Forbes Ukraine published the first article about Pavlo "Lazar" Yelizarov, a film and TV producer, who founded the National Guard Lasar's Group, Ukraine's top heavy bomber UAS unit. The group has destroyed more than $12 billion worth of Russian equipment, including more than 2,000 tanks and 3,000 IFVs.
forbes.ua/magazine
He bought an agricultural drone from cigarette smugglers and made the first flight on May 6, 2022. The 300-person unit was established in the National Guard in September 2022. 98% of its personnel were civilians before the war. Its intelligence department is run by former financial analysts. 2/

Thread on the situation east of Dobropillia. It is important to start by acknowledging there is much we don't know, so it is difficult whether to call this a breach, breakthrough, or infiltration past Ukrainian lines. It is also difficult to predict how this will develop, but it demonstrates a Ukrainian vulnerability. The front line is actually relatively porous, and there is often fewer than 10 soldiers defending every kilometer of the front depending on the terrain. Many Ukrainian brigades have adopted a different approach to defense where their infantry deliberately try to avoid engaging Russian infantry unless absolutely necessary. They instead rely on UAS to stop Russian infantry, both in front of or behind the front line. Most commanders we spoke to estimated that 80-90% of Russian infantry casualties are caused by UAS. 2/

Video of a counter-UAV net on the road near Bakhmut and a partially constructed Ukrainian net over a road in Kursk oblast.
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https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1898313306542076045

“When North Korean troops first appeared on the battlefield last month, Ukrainian soldiers were stunned by how they moved in large groups and did not even attempt to hide from Ukrainian drones. Many were easily killed in those initial waves, but in ensuing battles, the new arrivals proved to be combat-ready, physically fit and skilled marksmen, the Ukrainians said…

But the North Koreans also fought fiercely and aggressively, demonstrating advanced war tactics…

Some North Korean troops, the documents said, repeatedly rushed to rescue their fellow wounded soldiers despite the risks of enemy attacks, causing further casualties.”
washingtonpost.com/world/2025/01/…
@siobhan_ogrady @serhiikorolchuk @EdR4m "Used in infantry attacks and largely unsupported by armored vehicles or artillery, the North Koreans have appeared in videos shot from Ukrainian drones—cut down as they trek across barren fields. Ukrainian soldiers say they have been impressed by the North Koreans’ willingness to press forward even as their comrades perish alongside them...

North Korean troops have also chosen death over capture, Ukrainian soldiers say, carrying a grenade with which to blow themselves up or, in rare cases, a shiv with which to cut their arteries. One North Korean detained by Ukrainians was taken alive before but, heavily wounded, he died during transportation, according to Ukrainian officials.

'Their motivation is at a high level,' said Green. 'Their physical training is at a high level, and their readiness to die is the same.'"
@JaneLytv @DaslYoon
wsj.com/world/inside-a…

Ukrainian Air Force technicians who service MiG-29 fighters say that they are being transferred to serve as infantry.
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https://x.com/RALee85/status/1853140552385982835

A number of Russian channels say that Ukraine has began an offensive operation from near Sudzha towards Bolshoye Soldatskoye in Kursk oblast with armored vehicles. They say Ukrainian EW has been effective against their UAVs and that Ukrainian units cleared mines overnight.
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Some Russian channels have been warning recently of a Ukrainian build up near Kursk and a potential offensive. Romanov warned that Ukraine would strike before January 7th. 2/
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Videos of Russian fiber optic cable FPV strikes on the Pokrovsk front and elsewhere on BvS 10, FV103 Spartan, Bradley, T-80BV, BMP, and Varta.
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Videos from the past two weeks of Russian fiber optic cable FPV strikes on the Pokrovsk and Toretsk fronts on an M113, mortar, armored vehicle, T-72B tank, and truck. It looks like the T-72 was struck by 6 of more FPVs. 2/
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Russian channels say that Ukrainian UAVs targeted the ammunition depot in Tikhoretsk, Krasnodar Krai.




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Video of an explosion. 2/
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Video of an armored column with at least 8 tanks and armored vehicles from the Russian VDV's 51st Airborne Regiment assaulting Snagost in Kursk oblast. It appears Russia was able to get the armored force across the Seym River, despite Ukrainian strikes on the bridges. @Deepstate_UA says the situation has worsened on Ukraine's left flank in Kursk oblast.


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"Iran has sent short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, a move that will give Moscow another potent military tool to use in the war against Ukraine and follows stern Western warnings not to provide those arms to Moscow, according to U.S. and European officials." @wstrobel @mgordonwsj @laurnorman
wsj.com/world/u-s-tell… "A U.S. official confirmed the missiles 'have finally been delivered'...

