Bob Homans July 29

20220729

Ukraine – 7/29 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
Twitter: @rhomansjr
July 29, 2022

The Latest Denys

Denys’ report included his mentioning the following significant developments:

·       At 4:40 into Denys’ report, there is a map showing the corridor that the grain carriers will be using to exit and enter Odesa and the two other loading points.  It appears that the corridor will be almost entirely within the territorial waters of 3 NATO Member States, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey, perhaps making Russia striking a grain carrier within the corridor a potential Article 5 violation.

·       At 8:00 Denys reports about a Ukrainian incursion toward Izyum, to the southeast of Kharkiv.  At this point it is difficult to determine the objective, but at the very least it could reduce pressure from a Russian attack toward Bakhmut.

·       Ukraine is one step closer to getting the longer-range version of the HIMARS rockets, hopefully allowing Ukraine to hit launching points within Russian territory used to attacks against Kharkiv, the Kerch Bridge, and other targets in Crimea including the Headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol.

·       Ukrainian attack against a large Russian fuel depot near Kherson, fuel that Russia will find almost impossible to replace, because the loss of the Dnieper River bridges.

Times Radio

Interview with Illia Ponomarenko, Ukraine’s leading military journalist, about the current situation in and around Kherson.

Walter Isaacson Interview With Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

At about 2 minutes into the interview, Secretary Rice appears to relapse into the long-standing conclusion of many American pundits and policymakers, when she talks about a “stalemate,” where Ukraine gives up territory.   About 90 seconds later she seems to walk back her use of the term “stalemate,” but her answers, given at the Aspen Security Conference, seems consistent with the continued unfortunate ambiguity of U.S. policy as to whether the U.S. wants Ukraine to win.  Perhaps Secretary Rice should add Denys to her list of YouTube alerts.

Harvard Magazine – “Wheat & The War in Ukraine”

Article about Holomodor Memorial in Washington, DC, designed by Larysa Kurylas, a graduate of the Harvard School of Architecture.   Elena Zelanska, Ukraine’s First Lady, visited the Memorial just prior to her speech at the U.S. Capitol, before Members of Congress.

FT Interview With Dmytro Firtash

Firtash is a Ukrainian oligarch, now in Vienna fighting a U.S. extradition request.   The interview is well worth taking the time to read, but there are a few omissions and inaccuracies, including:

·       Tymoshenko spent 3 years in a prison cell for "abuse of power," relating the gas deal she struck with Putin, mentioned in the interview, that had the effect of cutting out Firtash.

·       I find it rather rich that Firtash said, in the FT interview, that he had a “falling out” with Yanukovich soon after Yanukovich's election as President.  In 2010, just after Yanukovich was inaugurated President, Ukraine stopped defending itself in a lawsuit in the Stockholm Court of Arbitration, that would've allowed Ukraine to keep gas that was in storage, gas that Firtash claimed was his.   Firtash was the Plaintiff in the lawsuit; the Court was about to find for Ukraine, allowing Ukraine to keep the gas.  At about the same time, the IMF transferred around $1 billion into the National Bank of Ukraine, as one tranche of their standby loan agreement with Ukraine.   A day or so later the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) transferred roughly the same amount to Firtash, as payment for the gas that Ukraine had claimed belonged to Ukraine.   Some "falling out!"   The IMF wasn't particularly happy, seeing their money effectively going to pay off Firtash, who was about to lose in court.

·       The article didn't mention the 2014 deal Firtash brokered between Petro Poroshenko and Vitaliy Klitschko, where it was agreed that Klitschko would drop out of the 2014 Presidential election, the one held just after the end of the Revolution of Dignity, and instead support Poroshenko.  Klitschko remained Mayor of Kyiv, and Poroshenko won the election without a runoff.   To this day, we don't know what considerations Poroshenko promised to Firtash, if any.

·       The Interview doesn't mention that Firtash still effectively controls the gas distribution system in Ukraine.

In my opinion, Firtash is spot on about Russia, except he admits that he completely misread Russia's invasion intentions.   If the FT’s paywall prevents you from reading, I’ll be happy to send you a Pdf version.

