Daily Briefing From Ukraine

·      Top 12 Headlines

·      President Zelensky’s Message of the Day

·      Ukraine Summer Offensive Summary

·      Infographic of the Day

Headlines

1.     The number of people killed as a result of the Russian “double tap” missile attack on Pokrovsk in Donetsk region increased to nine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last night that rescue operations were completed. “Nine people died. My condolences to their relatives and friends. 82 people were injured. Everyone is being given the necessary help. Among the injured are two children, both boys, one of them is in serious condition,” Zelensky said.

2.     The European Union condemned the murderous Russian attack on Pokrovsk. EU foreign and security policy spokesperson Peter Stano posted on Twitter that “attacks in Pokrovsk show again how Russia targets residential buildings, even stepping up the heinous nature of Putin's war with a repeated attack when rescuers arrived to the site.”

3.     The US is stalling the start of training for Ukrainian pilots to work with American fighter jets, alleged the former Supreme Commander of NATO’s forces in Europe, retired US General Philip Breedlove. In an interview with the Voice of America, Breedlove said: “I think the main slowdown in this process is inside my country, in our capital. There is a reluctance to act quickly because of the fear that Mr. Putin may trigger certain important events. As I have said many times, the F-16 situation is just that case.”

Other Topics of Interest

Western Missiles Can Prompt Nuclear Response – Putin Approves New Nuclear Doctrine

The Kremlin defended the policy changes as a necessary response to perceived “Western threats,” where the use of Western non-nuclear missiles can potentially lead to Moscow’s nuclear response.

4.     The Pentagon has about $6 billion remaining in its budget for military aid for Ukraine, according to a senior US Department of Defense spokesperson. “As far as the PDA [Presidential Drawdown Authority] is concerned, we haven’t run out of money. We still have money that we discovered after the count we did earlier this year. You know we have about $6 billion – these funds are still available for use within the PDA,” the spokesperson said. During Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the US has provided more support than any country in the world before – $66.2 billion of which $43.1 billion is military aid.

5.     Thirty of the 50 Leopard 1 tanks purchased by German company Rheinmetall from Belgian company OIP Land Systems are bound for Ukraine, German media reported. “Now, the tanks must be repaired at the German enterprises of the concern with headquarters in Dusseldorf for use in Ukraine,” the article said. This batch of tanks is likely part of an overall 165 Leopard 1 tanks pledged and funded by Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark that are bound for Ukraine, according to Forbes.

6.     The UK slapped new sanctions on 25 companies and individuals to “close the net” on Russian access to foreign military equipment, AFP reported. Three Russian companies operating in the electronics sector are among those targeted, with the other 22 new sanctions involving entities and individuals outside the country. They include two Turkey-based businesses said to be exporting microelectronics to Russia’s military and a Dubai-based supplier of drone components.

7.     UNESCO’s Ukraine branch has recommended adding St. Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the historical center of Lviv to the list of world heritage in danger, UNIAN reported. According to the head of UNESCO in Ukraine, the final decision will be made by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in September. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, UNESCO has confirmed damage to 274 objects in Ukraine, including 117 religious objects, 27 museums, 19 monuments, 12 libraries, an archive, as well as 98 buildings of historical or artistic interest.

8.     President Zelenskyi reacted to Ukraine’s latest corruption scandals among members of parliament, UNIAN reported. He said that Ukraine must change and undergo transformation. “And this means that those who work ‘for their own pocket’ and not for the sake of Ukraine will definitely not hold public positions or people's deputies of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.

9.     Russian propagandists are spreading a fake “statement” by Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov that Kyiv is allegedly planning to mobilize 30,000 ethnic Ukrainians in Canada, Suspilne reported based on information from Ukraine’s National Security Council. "Enemy propaganda is spreading this narrative with the aim of intimidating Canadians" and reducing popular support for Ukraine in Canada, the Council said.

10.  China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, discussed “the Ukrainian crisis,” according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry. During a call, Wang told Lavrov that China would “uphold an independent and impartial stance” on Ukraine, “actively promote” peace talks, and seek a political solution to the conflict “on any multilateral occasion,” the Chinese statement said.

11.  Ukraine has started work on alternative export opportunities for its grain crop by organizing trans-shipments near the mouth of the Danube River, Reuters reported that ports authorities said. The planned move would see cargo transferred from one vessel to another when vessels while anchored rather than berthed at port. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the revival of the Black Sea Grain Initiative “depends on Western countries which must keep their promises,” AFP reported. Erdogan added: “I think a solution can be found,” referring to a recent telephone call with Vladimir Putin, who recently refused to extend the accord and ramped up destruction of Ukraine’s ports.

12.  Swedish company Satcube plans to transfer about 100 portable satellite Internet terminals to Ukraine. The cost of the terminals will be paid by Germany, which will hand them over. “This can be anything from connecting to field hospitals to maintaining communications in the field,” said the company’s CEO about the technology’s functions. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has provided Ukraine with more than 40,000 terminals connected to the Starlink satellite network.

