In today's summary:
- The voice message of General Ivan Popov with the call sign "Spartak" excited the public in Russia;
- "Military correspondents" and Z-figures argue about the consequences of the scandal with Popov and fear the "disintegration of the army";
- Ukrainian troops are conducting assault operations in the area of Pyatikhatki and Rabotino;
- The Russian army is trying to counterattack near Gulyaipole, using the effect of surprise;
- Kamikaze drones attacked Kyiv: one person was killed by debris, two were injured;
- Forbes published material that Ukraine is winning in the counter-battery fight;
- The “most protected” European tanks, the Swedish Stridsvagn 122, were spotted in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- In the Luhansk region, boxes with weapons from the 40s of the last century were opened.
The situation at the front
Events in the combat zone were overshadowed by a new scandal within the RF Armed Forces. The day before, State Duma deputy, former commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army Andrei Gurulev posted on his Telegram channel a voice message from Major General Ivan Popov, who served as commander of the 58th OVA during the war with Ukraine. He turned to his "gladiators" (since Popov's call sign is "Spartak") and confirmed the information that had appeared earlier that he had been removed from his post for problems with counter-battery combat and the lack of personnel rotation brought to the attention of the "senior authorities". According to him, in this way the higher leadership "treacherously and vilely beheaded the army at the most difficult and tense moment."
Later, Secretary General of the United Russia party, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Andrei Turchak said that Popov's statement appeared in private chats of the commanders and fighters of the 58th Army and was not public. Turchak accused Gurulev of creating a "political show", stressing that "Ivan <Popov's conscience is clear" and "the Motherland can be proud of such commanders." He also stressed that "the army has been and remains out of politics." How this is combined with Popov's criticism of the high command in front of an audience of soldiers and officers, Turchak did not specify.
Previously, only Yevgeny Prigozhin, one of the founders and the main public representative of the Wagner PMC, criticized the command of the Russian group in Ukraine. The conflict between Prigozhin and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, which dragged on for many months, in June 2023 resulted in an open armed uprising and a campaign of the “Wagnerites” against Moscow.
Russian "military correspondents" and Z-figures, obviously, have not yet worked out (or have not received from above) an agreed position on this issue and so far they are commenting on the scandal that is flaring up before our eyes in discord.
"Voenkor" VGTRK Alexander Sladkov released a video in which he called the situation with Ivan Popov "unpleasant", but "working" and urged not to make him a rebel and not to challenge the unity of command in the army.
Sladkov is echoed by Yevgeny Poddubny, another “military commander” of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, who is sure that “attempts to organize a public discussion” of personnel decisions in the RF Armed Forces are “harmful practice.”
The Fighterbomber Telegram channel associated with the Russian Aerospace Forces is outraged by the very fact of recording the appeal, but at the same time notes that the problems voiced “in 90% of cases actually exist.” It is worth recalling that Z-channels have previously reported problems with rotation ( 1 , 2 , 3 ) and with the organization of counter-battery combat ( 1 , 2 ).
One of the separatist field commanders in the Donbas in 2014, and now a well-known Z-figure Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov / Runov) describes the current situation as “almost a rebellion”:
“The appeal of the retired commander to the public is (in the regular army) nonsense, a scandal, a most dangerous precedent. Almost a riot. Moreover, this time it was created not by some criminal who, by the will of fortune, made his way "from rags to riches" <talking about Yevgeny Prigogine – The Insider>, but by a natural personnel general. (And "not the worst").
Further, as many commentators rightly point out, there are only mutinies and uncontrolled disintegration of the army. And before that – in fact – "at hand." Only a new major military defeat separates us from the new "camp on Moscow" carried out by the regular army.
However, Girkin also shares the opinion of some “front-line officers” that General Popov was “provoked and framed”, promising to “give a report a go”.
Girkin's comrade-in-arms in the radical-patriotic "Angry Patriots Club", retired Air Force Colonel Viktor Alksnis, regards General Popov's appeal as a "political statement" and considers it unacceptable for a high-ranking officer to voice problems without filing a resignation letter in protest.
"Voenkor" Roman Saponkov writes that "Popov's removal is a monstrous act of terrorism against morality in the army" and "just sabotage", and finds a direct connection with the Wagner PMC mutiny:
“The Wagner march was against Gerasimov’s NGSH and against Shoigu. personally against them. And it united a huge part of the army. Entire units refused to fire or use force.
But then the army was outweighed by the opinion that the Wagner was a private army, mercenaries and the army should not be led by private traders.
After the failure of the Wagners, purges of courage began.
And then people with faceless fish eyes are filming a military general who demanded a rotation for the fighters, a normal counter-battery, and support. The general, who did not publish these problems, but reported to the authorities at a closed meeting.
"Voenkor" KP Alexander Kots suggests thinking (for our part, we note – after a year and a half of the so-called SVO) "about a reward system for reports that correspond to reality. And about the punishment for the opposite.
Propagandist Anastasia Kashevarova even came out with a cry from the heart (in a sense, completely seditious from the point of view of the political regime that has developed in Russia):
How to convey information so that it is heard? Publicity doesn't work. Mutiny doesn't work. True reports don't work.
