Ukraine – 7/22 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
Twitter: @rhomansjr
July 22, 2022
HarvardCAN.org
Yesterday, I was pleased to be included in a Zoom call organized by Lorne Adrian, the organizer of “HarvardCAN,” that provides information on how graduates of Harvard University (including me) can assist Ukraine. I was referred by a recipient of these emails. The work that is described here is extraordinary. What struck me is that when 2 participants were asked about Ukraine’s prospects. Both were both much more negative that I am. I am not sure of the reasons. Perhaps it is just random. Almost all the people on the call are focused on humanitarian assistance. What support I am providing is defense related. I haven’t decided if this serves as an explanation, even a partial explanation.
On the call, I heard almost exclusive references to Putin, as opposed to Russia, as if Putin is responsible for everything that is currently happening in Ukraine. This is common, in almost every venue where the war is discussed, whether on platforms like Twitter, or elsewhere. Putin didn’t rape little girls, or torture and murder innocent Ukrainians in Bucha, Irpin and elsewhere. Russians did. I am currently listening to a Zoom call on establishing war crimes trials focused on individual Russians. This is where the focus should absolutely be.
Those of you who are Harvard University graduates are encouraged to provide your contact information on the web site, in order to receive continued updates on how you can help.
The Latest Denys
Highlights of Denys’ latest report include:
· According to thermal imaging data on Denys’ tactical map, there appears to be very little Russian artillery activity around Donbas, possibly the result of Ukraine’s destruction of a number of Russian ammunition dumps.
· In the south the situation is different – substantial artillery fire from both sides. Detailed discussion of the significance of the Antonivskiy Bridge, that crosses the Dnieper River above Kherson, starting at 2:15 into the video.
· At 7:55 into the video, the news that the EU is relaxing sanctions on spare parts for commercial aircraft manufactured in the EU, mostly Airbus. More detail below.
· A-10s to Ukraine? At 8:30 into the video there is picture of an A-10, showing its gatling gun and ammunition pods located under the wings. A more detailed discussion of the A-10 is below. I hope that the A-10s that may be transferred to Ukraine include the artwork on the nose, artwork that goes back to the famed “Flying Tigers” of WW-II fame.
· Putin’s Health – While in Tehran, Putin started to cough continuously (11:00 into the video)
Times Radio
Interview with Jerome Starkey, Defense Editor at the “Sun.” In his interview Starkey says that Russia continues to advance a few kilometers/day in Donbas. However, Denys’ video seems to indicate that Russian advances in Donbas are being thrown back and, from thermal imaging, there is little recent evidence of Russian artillery strikes. At the beginning of the war, Ukrainian troops found parade uniforms in destroyed Russian APCs, indicating that Russian invaders were told it would be a very short war, and that a Russian victory parade would soon take place in Kyiv.
The Wagner Group
Interesting article from meduza.io, about Russian recruiting efforts for people to join the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization funded by Putin crony Evgeny Prigozhin. The article consists of a summary of research conducted by contacting the recruiters listed on social media in several Russian cities. It appears that most of the recruiters have criminal backgrounds.
7/22 Sitrep (my comments in bold face)
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon July 21 to 12:00 noon July 22, 2022
INTERNATIONAL
July 22
Chief of the General Staff of the British Armed Forces - “I was struck by the courage, moral and fighting spirit of Ukrainian soldiers. We will continue our work to increase the ambition and pace of learning to maximize support for Ukraine.” In the coming months, up to 10,000 Ukrainians will be trained under the leadership of the British Armed Forces.
Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland - An exhibition of Russian army equipment destroyed in Ukraine was opened in Poznań. Poznań became the third Polish city to open an exhibition of Russian military equipment destroyed in Ukraine.
American tobacco company Philip Morris International plans to leave the Russian market by the end of 2022.
State Department: The US authorities positively assessed the agreement reached to resume the export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports. The most important thing is not the promises of Russia, but its compliance with the terms of the agreement. "We should never have been in this position in the first place. This was a deliberate decision on the part of the Russian Federation to weaponize food," - Price said.
Die Welt: HIMARS change the dynamics of fighting in Ukraine, four months before winter can become a brutal war.
Head of the Bundestag Defense Committee: The Bundestag urged Scholz to abandon the intermediary scheme for the supply of weapons to Ukraine, including heavy ones, and start doing it directly.
