The Russian military has launched a recruitment drive seeking troops for drone units, reflecting the key role that unmanned systems have come to play both in the Ukraine war and in Russia’s plans for its future force structure.
Russia reportedly used its new “Oreshnik” intermediate-range ballistic missile for the second time in Ukraine. Russia’s employment of the missile, which can deliver nuclear or conventional payloads, may be aimed at intimidating the West.
Ukrainian forces appear to have regained ground in and around the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, giving Kyiv a much-needed victory amid setbacks elsewhere on the battlefield and in peace negotiations.
Russia has developed longer-range bombs that offer the Russian Air Force inexpensive, survivable tools for long-range strikes, including on Ukrainian cities that were previously safe from glide bombs.
Moscow has introduced a new law allowing for reservists to be mustered to counter Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian oil refineries and other key facilities.
Ukraine’s Azov Corps announced that it has been tasked with stabilizing the situation near the eastern city of Dobropillia following recent Russian advances.
Russia has employed a new guided glide bomb in Ukraine that appears to be a more powerful derivative of a similar munition introduced last year. The latest weapon is part of Russian efforts to develop a growing variety of cheap standoff munitions.
Russia has developed a new loitering munition called the V2U that, according to Ukrainian reports, can use AI to navigate and strike targets and may be able to collaborate with other drones as part of a swarm. If these reports are accurate, the V2U marks a significant step forward in Russian autonomous drone development.
Russia has replaced its aging Ground Forces commander with a younger officer who has extensive combat experience in Ukraine. This decision could help the Russian army as it develops and implements post-war reforms. However, the most consequential personnel decisions have yet to come.
The Ukrainian military has recently unveiled several new army corps as part of an ongoing effort to replace problematic temporary command bodies with permanent corps built around its best brigades and commanders. Executing this reform during a war will not be easy, but it could pay dividends for Ukraine if implemented properly.
On the heels of its withdrawal from most of Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into neighboring Belgorod Oblast. The operation appears to be more limited in scale and objectives than Kyiv’s August 2024 Kursk offensive.
A permanent cutoff of all aid likely would not cause a Ukrainian collapse, but it would result in more Ukrainian lives and land lost and more infrastructure destroyed. Challenges would build over time and could exacerbate Kyiv’s manpower shortage, boosting Russian efforts to grind down Ukrainian forces and granting Moscow greater leverage in negotiations.
Ukraine announced a new initiative to expand some of its best drone units and replicate their strengths across the force. Amid a shortage of infantry, Kyiv is leaning even more on drone units to serve as a force multiplier in support of ground troops.
North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region have pulled back from the front lines following heavy losses, US and Ukrainian officials say, while Pyongyang is reportedly preparing to deploy more forces. North Korean troops have put the Ukrainian defense in Kursk under greater stress, but reinforcements will be necessary to sustain that pressure.
Russia and Ukraine traded attacks in the Kursk region this week as Moscow looks to continue clawing back its territory. Meanwhile, Russian forces appear to have taken the eastern city of Kurakhove but failed to encircle the Ukrainian forces there.
Russia unveiled plans to form a new branch dealing with unmanned systems, echoing a similar move by Ukraine. This decision reflects both the increasing importance of drones and a desire to systematize related evolutions within the Russian military.
Russian forces are currently focused on encircling the eastern city of Kurakhove. Their rate of advance has accelerated in recent weeks as Ukraine grapples with a manpower shortage.
Russia is close to capturing the city of Vuhledar, a defensive stronghold in eastern Ukraine. Vuhledar’s fall will further stretch Kyiv’s forces and aid Russia’s efforts to push Ukraine out of southern Donetsk Oblast.
Russian forces are on the attack in the Kursk region. While it is unclear exactly how much progress they have made, Russia appears to have retaken at least some territory.
Though Ukraine’s Kursk offensive has achieved tactical success and boosted morale, it has so far failed to divert Russian forces attacking toward Pokrovsk. Instead, Russian gains there have accelerated as Moscow capitalizes on Ukraine’s manpower shortage.
Ukraine’s surprise offensive in the Kursk region is a daring gambit likely intended to divert Russian forces and shift the war’s momentum. But it also comes with major risks for Ukraine, which is short on reserves and struggling to hold its lines in Donetsk Oblast.
New footage confirms Russia has begun using three-ton bombs equipped with “UMPK” wing and guidance kits, adding to the serious threat that Russian glide bombs already pose to Ukraine. Here is what we know about the new weapon and its implications for the war.
A June 22 message on a Telegram channel affiliated with the Russian 98th Guards Airborne Division seems to indicate Major General Yevgeny N. Tonkikh has been replaced as the division’s commander. The reason for the change is unclear, though it could be tied to stalled Russian progress in the city of Chasiv Yar, among other possible reasons.
Ukraine announced the commander of its nascent Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi. Sukharevskyi detailed various plans for the USF and how Ukraine plans to continue leveraging unmanned technology in its conflict with Russia.
Recent photos shared on social media offer insights on a new Russian glide bomb that has seen growing use in Ukraine: the UMPB D-30SN.
As Russia’s Kharkiv offensive has forced Ukraine to divert forces badly needed elsewhere, the Russians are trying to capitalize on the eastern front.
While Russia has little chance of taking Kharkiv, its offensive has already forced Ukraine to redeploy forces badly needed elsewhere.
Long-delayed U.S. aid is finally on its way to Ukraine as Russia presses forward near Avdiivka and Chasiv Yar. A look inside those battles.
Ukraine’s parliament finally passed a bill aimed at redressing its manpower shortage. But Kyiv’s lack of urgency has given Russia an opportunity to make gains.
The battle was generally favorable for Ukraine, as it destroyed a lot of Russian combat power. But Ukraine waited too long to withdraw and failed to prepare a solid second line of defense.