7/29 Sitrep (my comments in bold face)

Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon July 28 to 12:00 noon July 29, 2022

INTERNATIONAL

July 28 – Yesterday, the United States Senate voted in favor of declaring Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.

July 29

11:50 AM:  US State Department pays $10 million for information about Prigozhin’s "factories". Prigozhin’s firms are linked to interference in the US presidential election in 2016.  The State Department clarifies that it is looking for information that will identify or locate any foreign person, including a foreign person who knowingly participated in or participated in the interference in elections in the United States, as well as information leading to the prevention of foreign interference in elections.

11:23 AM:  The EU will completely abandon Russian gas and other energy carriers in the future, - says the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell.  According to him, Europe will first give up Russian coal, then oil, and then natural gas.

11:03 AM:  A senior advisor to the US Congress reacted to the terrible video of the Russian’s abuse of a Ukrainian prisoner.

●        “Sickening evil committed by the Russian invaders. No more delays. Help Ukraine end it.

●        The barbarity and depravity of the Russian invaders is revolting. Castration, murder, rape, killing children, leveling cities. Unmitigated evil.

●        ATACMS for Ukraine. And modern battle tanks. Give them everything. Everything they need to end this crime against humanity.

8:32 AM: British Foreign Minister Liz Truss promised to increase military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine if she becomes Prime Minister of the UK.

●        As Truss states, the war in Ukraine will not end soon and no concessions and compromises to the president of the Russian Federation can be discussed.

12:59 AM : Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra together with Metropolitan Opera and Polish National Opera have started their European and American tour.

●         The first concert in Warsaw opened with the Seventh Symphony by Valentin Silvestrov, and closed with a paraphrase on the theme of the anthem of Ukraine - the work "Mi є" by Yuri Shevchenko.

12:01 AM: A team of economists from the Yale University School of Management have published an analysis of the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy. Among the conclusions:

●         Russia's strategic position as an exporter of resources has irreversibly deteriorated

●        despite separate streams of supplies, imports to the Russian Federation practically collapsed.

●        Domestic production has practically come to a halt, with no way to rebuild lost businesses or bring back human resources.

●        Russia has lost companies representing 40% of its gross domestic product.

●        The Russian Federation is in a much worse position than is commonly believed.

●        There is no way for the Russian government to get out of this economic situation as long as the sanctions remain in place.

●        articles in the press claiming that the Russian economy is recovering - contradict the facts.

The full report is available for download here, and a slide deck summarizing the findings can be found here.

July 28

11:08 PM TV Pink: President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, said that in the next eight months the state will live in an undeclared state of emergency.

●        “Until the end of March, we have a state of emergency in our country, although we do not formally introduce it. These eight months will be the most difficult in the last 10 years,” the head of state said.

11:05 PM CNN - Mayor’s Office: Hannover, Germany, has banned hot water in public buildings and introduced measures to reduce heating amid the gas crisis.  It is the first city in Germany to switch to cold showers in public buildings, making hot water unavailable for handwashing and other uses in government offices, gyms and swimming pools.

10:26 PM: The Ukrainian Embassy in Lebanon has urged the authorities to clarify the terms under which a Syrian ship that Ukraine claims is carrying stolen barley is allowed to dock in Tripoli.

9:56 PM  State Department spokesman: The State Department has officially requested a conversation between Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,"  Moscow confirmed receipt of the request.

9:33 PM Bloomberg:️ According to Cypriot Energy Minister Natasha Pilides, the European Union's desire to reduce dependence on Russian natural gas increases the strategic importance of Cyprus' fields.

●        Europe is a good potential customer for Cypriot gas as the EU confirmed that natural gas will remain a consumer fuel until 2049 as part of the green transition. Therefore, now companies can conclude long-term contracts, Pilidis said.

9:31 PM Helsingin Sanomat:️ The EU cannot completely stop issuing visas to Russians, as this is contrary to the visa rules of the union, the Finnish newspaper

●        "There are always groups of people who need to be given visas. These are humanitarian cases, family members of citizens of EU countries, journalists and dissidents," the Brussels said.

9:31 PM: The Berlin Art School showed a 'book' at the exhibition, which consists of listing 400,000 sites blocked in Russia.  The book is called The Whole Censored Internet and contains domain names that are not available in Russia as of May 24th.

