SSU counterintelligence neutralized an agent group of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation in Kyiv that was preparing a series of attacks on Ukrainian military facilities using drones.

The SSU press service reported on this.

SSU officers detained members of the Russian FSS militant group during the active phase of preparing sabotage. The priority targets of Russian agents included units of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, as well as their reserve command posts.

The saboteurs planned to use up to 10 FPV drones equipped with improvised explosive devices to commit sabotage.

It was established that the militant group was formed in 2018 by a staff member of the 9th Directorate of the Department of Operational Information of the FSS 5th Service. It consisted of three people who, after recruitment, were transferred to a “waiting” mode before the full-scale invasion of Russia.

Each of the members of the Russian intelligence and militant group had his own specialization in conducting intelligence and subversive activities in favor of the aggressor country.

For example, one of them manufactured improvised explosive devices, while the other was responsible for converting “civilian” unmanned aerial vehicles into unmanned combat aerial vehicles.

Another member of the enemy group was directly operating the drones. To acquire the relevant skills, the woman took a UAV operator training course in the Kyiv region in March of this year.

During the searches of the detainees’ residences, explosives with detonators, hand grenades, firearms, and ammunition were discovered.

Weapons from a group of Russian FSS agents seized by SSU officers in the Kyiv region, October 25, 2023. Photo credits: SSU

The active phase

In the spring of this year, the offenders started tracking the locations of the Defense Forces units in the capital region. To establish the locations of Ukrainian facilities, the criminals tried to use their acquaintances in the Ukrainian military.

The members of the Russian intelligence and militant group also flew their own drones for reconnaissance of the area, where they received information about the presence of Ukrainian army units.

For maximum secrecy, the suspects constantly changed their addresses. It was established that they set a fire in one of the apartments to hide the traces of IEDs.

Over the past week, the Special Operations Forces destroyed the invaders’ rocket launchers and radars in the Zaporizhzhia direction.

The press service of the Ukrainian SOF reported on this.

In cooperation with the units of the Defense Forces, the operators of one of the SOF detachments managed to destroy three rocket launchers and the invaders’ counter-battery radar within a week.

Operators spotted, identified, and adjusted fire on BM-21 Grad and BM-27 Uragan multiple launch rocket systems, destroying the TOS-1A Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower system and the Zoopark radar.

Judging by the accuracy of hits and the nature of the damage, strikes on the detected targets were carried out using the HIMARS rocket systems.

Separately, the use of powerful M30A1 rockets against the Russian counter-battery radar should be noted, the warhead of which is equipped with 180 thousand pre-formed tungsten balls. The missile is characterized by an over-the-target detonation to increase the area of destruction.

The strike of the M30A1 GMLRS rocket against the Russian Zoopark radar, October 2023. Photo credits: Ukrainian Special Operations Forces

Similarly, in the south, on October 16, a Ukrainian SOF unit detected operators of Russian ZALA 421-16E2 drones.

After identification of the target, the operators adjusted the fire of the Ukrainian artillery. The HIMARS rocket system was involved in destroying the invaders.

It is worth noting that ZALA reconnaissance UAS are usually used to aim Lancet loitering munitions.

The operator of the ZALA 421-16E2 drone, October 2023. Image: frame from the Ukrainian SOF video

Also earlier, on October 10, in the Zaporizhzhia region, the Ukrainian military eliminated the Russian operators of Supercam S350 drones with the help of HIMARS.

The active use of this rocket system to defeat such targets is due to its high accuracy and guaranteed damage to targets. In addition, the range of defeat and the minimum flight time of the missile allows it to strike quickly.

The possibility of transferring confiscated armored vehicles to Ukraine is being discussed in the European Parliament.

The idea was proposed by Dutch MEP Bart Groothuis.

At the end of 2022, the EU military mission IRINI, designed to prevent violations of the UN arms embargo on Libya, intercepted the cargo ship MV Meerdijk off the coast of South Africa.

The ship was transporting 41 BATT UMG armored off-road vehicles from a factory in the United Arab Emirates to Benghazi, a coastal Libyan city controlled by the forces of General Khalifa Haftar, who is not recognized by the international community.

The cargo was seized and transferred to a warehouse near Marseille, France.

Confiscated BATT UMG armored vehicles. Photo credits: rtlnieuws.nl

In total, at least 146 military vehicles were stored there, which were headed to Libya in violation of UN sanctions.

Groothuis believes that the EU should transfer these armored vehicles to Ukraine. He is supported by several influential MEPs, including Guy Verhofstadt.

“The confiscated vehicles are a great success for the IRINI mission, and it is only fair and necessary that we hand over this equipment to Ukraine as soon as possible. The war in Ukraine is turning into a war of attrition, and the transfer of almost 150 vehicles will send a very clear signal to Russia that Europe wants to go all the way,” said the MEP.

An IRINI spokesperson confirmed to RTL Nieuws that the transfer of the seized vehicles to Ukraine is legally possible, and the final decision on this is to be made by the European Council.

In particular, it regards a batch of 41 BATT UMG armored vehicles manufactured in the UAE, which the MV Meerdijk tried to deliver to Libya in October 2022.

