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In a creaky mobile my volunteer anonymous friend who is
in Ukraine calls
01.09.2025
12.40
I wrote it down
( info not verified)

The fronts are basically still so I will deal with the new Ukrainian and vatnik doctrine that is prevailing, something that has not been dealt with in the Western media as far as I know.

I can reveal these now because the vatnik have already noticed how we act on the front lines. 2/
I will use the #Dobropilla battles as a typical example but first some facts.

We no longer use trench systems to any great extent because they are visible and were continuously under glide bomb attacks.

We lost way too many men in them.

Therefore we switched to dugouts which were camouflaged and manned by 3-4 people.

These were in abundance and our losses were reduced.

At first we reduced the number of soldiers in the trenches but when the vatnik attacked with lots of motorcycles we had too few people to knock them out.

Digouts solved this problem.

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Thread ✍️

Can russia Weather a Fuel Crisis Caused by Ukrainian Drone Attacks?

Damage to russian refineries has helped send gasoline prices to multi-year highs, but the government has options to mitigate the shortages.

Once again, russia is in the grips of a gasoline crisis. Prices at the pump are rising, and some gas stations have run dry.

This isn’t the first time russia has experienced such shortages, but this time around they could be more serious because of the ongoing war in Ukraine. 2/
There were gasoline crises in russia both before the full-scale invasion (in 2011, 2018, and 2021), and afterward (in 2023).

Despite a 2024 Ukrainian drone campaign targeting russian refineries, the fuel market remained relatively calm.

Back then, each refinery was only hit by a single drone, reducing plant capacity but leaving it operational. The damage was dealt with in a matter of weeks, consecutive attacks, were rare and often deflected, and neighboring plants continued to operate without interruption. Ultimately, the 2024 drone attacks caused inconvenience and expense for the russian oil industry, but did not present a major problem.
carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia…

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MFRrussia has massively attacked #Ukraine️.

There is a death and destruction in #Zaporizhia and #Dnipro, in the Kyiv region - problems on the railway: all the details and photos


Approximate map of the massive russian attack on Ukraine on the night of August 30war.obozrevatel.com/ukr/rosiya-ata…
2/
On the evening of Friday, August 29, the aggressor country MFRrussia launched
obozrevatel.com/ukr/topic/ross…
another attack on Ukraine , launching Shahed strike UAVs and simulator drones from a number of locations.

Later, it became known about the takeoff of enemy strategic aircraft . Missile launches were carried out from them, and the enemy also attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles and " Calibers" .

Air defense forces are operating in the regions, explosions are heard. The movement of enemy drones is reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and monitoring channels.
t.me/kpszsu/41102

What is known about the MFRrussian attack?

As of 23:44, it was known about the takeoff of two Tu-95MS aircraft from Olenya towards the Caspian region and one Tu-160 aircraft from Engels within the Saratov region of the MFRrussian Federation.

"The Tu-95MS will most likely be in the Engels area at 02:00 - 03:00 +/-. If the launches are from here, then we expect the missiles in our airspace at around 02:45 - 03:30 +/-. In the Caspian Sea area, they will most likely be at 04:00 - 05:30 +/-. If the launches are from here, then we expect the missiles in our airspace at around 05:00 - 06:00 +/-. The time is very approximate, with a large margin of error," wrote "Nikolaevsky Vanek."

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russia brings first criminal charges and imprisonment for studying the Bible to occupied Donbas

While next to nothing is known about this latest victim of russian persecution on occupied territory, the case is disturbing as it is likely to be russia's test run of religious persecution, with more arrests almost certain to follow
khpg.org/en/1608814929?…
(A Jehovah’s Witness in occupied Donetsk has been arrested and remanded in custody, and could face a six- or seven-year term of imprisonment merely for practising his faith) 2/
Given russia’s record of religious persecution both at home, and in occupied Crimea, the move cannot be called unexpected. That does not make it any the less ominous, with this first such arrest likely to be followed by others on all parts of #Donetsk, #Luhansk; #Kherson and #Zaporizhzhia oblasts currently under russian occupation.

Any such persecution is disturbing for another reason also. Russia has brought a significantly greater level of lawlessness, as well as an information blockade, to all territory under Russian occupation, with it hard to even find out who has been arrested, let alone ensure that they have an independent lawyer.

