UPDATE: Reviews section refreshed, redesigned, searchable: Go take a look
The Arena system has been in development for decades and has never been effective.
It is a wonder that Russia has any working military hardware...
All this work now in the good weather to hold position on the front and massively disrupt and destroy supply lines surely is going to have a really big impact when the weather nosedives and more supplies are needed?
10 years!
Everyone will understand after 10 years.
Ukraine has attacked two major distribution hubs used by Wildberries "the Russian Amazon". One near Moscow and one 300 miles southeast of Moscow. Reportedly 8 civilians have been killed and 62 injured in these attacks. Ukraine have justified it by saying they were used for military logistics. I know Ukraine have suffered far more civilian deaths and attacks on civilian infrastructure, but I'm not convinced of the justification for this. Stuff like this just hardens civilian resolve and makes people more likely to get behind Putin. They certainly did a number on them.
💥👀 Wildberries in Elektrostal. Evacuation of personnel.
— MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) 2026-07-18T13:31:06.087Z
🔥 Special footage from Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal1/3
— MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) 2026-07-18T07:11:23.386Z
I've just been reading a few things suggesting that these warehouses are used for lots of military stuff, but the items that Russian public buy for thier troops. That includes ammunition....
But, like you, I wonder if this has the opposite effect on the Russian public.
That said, last time they hit Wildberries apparently they could track the impact. Someone in Ukraine thinks this is worth doing.
Someone in Ukraine thinks this is worth doing.
Yep. It won't have been done on a whim and we are not privy to the intelligence leading to the targeting. It's just that generally it's been easy to see the strategic and moral justification for Ukraine's deep strikes on Russia. This feels on the face of it, less so and potentially damaging in some ways.
Let’s see, Russia has been a full on war economy for a few years now, and wildberries is a distribution & logistics outfit? Can anyone put 2 & 2 together? Ukraine aren’t trying to win hearts and minds here - they’re trying to win a war.
I'm not naive. I can see that. Just an observation that up 'til now Ukraine have (mostly) observed the international laws of armed conflict and tried much harder than Russia to avoid civilian casualties in their targeting. Killing civilians was almost inevitable in an attack like this. That Ukraine are now seemingly more willing to do so is worthy of comment no?
Stuff like this just hardens civilian resolve and makes people more likely to get behind Putin.
I am very skeptical of this. I don't think this is a popular war among middle-class Russians. I don't see how making their lives more miserable will boost support for the war.
I've just been reading a few things suggesting that these warehouses are used for lots of military stuff, but the items that Russian public buy for thier troops. That includes ammunition....
I think this is critical. The Russian government can't supply their troops with the equipment they need, so private sector logistics take over. What this will do is send a message to the private sector that military logistics is risky so they either need to avoid that, or charge more to cover the insurance costs. Either way, it makes Russian logistics more expensive.
I am very skeptical of this. I don't think this is a popular war among middle-class Russians. I don't see how making their lives more miserable will boost support for the war.
Time and time again in conflicts across the world, attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure have been expected to lower civilian morale and weaken resolve. It pretty much always has the exact opposite effect. For Russians starved of the internet and fed only on a state TV narrative, this is propaganda gold dust. "Look at what these khokhols are doing, with NATO backing. We told you. This is why we have to fight". Etc.
Yes these depots are used to move military kit. They are also used by babushkas to order washing powder and bubble bath. I am not saying there isn't ANY justification, but it does blur the lines between military and civilian infrastructure and risks losing the moral high ground by playing Russia's dirty game of killing civilians.
I'm a card carrying Ukrainian supporter. Doesn't mean all their decisions are sacrosanct or beyond criticism.
Have you seen the video showing Russian air defence munitions hitting the warehouses- those air defences are there for a reason.
Time and time again in conflicts across the world, attacks on civilians and civilians infrastructure have been expected to lower civilian morale and weaken resolve.
That's not the same as boosting support for the war. I don't think burning some warehouses will make Russian civilians want to become anti-war activists, but I also don't think it's going to make them rally around the flag because their order of stretch pants got burned in a fire.