● "We must have the courage to admit that round-robin is not working the way we imagined, and accordingly we must move to direct supply instead" – Strack-Zimmerman says.
CNN: Head of MI6 - Russia has lost half of its intelligence gathering capacity after 400 Russians attached to diplomatic missions were expelled this year.
DW: German Foreign Minister - The "IRIS-T" air defense system is currently under production and will only be ready for delivery to Ukraine at the end of summer.
● Our problem as with other European countries is that we don’t have military equipment reserves to supply Ukraine. That is why we are sending the Ukraine the IRIS-T, one of the most modern air defense systems to Ukraine, and which is still under development, directly from the factory. We continue to look for ways to assist Ukraine.
New York Times: The United States is discussing the transfer of a fleet of A-10 Warthog attack aircraft to Ukraine.
The A-10s would be a “game changer.” I don’t imagine that Russian conscripts, those who have demonstrated that they’d rather not be in Ukraine anyway, will be thrilled at the prospect of encountering 3,000 rounds/minute of 30mm depleted uranium ammunition fired from the gatling gun of an A-10. The A-10 can also carry a substantial amount of armor piercing rockets under its oversized wings. Apparently, there are Ukrainian pilots certified to fly the A-10 which, if true, would substantially reduce the time that A-10s could be made operational in the Ukrainian Air Force.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova did not allow the Russian military to enter the territory of its country.
Radio Poland: The Baltic Pipe gas pipeline connected the gas infrastructure of Poland and Denmark. The last welding work has been completed, connecting the elements of the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline along opposite shores of the Baltic Sea, according to the Polish operator of gas pipelines Gaz System.
The seized funds from the sale of bitcoins in Finland will be transferred to Ukraine. According to local media, Finnish customs received about 46.5 million euros from the sale of 1,889 bitcoins. Customs representatives said that these funds would be transferred to Ukraine, this decision has already been made in the Finnish Parliament.
Aspen Security Forum: Israeli Defense Minister - His country supports Ukraine, but it does not need a conflict with Russia.
● “Israel is definitely on the western side. Israel is definitely on the Ukrainian side. We support it with all diplomatic measures. We support it with humanitarian aid,” Gantz said.
July 21
Tasnim News Agency: Commander of the Iranian Ground Forces - Iran is ready to export military equipment and weapons to friendly countries.
Local Media: A political crisis is brewing in Moldova due to the gas issue. In Gagauzia (an autonomous region of Moldova), they announced their intention to block the work of the parliament, government, and the presidential residence if representatives of the Moldovan authorities do not go to Moscow for gas negotiations within 10 days.
LEGO figures of the Azovstal Ukrainian Defenders were created, namely: Denуs Prokopenko (“Redys”, commander of the “Azov” regiment), Bogdan Krotevich (“Tavr", chief of staff of the regiment) and Svyatoslav Palamar (“Kalyna”, deputy commander of the regiment). Other defenders of Azovstal were also reproduced in the form of LEGO figures.
Wall Street Journal: The European Union has blocked a proposal to impose sanctions against the largest titanium producer in the world. According to her sources, France and several other countries opposed the inclusion of VSMPO-Avisma in the seventh package of sanctions, as they fear that Russia could stop titanium exports to Europe in response.
The US Senate submitted a draft resolution recognizing Russia's actions in Ukraine as genocide. The resolution was co-sponsored by Republican senators Jim Risch and Lindsey Graham and their fellow Democrats Jean Shaheen and Ben Cardin.
● Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) noted that "Russia is not only trying to destroy people and buildings in Ukraine, but they are also trying to remove the Ukrainian language, Ukrainian history and Ukrainian culture." Sen. Cardin is one of the Senate’s most consistent and resolute supporters of Ukraine.
ERR broadcasting company: In Estonia, the Harju County Court found three men guilty of supporting Russia's aggression against Ukraine - they were engaged in the acquisition of drones for the Russian army."
● The court sentenced them to a five-month suspended sentence with a probationary period of one year and eight months. One person must also reimburse the procedural costs in the amount of 1224 euros, the other in the amount of 1191.60 euros.
Finnish agency Uutissuomalainen: Almost the same number of people in Finland support and oppose the construction of a fence on the border with Russia, according to a survey.
