E-MAIL THIS LINK
To: 

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: July 27th, 2023
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22:51 Russia's intention to replace Ukrainian grain with Russian in the African market looks like Putin's "desperate attempt" to hide the consequences of withdrawing from the grain deal, said John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the US National Security Council. According to him, each African country must decide for itself how legitimate Putin's proposal to send them Russian grain and whether they want to accept it.

22:23 Zelensky paid a working visit to the Odessa region, including inspecting the destruction of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, the presidential press service reported.

22:18 Poland and the Baltic countries may decide to completely close their borders with Belarus if serious incidents occur nearby involving PMC Wagner mercenaries, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminsky said: "If we decide that this is the right answer at the moment, we will come to the complete isolation of Belarus."

22:14 The Russians attacked the Kupyansky district of the Kharkiv region in the evening: as a result of the shelling of the village. Five people were injured in Novoosinovo, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said.

22:06 China provides Russia with military and dual-use technologies for use in Ukraine, according to a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence of the United States, the authors of which refer to customs records. According to them, Chinese state-owned defense companies are sending navigation equipment, jamming technology and fighter jet parts to sanctioned Russian state-owned defense companies.

21:13 The Ukrainian military liberated the village of Staromayorskoe, Donetsk region , Zelensky said and showed the video:

20:32 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu went to visit North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. In Pyongyang, they immediately began to examine weapons. There are suspicions that Pyongyang is supplying weapons to Moscow to use in the war against Ukraine. In particular, back in the fall of 2022, there were versions about the supply of artillery shells and short-range missiles. Read more in the material Kim's missiles and drones will fly to Ukraine?

20:04 The EU currently has neither additional funding nor a plan to support Ukrainian exports, Reuters reports. According to the publication, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine has asked the European Commission to provide financial assistance to cover additional transport costs associated with the use of EU grain transportation routes, known as "solidarity lanes".

According to Ukraine's estimates, additional costs amount to 30-40 dollars per ton of production. The letter also contains a request to expand the "solidarity bands" by 1-1.5 million tons per month through green corridors, in particular to the Adriatic Sea, the Baltic countries, Germany and the Netherlands. But sources in the European Commission said that funds for the needs of Ukraine can only come after a mid-term budget review, which may take several more months.

In addition, the source said that there is growing opposition to the import of Ukrainian grain into the EU, as some countries do not see the point in paying additional transport costs due to the EU's temporary ban on imports of this product.

19:58 In two or three months, Ukraine may no longer need enhanced air defense, because the country will not have any ports left, Natalya Gumenyuk, speaker of OK Pivden, said in an interview with AFP. According to her, after withdrawing from the grain agreement, Russia seeks to "close Ukraine as a country that can feed the world" and establish a monopoly on grain supplies.

Gumenyuk stressed that now almost all ports are blocked, not a single ship can leave. "We need anti-missile and air defense. Reinforced, powerful, modern and capable of counteracting the types of missiles that the enemy uses against us. Russia improves its tactics every time, it will not stop," she added.

19:53 Zelensky paid a visit to the Nikolaev region, where, in particular, he visited medical facilities in Nikolaev and Ochakov, the presidential press service reported.

19:17 "A handful of donations" from Russia will not be able to correct the "dramatic consequences" of the termination of the grain agreement, which allowed the export of millions of tons of agricultural products from Ukraine, said UN Secretary General António Guterres: "Obviously, if you remove millions and millions of tons of grain from the market, it will drive prices up. So it's not with a handful of donations to some countries that we're going to fix this dramatic impact that affects everyone, everywhere." At the same time, the Secretary General assured that the UN would continue contacts with all interested parties regarding the renewal of the grain agreement.

18:20 A number of Western publications report that Ukraine has launched the second stage of its counteroffensive. At the same time, the media are not yet sure that this is a main blow, and they say that the situation will clear up in a few days. Read more in the article Start of the second stage: where a breakthrough is expected .

17:57 Ukraine is stepping up the pace of counter-offensive after months of slow progress, CNN reports, citing two US officials. According to them, Ukraine has deployed additional forces to the southeast of the country, which is a sign that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have identified potential weaknesses in Russian defense lines.