Galeotti seems to think there's been a substantial rally around the flag effect from the very visible strikes recently. He thinks its part of whats going to make the upcoming mobilsation (he thinks september) less contested than the 2022 one
Have you seen the video showing Russian air defence munitions hitting the warehouses- those air defences are there for a reason.
There are layered air defences all around Moscow, covering residential as well as industrial areas. Probably more than anywhere else in the country.
Killing civilians was almost inevitable in an attack like this. That Ukraine are now seemingly more willing to do so is worthy of comment no?
in a world where the US is bombing desalination plants they probably think “f it, why should we play fair if nobody else does”
Someone in Ukraine thinks this is worth doing.
Yep. It won't have been done on a whim and we are not privy to the intelligence leading to the targeting. It's just that generally it's been easy to see the strategic and moral justification for Ukraine's deep strikes on Russia. This feels on the face of it, less so and potentially damaging in some ways.
It's clear that there's a dual purpose in the Wildberries strike (see President Zelensky's quote below), however, this can be entirely legal.
(The target makes) an effective contribution to military action...(and the strike offers) a definite military advantage.
President Zelensky,
In particular, in response to Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities, two major logistics facilities were hit – in the Moscow and Tambov regions, more than 500 and nearly 700 kilometers from the front line. The aggressor used them to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment.
There remains the effect on the Russian public, which I think is likely to increase pressure on President Putin.
Denial of mobile phone network and internet access. State-imposed messaging apps. Frequent delays at Moscow's airports. Denial of Crimea's holiday destinations. Queuing for days for petrol, etc, are all hitting Putin's popularity weeks before national elections and even state polls aren't denying it.
I think that we know the outcome of the election, but it seems that interrupting modern life is more powerful than 12 years of war.
I think that the story would be very different if it was a strike against logistics stored in a Moscow church, but it's a faceless warehouse.
Tragically there are dead and injured, but this can also be legally justified.
I think that mobilisation will continue but in a variety of "stealth" modes.
Russia currently operates a small fleet of LNG tankers on the Arctic route.
Bloomberg reported a couple of months ago that Russia bought four, well-used, from companies operating in the well-known Arctic region of Oman.
It does have one ice-breaking LNG tanker but annual export volumes are way down on expectations so Russia needs Arc7 standard vessels to operate throughout the seasons, which it was expecting to build. Russia can't build them because they can't produce certain systems and China is refusing to supply them because of sanctions.
I feel that China will get its cheap deal on LNG through the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline ^^
In brief: China has declined to supply propulsion and steering systems for Russia’s large-tonnage ice-class vessels due to international sanctions, hindering Moscow’s efforts to develop the Northern Sea Route. Russian shipyards lack the capacity and domestic equipment to build the required Arc7 ice-class tankers.
KYIVPOST.COM This drone strike development will be hugely pilot-intensive and vulnerable to electronic warfare, unless AI is developed to shoulder the burden.
Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov has accepted a presidential advisors position having resigned as MoD advisor in protest at Federov's sacking^^. He feels that the only winner ATM is Russia so will continue to give his expertise,
Serhiy Beskrestnov, presidential advisor on the development of technological defense areas, stated that Russian operators are manually guiding drones to minimize detection. He released video footage showing a Shahed strike drone descending to an altitude of 22 meters to avoid radar stations and interceptor drones.
Beskrestnov noted that Ukrainian forces neutralized the threat in the recorded instance but emphasized that the ongoing shifts in Russian tactics require rapid adaptation of countermeasures.
JAMESTOWN.ORG Russia’s Virtual Retreat in War Against Ukraine is Accelerating
Executive Summary:
- Perceptions of Russia’s war against Ukraine are shifting, as the impression of stalemate gives way to Ukraine’s growing military-technological edge and Moscow’s visible strategic drift.
- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara, U.S. President Trump’s silence toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Türkiye’s alignment with allied deterrence have compounded Russian setbacks in Crimea and the deepening fuel crisis.
