Bob Homans August 1
20220801
Ukraine – August 1 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
Twitter: @rhomansjr
August 1, 2022
Times Radio (2 Broadcasts)
The first is an interview with Justin Crump, a military analyst, about what we can expect from the Ukrainian counterattack on Kherson. He largely reiterates what we’ve mentioned in our previous reports.
The second is an interview with Jeff Sonnenfeld, who directed the study on the impact of sanctions on Russia’s economy undertaken by the Yale University School of Management. In the interview, he makes the following points:
· Development of German LNG terminals are progressing faster than expected, that will eventually allow Germany to import LNG from Norway, Qatar and the United States, at least partially offsetting the loss of gas imports from Russia.
· Time Value of Money – It takes Russia an average of 35 days to export oil by tanker to India and China, far longer than exporting oil to Europe by pipeline.
· The discounted price of the oil sold to China and India is not that much greater than Russia’s cost of production.
· Gas pipeline capacity to China is about 10% of the capacity to Europe.
· Russia has no ability to liquify natural gas.
· Russian production capacity being degraded by the departure of the big oil service companies (Halliburton, Schlumberger & Baker Hughes).
· By Russian estimates, the departure of over 1,000 multinationals from the Russian Market has resulted in a loss of employment of between 12 and 15%.
8/1 Sitrep (my comments in bold face)
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon July 31 to 12:00 noon August 1, 2022
Poster in Honor of Russian Navy Day with the USS George Bush (CVN-77)
NOTICEABLE BY ITS ABSENCE IS THE BATTLESHIP MOSKVA
One of my colleagues, Oleksii Vatatursky, and his wife were killed the day before by a rocket which destroyed part of their residence in Mykolaiv. Oleksii built the largest domestic grain trading corporation, “Nibulon,” built grain terminals, and restored cargo traffic on the Dnipro. These are a few of his accomplishments.
INTERNATIONAL
August 1
11:47: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China reiterated that Pelosi's visit to Taiwan will lead to "serious consequences", China will "definitely take decisive measures" to protect sovereignty and territorial integrity. The latest indication is that she plans to go to Taiwan.
11:27 Ministry of Defense: On the coast of Romania, military divers found and neutralized a sea mine.
● The EOD diving group of the Romanian Navy moved the mine to a safe place and destroyed it.
● It is noted that after the start of the war in Ukraine, this was the second operation of the Romanian Navy to destroy a sea mine.
10:34: On August 1, an embargo on the import of coal from Russia came into force in the European Union.
09:46 Reuters: Oil prices fell on Monday as weak production data from China and Japan for July weighed on the outlook for demand, while investors awaited a meeting between OPEC officials and other top producers to adjust supply this week
09:42: Since August 1, Latvia has suspended the agreement with Russia on simplified border crossing by residents of border areas.
● The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains that after the closure of the consulate in Pskov, it became impossible to issue border permits for Russians.
08:32 Head of European Diplomacy: "Welcome Kosovo decision to move measures to 1 September. Expect all roadblocks to be removed immediately. Open issues should be addressed through EU-facilitated Dialogue and focus on comprehensive normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, essential for their EU integration paths"
07:51 Sky News: The President of Ireland has been urged to express a clear position on the war in Ukraine
● This week, his wife, Sabina Higgins wrote a letter to the Irish Times to criticize a previous editorial on the conflict.
● She said that fighting would go on until the world persuaded President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to "agree to a ceasefire and negotiations".
00:59: Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost at least 5010 units of equipment. This is confirmed by the analytical project Oryx, which collects information on the military losses of the parties during the war based on open data. Ukraine's losses are estimated at 1,386 units.
July 31
21:37 Dennik: In the Czech Republic, as of August 1, the regional assistance center in the gallery of the Central Bohemian Region in Kutná Hora is closed.
● From tomorrow, all actions related to the registration of Ukrainian refugees is transferred to the standard place of registration: the police or to the regional Department of Asylum and Policy Regulation.