In turn, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said that she works on information security at the command post of one of the offensive brigades: "We are minimizing the leakage of information. We will not hide anything, everything has its time. For us, the most important thing is the safety of operations."

17:00 The Armed Forces of Ukraine now have "several options available" as Kiev allocates more funds for the counteroffensive, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said. At the same time, he did not comment on the course of the counteroffensive itself, but noted that Ukraine "retains its personnel and equipment," even when its forces make their way through minefields and other obstacles.

16:36 The Russian Ministry of Sports will invite Ukrainian athletes to the "World Friendship Games" and ensure the safety of their stay on the territory of the Russian Federation, said Minister Oleg Matytsin. The games are scheduled for September 2024, they will be held in Moscow and Yekaterinburg.

16:25 In the Bakhmut direction south of Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces are gradually moving forward. The fighting is going on in the area of ​​Kleshcheevka, Kurdyumovka, Andreevka, said Anna Malyar. To the north of Bakhmut, the Defense Forces repel enemy attacks. In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy is attacking, trying to dislodge the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the dominant heights. To date, the Defense Forces have repulsed several assaults without losing positions. Today, several enemy attacks in the area of ​​the Serebryansky forest were also repelled in the Limansky direction.

15:09 Ukrenergo is preparing for the worst-case scenario in winter, but is confident that the backbone network will be ready to operate without restrictions, Volodymyr Kudrytsky, chairman of the board of the company, said: "We must be prepared for the worst-case scenario, including a repeat of missile and drone attacks on energy infrastructure.. “As for our substations, we have absolute confidence at Ukrenergo that our transmission grid will be ready to operate without restrictions during the heating season and supply consumers from the Ukrainian energy system, without any bottlenecks or restrictions.”

He stressed that information on the state of the energy system will not be made public, as it is sensitive. Kudritsky also advised the population to prepare generators for the winter - "let them be just in case."

14:03 Yesterday, in the suburbs of Vinnitsa, at about 14:00, two Russian Caliber missiles were shot down, five people were injured from the debris, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Borzov. Economic and technical premises were damaged.

13:54 Among the Russian military, there are confirmed facts of an increase in desertion, unauthorized leaving of military units, evasion of orders and self-mutilation in order to avoid being sent to Ukraine, said Anna Malyar. In particular, the vast majority of Russian servicemen who were trained on the territory of Belarus and were redeployed to the training grounds of the Nizhny Novgorod region of the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation in early July to restore losses are trying to avoid being sent to the areas of hostilities.

There is an increase in "information and explanatory work" (that is, intimidation) by the Russian command among Russian military personnel. However, threats of imprisonment and executions are ineffective and demotivate the personnel even more, Maliar noted.

13:48 Parliament extended martial law and mobilization for 90 days - until November 15, 2023. This is the eighth extension since the start of a full-scale war.

13:41 Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin confirmed the information that the United States decided to share evidence of Russian war crimes with the International Criminal Court. He called it "another historic step towards the development of a network of comprehensive responsibility for Russia's international crimes" and thanked US Attorney General Merrick Garland and all colleagues from the US Department of Justice for supporting Ukraine in its struggle for justice.

13:36 The FSB of the Russian Federation announced that it had stopped an attempt at a "terrorist attack" on one of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet, and a serviceman of the Russian Navy allegedly "recruited by the Ukrainian special service" was detained. Two explosive devices with a total mass of 1 kg in TNT equivalent were confiscated from him, he is also suspected of transferring secret information to Ukraine.

13:14 After a series of scandals with "business trips" to luxury resorts, the authorities blocked people's deputies and officials from traveling abroad and will finalize travel legislation, a source in the President's Office told the UE.

12:42 Putin, during his speech at the Russia-Africa forum, said that the Russian Federation is ready to replace Ukrainian grain in Africa, especially "against the backdrop of record harvests." In particular, Russia is ready to supply Burkina Faso, Mali, Eritrea with 25,000-50,000 tons of grain each and ensure free delivery.

