Another barbarian attack on Kiev. 1259th Day of War

The Russian troops reached the railway line from Pokrovska to the north, and to the main road moving in this direction, they remained little than 3 km. The conflict for the village of Rodynske, which would have forced Ukrainian forces to completely refocus logistics on the roads coming from Pokrovska towards the west, besides threatened by the Russian attack and which were under permanent fire (from the Russian-controlled south-western outskirts of the city to their departure stay 4 km). According to any sources, at least erstwhile the Russian soldiers entered the Podrowska building, but were disowned.

The aggressor's forces drove the defenders out of the area with a compact building in Timeiw Jara, and under Ukrainian control remains the southwest outskirts of this city. From the northern part of it, the Russians besides brought another attack to the west of Nikolayivka. These reports negate Ukrainian command, and any sources state that defenders are inactive in the Shevchenko micro division. The invading troops besides went to the outskirts of Siewierska, thus ending the liquidation of the arch to the east of that city, where the comparatively unchangeable Ukrainian defence persisted for more than 2 years.

The Russians deepened the breach between Pokrowski and Constantinów, where they occupied further towns north of the road connecting both cities. They besides made advancement south of Constantinówka, according to any sources cutting off a group of defenders in the Torećka area, north and east of Lyman. On July 31, the head of the military administration of the Donetsk Oblast reported that the area controlled by the defenders decreased to 32.8% of its area. The Russians are to occupy 17,804 km² with 847 localities. This means that since February 2022 they have occupied another 400 towns and villages of the circuit, and in the Ukrainian hands presently remains 451 localities.

The invaders activated north of Kharkiv, where they took further positions in Volchansk and on its outskirts, and in the Hoptiwa area they attempted to cross the Russian-Ukrainian border. There are fights in the northern part of Kupansk. Russian forces deepened the wing of this town from the north-west, and drove the defenders out of subsequent positions east of the Oskoł River. To the north of Sum, Ukrainian forces managed to recover the area between the 2 liberated towns in erstwhile weeks.

As a consequence of Russian air bombings carried out in early August, the bridge connecting the micro-region of Korabel (located on the island in the Dniepr Delta) with the remainder of Chersonia was damaged. This led to a deterioration in the humanitarian situation and a decision by the authorities to evacuate the remaining residents there. The bombing of the bridge coincided with another activation of the Russian diversion and reconnaissance groups in the Dniepr Delta and in the area destroyed in 2022 by the main road connection Chersonia to the left-hand part of the Kherson region – the Antoniwski Bridge. These actions match the effort of a Russian landing on the right bank of the river.

On July 31, invaders carried out another massive attack on Kiev – 1 of the most tragic consequences for the Ukrainian capital since the beginning of the full-scale war. 31 people died and 159 were injured (including 2 and 16 children respectively) – most of them as a consequence of the impact of 1 of the missiles on the residential block. A full of 5 or six rockets and about 20 strike drones were expected to hit the city and its surroundings (according to Ukrainian data, the Russians utilized a full of 8 missiles and 309 unmanneds, mainly to attack Kiev). A spokesperson for the Ukraine Air Force Command Colonel Yuri Ihnat reported that the aggressor utilized jet-powered strike drones for the first time on a larger scale (he was to usage 8 of them).

One of the most common targets of Russian air strikes remains Kharkiv. Enemy drones hit this city on July 30 and August 1 and 3. In the second mentioned attacks 11 people were injured. The targets of the invaders were one more time Pawlohrad (30 July, damaged railway infrastructure and industrial facility), Slavic (30 July, 1 and 2 August), Sums (30 July and 1 August), critical infrastructure was hit again in the second attack, resulting in power supply cutoff, as well as railway facilities), White Church (1 August, fire in the industrial facility put out the next 24 hours), Kramatorsk (1 August), Mikołajów (3 August, energy infrastructure hit caused power supply cut off), Kiev (3 August), Odessa (4 August), Starokonstantins (4 August) and Łozów in the Kharkiv circuit (5 August, 10 people were injured in the attack on railway infrastructure).

On July 29, Iskander-M missiles hit 169. Training Center of the Ukrainian Land Army (Honczarivsche in the Chernihow region). According to authoritative records, 3 were killed and 18 soldiers were injured. A full of 796 impact drones and their imitations, along with 29 ballistic and maneuvering missiles, were to be utilized by invaders from the evening of 29 July to 5 August. A full of 678 drones were to be neutralized (shot down, disrupted by radio-electronic countermeasures and locally lost without negative consequences), and six rockets were shot down.

On 2 August, Ukrainian drones hit Rosniefti – Riazańska and Nowokuybyszewski refineries – as well as “Elektrotribor” and “Radiozowod” plants in Penza. A fire broke out in the Novokubyshevska refinery close Samara, resulting in it partially stopping work. The harm was besides caused by Elektropribor. In addition, drones caused a fire at the airport in Primorsko-Achtarsk, Krasnodarsk, where according to the safety Service of Ukraine (SBU) The Russians were expected to store shock drones. According to the message of the Ukrainian General Staff, the fuel and lubricant base "Anna Naftopółdukt" in Voroneski Oblast was besides attacked. The industrial plants in Penza were the mark of the Ukrainian attack on 31 July, but it was improbable to have any results, as was the 1 August attack on Bieriyev's plants in Taganrog and on the occupied Crimea on 2 August.

