Russian authorities continue their attempts to block the Russian source of inside information, the Cheka-OGPU, as part of a broader campaign against media platforms sharing information about the Kremlin and Russian security services, News.bg reports.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), on November 2, authorities ordered Telegram administrators to remove the backup accounts of the Cheka-OGPU - Cheka-OGPU-Info and Cheka-OGPU-Info 2, after the main account of the channel was also removed a day earlier and one of its authors was arrested.
The Kremlin is likely turning its attention to the Cheka-OGPU as part of its broader efforts to purge the Russian information space of sources it considers a threat to the regime's stability.
Escalation of fighting around Pokrovsk
Russian forces continue to intensify their offensive in and around Pokrovsk, aiming to capture the city and eliminate the Ukrainian enclave. Both sides have recently achieved tactical successes in the area.
Geolocation footage from November 1 shows a Russian advance in the southeast of Pokrovsk, and new footage from November 2 shows Ukrainian strikes on two Russian soldiers in the north of the city, who, according to ISW, were engaged in a reconnaissance mission without changing the front line.
Ukrainian military sources and Russian bloggers confirm that Russian forces are advancing in the north of Pokrovsk. Russian bloggers also reported advances in the northeastern, central, and southern areas of the city, as well as in the northern and southeastern parts of Mirnograd, and south of Gnatyvka and Rykh - all east of Pokrovsk.
Tactics and heavy losses
A commander of a Ukrainian battalion operating in the direction of Pokrovsk revealed that Russian assault units were trying to bypass Ukrainian fortified positions and penetrate the rear, while other units - likely drone crews, artillery, or less-prepared infantry - were seeking to destroy Ukrainian fortified areas.
According to him, Russian forces often send untrained soldiers into attacks to provoke Ukrainian drone and artillery fire in order to expose the positions of the Ukrainian crews. Then, trained Russian assault units try to get closer and engage in direct combat.
Russian attacks along the same routes result in significant losses, but Moscow continues to send reinforcements and new units to the area.
A Ukrainian military Telegram channel published photos showing a large number of Russian casualties near Rodynske, north of Pokrovsk. The losses are mainly due to the actions of Ukrainian drones.
Due to the high number of casualties, the Russian military command has begun a rotation of units along the front, seeking not to reduce the pressure on the Ukrainian defense. Meanwhile, the number of Russian defectors is also increasing.
Treatment on the terminal in Tuapse and drones over Belgium
The spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, Captain 3rd Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk, said that at least three tankers from the so-called “shadow fleet” of Russia were docked there at the time of the attack on the terminal in Tuapse. The port provides about 20% of Russia's crude oil exports.
The regional authorities of the Krasnodar Territory reported that debris from a drone damaged a tanker and an oil terminal, causing a fire. According to state-owned Rosneft, the terminal processes about 17 million tons per year and handles exports from refineries in Tuapse, Achinsk and Samara, as well as third-party cargo.
Belgian officials reported unidentified drones near the Kleine Brogel air base between October 31 and November 2.
Defense Minister Theo Franken said three large drones were detected at an unusually high altitude over the base on the night of November 1-2. They were apparently carrying out a mission related to the base, but Belgian forces were unable to neutralize them.
Kleine Brogel will become a base for F-35 fighter jets from 2027.