At the request of John Healey, MP and representative of the Ministry of Defense, the UK government disclosed an estimate of the Russian Federation’s losses in the war against Ukraine.

The UKdefencejournal reported on this.

“We estimate that approximately 302,000 Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded, and tens of thousands more have already deserted since the start of the conflict,” Heappey said.

It is worth noting that the figures of personnel losses are quite comparable to the estimated losses of Russians published by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In addition to the regular army losses, the British MP was interested in the losses of Russian private military companies and volunteer formations, but no specific figures were available.

Illustrative photo of the cemetery of Wagner PMC mercenaries. Photo from open sources.

“The number of personnel killed serving in Russian private military companies (PMCs) is not clear. Russia has utilized several PMCs and volunteer units in Ukraine to augment Russian military forces, but the deaths of personnel from these organizations are not reflected in Russian official military death tolls,” Heappey noted.

It should be added that one of Wagner PMC’s Telegram channels published an approximate number of casualties as of May 20. The statement pointed out that about 20,000 people were killed and about 40,000 were wounded.

Additionally, Healey sought details on the destruction of Russian military equipment.

“We also estimate that over 7,117 Russian armored vehicles, including nearly 2,475 main battle tanks, 93 fixed-wing aircraft, 132 helicopters, 320 unmanned aerial vehicles, 16 naval vessels of all classes, and over 1,300 artillery systems of all types have been destroyed since the start of the conflict,” Heappey said.

Illustrative photo of the wreckage of a Russian fighter jet. Photo from open sources.

The published figures are close to those published on the OSINT resource Oryx, which only counts losses confirmed by photo or video evidence.

Militarnyi has repeatedly reported losses of manpower, armored vehicles, aircraft, and ships of Russian troops.

For example, on November 18, it was reported that a Russian assault group was neutralized, and on November 17, a large number of armored vehicles were destroyed.

A Russian T-72B3 tank, destroyed in Ukraine, was brought to Helsinki for public display in the city center.

Photographer Marko Enqvist published photos from the square capturing this tank.

The Defense Forces of Ukraine damaged the tank near Kyiv at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

The Russian T-72 tank was brought from Estonia, where it had already been exhibited as a museum piece in a military museum.

The tank damaged in March 2022 near Kyiv can be spotted on Civic Square until December 7.

A destroyed Russian tank in Ukraine in Finland. November 2023. Photo credits: Marko Enqvist

“The purpose of the exhibition is to remind us that the war continues. It is due to the Ukrainian defenders that Russian tanks do not appear on the streets of Finnish cities to bring death and destruction,” the exhibition organizers shared.

Exhibitions

Ukraine has long been sending destroyed Russian military equipment to European cities.

Last summer, the first such exhibitions were held in Poland and the Czech Republic.

The Russian Buk-M2 anti-aircraft missile system, destroyed in Ukraine and transported to an exhibition in the Czech Republic. July 2022, Ukraine. A frame from Anton Herashchenko’s video

Visitors could see broken T-72B tanks, Msta-S self-propelled howitzers, Uragan and Smerch multiple rocket launchers’ rockets, and other equipment.

The Russian T-90 tank, self-propelled artillery, anti-tank systems, and the Buk missile system were sent to the exhibition.

The Russian T-90A tank, captured in Ukraine and presented at an exhibition in the Czech Republic. July 2022, Czech Republic. Photo credits: Yevhen Perebyinis

Visitors were able to see the missiles fired by the Russians at Ukrainian cities with their own eyes.

In May of this year, a T-72B tank of the Russian invaders, destroyed in Ukraine, was exhibited in Amsterdam.

Russians are preparing sabotage at Bulgarian defense industry enterprises.

The Financial Times reported on this.

Emilian Gebrev, the Bulgarian weapons manufacturer, who survived two Russian assassination attempts, is sounding the alarm over Moscow’s attempts to disrupt arms shipments to Ukraine.

