Day 397 since the beginning of the war: Russia claims to have intercepted a new type of drone in Ukraine. The federal government wants to send significantly more weapons to Ukraine. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Kiev: Situation in Bakhmut “very dynamic”
10:13 p.m.: According to a Ukrainian military officer, the situation in the heavily contested city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine is “very dynamic”. Sometimes even the enemy has tactical advantages, said the spokesman for the Ukrainian Eastern Front, Serhiy Cherevatyy, on television on Tuesday evening. But these benefits are predictable. “We recognize them and take countermeasures.”
There is no strategic advantage whatsoever. “The situation is stable but difficult,” said Cherevaty. “Combat and countermeasures are about denying the opponent the ability to successfully expand their attacks.” In the past 24 hours alone there have been 14 clashes with Russian troops, in the course of which 86 Russian soldiers have been killed and another 117 wounded. The information could not be independently verified.
The fight for Bachmut has been going on for months. The Wagner mercenary group operating there on the Russian side is now threatening the city from the east, north and south.
Kiev: Iranian kamikaze drones contain components from the West
6:07 p.m.: According to the Ukrainian military, the so-called kamikaze drones used by Russia from Iranian production consist to a large extent of components from Western production. As reported by Ukrainian media on Tuesday, experts disassembled and examined the downed and less damaged Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 drones. Most of the components come from the West and can be ordered, for example, from the Chinese online retailer Aliexpress.
The most important component is a CRPA antenna, which receives signals from a navigation satellite and therefore cannot be disturbed by the electronic air defense system. Even if the satellite connection fails, the drone can continue its flight with near-precision. The required technology was developed in Israel, among other places, it said. The data should now be made available to Ukraine’s western partners to make it more difficult for Iran to get components.
Pentagon: Russia wants to use very old tanks after losses
5:56 p.m.: According to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the massive destruction of armored vehicles by the Ukrainian military has forced Russia to resort to decades-old Soviet-era tanks. Ukraine has depleted Russia’s inventory of armored vehicles “in a way no one could have imagined,” Austin said at a Senate hearing on Tuesday. “That’s why we see Russia now scrambling for T-54 and T-55 tanks given the extent of the damage Ukraine has inflicted on them.” Read more about the Russian “tank panic” here.
The tank models were mainly developed by the Soviet Union after World War II, and tens of thousands of them were produced. According to the US Institute for War Studies (ISW), the tanks have significantly lighter armor and smaller guns than more recent models. The tanks are available in large numbers, as are the spare parts for them, but they could lead to even higher Russian casualties because they are less safe, the ISW said last week.
They are, for example, “highly vulnerable” to many anti-tank systems in Ukraine. Previously, there had been reports that a Russian train had been observed bringing the old tanks from a warehouse towards Ukraine.
Russia: Intercepted novel missile
2:46 p.m.: Russia says it has intercepted a new missile from Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense said it was a GLSDB-type US missile on Tuesday with. Such a precision missile, which has a range of 150 kilometers, was intercepted by the Russian air defenses. In addition, 18 Himars rockets were shot down.
