Page 37 - RusRPTSept23

Bureau (NABU) reported on Aug. 24.
Russia confirms death of Wagner leaders Prigozhin and Utkin. Russia's Investigative Committee officially confirmed the death of Wagner Group's leaders Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin following a DNA test of their bodies, Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported on Aug. 27.
● War
The Russian military is facing significant challenges defending Russian airspace against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and the growing use of drones has exposed Russia’s vulnerability, military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko told NV in an exclusive interview on Aug. 22.
On August 12, explosions and shots rang out in occupied Kerch. The Russian-appointed Crimean authorities announced a temporary stop to traffic on the Crimean Bridge due to attempts by the Ukrainian military to strike the bridge. Russian media reported that Ukraine's Armed Forces tried to attack the bridge but that anti-aircraft defense systems prevented the attack's success. It is not known whether the bridge was damaged. Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Crimean head, claimed that the smoke around the Crimean bridge is a smoke screen created by Russian special services. The Ukraine Armed Forces hope to obtain information from satellite images and determine the extent of any damage. However, it is assumed that the occupiers would not simply close the Crimean Bridge without reason, said Yuriy Ignat, the spokesman of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He also explained that fumigation as a disguise had been used since World War II. The spokesman also added that similar incidents in the occupied Crimea may occur and even become more frequent.
Russia attacked Ukraine's main inland port across the Danube River from Romania on August 3, sending global food prices higher as it ramped up its use of force to prevent Ukraine from exporting grain. The drone attacks destroyed buildings in the port of Izmail and halted ships as they prepared to arrive there to load with Ukrainian grain in defiance of a de-facto blockade Russia reimposed in mid-July.
Ukraine's military intelligence: Russia won't be able to repair Olenegorskiy Gornyak in near future. "This is a structure that was not made in Russia, and the damage there is very significant. Of course, in the near future, we will not see Olenegorskiy Gornyak," military intelligence representative said. UK Defence Ministry: Olenegorskiy Gornyak is largest Russian vessel seriously damaged after sinking of Moskva cruiser. This is a significant blow to the (Russian) Black Sea Fleet, which previously relocated most of its units to Novorossiysk due to the high threat to Sevastopol," the ministry added.
RUSSIA Country Report September 2023 www.intellinews.com