Bob Homans July 23

20220724

Ukraine – 7/23 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
Twitter: @rhomansjr
July 23, 2022

Kherson

On Page 18 of this email (portion underlined), there is a report concerning Russian soldiers around Kherson at risk of being surrounded, trapped on the right bank of the Dnieper River with no prospect of escape.   It may be that the damage to the Antoniviskiy Bridge, crossing the Dnieper River near Kherson City, was more extensive than previously reported.   The bridge has been under fire for the past 3-4 days.

There were reports yesterday of Russia asking Ukraine for a “green corridor,” allowing Russia to withdraw their troops from the area around Kherson.  Apparently, this request was denied by Ukraine, instead demanding that the Russians surrender.

Alternatively, Russia may be trying to lay a pontoon bridge across the Dnieper River near Kherson, at a site where the river is 300 meters wide.   It is hard to see how this could work.  

If all this is true, Ukraine may be on the verge of a major victory, by driving the Russians out of Kherson City and the entire right bank of the Dnieper River.

Correction From Yesterday

Yesterday’s email contained the following information:

“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."

This refers to Ukrainian air strikes that destroyed 6 Russian ammunition dumps in the Kherson Region.   The fact that Ukraine has the confidence to use fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft in relatively close proximity to Russian bases in Crimea, is very significant.   It also allows Ukraine to husband their valuable inventory of HIMERS rockets.

The Latest Denys

Denys’ latest report continues to show reduced artillery strikes in Donbas.   Unfortunately, his optimism, expressed yesterday, about the grain export deal now seems mis-placed.

Times Radio – Interview with former Ukrainian PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk

Amazingly, this interview took place before this morning’s Russian missile attack on the Port of Odesa.  It could’ve easy been made after.

7/23 Sitrep (my comments in bold face)

Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon July 22 to 12:00 noon July 23, 2022

As German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck said over a century ago, “Russia’s word has less value than toilet paper.”  Nothing has changed – it took Russia less than 24 hours to grossly violate the grain export agreement, in which Russia agreed not to attack the ports.  

It remains to be seen, whether the grain export agreement is dead or not, but the following seem increasingly obvious:

·       This morning’s Russian attack on the Port of Odesa is a major embarrassment to both Turkish President Erdogan and UN Secretary General Guiterres, who jointly brokered the deal.  Guiterres went to far as to say that the deal was the major accomplishment for the UN, during his time as Secretary General.  Perhaps he should’ve waited to make this comment until the grain had been successfully shipped out of Ukraine’s ports.

·       Ship owners will become increasingly reluctant to send their ships into Ukraine’s ports, without subsidized insurance, likely provided by the United States, to cover potential losses, a naval escort backed by NATO air cover, or both.   Without ship owners willing to risk their ships, there is no deal.

INTERNATIONAL

July 23

11:39 AM: Bloomberg - Saudi Arabia and Iraq are significantly increasing oil supplies to Europe. Supplies from the Middle East could increase to 2.2 million barrels per day.

●        This is 90% more than in January. Such figures should allow the EU to replace Russian oil with Arab or Iraqi oil.

11:31 AM: The New York Times opens an office in Ukraine to cover the war.   Hopefully this will change the long-time Moscow-centric orientation of the NY Times.

11:31 AM: Gitanas Nausėda - The spouse of the Lithuanian President Diana Nausėda came to Ukraine.  "First Lady of Lithuania, my wife Diana, has arrived in Kyiv. The world's heart today beats in Ukraine. Ukrainian heroes have made us all a bit Ukrainian. We must stand with Ukraine as here the decisive struggle for freedom and independence of us all goes on.".

10:17 AM Visegrád 24:  Poland has donated another large batch of BMP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicles to the Ukrainian Army.

10:09 AM National Security Council: Ukraine will receive from the United States and partners 22 multiple-launch rocket systems HIMARS.

●        The US has $6 billion left to help Ukraine, reported a reporter for Foreign Policy. The money from the support program must be used until the end of the US fiscal year in September

10:05 AM Foreign Policy: The Pentagon confirmed that the Ukrainian Army has taken back portions of Russian-occupied villages in the Kherson region in the last week.

8:36 AM: Fitch worsened the outlook on Ukraine’s rating. The decision relates to the plans of Kyiv to agree with creditors on the postponement of payments on the state debt for two years. Fitch Ratings has downgraded Ukraine's Long-Term Foreign-Currency (LTFC) Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to 'C' from 'CCC'. (pre-default).

8:22 AM BILD: Foreign Minister Bearbock - Germany does not rule out the failure of the "circular scheme" of military assistance to Ukraine. Berlin should look for an "alternative way.”  An increasing number of Ukrainians are offering Germany advice on how to get through a cold winter with the possibility of gas rationing – “Get another blanket.”