On 3 August, Ukrainian drones caused the Rosniefti fuel base fire in Adler, which serves the airport in Sochi. A day later, the targets of the unmanned workers were the Frolowo railway junction in the Volgograd region and, according to SBU, Saki airport in Crimea. According to the Service's message, the Su-30SM fighter was destroyed in the attack on the airport, and another kind of device and 3 Su-24 tactical bombers were damaged, but so far these reports have not been confirmed. On the another hand, the NASA FIRMS satellite map shows that a fire occurred on 4 August at another military airport in Crimea – Hwardijske. The fire was besides the consequence of an attack on the Tacinskaya railway station in the Rostov region on August 5.

The Chief Intelligence Board of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (HUR) informed on 30 July about the cyber attack on servers of the alleged government of Crimea. Access to papers confirming the forced removal of Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories – in peculiar from the Kherson, Zaporo, Donetsk and Lugansk districts. The intercepted servers featured detailed lists of children abducted, including orphans, along with their individual data, documentation confirming illegal decisions to transfer children to the care of Russian citizens and addresses of their fresh residence. The information obtained will be utilized as evidence in criminal proceedings against those liable for the abduction and will be utilized in the return of children to Ukraine.

On July 30, SBU notified the arrest of an SHU officer on suspicion of espionage to the FR. It is simply a major, a pilot-instructor of 1 of the Ukrainian air brigades, who according to the Service provided data on airports where F-16, Mirage 2000 and Su-24 aircraft are stationed, as well as information on the activities of Ukrainian aviation, including airport machinery and infrastructure station coordinates, and flight and landing schedules. The detainee contacted an officer of Russian services through anonymous email channels and encrypted chats in net communicators.

The Netherlands will hand over a package of U.S. production equipment – including spare parts and rockets to Patriot systems – worth EUR 500 million. It was informed by Dutch defence minister Ruben Brekelmans, who noted that the Netherlands would be the first to pay Americans for military aid to Kiev.

On 3 August, on the day of the celebration of Ukrainian military aviation, president Volodymyr Zelenski appointed General Anatoliy Krywonzorka commander of the Ukrainian Air Force. Krywonobób “provisionally” has served as commander of the Air Force since 30 August, erstwhile General Mikołaj Ołeszczuk was recalled from this function. Earlier (since 2015) he held command of the Air Command ‘Centre’, liable for, among others, the defence of Kiev. The issue remains open, due to the fact that Zelenski waited 11 months to nominate the general.

On July 30, the Office of the president of Ukraine reported that local budgets across the country allocated more than 25 billion hryvnia (about $630 million) this year to support the Defence and safety Forces of Ukraine. In any regions, defence spending accounts for as much as 19% of the regional budget and 13% for municipalities and regional centres.

The Ukrainian authorities are taking further steps to recruit non-mobilised volunteers for military service. On July 30, the government expanded the programme "Contract 18–24", launching a fresh direction for drone operators in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (SHU), the National defender and the National Border defender Service. The duration of the contract service shall be 2 years. After signing the contract, the candidate undergoes 3 stages of training: up to 45 days of military basic training, up to 60 days of specialist training and a 14-day adaptation course. Participants are entitled to a cash bonus of 1 million hryvnia (about $25,000), paid in 3 tranches. After the end of the service, participants will receive additional support, including the anticipation to get a mortgage credit of 0%.

On July 30, the defence minister of Ukraine Denys Szmyhal in an interview with the BBC powerfully opposed the export of weapons produced by Ukrainian companies until the needs of SHU were full met. He added that the army must receive adequate weapons to carry out war activities, and that all production should be directed primarily to the needs of the front.

General Alexander Syrski, Chief Commander of SZU, stressed on 30 July the request to strictly respect safety rules at the ground and training centres in connection with ongoing Russian rocket and drone attacks. He called for the maximum transfer of the training process to underground facilities. Currently, this primary takes 51 days and includes training in combating impact drones, fire and engineering and methods of endurance in trench conditions.

The Social Anti-corruption Council of the Ministry of Defence published the audit results on 31 July, which revealed serious irregularities and organisational chaos in the structure of the resort. It was indicated that tasks and functions between departments and individual employees should be duplicated, that work is blurred and that there are no transparent decision-making processes and that unnecessary positions should be maintained. The Council issued a advice for a simplification of 3-3,500 workers who execute unnecessary or duplicating functions. The Ministry is presently undergoing a reorganization process after the change of management, and Szmyhal is to take decisions based on recommendations from independent experts and interior auditors.

On 4 August, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a law simplifying the procedure for granting citizenship to abroad volunteers who service in the SZU. The minimum period of service required to get citizenship has been shortened from 3 years to 1 year. The fresh solutions concern in peculiar volunteers from Belarus and Russia who, without Ukrainian passports, cannot legalise their stay in Ukraine.

On July 29, the Russian abroad Intelligence Service (SWZ FR) published a message stating that a secret gathering of Ukrainian representatives with US and UK delegations was to be held in 1 of the Alpine resorts. The intent of the alleged gathering was to discuss the withdrawal of Zelenski from power and to replace him with the erstwhile commander-in-chief of the SHU, and the current ambassador to the United Kingdom with Walerij Merit. According to Russian intelligence, it was attended by the head of the Chancellery of the president of Ukraine Andrij Jermak, Chief of Military Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov and representatives of Western states, and all participants agreed that "the change in the position of president of Ukraine was long necessary", as Zelenski allegedly became an obstacle to further support for Kiev by the West. These reports form part of the Russian disinformation strategy aimed at disputing Ukrainian elites, weakening public assurance in the authorities and presenting Ukraine as a country dependent on the decisions of external partners. HUR powerfully denied these revelations, identifying them as part of Russian psychological-disinformation operation.