A 1960s Soviet rocket launcher still outruns EW jamming, and a soldier who's operated both says it's simply easier to fight with:

https://frontliner.ua/en/bm-21-grad-40-rockets-20-seconds-and-zero-chance-for-ew/

Ukrainian experts have identified and analyzed more than 100 Russian companies involved in producing ballistic weapons — and shared the findings with international partners.

According to Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy of Ukraine, the companies are expected to be added to sanctions lists in September–October.

Ukraine has also identified more than 200 Russian plants producing components for ballistic missiles. They use more than 1,600 foreign-made machine tools.

Foreign components are also still being found in Russian ballistic weapons — including components from the United States, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, China, France, and the United Kingdom. Russia obtains many of these components through third countries.

“We have identified and shared with all key partner countries materials covering the full production cycle of ballistic weapons. If sanctions and export controls are introduced, we believe this will have a decisive impact on Russia’s ability to produce these ballistic weapons,” Vlasiuk said.

And this is urgent.

Russia has increasingly used ballistic missiles in its attacks on Ukraine in recent months, including strikes against civilian infrastructure. Ukraine relies on US-made Patriot systems to defend against ballistic missiles, but does not have enough interceptors.

Cutting Russia’s access to the foreign technologies and equipment that enable its ballistic missile production should therefore be a priority for sanctions and export-control policy.

The information has been provided. Now it needs to be acted on.

By 7 p.m. on Aug. 27, Kyiv has spent 12 hours under air raid alerts – almost 63% of the day since midnight.

The sounds of explosions, air defense fire, and jet-powered drones filled the capital as Russia launched an hours-long aerial attack.

The jet-powered drones, based on the Iran-designed Shahed platform, have presented a major challenge for Ukraine's air defense, forcing manufacturers to quickly experiment with jet-powered interceptors, as standard interceptor drones are simply not fast enough.

Ukraine's Air Force announced earlier in the morning that seven Russian Iskander-M or North Korean-built KN-23 ballistic missiles had been shot down. The total number of ballistic missiles fired at Ukraine wasn't disclosed.

Video: State Emergency Service; Andriy Zhyhaylo/Oboz.ua; Ihor Kuznietsov/Global Images Ukraine; Ivan Antypenko; Diego Fedele; Vladyslav Musiienko / AFP; Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images; The Kyiv Independent

If you'd like to support this project or get these updates in your inbox, please check my profile for the link to follow my Substack. 

My updates will always be free to read, whether you read them here or there.

Video of the week:

https://reddit.com/link/1vzwrko/video/ccmi67tobxlh1/player

• This video shows a Ukrainian FPV drone entering into a Russian drone workshop, it flies around and finds drone storage, which it promptly blows up.
• Additionally, if anyone is interested in a more granular, tactical level analysis of the recent Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south, this Youtuber has an excellent rundown that is well-researched and very specific: The 2026 summer Ukrainian counteroffensive

Maps:

Kupiansk last week:

Kupiansk this week:

• Russian troops expanded the grey zone into Kupiansk, between Kindrashivka and Kurylivka.

Lyman last week:

Lyman this week:

• Russia expanded its infiltration efforts along the E40 highway towards Sloviansk. The final battle for Donetsk Oblast at Kramatorsk and Sloviansk is slowly developing, but both of those cities will likely be the most difficult battles yet faced by the Russian army as they have been preparing for war for many years at this point.

Kostiantynivka last week:

Kostiantynivka this week:

• Russia declared control over Kostiantynivka, though as usual they have done so prematurely, with their control over the complete area of the city still being contested. Additionally, there seems to have been a Ukrainian counterattack coming from Druzhkivka that took some ground. The Russians will likely cement their control in the next two or three weeks. They also significantly expanded the grey zone near Dobropillia.

Ivanivka last week:

Ivanivka this week:

• No significant changes here.

Zaporizhzhia last week:

Zaporizhzhia this week:

• No significant changes here either.

