ISW explains why Russia is silent on Ukraine's attack on Chonhar Bridge

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have suggested that the Kremlin has instructed Russian "milbloggers" (military bloggers) not to cover disruptions in critical land lines of communication, including the attack on the Chonhar Bridge by the Ukrainian Defence Forces.  Source: ISW Details: The analysts stated that the lack of reaction from Russian so-called military bloggers to the Ukrainian strike on the Chonhar Bridge is a noticeable shift in Russian coverage of the war in Ukraine and may indicate that the Kremlin has instructed Russian military bloggers to avoid covering such topics.

The ISW pointed out that the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced on 29 July that the Defence Forces had successfully attacked the Chonhar Bridge.

The ISW did not observe any discussion among Russian military bloggers about the Ukrainian strike or their promotion of the statement by Vladimir Saldo, a collaborator and Kremlin-appointed leader of occupied Kherson Oblast, that Russian troops had intercepted 12 Ukrainian Storm Shadow cruise missiles targeting the bridge. At the same time, Russian military bloggers reacted to the Ukrainian strike on the Chonhar Bridge on 22 June with widespread indignation and concern. Russian military bloggers regularly comment on both successful and supposedly unsuccessful Ukrainian strikes on Russian logistics.

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The ISW has previously assessed that some Russian military bloggers may shape their coverage of the war in Ukraine in a way that is more supportive of the Kremlin's narrative because they fear punishment from the Kremlin. However, ISW said, a fear of punishment conducted by the Kremlin would hardly have led to such an almost universal lack of coverage of an important event. It is more likely that the reason for this was a specific instruction from the Kremlin not to cover disruptions in the operation of critical land lines of communication.

ISW noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin cunningly presented Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive operations as impeding the prospects for negotiations. Putin accused Ukraine of mounting a large-scale offensive so that Russia will not have any opportunity to discuss a ceasefire while its troops are defending against attacks by Ukrainian forces. ISW noted that Russian troops conducted attacks in Luhansk and around Donetsk almost all the time even before the Ukrainian counteroffensive began, but Putin, of course, did not mention this.

ISW's report indicated that Ukrainian forces carried out counteroffensive operations on at least three areas of the front, and on some fronts they gained significant success.

To quote the ISW's Key Takeaways on 30 July:

• The lack of Russian milblogger reaction to a Ukrainian strike on the Chonhar Bridge represents a notable inflection in Russian reporting on the war in Ukraine and may suggest that the Kremlin has directed Russian milbloggers to refrain from covering certain topics.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin disingenuously framed the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive as inhibiting prospects for negotiations.
• Ukrainian forces conducted counteroffensive operations on at least three sectors of the front and made claimed advances in some areas.
• Russian forces conducted offensive operations along the Svatove-Kreminna and Avdiivka-Donetsk City lines and did not make any confirmed gains in these areas.
• Ukrainian forces conducted offensive operations southwest and northwest of Bakhmut and made claimed gains in this direction.
• Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations in western Donetsk Oblast and western Zaporizhzhia Oblast and made claimed marginal advances.
• Russian sources claimed that Russian forces counterattacked and regained lost positions in western Donetsk and western Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
• Russian sources claimed that Russian officials plan to regulate civilian volunteers who take supplies to Russian forces in Ukraine.
• Ukrainian partisans reportedly sabotaged Russian military equipment in occupied Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, on 29 July. 

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