Last month, I interviewed Lieutenant Colonel Vladyslav "Shram" Tovstyi, the commander of the 38th Marine Brigade's (@38obrmp) Corsair UAS Battalion for the Ukraine Military Podcast.

(00:00) Introduction
(03:35) The background of the Corsair Battalion
(04:40) What is the current t of weather on the battlefield
(06:50) Russian tactics
(08:25) Assessment of Russia's Rubicon Center
(09:35) Effect of Russia scaling its unmanned systems forces
(10:45) What was the effect when Russia lost access to Starlink?
(11:20) What effect is Ukraine's Middle Strike campaign having on the front line?
(13:43) Urban warfare in Myrnohrad vs fighting for tree lines
(16:20) Role of fiber optic cable FPVs and what is the ratio of fiber optic to radio signal FPVs from both sides?
(19:35) Use of Starlink on FPVs and heavy bomber drones
(20:55) Accuracy of fiber optic cable and radio signal FPVs and how many FPVs are used per day
(25:15) The role of tall buildings in drone warfare
(26:45) UGV and UAS logistics
(29:10) How many heavy bomber drones do you lose per week and what are the typical missions?
(30:30) How many UGV missions are conducted per day and how many UGVs do you lose?
(32:09) Assessment of the E-points system
(34:15) What is the structure of your UAS Battalion?
(35:00) What lessons should other militaries draw from this war about drone warfare?
(37:15) What effect would another Russian mobilization have on the war?
(39:40) How many Molniya and FPV do you face per day?
youtube.com/watch?v=Kt2N-W…

Daily Ukraine map thread for Sunday 25th October 2026

A quick look at the rear areas over the past couple of weeks, because while Ukrainian strikes inside Russia rightly attract attention, it's worth looking at what Russia is doing to Ukraine in return.

Epicenter stores, long a t, have been wiped out across much of Ukraine. As we update the map, more geolocations have come in of further stores struck and burning in Zaporizhzhia and Poltava. Ukrainian air defences simply cannot intercept everything, particularly as Russian production continues to grow.

Ukraine is hitting back, but the comparison is stark. Drones can reach deep into Russia, but against hardened industrial facilities, they have limitations. Fortunately, a delivery of British-French Storm Shadow missiles has given Ukraine some heavier options this weekend.

The Proton semiconductor plant in Oryol and the Energiya plant in Yelets have both been struck by Storm Shadows, inflicting significant damage. These are precisely the sort of targets where a heavier missile can achieve effects that drones struggle to replicate.

Meanwhile, at the front, Russian forces continue to advance, but at a crawl. The territorial gains remain painfully slow and come at enormous human cost. Both sides seem quite content with what they are achieving, however the 'magical' maps that Russia has constructed of it's own advances doesn't adhere to reality on the ground.

So yes, Ukrainian strikes inside Russia are important. But look at the bigger picture please, and we'll leave the rest unsaid.

@maxseddon @FTMag The part about Ushakov asking Sullivan about the Warnig channel is false. Did not happen.

“In 2025, before the large-scale winter attacks, local generation played a key role in supplying electricity to the city. According to sources at one of the energy companies who spoke to Ekonomichna Pravda, it may have accounted for as much as 1.3 GW. This came primarily from arnytsia CHP (CHP-4) – combined heat and power plants (CHP plants) that produce both electricity and heat for the city's district heating network.

These plants are now no longer able to generate electricity…

In a relatively favourable scenario, energy workers will repair damaged equipment and new strikes will not cause critical losses. In that case, restrictions may be moderate, although avoiding power cuts altogether will be difficult. For consumers, this would mean 8-10 hours without electricity per day.

If the attacks continue and some equipment remains damaged, Kyiv could face longer power cuts during moderately cold spells. Under this scenario, outages could last 12-16 hours per day.

The worst-case scenario involves regular large-scale strikes on key substations and other elements of the power system amid severe frosts. In that case, restrictions could last up to 20 hours per day. However, sources in the energy sector interviewed by Ekonomichna Pravda do not believe in a scenario in which the Russians would manage to destroy everything and ‘plunge Kyiv into darkness’.”
pravda.com.ua/eng/articles/2…

Russia struck Epicenter shopping centers in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, and Vinnytsia over the past 24 hours.
epravda.com.ua/biznes/vorog-v…

Elon Musk claims that Ukraine allegedly violated Starlink's terms of use and used the system on combat drones.

As someone who was inside the process at the Ministry of Defense, I can say with certainty that this is not true.