The Office of the President of Türkiye confirmed that the agreement on the export of grain from Ukraine by sea will be signed on Friday, July 22 in Istanbul.
Foreign Policy: Western officials believe that Russia is likely to launch another major offensive in Ukraine early next year. It is very likely that Russia will try to push towards Odesa in order to seize the southwestern coast of the country and cut off Ukraine from the sea.
Politico: US Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Brown has hinted that the US or one of its allies may soon send fighter jets to Ukraine.
● “There are American (fighters - ed.), there are Gripen from Sweden, there are Eurofighters or Rafale. Thus, there are several different platforms that can be sent to Ukraine”, – the general says.
● According to Brown, transferring MiG fighters to Ukraine is problematic since it will be difficult to obtain spare parts from Russia. “It will be something non-Russian, I can probably tell you. What I can't do is tell you what it will be", – he adds.
Financial Times: The euro strengthened against the dollar after the European Central Bank raised key interest rates by 50 basis points for the first time in 11 years.
The Pentagon said how much time passes from the announcement of the transfer of weapons to their delivery to the front in Ukraine.
● From the moment a decision is made to the start of the transfer of weapons, only 48-72 hours pass, and these weapons appear on the front lines in a week.
The mobile game American DAD: Apocalypse Soon will stop working in Russia and Belarus from August 8. The game's support service assures that all accounts that were registered from these countries "will be blocked indefinitely."
In the new football video simulator FIFA 23, the Russian national team and all Russian clubs were not included in the list of teams for which you can play. This was done as a sign of support for Ukraine and the whole people after a full-scale invasion, – EA Sports.
US Ambassador to the UN: Russia is deliberately misinforming the world community that the reason for the global rise in food prices is the sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries, although they do not apply to food and fertilizers.
Official Journal of the EU: The European Union has imposed sanctions against ten citizens of Syria and two private security companies. They helped Russia recruit mercenaries for the war in Ukraine.
The Swedish clothing retailer H&M, which has announced its decision to leave the Russian Federation, has begun the process of breaking leases with owners of shopping centres in Russia. As a former leasing person, all I can say to Russian lessors is – good luck collecting.
Turkish Foreign Minister: The opening of "grain corridors" may allow Russia to continue exporting fertilizer and food. The opening of the "corridors" involves not only the export of grain, sunflower and oil from Ukraine, but also the export of food and fertilizers from Russia. Even though Russian products are not included in the sanctions list, there are still sanctions against ships that transport them.
The EU explains its decision to ease Russian food and fuel export restrictions as an attempt "to avoid negative consequences for food and energy security in the world".
● In addition, it is allowed to conduct business with several Russian state institutions when it comes to the supply of agricultural products or the transportation of oil to third countries
● The European Union has eased the ban on the supply of goods and services for the Russian aviation industry, the EU Council said, revealing the details of a new package of sanctions.
○ Technical support in this area will be permitted "to the extent necessary to support the work of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the development of technical standards"
○ According to Denys’ latest report (above) the EU’s decision to lift sanctions on spare parts for commercial aircraft operating in Russia applies only to commercial aircraft manufactured within the EU, primarily Airbus. Denys reports that there are currently 800 commercial aircraft inside Russian territory that Russia has effectively stolen from their owners, primarily leasing companies based in Ireland, an EU Member State. Could one reason for the EU’s decision to lift sanctions on parts for Airbus aircraft be a kind of “payback” to Ireland for not complying with EU tax policies? Irish tax policy is one reason why big international leasing companies are domiciled in Ireland in the first place.
Vice Chancellor: Germany and the EU must remain prepared in case Russia decides to turn off the 'Nord Stream 1' gas pipeline
● "We cannot rely on Gazprom's obligations", – he says during a video call on 'Nord Stream 1' and the gas situation in Germany, after Gazprom resumed gas supplies from Russia to Germany.
● The Siemens turbine for Nord Stream 1 arrived in Germany at the beginning of the
Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff⚡️ *The war in Ukraine is very likely to develop into a protracted conflict.
● "This fight is likely to remain a protracted conflict. So, our discussion in the contact group was focused on helping the Ukrainians endure the long struggle: how can we better equip and train them so they can continue to defend their country and wear down the Russian military machine.