12:59 AM: Krakow Polytechnic intends to start free education of engineers in Ukrainian in the new academic year 2022/2023.   “In the directions “Construction” and “Transport”, training will be conducted in Ukrainian at the Construction Faculty of the Polytechnic.  A country devastated by war will need many professionals to rebuild it.  We want to help train such personnel,” says prof.  Andrzej Sharata, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering.

July 22

11:53 PM National Security Council: The United States will not transfer ATACMS missiles for HIMARS with a range of 300 kilometers to Ukraine.

●         “There are certain things that the President of the United States says he is not ready to transfer, which include long-range ATACMS missiles, which have a range of 300 kilometers,” Sullivan said.

11:53 PM The Wall Street Journal: President Volodymyr Zelenskyi - Russian President Vladimir Putin can be compared to a sperm whale or a python that wanted to swallow Ukraine, but is now in danger of bursting.

9:10 PM: Europol does not confirm the facts of arms smuggling by Ukraine - official statement.

●        "Europol is working closely with Ukrainian officials to reduce the threat of arms trafficking to the European Union. We have full confidence in them as they take new measures to monitor and trace these firearms," ​​Europol said in a statement.

9:09: LTG Cargo, owned by the Lithuanian Railways, announced that it is resuming the transit of sanctioned goods between Russia and the Kaliningrad region.

8:18 PM CNN:  US Department of Defense official - Russia has sent almost 85% of its armed forces to the war in Ukraine.

8:15 PM 'Verstka':  At least 1,793 Russians say they want to lay down their arms.

●        According to human rights activists and the media, since the beginning of the war, servicemen from 22 regions have indicated that they do not want to continue participating in hostilities.

5:58 PM: Representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations have signed an agreement on the export of grain.

●        Demining of Ukrainian ports after the grain agreement will not be carried out, safe passage ways are used for the passage of ships, — the United Nations. But the safe corridor in the Black Sea will begin to operate in the coming days, and exports may begin in the coming weeks.

●        UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the establishment of a joint coordination center for grain export from Ukraine.

○        It is noted that the center will monitor the process of export of Ukrainian grain.

○        Guterres confirmed that the agreement provides for the export of Ukrainian grain from the Odesa, Black Sea, and Pivdennyi seaports.

●        Erdoğan said that Türkiye had taken a hard and long way with Russia and Ukraine to solve the food crisis.

5:58 PM Press service of the Security Service of Ukraine:  US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink has handed over protective clothing and rescue tools with a total cost of about 22 million hryvnias.

●        The Ambassador stressed: "I am proud to be able to thank the people who are eliminating the consequences of the Russian aggression in Ukraine."

4:59 PM: Over 1,700 killed in Portugal, Spain by ferocious Europe heat wave, - the regional chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) reports.

4:58 PM Bulgarian media: In the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria began the annual military “Sea Breeze” exercise.

The exercise involves 24 combat and auxiliary ships and boats, 5 aircraft, 4 helicopters and 1390 military personnel of the naval forces of Bulgaria, Albania, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania, the USA, Turkey, France, as well as from the Naval Command NATO.

4:52 PM Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation: TikTok has transferred Ukraine to the European region.

●        Previously, Ukraine was in the Russian region of TikTok, so it provided an opportunity to block the video of Ukrainian users about the war.

4:29 PM Syriahr: Israel launched a missile strike and destroyed the Iranian drone production plant and the UAVs depot in the suburbs of Damascus.

●        SOHR sources reported that the number of death due to the Israeli attacks in the vicinity of Damascus has risen to eight.

4:23 PM: The document on the export of grain from Ukraine by sea is set to be signed at the Dolmabahce Palace at 4:30 pm on July 22.

●        The signing ceremony of the document will be held with the participation of Ukraine and Russia, in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

4:16 PM:  A fragment of a missile, probably from the Russian anti-aircraft missile complex ""Shell-C1"" washed up on the beach between Pomorie and Aheloy, - reports Bulgarian media.  The fragment of the rocket washed to the beach near the hotel, where it was spotted by tourists and reported to the emergency services.

3:29 PM Haber Türkiye: Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believes that today's talks in Istanbul on the "grain corridor" will be successful, and the parties will sign agreements.

●        The head of Türkiye said that the war in Ukraine has led to world fluctuations, but Ankara's position and its economic strategy have strengthened.

2:47 PM Reuters: A cargo of fertilizers from Russia is heading to the US after the US International Trade Commission lifted significant anti-dumping measures on this product this week.

2:30 PM US Secretary of State: "The Russian missile strike that hit the densely populated area of ​​Kharkiv, including a medical facility, is the latest in a series of Russian atrocities. We will continue to stand by our Ukrainian partners in the face of this atrocity and work to hold Russia accountable".