20:14: *In the Lower House of the US Congress, a bill was presented to recognize the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
● The authors of the draft law recall the terrorist actions of Russia on the territory of Ukraine after the military invasion in February this year.
19:02 Social Media: The rally in support of Ukraine in Newcastle, Montreal, Norwich, Norfolk, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Bratislava, Aberdeen, Athens, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Tbilisi, Munich, Ljubljana, Vienna, Paphos, Limassol, Edinburgh
18:17 Social Media: The owner of the establishment tore out the phone and kicked out the family of Ukrainians because of the national symbols in the cafe "Ponta Beach Club Perovac" in Montenegro.
● According to the family, this happened after the Russians complained that they did not want to see Ukrainian flags here.
17:24: Ukrainian Ambassador to Türkiye Vasyl Bodnar says that the conflict with the Fenerbahce football club, whose fans chanted the name of the President of the Russian Federation, has been settled.
● "Türkiye is a friend, football is a passion, Fenerbahce is a strong team. We correct misunderstandings through dialogue. Thanks to Fenerbahce for the letter and explanations", – he says.
15:55 Bloomberg - Lebanese Prosecutor: Lebanon has seized a ship loaded with barley and wheat flour while investigating the origin of the cargo, which could have been stolen by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
14:52: Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi flew to Asia today to visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. The trip to Taiwan is missing from the message posted on Pelosi's official website.
14:25 Politico: Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics today again called on the European Union to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, since its actions are in many ways reminiscent of the Islamic State
“We see all the brutality of the Russian forces, which indeed in many ways resemble ISIS, which we have always called a terrorist organization. Let's call a spade a spade," -he explained.14:14 : Starting tomorrow, Latvia will suspend the agreement with Russia on the facilitation of mutual travel for residents of border areas. This decision was made by the Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia.
13:24: Sting stopped his concert in Warsaw to declare support for Ukraine.
● "The war in Ukraine is an absurdity built on lies. If we swallow this lie, it will eat us. But the lie is terribly afraid of the truth. The truth must be heard. We can't lose this battle,"- the artist said from the stage.
13:18 CBS News: In the five months of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States took in more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.
● It is noted that about 47,000 Ukrainians arrived in the United States on temporary or immigrant visas, and almost 30,000 Ukrainians arrived under the United for Ukraine program, which provides for the sponsorship of Americans arriving from Ukraine.
NATIONAL
August 1
11:56 President’s Office: In Ukraine, a state electronic portal dedicated to search for missing children - "Children of the War" started working.
● It was created to investigate crimes and save those who can still be saved.
11:52: The SSU detained two Russian agents who were looking for "weak spots" in the defense lines of the Sumy region.
● Criminals collected information about locations of deployment, the number of military personnel and weapons, as well as available fortifications of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
● According to operational information, the Russians planned to use these data for the possible transfer of sabotage and reconnaissance groups to the territory of the region.
11:18: State Bureau of Investigation employees exposed the head of one of the district territorial centers of military recruitment and social support in the Poltava region.
● He promised to avoid the mobilization call for bribes. The serviceman involved a local law enforcement officer, who became an intermediary, in the illegal scheme. The cost of the "service" was 50 thousand UAH
● They face imprisonment for up to 6 years.
10:49 Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Egypt did not refuse Ukrainian grain. This is a Russian fake
● Russian media have spread the information that Egypt seems to have refused to buy Ukrainian grain, but this is not true.
● Moreover, the Egyptian side officially assured the ambassador that it does not refuse cooperation with Ukraine and understands the situation with the blocking of ports.
10:40 British intelligence :
● Over the past four days, the Russian Federation continued to launch tactical attacks in the Bakhmut direction northeast of Donetsk, but progressed slowly. Russia is likely to move a significant part of its forces from the northern sector of Donbas to southern Ukraine.