In February of this year, whitelists were introduced. uld be registered by both military personnel and civilians.
But for any satellite terminal to work while on the move, it had to be added to a special list and connected to the military Starshield system. Otherwise, no satellite communication terminals in Ukraine would work.

In other words, using civilian Starlink for drone missions was technically impossible. All drone missions that required satellite communication could only be carried out using Starshield.

We are very grateful to the United States and SpaceX for access to critically important satellite communications. Ukraine did not violate the terms of use.

A few weeks ago, while filming a story about Operation Veles with the United24 crew, we helped evacuate the body of one of our fallen soldiers from near Kupiansk.

In 2025, on the Kupiansk front, Russian troops began using old gas pipelines to slip deep behind Ukrainian lines. Built from thick steel and buried mostly underground, these pipes once carried gas between Russia and Ukraine, and they’re extremely hard to destroy.

Working, not working, partially working, it's been a bit of a Schrödinger's Starlink since yesterday. But Ukrainian officials -- including Zelenskyy just now -- have now confirmed the speed restrictions have been lifted overnight:

Monitoring systems of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence have officially confirmed the restoration of Starlink/Starshield operational speeds, with connectivity remaining stable at speeds exceeding 400 kph.
We are grateful to everyone who helped restore the service and for your important contribution to saving Ukrainian lives.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence will continue monitoring performance, as reliable Starlink/Starshield connectivity plays a critical role in intercepting Russian drones and protecting Ukrainian lives.

Учора робив цю інфографіку для матеріалу Дмитра:

militarnyi.com/uk/news/shho-v…

Сьогодні росіяни переклали через Gemini і наклала свою вотермарку. Ні дня, щоб нічого не вкрали.

“As of the morning of 24 October, Ukraine's defence forces and experts from the Defence Ministry have recorded Starlink and Starshield operating at speeds above 161 km/h.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda sources at the Defence Ministry; Ministry of Defence in a comment to journalists
e Defence Ministry said they are continuing to test the system at higher speeds to establish its upper limit and determine how fully communications had been restored.”
pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/…

I'm cautiously optimistic about the news that Starlink/Starshield service has been restored for the Ukrainian army.
Several units have reported that connectivity at speeds above 160 km/h is back.

It will take more time to draw final conclusions, but one thing is clear: the public attention to the problem and the pressure within the US worked.

US senators from both parties are threatening to block confirmation of Trump's nominees for government posts until the White House ensures that Starlink is fully restored for Ukrainian troops, The New York Times reports.

Senator Richard Blumenthal has formally submitted an inquiry to Elon Musk.
This puts the issue on the official record, and it could grow into a full investigation after the midterm elections.

The Kremlin and the Trump administration are trying to force Ukraine into capitulation.
But we will withstand this too.

One of my favorite stories I’ve done in a long time: Spending a day with a taxi driver in Sloviansk, where the situation gets worse every day.

I enjoyed getting to know the taxi driver and clients to tell the story of Sloviansk through their eyes.

kyivindependent.com/fear-never-lea…

This operation was conducted by one of the most innovative SSO battalions who pioneered the use of DJI Avata 2 and 5-inch fiber optic cable FPVs in assault operations. Small assault teams can defeat larger forces with proper planning and effective employment of UAS while es.

Ukraine’s envoy to Washington says that Trump’s request to Musk was ignored.

Ukrainian Starshield terminals still don't work properly, multiple sources tell me. This is despite an apparent order from President Trump to Elon Musk to restore full functionality to Ukrainian Starshield terminals.

The situation with Starlink/Starshield remains unclear.

Some units of Ukraine's Defense Forces have reported that service has been restored for flights at speeds above the previously set limits. However, this applies to far from all missions. Some of them were disrupted because, in certain cases, the restrictions remain in effect.

Earlier, Trump claimed that satellite communication systems for Ukrainian troops had allegedly been fully restored.

NEW: Trump called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on a military-grade version of Starlink in Ukraine that the SpaceX chief had throttled, U.S. officials said.

The system was working more normally Thursday, shortly after their conversation, per Us and Ukrainian officials

Fortified firing position in the pipe to defend against russian pipeline infiltrations -
UA 39th Marine Brigade
t.me/drknavy/179

1/2 The number of confirmed air defense towers and ramps in Alabuga, the main production facility for Russian strike drones, has reached 33, as a new @planet high-res image taken today, Oct. 21, shows. Ukraine hasn’t attempted to strike the site since June 2025.