Thursday March 20th, Ukraine struck one of Russia’s most important airbases, housing Russia strategic bombers, with drones. The attack triggered a huge explosion that was caught on geolocated video.
Engels 2 Airbase
Engles-2 is located 450 miles from the Ukrainian frontline. While Russia or Ukraine both didn’t report directly what was used to carry out the attack, Russian forces in the area did report shooting down 54 drones during the time the base came under attack.
Russia’s Engels-2 airbase is one of its most important airbases as it is the one airbase operating Russia’s Tupolev TU-160’s (NATO reporting name Blackjack). The TU-160 is a supersonic, variable swept-wing, nuclear capable long-range, strategic bomber that has been during the Russia/Ukraine war to launch long range cruise missile into Ukraine.
The TU-160. While often compared to the Rockwell B-1 ”Lancer” the TU-160 is significantly larger and faster while the B-1 has a larger payload. The TU-160 was designed as a long range cruise missile platform, the Bone on the other hand excels at penetrating highly contested airspace’s with its speed and ability to use terrain masking by flying very low.
While the bombers would be a nice target it appears the main focus of the attack was on something even more critical to the war. Looking at the satellite images, released in the days since the attack, show that all of the TU-160’s or TU-95’s were undamaged after the attack. The drones mostly targeted an area of the airbase being used to store munitions. The base, along with regular munitions, is used for the maintaining and storage of the Russian KH-101 Cruise missile although it’s not verified if any of them were damaged or destroyed.
Overview of the whole airfield. Affected area is off by itself in the top right under the Maxar logo. The before shot of an ammunition storage area of the airbase. These ammo storage areas, generally are fairly easy to spot as it will usually be an underground building or a regular building with raised dirt berms surrounding it. The dirt is there tj absorb shock and hopefully protect neighboring buildings in case of an explosion. The after shot. A number of buildings here are completely destroyed, either from direct targeting or a result of the blast and resulting fire that blazed for two days.
The fire in the aftermath of the attack led to a state of emergency being declared in the region as civilians were evacuated. Some having had their houses damaged in the explosion.
Video shows the soon after from the explosion, you can see that some of the houses were damaged from the shockwave of the large blast.
The explosion damaged many homes in the immediate area. Windows busted or blown out, as well as roofs being damaged or having sections completely blown off.
Early on Tuesday morning Ukraine targeted the Moscow region with its largest drone attack on the Russian capital since the start of the war, damaging high rise buildings and leaving at least 2 dead and 20 wounded including several children. Additionally, air traffic at all 4 of Moscow’s airport and the city’s train system was suspended and delayed.
The drones approved the city in several waves according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin who put out a statement to local and international media.
I‘ve added some videos of the attack taken by locals and local news.
The scene from around the city as hundreds of drones attack Moscow and the regions around it.
All of this comes after Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s failed meeting with US president Donald Trump in which the two plus the Bice President JD Vance argued on live tv about the state of the war. After that meeting all US aid shipments to Ukraine were canceled along with all US supplied intel. The cancelation of the intel and supplies has been reversed but not before Russia made large gains taking back dozens of settlements that were held by Ukraine for months inside of Kursk. Tomorrow I’m going to do an overall update on the date of the war in Ukraine on all fronts, so stay tuned for that.
The protective “sarcophagus” over the reactor core for reactor number 4.
At around 1:50 a.m. local time the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency said a blast occurred on the roof of the metal sarcophagus housing the concrete cover over the irradiated remains of reactor 4’s core. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims that a Russian suicide drone was the cause of the explosion, Russian officials at the Kremlin deny this.
“There is no talk about strikes on nuclear infrastructure, nuclear energy facilities, any such claim isn’t true, our military doesn’t do that,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in a conference with the press.
The drone can be seen on video coming in from the Northeast. Russian/Belarusian territory. Pictures of the aftermath show some debris from the drone. The engine appears to be the same as what is found on an Iranian supplied Shahed drone used by Russian forces.
Video from a security camera shows the drone that impacted on the reactors outer casing. Debris found after the strike. Note the engine in the middle. Shahed Drone Engine. Another angle.