● The Russians have not destroyed a single HIMARS in Ukraine
Reuters: UK Defense Minister - The UK will soon send dozens of artillery pieces, more than 1,600 anti-tank weapons and other military assistance to Ukraine. Britain will also provide Ukraine with several counter-battery radars, hundreds of drones and more than 50,000 rounds of ammunition, he said.
Reuters: US suspects Chinese company Huawei of spying on country's strategic facilities -
Machine-building giant ABB is leaving the Russian market due to the war in Ukraine.
Reuters: CIA Director - Russian losses in the war with Ukraine in total, killed and wounded, reached 60 thousand, including approximately 15,0000 dead.
● "The latest US intelligence estimates indicate about 15,000 Russian soldiers killed and possibly three times as many wounded. Therefore, these are quite significant losses. And the Ukrainians also suffered - probably less. But, you know, the losses are significant", – he says.
Head of the European Commission: The EU Council approved the seventh package of sanctions against Russia.
● The new package of sanctions included a partial ban on the import of Russian gold.
● The list of controlled goods that can contribute to the military-technical improvement of the Russian Federation or the development of its defense and security sector is also expanding.
● In addition, about 50 individuals and legal entities of the Russian Federation are included in the sanctions list.
NATIONAL
July 22
New York Times: Some of the minefields at the ports in southern Ukraine will be removed within the framework of grain export agreements.
● There will be no full demining.
● The Ukrainian Navy and Coast Guard will ensure the passage of ships into international waters. Foreign crews will then take the ships to Istanbul, after which they will be sent to their final destinations.
Ukrainska Pravda: State Investigative, State Security and local prosecutors - Arrested a military supply trader, DiSL, for importing body armor and helmets claiming they were humanitarian aid and thereby avoiding customs duties and taxes.
Current Map of the Invasion https://deepstatemap.live/en#6.25/48.601/33.258
Institute for the Study of War 8:14 AM:
● The current Russian operational tempo is not markedly different from the pace of Russian offensive operations during the official Russian operational pause, and Russian forces are unlikely to be able to take significant ground in the coming weeks.
● Russia has likely used as much as 55-60% of its high-precision weaponry reserve.
● Russian forces continued limited ground attacks to the east of Siversk and south of Bakhmut.
● Russian forces conducted an unsuccessful ground attack north of Kharkiv City.
● Russian forces conducted a limited ground attack in Kherson Oblast.
● Russian forces may be storing equipment in Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant facilities to protect it against Ukrainian strikes.
● Russia’s Murmansk Oblast is reportedly forming a volunteer battalion.
Head of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU): Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, Ukraine has received $12.7 billion from international partners, most of all received in June-July
· NBU stated that a 25% correction of the official hryvnia exchange rate would lead to about 2-3 percentage points of the general inflation rate, and fuel prices would rise by 0.6-0.8 percentage points.
Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine 7:44 AM:
● In the Kramatorsk direction, the Russians are conducting assault operations in the direction of Verkhniokamianka-Verkhniokamianske, hostilities continue.
● In the Bakhmut direction, the assault operations in the directions Dolomytne - Novoluhanske and Striapivka - Soledar ended with losses for the troops of the Russian Federation.
● The Russians continue to attempt an assault in the direction of the Vuhlehirsk thermal power plant and near Pokrovsk, the fighting continues.
● In the Pivdennyi Buh direction, all attempts by Russian assault operations in the directions of Mala Seidemynukha - Andriivka and Davydiv Brid - Bilohirka were immediately suppressed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Russian troops withdrew.
Canadian Armed Forces 7:13 AM:
● Moscow no longer has the strength to achieve its goals in Ukraine. This is stated in the analysis of the: "Due to significant losses of personnel and equipment, Russia probably no longer has the military capacity to realize its ambitions in Ukraine", – the analysis says.
● Russia is forced to scale back its strategic goals by presenting a new public rationale for the partial territorial control it has achieved.
● Russia has always had maximalist geographic ambitions in Ukraine. Moscow's failed attempts to seize Kyiv and the northeastern cities of Chernihiv, Sumy and Kharkiv at the start of the invasion demonstrate these significant territorial ambitions far beyond the Donbas'', – the statement says.
Serhiy Prytula: People's Bayraktars, for which Ukrainians raised money, are now in production and are being prepared for shipment to Ukraine. The drones will arrive tentatively at the end of summer and will have "People's Bayraktar" stickers on them. “There is an agreement that reports and videos on the official resources of the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense will indicate that these are people’s Bayraktars,” Prуtula said.
