A remarkable video shows Russian air defenses trying and failing to intercept a Ukrainian Storm Shadow cruise missile before it hits the ground close by.
Smoke trails from surface-to-air missile launches streak into the clear blue sky at the unseen threat, all before a massive explosion from impact not far in front of the camera. It suggests that while Russians may be able to detect the incoming Storm Shadow, at least at the end of its flight, intercepting it is another matter.
The Russians try to shoot down "Storm Shadow", but it flies right into the target… pic.twitter.com/pWABseUZ4b
— MAKS 25 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) July 1, 2023
The clip appears to back up previous accounts suggesting Russian short-range air defense (SHORAD) systems struggle to track and intercept the low-observable cruise missile. A video from earlier this month, reportedly from within a Russian Pantsir S1 air defense unit, showed the Russians’ inability to make the intercept.
>Pantsir-S1 can't even intercept a Storm Shadow even when it has it locked on thermals
>Ukrainians can take down Kh-555 with Igla-1 MANPADSAnglo-French superiority again.https://t.co/bOJjmyBDYv
— Cᴀʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ (@CalibreObscura) June 22, 2023
The Storm Shadow is an obvious threat to much of the Russian rear area, a danger further magnified by ineffective air defenses. Given the struggles seen above, it appears only a few incoming missiles could overwhelm point defenses around key Russian positions, including bridges and other fixed logistical points.
As Ukraine continues to shape the battlefield amid its ongoing counteroffensive, the knowledge its highly-prized, British-supplied cruise missiles have proven capable of penetrating Russian air defenses — and they may have had some help in doing so in the past — will certainly play into future targeting decisions.
Before we head into the latest from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage here.
The Latest
Today’s intelligence update from the British Ministry of Defense has further confirmed the Ukrainian bridgehead over the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. Ukrainian troops “have almost certainly” deployed to the east bank near the destroyed Antonovskiy Bridge.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 1 July 2023.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/ZYWegCkpFv
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/y4vDnqTBB3
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 1, 2023
Story continues
Russian defenders include elements of the Dnipro Group of Forces (DGF) 7th Guards Air Assault Division, a Russian VDV unit. Moscow “has highly likely” redeployed parts of the DGF formerly along the Dnipro’s banks to the Zaporizhzhia sector in recent weeks. Already difficult, riverine terrain is made even more complicated in the wake of catastrophic flooding from the Kakhovka Dam’s collapse on June 6.
Video reportedly shows a Russian Tigr-M vehicle burning after a Ukrainian attack near the city of Oleshky. Located across the Konka River and the first piece of solid ground beyond the vast Dnipro River delta, Oleshky is the first settlement on the highway connecting Kherson to Crimea.
#Ukraine: On the left bank of the Dnipro River, just outside Oleshky, #Kherson Oblast, a Russian Tigr-M infantry mobility vehicle was destroyed by Ukrainian forces. pic.twitter.com/GuqK4aT07M
— Polymarket Intel (@PolymarketIntel) July 1, 2023
If Ukrainian forces have indeed made it into Oleshky, Russian forces’ already precarious situation on the Crimean approaches of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia will only get worse. A healthy bridgehead through which scores of Ukrainian troops can pour into the Russian left flank opens up another front that will take a toll on Russia’s already overstretched lines. Doing so will still take some major work as the initial bridgehead is thought to be small in size and under high threat of Russian bombardment.
The Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) assessed continued Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in at least three frontline sectors on June 30. To the north in Luhansk Oblast, fighting continues along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line.
#Luhansk Axis:#Russian and #Ukrainian forces continued to engage in combat along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on June 30.https://t.co/0D6lTmjWlz pic.twitter.com/eVd0jsxEEQ
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) July 1, 2023
Further south in Donetsk Oblast, there are reported Ukrainian gains around the ruins of Bakhmut, and skirmishes continue in the war-torn suburbs of Donetsk proper. Video also shows Ukrainian first-person-view (FPV) kamikaze drone striking and destroying a Russian BTR wheeled APC near Marinka.
https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1674976218989445120?s=20 https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1675064038852624384
The Bakhmut sector is interesting indeed, as Ukrainian forces press the offensive after months of a grinding war of attrition in the area.
Pegov (WarGonzo) early report.
➡️AFU advanced up to 1.5km deep and up to 6km wide near Robotyne
➡️AFU advanced towards Pryyutne from Levadne
➡️Along the M04, AFU took new positions
➡️AFU advanced near Klischiivka and along the M03 north of Bakhmut pic.twitter.com/gQExDo5472— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) July 1, 2023
Also in the Donbas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited a gas station to get coffee and take selfies with Ukrainian soldiers in the area.
