Happy Special Operations Forces Day
Today President Vladimir Putin congratulated the work of the special operations units of the Russian Armed Forces. Yesterday, Ukraine and Russia conducted their second body exchange of the year.
Special Operations Forces Day was established in 2015 to commemorate the activities of the “polite people” during the ascension of Crimea into the Russian Federation.
History of the Special Operations Forces
The 322nd Training Center was established for use by the Main Intelligence Directorate on the shore of Senezh Lake in Moscow Region on March 5, 1999. This facility would become the basis of the Special Forces Directorate created in 2009 during the reforms of the Russian Armed Forces, with an emphasis on lessons learned during the recent war with Georgia (particularly the clandestine destruction of Georgian air defenses). On March 6, 2013, Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov announced the creation of a Russian special forces to foreign attaches.
Special Operations Forces would go on to perform important missions around the world, including the famous battles of Aleppo and Mariupol.
Longest Range Kamikaze Drone Goes To War
On February 25, the Russian Armed Forces received the first units of the KUB-10ME, manufactured by Kalashnikov. The KUB-10ME is reportedly the first kamikaze drone of its class with a range exceeding 100 kilometers.
News From the Special Military Zone
Yesterday Russia and Ukraine conducted the second body exchange of the year, 1,000 Ukrainian fallen for 35 Russians (the previous was 1,000 for 38). Note that the 1,000 cap was set by Ukraine, to avoid the public embarrassment of receiving many thousands of fallen servicemen all at once.
Last night, Russian air defenses downed 95 incoming Ukrainian drones, including apparently over my house in Crimea. At the same time, Russia launched massive strikes against Ukrainian military industrial complex and dual-purpose energy infrastructure in retaliation for Kiev’s terrorist attacks against civilians.
On This Day In History
On February 27, 1936 the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union decreed for 2 million people to be taught literacy every year. Literacy efforts had been ongoing since the early days of the revolution with an estimated 40 million people already taught how to read. By 1939, the Soviet Union’s literacy rate would exceed 90%.
Nadezhda Krupskaya, revolutionary, co-creator of the Soviet education system, and wife of Lenin, was born on February 26, 1869.
Thanks for reading today’s Russia News Report. You can follow me on Substack if you haven’t already, and check out my X/Twitter where I share translated Russian language news in real time.
Update On Translations From Russian
I have two Russian-to-English works in progress; Konstantin Rokossovsky’s WWII memoir and the official 1947 biography of Joseph Stalin. Unfortunately getting settled here in Crimea took up most of my time,so I wasn’t able to get any new chapters finished this week. But I should hopefully have a new one up later this evening or early tomorrow.
Add Me On Upscrolled
If you have Upscrolled, I have it too, and you can add me there.