- Elite discontent, spreading repression against business magnates, and public fatigue in Russia suggest that mobilization, strategically necessary to sustain the war, could instead trigger a domestic meltdown.
FIFA is getting some attention for paying Club Benefits to Russia since 2022, potentially in violation of sanctions,
"In brief: FIFA is planning to disburse a record $355 million through its Club Benefits Program following the 2026 World Cup. However, the organization faces potential legal action for reimbursing Russian clubs linked to sanctioned entities, such as Lukoil-owned Spartak Moscow. An investigation by the journalism platform Follow the Money revealed that FIFA previously paid $1.2 million to six Russian clubs after the 2022 tournament, potentially violating international sanctions."
Satellite imagery has confirmed the destruction (provisionally announced on Friday) of a Russian Tu-95 (unclear variant) strategic bomber by Ukrainian drone(s) at the Engels-2 military airbase after a flight of around 500 miles.
Russia currently has around 60 of the aircraft of different types, some of which can launch up to six cruise missiles. Ten similar aircraft were damaged or destroyed during Op. Spiderweb last year. The 1950s design isn't being made now and can't be replaced.
"The visual evidence corroborates statements made on Friday, July 17, by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The agency reported that its long-range drones traveled approximately 800 kilometers to strike the airfield, causing the bomber’s tail section to be completely torn off."
"In the first 19 days of July, Russia used two-thirds of its planned annual production of 3M22 Zircon missiles, while the number of ballistic missiles used exceeded their total monthly production."
"The intensive use of accumulated stocks may indicate Russia’s desire to take advantage of the limited anti-missile reserves of the Ukrainian Defense Forces and inflict maximum damage during massive strikes. At the same time, such a rate of use is gradually reducing Russian missile reserves, which the defense industry cannot fully replenish in time."
MILITARNYI.COM I think that this reflects some concern from the Kremlin on messaging,
In brief: Russian (Anti-War) opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin has withdrawn from the September State Duma election after authorities blocked his campaign, labeled him a “foreign agent,” fined him over alleged extremist symbols, and restricted his movements. Nadezhdin said mounting pressure made it impossible to continue legally without putting his supporters, campaign team, and family at risk.
I think that this translates to, "We'll share our tech and a newer, cheaper, Patriot interceptor that's available at volume. Please don't start developing European air-defence solutions"
"FARNBOROUGH, England, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) today announced the introduction of the PAC-3® Adapted Capability Effector (PAC-3 ACE™), a low-cost interceptor built to defeat a wide range of air and missile threats for less than half the cost of a PAC-3 MSE per unit."
"Joint development and production with European partners creates a shared, interoperable interceptor that strengthens transatlantic defense posture."
US manufacturers seem to have woken up to the importance of the European market and the diplomatic damage being wrought here.
An article by Fabian Hoffman,
"Affordable Mass: The Low-Cost Cruise Missile Market Takes Shape"
Germany has looked for low-cost cruise missiles from Covenant, Fire Point and the unknown producer of the Ukrainian Bars cruise missile.
Norway's Kongsberg has bought the US company Zone 5 Technologies ^^.
"Other European states, including the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, are arguably also producing national champions in this missile segment that they may ultimately favor.
MISSILEMATTERS.SUBSTACK.COM Europe wants their weapons to be free of American restrictions and political control
This is an odd story that I ignored yesterday, but it's popped up on ISW.
There are various levels of "strangeness" including video of soldiers holding the Ukrainian flag (see below). The flags include messages of support for beleaguered General Syrskyi, which is believed to be AI-generated. Those soldiers were then taken as PoW by Russian forces
The Ukrainian 425th Skelya (aka Skala) Regiment is currently subject to investigation for human rights violations and fatal beatings amongst its troops and is one of several so-called ‘Syrskyi’s regiments’. These were set up in September and report direct to General Syrskyi.