●        According to Roskosmosvoboda, more than 600,000 websites have been blocked in Russia so far.

9:30 PM NewsMaker:️ The Parliament of Moldova by a majority supported the proposal of the government to extend the state of emergency in connection with the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the need to further resolve the refugee problem, - .

7:59 PM Der Tagesspiegel:️Germany plans to transfer vehicles and equipment to Ukraine for the elimination of nuclear, biological and chemical warfare agents

●         "I have decided to deliver a defense package of German nuclear defenses," Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced.

7:25 PM :️China firmly opposes interference in Taiwan's affairs and will firmly defend its sovereignty, Xi Jinping.

●        The Chinese leader stated this in a conversation with the President of the United States, which took place today and lasted more than 2 hours.

6:52 PM :️ The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) began a disciplinary investigation into the conduct of Turkish fans at the match of the second round of the Champions League between "Fenerbahce" and Ukrainian "Dynamo" (Kyiv), the press service of UEFA reports.

●        At a match held yesterday in Istanbul, Turkish fans chanted the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

5:29 PM Ministry of Foreign Affairs:️ Estonia stops issuing temporary residence permits and visas for study to citizens of Russia and Belarus, - informs the  of the country.

5:29 PM :️ UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said that he hopes that the first flight with grain from Ukraine will take place tomorrow.

5:23 PM Associated Press:️ Russia and the West are vying for influence in Africa, writes .

●        Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and French President Emmanuel Macron are each visiting several African countries this week. Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, went to Kenya and Somalia last week. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, will go to Ghana and Uganda next week.

●        All these visits, according to the authors of the article, speak of an unprecedented struggle for influence between geopolitical players on the African continent, which did not exist since the Cold War.

4:39 PM La Repubblica: Before the end of the year, Italy will have sent Ukraine a new shipment of weapons, including armoured vehicles, machine guns and ammunition

●        Italy has already sent Ukraine several 155 mm artillery pieces. Kyiv wants to increase their number, and also asks for multiple-launch rocket systems.

4:30 PM Turkish Foreign Minister:A "grain deal" can create an atmosphere of trust between Ukraine and Russia and contribute to a ceasefire and conflict resolution

●        He added that his country is ready to provide its territory for meetings between the parties and would make every effort to resolve the conflict.

3:41 PM: Both parties of US Congress support the transfer of ATACMS long-range missiles to Ukraine

●        "I think that what we heard very firmly from President Zelenskyi and reinforced today is that the Ukrainians really want to hit Russia in the teeth a few times before the winter comes, put them in the best position possible, particularly hitting them down south", Slotkin adds.

2:45 PM Reuters:US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will have a telephone conversation today

●        Among the topics of discussion will be the tense situation around Taiwan, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

2:11 PM Delfi: The Government of Latvia has supported the proposal of the Defense Ministry to provide additional military support to Ukraine.

●        Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks has not specified what kind of support will be given to Ukraine.

1:18 PM :️The US Senate passed a resolution calling on the State Department to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism due to events in Ukraine, Chechnya, Georgia and Syria.

●        If the US State Department also adopts a resolution, then the Russian Federation will become the fifth country on the American list of sponsors of terrorism. It already includes: Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Syria.

1:17 PM Washington Post - Military historian and writer Max Boot:

●        The logic of US assistance to Ukraine in the war against Russia needs to be reconsidered

●        "If Ukraine is able to fight so effectively with only 12 HIMARS installations, imagine what it will be capable of if there are a dozen more such weapons and it is armed with ATACMS missiles. These missiles will quadruple the range

●        HIMARS should also be reinforced with supplies of Western tanks and fighters.

●        He added that if the West provides all these weapons, Ukraine will be able to step up the counteroffensive and retake its territories in the south and east, ending the war.

There should be an immediate relaxation of the U.S. prohibition on Ukraine’s use of HIMARS to fire at targets inside Russia, especially at it pertains to Russia firing at targets in Central Kharkiv from Russian territory.  Kharkiv is approximately 25 miles from the Russian border.