The reports
rapsinews.ru/judicial_news/…
on 26 August 2025 do not even give a name, with the person arrested identified only as ‘K’.

russia is using its flawed ‘terrorism’ and ‘extremism’ legislation as supposed justification for what is clearly religious persecution.

russia’s Supreme Court effectively banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses on 20 April 2017, by claiming them to be an ‘extremist organization’, and reports ever since of arrests have used words that suggest something illicit and ‘extremist’ about believers meeting to pray and study the Bible together.

It was claimed in this case that “the accused actively participated in the activities of a cell of the extremist organization ‘the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ from September 2018 through May 2023.” The occupation ‘Voroshilov inter-district court’ had remanded him in custody for two months.

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Thread✍️
----

A "split" is emerging: ISW pointed out a nuance in Russians' attitude towards the war against Ukraine

Citizens of the aggressor country russia are becoming apathetic towards the war.

/At the same time, the russians themselves do not believe that the russian Federation will agree to end the war in the near future./

Such sentiments about the war against Ukraine have arisen among russian residents from border areas.

This is stated in the analysis of the Institute for the Study of War.
Such sentiments about the war against Ukraine have emerged among russian residents of border regions, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War.
understandingwar.org/backgrounder/r… 2/
"russians are tired of war"

russian civilians living in border areas are increasingly less likely to volunteer and participate in hostilities.

Residents of the Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions were recently surveyed on this issue.

russians said they did not think russia would agree to a ceasefire in the near future and expected the war to continue.

Those interviewed said that civilians near the border initially invested and donated to the military operation, but now there is no motivation to help Putin’s army.

A russian from the Belgorod region said that:
- residents of the border region increasingly view russian soldiers as a threat due to the high risk of Ukrainian drone strikes on the occupiers and cases where russian troops have damaged civilian infrastructure and robbed local residents.

Another russian from #Kursk Oblast said that people are tired of the war, want to return to normal life, and do not want to raise funds for military needs because the war has no end in sight.

A local resident from Bryansk Oblast said:
- that Moscow’s military goals are constantly changing, suggesting that dictator Vladimir Putin’s attempts to influence American audiences with statements of his willingness to negotiate contradict his statements to russian audiences that russia remains committed to achieving its military goals.

ISW @TheStudyofWar noted that Putin's attempts to play both information spaces may mislead russian audiences .

russian state and independent polls conducted in early 2025 showed that a majority of russians support the continuation of the war in Ukraine, indicating that the population in areas bordering Ukraine and most affected by the war is less supportive of military action than the population living in areas remote from the fighting.

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thread✍️
I get an letter from mine Anonymous voulanteer friend in Ukraine:
( hes viuws hs own )
----
26.08.2025
13.45

Right now I am involved in a number of activities in preparation for the upcoming front trip. Today's report focuses only on our core area;

Pokrovsk/Myrnohrad. Much of what I previously reported has now received official confirmation.

Ukrainian counterattacks around #Dobropillya
2/
• Ukrainian defense forces have pushed back russian incursions east and northeast of Dobropillya.

They captured Nove Shakhove and Zapovidne, and managed to drive russian forces away from positions on the T 0514 highway between Dobropillya and Kramatorsk and south of Vesele.

• Through these counterattacks, parts of the russian 51st Combined Arms Army (51st CAA) are threatened with being encircled northwest of the Zapovidne–Mayak–Volodymyrivka line.

• The report indicates that the russian military leadership abandoned attempts to expand into Dobropillya due to failed infiltrations and the inability to establish permanent positions

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"We talked a lot about Crimea": @ZelenskyyUa told what map was at the meeting with Trump and what factor was "deadly" for the russians

The president said that at the meeting with American President Donald Trump at the White House, they studied a map indicating the situation on the battlefield.

According to Zelensky, a significant part of the conversation concerned #Crimea, which was marked as the "biggest problem."

The head of state stated that, in Trump's opinion, Crimea became the "key to the full-scale war," and if then-US President Barack Obama had not given this opportunity, and Putin had not occupied Crimea and part of Donbas, he would not have started the full-scale war.

