Ukraine – 7/24/2023 Sitrep
By: Robert Homans & Bohdan Chomiak
July 24, 2023
Remarks by Georgia Meloni to the Italian Parliament
I normally don’t watch videos by “Warthog Defense” because, as a friend of mine said, most of their videos consist of what he describes as “Military Pornography.” However, at 6:30 into this video, Italian P.M. Georgia Meloni takes apart the Head of the 5-Star Movement, part of her coalition, for his support of Moscow and his opposition to supporting Ukraine. It’s always nice to see someone with a backbone, tear into someone who is devoid of principles.
Interview With Timothy Ash
Timothy Ash is a leading expert on macroeconomic matters relating to Ukraine, issues surrounding the use of frozen Russian Central Bank assets to finance Ukraine reconstruction, the effects of Western sanctions on Russia, and other matters relating to the war. This is a recent interview. It’s long but worth your time.
Some excerpts:
· Use of Frozen Russian Central Bank Assets – The amount is around $350 billion. He’s in favor. Separately, the Economist has argued that returns from the frozen assets, interest on the principal amounting to around $3 billion/year, can be used instantaneously.
· Role of the Private Sector in Financing Ukraine Reconstruction – He doesn’t believe that the private sector is going enter/return to Ukraine in a major way, until the war is over and there is some post-war clarity on corruption, property rights Rule of Law issues in Ukraine.
· Role of the Public Sector in Financing Ukraine Reconstruction – Asking Western taxpayers to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction is going to be a big ask, thus getting back to frozen Russian Central Bank assets. Based on his attendance at many conferences, he doesn’t think there are many officials in the public sector who understand the urgency to start the process of reconstruction. He also remarked that there are few members of the private sector among the conference speakers.
· Effect of Sanctions on Russia – He argues that it is having a significant effect, and two indicators that sanctions are having an effect is Russia shutting off the Grain Corridor, with one of the conditions for re-opening includes restoration of SWIFT for the Russian Agricultural Bank, and the other being the Russian seizure of the assets of Carlsburg and Danone. As said that Putin believes that he feels it necessary continue to distribute benefits to favored members of the “Siloviki,” in order to keep them in line, and one way to do that is confiscate assets of international companies and re-distribute.
News From the Battlefield
“Reporting From Ukraine” focuses on Ukraine’s expanding foothold on the Left Bank of the Dnipro River, opposite Kherson. If Ukraine is able to capture Oleshki, the closest Russian-held town to the river, it’s possible that Ukraine can push Russian forces back far enough to relieve thee shelling of Kherson City, and then build pontoon bridges that would allow Ukraine to move heavy equipment across the river.
The “Latest Denys” starts with a Russian offensive in Luhansk Oblast, with the objective of getting to the Oskil River and re-taking both Kupiansk and Liman. At 3:55 into his video, he goes after the international press for essentially reading each other’s articles, rather than doing original reporting. At 9:45 into his video he talks about Russia’s effective use of their “Lancet” drones and the strong construction of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
Today there was a reported Ukraine drone attack against Moscow.
7/24 Sitrep (my comment in bold face)
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon July 23 to 12:00 noon July 24, 2023
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
Monday, July 24
8:10 am: Training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 will begin in August and will take at least six months, - Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov in an interview with CNN.
8:11 am: Australia and the United States conducted joint military exercises Talisman Saber with the participation of more than 30 thousand participants, aimed at deterring China's military activity in the Indo-Pacific region, - Voice of America.
Sunday, July 23
4:26 pm: The Polish Foreign Ministry has summoned Russian Ambassador Serhii Andreev after Putin's "provocative" statement that Poland's western lands are a "gift from Stalin" and other "unfriendly actions" by Russia against Poland and its allies.
5:41 pm: Italy has offered Ukraine help with the restoration of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa.
● This is reported on the website of the Italian government.
● "Attacks in Odesa, the death of innocent people, the destruction of the Savior and Transfiguration Cathedral deeply affected us," the message reads.
