In Combat, Exoskeletons Made Artillerymen Faster, Less Fatigued

Ukrainian artillerymen have to carry 30 shells a day which weigh 50 kilograms - 100 pounds. Artillery brigades using exoskeletons found they reduced leg muscle load by 30%, making the troops faster and less prone to fatigue at operational tempo for longer periods of time. 

This, in turn, contributed to increased rates of fire and more accurate. Smart use of technology enhances performance and results for Ukraine again. JL

Wes O'Donnell reports:

At current tempo, Ukraine’s 147th Brigade artillery crews carry 30 shells per day: at 1,200 kilograms per soldier, per day. That’s a small car’s worth of explosives, manually humped to a howitzer by one man. Ukraine has deployed exoskeletons to try to fix that. It is a leg exoskeleton with hinged joints along the thighs and knees, weighing 2 kilograms. It buckles at the waist and legs, wraps behind the user’s back, and has two hip actuators. It has 10 intelligent operating modes, over a temperature range of minus10 to 60 degrees Celsius, reaches an assisted movement speed up to 20 km/h, and supports assisted walking for up to 17.5 kms. The AI mode adapts in real time to the load on the soldier’s legs and spine. “According to combat test results, troops become less fatigued, work faster, and maintain combat effectiveness longer.” An exoskeleton reducing leg muscle load 30% and cuts fatigue contributes to rate of fire, accuracy, and the ability to sustain operations at tempo.

North Korean Train Carrying Missiles To Russia Blown Up In Siberia

As Russia becomes more dependent on North Korea for military support, including troops, artillery and now missiles, the rails lines connecting the two countries become a more important target.

Ukrainian forces identified and destroyed a train carrying North Korean missiles to the front. The sabotage occurred close to the North Korean-Russian border and in difficult terrain, making reconstruction of the line more difficult. The missiles, their warheads and accompanying troops were eliminated. JL

RFU News reports:

6,000 kilometers from the front line,  explosions destroyed a train transporting KN-Twenty-Three and KN-Twenty-Four ballistic missiles together with railcars loaded with artillery ammunition on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The attack occurred close to North Korea. The detonation destroyed the train, devastated part of the surrounding railway infrastructure, and halted traffic along the affected section. Remotely controlled explosive charges were placed beneath the railway tracks before being detonated as it entered a difficult section of the line. Choosing such terrain aims to maximize destruction while making restoration more complicated. The explosion triggered a chain reaction that detonated the warheads and the accompanying ammunition. The KN missiles carry a warhead weighing five-hundred kilograms. This ranks among the deepest Ukrainian attacks inside Russia.

Ukraine Is Steadily Liberating Russian Territory At Notable Scale

It's generally better to be lucky. But if you are capable of taking advantage of your enemy's misfortune, you can make your own. 

In the case of Ukraine's shockingly successful offensive retaking large swaths of Russian-held territory in the country's south, it was a bit of both. The Ukrainians started probing what they correctly perceived were weak Russian defenses in late January. But when the Russians lost their Starlink access, the Ukrainians were ready and began armored assaults which would not have been possible had the Kremlin's forces had adequate electronic communications and defenses. Though the Russians have finally stabilized to some degree, the Ukrainian gains have been large and strategically significant. JL

Phillips O'Brien reports in his substack and David Axe reports in Trench Art:

We are now more than halfway through the summer season. This year, the reports are not about Russian advances, but Ukrainian ones. The scale of Ukraine's counteroffensive in southeastern Ukraine is becoming clear. In six months, Ukraine's 78th, 79th, 80th, 82nd, and 95th Air Assault Brigades and the 1st and 425th Assault Regiments—tens of thousands of troops—marched through gaps in Russian defenses. In contrast to the usual assault tactics, the Ukrainians attacked in tanks and other armored vehicles, counting on the Russians' connectivity problems to clear a path. Working in Ukraine's favor: better operational planning, a campaign to suppress Russian air defenses, deeper strikes on Russian logistics, Ukrainian drone superiority at the tactical level—and the Starlink cutoff. But the cutoff is the one that arrived all at once, and just as Ukrainian armor was starting to move. The reality was that the Ukrainians had gained ground. A lot of it.

