Malazan Empire: Werthead - Viewing Profile - Malazan Empire

Some rumours that St. Petersburg may enact lockdown precautions this week after the plague outbreak in Irkutsk, Moscow is preparing measures but not implementing them yet.

Ukraine has shown greater success at shooting down Geran jet-powered drones, including use of the STASH anti-air system and an adaptation of the Vampire AA system Ukraine acquired earlier in the conflict. Ukraine's robotic gun turrets may soon be moved to cover key positions in Kyiv and other major cities.

An Su-34 and an Su-35 were destroyed on the tarmac at Khanskaya Airbase.

Apparently Russia's second-largest political party, the Communist Party, staged an extremely rare protest in Moscow. The protest was legal, as they claimed they wanted to commemorate the 1993 constitutional crisis, but the protest rapidly grew to over 2,000 people, with chants of "down with the czar!" Around 100 people were arrested. Oddly, the Russian state gets nervous when communists start assembling in the capital.

ETA: Some Russian bloggers reporting a bit of a shock tonight, its latest jet-powered Geran assault on Kyiv was stopped almost in its tracks, with only 4 drones getting through (so far). The rest were destroyed by ground AA fire and Ukrainian jet aircraft. Ukraine is deploying new weapons and tactics to minimise the threat from jet drones, but these weren't expected to be this effective this early.

Now reporting that Terny is under drone attack, with Ukrainian ground forces not that far away. This is pretty crazy, these are all places that Russia was capturing two years ago and now Ukraine has put them back in the fight, though I remain sceptical things are going as well as the optimists are saying. The Russian bloggers may be overcompensating for having the wool pulled over their eyes.

Even Russian maps are showing Yampil and Torske as in the grey zone but heavily-contested (which is their speak for likely to fall).

Ukraine has released footage of Russian PoWs taken during Operation Vivaldi, with some claiming they decided to surrender after they were ordered to "eat nettles" once they were cut off from resupply.

Late story breaking about a package arriving at a Polish military police station in Nowa Dęba causing skin irritation and medical problems. The package was apparently sent from Germany. Polish Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) teams are responding to the incident.

Ah, interesting. Increasing Ukrainian strikes on Russian-held territory along the lower Dnipro. Apparently Ukrainian forces are operating near the Antonivskyi Bridge and the nearby Dachi settlement. The Russians remain concerned of Ukraine using distractions elsewhere to try to hit this sector very heavily, which Russia would struggle to defend against, since Russia has stripped numerous troops from this area to reinforce the north.

The Ukrainians are aware of the difficulties of establishing reliable lines of communication and supply across the flooded lower Dnipro and will also be recalling their attempt to establish a beach-head near Krynky a couple of years ago that ended badly.

Ukraine has confirmed the first combat deployment of the FP7 ballistic missile against targets in Russian-occupied Ukraine, possibly Crimea.

Ukraine is pummelling Rodynske and Pokrovsk hard with long-range strikes at the moment, apparently causing panic because some Russian forces on this sector have been withdrawn to the Lyman front, which is still in a state of total disarray, if not partial collapse, and now they're worried about a Ukrainian counter-offensive in this sector as well (that seems optimistic, but anyway).

Some reporting on Russian Telegram from front-line units saying they've been told from superior officers that over "two million" Ukrainian soldiers are dead so Ukraine has no army left, which is why they've been told to attack along the entire front, resulting in catastrophic losses and total confusion when they find the Ukrainian military has oddly not been entirely wiped out after all. I refuse to believe the more cynical Russian soldiers would have believed that for a nanosecond.

Ukraine has confirmed the Lyman offensive was spearheaded by hundreds of ground-assault drones, making the Russians believe an entire Ukrainian assault group was hitting them and leaving Ukraine with a strategic victory with relatively low combat losses.

More than 250 Russian soldiers stuck behind the lines on the Lyman front have surrendered. One of the largest mass-surrenders of Russian troops of the war.

The US bases at RAF Fairford, Lakenheath and Mildenhall in the UK have all gone on alert tonight, with Fairford on Code Delta, the highest possible level. Fairford has been home to US strategic bombers which may have taken part in strikes on Iran. The other two bases may have supplied support aircraft.

British police and US military police are apparently scrutinising all vehicles in the areas, plane-spotters have been asked to move some considerable distance back and anti-drone units appear to be out in force.

No official comment but some speculation that the US and UK are fearing Iranian agents using drones to try to hit US aircraft on the tarmac or in their hangers.

Ukraine has secured approaches to Lyman and pushed the Russians back to Yampil and Torske, which are now both under attack. The Russians are really on the back foot up there, although claims of a general collapse along that front remain extremely premature.