● The Russian Federation is likely adjusting the operational plan of its offensive in the Donbas after failing to achieve a decisive operational breakthrough in accordance with the plan it has been following since April. Probably, in Russia, the Zaporizhzhia Front was identified as a vulnerable area that needed to be strengthened.
10:26: From today, electronic prescriptions for antibiotics are introduced in Ukraine.
10:18: Vitaliу Klуtschko thanked the authorities and residents of Warsaw for the title of honorary citizen of the Polish capital.
● "Cities with which Kyiv unites many years of friendship and cooperation. This is a great honor for me and recognition of the heroism of all Kyivans, the courage of the Ukrainian people, resisting the invasion of Russian barbarians".
09:58 Minister of Infrastructure: The first Ukrainian vessel with 26,000 tons of corn has already left Odesa
● The ship Razoni under the flag of Sierra Leone is supposed to transport grain to Lebanon.
09:51 The Guardian: The Ukrainian offensive forces Russia to increase its troops in the occupied south.
● Russia transfers a large number of troops to the territory of occupied Crimea. In the future, they are planned to be used in the south to conduct combat operations against the armed forces of Ukraine.
08:45 Institute for the Study of War:
● Russian forces may use their positions around Balakliia to restart assaults on Kharkiv from the southeast.
● Russian forces are extremely unlikely to seize the Kharkiv region or capture Kharkiv city, given the pace of Russian progress in Donbas and continued challenges in force generation and logistics,”
● Satellite imagery showed that Russian forces dug trenches near the Antonivskyi Bridge and set up radar reflectors along both Antonivskyi road and railway bridges to prevent Ukrainian missile strikes.
07:36 Operational report of the General Staff of the AFU:
● In the Volyn and Polissia directions, there is an additional deployment of electronic warfare complexes by the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus in the regions bordering Ukraine.
● In the Sloviansk direction, the Russian reconnaissance group tried to find the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of Mazanivka but had no success, so the group withdrew.
● In the Bakhmut direction, the Russians tried to reconnoiter the positions of the Ukrainian soldiers in the direction of Yakovlivka. The Russian reconnaissance group is neutralized. Also, the Russians tried to assault in the directions of the Vershyna and Soledar but had no success, so withdrew. They are advancing towards Bakhmut. The fighting continues.
● In the Avdiivka direction, the Russians assaulted the area of Pisky but had no success, so withdrew.
● In the Novopavlivsk and Zaporizhzhia directions, the Russians conducted reconnaissance combat in the direction of Marinka but had no success, so withdrew. Russian troops are regrouping in the Zaporizhzhia direction.
07:16 Operational command "Pivden" (South) : Ukrainian aircraft attacked Russian strongholds in Oleksandrivka and Blahodatne. Missile and artillery units attacked electronic warfare stations in the area of Biliaivka.
July 31
23:52: US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink called the shelling of the colony in Olenivka and reports of the barbaric treatment of Ukrainian prisoners by the Russian military unacceptable.
23:27: Ukraine demands from the Russian Federation to return at least a third of the foreign property of the former USSR, which it appropriated after it assumed the debts of the Soviet Union, - said Ukrainian Ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko.
19:24 Zakarpattia Regional Council: Ukraine plans to open the first airport for passenger traffic, namely Uzhhorod.
● The fact is that the runway starts from Slovakia and ends with Slovakia. The take-off enters the sky of the EU, and not the sky of Ukraine, which is closed. Work is currently underway at the airport. The launch is planned in a few months.
19:16 Mayor: About 3 million permanent residents of the capital have already returned to Kyiv. In addition, about 100,000 IDPs are now in Kyiv, more than 15,000 of them are children.
18:32 Operational summary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
● In the Kharkiv direction, the Russians carried out a fiery defeat from cannon and missile artillery in the districts of Kharkiv and a number of other settlements.
● The Russian troops unsuccessfully tried to advance in the direction of Husarivka. They were rebuffed and left.
● In the Kramatorsk direction, the Russians tried to identify the positions of the Ukrainian troops in the Serebrianka area by the forces of the reconnaissance group, but failed and retreated.
