Ukraine’s strikes on Russian rear undermine Russian troops’ morale 

This could threaten the sustainability of Russian defense in many critical areas of the front, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.

Russian frontline units, especially in southern Ukraine, have reportedly frequently faced a deteriorating morale after Ukrainian strikes on their rear.

Morale problems can quickly spread among Russian troops, especially if one of the units is defeated under pressure, which can cause panic and significantly impair the combat capabilities of other Russian military formations.

"A broken Russian frontline unit would threaten the integrity of other frontline defenses, and such a break in the Russian frontline would provide a vulnerability that Ukrainian forces could exploit," the report says.

Russian forces also probably lack the necessary reserves to rotate out-of-service units, making it imperative to maintain morale in the frontline units, analysts say.

• On the morning of Sunday, August 20, a Ukrainian drone allegedly attacked a railway station in Kursk, Russia, injuring five people. Also, Russian air defense allegedly shot down a Ukrainian drone on its approach to Moscow, and an electronic warfare was operating in Rostov.