1/ Russian senior commanders are bogged down with bureaucracy, according to a Russian war blogger, due to an insistence on 'hypercentralism' – the practice of making the administration of a unit the responsibility of a single person, without delegating. ⬇️
3/ Engels-2 air base is home to the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment with the Tu-160M and 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment with the Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic nuclear-capable bombers. Both bomber types have repeatedly carried out long-range attacks against Ukraine.
1/ Russian firefighters have failed to extinguish an out-of-control fire at an oil depot in Saratov, caused by a Ukrainian drone strike, despite repeated attempts. The attack is said to have caused fuel shortages for the nearby military airfield. ⬇️
8/ VChK-OGPU reports: "During the acceptance of the "Dvinitsa-50", it was stated that its full service life expired in June 2015. The vessel had no records of recent repairs and maintenance, no forms for the main engine and auxiliary machinery, no spare parts kit. The operating instructions for the main equipment and machinery needed to be translated into Russian."
7/ The Russian MOD also hired the ferry Alexander Tkachenko from the Sovfracht company, owned by Dmitry Purim – an old friend of Dmitry Bulgakov. According to VChK-OGPU, it paid an exorbitant rate "and the difference went to the Shoigu team, through Bulgakov and Ivanov."
5/ Several old ships were purchased. They included the Vologda-50 (pictured, formerly the civilian ship Dadali); Kyzyl-60 (formerly Smyrna); Dvinitsa-50 (formerly the Turkish cargo ship Alican Deval); and Kazan-60 (formerly the Ukranian ship Georgy Agafonov).
3/ The scam was reportedly the work of former Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (l) and his deputies Timur Ivanov (c) and Dmitry Bulgakov (r). All three have since been sacked, and Ivanov and Bulgakov have been charged with large-scale corruption.
1/ A top-level scam at the Russian Ministry of Defence, in which decrepit old ships were used for one-way trips to transport weapons and equipment to Syria as part of the 'Syria Express', may have reduced Russia's ability to evacuate its equipment following Assad's fall. ⬇️
8/ He fought at Bakhmut as a commander in the Wagner Group in 2023 but was seriously wounded, losing his right arm. After recovering from his injuries, in 2024 he was appointed as security adviser to the President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadera. /end
7/ Podolsky is reported to be a former GRU special forces soldier who was awarded the title Hero of Russia, five Orders of Courage, and two medals "For Bravery". He is said to have fought with Russian forces in Syria, before resigning with the rank of major in 2017.