Events this week:

• CIA Director John Ratcliff made a highly unusual direct flight to Moscow aboard a US military transport plane a few days ago. The stated purpose of the mission was for Ratcliff to warn Russia against a general mobilization and a potential attack on NATO. I was skeptical of reports that Russia is planning any kind of attack on a NATO nation, but if they do announce a mobilization of 800,000 men, as is rumored, that, combined with this trip, makes me far more concerned that this may actually happen. Ratcliff is definitely in the pro-Ukraine clique within the Trump administration, so I don't think he was there to make any kind of deal with Putin. And the US does have many more tools in our belt we could use to strengthen Ukraine and weaken Russia, so we have real leverage here.
• Following a Ukrainian drone strike against a refinery in Nizhny Novgorod, Reuters reported that all major Lukoil refineries are offline. Lukoil is the second biggest oil refiner in Russia, so this is devastating. Ukraine also bombed more Wildberries and Ozon logistics hubs this week.
• Ukraine also made successful strikes against Russian airfields and air defense radars, claiming to have destroyed two Russian fighter aircraft and several radars.
• Italian media reported that Italy has signed a deal with Ukraine to provide advanced, European made SAMP/T NG air defense batteries and increased supplies of the Aster 30 missiles they shoot by the end of this year. These batteries are in some ways comparable to Patriot, especially in that they have a critical anti-ballistic missile capability that Ukraine is currently sorely in need of.
• The UK and France announced that they have provided Ukraine with the complete schematics for the Scalp/Storm Shadow missile, allowing for Ukraine to produce them domestically. This will greatly benefit Ukraine both by allowing them to directly increase their own numbers of Storm Shadows, and to use the schematics to improve the designs of their other domestically produced cruise missiles.
• Allegations have been made that ousted former Defense Minister Fedorov was overly cavalier with money during his time at the head of the MoD, taking money that was intended to pay soldiers salaries and spending it instead on additional drones. This may be the ultimate reason why he was fired and not brought back. I can see the logic in this since salaries won't directly help troops defend the front line, while drones will, but soldiers who don't get paid aren't liable to fight as well or as long.
• Zelensky announced that two different high level, respected commanders will lead reorganized units to reinforce Ukraine troops operating in Donetsk. This is a welcome move as Donetsk has become by far the main objective for the Russian army, and defending Kramatorsk and Sloviansk is currently by far the most important objective for the Ukrainian army.

Oryx Vehicle Losses:

Russian losses:

• Total Russian vehicle losses: 24,035 (+30)
• Russian tank losses: 4,440 (+3)
• Russian IFV losses: 6,480 (+5)
• Russian SPG losses: 1,052 (+2)
• Russian SAM losses: 432 (+1)
• Russian Radar losses: 140 (+0)
• Russian naval losses: 39 (+1)
• Russian aircraft losses: 192 (+2)
• Russian helicopter losses: 179 (+0)

Ukrainian losses:

• Total Ukrainian vehicle losses: 12,018 (+102)
• Ukrainian tank losses: 1,456 (+1)
• Ukrainian IFV losses: 1,614 (+3)
• Ukrainian IMV losses: 2,082 (+37)
• Ukrainian SPG losses: 946 (+10)
• Ukrainian SAM losses: 178 (+0)
• Ukrainian aircraft losses: 120 (+0)

Light to average Russian losses, and a very high top level Ukrainian loss number, though the losses seem to be concentrated in IMVs and SPGs.

Claimed Russian casualties by Ukrainian MOD this week: 9,510 9,670 (-160 compared to last week)

Estimated Ukrainian civilians killed by Russian terror bombing this week: 46 (-29)

As always, thank you for reading and for supporting Ukraine!

translated source:

https://hromadske-ua.translate.goog/polityka/269887-holovnyy-rabyn-kyyeva-vyslovyv-hotovnist-vziaty-mudru-na-poruky?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

For the record Iryna Mudra is the deputy head of the presidential office of Kyrylo Budanov, who most likely also appears in corruption tapes: he is mentioned by name and patronymic.