July 21
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine: To date, not a single HIMARS multiple launch rocket system in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been destroyed by the Russians.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry: A document could be signed containing the obligations of the parties for the safe operation of export routes in the Black Sea. "The Ukrainian delegation will support only those decisions that will guarantee the security of the southern regions of Ukraine, the strong position of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Black Sea and the safe export of Ukrainian agricultural products to world markets," he said.
Deputy Minister of Education: University rectors themselves will determine the start date of the new academic year. The situation with the safety and availability of students and employees is considered.
President’s Office:
● Today there were Russian air strikes on almost the entire front line. This means major trouble in the Russian army. They use aviation only in extreme cases, and the fact that they do not hit along the entire front line shows that they cannot advance and cannot follow the order.
● It's time for the Russian troops to voluntarily leave Kherson.
● Our current gesture of goodwill is disabling traffic on Antonovsky Bridge (Across the Dnipro linking western and eastern parts of Kherson region). Otherwise, the orcs will face constant "explosions", night terrors, panic attacks and "HIMARS-euthanasia."
Ukraine parted with two journalists who joined the army and died in battle: TV presenter Karim Gulamov and motor journalist Mykola Rachok.
Military expert Oleh Zhdanov: The Armed Forces of Ukraine may enter the Crimea after the liberation of Kherson. This scenario is quite possible in the event of a successful counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson region.
● "If there are enough forces and means, then of course, yes, we must immediately go to Crimea and liberate it, thereby blocking the supply of troops and" stake "our territory there," – he explains, talking about the nuances and complexities of the offensive operation in southern Ukraine .
Bulgarian edition of Maritime: The first ship with agricultural products from the Ukrainian port of Reni on the Danube arrived in the Bulgarian port of Varna.
Head of the British intelligence service MI6: The Russian military is likely to take another operational pause in the next few weeks. This is a great opportunity for the Ukrainian army to take advantage of the lull and strike.
Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine 6:46 PM:
● Ukrainian soldiers repelled the assault actions of the Russians in the direction of the Lysychansk Oil Refinery - Ivano-Dariivka. The Russian troops suffered losses and retreated.
● The assaults of the Russians in the directions of Klynove - Vershyna, Myronivka - Vuhlehirsk TPP failed again.
● Personal documents are confiscated from those forcibly mobilized from the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This testifies to the complete lack of rights of this contingent and supposedly should stop desertion.
● Also, this will not allow identifying the mentioned persons in case of death, which opens the way for various financial frauds in favor of the command staff of the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
Finance Minister: Ukraine expects $3 billion of external financing in July, and $16-17 billion by the end of the year.
Head of the 'Sluha Narodu: The appointment of a new Prosecutor General of Ukraine is expected in the next 10 days.
Vitaliy Klytschko received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at an awards ceremony in Los Angeles. This award is a recognition of the courage and indestructibility of the Ukrainian people, who bravely oppose the Russian aggressor. We will stand and win, Vitaliy Klytchko stressed.
● Klytchko himself could not attend the award ceremony. The American actor Dwayne Johnson received the award for him.
● Previously, the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage was received by Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela and other famous personalities.
State Security Service - Intercepted Conversation:
Militants from the so-called “L/DNR” admit that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have dispelled the myth of the “invincible army of Russia,” said a separatist, who is in the Kharkiv region, said in a conversation intercepted by the SSU.
● "I say that the Ukrainians also need to erect a monument: they dispelled the myth of the invincible Russian army. The Russian army turned out to be - so ..." - the militant of the "DNR" admits.
● He complains about the decrease in activity from the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation and notes that everyone was "hung" on the unrecognized republics.
Bloomberg: Ukraine and the International Criminal Court are negotiating the transfer of at least one Russian officer to The Hague. Agency sources note that he may testify against high-ranking Russian commanders.
In the "Diya" application, a Ukrainian e government site and service, a voluntary national survey on changing the symbolism at the Motherland Monument in Kyiv has ended. 85% chose the option of replacing the coat of arms of the USSR with the State Emblem of Ukraine. [1]
Ukrainian President: "Nothing is impossible for Ukrainians. We are free people who bravely fight for our freedom. And we want it to be known and seen all over the world even more. That is why we are creating United24 - English-language digital media". Today, the first show on YouTube called Fight for Freedom (
starts. It’s about the power of our defenders. The pilot series focuses on the role of military drones in this war.