I can't quite decide whether the AI campaign is to show that Syrskyi is popular and should be retained, or that his soldiers have been forced forward to demonstrate their solidarity,
Footage from the Russian 4th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (3rd Combined Arms Army [CAA], formerly 2nd Luhansk People’s Republic Army Corps [LNR AC], Southern Military District [SMD]) published on July 19 shows Russian forces raising a flag in the House of Culture in western Kostyantynivka and taking two Ukrainian soldiers prisoner. The Russian brigade claimed that the footage depicts two Ukrainian servicemembers who had filmed themselves holding Ukrainian flags in the House of Culture on July 18 and that Russian forces seized Kostyantynivka. ISW has reason to assess that the Russian footage is artificial intelligence (AI) altered. The Russian footage does not constitute a change in ISW’s control of terrain, as Russian sources have previously claimed to have seized the House of Culture. The Ukrainian 425th Skala Regiment, which had published the July 18 footage of Ukrainian soldiers in the House of Culture, acknowledged that Russian forces had taken the two filmed servicemembers as prisoners but rejected Russian claims of seizing all of Kostyantynivka. ISW has not observed sufficient evidence to assess that Ukrainian forces exercise control within the entire administrative boundaries of Kostyantynivka. ISW continues to assess that Russian forces have infiltrated throughout much of Kostyantynivka but that these individual infiltrators do not control many of the areas of Kostyantynivka into which they have infiltrated.
UNDERSTANDINGWAR.ORG In brief: Volodymyr Zelensky is considering replacing Ukraine’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrsky with Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapaty amid a deepening crisis in the country’s defense leadership. The reported discussions come after the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov triggered the largest protests of Zelensky’s presidency.
Türkiye’s unambiguous alignment with NATO and their hosting of NATO in Ankara seems to have precipitated fatal attacks on Black Sea civilian shipping
"The Ukrainian Navy and Odesa Oblast authorities reported on July 19 that Russian forces struck the Turkish-owned and Guinea Bissau-flagged merchant vessel Golden Leo with three Kh-59/69 cruise missiles, killing at least 10 sailors."
"The milblogger claimed that only strikes using multiple cruise missiles or heavy anti-ship missiles launched from Tu-22 aircraft, coastal missile systems, or warships are capable of effectively penetrating large dry cargo ships and bulk carriers."
Ukraine's FP-1 drones have struck a third Wildberries logistics hub (25 miles from the Kremlin). A separate logistics enterprise near to Domodedovo (27 miles) was also targetted.
Wildberries holds stocks of military equipment, dual-use drone tech, fibre optic cables, etc. and is one the most effective logistics operations in Russia.
It's clear that Ukraine feels that targetting the trappings of modern life around Moscow is pressuring the Kremlin in the run up to elections in the hope of precipitating peace talks.
It's equally clear that President Putin is prepared to fight on.
"Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on the Moscow region overnight, with Russian officials claiming more than 400 unmanned aerial vehicles targeted the capital and surrounding areas, igniting fires at major logistics facilities, an oil depot, and a residential building."
Türkiye’s unambiguous alignment with NATO and their hosting of NATO in Ankara seems to have precipitated fatal attacks on Black Sea civilian shipping
Once again Russia shows it's only interested in terrorism.
Türkiye’s unambiguous alignment with NATO and their hosting of NATO in Ankara seems to have precipitated fatal attacks on Black Sea civilian shipping
Once again Russia shows it's only interested in terrorism.
The flag video is probably Russian fake. The re is second video with the same two soldiers with a Russian flag and Kalashnikov machine guns - these are supposed to be captured- no way they’d be armed like that 🤷🏻♂️
Making a bigger enemy of Türkiye seems like a pretty daft move by Putin. I wonder if they will be willing to really screw the nut on black fleet shipping going through the Bosphorus now?
Just watched the piece on Ukraine in CH4 News.
The reporter is travelling with soldiers to the front line under netted roads in a 4x4 to drop off a 4 WD drone straight from the factory loaded with supplies for troops.
As they travel down the road they pass a small convoy of other drones that pull over to the side to allow them through...
It's all very surreal.