In an interview with the publication, he shared that Russian saboteurs are actively attacking his production facilities and depots, and this campaign started even before the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war.

“The Russian threats [mean] that a new set of measures must be taken at the national level as well as at the level of the Alliance,” he wrote in a Q&A, referring to NATO, of which Bulgaria has been a member since 2004.

Emilian Gebrev. Photo from open sources

Gebrev stated that officers of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (formerly the GRU), who twice tried to kill him in 2015, “obviously acted on orders from a very high level in Moscow.”

He added that it remains unclear why Russia would “use subversive methods at defense-related facilities and attempt assassinations on NATO and EU territory.”

Not a single Russian agent has been detained or prosecuted in connection with his poisoning and the explosions at his company’s facilities.

Gebrev blamed this on the Bulgarian government, which continues to be influenced by Moscow.

Russian influence extends to political parties and the media and threatens Bulgaria’s growing ambitions to increase the production of Soviet-era weapons and ammunition used by many countries around the world.

“Since the Cold War, ‘Bulgaria [has been] too vulnerable and relaxed, offering a comfortable environment for GRU agents to operate freely,’” Gebrev said.

Map of the explosions in Bulgaria. Photo credits: The Insider

The Russians tried to kill Gebrev twice, the first time using a nerve agent and the second time trying to poison him.

Bulgarian prosecutors investigated three Russian agents suspected of working with a nerve agent and charged them with “attempted murder.”

But in 2020, the proceedings were suspended, with the authorities citing a lack of progress and international legal assistance.

Emco, owned by Gebrev, was first targeted in 2011 when an explosion occurred at one of its depots in central Bulgaria.

Gebrev claimed that this was the first act of sabotage against his plants, a claim that has not been confirmed by an official investigation.

Other explosions have occurred over the years, including an explosion in 2022 and a fire this year at EMCO arms company in Karnobat in eastern Bulgaria.

A large-scale fire broke out in the depot of the EMKO arms company near the Bulgarian city of Karnobat. June 25, 2023, Bulgaria. Photo credits: @niporwifi

Similar incidents have occurred at other arms manufacturers, but the authorities did not investigate their circumstances.

“There has been no result in any of the more than a dozen cases related to Russian terrorist acts and the spy network in Bulgaria,” Gebrev noted.

The chief prosecutor was fired in June under the newly elected pro-Western government in Sofia, which has pledged to curb Russian influence, and justice reform has made it harder to close corruption and organized crime cases.

“The prosecutor’s office and the previous leadership of the State Agency for National Security were involved in the systematic and massive concealment of … acts of sabotage committed by Russian agents, including explosions at our warehouses and the Novichok poisoning attempt,” Gebrev shared.

Bulgarian MG-1M machine guns of the Ukrainian military. April 2023, Ukraine. Photo credits: Armed Forces of Ukraine

Bulgarian officials estimate that up to 40 percent of the bullets and shells used by Ukraine in its war with Russia were produced in Bulgaria. Arms production brings Bulgaria about 5 percent of its GDP.

In addition, Bulgarian defense companies are now actively replenishing the stockpiles of NATO allies after the transfer of a significant amount of ammunition to Ukraine.

The annual report on the armaments and formations of the UK Armed Forces as of March 1, 2023, has been published.

UKdefencejournal reported on this.

The report offers a comprehensive overview of the land, sea, and air capabilities of the UK Armed Forces.

The report, complemented by data from the Department for Transport (DfT) on militarily useful British-registered vessels, offers detailed insights into the current state and changes in the UK’s defense assets.

Navy

Illustrative photo of a British Navy aircraft carrier group. Photo from open sources

The maritime section highlights the UK’s naval strength, reporting a total of 10 submarines and 72 vessels. This includes 59 vessels in the Royal Navy Surface Fleet and 13 in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

A slight decrease in Royal Navy vessels, from 62 in 2022 to 59 in 2023, is attributed to the retirement of two Mine Countermeasures Vessels and one Survey ship.