The shipment involves a couple of hundred short-range ballistic missiles, according to Western officials. Iran has a variety of such weapons, with a range stretching up to around 500 miles.

'This is not the end,' a senior European official said, noting that Iran is expected to keep weapons flowing into Russia"

Another Ukrainian FPV employing some form of incendiary munition on a tree line by Ukraine’s 42nd Mechanized Brigade.
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https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1830569240992137524

Videos from Ukraine's 116th and 60th Mechanized Brigades of FPVs with incendiary munitions. 2/


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I think Biddle is right that authorizing the use of longer-range strikes into Russia wouldn't be decisive on its own, but I also think this is an unfair burden to apply to the delivery of weapons or restrictions. People often say sanctions are ineffective if they fail to deter or stop a war, but they can still make it more difficult for the target to wage that war. Most of Russia's Su-34 glide bomb carriers are no longer operated from airbases within ATACMS or Storm Shadow range; however, the S-300/S-400 that struck Kharkiv yesterday would be within range of ATACMS, and air defenses have a priority ATACMS target in occupied areas. One of the main benefits of allowing HIMARS' GMLRS strikes into Russian territory after the Kharkiv offensive began was that Kharkiv gained a reprieve from S-300/S-400 strikes. It seems that is no longer the case.

Videos of Ukrainian air strikes in Kursk oblast on bridges and a platoon position with GBU-39 small diameter bombs.
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https://x.com/Arvelleg1/status/1826686842135036304

Video from the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces of the first hours of the Kursk operation on August 6 with MICLICs breaching Russian fortifications, Strykers and tanks, and artillery and aviation support. The video also shows an armored bridge layer and other engineering vehicles.
t.me/AFUStratCom/25… Video of the breach on August 6 with a UR-77 MICLIC.
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Some early thoughts about this operation. The most important factor in the war right now is Russia's manpower and force availability advantage, in particular with infantry. That is the primary reason why Ukraine is struggling to hold back Russian advances in Donetsk oblast. Russia's Kharkiv offensive further stretched Ukraine's reserves, which means Ukrainian commanders have limited forces to reinforce units that are under pressure or to stop breakthroughs. The situation on the Pokrovsk and Toretsk fronts is serious. The war has not seen large swings of the front line since 2022, but Russia's advances on the Pokrovsk front over the past three weeks have been relatively rapid for the 2023-2024 period. So the question is how this operation will affect the fighting elsewhere and whether these forces could have been employed more effectively in Donetsk oblast. 2/

Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade announced that it is forming a battalion composed of convict volunteers.
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Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade is also standing up a battalion composed of convicts. 2/

https://twitter.com/DefactoHumanity/status/1808944812692758588

Videos of Russian UAVs bringing down Ukrainian night bomber / baba yaga UAVs.
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Videos of Russian UAVs ramming Ukrainian night bomber / baba yaga UAVs. 2/
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Video of a Ukrainian FPV taking down a Russian ZALA 421-16 UAV. Sternenko says one of his FPVs took down an Orlan UAV as well but these cases are rare.

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https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1796600131086844007

Looks like Sergei Shoigu is being replaced. Putin has nominated Andrei Belousov as the next Minister of Defense.
tass.ru/politika/20775… Shoigu will be replacing Nikolai Patrushev as Secretary of the Security Council. 2/

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When we evaluate how weapons perform, it is important to note the conditions in which they operate. Abrams were committed into the fight this winter at a time when Ukraine had a lack of infantry as well as mines, ATGMs, air defense, and artillery ammunition. This may seem bizarre from the outside, but Ukraine often employs tanks in a manner to compensate for a lack of infantry or ammunition for other systems because those are the conditions they face. If you don't have enough artillery or ATGM ammunition, you may bring up a tank or Bradley to engage Russian armor or infantry instead. This could involve placing an Abrams or Bradley at greater risk than you would like, but these are the organic assets that the 47th Mechanized Brigade had, and they come with a different supply of ammunition.

Some thoughts about the supplemental bill. This is good news, but it will primarily help Ukraine defend in 2024 and into 2025. Russia will still likely make further gains this year, and it doesn't fix all of Ukraine's issues. It should be seen as one part of a long-term strategy. Ukraine has had three main problems since Russia seized the initiative in October: ammunition, manpower, and fortifications. Ukraine is making progress building fortifications and multiple defensive lines, but defenses on many of the key parts of the front are still underdeveloped, contributing to Russian advances. 2/