I particularly liked what he had to say about what this means for the culture in Russian politics:
Putin is actually taking ownership for this assassination in a way that is unusual. It looks like a very clear message to the Russian elites that there is now a new normal. We have entered into a new political reality where these kinds of things happen, where there are different rules to the game. And in this new reality, political assassinations are part of the toolkit Putin will use without discretion if he feels you are a problem. With this assassination of Prigozhin, we are moving one step up the repression ladder. Closer to the Stalinist level of oppression, and Putin is taking ownership of it.
In the middle of the Prigozhin thing, Ukranians are advancing faster and faster. I'm seeing a level of fear on the Russian side that I haven't seen in a while.
Drone strikes overnight hit at least six Russian cities, including Pskov, more than 370 miles from Ukraine, where an attack on the military and civilian airport destroyed two Il-76 cargo planes and damaged four others, according to Baza, a Russian media outlet with links to the country’s law enforcement.
The overnight swarm of drones, presumed to have been launched by Ukraine, temporarily forced some of Russia’s biggest airports to halt operations and left soldiers firing at the unpiloted aerial vehicles with small arms, demonstrating the ability of Kyiv or its proxies to attack deep within Russian territory. The airstrikes were the largest by Kyiv since President Vladimir Putin ordered his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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Russian state television, the Kremlin’s main tool for shaping public opinion on the war, barely mentioned the attacks, although the drones temporarily closed six Russian airports, including major airports in Moscow, which also was targeted. Drone strikes and airport closures in the Russian capital have practically become a nightly event as Ukraine has stepped up its efforts to make sure the war is felt by Russian citizens who live closest to the Kremlin.
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In Bryansk, a city in western Russia near the Ukrainian border, the office of the Investigative Committee — a federal law enforcement agency — was damaged in a drone attack, which also set off a fire at the Kremniy EL microelectronics plant, which produces parts for Russian missiles, according to Russian media.
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Drones also hit the Oryol, Ryazan and Kaluga regions, and maritime drones attacked the port of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Ukrainian Crimea, where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is based. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed to have destroyed four speed boats carrying Ukrainian paratroopers in the Black Sea. Ukraine denied that the boats were destroyed.
NYT reporters were allowed to station with Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front line around Donetsk last month. It's kind of a short read with nothing too revelatory, but there are some interesting details about the tactics Ukrainian assault groups are using to clear Russian fortifications, and how the Ukrainians are training on the fly.
A tour of the Ukrainian controlled areas affected by the Kakhovka dam destruction. Kind of insane to think that something like this can happen and is mostly just forgotten about, but I guess that's war. Hopefully the Russians will be held accountable for this at some point.
A pdf of a (long) report in from RUSI detailing some of the events early in Ukraine’s counter offensive and outlining some of the challenges they are facing. Very interesting read, a lot of new information in here.
New APN video: Fear is the new normal in Russian politics
I particularly liked what he had to say about what this means for the culture in Russian politics:
In the middle of the Prigozhin thing, Ukranians are advancing faster and faster. I'm seeing a level of fear on the Russian side that I haven't seen in a while.
Finding cause for war
Under Putin is easy
Coz it’s the way
Kindness is not the answer
People don’t always agree
Unless they get locked up
Till the end of their day
In jail they die
Never to see light again
Drone strikes hit military aircraft deep inside Russia (Washington Post, August 30)
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https://globalpulsenews.com/putins-colonel-killed-in-drone-strike-while-mowing-lawn-at-his-russian-residence/
Putin’s colonel killed in drone strike while mowing lawn at his Russian residence.
https://www.iswresearch.org/2023/08/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment_31.html
NYT (gift link) - A Brutal Path Forward, Village by Village
NYT reporters were allowed to station with Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front line around Donetsk last month. It's kind of a short read with nothing too revelatory, but there are some interesting details about the tactics Ukrainian assault groups are using to clear Russian fortifications, and how the Ukrainians are training on the fly.
NYT - The Never-Ending Nightmare of Ukraine’s Dam Disaster
A tour of the Ukrainian controlled areas affected by the Kakhovka dam destruction. Kind of insane to think that something like this can happen and is mostly just forgotten about, but I guess that's war. Hopefully the Russians will be held accountable for this at some point.
Zelensky is replacing his defense minister. npr
Because corruption?
Stormbreak: Fighting Through Russian Defences in Ukraine’s 2023 Offensive
A pdf of a (long) report in from RUSI detailing some of the events early in Ukraine’s counter offensive and outlining some of the challenges they are facing. Very interesting read, a lot of new information in here.