This regards the Sandown-class minesweepers HMS Blyth and HMS Pembroke, which Romania purchased in September this year.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary witnessed an increase in its fleet size due to the addition of a Mine Hunting Capability vessel and a Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance vessel.

Land forces

Illustrative photo of British infantrymen. Photo from open sources

The land component of the UK armed forces shows a mix of strength and ongoing updates.

With 3,207 pieces of combat equipment, the army’s arsenal comprises 845 Armored Personnel Carriers, 1,480 Protected Mobility Vehicles, and 882 Armored Fighting Vehicles.

However, these numbers are provisional, pending an ongoing process to enhance data quality. The infantry strength stands at 32 Regular Army Battalions and 16 Army Reserves Battalions.

Air Force

Typhoon fighter jets of the British Air Force. Photo from open sources

In the air domain, the UK Armed Forces boast 564 Fixed-wing aircraft and 265 Rotary-wing aircraft, along with 55 Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

The report highlights the Typhoon as the most common Fixed-wing platform, with 137 aircraft, and the Chinook as the leading Rotary-wing platform, with 59 aircraft.

The Royal Air Force has expanded its squadrons to 103, while the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm consists of 16 squadrons and four Headquarters.

Development trends

Significant trends include the planned retirement of certain equipment, such as the Scimitar, to be replaced by Ajax, and the transfer of platforms to Ukraine.

There’s also a notable reduction in the number of militarily useful British registered vessels, dropping from 532 in 2021 to 495 in 2022.

This report paints a picture of a modernizing and adapting UK armed forces, balancing between retiring older equipment and introducing advanced platforms across all domains.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the Russian 96К6 Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system in the Kherson region.

The South Joint Task Forces reported this on Telegram.

The system was hit in the middle of a field near the village of Chaplynka, and the OSINT community managed to identify the approximate location of the Pantsir at the time of its destruction, namely at coordinates 46°20’19.2″N 33°30’11.1″E.

The means of the system’s destruction is not reported, the footage shows a munition falling almost vertically on the Pantsir.

Given the position’s distance from the contact line (almost 50 kilometers), it can be assumed that it was destroyed using a drone or 227 mm GMLRS rocket ammunition.

None of the high-precision artillery munitions available in the Ukrainian arsenal can hit at this distance. For example, the range of the 155-mm M982 Excalibur ammunition is 40 kilometers.

The fact that the Pantsir fired an anti-aircraft missile before being destroyed may confirm the drone attack.

However, the possibility of launching at a drone that was targeting and fixing a defeat or other air target should not be ruled out.

Militarnyi recently reported on the destruction of a rather rare Russian RB-636 Svet-KU electronic warfare system in the Kherson region.

Ammunition in the air. Freeze frame from the video

The Ukrainian reconnaissance drone tracked the movement of equipment and targeted rocket artillery on it. The incident took place in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region.

Judging by the footage of the published video, the vehicle of the Russian RB-636 Svet-KU EW system was hit by a GMLRS rocket fired from the HIMARS launcher.

This is the third loss of the Russian army to such an electronic warfare system during the full-scale war against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian command sent modern Western armored vehicles with Bradley and Leopard 2 to repel Russian attacks in the Avdiivka sector.

A Ukrainian soldier demonstrated combat work with the Leopard 2 in the Sniper Talks Telegram channel.

German tanks are defending Avdiivka in the village of Stepove, which Russian soldiers are trying to reach.

“The work of the Leopard tank crew was very professional, thanks to its mobility, the tank escaped direct enemy artillery fire,” the serviceman said.

U.S. Bradley infantry fighting vehicles are also used to defend the Avdiivka Coke Plant.

Recently, the Russian military tried to get close to the fence of the Coke Plant, but a Bradley IFV of the 47th Brigade helped repel the attack and ran over one of the invaders.

