Russian forces continue to adapt their drone tactics along the frontline as part of an offense-defense arms race to mitigate Ukrainian technological adaptions to offset Russian materiel advantages along the frontline.
Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command reported on April 15 that Russian forces struck Kirovohrad Oblast with unspecified missiles.[67] Ukraine’s National police reported that Russian forces struck central Slovyansk, Donetsk Oblast with a “Grom-E1” missile a hybrid missile based on a Russian Kh-38 air-to-surface missile with a maximum range of 120 kilometers.[68] Russian forces previously used Grom-E1 missiles to strike Myrnohrad, Donetsk Oblast on March 13 and Kupyansk and Borova, Kharkiv Oblast on April 13.[69]
Russian forces continue to adapt their drone tactics along the frontline as part of an offense-defense arms race to mitigate Ukrainian technological adaptions designed to offset Russian materiel advantages along the frontline. Ukrainian drone operators told the Washington Post in an article published on April 14 that the number of drones that both Russian and Ukrainian forces use has made the battlefield “almost transparent,” but that Russian forces have significantly increased electronic warfare (EW) jamming since fall 2023.[11] The Ukrainian drone operators stated that it can be difficult to distinguish between Ukrainian and Russian drones because about 100 Russian and Ukrainian reconnaissance and attack drones can operate simultaneously within a 10-kilometer radius. The Ukrainian drone operators also reported that Russian forces understand how valuable Ukrainian drone operators are and specifically target them with guided glide bomb and multiple rocket launch system (MLRS) strikes. A Ukrainian drone instructor and brigade commander stated on April 15 that the Russian defense industrial base (DIB) is rapidly developing drones that operate at a wide range of frequencies to make it more difficult for Ukrainian EW systems to down them, and observed that both sides are increasingly using first-person view (FPV) drones that were not as prominent a year ago.[12] The instructor reported that his brigade detects 70 to 90 FPV drones per day but cannot down all of them, and that Russian forces sometimes equip drones with munitions that can detonate after Ukrainian forces down them. ISW has observed an increase in Russian reconnaissance and FPV drone usage along the frontline and Russian complaints about the lack of sufficient EW, especially in southern Ukraine, in fall 2023.[13]
www.understandingwar.org/...
- Ukrainian officials continue to warn that US security assistance is vital to Ukrainian forces’ ability to defend against current and future Russian offensive operations forecasted to begin in late spring and summer.
- A senior Estonian military official described intensified Russian offensive frontline operations and deep rear area strike campaigns as intended to degrade both Ukraine’s will to fight and Western unity.
- Russian forces continue to adapt their drone tactics along the frontline as part of an offense-defense arms race to mitigate Ukrainian technological adaptions to offset Russian materiel advantages along the frontline.
- Russian officials doubled down on efforts to amplify Iran’s “justification” for the April 13 large-scale Iranian strikes against Israel that falsely equates them with an April 1 Israeli strike targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials in Damascus.
- A Russian insider source claimed that Russian officials are preparing to redeploy some former Wagner Group elements serving in Africa Corps to Belgorod Oblast.
- Crimean occupation administration head Sergei Aksyonov passed a decree restricting migrant labor in occupied Crimea, undermining the Kremlin’s effort to mitigate labor shortages.
- Russian state media seized on Georgian protests against a proposed law similar to Russia’s “foreign agent” law, likely as part of Kremlin efforts to amplify political discord in Georgia.
- Russian forces recently made confirmed advances near Siversk (northeast of Bakhmut), Avdiivka, and west of Donetsk City on April 15.
- Russian prosecution rates of men who had fled compulsory military service have reportedly increased since fall 2022.
Russian forces recently advanced near Avdiivka. Geolocated footage published on April 15 indicates that Russian forces advanced in central Semenivka (west of Avdiivka), and Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces advanced in the area.[47] Additional geolocated footage published on April 14 indicates that Russian forces advanced southeast of Novobakhmutivka (northwest of Avdiivka), and a Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces are approaching the outskirts of Ocheretyne (northwest of Avdiivka and north of Novobakhmutivka).[48] ... Positional engagements continued northwest of Avdiivka near Novokalynove and Novobakhmutivka; west of Avdiivka near Umanske, Berdychi, and Semenivka; and southwest of Avdiivka near Pervomaiske and Netaylove.[51]
Over the weekend, CBS News published the results of a poll conducted this month by YouGov. It focused on views of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, but included a telling question related to the point above.
Respondents were asked to evaluate whether they viewed different sources of information about the war in Ukraine as trustworthy. Overall, only two sources were viewed as more trustworthy than not: the military/Pentagon and journalists and media operating in the war zone. Every other presented option was underwater, with more people saying they viewed them as untrustworthy than as trustworthy.
In part, that was because of broad skepticism from independents, who are generally more likely to indicate distrust when asked such questions. Only the military was viewed as more trustworthy than not on net among independents.
But it was also because, among Republicans, the only broadly trusted source of information about the war was … Donald Trump.
www.washingtonpost.com/...