President Zelensky’s Message

Ukraine Summer Offensive Summary

Snapshot

Russian forces press the line in all theaters; Ukraine’s “Dnipro Devils” may be making gains.

General Developments

As many as 20,000 Ukrainian recruits have undergone basic training as part of the British-led multinational Operation Interflex, according to the official Facebook page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The operation has involved instructors from the UK, Australia, Denmark, Canada, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Ukraine.

Russia has removed more than 40 percent of old tanks and armored personnel carriers from its largest mothballed equipment base, Vagzhanovo in Buryatia, since the start of the full-scale invasion, The Moscow Times reported based on analysis of satellite imagery. About 3,840 armored vehicles were stored at Vagzhanovo five months before the full-scale war. In May 2023, about 2,270 armored vehicles were stored there.

·       Russian forces conducted offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, along the Avdiivka–Donetsk City line, in the eastern Donetsk-western Zaporizhzhia regional border area, and in the western Donetsk region on August 8 and made advances in certain areas, ISW reported.

Operational Aspects on Dnipro, in Russia and elsewhere

Ukrainian forces appear to have conducted a limited raid across the Dnipro River and landed on the east (left) bank of occupied Kherson region, ISW reported. It remains unclear whether Ukrainian troops have established an enduring presence on the east bank, ISW added. This follows multiple reports from pro-Ukrainian milbloggers about military activity at several points on the Dnipro.

Ukrainian forces may have released photos from the raid of reportedly captured Russian troops on Telegram. The caption on the post read: “Results of the raid of the GUR special forces and units of the AFU on the left bank of the Kherson region.” The post continued: “As a result of the actions of the Defense Forces, the Katsap [derogatory slang for Russian – ed.] forces in that direction were forced to leave the Kozachi Lager settlement and the nearest strongholds.”

Pro-Russian milbloggers acknowledged the raid, but not its success. One posted: “Ukrainian formations continue to look for weaknesses in the Russian defense. Today, under the cover of night, special forces of the AFU landed around Kozachi Lager on the left bank of the Dnipro in the Kherson region. On the outskirts of the settlement, the enemy was driven back and driven to the opposite side.”

The mayor of Moscow announced a new attack on the city by two drones.

The governor of the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation announced that the village of Bila Berizka came under fire. An administrative building, an industrial enterprise and residential buildings were damaged in the settlement.

Operational Aspects on the Northern Front

·       Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations and made advances near Svatove, ISW reported.

A pro-Russian milblogger posted that “in the Luhansk direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine advanced towards Karmazinivka.”

DeepState, a pro-Ukrainian milblogger, said that “Katsaps regained control over Novoselivsky.”

DeepState also posted a description of local conditions reportedly from an on-the-ground solider:

“Regarding the Kupyansk district. The enemy has brought up fresh forces and a considerable number of assault units. It is carrying out attacks on foot through fields and forest strips, which is facilitated by two-meter grass. From our side, the number of o/s does not allow us to reliably cover every meter, so the enemy’s tactics sometimes give it has to cover and bypass our observation points and detachment positions. We actually have no platoon/company strongpoints.

“However, the enemy’s forces are quickly exhausted. At least three assault companies lie dead, for example, in a forest strip one and a half kilometers long. The willingness of Russians to die involuntarily amazes me. To walk two kilometers after landing, then to jump on a machine gun, and die in two seconds – this is really the story of the life of a Russian stormtrooper.”

AFU Ground Forces commander, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrsky, visited the Kupyansk area.

Operational Aspects on the Eastern Front

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and other Russian sources claimed that Russian forces repelled Ukrainian attacks around Bakhmut, ISW reported.

However, Ukrainian forces continue to hold the initiative on the battlefield in Bakhmut despite heavy Russian shelling, Serhii Cherevaty, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern military forces claimed.

Operational Aspects on the Southern Front

The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces conducted offensive operations in the Berdyansk (western Donetsk–eastern Zaporizhzhia regional border area) and Melitopol (western Zaporizhzhia region) axes.

The New York Times reported that a Ukrainian battalion commander operating in southern Ukraine described counteroffensive operations as a “marathon” and “not a sprint.”

A pro-Russian milblogger posted that “in the [western] Zaporizhzhia sector, the enemy continued to attack near Orikhiv, but could not achieve any significant progress in the axis of Piatykhatky and Robotyne.”

A pro-Russian milblogger posted that “fighting continues in Staromaiorske – the enemy controls the northern part of the village and is trying to expand the zone of control around the village in order to be able to intensively attack the adjacent heights, which are controlled by the RF Armed Forces.”

The AFU have entered the first line of defense of the Russian Army in the south of Ukraine, a spokesman for Ukraine’s southern forces said. “We have already entered the first line of the invaders, and the first line is very difficult. But our military is pressing on. We are moving forward, and this movement is slowed down by minefields and our lack of aviation,” said Serhii Kuzmin. According to Kuzmin, there are more and more trained Russian soldiers at the front. The troops of the Russian Federation are moving reserves from the second line of defense, in particular marines, paratroopers and special forces.

Infographic of the Day