Putin claims that during the year of the grain deal, 32.8 million tons of cargo were exported from Ukraine, but more than 70% allegedly "came to high-income countries, primarily the EU." According to him, the Western countries are allegedly obstructing Moscow in the supply of grain to African countries.

11:57 In Russia, two "agents of Ukrainian intelligence" were sentenced to 15 years in a strict regime colony, the FSB reported. Last year they were detained "on suspicion of espionage, involvement in the death of the Russian military and the destruction of military equipment."

11:33 The number of those killed as a result of a rocket attack in Odessa on July 23 increased to two - the body of a woman was found in an uninhabited annex near a destroyed private house on the street. Park, city officials said.

11:16 In France, nine leaders of the local chip manufacturer Ommic were detained as part of an investigation into the illegal transfer of technology to Russia and China, writes Le Parisien. They face up to 15 years in prison.

11:14 Only in the last nine days after Russia's withdrawal from the grain agreement, as a result of enemy attacks, 26 port infrastructure facilities and five civilian ships were damaged and partially destroyed, Minister of Infrastructure Alexander Kubrakov said. In addition, according to him, the Russians restrict navigation in the Crimean region and near the territorial waters of Bulgaria. With this, the Russian Federation actually blocks the movement of ships in the direction of the seaports of Ukraine.

11:09 In Crimea, from July 31, a ban on the passage of civilians to the Arabat Spit is introduced, the FSB of the Russian Federation reported. This decision was made "to localize security threats to the population of the Republic of Crimea, military and other facilities."

11:03 The offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a whole is proceeding according to the plan that Kiev and the West developed in the winter, British Deputy Defense Secretary James Hippie said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph: “At the moment, Ukraine is meeting our expectations. In general, they are fulfilling the plan that was developed together with us , with the Americans and other parties during the winter. This is not a Hollywood movie. There will be no moment when the tanks roll in, the music plays, there is a series of spectacular military shots, and at the end - victory by September. "

The hippie believes that Ukraine is exercising "due care" in refusing to send large numbers of people and transferred weapons into dense Russian minefields. According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine had sufficient firepower ready to make a breakthrough at the right time.

10:51 Russians are attacking Starokonstantinov for the second day in a row in the Khmelnytsky region, where the airfield is located, Air Force Speaker Yuri Ignat said: "The Starokonstantinov airfield does not give the invaders peace. Well, not the airfield itself, but our military pilots who strike. You see what kind "Bavovna" good is happening in the occupied territories. Therefore, today this airfield is under the gun."

10:46 The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation put on the wanted list the judge of the International Criminal Court Tomoko Akane, who issued an arrest warrant for Putin and children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova. Earlier, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened criminal cases against Akane and two other judges, as well as the ICC prosecutor, on "bringing a knowingly innocent person to criminal responsibility" and "preparing to attack a representative of a foreign state enjoying international protection."

10:37 British intelligence has noticed that Russia has recently reinforced its troops in southern Ukraine with new Ka-52M helicopters. They have been significantly upgraded, taking into account the lessons learned from the Russian experience in Syria, experts say. One of the key improvements to the Ka-52 is the integration of the new LMUR anti-tank missile, which has a range of about 15 km. Crews of the Ka-52 were quick to take advantage of the opportunity to launch the weapon outside the reach of Ukrainian air defenses, the review said.

10:14 a.m. Zelensky announced that he had held an off-site meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in Dnipro, in the area of ​​​​responsibility of the Tavria operational-strategic group of troops. We discussed the situation at the front, the course of offensive and defensive operations, the provision of troops with ammunition, as well as the effectiveness of the use of existing air defense systems and the strengthening of the air shield, taking into account future revenues. According to the president, a comprehensive inspection of territorial recruitment centers and social support is coming to an end, 11 regions are "under special control."

10:09 Up to 82% of the wounded and sick Ukrainian military return to duty after treatment, said Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar. According to her, about 80% of the wounded receive the necessary assistance during the so-called golden hour. And thanks to the professionalism of the Ukrainian medical staff, the death rate of the military at the evacuation stage decreased to 1.35%.