It is worth noting that BATT UMG armored vehicles are already in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

BATT UMG armored vehicle of the Ukrainian military. January 2023. Ukraine. Photo credits: t.me/firstdivisionofficial

Last June, it was reported that the U.S. company The Armored Group had received an order for approximately $23.2 million. The order included 100 BATT UMG vehicles to be delivered to an unnamed Eastern European country.

German defense company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann has joined the Alliance of Defense Industries.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, announced this on October 25.

“KMW CEO Ralf Ketzel handed us the relevant signed documents at the German-Ukrainian Business Forum in Berlin,” he wrote.

Kamyshin added that Krauss-Maffei Wegmann is the important partner of Ukraine, a manufacturer of Leopard 2 tanks, Panzerhaubitze 2000, and Gepard howitzers.

The German-Ukrainian Business Forum was held in Berlin on October 24, 2023.

The signing of the agreement. Photo credits: Oleksandr Kamyshin

The forum also announced the establishment of Rheinmetall-Ukrainian Defense Industry LLC, a joint venture between the German defense concern Rheinmetall and the Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC.

The company will maintain and repair the equipment supplied by its partners to Ukraine.

The company will also localize the production of leading models of Rheinmetall AG equipment, according to Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced the creation of the Alliance of Defense Industries on September 29 at the first International Defense Industries Forum in Kyiv.

President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the International Defense Industries Forum. Kyiv, September 29, 2023. Photo credits: radiosvoboda.org

On October 16, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister announced that the number of members of the Alliance of Defense Industries had increased to 59 companies from 23 countries.

Ukraine is developing a special economic regime for the defense industry.

The idea is to give every company that works for defense in Ukraine or with Ukraine, or that wants to come to Ukraine, every opportunity to realize its potential.

Ukrainian pilots have started practical flight training on F-16s in the United States.

The US Air & Space Forces Magazine stated this with reference to the comment of the U.S. Air Force spokesperson.

“The training curriculum will align with the foundational knowledge and skills of each pilot and is expected to last several months,” a U.S. Air Force spokesperson shared.

According to him, practical training started this week, involving a “small number” of Ukrainian pilots.

The 162nd Wing trains pilots at Morris Air National Guard Base, located at Tucson International Airport.

It is the only U.S. Air Force unit tasked with training foreign pilots on F-16s.

The wing has trained over two dozen countries in operating the F-16.

A typical F-16 training course takes around six months.

However, U.S. officials have indicated Ukrainian pilots are unlikely to follow a standard model as the course will be suited to Ukraine’s need to protect its skies from Russian aircraft, drones, and missiles.

European nations are also training Ukrainian pilots in how to operate the F-16s.

F-16 fighter jets on the runway. Illustration photo

Earlier, it was reported that Ukrainian pilots had completed a language training course.

A small number of pilots who arrived in the United States last month to participate in English language courses at the Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have passed their first English test.

As previously reported, Ukrainian pilots might complete the F-16 training program ahead of schedule.

The United States will provide Israel with Iron Dome units to strengthen the country’s air defense amid constant rocket attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah militants.

Bloomberg reported on this with reference to its own sources in the Pentagon.

“The United States will provide Israel with additional support with Iron Dome systems. The Ministry of Defense is currently planning the delivery of US Army’s batteries of Iron Dome to Israel,” a source in the Defense Ministry shared.

The source spoke about two batteries of the Iron Dome system, which are being prepared for delivery to Israel. In addition, 300 Tamir interceptor missiles for this air defense system will be sent.

The source did not disclose how the air defense systems will be transported or how soon they will arrive.

The Israeli company RAFAEL delivered the first ordered Iron Dome battery to the United States on October 1, 2020.

The Israeli company RAFAEL delivered the first ordered battery of the Iron Dome anti-aircraft system to the United States, October 1, 2020

The transferred systems are intended to strengthen Israel’s air defense after Hamas launched large-scale coordinated missile and drone attacks on the country on October 7.

According to the Israeli Defense Forces, Hamas has fired over 7,000 missiles toward Israel over the past two weeks, with more than 2,000 missiles fired on October 7 alone. While most of them were shot down, some managed to penetrate air defenses and hit residential areas, including Tel Aviv.

Iron Dome

The Iron Dome is an air defense system developed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in cooperation with the American company RTX (formerly Raytheon). It is designed to intercept and destroy short-range missiles, as well as cruise missiles and aircraft.

The system consists of a radar, which detects and fixes air targets (missiles or aircraft), a fire control center, and several launchers with interceptor missiles. One battery usually includes three launchers with 20 missiles each.

Iron Dome SAM. Photo from open sources

The system was designed to protect Israeli civilians from missiles and mortars fired by militant groups in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It made its debut in April 2011 by intercepting a Grad rocket headed toward Ashkelon and fired from Gaza.

The US Army purchased two batteries of Iron Dome air defense systems several years ago. The systems were supposed to fill a gap in the defense against cruise missiles while the military was developing its own system to counter various air and missile threats.

It is reported that the United States no longer plans to purchase Iron Dome or integrate the system into its air defense.