● The Transfiguration Cathedral belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate. Russians are hitting their own churches. If this is a problem for the former cigarette smuggler turned Patriarch of the Moscow Patriarchate, namely Kirill, he didn’t mention it in yesterday’s service in Moscow.
8:06 pm: Ukraine has regained about 50% of the territory captured by Russia, but the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces will not be quick.
● This was stated by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Reuters reports.
● "It's not going to happen in the next week or two. I think it's going to be a few months," Blinken said.
NATIONAL
Monday, July 24
12:18 am: Ukraine called on the world to help with the reconstruction of cultural monuments
● "The ICRC calls on the international community to provide assistance for the restoration of cultural heritage monuments and prepares appropriate appeals to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and the Committee of the Second Protocol of the Hague Convention," the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine reported.
12:53 am: Words of support for Odesa and the people of Odesa are heard at Ukrainian stations
● "Hold on, Odessans, you are strong! And we are with you!" - this is what railway workers from Kharkiv, Dnipro, Uzhgorod, Lviv and Kyiv say in one voice, sending trains to wounded, but strong and confident of victory, Odessa, reports "Ukrzaliznytsia".
7:08 a.m. General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: Tonight, the Russian Federation carried out another airstrike by Iranian strike UAVs "Shahed" against Ukraine. Information regarding the consequences of this terrorist attack is currently being clarified.
● the Russians continue to concentrate their main efforts on the Kupyansk, Lymansk, Bakhmutsk, Avdiivsk and Marinsk directions, heavy battles continue. During the past day, 35 combat clashes took place.
9:05 am: Defense forces released more than 16 square kilometers in a week. km of territory, - Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Malyar on the air of the telethon.
● In the south, the Defense Forces released more than 12 square kilometers. km Ukrainian troops continue to conduct an offensive operation in several areas in the direction of Melitopol and Berdyansk.
● Last week, the Defense Forces freed about 4 square kilometers in the Bakhmut direction. 11:58 am: Attention! The South is a missile hazard! Don't ignore the air alert! - Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Sunday, July 23
1:36 p.m.: Russian intelligence is studying the state of Ukraine's energy infrastructure facilities, said Vadym Skibitskyi, a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Ukraine.
● According to Vadym Skibitskyi, the enemy uses various types of intelligence, including space intelligence, and the purpose of such actions by the Russians is to find out the state of the Ukrainian energy industry and identify those critical objects that generally affect the energy system of our country.
5:16 pm President of Ukraine: Ukraine needs a full-fledged air shield - this is the only way to defeat Russian missile terror.
● "We have already shown that we can shoot down even those Russian missiles that the terrorists boasted about," the president said.
6:31 pm Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on July 23:
● "During the day, the Russian occupiers launched a missile attack on the territory of Ukraine, using 17 cruise missiles and 2 ballistic missiles.
● As a result of combat operations, 9 cruise missiles were destroyed by the forces and means of air defense of the Air Force.
● In addition, the enemy carried out 26 airstrikes, launched 35 attacks from rocket salvo systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas.
● "The enemy continues to focus its main efforts on the Kupyansk, Lymansk, Bakhmutsk, Avdiivsk and Marinsk directions, heavy battles continue.
● During the day, 27 combat clashes took place."
● "The enemy made unsuccessful attempts to restore the lost position in the Priyutny area of the Zaporizhzhia region."
● "Russian occupiers continue to rob the civilian population, appropriating the grain harvest of peaceful citizens of Ukraine.
● For example, in the village of Pryshyb, Zaporizhzhia region, the Russian occupiers are taking out a large number of freight cars with various types of grain crops from the territory of an agricultural enterprise with the help of diesel locomotives.
● "In one day, the aviation of the defense forces made 3 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment of the enemy.
● Also, our defenders destroyed 4 reconnaissance UAVs of the operational-tactical level."
● "During the day, units of missile troops and artillery hit 1 area of concentration of enemy manpower, weapons and military equipment, 5 artillery means in firing positions, 1 command post, 1 means of anti-aircraft defense and 1 EW station of the enemy."
7:43 pm: A reconnaissance drone of the Poltava separate brigade of the TRO flew to the "Donbas Arena" stadium in Donetsk.