Zelensky shared this during a conversation with journalists
obozrevatel.com/ukr/politics-n… 2/
"There was a normal dialogue in the White House"

@ZelenskyyUa said that during the negotiations with @realDonaldTrump, there was a map with information about the percentage of territories that were occupied after 2014 and after 2022.

"When we arrived, they already had their own map. I said that I would like to demonstrate what is happening on the battlefield now. For this, I don't need our map, I can use your map, because I understand perfectly well what the situation is:
- where we are, about the presence in Donbas, in the East in general, why they cannot get this or that territory, etc.

These were my lengthy explanations, but it was a completely normal dialogue," Zelensky said.

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Thread✍️
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The Real Story of the Trump-Putin Summit Is a US Oil Deal Hiding in Plain Sight

While no progress was made towards a russia-Ukraine ceasefire, the Kremlin opened the door to a deal that could pour billions into its own war coffers

Zarina Zabrisky
@ZarinaZabrisky
18 August 2025

bylinetimes.com/2025/08/18/tru…
(Donald Trump escorts Russian President Vladimir Putin down the red carpet at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, August 15, in Anchorage, Alaska. Photo: Benjamin Applebaum/DOD Photo/Alamy Live News) 2/
The summit between Donald Trump 
bylinetimes.com/2024/07/24/don…
and Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025, ended without progress on a ceasefire or a long-term peace in Ukraine. 

Trump 
bylinetimes.com/2024/08/15/the…
failed to impose new economic sanctions after the summit. But while there was no breakthrough at the meeting, the possibility of a deal that could reshape global energy and extend the war lurked in the background largely unnoticed.
bylinetimes.com/2024/08/09/bbc…

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Ukraine war latest: Trump, Putin fail to reach deal to end war in Ukraine

(US President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP) kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-la… 2/
Key developments on Aug. 15:

• Trump, Putin fail to reach deal to end war in Ukraine

• Ukraine strikes russian port used for Iranian arms shipments, military says

• Ukrainian unit claims #Pokrovsk cleared of russian saboteurs
'Target hit' —

• Ukraine strikes oil refinery in russia's Samara Oblast,
command post in #Donetsk Oblast, military says

• Explosion at russian gunpowder plant leaves 5 dead, more than 100 injured

The summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and russian President Vladimir Putin concluded
kyivindependent.com/we-didnt-get-t…
without an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, Trump said during a press conference alongside Putin at the end of their summit.

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Thread✍️

Putin’s ears within Europe: Uncovering Kaliningrad’s Hidden Antenna Array

Deep within a dense forest in the secluded #KaliningradOblast, just 25 kilometres from the tranquil countryside along the eastern border of #Poland, a massive construction site is located at coordinates 54.562160, 21.827560.
tochnyi.info/2025/08/putins…
(High-resolution MAXAR satellite imagery of the site, accessed via the ArcGIS database, 17th September 2024.) 2/
This site, largely unknown outside of military analysis circles until recently, caught the attention of open-source researchers at @tochnyi, particularly due to its unusual geometry, impressive size, remote location and potential strategic significance, and we conducted an assessment using available satellite information..

In this article, we aim to provide a clearer understanding of what this installation might be, by analysing satellite imagery, conducting comparative studies and reviewing historical data related to signals intelligence infrastructure.

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Ukraine’s Patriots Now Struggling To Intercept Enhanced russian Ballistic Missiles

U.S. intel confirms that improvements to russia's ballistic missiles are proving to be a major challenge for the Patriot air defense system. 2/
Asurge in russian use of ballistic missiles with enhanced maneuvering capabilities has cut into the effectiveness of Ukraine’s Patriot surface-to-air missile systems,

the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has confirmed.twz.com/land/patriot-d…

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Putin Surfs Into Alaska
From Moscow’s View: Not to Compromise, But to Gloat
By:
Mikhail @zygaro

When Vladimir Putin steps onto Alaskan soil to meet Donald Trump, the symbolism will be hard to miss.

Alaska once belonged to the russian Empire, until it was sold to the United States in 1867. 2/
In russia, this is more than a historical footnote — it has become a running nationalist joke.