● In the Bakhmut direction, under the cover of aviation, the Russian troops tried to improve the tactical situation in the areas of Vershyna, Soledar, Yakovlivka and Pokrovske. These plans were thwarted by well-aimed fire by Ukrainian soldiers. After the failed assault actions, the Russians withdrew.
● In the Avdiivka direction, the Russians tried to advance in the areas of Kamianka and Pisky. Here the attack failed. In the Avdiivka area, individual enemy subunits are having partial success.
● The movement of individual units of the Russian troops from the Sloviansk to the Zaporizhzhia direction was recorded.
17:57 Operational command Pivden "South": *The threat of a missile attack by Russians from the sea is as high as possible
● It is reported that 17 warships and boats of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation are maneuvering in the Black Sea off the Crimean coast from Cape Tarkhankut to Novorosiisk. This report suggests that Russian Navy ships are not in the Western Black Sea, but Cape Tarkhankut is the western-most point of Crimea, still close enough to bring the grain carriers within range of ship-launched cruise missiles.
● Among them are six carriers of Caliber cruise missiles (44 missiles), as well as four large landing ships. The landing ships are a concern to Ukraine, because Ukraine has removed mines off Odesa, as part of the grain export agreement, leaving a possible opportunity for Russia to attempt an amphibious landing near Odesa.
I visited Cape Tarkhankut in December 2008, close to sunset. It is a spectacular place. Cape Tarkhankut was often used by Soviet film makers to shoot climactic love scenes, with the boy and the girl passionately kissing as the sun goes down behind them. The water below the cliffs is a very popular dive site, where one can dive down to visit busts of Lenin and Stalin that are resting on the bottom. The area to the south and east of the Cape is an extension of the steppes found in Southern Ukraine. This area was used by the Soviets to test their intermediate range ballistic missiles, of the type that were sent to Cuba, and later used by Ukraine to test weapons.
17:10 Deputy Prime Minister: Ukraine has not received a reply yet about the transfer of the bodies of the murdered prisoners of war in Olenivka.
● "There should be a personal punishment for this (for the terrorist attack in Olenivka - ed.). We demand that Russia be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism", – she emphasizes.
17:46: *The Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed a train of more than 40 wagons using HIMARS, which arrived from Crimea with manpower, equipment, and ammunition of the Russian Federation to Brylivka, the Kherson region.
As a result, about 80 dead and 200 wounded Russians, according to Anton Herashchenko, adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The blow itself took place on 29 July.
17:45 Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense: A battalion-tactical group of the airborne troops of the Russian Federation was transferred to the occupied Crimea to send it to war in Ukraine
● “There is constant movement there. They have strengthened the air defense system. They understand that there is a threat”
● According to him, the planes also deliver missiles for the S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to Crimea.
● The naval forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already hit 15 ships and boats of the Russian Federation of various classes
15:37 Deputy Interior Minister: The National Police is investigating 21 criminal cases due to sexual violence by the occupiers. In total, more than 50 statements were written to the police, but this picture is incomplete"
13:33 Kyiv Police: In the village of Nove Zalissya, Buchanskyi district, Kyiv region, police officers found the body of another civilian tortured by the Russians.
● The body was found next to the abandoned positions of the Russian military. The hands of the deceased were tied with a rope fastened through an iron carabiner of a towing cable. It was wound around the neck of the deceased
12:20: Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov thanked Italy and his Italian colleague Lorenzo Guerini for the "new package of military assistance".
● "The people of Ukraine will always remember the unwavering support of Italy. Grazie mille (Thank you very much)!" -Reznikov wrote on Twitter.
12:02: The SSU showed a video of the destruction of Russian equipment.
● "In just a few days, our special forces destroyed two enemy armored personnel carriers, three Urals with strike drones, and also adjusted artillery fire according to the calculations of Russian mortars," -the report says.