Chernobyl was the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986. The control room was running a series of test simulating cooling the reactor in blackout conditions. There was an unplanned drop in reactor power and then a surge in power when the control team tried to take the reactor offline and some components used for reactor cooling started rupturing and losing coolant. This resulted in an explosion of steam and a reactor meltdown that destroyed the containment building. Radiation spread for thousands of miles across the USSR and Europe. The series of events leading up to the meltdown are well documented online but if you want the Hollywood version that’s a little easier to understand the show Chernobyl did a pretty decent job of explaining how the core meltdown occurred.
While the initial explosion only killed 2 engineers and wounded 2 others, the resulting radiation affected thousands and is remembered as the worst nuclear disaster in as well as the most expensive human disaster in history.
Several updates on the war in Ukraine. Expect more coverage on this war from this point on. Im shooting for daily or at least every other day.
Ukrainian Armed Forces launch a renewed attack on territory in Russia’s Kursk region.
In an audacious assault Ukraine has managed to launch a surprise offensive from its controlled Russian territory in Kursk, Russia. Russian sources say that Ukraine launched their assault from southeast of Sudzha, pushing towards Fanaseyevka and Ulanok. Russian military bloggers estimate 500 soldiers and 50 armored vehicles (some of which are tanks).
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who confirmed the offensive with a statement, said “ “In the areas of the Kursk operation, new assaults have taken place…Russia has once again deployed North Korean soldiers alongside its troops.”
Russias Ministry of Defense on Saturday had repelled an attack was defeated in the town of
The Ukrainians seem to have taken advantage of an operational pause from Russia and North Korea and advanced around 3 miles to the village of Fanaseevka, east of the original lines. The forward element has taken position around the Fanaseevka for the moment.
Ukraine utilized a tactic often employed by Russia for this small advance, proving the Russians lines for weaknesses and then using small fast moving teams supported by small groups of armor to push in and shuttle infantry to new positions further past the original line of contact. This tactic was refined by Russia during the second year of the war, and has been useful since then.
French Supplied Dassault Mirage-2000 jets operating in Ukraine.
Images reportedly taken in the skys above Poland show the Dassault Mirage in the sky’s above Poland.
Ukraine has received the first of its French supplied Mirage-2000-5 multirole fighters according to the French and Ukrainian goverment. Ukrainian pilots that were trained in France for the past several months have also arrived with the planes.
These single-engine 4th generation aircraft have reportedly been upgraded as so they can utilize munition like the SCALP/StormShadow cruise missile and other guided munitions. Developed in 1991 these jets are comparable with many of the older munitions that Ukraine has been sent. The SU-24s currently filling Ukraines Air to ground attack needs can finally rest.
A Mirage 2000 with a SCALP EG/StormShadow cruise missile attacked underneath (in the center).
Sébastien Lecornu, the French minister of the armed forces said on Twitter “They will now participate in defending the skies of Ukraine.”
The Mirage-2000 5 received by Ukraine, are configured as an advanced air supremacy fighter however it has been modified to also carry out air to ground attacks making this a potent multirole fighter.
Ukraine also received a batch of multirole F-16s from the Netherlands that were reported yesterday. The F-16s received in the past were set up strictly for air to air but it’s unclear how these will be configured. The F-16 is a capable multirole fighter, maybe one of the best. All of the aircraft’s capabilities will be put to the test in the next couple months as the war continues. Ukraine will want to use these assets sparingly as they only have a handful at the moment and losing even one trained pilot could hurt them more than the plane itself . That being said video footage has already circulated which is claiming to be a strike on the Russian held town of town of Selydove, Donetsk Oblast in Eastern Ukraine.
Reported to show a US-supplied GBU-61/62 1000/2000 lb bomb being dropped on a Russian command post in Selydove, Donetsk Oblast. Likely carried out with a SU-25.
While the video is unconfirmed by either side I wanted to include it to show that Ukraine is actively using its air assets already, and will continue to do so.
Ukraine disputed claims that Russia has complete control over the remains of the city of Toretsk.
Fighting inside Ukraine the past 6 months has mostly been focused on the Donetsk Region. One of the reasons Russia desires the eastern part of Ukraine specifically is that areas like Donetsk Oblast are heavily industrialized and very valuable. One of these places being fought over is the city of Toretsk (Pop: 30,000).
Toretsk’s industry, before the war revolved around its coal mines and coke material plants. Coke is made from coal and is used as a fuel in fireplaces and stoves.