The Russian military received the first batch of Malva self-propelled guns on a wheeled chassis.

Russian media reported on this.

The Russian Rostec state corporation transferred the first batch of 2S43 Malva 152mm self-propelled artillery systems to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The wheeled howitzer completed a two-year cycle of government testing in July this year. Already in August, the first Deputy CEO of the Rostec corporation claimed that by order of the government, an urgent deployment of the production of these self-propelled guns was launched.

Prototype of the Russian 2S43 Malva wheeled self-propelled gun

Due to the wheeled chassis from the BAZ-6010-027 truck and the open installation of the artillery unit, the Malva production cycle should be significantly cheaper, faster, and simpler than the similar Msta-S tracked self-propelled vehicle.

Besides, wheeled self-propelled howitzers are only partially related to the supply chain and production facilities for tracked self-propelled howitzers, which will allow the Russians to produce them in parallel without slowing down production.

It is worth noting that the Malva’s chassis is made at the Bryansk automobile plant BAZ, which is located only 100 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.

2S43 Malva

It is reported that the development of self-propelled guns started at the Burevestnik Central Research Institute in the 2010s as part of the Nabroskok R&D project. Testing of the vehicle started in 2020.

2S43 is armed with a 2А64 152mm rifled gun with a 47-caliber barrel length. It is also used in the design of the Msta-S self-propelled guns and its towed Msta-B variant.

The ACS maximum fire range with conventional high-explosive explosive projectiles is 24.7 km and about 29 km with rocket-assisted shells.

Similar weapons, for example, the French Caesar self-propelled guns or the Ukrainian Bohdana ACS, are able to fire at a distance of up to 40 kilometers due to the longer barrel.

The gun’s open installation without additional armor protection or turret made the vehicle lighter. With a 30-round ammunition package, it weighs 32 tons. This is a quarter lighter than the tracked Msta-S.

An Australian E-7A aircraft has completed its first patrol in Europe over Poland as part of the radar field reinforcement and improvement due to the war in Ukraine.

The route was tracked by Flight Aware.

The aircraft conducted its first patrol near the Ukrainian border to create an additional radar field and track the movement of Russian aircraft, as well as to record missile launches.

The E-7A is equipped with an onboard MESA (Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array) radar that provides a circular target search and uninterrupted surveillance compared to rotary-type radars.

The route of the Australian E-7A near the border with Ukraine. Photo from the Internet

The multi-role of the array is ensured by the ability to detect targets at a range of about 600 km, and tracking and guidance are possible at a range of 400 km. The aircraft is also capable of conducting electronic reconnaissance operations at a range of up to 1,000 km.

MESA Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array. Photo credits: Northrop Grumman

MESA can simultaneously track up to 180 targets and provide fighter aircraft guidance for up to 25 aircraft.

MESA. Photo credits: Northrop Grumman

The deployment of an Australian airborne early warning & control aircraft in Europe is associated with the safe transfer of humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the deployment of this type of aircraft in July 2023.

The mission of the Royal Australian Air Force will last about six months. It also involves about 100 members of the Australian Defence Force.

“The deployment of Australia’s E-7A Wedgetail is another demonstration of our support for Ukraine,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Australian government announced an additional military aid package for Ukraine.

Australia is transferring a 3D metal printer to Ukraine to produce metal spare parts for military equipment.

The list also includes mine clearance equipment, portable X-ray machines, and counter-drone systems.

All the donated equipment and machinery were developed by Australian companies DroneShield, Micro-X, Minelab, and SPEE3D. Their total value is $20 million.

The Israel Defense Forces conducted a tank raid in the northern Gaza Strip.

The IDF press service reported on this on its social media pages.

During the night of October 25-26, the IDF conducted a raid using armored vehicles and tanks in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

The main goal of the operation was reportedly to prepare for the next stages of hostilities. Presumably, this could regard clearing routes for the main forces to enter as part of the ground operation announced by the Israeli government.

The video shows armored excavators at the head of the column paving the way for four Merkava Mk.4M tanks, which are firing on the move toward the enemy. One of the footage captured two Namer heavy armored personnel carriers.

During the activity, soldiers located and struck numerous terrorists, terror infrastructure, and anti-tank missile launch posts.

At the end of the operation, the units under the command of the 84th “Givati” Brigade left Gaza.

The IDF adapts to new challenges

It is worth noting that most of the vehicles were equipped with cope cages on the roof of the turret, the massive installation of which was noticed last week.

Such designs should further strengthen the protection of Israeli tanks from drone attacks on the upper hemisphere of the tank, where their weakened zone is located.

The Israeli Merkava Mk.4M equipped with a cope cage, October 16, 2023. Photo credits: Gil Cohen-Magen

In early October, Palestinian militants destroyed one of the Merkava Mk.4M tanks using a drone, dropping a PG-7VR anti-tank grenade on the roof of the vehicle.

Cope cages have been used on Merkava tanks before, but these were isolated instances and were intended only to protect against incendiary mixtures and explosives that could be dropped on the tank from windows and rooftops during battles in urban areas.