● "Hello, Donetsk Air Defense Forces," the press service of the brigade writes.
8:50 pm: Russia is attacking Ukraine with indiscriminate weapons of high power, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
● According to the Ministry of Defense, the Kh-22 missile has a 50% probability of hitting a target with a deviation of 300 meters.
● "[...] Even if the Kh-22 missiles were aimed at military or other infrastructure objects in Odesa last night, they could have hit them only by accident," the report said.
9:56 pm: Russia is systematically destroying the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, as well as its buildings.
● This was announced by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, on Twitter.
● "We will raise this issue at the next meeting of the UN Security Council regarding Ukraine, so that it is clear: Russia is the only threat to Ukrainian Orthodoxy," Kuleba wrote.
9:58 pm: The activity of one Tu-22m3 aircraft from the Shaykovka airfield (Kalyuga region) flying in the southeast direction was recorded.
● "Preliminarily, rebasing is carried out to another airfield. In the event of an alarm, go to the shelter," the message says.
10:52 pm: On the Tavriysk direction, artillery units of the Defense Forces fired 1,211 fire missions during the day. This was announced by the commander of the operational-strategic group of troops "Tavria".
● Over the last day, the enemy lost almost two companies in killed and wounded.
● 30 units of enemy military equipment were destroyed. 7 enemy ammunition depots were also destroyed.
11:00 pm: Threat of using ballistic weapons in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv, Poltava, Donetsk regions, where the alarm has been declared.
MORDOR - RUZZIA
Monday, July 24
12:37 am Social Networks: On the video, drones flew over the territory of temporarily occupied Sevastopol and flew in the direction of Southern Ukraine.
4:48 am: Moscow faced another drone attack. Previously, one unmanned aircraft crashed into a residential building, - rosZMI.
4:54 am: A drone in Moscow attacked a building near the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, - rosZMI.
● The wreckage of a drone was allegedly found nearby. Emergency services are on site. Traffic along Komsomolskii Prospekt is blocked.
5:09 am: A drone damaged the office of the "Leroy Merlin" company in Moscow, glass was broken on the upper floors, - rosZMI.
● The roof of the building on Komsomolskyi Prospect was damaged.
5:16 am: "Around four o'clock in the morning, drone strikes were recorded on two non-residential buildings. There were no serious damages or casualties," Mayor Serhiy Sobyanin commented on the attack by the BpLA on Moscow.
5:25 am: The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation confirmed the drone attack on Moscow. The agency said that two UAVs "were suppressed and crashed" by means of radio-electronic warfare.
7:24 am: Photos of a business center in Moscow damaged by a drone appeared online.
7:48 am rashist media: In the temporarily occupied Crimea, two explosions rang out at the poultry farm in Chervonogvardiyskyi.
7:56 am: An ammunition warehouse in the Dzhankoy district was hit, the so-called "head" of the temporarily occupied Crimea by Aksyonov.
● Reported on the alleged downing and "suppression" of eleven UAVs by means of EW.
8:26 a.m.: Russian media reports about explosions at the military airfield in the village of Fun in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
8:32 am: The evacuation of people 5 km from the site of the explosions has been announced in Dzhankoy district.
● This was announced by the so-called "head" of the Aksionov of the temporarily occupied Crimea.
9:38 am British Intelligence: In Russia, UAV lessons are being added to assault rifle, hand grenade and combat first aid training in the revised Basics of Life Safety curriculum for Year 10 and 11 students, due to be introduced from September 1, 2023.
● "Russia's new emphasis on enlisting children in the army is largely an attempt to cultivate militarized patriotism rather than develop real capabilities. However, the addition of UAV skills underscores that Russia has identified the use of tactical UAVs in Ukraine as a sustainable component of modern warfare," the British Ministry of Defense notes.
Sunday, July 23
12:16 pm: Lukashenko brought a map of the transfer of Polish troops to the borders of the "Union State" to the meeting with Putin, reports BelTA.
● During the meeting with Putin, Lukashenko said that the "Wagnerians" began to stress him - they want to go to Poland.