NATIONAL

July 29

8:32 AM Operational Command “Pivden” (South):

●        In 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed four ammunition depots of Russians in the south.

●        The depots of Russia were destroyed in the Henichesk, Kherson, Kakhovka and Beryslavskyi districts.

7:57 AM Operational report of the General Staff of the AFU:

●        In the Bakhmut direction, Ukrainian soldiers successfully repelled Russian assault and offensive actions in the direction of Vershyna and Semihirya. The enemy is trying to conduct offensive actions in the districts of Novoluhanske and Soledar. The fighting continues.

●        In the Avdiivka, Novopavlivka, and Zaporizhzhia directions, Russian reconnaissance by battle in the directions of Vodyane and Pisky ended in losses and retreat. The Russians tried to advance in the direction of Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, and Velyka Novosilka. They suffered losses and withdrew.

7:27 AM Institute for the Study of War: 

●        Russian forces attempted a limited ground offensive on the Southern Axis but are likely facing territorial losses in the Kherson region

●        Russian forces may be setting conditions for renewed offensive operations toward Kharkiv

●        Russian forces are attempting to preserve their ground lines of communication over the Dnipro River connecting Kherson City to rear areas in the eastern Kherson region

●        Russian forces may be intensifying offensive operations around Avdiivka to reduce Ukrainian strikes in and around Donetsk .

July 28

11:33 PM: Volodymyr Zelensky announced the creation of the College of Europe in Ukraine, which will train officials to work in EU structures.

"The European Union has the College of Europe in Bruges and Natolini, one of the most respected postgraduate institutions that prepare professionals for work in EU institutions and Member States. We are creating our College of Europe in Ukraine".

10:16 PM: The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine turned to Meta with a request to improve the moderation of Ukrainian content to avoid deleting and blocking Ukrainian bloggers on social networks.

10:01 PM National Security and Defense Council Secretary:️

●        Ukraine will hit the Crimean bridge as soon as there is “a necessity, an opportunity and a task

"If necessary, this decision will be taken by the military. As for the Crimean bridge or other infrastructure, believe me, everything is under vigilant control. As soon as there is a need, an opportunity and a task, everything will be done and not only in relation to this object,- he said.

9:56 PM Foreign Minister:️

●        :️"Some Western partners have started talking about negotiations with Russia. However, their hopes for Russia's constructive behavior are wrong,"

●        “Under the pretext of a desire to soften the situation before winter, some partners begin to “itch” on the topic of negotiations with the Russian Federation. But we calmly explain to them why their hopes for a constructive position of Russia do not correspond to reality,"

●        Russia does not want to sit down at the negotiating table with Ukraine - it wants to continue the war," 

●        "We receive these "signs" every day in the form of rocket attacks, in the form of statements by the Russian leadership and senior officials that Zelenskyi must be overthrown. There are really no signals. Russia wants to fight further,” he said.

9:33 PM:️ Businessman, head of the Dnipro Terror Defense Headquarters Genadiy Korban said that there is still no official reason for depriving him of citizenship. He also turned to NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov with a proposal to help identify those Ukrainians who have passports of other states.

●        "I can make every effort to identify the largest possible number of people who have a second passport. And even in your environment," Korban wrote.

9:32 PM Washington Post:️ The Russian advance in Ukraine has all but come to a halt as newly delivered Western weapons are helping Ukrainian forces reclaim much of the advantage they have lost in recent months. The UAF will be able to turn the tide of the war in their favor.

9:30 PM Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:️ Since the beginning of July, the invaders have launched more than 90 missile and air strikes on Ukraine

●         "As a result of the attacks, 28 objects were completely destroyed, including 4 schools and 9 residential buildings, and 137 objects were partially destroyed, including 7 transport infrastructure facilities, 11 educational institutions and 29 residential buildings,"

9:30 PM:️ Ukraine will create its own College of Europe - an institution of postgraduate education, where specialists are trained to work in the institutions of the European Union, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada.

●        According to him, the Cabinet of Ministers and the College of Europe in Natolin (Poland) have already signed a corresponding memorandum.

7:59 PM:️The SBU reported that it exposed a former employee of the tax authorities who traded in Ukrainian passports.

