Censorship in the Russian information space
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Several Russian milbloggers claimed that they self-censor the majority of their reporting amidst an apparent wider self-censorship in Russian reporting about the tactical realities on certain sectors of the front. Some notably critical Russian milbloggers claimed that they only publish five to 15 percent of the amount of information they receive.[17] One milblogger claimed that problems with communications, drones, tires, electronic warfare (EW), personnel payments, and various other issues persist among Russian forces on the frontline but that Russian personnel attempt to mitigate these problems through connections and personal initiatives, likely, according to the milblogger, because Russian commanders routinely silence complaints and ignore efforts to fix problems.[18] The milblogger amplified a statement from a claimed Russian platoon commander who complained about the inefficient flow of information from the Russian frontline to decision makers and who stated that he has had to take unusual measures to mitigate negative battlefield consequences from this poor information flow.[19] Another milblogger noted that certain information should not be shared and that the ability to remain silent at the right moment is an important quality.[20] A Russian milblogger deleted a part of a post on September 25 claiming that Ukrainian forces advanced near Novoprokopivka (13km south of Orikhiv) and controlled the northeastern part of the settlement.[21] The milblogger edited the post and instead claimed that Ukrainian forces attacked near Robotyne (10km south of Orikhiv), just north of Novoprokopivka.[22] Geolocated footage published later in the day showed that Ukrainian forces advanced 1.5km northeast of Novoprokopivka.[23] The milblogger’s deletion suggests that Russian sources are intentionally limiting their reporting on tactical actions, especially those with outcomes unfavorable to Russia. Censorship or self-censorship among Russian milbloggers will affect ISW’s and the wider Western coverage ability of Russian operations, and ISW will continue to track changes in the Russian information space that could affect open-source reporting on the war in Ukraine.
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There are likely many reasons for this censorship but two of the main ones stand out. No military wants to give information about plans that would tip off the other side. The other main reason not to disclose the result of operation is that they have been anywhere from ineffective to disastrous. Russia has clearly not obtained most of the objectives it had at the beginning of the war that they thought would be over in a matter of days.
See, also:
Ukrainian defenders destroy division worth of Russian artillery systems on Bakhmut front
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"The enemy continues to conduct artillery attacks along the entire line of contact in the area of responsibility of the Eastern Grouping of Forces.
Over the last day, the enemy fired over 500 times from its artillery systems, both tubed and rocket artillery, on the Bakhmut front. They used their army and tactical aircraft four times, and there were five combat engagements.
We managed to kill 134 occupiers on this front and destroy a number of enemy artillery systems and heavy armoured systems: infantry fighting vehicles, Nona-S [self-propelled artillery system], Msta-B [howitzer], and Pion [self-propelled gun], one of the most powerful systems in service in the Russian Federation. We also destroyed four Giatsynt [self-propelled guns] and four D-30 guns.
This is the usual daily result. Yesterday we also destroyed about a division of enemy artillery systems [a division contains 12-24 artillery systems – ed.] on this front."
Details: In addition, the Ukrainian Defence Forces also find ammunition storage points with Russian ammunition. Over the past 24 hours, seven storage points were destroyed on the Bakhmut front. Ukrainian electronic warfare units are also working successfully.
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Armed Forces gain ground near Verbove, Russians on defensive
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Russians increase density of mine-explosive barriers on Bakhmut front – General Staff report
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Ukraine's air force shot down 34 Iran-made Shahed drones overnight, officials say
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Taras Chmut, a military analyst who's the head of the Come Back Alive Foundation, which has raised money to purchase and provide arms and equipment to Ukraine, said that "a lot of Western armor doesn't work here because it had been created not for an all-out war but for conflicts of low or medium intensity."
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