● "Let's go on an excursion to Warsaw and Rzeszów!" - Lukashenko quotes the statements of the Wagnerites.
2:29 pm British intelligence: the Russians have stepped up in the Kupyan direction and increased shelling in the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions.
● According to intelligence, the occupiers are trying to advance to the Oskil River in order to create a buffer zone around the Luhansk region. Russia considers the occupation of this region one of the main goals in the war.
4:02 pm: DeepState published satellite images of the airfield in Crimea after the operation of the Armed Forces.
● Analysts note that the airfield in the village of Oktyabrske was abandoned for a long time, but the Russians withdrew ammunition there.
6:05 pm: The deterioration of relations between the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation is sharper than ever - the purges in the Russian army have become a new shock for the military elite of the Russian Federation.
● The British Ministry of Defense writes about this on Twitter.
● In total, according to the British Ministry of Defense, 15 officers were suspended in Russia.
10:16 pm: The participation of the Belarusian Red Cross in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from the territories occupied by the Russian Federation to Belarus is complicity in the commission of an international crime.
● This was announced by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin on Twitter.
● "For our part, we have started an investigation to ensure accountability for every case of forced displacement and/or deportation of Ukrainian children," Kostin wrote.
11:40 pm: The Maldives became the second largest supplier of microcircuits in the Russian Federation after China, - Nikkei Asia
● The island nation exported about 400,000 semiconductors worth more than $53.6 million to Russia, according to customs data obtained from Indian research firm Export Genius.
● Semiconductor shipments from the Maldives surged in May 2022 after Aeroflot resumed direct scheduled flights from Moscow to Mali. State-owned aircraft could become a means of transporting semiconductors, Nikkei Asia notes.
● The largest supplier of microchips to Russia is China. The fact that at $53 million the Maldives is the 2nd largest, a paltry sum, is an indication that sanctions on Russia are having an effect of starving Russia of microchips necessary to build missiles used in attacks on Ukraine. Other large suppliers are countries like Armenia and Kazakhstan, through their exports of Western washers and dryers to Russia, where the microchips contained therein are removed for use in missiles.
● Another question is an Aeroflot Boeing 777, likely leased from an international lessor on which the lessee has defaulted, isn’t subject to attachment when it arrives in the Maldives.
REGIONS
SUMY
Monday, July 24
9:21 am Sumy RMA: In the morning, the Air Defense Forces destroyed a "shahed" over the Sumy region
● Also, 4 settlements in 4 communities were shelled at night and in the morning: Bilopolska, Khotynska, Seredino-Budska, and Shalyginska. Previously - without human losses and destruction of civil infrastructure.
Sunday, July 23
11:17 pm Social Networks: Explosions were heard in Sumy.
11:31 pm: Sumy region - missile danger. It is possible to work anti-aircraft defense against an enemy anti-aircraft missile.
DONETSK
Monday, July 24
11:41 am Donetsk RMA: On the Donetsk side, in the morning, Avdiyivka was subjected to massive artillery shelling — shells hit residential quarters. Shelling of Krasnohorivka and Maksimilianivka of the Marin community was recorded.
● In Toretsk, 3 houses, a shop and 2 administrative buildings were damaged. 2 houses were damaged in the Chasovoyarsk community.
● 4 houses were damaged in Siversk.
Sunday, July 23
1:17 pm Donetsk RMA: The Russian army shelled Chasiv Yar with cluster munitions.
● As a result of the shelling, a fire broke out in the Palace of Culture, where humanitarian and medical aid was provided. The building of the institution burned down, there were no casualties or injuries.
ZAPORIZHIA
Monday, July 24
11:03 am Zaporizhia RMA: Over the past day, 88 shellings were recorded in 17 settlements of the Zaporizhia region.
● 7 reports were received about the destruction of residential buildings and infrastructure facilities. There was no information about the victims.
Sunday, July 23
12:12 pm Social Networks: An explosion was heard in Zaporizhzhia.
11:56 pm: The presence of Russians at the occupied ZANP is a key problem for nuclear safety, - Minister of Energy Herman Galushchenko.