MORDOR (Russia)
August 1
10:59: The SBU revealed the plans and exposed the organizers of the so-called "referendum" in the Kherson region. The main role in the "referendum" was given to the pro-Kremlin movement "Volunteers and Russia".
● Participants must simulate the support of Russians by local residents in the region, as well as create staged stories for Russian TV channels.
● However, according to the intercepted materials, the collaborators "reported" to their Russian leaders that the people of Kherson do not accept the idea of "joining", are actively resisting and expect the liberation of the region from the Russians.
● Currently, the SBU has identified and located all traitors and their "coordinators" from the Russian Federation involved in the organization of the pseudo-referendum.
08:49: Russian forces continued to recruit and form additional volunteer battalions in the Leningrad region.
● Leningrad region is forming two volunteer artillery battalions “Nevsky” and ”Ladozhskiy,” and announced additional unspecified social support measures for recruits that signed contracts with the battalions.
● They offered recruits a one-time payment of 200,000 rubles (about $3,200) and other social benefits.
July 31
19:24 Reuters: Putin signs new naval doctrine calling US Russia's main rival and outlining Russia's global maritime ambitions in the Arctic and Black Sea
17:29 "governor of the city": Sevastopol is introducing a "yellow" level of terrorist threat after an incident with an explosion near the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation
● "Yellow" level - the average level of the three existing ones. This means that security measures will be strengthened as much as possible", – Razvozhaiev says.
16:07 Political scientist Abbas Gallyamov: We were going to take Kyiv in three days, six months have passed, and now Sevastopol is being shelled. This delegitimizes Putin."
● "Fighting has already obviously been transferred to the territory of Russia. For the Russians, this is a shock. They didn’t just shoot, but they hit the headquarters with pinpoint precision - this is absolutely clear evidence that the Russian army is not coping with its tasks,"- he stressed.
16:01: The drone attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet was carried out from Sevastopol, said the so-called "senator" from Crimea Olga Kovitidi.
15:29 British intelligence: Russia continues to use the territory of Belarus to strike at Ukraine
● Intelligence notes that in the war Lukashenko adheres to the line of Moscow, his regime is becoming more and more authoritarian, and baseless accusations towards the West point to the almost complete dependence of the President of Belarus on the Russian Federation.
14:34 Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine: 200 Marines of the 810th Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia refused to return to the war in Ukraine
● According to him, despite this, the BTG was formed, it is now in the south of our country and is fighting. In addition, Skybytskyi added that the combat potential, combat experience, those specialties that are critical for such units, "they are currently absent".
14:05: The Naval Forces of Ukraine note that the Russians are so afraid of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that they found a reason to cancel the celebration of the Russian Navy Day by inventing a "Ukrainian drone strike" in Sevastopol, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.
13:40: Putin said that the supply of Zircon hypersonic anti-ship cruise missiles to the troops will begin in the coming months.
● He also said that the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" would become the first carrier of missiles, and the area for its service would be chosen "based on the interests of Russia's security." Gorshkov was Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Navy in the 1960s & 1970s. He was credited with expanding the Soviet Navy into a major force, especially the expansion of their submarine fleet. In the late 1960s, the Soviets deployed their first “Yankee Class” fleet ballistic missile (FBM) submarine that was, partly thanks to the Walker Spy Ring, a carbon copy of our Polaris FBM. More information about Gorshkov’s legacy can be found here. Gorshkov wouldn’t be happy to see what the Soviet Navy has become, under Putin.
12:53 Radio Liberty - Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine: The mood of the population in the Russian-occupied Crimea has changed: there is an understanding that the threat of war on the territory of the peninsula is becoming a reality.
● “Gradually, this reaches the population of Crimea. We really monitor those issues that relate to such public sentiments. I will say one thing: firstly, they have changed, they have changed among those people who have relatives on the territory of our state - be it Kyiv or Kharkiv, relatives in the occupied territories, where villages and cities were simply destroyed. And the second is those relatives where brothers, sons, parents died
SUMY
July 31
23:27 Regional Military Administration: Today, during the day, the Russians shelled the border masses of the Sumy region 7 times, in total almost 90 arrivals from different types of weapons.
