UP's must-read interview Company commander of the Achilles battalion Anton Shmagailo about the situation in the Kupayansk direction:

Of the 10 enemy infantrymen advancing to storm the tree lines, only one or two survive. 1/32⬇️ During mechanized assaults, the survival rate may be slightly higher.

The overall picture is clear: the enemy shows complete disregard for losses, both in manpower and equipment, as they continue their attempts to advance on the Kupiansk axis. 2/32

A deeply insightful interview with Deputy Commander of the Missile Forces and Artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Serhiy Musiyenko:

The need for artillery munitions is substantial - far more than has ever been supplied to us. 1/22 ⬇️ To put it simply, we are receiving only half the artillery munitions needed due to various factors. Consequently, this shortage is reflected in the current state of certain sectors of the front, where we are experiencing a deficit in specific types of artillery munitions. 2/22

Russia will most likely face a significant manpower challenge to sustain its war effort against Ukraine in 2025.

Very insightful piece by WSJ:
Months before Putin’s inauguration in May, he met with Defense Ministry officials who pushed for a fresh round of mobilization. 1/7 to recruit more troops to offset Russia’s losses on the front line in Ukraine. Putin dismissed the idea, saying he wanted to use only those who were voluntarily signing military contracts. 2/7

Interesting comments by Kyrylo Budanov:

- Russia aims to conclude the war by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026, seeking to achieve a victory. Russia will face significant economic challenges starting in the summer of 2025. 1/14⬇️ Russia will need to conduct another round of mobilization. This, in turn, could undermine the country's social and political stability. 2/14

Russia is likely facing a manpower shortage that could affect its ability to sustain the war against Ukraine later this year and into the next.

Kremlin launched an unprecedented ad campaign for contract service recruitment following Ukraine's offensive in Kursk Oblast. 1/11⬇️ In July, Moscow de facto acknowledged a 30% reduction in the rate of new military recruitment. By the end of the month, Vladimir Putin increased war-related payments, with compensation rising by 400% in the poorest regions. 2/11

Ukraine's OpSec in planning the Kursk operation has been spectacular. WSJ obtained new details of the operation:

CinC Syrskyi gathered senior officers for a secret meeting in late July where he disclosed an audacious plan to revive the country’s flagging war effort. 1/10⬇️ Syrskiy had evidently drawn conclusions from Ukraine’s failed counteroffensive during the summer of 2023, when Ukraine consulted with the U.S. and other Western partners, deployed newly formed brigades and telegraphed its plans with videos and public comments. 2/10

Very insightful details from CinC Oleksandr Syrskyi regarding the objectives of Ukraine’s Kursk operation

One of the objectives of the Kursk operation was to divert significant enemy forces from other axes, particularly in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhovsk areas. 1/7 ⬇️ Russians are aware of this and is therefore focusing its main efforts on the Pokrovsk area, where its most combat-ready units are concentrated. 2/7

Very insightful details from CinC Oleksandr Syrakyi regarding the objectives of Ukraine’s Kursk operation

One of the objectives of the Kursk operation was to divert significant enemy forces from other axes, particularly in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhovsk areas. 1/7 ⬇️ Russians are aware of this and is therefore focusing its main efforts on the Pokrovsk area, where its most combat-ready units are concentrated. 2/7

Moscow is unlikely to redirect forces from key sectors in Donbas to counter the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk Oblast. Instead, Russia is sending more conscripts to defend its frontlines in Kursk. 1/8 Around 300 Russian conscripts either died or were captured in Kursk Oblast. On August 24, Russia and Ukraine carried out a prisoner exchange in a "115 for 115" format. According to Russian ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova, all of the Russian prisoners exchanged were conscripts. 2/8

New details from Zelenskyy regarding Ukraine's Kursk offensive:

Ukraine's Kursk Oblast operation thwarted Russia's plans to occupy Sumy. 1/7⬇️ I am very positive about how the operation in Kursk is going. Although the operation is complex, it's crucial that it is proceeding according to our plan. 2/7

Insightful comments from some of Ukraine's key defense and security officials:

We will have to fight for a long time, but we have no right to lose. - Brigadier General Oleksandr Trepak, Commander of Ukraine's Special Operation Forces (SSO) 1/21⬇️ We will have to fight for a long time, and it will take even longer to bring Russian criminals to justice. But the SSO are good at planning in the time so that it will be enough for many good deeds. 2/21

Very important update about the current situation in Ukraine's Donbas:
The Kursk operation is successful, but it has not significantly impacted the situation in the Pokrovsk direction. - says Maksym Zhorin, Deputy Commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade. 1/9⬇️ Despite the success of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation in the Kursk region, it has not significantly impacted the current operational situation in Donetsk Oblast, particularly in the Pokrovsk direction. 2/9

Russia still likely faces a manpower shortage in Kursk Oblast to repel the Ukrainian advancement there.