Ever since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Kremlin-friendly commentators have half-seriously suggested that Alaska should be “returned.”

The singer Vika Tsyganova even immortalized the fantasy in a patriotic ballad: “From Alaska to the Kremlin — this is my Motherland.”
kyivpost.com/opinion/58111

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"What Trump and Putin Are Really Planning in Alaska"

It’s not about peace—it’s about minerals, lifting sanctions, and selling out Ukraine behind closed doors.

Something about this entire moment feels staged.

The timing, the leaks, the press briefings—it’s all too perfect, like a play where every actor already knows their lines.

That’s exactly what’s happening with this Trump–Putin meeting in Alaska.

My sources are telling me this isn’t about peace. It’s about optics 2/
Trump is walking into Anchorage with a bag of so-called “economic incentives” for Putin—rare-earth mineral access, easing sanctions on russia’s aviation industry, even possible trade openings.

He’s selling it as a chance to “listen,” a chance to “see if Putin is serious about peace.”

But there’s no real peace deal here. There’s no genuine negotiation over ending the war. This is a stage, and both men know their roles......

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Thread✍️

BREAKING: Ukraine Just Hit Putin Where It Hurts Most....

While Trump and Putin play theatrics in Alaska, Ukraine takes the fight to russia’s oil heartland.

By:
Lev @levparnas

substack.com/app-link/post?… 2/
- I’m happy to say that—for once—I have a little good news to share.

And not just good news, but the kind that lifts your spirits in the middle of a long, hard fight.

Today, Ukraine struck—and they struck with precision. They didn’t just hit targets; they went straight for the heart of Putin’s lifeline, the arteries that keep his war machine alive.

These were not random blows.
These were
• calculated,
• deliberate, and
• devastating to the infrastructure that fuels russia’s aggression.

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Thread✍️

- Deconstructing the Kremlin’s Information Warfare
By
Zarina Zabrisky
@ZarinaZabrisky


(Russian propaganda and Referendum Bulletin in the Kherson Museum. Photo by Zarina Zabrisky) fresnoalliance.com/deconstructing… 2/
As russia wages hybrid war against Ukraine and the wider democratic world, information manipulation remains one of its most powerful weapons.

The Kremlin deploys propaganda to confuse international audiences, justify its aggression and undermine global support for Ukraine.

These narratives, designed by state-controlled media and amplified by paid trolls and unwitting Western commentators, so-called useful idiots, distort reality with alarming effectiveness.

To resist the information warfare campaign, it is essential to understand how disinformation functions.

- It does not just spread false facts.

Its goal is to erode trust, weaken alliances, sow discord and dismantle the foundations of democratic debate.

The main munitions are narratives—and the Kremlin has built a vast arsenal, with each narrative serving a strategic purpose in russia’s broader war.

Deconstructing these talking points is important not to just set the record straight and protect Ukraine:
- It is critical to do so to defend democratic societies from authoritarian influence

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Ukrinform:

Azov Corps takes up defensive positions on #pokrovskoe front, enemy sustains losses
ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/402… 2/
The 1st Azov Corps of Ukraine's National Guard has taken up designated defensive positions on the Pokrovsk front.

According to Ukrinform, the Azov Corps reported this on Facebook.
facebook.com/azov.media4308…

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Important thread✍️

⚡️ #Ukrainian defense firm Frontline integrates grenade launcher with #Estonian robotic platform.

Ukrainian defense company Frontline partnered with Estonian manufacturer Milrem Robotics to integrate weapon systems with unmanned ground vehicles, conducting successful test firings of equipment in Ukraine, Frontline announced on Aug. 12.
kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-defe…
(Ukrainian defense company Frontline and Estonian manufacturer Milrem Robotics conduct field testing of their integrated weapon system with unmanned ground vehicles in Ukraine. (Frontline's press office) 2/
Ukrainian defense company Frontline partnered with Estonian manufacturer Milrem Robotics to integrate weapon systems with unmanned ground vehicles, conducting successful test firings of equipment in Ukraine, Frontline announced on Aug. 12.

