people a day queuing to sign up.
1/ In a sign of further financial trouble for the Russian government, which is facing increasing problems due to the economic strain of the war in Ukraine, public servants are said to have been unexpectedly told that they must pay all taxes six weeks ahead of schedule. ⬇️
2/ The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reports:
"Despite the legal deadline for paying property taxes for individuals being 1 December 2025, Federal Tax Service employees at all levels are being quietly, but by order,…
3/ …forced to pay received tax demands by the end of this week and to provide scanned payment documents and tax calculations to their immediate supervisors for compliance monitoring. Moreover, there is no official explanation for this.
1/ A Russian soldier has recorded a video in advance of his own anticipated murder, speaking about how his commander has executed and buried other members of his unit, as well as hoarding aid meant for the soldiers. The speaker has since disappeared and is now likely dead too. ⬇️
2/ Pre-murder videos are a distinct genre of selfie videos made by Russian soldiers (see below for a couple more examples). They explain calmly why they are about to be killed – generally because they have complained about corrupt officers or disobeyed orders.
1/ Russian troops on the Dnipro delta islands are dying of starvation, according to Russian warbloggers. They say that swarms of Ukrainian drones have caused extreme logistical difficulties, leading to soldiers being cut off for months.
2/ The marshy islands of the lower Dnipro below Kherson city have been contested by both sides since 2022. Neither side controls them, but recently leaked casualty figures show that over 5,100 Russians have been killed in the region since 1 January 2025.
3/ Two Russian warbloggers highlight what has been going on there. 'Callsign OSETIN' writes:
"Fighting continues on the islands in the Kherson direction (slightly less frequently, but it's still happening). Few people write about it, but our men on the islands are true heroes.
1/ A Russian submarine stricken with a serious fuel leak has surfaced off Brittany and is being tracked by the French Navy. Meanwhile, leaked documents describe how a Russian missile corvette collided with a civilian tanker on 7 August 2025. ⬇️
2/ The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reports that the Russian Black Sea Fleet submarine Novorossiysk (B-261) has surfaced off the coast of Brittany. It is being monitored by a French Navy frigate, according to NATO's Maritime Command.
3/ VChK-OGPU reports that the submarine's fuel system is damaged and is leaking directly into the hull:
"There are no repair parts or qualified specialists on board, and the crew is unable to fix the malfunction. The serious accident has led to other problems."
1/ Russia is reportedly preparing to carry out a "sanitisation of the state" to purge "officials, military personnel, and members of the media and public" who are suspected of undermining the war against Ukraine. ⬇️
2/ The Russian journalist and warblogger Anastasia Kashevarova reports that a purge is being prepared against numerous individuals. As well as officials and soldiers, it seems likely from what she says that various warbloggers will also face prison or being sent to the front:
3/ "According to my information, our security forces/intelligence agencies are monitoring approximately 70-80 cases.