2:18 PM: The Ukrainian delegation headed by the Minister of Infrastructure Kubrakov arrived in Istanbul for negotiations on the export of grain from Ukraine, - the Ministry of Infrastructure.

●        It is expected that Ukraine, the UN and Türkiye will accept an agreement on the export of grain from blocked ports.

1:40 PM TVR Moldova: Moldova plans to increase the import of electricity from Ukraine. The government is looking for funds for this, - President Maia Sandu.

●        According to her, Moldova intends to buy more Ukrainian electricity and look for alternatives, since the current contract with the unrecognized Transnistria is not long-term.

1:15 PM: Shoigu went to Istanbul to sign an agreement on the export of grain, - the Russian media reported.

●        The agreement between Turkey and the Russian Federation will allegedly be signed by the heads of the military departments of the two countries.

●        According to the TRT channel, the agreement from Ukraine will be signed by the Minister of Infrastructure.

12:54 PM: British Foreign Office Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) Chief Richard Moore believes it will be difficult for Russia to continue the war in Ukraine, according to BBC News, Moore said at the Aspen Security Forum in the United States.

●        Richard Moore believes that Russia has suffered ""an epic failure"" in trying to achieve its original goals in Ukraine: remove Volodymyr Zelenskyi from the presidency, seize Kyiv and split the countries of the West. According to the head of MI6, the recent successes of Russian troops in Ukraine were ""insignificant"" and Russia ""is about to run out of steam"".

12:44: Sanctioned Russians will have to disclose their assets in the EU countries in accordance with the new sanctions package - failure to comply with these requirements will be considered a circumvention of sanctions and may lead to the arrest of undeclared assets.

12:40 PM: The Japanese Ministry of Defense warns of a growing military threat from Russia, and is also worried about Chinese pressure on Taiwan.

●        Japan showed its annual security report, which paid a lot of attention to the war in Ukraine. Tokyo notes that Russia is increasingly relying on its nuclear capabilities as a deterrent. This, in turn, worries the Japanese authorities, since Russian nuclear submarines regularly operate near its territories.

12:31 PM: The largest port in Europe and the world, the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, has announced the cessation of container traffic to and from Russia, - the port's website said in a statement.  The ban on access to European ports for Russian ships is included in the fifth package of anti-Russian sanctions.

NATIONAL

July 23

10:31 AM Deputy Minister of Infrastructure: The first ships from the unlocked ports of Ukraine will be able to leave within four days.

●        Within two weeks, all three ports will work. The first ships will depart from Chornomorsk. Then the port of Odesa will start working, after which Pivdennyi will be unblocked, reports the  Yurii Vaskov, writes Forbes.

[ Saturday, July 23, 2022 10:56 AM ] FLASH: *⚡️ Kyrylo Budanov, the Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is convinced that Ukrainians should not worry about the continuation of military exercises in Belarus. Since there are "absolutely stable actions".*

"We track and know everything. It is unnecessary to demonize the situation with Belarus and be wary of certain actions from there," Budanov stressed.

[ Saturday, July 23, 2022 11:01 AM ] FLASH: *⚡️ Residents of the Kherson region report that the Russian military has hit with three missiles the legendary Adziogol Lighthouse built in 1911, says the advisor to the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Serhii Khlan.*

This is the highest lighthouse in Ukraine, located near the village of Rybalche. Two hits in the lighthouse base, one - in the structure.

9:39 AM ABC News: Two American soldiers, fighting on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, died in Donbas, reports.

●        "We can confirm the recent death of two US citizens in Donbas of Ukraine. We are in touch with the families and providing all possible consular assistance," - a State Department spokesperson said.

8:42 AM Institute for the Study of War: 

●        Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov announced that the newly-formed Chechen “West-Akhmat” battalion will not be immediately deployed into Ukraine and will stay in Chechnya.

●        Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) Denis Pushilin signed a cooperation agreement with the occupation head of the Kharkiv region, indicating that the Kremlin intends to integrate the Kharkiv region into Russia.

●        Russian authorities continue to create pro-Russian sentiment in the occupied territories. 250 teachers from Russia came to the city.

7:59 AM: Operational report of the General Staff of the AFU:

●        In the Kramatorsk direction, Ukrainian defenders successfully repulsed the assaults in the direction of Verkhnokamianske and Siversk.

●        In the Bakhmut direction, the enemy again carried out assaults in the direction of Pokrovske and the territory of the Vuhlehirsk TPP and again suffered losses and retreated.

●        In the Kherson region, the Russians are trying to deter the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

●        Russians conducted shelling from barrel and rocket artillery and tanks along the contact line

1:01 AM: The OLL.TV service, which provided pay TV services using OTT and IPTV technologies, has stopped working.  It is part of the media holding of businessman Rinat Akhmetov.  The reason for the cessation of work is the entry into force of the law "On oligarchs".