KHARKIV
August 1
07:51 Regional Military Administration:
● Confirmed explosions in Kharkiv. Russians struck the Saltivskyi district. There are two victims.Today, around 7 am, the Russians shelled the Saltovskiy district of Kharkiv.
● The wounded men were 30 and 72 years old. The latter, unfortunately, died in the hospital. One of the shells hit a public transport stop and the yard of an apartment building. Damaged cars.
● At night, the Russians struck Merefa. A 42-year-old security guard was injured, the building of an industrial facility of civil infrastructure was damaged.
● Also, during the night, Russian troops attacked Chuhuyevskyi, damaging a production building. During the day, the Russians shelled the Izyumivskiy, Bohodukhovskyi and Chuhuyevskyi districts. Unfortunately, a 54-year-old man died in the Bohodukhovskyi district.
LUHANSK
August 1
08:36 Regional Military Administration:
● The Russians made three tank attack attempts in the Luhansk region. Three times they used air support for their assault operations and in all cases were forced to withdraw to previous positions.
● On 31 July, the Russians fired artillery and mortars at population centers and positions of our soldiers. Four times they used multiple-launch systems
July 31
16:44 Regional Military Administration:
● There is a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the occupied part of the Luhansk region due to the fact that the bodies of the dead are not removed from the streets
● "If local residents start drinking water from wells, they develop diseases quite quickly, and this is precisely because the dead were not removed, and decomposition products of the bodies got into the water"
● In the occupied part of the Luhansk region, punitive measures are being taken against people with a clear pro-Ukrainian position, Ukrainian-language literature is being destroyed.
DONETSK
August 1
08:56 Regional Military Administration:
● On July 31, Russians killed three civilians of the Donbas: two in Bakhmut and one in Soledar. Another 16 people were injured.
● It is impossible to determine the exact number of victims in Mariupol and Volnovakha.
July 31
14:05: Smoke is seen in the area of the temporarily occupied Yasinuvata Donetsk region. We are waiting for information from officials.
ZAPORIZHYA
August 1
09:14 Regional Military Administration: The Ukrainian Armed Forces can liberate the occupied territories of the Zaporizhia region in the near future
● "We hope that it will be possible to de-occupy the region in the near future. This, unfortunately, depends not only on us. But we believe in it, and we will do it!"
July 31
18:17 Regional Military Administration: Hundreds of kilometers of trenches have been dug on the approaches to Zaporizhzhia. The city has thoroughly prepared for the Russian offensive.
● “Trenches are being dug all the time, strongholds are being built. All Ukrainian regions helped us in their construction. The Zaporizhzhia region is defended by a large number of motivated and strong fighters”.
14:16 Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense: The Russians are withdrawing personnel from the territory of the villages of Verkhniy Tokmak and Chernigivka in the Zaporizhya region
After the strikes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the night of July 29 at the location of the Russian forces near the villages of Verkhniy Tokmak and Chernigivka in the Zaporizhya region, the Russians withdrew their personnel and equipment to other positions. About 40 wounded were taken to the hospital in the city of Pology. The subdivisions have been withdrawn from Chernigivka practically in full force.
13:45 local media: There was an explosion at the airfield in Melitopol,- reported. Details of the incident are not available at this time.
DNIPRO
August 1
11:11 Regional Military Administration: "Marhanets. Today, a baby’s cot with a fragment from a "Grad" projectile - after a night visit to the "Russian world"
08:25 Regional Military Administration:
● At night, the Russians again shelled two districts of the region - Nikopol and Kryvyi Rih
● They launched more than 60 attacks from MRL «Grad» on Marhanets and Chervonohryhorivka territorial community. Two women were injured. One of them was hospitalized. She is in serious condition.
