A Blog by Jonathan Low

 

Jul 25, 2025

"They Plant A Flag, Record A Video, Get Eliminated:" Russian Special Ops Pokrovsk

As the last week in July has started, Russia's summer offensive has made no significant advances, let alone breakthroughs as Ukrainian forces are holding on all fronts.

In response to questions about Russian sabotage or recon teams temporarily entering Pokrovsk, it appears they have made 5 or 6 forays, all with the same result: "They plant a flag, take a video - and are then eliminated by Ukrainian forces. JL

Hromadske reports:

Russian forces are not making significant advances on the front lines. There are no major Russian breakthroughs, though they continue to attempt them. Understanding they face strong resistance, Russians are focusing more on military-information operations. "Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have entered Pokrovsk 5–7 times. They attempt to record videos, plant a flag, film something… and are eliminated by our defenders. There is Russian pressure everywhere—Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and Kupyansk axes. Our guys are holding their ground."

Ukraine Investing Millions In Drones That Take Down Russian Shaheds

Ukraine is investing tens of millions in interceptor drones capable of taking down Russian Shaheds. This is significant because until recently, the interceptors were small and used primarily at the front to destroy Russian FPV and reconnaisance drones. 

The interceptors have now been upscaled as part of the war's constant evolutionary drone development competition and are capable of taking down the much larger and faster Shaheds which threaten Ukrainian armor and defensive positions as well as civilian targets. JL

Kelsey Baker reports in Business Insider:

Ukraine's Defense Procurement Agency has let contracts worth over $72 million for tens of thousands of interceptor drones, weapons which are now being mass produced. Defensive interceptor drones function similarly to interceptor missiles, though drones are drastically cheaper and more easily produced. Interceptor drones have become an inexpensive option for defeating front-line loitering munitions and higher-end uncrewed reconnaissance assets, but the drones are increasingly being seen as an option for countering Shaheds

Russian Assaults On Toretsk Decrease As Pokrovsk Stalemate Requires More Troops

Reports from Toretsk reinforce those from Sumy and some other sectors, suggesting that the Russians are taking as many operationally effective units as they can to continue their now year long and still unsuccessful attempt to take Pokrovsk. 

The Russians are now trying to outflank Pokrovsk, having repeatedly failed to take it, but even these efforts have stalled. JL

Espreso Global reports:

Russian forces are trying to amass enough personnel and resources to sustain their attacks. Small groups of three or four try to reach Ukrainian positions. To overcome Ukrainian fortifications, particularly anti-tank ditches, they are resorting to using ladders. “In general, the average daily number of assaults in our operational zone has decreased. This could be due to the enemy focusing more of its efforts on the Pokrovsk direction.” 

Captured Russians From Vovchansk Front: "We All Knew It Was One Way Ticket"

Despite the hundreds of thousands of casualties and the no longer secret stories about conditions for Russian army soldiers at the front, thousands keep volunteering, mostly for financial gain or to avoid prison, all hoping they will beat the odds and survive. 

This story, like most others, suggests that not only are those odds extremely long, but that the Russians have as much or more to fear from their officers as they do from the Ukrainians. The question is what this growing cadre of surviving, if damaged and traumatized veterans will mean for Russia's socio-political future. JL

Matthew Luxmoore reports in the Wall Street Journal:

Simdyankin was among the hundreds of thousands of Russians lured into the military  drawn by propaganda, lucrative pay and, for some, a chance to avoid prison time. They find themselves dispatched hastily to the front, where Russia’s army fights with brutal Soviet-style tactics that pay for small gains with a colossal loss in lives. Sent to Vovchansk after two weeks training, every one of the 100 or so troops in Simdyankin’s unit was either severely wounded or dead. Despite shrapnel injuries to his leg and thigh, lost weight, after going days without food, he got less than a week to recover. “Our commanders didn’t care whether or not we survived. They’ll keep throwing us forward until there’s no one f—ing left. Same story, different day. We all knew it was a one way ticket." 

AI and Cloud Push Google/Alphabet 2Q Earnings Beyond Wall Street Forecast

Reports of Google's demise at the hands of AI bots appears to have been exaggerated. Again. Especially since AI and Google Cloud led Google to surpass Wall Street's expectations for the second quarter in a row. 

The reality is that Google Search remains in a strong position and has worked hard and fast to adapt AI as a tool, reinforcing its dominance. This continues to support the emergent narrative that AI is tending to make the Big Tech rich even richer rather than threatening them in the way that many previous tech evolutionary developments scuppered some of their predecessors. Google remains a major force to be reckoned with in the AI era and that does not appear to be about to change. JL  

Hannah Parker reports in Quartz:

Google parent Alphabet  posted earnings per share of $2.31 on $96.4 billion revenue, surpassing Wall Street’s projections for the second straight quarter. Alphabet’s AI and cloud computing investments proved to be major revenue drivers this quarter. The tech company cited “double-digit growth” from Google Search, YouTube ads, Google subscriptions, platforms, and devices, and Google Cloud. Google Services delivered $82.5 billion in revenue, up 12% year-over-year, while Google Cloud brought in $13.6 billion in revenue, a 32% increase. “AI is positively impacting every part of the business, driving strong momentum. Search delivered double-digit revenue growth."

Ukraine Retakes 2nd Sumy Objective As Russian Offensive Completely Stalls

Ukrainian forces have now pushed the Russians out of a second objective in Sumy, retaking a fortified village and effectively signaling the end of Russia's aborted Sumy offensive. 

The ominous spring headlines in credulous western media have receded as Ukraine's resistance - combined with the Russian military's consistent inability to get out of its own way - have contributed to yet another disappointing outcome for the Kremlin, still desperate to convince the Trump administration and the rest of the world, that it remains a capable fighting force. With only another four or five weeks of summer weather left, Russia's hopes now seem pinned on its frustrated ambitions in the Pokrovsk sector, where breakthroughs also appear unlikely. JL

Euromaidan Press reports:

With Russian reserves stationed too far from the front to reinforce, Ukraine executed a pincer maneuver that pushed Russians back from a second Sumy settlement, Kindrativka, as the Russian Sumy offensive has reached a complete stall. Following air, drone and HIMARS strikes, Ukrainian assault teams penetrated the village, clearing it of Russian holdouts. Within hours, Ukrainian troops secured it. The fields surrounding Andriivka and Kindrativka are littered with Russian casualties and burning motorcycles. Their fruitless assaults drained Russian manpower and achieved no real gains as the Ukrainian campaign targeting rear-area troop concentrations, command posts, and logistical hubs forced Russian commanders to position reserves further from the front, causing more manpower shortages.

Jul 24, 2025

Why After Millions and 10 Years, Russia's Microwave Weapon Ends In Museum

The Kremlin spent millions over ten years, supposedly to develop an advanced, directed energy weapon em-ploying microwaves to take down drones and precision-guided munitions. But the mobile weapon has ended up in a museum rather than on the front lines in Ukraine. 

Investigators believe the reason for that is that the entire program was fake, intended not to invent a new weapon, but to money launder embezzled funds for senior Russian military officers and related civilians. Nice work if you can get it. JL

Defense Express reports:

Russia' Furor mobile directed microwave radiation system, of Russian design, has been showcased for the first time. However, not as a ready-to-go unit in a combat environment but as an exhibit in an armor museum in Kubinka, near Moscow. It was designed to disable unmanned aerial vehicles and precision-guided munitions. It is attributed to have the capability of providing defense in all directions in a range exceeding 10 km (a little over 6 mi). (But) his project was probably meant to help Russian military authorities soak up and embezzle the state budget, with a secondary purpose of advertising "innovative developments" from domestic industry.