12:56 AM: Champion of Ukraine among amateur strongmen Vasуl Paveliev died while performing a combat mission. It is noted that during the performance of a combat mission, Vasуl was killed.  Together with him, his colleague Oleh Voloshin died.

12:56 AM: The Kyiv regional authorities agreed to buy out 3,056 apartments in the Kyiv region for families who lost their homes due to Russia's military aggression.  More than 11 thousand were injured.

●        This is stated in the Report on the state of liquidation of the consequences of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine by the Kyiv Regional Military District.

July 22

10:00 PM Kyiv Near the village of Andriivka, Buchansky district, during agricultural work, a tractor driver on a tractor exploded on an anti-tank mine, but he did not receive bodily injuries.

9:59 PM The Wall Street Journal: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that freezing the full-scale war with Russia would prompt it to escalate the conflict.

●        "Freezing the conflict with the Russian Federation means a pause that gives Russia a break to rest. They do not use this pause to change their geopolitics or give up their claims to the former Soviet republics," he said.

●        Zelenskyi claims that now Ukraine's losses at the front are 30 dead and about 250 wounded daily.

●        According to him, Russian troops daily fired 12 thousand artillery shells against 1-2 thousand shells of Ukraine. Now, as Zelenskyi said, Ukraine can fire about 6,000 shells a day.

9:39 PM: Thirty-two volunteer drivers who carried humanitarian aid from Zaporozhye to Mariupol were released from the captivity of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic", Tatyana Pechonchik, head of the board of "ZMINA. Human Rights Center"

●        It is noted that volunteers were illegally detained for more than three months on the territory of the former correctional colony No. 120 in the occupied village of Olenivka, Donetsk region.

9:38: A member of the Ukrainian delegation at the talks on unblocking Ukrainian ports for the export of grain, the head of the GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, says that the agreement does not contain any of the unacceptable conditions that Russia tried to impose.

9:10 PM: The United States is providing Ukraine with a new military aid package worth up to $175 million, according to the White House.  According to the decree signed by US President Biden, the funds will be used to supply Ukraine with weapons and train the Ukrainian military.

9:10 PM Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine: Ukraine is ready to help Moldova get rid of Russian occupiers in 'Pridnestrovie'.

●        "I support Moldova's desire to get rid of the occupying forces on its territory. And we, as a state and as a special service, will do everything to help the fraternal state get rid of the occupiers on our land".

9:09 PM Operational Command Pivden (South): The Armed Forces of Ukraine are carrying out a powerful operation in the south of Ukraine, Russian warehouses and command posts are being destroyed there, the Russians refuse to go into battle, remain in the trenches or run away.

●        "We are not disclosing the details yet, but we will definitely surprise you with what will happen as a result."

9:09 PM: The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has changed the conditions for paying UAH 30,000 to the Ukrainian military during the war.

●        In accordance with the adopted changes, an allowance in the amount of 30,000 hryvnias will now be paid only to defenders and defenders who are in the combat zone or surrounded, and 100,000 hryvnias - during the execution of a combat order.

●        Now an increase of up to UAH 30,000 will be paid in proportion to the days of service per month. This applies to all military personnel who are entitled to remuneration in accordance with the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 168.

●        The payment of an additional remuneration of up to 100,000 hryvnias for the duration of treatment after an injury (concussion, trauma, injury associated with hostilities) is now preserved for police officers and private and commanding officers of the civil protection service.

●        For all other categories of persons, there were no changes in the payment of remuneration up to 100,000.

8:18 PM: Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov explained how the inspections of vessels with grain from Ukraine will be carried out as part of the "product deal".

●        The ships will be checked by a coordination center, which will include representatives of Turkey, Ukraine, the UN and Russia. This, according to the minister, will take place in the harbors at the entrance and exit of the Bosporus."

●        "The joint inspection will protect our ports from the entry of "Trojan horses" under the guise of civilian ships. I emphasize once again that the activities and control in the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhne will be carried out under the authority and responsibility of Ukraine. That is, control over Ukrainian ports remains entirely with Ukrainian side," Kubrakov wrote.

8:17 PM President’s Office: Told the residents of the flooded villages of Demidovе Moshchun, Gorenko, Kozarovychi in the Kyiv region that the water will recede in a maximum of 10 days.  The villages ended up in the water after the destruction of the dam on the Irpin River at the place where it flows into the Kyiv Reservoir."

7:04 PM Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

●        In the Sloviansk direction, the Russians fired at the areas of 18 settlements - in particular, Dolyna, Dibrovne, Bohorodychne and Nortsivka. They conducted aerial reconnaissance with an unmanned aerial vehicle near Velyka Komyshuvakha.