The system tries to save itself in any case. And it has always been that way. She hardens at all attacks. And the point here is not so much in the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, the point is in the civilian leadership too. In a general approach to SVO. The problem is in the entire state apparatus.
<…>
We're cracking at the seams, guys. Self-destruction is on. Nobody stops. So the system needs to be rebuilt, the military needs to be helped, bureaucratic officials to account.”
The well-known Z-channel "Military Informant" accuses the military leadership of the Russian Federation of being in its "enticing world of several times distorted reports and beautiful presentations" – this was, among other things, the reason for Prigozhin's rebellion. The authors of the channel point out the seriousness of the problems identified by Popov: the counter-battery fight is conducted ineffectively due to the overcomplicated decision-making chain and the long time it takes for information to pass from reconnaissance to weapons of destruction. As a result, the blow is often delivered to the place where the enemy has long been gone. "Military Informant" also scolds the "wretched" constellation of Roscosmos satellites, whose work cannot be compared with the way Western satellite intelligence functions.
The authorities could not but react to such a flurry of accusations – so far in the person of Andrei Kartapolov, Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee. Kartapolov hastened to assure that the problems voiced by Ivan Popov are already being resolved. Be that as it may, a Russian officer at the level of an army commander confirmed the validity of at least some of the assessments of Western experts ( 1 , 2 ) regarding the weaknesses of the Russian army.
"Voenkor" and Z-figure Alexei Zhivov, in the context of the removal of General Popov from command of the 58th Army, tells the story of the conflict around the Storm Shadow missile. Recall that the Russians were able to take its wreckage to Russia, so that, as the former head of Roskosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, wrote , to investigate and develop solutions to counter this type of weapon. According to Zhivov, those who removed the wreckage “under enemy fire” will be punished for handing it over to the relevant design bureau, since Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu allegedly wanted to parade Storm Shadow in Patriot Park.
Either in connection with the statement of General Popov, or in the wake of Prigozhin's rebellion, the protection of the headquarters of the Southern Military District (aka the main command post of the Northern Military District) in Rostov-on-Don is being strengthened. Gabion fortifications were placed behind its fence and the Tiger armored car was placed.
The Rybar Telegram channel associated with the Russian Defense Ministry believes that Ukrainian troops will try to take advantage of the change in commander of the 58th Army and the likely demoralization of military personnel. Recall that the 42nd and 19th divisions of the 58th OVA are located in the area of Pyatikhatki and Rabotino in the Zaporozhye direction , and it is here, according to the authors of the channel, that new “rolls” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should be expected. It is noted that the Ukrainian military wedged along the front line in the north-east of Rabotino and once again tried to gain a foothold in Pyatikhatki .
"Rybar" also reports that the "Storm" assault squads attacked the strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Gulyaipole , as a result of which they occupied several landings. They managed to take the Ukrainian military by surprise, since active hostilities had not been conducted on this sector of the front for a long time.
A video has been published (probably archival) of an unsuccessful attempt by Ukrainian forces to break through from the Sonechko volunteer reconnaissance battalion on the road from Pyatikhatki to Zherebyanki . It is worth noting that even unsuccessful Ukrainian attacks are not at all like the stories of “military correspondents” about how the Armed Forces of Ukraine throw soldiers into a meat grinder, regardless of losses. According to Rybar, Sonechko includes volunteers and teroborona fighters.
Mutual shelling and sabotage
The command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that on the night of July 13, the RF Armed Forces attacked the territory of Ukraine with the help of 20 kamikaze drones of the Shahed family (aka Geran), as well as an Iskander-M ballistic missile and two cruise missiles "Caliber". "Caliber" and all UAVs intercepted.
Most of the drones were shot down in the sky over Kiev . As a result of falling debris in the Darnitsky district of the city, a 19-year-old girl and a 23-year-old man were injured. In the Podolsky district, while extinguishing a fire in the apartment of one of the houses, the body of the deceased was found, but then the DSNS clarified that the fire was not associated with a raid by kamikaze drones.
The city of Orekhov in the Zaporozhye region was shelled . At least three houses were destroyed and one civilian was killed.
The UAV attacked a plant located in Starodub in the Bryansk region . Russian Telegram channels suggest that since the company's buildings are located in the center of the city, which is far from the border, it is most likely a sabotage operation.
Arrivals are reported in the area of the Topaz plant , located in the northwestern part of Donetsk . The plant specialized in the development and production of complex radio systems and complexes, and its territory was probably used by the RF Armed Forces as a base for military equipment and personnel.
Losses
A record was published with the destruction of the Russian electronic warfare complex "Borisoglebsk" and the multiple launch rocket system "Grad". Based on geolocation, one of the episodes occurred west of the village of Romanivske in Zaporizhia Oblast .
The Russian loitering ammunition "Lancet" reportedly hit the Ukrainian radar station "Zoo" in the direction of Kherson . Earlier, the Ukrainian forces took it as a trophy from the RF Armed Forces. However, the "Military Informant" defines the affected equipment as the 36D6 radar, which is in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
New photo and video materials have appeared showing the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in equipment on the Vremevsky ledge – these are several MRAPs and armored personnel carriers. Judging by the video, they were hit with anti-tank missiles. However, one can doubt that this is the first hit in them – it is noticeable that the equipment is standing still.