●        According to the Ukrainian security officials, among the clients of the detained swindler were Russians who used Ukrainian passports to spy in favor of Moscow, passing some intelligence there.

●        According to the investigation, familiar employees of the Ukrainian police helped the attacker in the preparation of fake documents.  The initial price of a fake passport of a citizen of Ukraine was about 4 thousand dollars.

7:25 PM:️ Ukraine will be able to increase the export of electricity to Europe by 2.5 times. This will allow the state to earn more money to prepare for the heating season.

7:25 PM:️ Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced at a joint press conference with the President of Ukraine that a new package of military assistance will be provided to Ukraine.

●        I didn't come empty-handed either. Today, the new package is ammunition (ammunition) and ten armored vehicles. We will soon show anti-drones that are produced in Lithuania. We know that you really need these systems,” said the President of Lithuania.

7:24 PM:️ Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmihal proposed to introduce a comprehensive examination for persons intending to obtain Ukrainian citizenship. This is evidenced by bill No. 7606 registered in the Verkhovna Rada, initiated by the head of the Cabinet of Ministers.

●        In particular, Shmihal proposes to introduce the following exams for granting Ukrainian citizenship:

○        on the basis of the Constitution of Ukraine,

○        on the history of Ukraine,

○        Ukrainian language.

6:53 PM:  A 19-year-old conscript of the National Guard of Ukraine, who hit six Russian aircraft from MANPADS, as well as one cruise missile, received the star of the Hero of Ukraine. This was announced by the head of the operational department of the Main Directorate of Novosibirsk State University Oleksiy Nadtochiy.

 6:53 PM Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:️

●        In the Slоvyansk direction, the Russians made an unsuccessful attempt to reconnoiter in battle and suffered losses near Brazhkovka.

●        In the Avdiivka direction, with the support of tanks, cannon and rocket artillery fire, the Russian Federation resumed assault operations in the direction of Avdiivka and Pіskу, the Russians had no success, they retreated

●        Violating the customs of war and with the aim of misleading, during the assault in the area of ​​​​the settlement of Pisky, the Russians used the field uniform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with white bandages on their arms and legs.

6:53 PM National Police:️ During the five months of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, the courts in Ukraine arrested the assets of Russian and Belarusian companies for 39.5 billion hryvnias.*

5:34 PM:️ Lithuania, together with the international community, is ready to join the plan for the renewal of Ukraine, says President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda.

●        Nauseda also noted that he had seen the first reconstruction work in Irpin, "which had been so painfully affected by the violence of the Russians earlier".

4:48 PM: The Security Service of Ukraine opened a criminal investigation regarding customs officers who allowed individuals to leave the country without declaring more than $28 million in suitcases.

●        The Security Service of Ukraine investigates the illegal transfer of large amounts of cash across the State border. In particular, there is a collection of evidence on the illegal removal of 28 million dollars and 1.3 million euros from Ukraine.

4:35 PM: National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office reported suspicions of ex-deputy and former chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the Fuel and Energy Complex, Mykola Martynenko, for obtaining unlawful profit and money laundering.

●        As NACBU notes, Martynenko received from the management of the Czech company SKODA JS a.s. 311.6 thousand euros for assistance in promoting their interests in Ukraine.

4:21 PM: Zelenskyi - We will become not a new legend about heroic resistance, but a state of victors. Not 300 Spartans whose feat is worth singing about in books, plays and films, but a heroic nation of millions who is worthy of life, and victory and will teach others in the world how to defend themselves.

●        We will be remembered not as those who have tried, but as those who have preserved, strengthened and given to children our state to give to their children. A free, strong, modern and efficient state.

4:13 PM :The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted for the bill on special guarantees for Polish citizens. 283 deputies voted “for” the bill, allowing Polish citizens to reside in Ukraine for 18 months without a visa, with the same working privileges as Ukrainians.

3:50 PM: Ukraine has established a Defense Procurement Agency, which will work according to NATO models, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov says.

●        According to him, this should make the purchases of weapons transparent and make corruption impossible.

3:42 PM: Nauseda, during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada, presented the Order of Vytautas the Great to Zelenskyi.

●        The President of Lithuania said that this award belongs to Zelenskyi and all Ukrainian people.