A Bradley infantry fighting vehicle runs over a Russian soldier. November 2023. Ukraine. Frame from the DeepState video

In both cases, commanders who observed the battlefield from drones helped adjust armored vehicles’ combat performance.

In recent days, Russians have been actively trying to storm the plant and enter its territory, getting close to the fence of the Coke Plant.

Heavy fighting also continues in the industrial area near Avdiivka. The Russians are using tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and infantry.

The situation in the Avdiivka sector as of November 17, 2023 on the unofficial map of hostilities

According to analysts from DeepState, the invaders managed to break through some fortifications and continue to advance in the area, pushing Ukrainian forces into the private sector.

The spokesman for the joint press center of the Tauride Defense Forces, Oleksandr Shtupun, said that the Russian military command is replenishing “exhausted assault units.”

Neutralized Russian infantry in the Avdiivka sector. November 2023. Ukraine. Footage from the video of the Omega unit

“If I were to roughly characterize the tactics used by Russian generals to use their subordinates, it would be ‘take a position or die,’” he said.

The Russian military-industrial complex patented a two-seat Su-57 fighter.

The patent states that the multifunctional two-seat stealth aircraft was patented by the United Aviation Corporation.

The invention was attributed to tactical aviation multifunctional two-seat stealth aircraft.

It is designed to detect and defeat aerial, surface and ground targets, at super- and subsonic flight speeds over a wide range of altitudes.

It also acts as an air command post for the missions of mixed groups of aircraft.

Patent for a two-seater Su-57 fighter

It’s possible that the patent concerns a new fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

To this day, a two-seat modification of the Su-57 was considered exclusively as part of the Russian-Indian program for the development of a promising FGFA fighter.

However, in 2018, it was reported that India suspended its participation in a joint program with the Russian Federation on developing a promising fighter aircraft, taking into account the Russian PAK FA (Su-57) project background.

In October 2019, India Air Force Chief of Staff said the country would not import stealth fighters such as Su-57 and would instead focus on local developments.

Russian modernized Su-57 fighter with number 511. October 2022. Russia. Photo credits: JSC Sukhoi Company

The Indian side believes that combat avionics, radars and sensors of Russian development do not meet the standards of a fifth generation combat aircraft.

An intergovernmental agreement on the joint development of the fifth generation fighter was signed on October 17, 2007. In its turn, the Russian Air Force command never expressed a desire to receive a two-seat version of the Su-57 fighter.

The process of assembling the Su-57 fuselage at Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant, 2021. Photo credits: KnAAZ

In September 2023, Russia began promoting its fighter jets to the DPRK. Recently, delegations from North Korea demonstrated Su-35 and Su-57 fighters in detail.

The Ukrainian military conducted a precision strike on a building used by Russian invaders on the left bank of the Kherson region.

The video of the attack was published by the Flying Skull Telegram channel.

The building was located on the territory of an airfield near the village of Tarasivka.

A strike on a Russian base in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region was coordinated by a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone.

Damage to a building used by Russian invasion forces in Kherson region, November 2023. Freeze frame from Telegram/Flying Skull video

The drone’s camera captured the moment of the attack and its outcomes.

A single powerful explosion that completely destroyed the building may indicate a strike by a JDAM bomb.

Location of the affected airfield in the Kherson region

The territory of the damaged runway is more than 30 kilometers from the front line.

According to the video made by drone, the Russian invaders were in advance on that territory, which indicates that the airfield was used for military purposes.

Damage to a building used by Russian invasion forces in Kherson region, November 2023. Freeze frame from Telegram/Flying Skull video

A precise strike by the Ukrainian military, resulting in the complete destruction of the building. After a powerful explosion, Russian soldiers appeared near the ruins, probably those who survived the strike or were nearby.

As previously reported, GPS-based JDAM kits convert simple free-flowing bombs into all-weather precision-guided munitions. Kits come to Ukraine as part of military aid from the United States.

