Page 55 - RusRPTApr23

Ukraine's Southern Command.
Alleged loss of aircraft at Belarusian airfield to further limit Russia's air operations. The loss of a Russian A-50 aircraft in an alleged partisan attack on a Belarusian airfield in Machulishchy will "likely leave six operational A-50s in service, further constraining Russian air operations," the U.K. Defence Ministry reported on Feb. 28.
Local authorities report fire at oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar region. A fire broke out at an oil depot in Russia's southern city of Tuapse at night on Feb. 28, according to the city administration. Local news outlet 93.ru previously reported two explosions on the oil depot territory, citing Tuapse residents.
● Weapons
Russian Defence Ministry to increase weapons production 'seven fold'. The Russian Defence Ministry announced that it will increase its ammunition production by "seven to eight times" by the end of the year, CNN reported on March 28.
Putin says Russia has three times as many tanks as Ukraine and ten times the aircraft, and will deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus .
Russia to launch drills of Yars ICBM systems. On March 29, the Russian defence ministry announced that strategic military training has begun with the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system, boasting a stated range of 11,000 kilometres.
China shipping drones to Russia worth millions. China has provided Russia with more than $12 million worth of drones since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the New York Times reported on March 21. According to the New York Times, around 70 Chinese exporters sold 26 brands of Chinese drones to Russia during the past year.
Russia is repairing its T-62 and BTR-50 tanks due to an armoured vehicle shortage on the battlefield. According to British intelligence, the Russian army is recommissioning and deploying 60-year-old T-62 main battle tanks to compensate for their loss of armoured vehicles. Since the summer of 2022, approximately 800 have been recommissioned from storage, some receiving upgraded sighting systems that are likely to improve their nighttime effectiveness. The Russian Army was to receive next-generation T-14 Armata tanks, but due to insufficient numbers of armoured vehicles, they are forced to use whatever they can find in the old, Soviet-era warehouses. Recently, Russian BTR-50 armoured personnel carriers, first put into service in 1954, have been identified for the first time in Ukraine. Both types of legacy vehicles will have many vulnerabilities on the modern battlefield, including the lack of modern dynamic armour, noted the British Ministry of Defence.
55 RUSSIA Country Report Russia April 2023 www.intellinews.com