3:39 PM Reuters:Before the war, Russia created a network of secret agents in Ukraine and with their help seized the Chornobyl nuclear power plant

●        According to five sources, military experts from Putin’s entourage believed that thanks to secret agents of the Russian Federation it would require only a small part of the army and a few days to force the administration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to flee or capitulate.

●        At the time of the invasion, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksii Danilov said, Russia had agents in the Ukrainian defence, security and law enforcement sectors.

3:03 PM: President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda addressed the Verkhovna Rada in Ukrainian

●        President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola also addressed the people’s deputies online.

●        The session ended with applause and chanting of "Armed Forces of Ukraine", - says People’s Deputy Yaroslav Zhelezniak.

2:02 PM Regional Police:️ 15 people were injured due to the Russian shelling of the Kyiv region this morning.

2:01 PM: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has allocated an additional $74 million for humanitarian aid for Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression.

●        With this amount, the agency’s assistance to Ukrainians reached more than $1 billion. The total contribution of the US government is more than $1.5 billion.

12:57 PM: The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine transferred to the state the assets of 19 Ukrainian companies that were controlled by the Russian Federation and its residents.

●        By a court decision, the corporate rights of 19 Ukrainian enterprises that were controlled by Russian corporations Rostec, Rosneft, Gazprom, RusAl, Rosatom, HMS Group, Tatneft and Russian banks were transferred to the management of ARMA for a total  over UAH 7.75 billion.

Thousands of objects of movable and immovable property worth hundreds of millions of hryvnias were also transferred.

12:46 PM Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate:  Announced the details of today's missile attack on the Kyiv region.

●         "At about 05:00, the enemy launched a missile attack with 6 Caliber cruise missiles on a military unit in the village of Lyutezh, Kyiv region. There is information that one building was destroyed and two were damaged. In addition, 1 cruise missile was shot down in the air over the Buchansky quarry", he stated.

12:34 PM :️ Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed a decree on the appointment of Andriy Kostin as the new Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

12:19 PM: The government of Ukraine lifted the ban on the export of rye and mineral fertilizers and introduced an automatic licensing regime for these products.

●         "The export of surpluses of these commodity items will increase foreign exchange earnings in the country, which is an important condition for economic recovery," the Cabinet said.

12:19 PM Center for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

●        After a long pause, massive missile strikes were carried out on the territory of Ukraine by the Russians from the territory of Belarus

●        More than 20 missiles were launched from the airfield in Zyabrovka, where the Russian S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, as well as several Iskanders are located.

12:04 PM British Intelligence:

●        Ukraine's counter-offensive in Kherson is gathering momentum. Their forces have highly likely established a bridgehead south of the Ingulets River, which forms the northern boundary of Russian-occupied Kherson

●        Ukraine has used its new long-range artillery to damage at least three of the bridges across the Dnipro River which Russia relies upon to supply the areas under its control. One of these, the 1,000 metre long Antonivsky bridge near Kherson city, was damaged last week. Ukraine struck it again on 27 July 2022 and it is highly likely that the crossing is now unusable

●        Russia's 49th Army is stationed on the right bank of the Dnipro River and now looks highly vulnerable. Similarly, Kherson city, the most politically significant population centre occupied by Russia, is now virtually cut off from the other occupied territories. Its loss would severely undermine Russia's attempts to paint the occupation as a success.

MORDOR (Russia)

July 29

11:07 AM: The Russian army launched a missile attack on the food factory in Bohodukhiv.  The rocket attack occurred at 4:20 am on July 29, and the room is partially damaged, the press service of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office reports.

7:20 AM: There were explosions and a big fire in temporarily occupied Ilovaisk last night. Likely an ammunition dump.

July 28

10:55 PM: Security forces came to the restaurant of rapper Morgenstern in Moscow," Russian media reported, citing eyewitnesses.  Morgenstern's restaurant could have suffered a tragedy like the fire at Lame Horse. - Member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation Ekaterina Mizulina.  According to her, the restaurant did not have a fire exit, and the fire alarm in the hall was sealed.