The partnership reflects growing cooperation between Ukrainian and European defense manufacturers,
kyivindependent.com/tag/european-d…
with Ukrainian firms providing battlefield -

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Thread✍️

The enemy needs another 10,000 soldiers near #Pokrovskoe:
- Stupak assessed the danger of surrounding the city
war.obozrevatel.com/ukr/vorogu-pid… 2/
"Recently, quite strange actions of the enemy have been observed at the front."

A significant decrease in the activity of enemy DRGs has been recorded in the #Sumy region, where the enemy has focused solely on terror tactics using drones, destroying everything that can hit from the sky.

At the same time, in the #Chasovye Yar area, the enemy has practically stopped attacks on Ukrainian positions. Why is this happening?

It is possible that the enemy is transferring forces to the direction that is most priority for him - Pokrovsky .
obozrevatel.com/ukr/location/u…

Currently, the grouping of russian occupation troops in this area is about 110 thousand. If it is strengthened by another 10-20 thousand, the enemy can accelerate the pace of the offensive.

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Thread ✍️

Disrupting russia’s War Machine: Railway Logistics

(August 8, 2025Tochnyi Info Tochnyi InfoMilitary, Tochnyi)

There are only two conventional military means russia possesses in which its capabilities and competence are at a level typically considered as that held by a ‘superpower’ – disinformation and railway logistics.
tochnyi.info/2025/08/disrup… 2/
Both facets have been developed over more than a century and stem from its objective needs.

russia lacks major navigable rivers running in an east-west direction.
A rare exception is the Volga.

Combined with its two main tributaries – the #Kama and the #Oka, and a canal that connects it to the #Don, it is by far the most important waterway in present-day russia.

- However, the Volga River system serves only a portion of the part of the country west of the Ural Mountains. The vast regions to the east of the Urals are punctuated by large rivers that largely flow from south to north, into the Arctic Ocean.

The harsh climate and varying terrain further exacerbate the logistical problems posed by this type of geography.

To overcome this challenge, over time and through its various permutations, the country has developed a robust railway network.

This network runs in an east-west direction, connecting the most populated parts of the country and the places of the greatest military strategic importance.

All major storage facilities have a direct railway connection to the main network, and most military production facilities are located within a short distance from that railway network.

The railways are serviced both by branches of the civilian public system on a day-to-day basis, and by specialised railway troops.

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Thread✍️

Ukrainian Drone Battalion Forms Fire Wall Against Russian Advance
As Russian forces attempt to press deeper, Ukrainians have learned to defend with a wall of UAVs. Kyiv Post spends time with a drone unit from the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade on the front line.

kyivpost.com/post/57622
(Bohdan, a drone pilot from the Unmanned Systems Battalion of Ukraine’s 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade, pilots an FPV drone in Donetsk Oblast during active battle operations. Photo: David @DVKirichenko) 2/
The early morning begins with the crashing of artillery and the whistle of russian glide bombs raining down on #Ukrainian positions in #Donetsk Oblast, near the border with #Dnipropetrovsk.

In recent months, russian forces have intensified efforts
english.nv.ua/russian-war/ru…
to expand westward, launching waves of infantry assaults and drone strikes as they attempt to breach the administrative boundary and establish a foothold inside Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

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"Gazprom" hits a historic low: gas exports to Europe fall to the lowest level in half a century

From January to July 2025, "Gazprom" exported only 9.93 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe, the lowest figure since the early 1970s.

After losing transit through Ukraine, supply volumes fell by almost half and may not exceed 17 billion cubic meters by the end of the year

obozrevatel.com/ukr/ekonomika-… 2/
The figures were calculated by Reuters
reuters.com/sustainability…
based on statistics from the Turkish Stream, the last pipeline available to send gas to the EU.

- Experts say this is a sharp drop compared to even the previous year, when exports amounted to 18.3 billion cubic meters.

If the current trend continues, Gazprom will send no more than 17 billion cubic meters of gas to the EU by 2025. For comparison, back in 1975, the Soviet Union exported 19.3 billion cubic meters to Europe, and in the record years of 2018–2019, up to 170-180 billion cubic meters annually.

The key factor was the cessation of transit through Ukraine in early 2025. It was the Ukrainian route that provided the opportunity to pump up to 140 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The only supply channel remained the Turkish Stream, but even its growth of 7% did not compensate for the losses.