●        In the Kramatorsk direction, Ukrainian soldiers repulsed all attempts by the Russian troops to advance in the directions of Verkhniokamianske and Ivano-Dariivka. The Russians have withdrawn.

●        In the Bakhmut direction, the Russian army tried to advance in the direction of Pokrovsk, but had no success, retreated. They made another unsuccessful attempt to establish control over the territory of the Vuhlehirsk TPP.

●        The situation has not changed significantly in the Avdiivka, Novopavlivka and Zaporizhzhia directions. The assault in the directions of the villages of Vesele and Vodiane was successfully repulsed by Ukrainian soldiers.

●        In the Pivdennyi Buh direction, the Russians received a tough rebuff and retreated.

6:01 PM:  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the establishment of a joint coordination center for grain export from Ukraine.  Guterres confirmed that the agreement provides for the export of Ukrainian grain from the Odesa, Black Sea, and Pivdennyi seaports.

5:58 PM:  Representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations have signed an agreement on the export of grain - the media.

●        Demining of Ukrainian ports after the grain agreement will not be carried out, safe corridors are used for the passage of ships, — the United Nations. But the safe corridor in the Black Sea will begin to operate in the coming days, and exports may begin in the coming weeks.

4:06 PM Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine:  Intercepted conversation:

●        A Russian soldier shares with his girlfriend the news about how they destroyed all the mobile communication towers so that the locals would not inform the Armed Forces of Ukraine about the movement of equipment. And also talks about significant losses in the unit: We have ten people left from the company There were one hundred and seven, there are ten left.

3:49 PM BBC: CEO of Metinvest - Russia steals Ukrainian metal products from factories and ports in Ukraine, exports them to Rostov, and then sells them to African and Asian countries. Losses from this looting are estimated at $600 million

●        According to him, part of the steel that is shipped to Russia and sold is intended for customers who have already paid for it in advance. Thus, Russian looting hit not only Ukraine, but also the company's partners abroad.

3:44 PM: The head of the territorial defense of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Hennadyi Korban, while entering Ukraine, the border guards confiscated the Ukrainian passport, citing the fact that his citizenship was suspended.

3:18 PM: At the initiative of the SSU, additional assets of Medvedchuk and Marchenko, which were controlled from the Russian Federation, were arrested.  By court decision, the arrest was imposed, including:

●        corporate rights of an LLC with an authorized capital of UAH 38 million;

●        bank accounts for UAH 1.3 million;

●        two land plots with an area of ​​3 and 5 hectares;

●        the premises of two hotel complexes with an area of ​​4.5 and 2.4 thousand square meters.

3:15 PM Press service of the NBU: The decision of the NBU to raise the official exchange rate by 25% to 36.57 hryvnia per dollar will have only a limited impact on inflation - about 2-3 percentage points to the annual price growth rate. Of these, 0.6-0.8 p.p. of them will be direct and secondary effects from the increase in fuel prices.  As noted in the press service, the "adjustment" of the fixed exchange rate by 25% does not mean an equivalent increase in prices.

2:24 PM President’s Office: There will be no signing of a direct agreement between Ukraine and Russia.

●        Ukraine will sign an agreement on grain with Turkey and the UN, and Russia will sign a mirror document with them.

●        Russia has now broken the deal it signed with Turkey and the UN, but Ukraine has kept its part of the separate deal it signed.

1:46 PM Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council: Ukraine expects a substantive conversation with representatives of Europol, who the day before announced "signs of arms trafficking from Ukraine".

●        He noted that the publication of ""arms smuggling"" in the Western media coincides with the deployment of Russia's large-scale information special operation MakZim to discredit Ukraine, the purpose of which is to stop the supply of weapons from the allies.

1:41 PM: New heads of the SSU and the Prosecutor General's Office will be appointed next week, - People's Deputy Yaroslav Zhelezniak said.  According to him, these issues have already been registered on the agenda of the Verkhovna Rada.

1:27 PM Suspilne Publishers: The commission for the selection of the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office to confirm the compliance of the winner of the contest Alexander Klymenko with the requirements of the law. His candidacy will be submitted for approval by the Prosecutor General only after the commission receives the approval results of Klymenko's check.  They also passed on information about Andrei Sinyuk, who should become deputy head of the SAPO.

1:21 PM Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense: Intercepted conversation of a Russian soldier with his wife: 

●        The Russian tells his wife about the threats to send to a concentration camp in the so-called L / DNR everyone who refuses to further participate in the special operation. He says that many Russian servicemen get drunk, do nothing, they just make moonshine.

●        Anarchy and corruption thrive in the divisions. He also adds that as a result of the UAV attack, 9 servicemen were injured, the commander died.

1:04 PM British intelligence:

●        Russian artillery remains focused on areas around the cities of Kramatorsk and Siversk

●        In the Donbas, Ukrainian forces continue to repel Russian attempts to assault the Vuhlehirsk power plant.

