UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 524 - JULY 30, 2023

The lack of reactions from Russian Milbloggers to the Ukrainian attack on the Chonhar Bridge marks a remarkable shift in Russian coverage of the war in Ukraine and could suggest that the Kremlin has instructed Russian Milbloggers to refrain from reporting on certain topics.

Ukrainian forces announced on July 29 that they successfully attacked the Chonhar Bridge on the M-18 highway (Dzhankoi-Melitopol) between the occupied Crimea and the occupied territory of Kherson. The ISW did not observe any Russian Milbloggers discussing the Ukrainian attack or spreading the claim made by the head of the occupation administration of Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, that Russian forces intercepted 12 Ukrainian Shadow Mars cruise missiles aimed at the bridge. The only other Russian source commenting on the attacks was a local Russian Telegram news channel that reported alleged claims from Russian tourists in the area about the closure of the bridge to traffic. Russian Milbloggers reacted with widespread outrage and concern to a Ukrainian attack on the Chonhar Bridge on June 22, and they routinely comment on both successful and allegedly unsuccessful Ukrainian attacks on Russian logistics.

The Chonhar Bridge is a notable chokepoint along a critical Russian Ground Lines of Communication (GLOC), and it is highly unlikely that Russian Milbloggers would willingly ignore a successful or unsuccessful Ukrainian attack on the bridge. ISW has previously noted that selected Russian Milbloggers may shape their coverage of the war in Ukraine in a manner more conducive to Kremlin narratives out of fear of punishment by the Kremlin following the removal of prominent critical voices in the Russian information space, particularly war supporter Igor Girkin and Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin. However, a general fear of Kremlin punishment would likely not lead to such a nearly universal lack of reporting on a dramatic event, and it is more likely that a specific Kremlin directive not to report on disruptions to critical GLOCs has caused this lack of coverage.

According to Russian sources, Russian officials plan to regulate civilian volunteers who bring supplies to Russian forces in Ukraine.

Reports indicate that Ukrainian partisans sabotaged Russian military equipment in the occupied Mariupol (Donetsk region) on July 29.

The full Russian Offensive Update 524 is available directly from UNDERSTANDING WAR.

UNDERSTANDING WAR