5:30 PM:️ Blogger and former activist of Navalny staff Sergey Komandirov was sentenced to 6.5 years of prison for reposts of ""VKontakte"", the Russian Ministry reports.

●        The prosecutor requested 7 years of imprisonment for Serhii. The blogger was arrested after reporting about the fictional trial of Putin, Peskov and Sechin.

3:51 PM BBC:️ Russia is stealing from the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine not only grain but also sunflower seeds

3:39 PM Forbes:️ Russian Army lost more artillery in Ukraine than many western countries have

1:18 PM:️ Peskov commented on the scandalous statement of the so-called "head of the DPR" Pushilin: "The Kremlin supports the attitude that it is necessary to liberate Ukraine from all possible manifestations of neo-Nazi sentiments - this is necessary."

12:58 PM: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation confirmed that negotiations on the exchange of prisoners with the United States are underway, but "there is no concrete result on the exchange of Bout for Greiner and Whelan."

DONETSK

SUMY

July 28

10:55 PM Regional Military Administration Sumy:  Today, the Russians shelled our territories 4 times, in total there were more than 44 arrivals. They hit the Krasnopol, Shalygin and Burinsk communities with mortars, grenade launchers and self-propelled guns. There are no casualties or destruction."

KHARKIV

July 29

9:55 AM Regional Military Administration:

●        There is a victim, and a residential house and an educational institution were damaged due to the missile strike on Kharkiv

●        The missile strike was launched at 4 am. A 71-year-old resident of the city was wounded. One of the damaged buildings was an architectural monument.

●        Rescuers are working on the site. In total, there are two dead and eight wounded in the area.

6:14 AM: About the night shelling of Kharkiv, the city's mayor Igor Terekhov reports.

●        "At 4:09 two "arrivals". Both in the central part of the city. In one case hit a two-story house. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine is already working there - they are taking apart the rubble, looking for people under it. In the other case, the missile landed in the building of one of the Kharkov higher educational institutions. So far, there is no information about casualties or fatalities. I hope there won't be any," Ihor Terekhov wrote in his telegram channel.

July 28

4:40 PM: Russians, in the occupied part of the Kharkiv region, began to accept documents for obtaining Russian citizenship.

●        Russian media reports concerning the "local authorities" appointed by the Russian military.

LUHANSK

July 29

8:52 AM Regional Military Administration:

●        Russian attacks are testing Ukrainian defense fortifications

●        Not a single ATM still operates in the occupied cities of the Luhansk region.

●        Monetary circulation is at the level of the Soviet «savings bank»

●        Russians attack from different sides, and they have used aviation. The Ukrainian military repulsed six Russian assault attempts. Russians were forced to withdraw with losses.

●        There are no ATMs installed in the cities, and the ones that survived the Russian invasion are not working. No one is even trying to restore them.

●        Russians are trying to organize a demonstration of the pension payment, but only in cash by mail.

DONETSK

July 29

8:54 AM: Russians again shelled Slovyansk, there are wounded.  Currently, the city is partially blacked out.

July 28

4:13 PM State Emergency Service:The bodies of a man and a woman were removed from under the rubble of an apartment building destroyed by Russians in Toretsk.

Two people died due to the shelling, and three were saved. Currently, the rescue work is completed.

4:12 PM :️A school in Soledar, Donetsk region, caught fire as a result of the Russian shelling. Photo from social media.

2:28 PM :️ Journalists of the German edition Deutsche Welle posted a video from the temporarily occupied Mariupol, where corpses lie on the streets and the black smoke still rising over the Azovstal factory.

12:01 PM Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration: Residents of Donbas are urged to evacuate.

●        Fighting continues in the Donetsk region.  Because of the shelling, there is no gas supply, and problems with electricity and water supply are possible.

●        The autumn-winter period is ahead, so people need to be transported to safer regions.

ZAPORIZHYA

July 28

2:27 PM Mayor: In temporarily occupied Melitopol, Russians torture people to increase pressure before the "pseudo referendum"

●        "There are mass kidnappings, mass torture of Ukrainians and, as a result, there are videos of kidnapped people who confess to things they did not commit," says Fedorov.