A bomb with a JDAM-ER kit is suspended from the hardpoint of a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter. Photo credits: Ukrainian Air Force

The kit includes an inertial navigation system and GPS receiver to improve accuracy, as well as small wings attached to the middle of the bomb, and a tail unit that has a tail section with aerodynamic control surfaces; it allows the bomb to adjust its course during its flight to the target. The unit houses navigation and other equipment.

Damaged Russian military base in Askania-Nova, November 2023

Previously, the Ukrainian military launched a high-precision strike on a building in the village of Askania Nova in the Kherson region used by the Russian invaders as a military base.

The Defense Forces of Ukraine received 3,000 FPV drones from the Come Back Alive Foundation.

The press service of the Foundation reported about this on its social media accounts.

This is the first batch of kamikaze drones transferred to the army as part of Operation Unity.

Each of the drones was equipped with Ukrainian-made HEAT and high-explosive incendiary ordnance.

3,000 kamikaze drones were shipped to a total of 19 military units.

Come Back Alive Foundation has delivered 3000 FPV drones to the military as part of Operation Unity, November 2023. Photo credits: social media of the Foundation

The drones were provided, in particular, to:

• K2 Battalion of the 54th Mechanized Brigade, commanded by Hero of Ukraine Kyrylo Veres;
• 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Knights of the First Winter Campaign;
• 80th Air Assault Brigade;
• 10th Mountain Assault Brigade “Edelweiss”.

Come Back Alive Foundation has delivered 3000 FPV drones to the military as part of Operation Unity, November 2023. Photo credits: social media of the Foundation

The Come Back Alive Foundation reminded that this summer they, together with the UNITED24 fundraising platform and monobank, launched Operation Unity.

In August, due to active Ukrainians, friends of Ukraine from abroad, and businesses, more than UAH 235,000,000 for 10,000 kamikaze drones were raised in three days.

The first five thousand kamikaze drones were delivered to the Come Back Alive Foundation in October.

The FPV drone, purchased jointly by Come Back Alive Foundation, United24, and monobank within the Operation Unity project on October 11, 2023

The Ukrainian military approved the models of FPV drones and their ammunition. The drones were manufactured by a foreign company that specializes in the production of drones.

The FPV drone, purchased jointly by Come Back Alive Foundation, United24, and monobank within the Operation Unity project on October 11, 2023

The warheads for FPV drones are manufactured by a Ukrainian company. The Foundation analyzed the proposals of several manufacturers and selected the best one.

FPV drones

FPV drones are a type of drone that is actively being used during Russia’s war with Ukraine. The main feature that distinguishes these UAVs from others is that they are controlled through special goggles, i.e. with a first-person view, which is what the acronym FPV stands for – First Person View. The operator sees the video from the drone’s camera in real-time as if he were sitting inside the UAV itself, just like the pilot.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived for Ukraine with a visit.

On the morning of Monday, November 20, he arrived in Kyiv by train.

The U.S. Secretary of Defense announced his visit on Twitter.

In particular, the main purpose of his visit is to meet with representatives of the Ukrainian authorities.

“I’m here today to deliver an important message – the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine in their fight for freedom against Russia’s aggression, both now and into the future,” Austin wrote on the X account.

Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense, Brussels, June 15, 2022, Frame from the video

He was met at the train station in the Ukrainian capital by U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink.

A press release from the U.S. Department of Defense regarding the Pentagon Chief’s visit to Ukraine states that Lloyd Austin will participate in high-level talks with the Ukrainian leadership.

The talks will focus on further strengthening the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Ukraine.

They will also concern the provision of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the capabilities on the battlefield that are needed in winter and to protect against future Russian threats.

The Pentagon added that later this week, U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin will also hold the 17th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in the Ramstein format, which will be held via video conference.

Rustem Umerov and Lloyd Austin at the meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine in the Ramstein format, September 19, 2023. Photo credits: Minister of Defense of Ukraine