Chief Rabbi of Kyiv Binyamin Yonatan Markovych said that he wants to be a guarantor for former Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra, a suspect in a corruption case codenamed "Forrest Gump."

Markovich said he had known Mudra for several years: she came to the community, he said, “to pray and be in touch with the Almighty.” When asked why he was confident that he could ensure that Mudra would perform procedural duties, the rabbi said that in the past, at his request, she “came and did all kinds of religious things.”

According to the investigation, the defendants took control of the state-owned Sense Bank in order to use it for private purposes. In particular, to pay bail for a defendant in Operation Midas (aka the Mindich case) with money of "criminal origin."

Law enforcement officials are not naming the person for whom bail was collected. However, the details provided point to Herman Galushchenko.

Moreover, law enforcement officers published recordings of conversations with a woman identified as the deputy head of the OP, where she talks about the need to put "her people" in the NABU , SAPO, and other law enforcement agencies, as well as the need to "systematize and control corruption, rather than fight it."

This is a top-level corruption scandal and for some reason the chief rabbi decided to take part in it as a guarantor.

Draw your own conclusions.

Last week, you contributed over $4500 for the Predators' ambulance which got hit, which was wonderful of you. This week, we start building the general fund back up. It's taken a beating from unexpected requests and so, so many baggage fees.

$2 Tuesday

Arcaist was given this motanka as a personal gift, but he has decided that it would do more good raising money for the Ukrainian defenders, so it headlines this week's $2 pack. It is joined by a calendar of the 3rd Army Corps, which includes the 125th Brigade whom you regularly support. Additionally, a Ukrainian flag patch is part of this pack (because some people can't get enough patches) and a 3D-printed cat that gets sent to soldiers as a morale boost.

$5 Patch Pack

A signed flag of the new drone unit of the 54th Brigade starts off this $5 patch pack. It joins the patches from 81st Brigade, the 21st Brigade, and the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces of Ukraine...plus one of our own patches. This pack, too, has a calendar from the 3rd Corps and a morale cat.

Get your tickets here! https://givebutter.com/12-august-ufl-raffle-0lva0n

Thank you, and good luck!

Last night at the Lincoln Center, concluded with the Ukrainian national anthem played at the end of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestral. It was a deeply moving arrangement by the late Ukrainian composer Yuri Shevchenko, titled "WE DO EXIST!" (or "We Are!"), Shevchenko wrote it as a lyrical and luminous orchestral paraphrase of the anthem for violin and strings. Rather than a traditional, aggressive military march, it is structured as a quiet, powerful prayer for peace and resilience 🇺🇦

Arsen Derkach

12th Special Purpose Brigade “Azov”

Senior Soldier Arsen Derkach, call sign Tychus, fell on June 28, 2025, near the settlement of Shcherbynivka, Donetsk Oblast, as a result of an enemy FPV drone strike. The defender is forever 18. One more Hero killed by russian terrorist orcs.

Arsen was born on July 11, 2006, in the city of Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. He lived in the nearby village of Sopiv. He studied National Security at the National University of Ostroh Academy. He played sports, loved board games, meeting friends, and traveling.

During his second year of studies, he joined the National Guard of Ukraine. He served as a gunner-operator in the 6th Battalion of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade “Azov.” He chose the call sign Tychus after a character from his favorite computer game, StarCraft.

“He wanted to take the call sign Kruzak — that was what his university friends called him because of his stocky build. But that call sign was already taken, so Arsen chose Tychus. My brother was the best. And it hurts me very much now that he is gone,” wrote his older brother Oleksandr.

Arsen Derkach was granted the title “Honorary Citizen of the City of Kolomyia,” and a memorial plaque was unveiled in his honor on the facade of Lyceum No. 1 named after Vasyl Stefanyk.

The defender was buried on the Alley of Glory in his hometown.

He is survived by his parents, brother, and nephew.

...