Recent footage obtained by the Conflict Intelligence Team shows a trainload of newly shipped T-72B3M tanks from the Uralvagonzavod plant with a new modification package, which we provisionally mark as Model 2024 (Obr. 2024). As is evident in the still images we have released, a new element has been added to the factory upgrade: rubber-fabric screens designed to protect the rear of the turret and the engine and transmission compartment. While additional modifications may also be present, they cannot be discerned from the available footage. Nevertheless, this distinctive feature—the rubber-fabric screens—will make it easy to identify tanks produced from the summer of 2024 onward. Tanks shipped as part of the last public delivery...

On the morning of July 8, Russia launched a wave of missile strikes against cities across Ukraine (see our summary on strikes on civilian infrastructure for details of civilian casualties), with Kyiv being one of the primary targets. Missiles and fragments of intercepted missiles hit several city districts. Specifically, the Shevchenkivskyi district experienced missile strikes on the Artem military plant and Okhmatdyt, the largest children’s hospital in the country. Unlike other strikes conducted on July 8, and more broadly in the two and a half years since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, a video of relatively good quality captured the moment of impact. As a result, we had a rare opportunity to examine the specific...

Throughout the second half of May, as Russia launched its offensive on the Kharkiv axis, discussions intensified about the need to lift the ban on using Western precision weapons, particularly of American origin, against targets on Russian territory. By the end of the month, a positive outcome seemed imminent, and on May 30, several major media outlets (1, 2) reported that the Biden Administration had informed its Ukrainian counterparts that the ban had been lifted. On May 31, the White House publicly announced the decision, which was later confirmed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, the ban was not entirely lifted and some caveats soon followed: Ukraine was permitted to use US-supplied weapons only in Russian regions bordering...

Since the onset of the Russian offensive on the Kharkiv axis, ZALA Lancet loitering munitions have become a key means of targeting AFU assets on this part of the frontline. Pro-Russian Telegram channels are profusely publishing videos showing these UAVs striking various types of Ukrainian military equipment, particularly artillery systems.

CIT has conducted for the third consecutive year, in collaboration with volunteers, an analysis of the military vehicles featured in May 9 parades across Russia commemorating the victory over Germany in WWII (see our reports for 2022 and 2023).  As part of this year’s analysis, we once again examined parades in 57 cities across the country, thus covering virtually all major Victory Day parades.

In this second part of our investigation, we analyze the primary methods used to assign mobilized soldiers to units within the Russian Armed Forces, and shed light on units that were established after the mobilization was declared.

A "partial" mobilization announced by President Putin on Sep. 21, 2022 marked one of the major milestones of the war, significantly affecting its trajectory. Since the day Russian mobilization—unprecedented since WWII—was ordered, CIT has been closely following the draft campaign, its dynamics and implications. Together with a team of volunteers, we assess the situation through monitoring coverage in more than 60 media outlets and on social media platforms. Based on this data, we release daily summaries covering developments and incidents we consider to be most important.

Last year, the CIT team, together with volunteers, had already counted military vehicles participating in regional Victory Day parades and managed to cover 20 cities. This year we have analyzed footage of 56 parades. Thus, we were able to examine almost every major parade that took place in Russia on May 9.