“The Russian authorities arrested the commander of the assault squad of the 110th motorized rifle brigade, Volodymyr Novikov, also known by the pseudonym “White”. There are several versions of the reason for the arrest: the first, that Novikov tried to stop Chechens who were supplying drugs to military personnel, the second, that the command did not approve of his development – a system to counter drones, and the third – the death of Russian drone operators during an assault in the Pokrovsky direction.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
The Russian authorities arrested the commander of the assault squad of the 110th motorized rifle brigade, Volodymyr Novikov, also known by the pseudonym “White”. There are several versions of the reason for the arrest: the first, that Novikov tried to stop Chechens who were supplying drugs to military personnel, the second, that the command did not approve of his development – a system to counter drones, and the third – the death of Russian drone operators during an assault in the Pokrovsky direction.
Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)
Details: Russian actress Yana Poplovska, numerous Russian military bloggers (including supporters of the arrested former Russian officer Igor Girkin) and the Russian neo-nationalist publication “Tsargrad” reported on September 13 that the Russian authorities had arrested the commander of the assault squad of the 110th motorized rifle brigade (51st combined military army, the former 1st Army Corps of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) of Volodymyr Novikov, also known by the pseudonym “White”. capture of Avdiyivka and Krasnohorivka by the Russians, has three state orders for courage and received many letters from his subordinates demanding his release.
Some of Novikov’s subordinates and several military bloggers also noted that they joined the unit solely because he inspired them.
Poplovska and a Russian military blogger who claims to have worked with Novikov say Novikov was arrested after he tried to stop Chechens who were supplying drugs to military personnel. Poplovska said that the Chechens filed a false complaint against Novikov for revenge.
A military blogger associated with Novikov suggested that the Russian military command may have disapproved of Novikov’s efforts to train Russian servicemen and Storm-Z convicts to neutralize Ukrainian drone threats, as the military command seeks to advance its own career ambitions. The blogger added that he and Novikov independently developed it anti-drone system under the name “capture of the little sky” in order to train Russian counter-drone specialists, and that this initiative is contrary to staff protocol.
Russian officials have not publicly acknowledged Novikov’s arrest, and Belousov has not yet responded to any appeals.
“Tsargrad”, in particular, linked Novikov’s arrest to the recent deaths of prominent Russian bloggers and drone operators of the 87th separate rifle regiment of the 1st “Slavic” motorized rifle brigade (51st AK) of Dmytro Lysakovskii (better known under the pseudonym “Goodwill”) and lieutenant colonel Serhiy Hrytsai (also known as “Ernest”), probably in the night on September 12.
Lysakovskii and Hrytsai were suddenly involved in a direct assault operation on September 11, along with at least 12 other specialists in long-range aerial reconnaissance, as a result of which 14 people died in the Pokrovsky direction.
Tsargrad speculated that the deaths and Novikov’s arrest may be related, as both Lysakovskii and Hrytsai have also raised concerns about drug use in combat.
These two cases, however, may be due to the fact that the Russian military command is increasingly desperate to attract more infantry in order to hold the initiative in the direction of Pokrovsk and Donetsk. Russian sources note that the assault took place shortly after the Russian military command disbanded the drone unit of Lysakovskii and Hrytsai.
The Russian blogger and former instructor “Storm-Z” claims that the Russian military command has increasingly begun to use servicemen of the 1st “Slavic” motorized rifle brigade, especially niche specialized units, in assault operations, and that the leadership of the 51st EMS Brigade is guided by the slogan : “We don’t need smart people, we are already smart. We need storms [і] meat”
Literally: “In the past, ISW has watched the Russian high command fire and imprison some popular and effective military commanders who have expressed concern about the pace of Russian operations and the ongoing problems associated with Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Russian military leadership and the government continue to reduce the class of partially independent Russian military innovators, specialists and commanders in order to centralize forces, maintain the pace of the offensive in the Donetsk region and compensate for the personnel shortage.”
ISW Key Findings for September 21:
- On the night of September 20-21, Ukrainian troops carried out another successful drone attack on Russian missile and ammunition depots, as well as on a mobile radar system in Russia.
- The Kremlin appears to be reorganizing decentralized regional volunteer recruitment campaigns for the federal effort, a sign that Russia is scrambling to meet manpower needs for its war in Ukraine, despite earlier claims that Ukraine’s invasion of Kursk Oblast had caused a surge in recruitment volunteers in Russia.
- The Russian military leadership and government continue to reduce the class of semi-independent Russian military innovators, specialists and irregular commanders in order to achieve the goals of centralizing forces, maintaining the pace of the offensive in the Donetsk region and compensating for the shortage of personnel.
- Iran has reportedly not sent mobile launchers for the Fateh-360 short-range ballistic missiles it recently supplied to Russia, likely due to a decision to prioritize sending additional missiles over bulky and easily replaceable launchers.
- Russian officials have identified 47 countries as having an opposite and dangerous moral attitude to Russia, stressing that the Kremlin is reviving Soviet-era tactics and thinking that define a clear ideological divide in the world.
- Analysis of Russia’s war in Ukraine by Russian military bloggers continues to show that the Kremlin perceives the West’s commitment to Ukraine as weak.
- Recently, Russian troops advanced in the Kursk region.
- Russian troops advanced north of Kharkiv and near Kupyansk, Kreminnaya, Tortesk and southwest of Donetsk.
- The Kremlin did not fully suppress local protests organized by wives of Russian mobilized servicemen after the announcement of partial mobilization on September 21, 2022 in.