● "Any games with nuclear energy are a threat to hundreds of thousands of people who may be exposed to radioactive effects. These are children, the elderly. Obviously, any incident at the plant cannot be allowed, under certain scenarios the consequences of the accident may also be felt by countries neighboring Ukraine," he added.
DNIPRO
Monday, July 24
10:28 am Dnipro RMA: Late yesterday evening, the Russians hit Myrivska hromada. Heavy artillery was used. There were no casualties or injuries.
● A 54-year-old woman, who was injured during yesterday's shelling in Sinelnykivshchyna, she went to doctors. She has a brain injury and spinal cord injury. The victim was hospitalized in moderate condition.
Sunday, July 23
9:23 pm Dnipro RMA: the Russians hit the Velikomykhailivska hromada with an anti-aircraft missile system, used heavy artillery on Marganetska.
● "The consequences of the attacks are being clarified. Fortunately, the locals were not injured," Lysak writes.
KHERSON
Monday, July 24
9:54 am Kherson RMA: Over the past day, the Russians made 58 artillery strikes, firing 325 shells from mortars, artillery, Grads, aircraft, tanks, ATGMs and UAVs. 10 shells were fired in the city of Kherson.
● the Russian military took aim at the residential quarters of the populated areas of the region. 1 person was injured.
Sunday, July 23
3:38 pm: The SBU has identified 31 more collaborators from the occupying "Russian Ministry of Defense" in the Kherson region, who tortured Ukrainian patriots.
● The perpetrators accompanied their criminal actions by mass kidnapping of people and looting of their private property.
● They also used repression to intimidate civilians and ensure their "appearance" at the fake referendum on the "joining" of the region to the Russian Federation.
8:28 pm Kherson RMA: the Russians struck the Odradokamyanka residential complex.
● "A 70-year-old woman was injured. The victim was taken to the hospital.
● She has shrapnel wounds to her chest and legs," the report says.
10:19 pm: An air alert in the Kherson region is related to the activity of enemy tactical aviation in the southeast direction.
MYKOLAIV
Sunday, July 23
12:56 pm Mykolaiv RMA: Yesterday, July 22, at 12:30, enemy artillery shelling was detected near one of the settlements of the Kutsurub community. There are no casualties.
ODESA
Monday, July 24
2:56 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Odesa region. Previously, the work of air defense.
3:30 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Izmail, Odesa region.
5:10 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Odesa region. Previously, the work of air defense.
5:50 a.m.: Odesa region - repulse the threat of enemy attack UAVs, - Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
7:45 am Odesa RMA: At night, the enemy again attacked the South of the country with drones, unfortunately, there are hits.
● According to Bratchuk, several "shaheeds" were intercepted by air defense forces, but some got through and damage to the infrastructure object was recorded.
7:52 a.m. Operational Command South: The South Command published the consequences of another Russian attack on Odesa.
● A grain hangar was destroyed, tanks for storing other types of cargo were damaged, and a fire broke out in one of the production premises.
● It is preliminary known about 4 injured workers of the port, the information is still being clarified.
Sunday, July 23
12:10 p.m.: A video of the consequences of the shelling of the Savior and Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa by the Russian army is published online.
2:00 pm: As a result of the night shelling by Russian troops of the House of Science in Odesa, almost all the ancient stained-glass windows and furniture were damaged or destroyed.
3:16 pm Odesa RMA: 25 architectural monuments were damaged by Russian terrorists overnight in Odesa.
● Among them are buildings of the XIX-XX centuries. Documentation continues, experts are working on the ground.
LVIV
Monday, July 24
10:10 am: In Lviv, they tried to steal the ashes of the Soviet spy Mykola Kuznetsov, - Mayor Andriy Sadovy.
● "The attempt failed. Now the police are working. I will repeat myself. We don't need Kuznetsov, but we won't give him away just like that. For details speak with military intelligence", - said the mayor.
●
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://espreso.tv/
https://cutt.ly/Blyskavka
https://t.me/uawarinfographics
https://t.me/svoboda_radio
I have absolutely no trouble imagining Meloni as a peasant woman of yore, with a sickle in her hand falling upon a wounded enemy soldier ...