09:48 The FSB of the Russian Federation announced that it had identified another foreign civilian vessel, which allegedly could have been used to deliver explosives to Ukraine. Traces of TNT and dinitrotoluene were allegedly found in the hold and on the surface of the boat of the foreign dry cargo ship BMO River, en route from the Turkish Sinop to Rostov. In June and July, the ship called at the Ukrainian port of Reni twice, according to the FSB. A decision was made to ban the passage of the vessel through the Kerch Strait.

09:30 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed (in Zhelezny), nine more were injured, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.

09:07 At night, the Russians attacked the village of Kovsharovka, Kupyansky district, Kharkiv region, with a KAB-250 guided bomb. A five-story residential building and a neighboring nine-story building were damaged. One person died, four were injured, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said.

In addition, a S-300 missile hit a non-residential building in Veliky Burluk, Kupyansky district, at night. Also, during the past day, the enemy fired artillery, mortars and other weapons at the settlements of Bogodukhovsky, Kharkov, Izyum, Chuguevsky and Kupyansky districts, people were not injured.

08:56 Ukrainian troops continue their offensive north and south of Bakhmut, on the southern front they were successful in the Staromayorsky area, they are fixed on the achieved lines, said the speaker of the General Staff Andriy Kovalev.

08:50 At night, Russia attacked Ukraine with attack UAVs and cruise missiles. In total, two launches of Caliber cruise missiles from a submarine in the Black Sea and eight launches of Shahed-136/131 Iranian kamikaze drones from the direction of Primorsko-Akhtarsk were recorded. Caliber attacked the port infrastructure of the Odessa region, failed to bring them down. At the same time, all eight attack drones were destroyed within the borders of the Khmelnitsky, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions, the Air Force command said.

08:37 The Ukrainian command notified Washington of a new phase of the counteroffensive, writes The New York Times, citing unnamed American officials. In particular, reinforced Ukrainian groups will try to move south through Russian minefields and fortifications to Tokmok, and if successful, to Melitopol. The goal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to break the so-called land corridor between the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and Crimea, or at least advance far enough to put the peninsula within the reach of Ukrainian artillery.

The new Defense Forces operation, if successful, could take one to three weeks, Ukrainian officials told colleagues in Washington. In general, the front in the Zaporozhye region is one of the three axes of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. One of Ukraine's military goals is to reach the Sea of ​​Azov, driving a wedge between Russian-occupied territories in southern and eastern Ukraine.

08:18 At night, the Russians attacked the Odessa region with Caliber missiles, aimed at the port infrastructure. As a result of the hit, a civilian security guard was killed, the equipment of one of the cargo terminals was damaged, a security building and two cars were destroyed, Oleg Kiper, the head of the IVA, said.

08:09 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of July 27:

  • personnel - about 244,270 (+590) people liquidated,

  • tanks - 4186 (+9),

  • armored combat vehicles - 8147 (+11),

  • artillery systems - 4745 (+18),

  • MLRS - 698 (+0),

  • air defense systems - 457 (+0),

  • aircraft - 315 (+0),

  • helicopters - 311 (+0),

  • UAV operational-tactical level - 3996 (+3),

  • cruise missiles - 1347 (+40),

  • ships/boats - 18 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tankers - 7229 (+18),

  • special equipment - 708 (+0).

  • 07:35 Over the past day, 28 clashes took place at the front, the General Staff said in the morning summary .


02:23 Biden gave a secret order to transfer evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, writes The New York Times, citing sources. Officials say the president's decision undermines months of resistance from the Pentagon, which has argued that such a move could set a precedent that would allow the US military to be targeted.

According to the publication, US intelligence agencies have collected information, including details about the decision of Russian officials to deliberately target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and forcibly deport thousands of Ukrainian children from the occupied territory. The US has already shared some of this evidence with Ukrainian prosecutors but has refrained from providing it to The Hague.

00:06 Ukraine is starting a new stage in the issue of security guarantees - the process of concluding bilateral agreements with partner countries as part of the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, adopted at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Yermak said after a telephone conversation with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan . The parties also discussed the implementation of the Peace Formula, the possibility of holding a future Global Peace Summit, and the situation at the front.


Posted by: badanov 2023-07-28
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=673849