●        British intelligence is analyzing the statements of the head of the Mykolaiv region Vitalyi Kim that Russia has increased its use of air defence missiles in a secondary ground attack mode because of critical shortages of dedicated ground-attack missiles. Russian has almost certainly deployed S-300 and S-400 strategic air defence systems, designed to shoot down aircraft and missiles at long ranges, near Ukraine from the start of the invasion.

●        "These weapons have relatively small warheads, designed to destroy aircraft. They could pose a significant threat against troops in the open and light buildings but are unlikely to penetrate hardened structures", - British intelligence writes.

12:40 PM: The SSU has detained a Russian military intelligence agent who gave the enemy information for shelling the Zhytomyr region and planned to join the "execution squads" of the occupiers, the press service of the SSU reports.

12:27 PM: Ukrainian educational institutions are not ready for offline learning.

12:26 PM Commissioner for Children's Rights and Child Rehabilitation: According to official data, 5,100 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia.  This is the data of the National Information Bureau operating in Ukraine.

12:21 PM Command of the Air Assault Troops: The artillery of the  of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the artillery battalion of 152-mm howitzers 2A65 "Msta-B", personnel, equipment and ammunition of Russian soldiers.

12:03 PM National Security and Defense Council:

●        The Antonovsky Bridge over the Dnipro in Kherson  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.

●        Mykolaiv is in the top three most shelled cities in Ukraine.

○        “We had the most missile attacks on the city of Izium. Mariupol is in second place, followed by Mykolaiv.”

MORDOR (Russia)

July 23

12:17 AM Denуs Kazansky: Russian military commander Alexander Sladkov shot and killed an unarmed civilian in Russian-occupied territory, from his armored car.

●        Lyubov Gromova, a witness to the fatal accident, was kidnapped by armed men in military uniform.  The fact that the woman does not get in touch was reported by residents of the occupied Luhansk region.

●        The video from the scene of the accident shows the number of an armored car, which was recently presented to military commissar Sladkov in Rostov.  Rostov websites first wrote about this gift, but now the article has been deleted.

11:45 AM The Ministry of Justice of Russia entered 5 people in the register of individuals-"foreign agents", including oppositionist Ilya Yashin and blogger Maxim Katz, recently arrested in the case of the so-called fakes about the army.   The list also includes an associate of Alexei Navalny Ruslan Shaveddinov, public figure and actress Tatyana Lazareva, blogger Veronika Belotserkovskaya.

July 22

11:22 PM:  On July 22, Dmitry Konoplev, managing director of the Arkady Shipunov Design Bureau of Instrument Engineering, died in Moscow.  The enterprise creates weapons for the ground forces, aviation and air defense of the Russian Federation. Local media reports that death occurred during an oxygen mask procedure - Konoplev breathed xenon to cure a headache and anxiety disorder.

11:10 PM: "Authorities" of the Kherson region blocked the Google search engine.  Deputy head of the regional administration Kirill Stremousov, appointed by the Russian authorities, said that Google is an element of information terrorism.

8:17 PM:  Former FSB (Russian Intelligence - ed.) officer and Minister of Defense of the so-called "DPR" Ihor Strelkov on the situation at the front from the Russian side:

●        "As smart and competent people who have information about the situation on our side of the front assured, - we, alas, have almost nothing to attack at all. In all respects. The army loses more people every day (mostly "five hundred") than it receives replenishment".

8:17 PM: A case was opened against Leonid Volkov to justify terrorism.

●        The Russian politician writes that his lawyer told him about the criminal case. He clarifies that this case is “it seems to be the eighth.”

●        “For the post that Putin is now the number 1 terrorist in the world, and we must deal with him accordingly. Thanks to the FSB (Russian Intelligence - ed.) for popularizing this idea!” – Volkov writes.

8:17 PM Russian media: In the Luhansk region, dozens or hundreds of Russian soldiers who have decided to retire from service are being held in custody. They are trying to send them back to the front.

1:50 PM: Russian military bases will be permanently deployed in the Kherson region after it becomes part of Russia, - Kirill Stremousov, the so-called "deputy head of the VGA".

●        Air defense systems in the Kherson region have been strengthened, weapons have been supplied to intercept Himars missiles, the so-called ""deputy head of the VGA"" noted.

1:31 PM: The head of the so-called "DPR" Denis Pushilin said that Google's work on the territory of the pseudo-republic was blocked.

12:49: The State Duma of the Russian Federation stated that the desire of the unrecognized Pridnestrovie to become part of Russia should be taken seriously.

●        "Today, Transnistria is that enclave of Moldova that does not want to be with Romania and at the same time gladly hosted the Russian peacekeeping contingent," - Belik said.