●        The Ukrainian Armed Forces for the second time hit the Russian military base in temporarily occupied Melitopol, which was destroyed three weeks ago

●        According to him, the Russian military began to build the base a week and a half ago.

●        Another explosion was on the railway tracks last night. The third one was between Melitopol and Kostiantynivka.

DNIPRO

July 29

7:59 AM Regional Military Administration:

●        The Russians fired more than 40 rockets on Nikopol.

●        The Russians struck Nikopol and Kryvyi Rih districts at night

●        The Russian army shelled from «Grad» MRL on Nikopol. They deliberately fired at the residential quarter and damaged 6 private houses and outbuildings.

●        The power transmission line was hit. Several thousand people in the private sector were left without light. Previously, there were no injured people.

●        In the Kryvyi Rih district, Russians from the barrel artillery shelled the Zelenodolsk territorial community. It passed without casualties and destruction.

KIROVOHRAD

July 29

9:40 AM Regional Military Administration:  A cruise missile was shot down over the Myronivka village in the morning. The debris was felt in the village. We are identifying the type of the missile.July 28

7:25 PM Regional Military Administration:️The Russian Federation attacked Kropyvnytskyi with Kalibr-class missiles

●        26 wounded. One is in serious condition. One refused hospitalization.

5:01 PM :Russians hit the hangars of the Flight Academy and the URGA International Joint Stock Aviation Company in Kropyvnytskyi,

●        12 military personnel and 13 civilians were injured. One soldier is among the five killed.

4:22 PM Regional Military Administration: The Russians launched two missile strikes on Kropyvnytskyi,

●        Experts are establishing what kind of rockets the Russians have used. Specialized services are eliminating the consequences of shelling.

3:42 PM Regional Military Administration:️ 5 people were killed and 25 injured as a result of today’s missile strikes on Kropivnitsky

12:45 PM Kirovohrad regional police:️ Confirmed the explosions in Kropyvnytskyi, noting that "the situation is restless" and urged people to stay in shelters.

KHERSON

July 29

12:14 AM Center for Strategic Communications: Representatives of the United Russia party left Kherson.  They stated that they could no longer engage in so-called "humanitarian activities" because of the damage to the Antonovsky automobile bridge.

●         "The shelling of the Antonovsky bridge, which was a kind of" road of life "for the Russian military in temporarily occupied Kherson, in addition to the logistical one, had a great psychological effect," the report says.

July 28

11:48 PM: Hemodialysis (one of the extrarenal blood purification methods) has been stopped in Kherson hospitals.  This situation was caused by a lack of medicine due to the Russian occupation of the city.

●         All supply chains for the delivery of medicines were cut from the first days of a full-scale invasion.  This is reported by local media.

3:09 PM Operational command "Pivden" (South):

●        Last night the Russian troops attacked the Kherson region by helicopters Ka-52, the speaker of the

●        “Immediately after we had liberated Andriivka, the enemy intensified its attacks. Russians launched an air strike by a pair of Ka-52 helicopters at night. The attack was on the same positions. They tried to retake but did not succeed. They had to retreat with losses. Our positions have already been secured and we are clearing the places from sabotage and reconnaissance groups, that may be there,” Humeniuk says.

MYKOLAIV

July 29

10:38 AM Regional Military Administration:

●        Our priority is to prevent losses - the principle on which the counteroffensive to Kherson is based.

●        unlike the Russians, the Ukrainian army values the life of its defenders, so it will do everything to preserve them during the counter-offensive in the south.

●        The Ukrainian army continues to destroy ammunition depots and infrastructure behind enemy lines, depleting its logistics for its [counteroffensive].

●        «We have a new weapon, but not as many as they have. But we are fighting,» Vitalii Kim said.

●        A rocket hit near the public transport station in Mykolaiv. 12 people are lying on the ground, medics are on the spot».

July 28

8:03 PM Regional Military Administration:️ In Koblevo, two people were blown up by a mine, swimming in the sea in a prohibited place and added that there are "reasons" for the bathing ban.

[ Friday, July 29, 2022 8:54 AM ] FLASH: *⚡ [Russians] again shelled Slovyansk, there is a wounded - says the head of the city’s military administration Vadym Liakh.*

Currently, the city is partially blacked out.

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