Like Bakhmut and Avdiivka and too many other city’s this war has taken a toll on the city with most of its inhabitants being replaced by soldier from the warring sides. The city skyline is filled with bombed out apartments and rubble. The city is essentially dead, like Avdiivka and Bakhmut.
The city of Toretsk as seen today.
Toretsk sits North of Dontesk city and Avdiivka and south of the former fortress town of Chasiv Yar. While Russia has claimed to control the city Ukrainian forces are still contesting it daily. In fact a sort of who can keep their flag up the longest contest has broken out between the two sides.
Screenshot from the UA Control Map showing the location of the different units that have been geolocated using video footage from the war.
The Russians have several different units that have been spotted operating in the area. Some of the notable ones are listed here.
The 9th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade. Part of the DNR forces that were folded into the Russian Army to supplement all of the men lost to the fighting. The 3rd Spetsnaz Brigade. Special Forces Brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) Russia does its Special Forces a bit different than western armies. Their purpose is a mixture of what somebody in the west would normally think of when you say “Special Forces” like reconnaissance and counter insurgency but also able to do political warfare closer to what the CIA field agents do such as training guerrillas army’s and supporting regime allies. Using them as frontline soldiers is a good way to get a bunch of highly trained soldiers killed. At one point several years ago these guys had burned through 50-70% of their fighters.
Ukraine is defending with several motorized infantry battalions supported by several other battalions whose main focus is on drone warfare which has been highly effective on the frontline. While the city is a loss the Russian army is still determined to push forward and Ukraine is determined to meet them with force, and wipe out as many Russian soldiers as it can in a perfect example of attrition warfare.
Several days ago a Russian SU-25 was lost when it was downed by elements of the 28th brigade.
SU-25 frog foot shoot down and crash.
Expect more reports like this every couple days. As I get more researched on the current state of the war these reports will contain more information, this was just a plave to start and what’s been going on recently. Thank you for your support.
Arleigh Burke-Class Guided-Missile Destroyer, USS Preble (DDG-88) utilizing its High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) Weapons System.
USS Preble (DDG-88) firing its HELIOS system.
Helios is apart of a larger program aimed at the development of Solid State Lasers (SSL). Some of the other lasers being developed include the
-Ruggedized High Energy Laser (RHEL);
-Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN); -Solid State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM)
-High Energy Laser Counter-ASCM Program (HELCA), for shooting down anti-ship cruise missiles.
All of these I’ve listed are in varying states of development and wont be fielded until a future date however HELIOS has been in a testing phase since 2021 and now has been fully integrated into the combat systems of at least the USS Preble (DDG-88) where it will be used to counter drones, small boat threats and missiles.
The main advantage of the direct energy weapons is the price. Lasers cost about $1 to fire compared to some missiles getting into the tens of millions of dollars.
Russias losses in Ukraine for the month of January reached almost 50,000, the second highest since the early days of the war.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the month of January 2025, the Russian armed forces lost 48,240 soldiers and 573 Russian armored vehicles and 230 tanks. In the Russian order of battle this is roughly equivalent to 3 motorized rifle divisions. In that time the Russian army has managed to take roughly 500 sq. kilometers (193 sq miles) in the Kursk Region as well as Ukraine. These numbers are almost identically to December of 2024 numbers except they took 100km more territory.
The situation in Ukraine remains much as it has the past couple months. Ukrainian forces continues to reinforce defensive points while Russia has kept its army’s pushing into enemy territory. Ukrainian forces have stepped up the intensity of attacks on Russian oil and gas infrastructure, with the Ukrainian security services (USB) targeting the regions of Volgograd and Astrakhan.
Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant
Future daily briefs will have more Ukraine reporting as I reconnect with my sources and find new ones.
Iraqi airstrike kills 5 ISIS operatives in Iraq.
On January 31, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), supported by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted an airstrike near Kirkuk, Iraq. The attack killed 5 ISIS fighters according to CENTCOM.
“An initial post-strike clearance found multiple explosive suicide belts and other materials,”
CENTCOM confirmed in a statement, underscoring the strike’s role in weakening the group’s operational capabilities.
“ISIS remains a threat to the region and beyond, and CENTCOM, along with partners and allies, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists to protect the homeland,”
This operation was backed by Coalition Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CTF-OIR), which provided intelligence and technical support for the strike.