SUMY

July 23

11:54 AM Regional Military Administration: The morning explosion in Shostka is not connected with military operations. There are injured people, employees of one of the enterprises of the city, the situation is under control.

10:43 AM Regional Military Administration:

●        Yunakivska territorial community: about 20 artillery shots;

●        Myropillia territorial community: mortar shelling, 10 shots.

●        Bilopilskyi district: 2 shots by grenade launcher.

●        Mortar shelling, 4 shots on the vicinity of one of the settlements of the Khotyn territorial community.

●        After 9 am, there was an explosion in Shostka. There are wounded.

KHARKIV

July 23

11:45 AM: In Kharkiv, the Russians destroyed 30 new Turkish Karsan buses and dozens of trolleybuses.

●        The consequences of shelling the depot were shown by public utilities. 58% of the trolleybus fleet, numbering 91 brand new "Bogdan", was damaged. This was announced by the head of the technical department of the depot Valeria Kovtuna.

9:25 AM Regional Military Administration:

●        The Russians hit the Osnovianskyi district in Kharkiv in the morning

●        According to preliminary information, they struck from MLRS and damaged residential building, and office premises.

●        Within 24 hours, the Russians attacked the Kharkiv, Bohodukhiv, Chuhuiv, and Izium districts.

●        The Russians destroyed 30 hectares of wheat in the Zmiivska territorial community. In the Bohodukhiv district, Russians hit private houses and outbuildings. A 74-year-old woman died in Zolochiv territorial community, and 4 people were injured.

7:20 AM Mayor: Confirmed the explosions in Kharkiv.  It is known about one injured person. «Several strong explosions in the center. It is known about one victim. I hope this number will not increase. State Emergency Service is already on the spot», - he said.

LUHANSK

July 23

11:59 AM Regional Military Administration:

●        The Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled two Russian offensives in the Luhansk region

●        From Lysychansk, the Russians take turns, and sometimes simultaneously, attack different sections of the administrative border between the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

●        Yesterday, the Ukrainian military successfully repulsed the assault actions in the direction of Verkhnekamenskyi and Severskyi.

●        The Russians used aircraft, made 2 artillery attacks and 4 attempts to fire mortars.

●        A warehouse of Russian ammunition has been destroyed in the Slovyanoserbshchyna.

●        About 10-15% of the population remains in the newly captured villages. In Severodonetsk, a point for issuing passes for movement in the occupied territory has been opened, which limits freedom of movement in the region.

July 22

3:34 PM Regional Military Administration:

●        Russian soldiers have problems with the supply of ammunition and with personnel due to the successful work of Ukrainian artillerymen.

●        Rashists, due to the successful work of our artillerymen in destroying enemy warehouses from ammunition, have complicated logistics in the supply of ammunition. The orcs also have problems in their personnel. Now, for the most part, Russians are throwing mercenaries from private military companies into the attack.

DONETSK

July 23

11:14 AM: Russians destroyed two large mosaics «Tree of Life» and «Boriviter» ["Kestrel" – ed.] in the restaurant «Ukraine» in Mariupol.  A team of artists created them during a business trip to Mariupol in the summer of 1967.

●        «These two works of Alla Horska's team were the pearls of Mariupol’s collection of monumental art,” - journalist Ivan Stanislavskyi writes.

9:40 AM Mayor of Sloviansk «Evacuation saves»  Vadym Liakh showed the consequences of yesterday’s shelling of one of the city’s central districts. Due to the Russian strike, several high-rise buildings on Torska Street were damaged.

July 22

12:12 PM Adviser to the mayor: "Occupiers in Mariupol announced the launch of a fountain in Raduga Park. At the same time, a significant part of the Levoberezhny district remains without access to drinking water and people collect water in puddles and springs that appeared from the craters of air bombs".

10:13 PM Regional Military Administration:

●        Russian troops shelled the residential areas of Slovyansk. According to preliminary information, the Russians shelled the city with cluster munitions.

●        Currently, at least three injured people, six damaged five-story buildings and several private houses are known.

2:01 PM Adviser to the mayor of Mariupol: In the temporarily occupied Mariupol, the plant's employees refused to work for the Russians and staged a "quiet sabotage".

●        At the Mariupol Ilyich Iron and Steel Works, the workers staged their quiet riot, refusing to run to the mines. The Russians returned the sappers, the clearing work almost stopped.

ZAPORIZHIA

July 23

10:14 AM Mayor of Melitopol: Reported explosions in temporarily occupied Kyrylivka last night.

●        «After successful attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the military bases in Melitopol and Myrne district, the occupiers began to transport their military equipment, including to Kyrylivka. They hoped that neither our HIMARS nor the AFU and resistance fighters would hurt them there. But someone did.»