● Eight private houses were damaged in Marhanets. In one of them, six children had slept peacefully. Everybody was safely evacuated. The shelling hit the cafe and the clothing industry. The power grid is down. The city is partially out of power.
● Three dozen private houses and cars of residents were destroyed in Chervonohryhorivka territorial community. The power transmission line was also damaged. Several streets of Chervonohryhorivka are without electricity. In the Kryvyi Rih district, the Russians struck with barrel artillery on the Zelenodolska territorial community. No casualties or destruction.
03:42 ikopol Military Administration: Reported on the shelling of the Marganets and Krasnogrigorevsk territorial communities in Dnipro region.
July 31
22:15 Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council: Сommented on rumors about a possible Russian offensive in the Kryvyi Rih region.
● "All approaches to the Kryvyi Rih region are reliably protected. Strongholds, fortifications were built, tens of kilometers of trenches were dug. Just like in all other areas. The military know their business," Lukashuk wrote.
12:30 Kryvyi Rih Military Administration: Promised a monetary reward for providing information about spies and traitors.
● “I guarantee that if a real spy is detained based on your information, I will personally pay the person who was able to provide information 50,000 hryvnias. If this is a bastard-agitator for the "Russian world" (I'm just emphasizing - confirmation is needed, better audio or video recording) - 10 thousand hryvnias. Such people, in fact, are also enemy agents of influence,”- Vilkul said.
KHERSON
July 31
22:15: Explosions are heard in occupied Skadovsk Kherson region , – local residents report. We are waiting for information from officials.
17:21 Operational command Pivden "South": Ground attack aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine delivered 2 strikes on Russian strongholds in the areas of Bilohirka and Sukhyi Stavok in the Kherson region. Enemy losses are being specified.
16:59 Regional Military Administration: Several villages were completely destroyed due to the hostilities in the Kherson region.
● A critical situation has developed in hundreds of villages - some villages have been without electricity and water for 5 months, roads, houses and schools have been destroyed, fields and rivers have been mined, fires in forests, civilians have been injured and killed.
12:03 Social Media: In Kherson, the repair of the Antonovskyi bridge has begun.
MYKOLAIV
August 1
10:07 Regional Military Administration:
● At night, Mykolaiv was once again exposed to massive shelling
● Now it is known about damage to private houses and yards, because of which 3 people were injured.
● As a result of the shelling, a fire broke out on the territory of the medical dispensary. The humanitarian compound with medical preparations and food was burned.
● Also, the trauma center of one of the hospitals was destroyed, 4 buildings, medical vehicles were damaged, and windows were broken.
● Yesterday there were shellings in the vicinity of the village. Novomykolaiivka of the Pervomayska community. As a result of one of them, there was a fire in grain fields and forest strips.
● Also yesterday, as a result of Russian shelling outside the village. Halytsynovo Halytsynovskaya hromada mass fires occurred in open areas.
● Bashtanskiy district - Yesterday, the Russians shelled the vicinity of the village of Novooleksandrivka.
● The territory near the village was shelled. Lepetyha, village Kavkaz, village Vesele, village Chervoniy Yar, village Kaluga, village Malomykhailivske.
09:17 Mayor: Mykolaiv’s new trauma center was partially destroyed as a result of shelling by Russian troops. The staff and patients were not injured.
● "Tonight, Russian terrorists cynically fired at a number of civilian objects in Mykolaiv. Among them is our modern, brand-new trauma center"
00:42 Mykolaiv Regional Council: On the eve of his death, Оleksiy Vadatursky was going to visit Türkiye to solve the "grain issue".
● "I believe that the death can be connected with the crisis that Russia is trying to provoke in the world. We have to figure this situation out, it could not be an accident".
July 31
18:18 Regional council: Last night, the Russian troops fired about 40 missiles at Mykolaiv. According to her, today's attack is one of the largest attacks on the city since the beginning of the invasion.