According to a Forbes publication , Ukrainian troops are likely to win the artillery war. According to the publication’s calculations, there are four Russian artillery systems for one destroyed weapon of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is also confirmed by the data of the Oryx OSINT project, which calculates the loss of equipment of the parties to the conflict based on photo and video evidence.
As if as another illustration of the above thesis, the Russian self-propelled gun "Hyacinth-S" was destroyed near Petrivka in the Donetsk region by accurate artillery fire of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
A Ukrainian M-55S tank was hit by a Krasnopol guided missile near Kremennaya in the Lugansk region . This is the first loss of tanks of this type, transferred by Slovenia back in 2022.
The Z-channel "RosgVardeets" writes that the Ukrainian military, after striking at the location of Russian troops located in the conditional rear, hit the same place with cluster munitions. As a result, those who came to clear the rubble are killed. It is worth recalling that the Russian Aerospace Forces actively used the same tactics during the bombing of civilian targets in Syria, as a result of which the volunteers of the Syrian Civil Defense died.
In the camp of volunteers and contractors, located in the suburbs, there was a mass brawl. One person is reported to have died.
Armaments and military equipment
The list of military aid from Germany has been updated . Ukraine received six Gepard SPAAGs, a Biber bridge layer and an additional bridge, five armored vehicles, a tractor and four semi-trailers, as well as laser designators, fire control stations and ammunition.
A video has appeared with the Swedish Stridsvagn 122 tanks (a modification of the German Leopard 2A5) in service with the Ukrainian military. They are equipped with "Barracuda" camouflage (which provides stealth also in the ultraviolet and infrared range) and are considered the most protected tanks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the moment. Stridsvagn 122s are equipped with roof protection, which can be seen from the hatches with combined armor.
Slovenian M-55S tanks spotted in the Zaporozhye direction . It is noted that now they are in service with the 67th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which has not yet entered the battle, although they were originally assigned to the 47th brigade, which is fighting according to NATO standards on Western vehicles (as a result, the latter went into battle with Leopard tanks 2).
The Ukrainian MT-LB with the Turkish combat module SARP DUAL appeared in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The module is a machine gun turret with two guns, a thermal imager, a laser rangefinder, a TV channel and a ballistic computer. It is able to automatically track the target and is equipped with an autonomous power supply system, which allows it to be used with the engine of the combat vehicle on which it is installed turned off.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine use the British AUDS (Anti-UAV Defense System) systems, which allow shooting down drones at a distance of 10 km. The gun can send a powerful radio signal towards the drone, causing a break in its connection with the operator. Julian Röpke, a correspondent for the German publication Bild, notes that Ukraine currently has a fairly small number of such systems in service, which are used in the most difficult sectors of the front, for example, in the area of the Antonovsky bridge across the Dnieper . According to the expert, Ukrainians will need about 100 AUDS to protect the entire front.
Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavsky confirmed the receipt of cluster munitions from the United States. “They can radically change the situation at the front, but we have not used them yet,” he said. According to him, where this "very powerful weapon" will be used will be determined by the command.
The first combat use of the Russian Kornet ATGM with the Kurgan remote control system is reported . The operator of such a system is located at a distance of up to 50 meters from it in relative safety – after all, during launch, only the missile launch site is unmasked, and not the position of the operator.
In the Z-channel "Military Informant", they note with sadness that we have a handicraft development, and the ATGM manufacturer itself is not interested in introducing such modules – despite the fact that the Ukrainian Stugna-P ATGM, which probably served as a source inspiration, are supplied with such modules on a regular basis.
A photo of the Russian UMPC module with the Kometa-M anti-electronic warfare module has appeared. It is noted that this device is not cheap, however, it allows a guided bomb equipped with UMPC to hit the target exactly in the conditions of radio interference created by the enemy.
A box with Chinese cartridges used by the Russian military was found near Bakhmut. The ammunition was produced in 1967 and may have been delivered to Iran, from where, most likely, they got to the front – like Chinese artillery shells .
A video with samples of weapons allegedly issued to those mobilized in the Lugansk region is circulating on social networks. Basically, these are weapons of the late 30s – early 40s of the last century. Here is Simonov's self-loading carbine, and Sudayev's light machine gun, and other antiquities. There is even a Mosin rifle of the 1891 model with a needle bayonet. The date and location of the shooting is unknown. Before us may be, for example, the contents of the arms depots seized in Soledar, which Yevgeny Prigozhin demonstrated in the spring.
In this regard, Igor Girkin, however, writes that the weapons shown are good and reliable, they are simply not suitable for the fighters on the first line. According to Girkin, these types of weapons can be given to commandant and security units, as well as to participants in special operations “against the bandit underground.”
About the main events of the war on July 12 – in the previous report: “The Russians “capture” and “destroy” the same Bradley BMP, the landing of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is fixed on the left bank of the Dnieper. Что происходит на фронте» .