Day 398 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
Ukraine activates drone attack units
1:30: The Ukrainian military has assembled and activated three drone companies. They consist of unmanned attack drones, vehicles and Starlink internet connections, the military leadership said. The drones were made in Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Digital Transformation, said on Telegram. They are to be used for reconnaissance and attacks. Funding was made possible by private donations. Among other things, the drones are intended to help the artillery units with target acquisition. They are transported on pick-ups. According to the minister, this is a new approach to troop leadership, training and the use of drones. The exact number of units was not given, but official photos show at least 15 vehicles.
Ex-minister: Bulgaria wants to send “huge amount of ammunition” to Ukraine
12:10 a.m.: Bulgaria apparently plans to sell large quantities of ammunition to Ukraine. This is to be handled via third countries. Former Bulgarian Defense Minister Boyko Noev said in an interview that this could affect the course of the war.
Accordingly, Bulgaria wants to hand over old ammunition worth almost 175 million euros to the state military plant VMZ, which will forward them to Ukraine through intermediaries, said Noev. “This is the biggest upgrade of the Bulgarian land forces in recent history. That’s a huge amount of ammunition – hundreds of thousands,” Noev was quoted as saying by the Bulgarian news website Euractiv.
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.
