June 23 2024


UPDATE:
 Yesterday, The Daily Hog reported that there was a reported strike on a Russian railcar ferry in the port of Kavkaz. More information has come in. The ferry was attacked by drones and caught fire. There are 4 injured and dead among the crew. The ship that was damaged was reportedly the Slavyanin. A photo has been published of it showing a raging fire on board. A satellite image shows a column of black smoke rising from it. The Slavyanin was the last of three ferries Russia had in the region that was capable of carrying railcars. The other two were struck in previous attacks. This attack may force Russia to transport fuel across the Kerch Bridge again, opening up fuel trains for potential attacks that could destroy the bridge again.


The 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade shot down another Russian Su-25 in the Pokrovsky region. Footage published on their Facebook page shows 2 Russian jets flying past, the second one is targeted and successfully struck by a MANPADS. The footage shows the pilot ejecting, his parachute opening, and the jet crashing into the ground and exploding near Troitsky. The coordinates of the crash site are 48.2516, 37.8730


A Russian 1K148 Yastreb counterbattery radar was struck by a HIMARS rocket in the Donetsk area.


The Security Service of Ukraine SSU detained Zhan Novoseltsev, a former TV journalist, and his accomplice for calling for armed resistance against Ukraine’s mobilization efforts. Novoseltsev, along with several accomplices, created a network of online channels and pages with over 600,000 followers to spread misinformation and called for violence against the Ukrainian military and law enforcement. They also leaked the personal information of Ukrainian military personnel. He has a history of collaborating with pro-Russian figures and media.


Roman Kostenko, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defence, and Intelligence, reported that 3,800 convicts are now serving in Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Most have just completed training, though some have already been wounded or killed. Kostenko expects that a total of around 5,000 convicts will be mobilized.


On July 23, Russia attacked multiple settlements in Donetsk Oblast, killing two people and injuring six others. An attack on Lyman killed two residents, aged 58 and 66, and injured three others. The attack is believed to have been carried out with Iskander missiles. An attack in the Novohrodivka district with an FPV drone injured three civilians aged 49 to 68.


Ihor Terekhov, Mayor of Kharkiv, has announced plans to introduce a differentiated air-raid warning system for the city, issuing alerts only when there's a direct threat to Kharkiv, separate from the warnings given when elsewhere in the oblast is threatened. Although attacks have decreased, air-raid warnings often disrupt city activities, sometimes lasting over 38 hours even when the city itself isn’t directly being targeted. Authorities are working to identify specific regions being threatened to improve residents' lives and business operations. The new system is expected to be operational by autumn. In May, there were 76 attacks on Kharkiv City and in June, there were 22.


Sanctions against Lukoil in June have not impacted the volume of oil transit through Ukraine. Oleksii Chernyshov, CEO of Naftogaz, reported that July's oil transit volumes are consistent with previous months but just do not include oil from Lukoil. He said that there is no risk of oil shortages in Europe, as Ukraine continues to transit oil from suppliers not under sanctions. Despite Lukoil stopping oil transport to Hungary since June 2024, neither Hungary nor Slovakia will face fuel shortages, though prices may rise. Both countries have asked the EU to persuade Ukraine to resume Lukoil oil transit. Slovakia has threatened to stop exporting fuel to Ukraine and Hungary has threatened to stop exporting electricity to Ukraine if the sanctions aren’t lifted.


Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear energy regulator, signed a loan agreement with Deutsche Bank AG and Barclays Bank PLC for $237.11 million on 17 July 2024. The loan will finance the procurement of nuclear fuel from Urenco, covering the supply of enriched and natural uranium hexafluoride. The agreement ensures supply until 2035, with an option to extend to 2043. The five-year loan is guaranteed by the UK Government.


Turkish companies will assist in rebuilding Ukraine's energy infrastructure and helping develop distributed generation capacity. This includes supplying equipment and assistance from Turkish specialists.


Russia has introduced a new recruitment plan: anyone who brings a friend to the enlistment office is given about $1,150. This initiative was launched by Mikhail Yevraev in Yaroslavl Oblast on 16 July and aims to increase enlistment numbers. The Republic of Tatarstan began a similar program on 11 July.


Moscow is offering a bonus to recruits willing to fight in Ukraine, possibly reflecting the difficulty in recruiting enough men to replace battlefield losses. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin's decree pledges $22,000 to volunteers signing military contracts, and an additional $7,000 paid annually. Recruits could earn up to $60,000 over the first year of their contract if they sign up. Western intelligence sources estimate up to 500,000 Russian casualties since the start of the full-scale invasion, with the UK reporting 70,000 losses in the past two months alone. Recruitment for the war is exacerbating Russia's labor shortage, contributing to rising inflation, and the central bank has threatened they may have to increase interest rates.


Russia launched a drone and missile attack on Ukraine on the night of 23-24 July 2024, including two missiles targeting Kharkiv Oblast. Ukrainian air defense downed 17 out of 23 shaheds. Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of Ukraine's Air Force, reported that the missiles included an Iskander-M ballistic missile and another unidentified missile. Additionally, Ukraine destroyed eight Russian reconnaissance drones, including 4 Zalas, 2 Supercams, and 2 Orlan-10s.


Boeing and Antonov have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that focuses on defense projects, including training, technical support, and repair services for UAVs like the ScanEagle. The agreement, announced on Boeing's website, also explores Antonov providing engineering support to Boeing.


On July 22nd, 2024, based on verified video footage of destroyed, abandoned, and captured equipment, Russian forces lost an estimated $22,400,000 worth of equipment, while Ukrainian forces suffered $10,140,000 worth of losses, a ratio of roughly 2.2:1. A majority of Russia's losses came from the destruction of multiple tanks, while Ukraine faced the loss of an Abrams. These estimates of vehicle losses are based on Andrew Perpetua’s published lists of confirmed losses. A database of these equipment loss values has been built and is being updated daily
.

It can be found at  https://tinyurl.com/RTMnumbers

Ukrainian soldier muchnoyairborne:

“To the west of Progress, the enemy managed to knock us out of the green zone and began to storm the village of Vovche. Because of this, our Cossacks began to retreat north of Yevhenivka to avoid being surrounded, the main thing is to get out in time!” 

 

Bakhmut Demon:

"In the Pokrovske direction, the [Russians are] making some progress, the situation there is the most difficult."

Ukrainian soldier officer_alex33:

    "The [Russians] have brought several companies of former prisoners to Robotyno, they are already throwing them into the assault, but warn that they either have to gain a foothold or die, there is no turning back😂.

By the way, the situation has escalated a bit in the Robotyn ledge in the Zaporizhzhia direction, it is being stormed non-stop by small groups from Verbove."

Ukrainian milblogger petrenko_IHS:

    "In the South Donetsk and Vuhledar directions, the enemy using the tactic of assault by small motorcycle groups with the support of armored vehicles continues to press with a wide coverage in the direction of the section of the highway O0532 (Vuhledar - Konstantinovka village). Over the last week, the Russian troops managed to advance to a depth of up to 1.5 km, and the distance from the [line of contact] to the highway at three sites was reduced to about 3 km.

The nearest enemy targets are the South Donbass mine No. 1 and the village of Vodyanoye. The capture of the first opens the way for the enemy forces to Vuhledar, the capture of which, to some extent, will secure the work of the railroad from Rostov to Melitopol and Crimea. If my predictions are correct, the Russian command is planning a "Vuhledar 2.0 campaign" this fall.
We'll see."

Quote of the Day:

“The meek may inherit the earth, but at the moment it belongs to the hedgehogs. Like me.”

― Cassandra Clare, City of Bones