ODESA
July 31
20:00 Operational command Pivden "South": The Russians attacked the Odesa region with 2 Iskander-type missiles.
● From the explosion of rockets in the air, so-called heat mines were scattered across the territory of the Odesa region. They look like unexploded projectiles or are shaped like a dart with an orange tail."
● This is a rather dangerous thing, since it has a high combustion temperature, it can cause large-scale burns. Several of these mines led to the fire of dry grass
16:53 Regional Military Administration:
● A pilot boat hull was breached at the mouth of the Bystre river as a result of a collision with an explosive device
● A missile attack was carried out on the territory of one of the communities in the Odesa region According to the department; a quarry was hit. Information about the victims is being specified.
24 HOURS OF REPORTS ON THE KOSOVO CRISIS STARTING 12:00 JULY 31
The media report on armed clashes on the Serbian-Kosovo border. The Serbian army has been put on high alert.
● The party of the President of Serbia started talking about the "denazification of the Balkans".
● Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says that the Kosovo police are planning to launch an operation against the Serbs who live in the northern part of the country at midnight.
● He also added that detachments of Kosovo Albanian police had already moved to the crossing points of Yarina and Brnjak.
● Mass media report gunshot wounds among Serbs at the Jarinje checkpoint.
● At the same time, the Serbian population of Kosovo and Metohija began to build barricades, reports the national television of the republic.
● Serbia is pulling the army to the borders of Kosovo, including combat aircraft, local media reports.
● Also, in Kosovo, cars are not allowed in areas where Serbs live compactly.
● The Serbian army has not yet crossed the administrative line and has not entered the territory of Kosovo and Metohija in any way,
● Moscow calls on Pristina and the United States and the EU behind it to stop provocations, respect the rights of Serbs in Kosovo
● Aleksandar Vučić: "All I can say is that we will pray for peace and seek peace. But I will tell you right away that there will be no surrender, and Serbia will win. If they try to start persecuting Serbs, bullying Serbs, killings of Serbs - Serbia will win. That's all I want to say."
● The border town of Kosovska Mitrovica in the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo has been completely deserted as alarms continue to sound at several points along the border with Serbia, local media reported.
● Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Kosovo, said that shots were fired at the local police. He blamed "rebellious elements controlled by the Serbian government in the north" for this.
● Kurti accused the Serbian authorities of chauvinism and also called for caution regarding misinformation.Serbian TV channel "Kurir" reports about the shooting in the area of the closed checkpoint "Brniak".
● Prime Minister of the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurta, brought the situation in Kosovo and Metohija to an escalation with constant provocations, - said the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić.
○ "Kurty is a man whose only policy is constant violence and provocations. Kurty is the one who led to this situation by depriving the Serbs of their right to vote, by banning elections on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic, by disobeying the Brussels Agreements and openly admitting that Pristina will never fulfill the Brussels Agreements. as well as the obviously incorrect and selective interpretation of the old agreements," said Brnabych.
● During the protests and road blockades in Kosovo, no one was injured, reports the director of the health center in Severnaya Mitrovica.
○ "Until now, we do not have a single victim who has applied to our institution since the beginning of the protests," said the doctor.
● The current composition of the KFOR contingent in Kosovo includes 3,775 foreign servicemen from 28 states, mainly NATO members and their allies.
○ KFOR is a NATO-led international force responsible for ensuring stability in Kosovo.
● The mayor of the southern part of Mitrovica, Kosovo, Bedra Hamza, appealed to residents to remain calm, noting that the situation is tense.
● The Government of Kosovo has announced that it has postponed the decision to change license plates and ID cards until September 1st.
Comparing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Russian invasion of Ukraine using Wikipedia and Ukraine Ministry of Defense Daily Bulletins. Soviet and Russian military losses not including captured equipment.
SOURCES
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/
https://euromaidanpress.com/
https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQBD3wxTrZ6XUU7IdXeHUfjVCydekezQCCGuwYnT6qPd1r7n1aVbFIewa6ng6Lis