The TAVR Media holding, which owns the radio stations where the message about Zelenskyi's deteriorating health, said that a cyberattack was carried out on the radio. Prior to this:
● Press Secretary of the President of Ukraine Serhii Nikiforov confirmed in a media comment that the message on the air of radio stations about "Zelenskyi in intensive care" is a fake.
● Subscribers report that a number of radio stations played a fake message, allegedly the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is in intensive care, and his duties are performed by the head of BP Ruslan Stefanchuk.
The National Council on TV has canceled the TV licenses of Media Group of Ukraine SCM Rynat Akhmetov. The licenses of the Group's leading TV channels - 'Ukraine' and 'Ukraine24', 'Football' - have been canceled. All state permits for broadcasting Media Group of Ukraine channels will expire tomorrow.
MORDOR (Russia)
July 22
Russia expanded its list of «unfriendly countries. It includes:
● Greece
● Denmark
● Slovakia
● Slovenia
● Croatia
There are now more than 50 unfriendly countries on the list.
Boyko Towers, offshore oilfield drilling platforms, continue to burn in the Black Sea. This is confirmed by satellite images. It should be noted that reports of attacks on the 'Chornomornaftohaz' towers appeared on June 26. The blow was delivered at night. A five-meter hole formed on the helipad.
July 21
Center for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: In the temporarily occupied Kherson and Melitopol, Russians cannot find those who want to study at local universities.
● "There are no students, no one is interested in 'entry without exams', diplomas will not be given," the Center said.
Agence France Presse: The self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with that he de facto already recognized the formation of the "LPR" and "DPR" (tеmporary occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk Region), as well as the annexation of Crimea by Russia and, if necessary, will issue a corresponding decree.
● Lukashenko said that Russian military personnel are in the republic with his consent
○ "Not a single Russian serviceman has come here without my invitation or permission. Therefore, they are all with my consent. This is the function of the president. Not a single serviceman - intelligence officer, counterintelligence officer and others - can be here without my knowledge."
● Lukashenko said that to end the war, Kyiv must sit down at the negotiating table, promise "never to threaten Russia" and give up NATO weapons.
● He also added that with such a development of events, the occupied territories of Ukraine "have already been resolved", that is, they allegedly will remain with Russia. At the same time, he laid all the blame for the war on Ukraine.
Washington Post: Russian teachers are offered 190,000 rubles (95,000 hryvnias, $3,260) a month for work in the occupied territory of southern Ukraine.
Russian media: Crimean occupation authorities canceled the parade on the day of the Navy of the Russian Federation. The reason for the cancellation of the parade is not called.
Russian Foreign Minister: After negotiations with his Hungarian counterpart, said that Budapest wants to purchase additional volumes of gas from Moscow. The request will be considered.
● "Reality remains reality - without sources from Russia it is impossible to purchase an additional 700 million cubic meters of gas," - Szijjarto commented on the deal.
Bloomberg: The Russian Federation plans to hold a so-called "referendum" on the annexation of the occupied territories of Ukraine by September 15. According to journalists, the first deputy head of the presidential administration, Sergei Kiriyenko, will be involved in the preparation.
Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry:
● Hidden mobilization is noticeable in the Russian Federation, at the expense of the BARS project. There are no medical examinations, you just go to the military registration and enlistment office, sign a contract and go to the front.
● Battalions are also formed on a regional basis, on instructions from Moscow. In addition, mercenaries are lured mainly from the countries of the Middle East
● Russia has used more than half of its stocks of high-precision weapons
○ "As for high-precision weapons of the Russian Federation, - the Iskander, Caliber systems, air-launched cruise missiles, then, according to our estimates, to date, from 55% to 60% of those stocks that were before the war have been used.
● Russia is preparing the international community for a scenario "protection of the Russian-speaking population.
○ According to him, polling stations have already been created in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and the Russians are working on the formation of electoral lists.
● There is no direct military threat from Belarus now, but the risk of DRG (diversonary groups) enetration into the northern regions of Ukraine from its territory remains.
SUMY
July 22
The head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, reports the shelling of the Esman territorial community. Russians 6 times fired from artillery. No casualties or damage.