- Conscripts from Siberia are being sent to Kursk Oblast.

1/7⬇️ - Conscripts from Siberia are being prepared for deployment to Kursk Oblast. This was reported to the editorial board of Sibir.Realii by relatives of soldiers from Kemerovo and Irkutsk Oblasts. 2/7

My take on the latest developments in Ukraine's Kursk Operation:

Both Zelenskyy and Putin have outlined their political objectives regarding Kursk.

Putin has reportedly ordered that Kursk Oblast be fully liberated from the Ukrainian Armed Forces by October 1st. 1/14 ⬇️ Putin appears to have ordered the expulsion of Ukrainian forces from Kursk Oblast without redeploying troops from key areas where Russia is currently focused on offensive operations, particularly in the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions. 2/14

New details by Zelenskyy about planning of the Kursk offensive:

- Kyiv did not warn the world about the preparation of the offensive in Kursk Oblast in Russia because it might have seemed unrealistic. 1/6 "Just a few months ago, upon hearing that we were planning such an operation in Kursk Oblast, many representatives of the international community would have said that it was unrealistic and it crossed Russia’s main red line.” 2/6

Interesting new developments about Ukraine's Kursk offensive:
- Ukraine began expanding flanks in southern bank of the Seim river. Ukrainian Armed Forces knocked out the last remaining bridge over the river in Karyzh, almost cutting off the Glushkovsky district. 1/10 ⬇️ - Russian troops managed to establish one pontoon crossing in Glushkovo. However, the destruction of bridges will substantially impede supplies to Russian forces in the area. 2/10

Due to a personnel shortage, the Russian motorized infantry units have reassigned military personnel from Aerospace Forces units to repel Ukraine's Kursk offensive.

Some of those units were stationed at nuclear strike warning facilities and heavy bomber regiments. 1/8 ⬇️ Due to a personnel shortage in the Russian Federation's ground forces, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive in the Kursk region is being countered by a temporary motorized rifle regiment of the Aerospace Forces, specially assembled from servicemen across Russia. 2/8

Very interesting piece by WSJ about Ukraine's Kursk offensive:
- Preparations began earlier this summer as Ukraine used drones to attack infrastructure in Kursk, from the power grid to ammunition and fuel-storage depots and surveillance equipment. 1/11 ⬇️ - Members of an anti-Kremlin paramilitary group backed by Ukrainian military intelligence carried out raids across the border, probing for weak spots and conducting reconnaissance. 2/11

Important context about the Slavyanin ferry that was significantly damaged in the recent Ukrainian attack in the Port Kavkaz:
🇺🇦Navy Speaker Pletenchuk:
"There were direct hits on this ferry, which is a rail ferry and quite powerful. And it the last one that Russia possesses" 1/8

Regarding the project, it was designed to accommodate 50 conventional ferries, meaning it can transport 50 tanks. It has now been removed from the international route."
2/8

Georgian Parliament has just overridden the President's veto of the Russian foreign agents law. So, what does this mean? A thread:

- The Georgian Dream has now legally declared a strategic shift from 🇬🇪's constitutional foreign policy goals of EU and NATO integration. 1/17 ⬇️ - Georgia's Western partners, including the European Union, NATO, the US, and many others, underscored that the legislation is incompatible with the country's aspirations to become a full-fledged member of the EU and NATO. 2/17

Another egregious and truly insane statement by 🇬🇪PM Irakli Kobakhidze:
"it is important to de-oligarchize the EU and the USA. There is no alternative to fighting the "global war party"; the only other option is surrender, which will lead to the Ukrainization of Georgia." ⬇️1/6 Georgian Dream (GD) has created an illusory threat, a conspiracy called the "Global War Party", which they claim possesses omnipresent power to control global politics. 2/6