9:49 AM National Police: In the Zaporizhzhia region, over the past 24 hours, the Russians shelled civilian infrastructure in the areas of Uspenivka, Hulaipole, Rivnopillia, Zaliznychne, Lukianivske, Novodanylivka.

July 22

9:49 PM Chairman of the Regional Council: The Russians fired about 20 Grad multiple rocket launchers, most of which hit the Dnipro River near the villages of Malokaterynivka and Kanivske, Zaporizhia region.

8:16 PM Secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council: Loud sounds that residents of some districts of Zaporizhzhia heard today came from the Zaporizhzhia and Vasylivka districts.  In Zaporizhzhia itself, the situation remains stable, missile ‘arrivals' have not been recorded.

7:05 PM Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine: The Ukrainian military accurately worked on the positions of the Russians near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

●        Using kamikaze drones, a blow was struck at the tent camp and equipment of the Russian Federation, in particular, in a car with anti-aircraft guns and BM-21 Grad. According to reports, 3 Russian soldiers were killed in the attack, 12 were injured. The tent city was destroyed by a fire that could not be extinguished for a long time.

DNIPRO

July 23

7:34 AM Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council: The Russians shelled the Dnipropetrovsk region several times at night

●        At 2 a.m., they hit the Nikopol district from the MRL. About 20 shots were fired.

●        Russians also hit the Kryvyi Rih, Shyroke, and Zelenodolsk districts. No one got hurt.

KROPYVNYTSKYI

July 23

11:09 AM:  The number of wounded in the shelling of the Kropyvnytskyi district increased to 13, - says a representative of the Chairman of the Regional Military Administration of the Kirovograd region.

10:19 AM Regional Military Administration: According to preliminary information, three people - military and two security personnel were killed due to the Russian missile attack on the Kropyvnytskyi district. Nine soldiers were also wounded.

9:34 AM Regional Military Administration: Russians launched 13 missiles (8 "Calibre" sea-launched missiles and 5 X-22 missiles from a TU-22M3 aircraft). They targeted infrastructure outside the regional center. In particular, the military airfield "Kanatovo" and one of the objects "Ukrzaliznytsia"  There are dead and wounded.

6:21 AM: Explosions in Kropyvnytskyi were confirmed."Friends, it's an alarming morning! Do not leave your shelters! All information in time."

KHERSON

July 23

11:09 AM: The Russian military took the family of Serhii Barchuk, deputy head of the Kherson Pension Fund, prisoner. His sister Nadiia Dehtiarenko reports.

10:50 AM: The video shows the consequences of the strike on the Darivskyi bridge across the Inhulets River in the occupied territory of the Kherson region.

●        It is possible to get to Kherson over the Darivskyi Bridge by a bypass from the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station.

9:43 AM General Romanenko: The situation with Antonivskyi Bridge in Kherson is under the fire control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

●        "They (Russians) see that they can stay surrounded. This is an operational surrounding. The conversations between Russian soldiers and their relatives confirm it. Their psychological state is depressed.”

○        Romanenko clarified that the surrounding of the Russians is not yet there, but there is a threat.

○         “There is a threat to them. We can look at the map and notice that their troops are in such an enclave on the right bank. We’re using fire strikes, including on this bridge, to show what we can do. And that we are not only working on the bridge but also destroying a possible pontoon crossing of the enemy.»

8:00 AM Operational Command “Pivden” (South): Ukrainian aircraft attacked two bases of Russian soldiers in the Kherson region and a cluster of forces and equipment in the Mykolaiv region.  The losses of Russian soldiers are 93 troops, MRL "Grad", three BTR-82, two self-propelled cannons "Pion", six vehicles, and an ammunition depot.

July 22

3:30 PM Regional Military Administration: In the past few hours, residents of the Kherson region have heard powerful explosions in the regional center and in Chornobaivka.

MYKOLAIV

July 23

11:48 AM: Mayor of Mykolaiv Oleksandr Senkevych: Russian troops launched 6 S-300 missiles at Mykolaiv this morning. 

●        One got into a warehouse - wooden pallets that were stored on the street caught fire there.

●        Other hits were in the outskirts of the city. 2 urban educational institutions received damage from the blast wave and debris - windows and doors were broken in them. Also, windows flew out in five high-rise buildings.

8:56 AM Regional Military Administration:

●        At 4.20 a.m, the Russians attacked the city with six S-300 missiles. As a result of the shelling, a fire broke out in the warehouse and dry grass was burned in the open area.  Other hits were on the outskirts of the city.

●        There are no losses. The details are still being clarified.

6:03 AM Mayor: The explosions in Mykolaiv were confirmed.

●        "Around 4:30 there were powerful explosions in Mykolaiv. All mainly in one area of the city. We are gathering information. Preliminarily, no victims"

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

www.ubn.news