KHARKIV
July 22
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, said that over the past 24 hours, the Russians shelled from the MRL the Saltiv and Kyiv districts of the city of Kharkiv.*
Three people were killed in the attack.*⚡️Oleh Syniehubov: At present, 16 of the injured are in the hospital, where they are receiving all necessary assistance. Two remain in extremely serious condition. The doctors assess the condition of three more people as severe. They are in intensive care.
Also, the Russian troops shelled the civilian population of the Chuhuiv district. Houses, outbuildings, and cars were damaged, and fires broke out. No one got hurt.
The Kharkiv City Council reports that the number of people killed yesterday has increased to four. Twenty-five other civilians have been injured.
July 21
Prosecutor's office: The death toll because of the morning shelling of Kharkiv by the Russians has increased to 3 people, another 23 were injured. Only civilians and peaceful infrastructure suffered: cars, shopping pavilions, a residential building, where a dental clinic is located on the 1st floor, public transport.
LUHANSK
July 22
Regional Military Administration: The Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled the attack of the Russians from the side of the Lysychansk oil refinery
● During July 21, they launched 2 missile and 2 air strikes, 5 shelling and 2 more with the use of mortars.
● Air strikes on villages located on the very administrative border of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions became more frequent. In some places, the Russians manage to get close enough to the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to be able to use the tank reserve. Like near Verkhniokamianka.
July 21
Regional Military Administration: Despite all the reserves of the Russians, they fail to break through the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Luhansk region.
● "In the cities where there were active hostilities, the humanitarian situation is critical, the bodies of the dead are still lying on the streets, no one is taking them away, the heat is doing its job"
The so-called "head of the LPR" Leonid Pasichnyk accused Google of promoting terrorism and extremism: "We can manage without Google, if they fix it, we'll think about returning."
DONETSK
July 22
Regional Military Administration: On July 21, the Russians killed 5 civilians in the Donbas: 3 in Siversk, 1 in Pavlivka and 1 in Mariinka. Another 10 people were injured.
July 21
Mayor: Since the beginning of the war, 19 residents of Sloviansk have died, 76 have been wounded, including two today. He adds that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are repulsing the attacks of the Russians from all directions - from Izium, Bohorodychne and Lyman.
● The city has been shelled for 20 days; the situation is tense. There has been no centralized water supply in the city for almost two months. We deliver it to residents by vehicles, wells are working. There are also problems with electricity, 15% of residents do not have it periodically, because after shelling it needs to be restored.
● According to his calculations, about 22 thousand inhabitants remained in the city.
Kramatorsk City Council: In Kramatorsk, the Russians are shelling the city and its environs with shells that do not explode immediately. But they can detonate later, so the locals are urged to be
State Emergency Service: Rescuers got the body of a man from under the rubble of a destroyed school in Kramatorsk. There may be two more people under the rubble. Rescue and search operations continue at the site of the school destroyed as a result of Russian shelling
The SSU laid criminal charges against the "judge of the DPR" who sentenced foreign defenders of Ukraine to death.
● We are talking about the imposition of a death sentence on two citizens of Great Britain and one citizen of the Kingdom of Morocco, who officially defended Ukraine in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
● With its sentence the pseudo-court of the "DPR" terrorist organization violated the norms of international law. Namely: the requirements of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions regarding the protection of victims of international armed conflicts" - the SSU stressed.
Video from Social Media: “I used to practice wrestling here, but now I can only clean rubble here”: A teenager showed the ruins of the 'Illichivets' sports complex in temporarily occupied Mariupol.
Adviser to the mayor of Mariupol: In the temporarily occupied Mariupol and the district of the city, farmers are required not only to give the entire crop to the so-called "authorities", but also to sign papers on the transfer of ownership of land and property free of charge.
● "A specific cynicism is that after that they (farmers - ed.) are forbidden to evacuate in any direction, and they are obliged to work for hire from racketeers almost for free. This is what modern Russian serfdom looks like".
The National Police published a video of the consequences of shelling by the Russians of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. There are no victims or injured. Law enforcement officers are inspecting adjacent buildings for damage and in need of assistance.
ZAPORIZHIA
July 21
Enerhoatom: The Russian military pulled at least 14 units of heavy military equipment with ammunition, weapons, and explosives into the engine room of the 1st power unit of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
● The entire arsenal of imported heavy equipment with all the ammunition is now very close to the equipment that ensures the operation of the turbogenerator.