Apple With Alibaba Has Built AI Only For China

While the tech media have spent the past year mocking Apple for its perceived failure to develop competitive AI, the company was quietly partnering with China's Alibaba Group to create AI specifically for Chinese users. And, even more impressively, to become the first foreign company to gain Chinese government approval. 

Even if, as is sure to happen, the other big US tech companies rush to follow suit, the terms will be harsher - if they ever gain them - and Apple will have further secured its brand prominence and first mover advantage. This is a stunning strategic move which further roils the AI market at an already sensitive time. JL

Cris Tolomia reports in Quartz:

Apple has built its own large language model targeting the China market in collaboration with Alibaba Group. A China-specific model would give Apple greater control over the AI experience in its most competitive overseas market. Such an outcome would also position Apple as the first foreign company Beijing has cleared to deploy its own proprietary AI model in China — a significant milestone for a U.S. firm at a time of deepening trade and diplomatic friction between the two nations over AI. The planned rollout follows a regulatory process that concluded last month, when China's Cyberspace Administration registered Apple's generative AI service, clearing the way for Apple Intelligence to reach Chinese iPhones. Alibaba confirmed that its Qwen model will be integrated into  Apple Intelligence across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS for users in China. Apple was also working with Baidu to develop Apple Intelligence features for Chinese iPhone users.

Russian Casualties Predicted To Rise 50% "When Leaves Fall, Winter Sets In"

Russian casualties have been the worst of the war on a monthly basis this year. But the Ukrainians are predicting those losses will get worse as fall arrives - potentially one and a half times as many - as the trees lose their leaves, the Russians lose their cover and Ukraine's drones become even more efficient at finding and killing. JL

Stanislav Pohorislov reports in Ukraine Pravda:

Russian troop losses at the front will rise once the leaves fall and winter sets in."In winter... there will be one and a half times more of them [Russians killed – ed.] straight away. As soon as the leaves fall, we'll have a bit more room for manoeuvre and the thermal imagers will work better." Russian losses could rise to 35,000-40,000 a month during this period. One of Ukraine's strategic goals is to inflict up to 50,000 casualties on Russian forces each month to make the war unsustainable for Russia.

In the South, Ukraine Has Rolled Back A Year Of Russian Advances

The Ukrainians' 'quiet offensive' as it is being called, has pushed the Russians back over 750 kilometers in the south, undoing years' worth of gains, primarily in the southern oblasts. 

The implication is that Russia no longer has the troops or equipment to hold what they've taken, let along grab much more, while the Ukrainians are controlling the place and tempo of the fighting. JL

Michael Obelcz reports in Malcontent News:

Russia has struggled to maintain momentum during its summer offensive, despite Ukraine suffering manpower shortages. Almost all of the Russian advances over the last 12 months in Dnipropetrovsk and southwestern Donetsk have been rolled back since Ukraine started its offensive. Kyiv was maintaining tight operational security while local area Russian commanders were attempting to conceal the deteriorating situation through a series of false capture claims. Small groups of Russian troops dressed as civilians tried to advance past the line of contact, to briefly wave flags for drones flying overhead. The Russian groups made one-way trips. Some were captured, others eliminated by drone strikes and close combat. For now, the initiative belongs to Ukraine.

China and Turkey Covet Russia's Borderlands

For all their expressions of fraternal support, neither the Chinese nor the Russians trust each other. The Russians realize this relationship is transactional and the Chinese believe that keeping Russia in the war will ultimately weaken them, strengthen the Chinese and provide opportunities for eventual further expansion at Russia's expense.

The Turks, meanwhile, are standing by, waiting to exploit Russia's eventual degradation. This is the reality of living in that neighborhood. JL

Raj K reports in Medium:

Russia is very big and diverse, with different economic, cultural, and political needs in various areas. If central control weakens, some regions might try to build stronger ties with outside powers, tilting towards neighbors like China basic on economic gains. Russia’s eastern and Siberian areas have huge natural resources, very valuable in the world economy. In the case of Turkey, the Caucasus region borders it. During the Chechen war, Turkey openly supported Chechnya’s independence. Taking advantage of a weak Russia, Turkey would still try to bring Chechnya and neighboring areas under its influence.