Russian forces conducted a series of missile and drone strikes against Ukraine on July 13 and 14.
Ukraine's Eastern Air Command reported that Ukrainian air defenses downed two Russian Kh-59/69 cruise missiles and four reconnaissance drones over eastern Ukraine on the night of July 13 and 14.[52] Ukraine's Southern Operational Command reported that Russian forces conducted a likely Iskander-M ballistic missile strike against Odesa Oblast and Ukrainian air defenses destroyed two Russian Orlan-10 reconnaissance drones over southern Ukraine on July 13.[53] Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration Head Oleh Synehubov reported that Russian forces also conducted missile strikes against Budy, Kharkiv Oblast on July 13 and 14, including striking a nearby training station with an Iskander missile.[54] The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported on July 14 that Russian forces struck a train near Budy with two Iskander-M missiles.[55] The Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on July 14 that Ukrainian forces downed a Russian cruise missile near Sumy City.[56]
www.understandingwar.org/...
Russian officials and milbloggers reiterated complaints about poor security around critical infrastructure in rear areas of Russia in response to a July 13 Ukrainian drone strike against an oil depot near Tsimlyansk, Rostov Oblast. Russian sources circulated footage on July 13 and 14 of two security guards armed with anti-drone guns seemingly watching a Ukrainian drone strike the oil depot without attempting to shoot down the drone and criticized the security guards for not defending the depot.[1] Russian sources alleged that Russian authorities have attempted to absolve themselves of responsibility for Ukrainian drone strikes by ordering Russian facilities to hire their own security and questioned why the Russian government has not organized mobile fire groups similar to Ukraine's mobile fire groups that defend against Russian Shahed-136/131 drone strikes.[2] Former Roscosmos (Russian space agency) head and Zaporizhia Oblast occupation senator Dmitry Rogozin responded to milblogger criticism on July 14 and claimed that Rosgvardia - a security agency tasked with protecting Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s regime from internal threats and some critical infrastructure - does not have the necessary manpower to set up defense posts at every critical facility in Russia.[3] Rogozin suggested that Russia should form, train, and equip specialized BARS (Russian Combat Army Reserve) volunteer units to provide technical and armed protection of critical energy and transport infrastructure facilities and called on the Russian government and Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider his proposal. Rogozin supervises several BARS units including the Russian BARS-10 Battalion of the "Tsarskiye Volki" Brigade, and owners of Russian irregular formations have previously attempted to use threats to Russian territory in order to advocate for their forces to move from frontline areas in Ukraine to defend Russia's rear and border areas.[4]
www.understandingwar.org/...
- Russian officials and milbloggers reiterated complaints about poor security around critical infrastructure in rear areas of Russia in response to a July 13 Ukrainian drone strike against an oil depot near Tsimlyansk, Rostov Oblast.
- The Russian military command may have committed under-equipped units initially intended to act as an operational reserve to combat operations, possibly due to constraints on the Russian defense industrial base (DIB) or efforts to reinforce ongoing Russian grinding assaults in Ukraine.
- Ukraine signed a series of security agreements and received several aid packages amid and following the July 9-11 NATO summit.
- Ukrainian forces recently regained lost positions near Vovchansk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Avdiivka.
- Russian State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Andrei Kartapolov reiterated on July 14 that the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) is not planning to demobilize servicemembers that Russia mobilized in Fall 2022 before the end of the war.
Ukrainian forces conducted localized counterattacks north and northeast of Kharkiv City on July 13 and 14 and recently regained limited positions in Vovchansk (northeast of Kharkiv City).[18] Geolocated footage published on July 14 showed elements of the Chechen 204th "Akhmat" Spetsnaz Regiment striking Ukrainian forces in northwestern Vovchansk, indicating that Ukrainian forces regained some positions in the area.[19] A Ukrainian source reported that Ukrainian forces repelled Russian forces, namely elements of the 245th Motorized Rifle Regiment (47th Tank Division, 1st Guard Tank Army, Moscow Military District [MMD]), from Sotnytskyi Kozachok (northwest of Kharkiv City).[20] ISW is unable to confirm this report at this time. Fighting continued in Vovchansk and near Hlyboke (north of Kharkiv City).[21] The Ukrainian National Guard reported that the number of Russian infantry attacks near Lyptsi (north of Kharkiv City) recently decreased, but Russian forces intensified airstrikes in the area.[22]