● Enerhoatom' notes that the military equipment of the Russian Federation has made it impossible for specialized firefighters and other vehicles to access the turbine hall of power unit No. 1.
● "Consequently, the risk of a fire increases many times, and its extinguishing becomes extremely problematic. If a fire occurs, for example, due to an accidental detonation of ammunition, then its scale may be equal to that which occurred during the Chornobyl accident!" – the organization underlines.
The nuclear plant is located at Enerhodar, on the south bank of a large reservoir on the Dneiper, opposite Zaporizhia. Ukraine controls the north bank of the reservoir. I suspect that there may be planning going on, involving some sort of commando attack to take back the plant, either by sea, air, or both. Planning may include coordination with NATO and the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). When Ukraine’s planned counteroffensive starts, hopefully the Russians will simply withdraw from Enerhodar. The nuclear plant it the largest nuclear power complex in Europe.
KHERSON
July 22
Kherson Regional Council: The occupying "authorities" of the Kherson region are trying to equip a pontoon crossing across the Dnieper, not being able to promptly restore the damaged Antonovsky bridge The Antonovsky Bridge is a priority target for both Ukraine and the Russian Federation, therefore the Russian Federation is actively protecting it with missile defense systems.
● “The damage is really so significant that they have already applied to Moscow in order to raise archival plans for this bridge and develop documentation for repairs. The project documentation for the bridge is not being developed yet, and without it, it will not be possible to quickly prepare a restoration work plan," - he said.
Center for Strategic Communications and Information: Dozens of villages in the Beryslavskyi district of the Kherson region are on the verge of destruction. The fighting continues in the Kakhovka and Kherson districts.
● Residents of the territories bordering Snihurivka (Mykolaiv region) and Zelenodolsk (Dnipropetrovsk region) tell about the mining of roads and banks of the Inhulets River. Cattle explode daily on mines.
DNIPRO
July 22
Regional Military Administration: A large-scale night attack on the area. The Russian army covered three districts with fire - Nikopol, Synelnykove and Kryvyi Rih
● Nikopol was fired on twice from the MLRS. Fired up to 100 shells. Previously, 1 person died, 1 injured.
● They beat on Pokrovske, Zelenodilsk and Apostolove communities. In the last preliminary, 8 people were injured.
July 21
Regional council: Russians shelled Sinelnikovskyi district Dnipropetrovsk region
Russian troops hit the territory near the pigsty. There formed a funnel 8 meters wide and 5 meters deep. Farm roof damaged. Previously, no casualties.
MYKOLAIV
July 22
Regional Military Administration: Today, July 22, the Russians shelled the Pervomaiske territorial community. They hit the building of the store and the garage cooperative in the village of Pervomaiske. Around 5 a.m., Russians shelled the Novomykolaivka village. No one got hurt.
From 7.30 a.m. shelling occurred in the direction of the settlements of Kyselivka and Maksymivka.
July 21
Regional Military Administration: During the day, the Russians carried out 65 shelling of the Nikolaev region, 57 of them from the MLRS, another 8 - with S-300 cruise missiles.
● “They hit a car wash, a gas station, a gas pipeline, as well as a humanitarian aid depot and other civilian facilities. Two residents of the region were injured, there were no casualties."
● Since July 19, almost 100 residents of the Mykolaiv region have provided information about Russian spotters
○ “We are now filtering, there is a lot of non-core written there, but there is also very useful data, we are now studying and verifying it”, – he says.
ODESA
July 22
Regional Military Administration: On July 21, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 4 ammunition depots and one base of the Russian army.
July 21
Regional Military Administration: There will be no second front. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready to fulfill all tasks if there are provocations from the unrecognized Pridnestrovie.
● “There is a certain imitation of actions there, aimed at reporting to the Kremlin that they are still there and they represent something.”
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
[1] (The stainless steel statue stands 62 m (203 ft) tall upon the museum main building with the overall structure measuring 102 m (335 ft) including its base and weighing 560 tonnes. The sword in the statue's right hand is 16 m (52 ft) long weighing 9 tonnes, with the left hand holding up a 13 by 8 m (43 by 26 ft) shield emblazoned with the hammer and sickle emblem of the Soviet Union.)