A gas stop at Donbas. Ukrainian President getting coffee, taking selfies with our Defenders during a working visit in the area. #Ukraine #SlavaUkrainii #UkraineRussiaWar #slavaUkraine #WeWillWin #UkraineUnited #blukraine pic.twitter.com/vSr38AyO7b
— BL Media Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦 (@blukraine) July 1, 2023
In Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian forces continue their push toward the occupied city of Melitopol along the administrative border between Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts. Fighting in this area remains intense, as video from the trenches shows a Ukrainian soldier quickly switching to a sidearm after taking a trench from Russian forces.
https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1674979898169913345 https://twitter.com/GloOouD/status/1675120899685588992
Ukrainian armored recovery vehicles remain busy retrieving damaged and abandoned vehicles from battlefields. A clip shows Ukrainian troops with a Bergepanzer ARV recovering a M2A2 Bradley and other vehicles with battle damage.
M2A2 Bradley IFV evacuated
by a Bergepanzer. Also other equipment is seen which will probably be recovered as well. pic.twitter.com/9CxZHW6SnK— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) July 1, 2023
Ukrainian tank crews have modified at least one of the eight Canadian-supplied Leopard 2A4 tanks with a layer of Kontakt-1 explosive reactive armor (ERA). You can read our full coverage of this unique modification in our story here.
Leopard 2A4 in Ukrainian service with add-on Kontakt-1 ERA and rubber screens. pic.twitter.com/6Cw0uzQrMI
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) July 1, 2023
Elsewhere, Ukrainian Leopards are working Russian trenches in close-up battles. A Ukrainian Leopard 2A6 can be seen firing high-explosive shells into the trench line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Leopard 2A6 in Ukrainian service firing HE shells into a Russian trench, Zaporizhia Oblast. pic.twitter.com/1nhTbn0fl0
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 30, 2023
Russia’s most modern tank has not fared as well in Zaporizhzhia, as video shows a T-90M engulfed in a fireball after taking a Ukrainian anti-tank missile hit.
Ukrainian forces hit a Russian T-90M with an ATGM, Zaporizhia Oblast pic.twitter.com/BWnyyuJTc7
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) July 1, 2023
Amongst fears Russia may stage a radioactive accident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a U.S. Air Force WC-135R “Constant Phoenix” surveillance aircraft flew from Strategic Command’s 55th Wing at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, to Chania Air Base on the island of Crete.
https://twitter.com/wipljw/status/1675061333681635328 https://twitter.com/nukestrat/status/1675136748152578049
Chania has hosted much of the U.S. Air Force’s RC-135 fleet for surveillance of the Black Sea and Eastern Europe since the Russian buildup began in late 2021. The Constant Phoenix is designed to sample the air for radioactive particles, used both to confirm suspected nuclear tests and track radiation from nuclear disasters. Its reason for going to Crete remains unclear. These aircraft do baseline reading flights around the globe on a regular basis. But considering the concerns surrounding ZNPP, it’s presence is worth keeping an eye on.
Ripple effects from last week’s abortive coup by Wagner PMC leader Yevgenny Prigozhin continue in the form of a scathing rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin by influential mil-blogger Igor Girkin. In a video address, Girkin said “Putin demonstrates his total powerlessness” in the context of alleged amnesty for many of those involved in the rebellion.
Terrorist Girkin-Strelkov called Putin a "spineless wood louse" for not punishing Prigozhin.
"Putin demonstrates his total powerlessness and shows that it's okay to act that way. Try, guys, try again. And if you fail, nothing will happen to you," he said.
Strelkov is getting… pic.twitter.com/Wkt2jDha4Z
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) July 1, 2023
Ukrainian troops reportedly recovered a rather interesting pamphlet from a Russian trench near Bakhmut. The pages show various side-by-side images, with soldiers under a Russian flag doing good deeds while those under the Ukrainian flag do just about every evil thing imaginable, all under the Russian caption “That’s the difference.” It’s a familiar form of classic propaganda, but one we haven’t seen much of in this conflict.
This is from trenches near Bakhmut.
This is how Russian soldiers are motivated. Caption: "That's the difference".
It is interesting that even in the pictures the Ukrainians have water, water supply, they take a bath in bathtubes.
But where are washing machines?
📷- Lesia… pic.twitter.com/TfUcbhOiAC
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) July 1, 2023
That’s all for now. We will update this story when there’s more to report on Ukraine.
Contact the author: stetson.payne@thewarzone.com