Goes on to show the direct link between soldiers on the front line giving modification requests and feedback directly to manufacturers, this leads to near immediate procurement of drones and constant innovation.
Really worth watching. We hear all the time about the drone war going on in Ukraine but the insight into the speed of innovation and how streamlined and effective Ukraine have made drone development was a real eye opener.
Goes on to show the direct link between soldiers on the front line giving modification requests and feedback directly to manufacturers, this leads to near immediate procurement of drones and constant innovation.
We have some lessons to learn, President Zelensky convened a meeting yesterday.
For the first time, there was direct, face-to-face communication between our major weapons and equipment manufacturers and the corps commanders who actually use the products...
UKRINFORM.NET An awful lot to learn it seems.
I am constantly amazed by Ukraine's resilience whilst being simultaneously saddened that they are in this position at all.
In brief: President Volodymyr Zelensky has replaced Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky with Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapaty as Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief following six days of nationwide protests over Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal. Fedorov welcomed the move as “a breath of fresh air and new hope,” while Zelensky offered him (Federov) a new technology-focused government role.
"The Russian State Duma passed a bill on July 21 that expands the list of offenses for which Russian authorities can deport migrants..."
"Russian authorities will likely seek to detain large numbers of migrants for any disobedience or criticism to coerce them into signing military service contracts amid Russia’s declining recruitment rate."
Strikes are continuing on Wildberries logistics, although Ukraine hasn't officially commented. Three of the facilities struck are hundreds of miles from Moscow.
According to The Moscow Times, the targeted facilities are among Wildberries’ largest logistics hubs. The 150,000-square-meter (37-acre) Krasnodar warehouse is the company’s fourth-largest distribution center, while the 120,000-square-meter (30-acre) Nevinnomyssk complex ranks sixth.
This is worth a couple of minutes, if only to marvel at conspiracy theories.
On the positive side the MAGA influencer is now pro-Ukraine. We'll see whether she can influence President Trump into making a few donations,
In brief: Laura Loomer, a pro-Trump influencer and former Ukraine critic, has visited Ukraine and apologized for her previous pro-Kremlin rhetoric, saying she was a victim of Russian propaganda as she began to hit back at Kremlin messaging during the past few months.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline carries most of Kazakhstan's oil to the Russia port of Novorossiysk.
Disruption of the CPC by targetting Black Sea shipping causes financial problems for Russia, but also causes much bigger problems for Kazakhstan and western partners such as Chevron and Mobil.
Approx 90% of the piped oil is from Kazakhstan's oilfields, however there are Russian shareholders in those oilfields and the CPC. Damaging Kazakhstan risks pushing it closer to Russia, so it's unclear who is behind these strikes,
Black Sea attacks halt loadings from CPC pipeline:
- A fourth tanker was struck by a drone yesterday when loading at a Black Sea terminal
- Kazakhstan, in response, has stopped supplying crude through the CPC pipeline, which carries crude from Kazakhstan to the Black Sea for international exports
- The attacks follow earlier strikes on 10 Russian shadow fleet vessels by Ukrainian forces
LLOYDSLIST.COM I bet the russian cheques have started bouncing
Ukraine has scored its first air-to-air "kill". It's believed that the F16 downed a Russian Su35 earlier this month; the Russian pilot was able to eject.
Russia has lost plenty of aircraft, but they've all fallen either to air defences or drone attacks. The Su35 is touted as a more advanced aircraft than the F16, but pilot ability is a big factor
I'll note that recently we had the first air-to-air kill where a Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian fighter. So, I think their ability to scale their layered defense has come along uh a long way over the past uh couple years with the help and assistance of many - US General Dan Caine (before Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday, 21st)
Widely reported
^^ That's interesting, hadn't heard of that su35 being downed. 👍
There's a really well done article on Reuters, which explains the 30km wide "kill zone" line of contact which runs for 1500km between Ukraine and the invaders. Lots of clever graphical representations which show how troops on both sides live, fight, resupply, exfiltrate, infiltrate, casevac etc.
It's worth viewing on a laptop or desktop rather than a phone.