U.S. forces have recently stepped up strikes against ISIS targets since the fall of the Assad Regime in Syria. With the state being weakened it was a possibility that Daesh could attempt a comeback.
On the same note….
US Africa Command carries out airstrikes on ISIS in Somalia.
On February 1st, 2025, US president Donald Trump, in his first major U.S. Strike overseas since he took office, ordered US forces to carry out airstrikes on ISIS targets in Northern Somalia in the Golis Mountains. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that “multiple operatives” were killed in the strike.
F/A-18 Super Hornet
The strikes were carried out by planes from the navy and Air Force. FA-18 Super Hornets took part from the USS Harry S. Truman currently stationed in the Red Sea.
While the main threat in the area has been Al-Shabab, ISIL has been involved in attacks in Southern and Central Somalia. Even while facing the threat of US bombings as well as the policing actions of the Somolian Security Forces, and a fierce rivalry with Al-Shabob ISIS (ISIL) continues to grow and gain a strong foundation in the country.
Statement from new U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was sworn in the day before yesterday. This is some of what he had to say today in a messages to the forces.
“…The President gave us a clear mission: achieve Peace through Strength. We will do this in three ways – by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.
-We will revive the warrior ethos and restore trust in our military. We are American warriors. We will defend our country. Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear. The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose.
-We will rebuild our military by matching threats to capabilities. This means reviving our defense industrial base, reforming our acquisition process, passing a financial audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies. We will remain the strongest and most lethal force in the world.
—We will reestablish deterrence by defending our homeland — on the ground and in the sky. We will work with allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by Communist China, as well as supporting the President’s priority to end wars responsibly and reorient to key threats.
We will stand by our allies – and our enemies are on notice.
All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards, and readiness.
I have committed my life to warfighters and their families.
Just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back. We serve together at a dangerous time. Our enemies will neither rest nor relent.
And neither will we. We will stand shoulder to shoulder to meet the urgency of this moment.
Like each of you, I love my country and swore an oath to defend the Constitution. We will do that each and every day,”
-End statement
Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing.
Hegseth, a veteran and former Fox News personality only narrowly won his confirmation for SecDef with a Vice President tie breaker after the 3 republicans in the Senate joined with every democrats to vote no. His confirmation hearing was filled with allegations of past misconduct( that he denies) and claims that he is too inexperienced in leading a large organization like the U.S. military.
Russian oil refinery struck by a wave of Ukrainian drones.
Ukraines most effective strategy throughout the war has been the destruction of Russian logistics on the frontlines and behind the lines using missiles and drones. This constant picking away at the Russian war machines supplies has kept Russia pulling for stockpiles nobody thought would ever be needed. Supplies that went untouched for decades are now being pulled from occasionally (especially with regard to armored vehicles). This strategy worked so well that Ukraine decided to expand on it with unrelenting attacks on Russian oil production. The thought is simple: try to make fighting the war too costly to continue to fight.Russia is supposed to be an oligarchy and no matter how many of their rich and powerful Putin has thrown out of windows they do still hold some power in the country and can cause him problems.
Overview of the Ryazan Oil RefineryLoading and storage area, both of which sustained damage in the attack.
The refinery targeted was the Ryazan oil refinery almost 300 miles from Ukraine. It has been targeted by drones multiple times in the past 72 hours and has suspended all operations. The most recent attack took place on January 26th at 1:00AM (Russia time) Video discovered of one of the attacks shows a massive fireball as a result.
The full extent of the damage is yet unknown but we do know that among the damaged equipment that the oil storage was set ablaze as well as equipment used to load the product into rail cars.Russian media claims that the plants AVT-4 unit, which processes the crude oil into fuel distillates, was heavily damaged.
The Ryazan oil refinery is one of Russia largest with the capacity to process 17 million metric tons of oil a year.The profit from this oil is used to fund Russia’s war in Ukraine which is growing costlier as the years go by. Neither side can keep this up forever but with these attacks on important and valuable Russian targets Ukraine hopes to tip the scales in their favor.
Andriy Kovalenko, a reporter in Ukraine said on his Telegram channel ” The refinery plays an important role in providing fuel for both the civilian and military-industrial complex of Russia,”.
Global Conflict Reporting 
You must be logged in to post a comment.