Daily Briefing From Ukraine

·      Top 8 Headlines

·      President Zelensky’s Message of the Day

·      Ukraine Summer Offensive Summary

·      Infographic of the Day

Headlines

1.     The Ukrainian military liberated the village of Staromaiorske. in the Velyka Novosilka district of the Donetsk region. President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video from soldiers in the liberated settlement on Telegram. “The 35th Separate Marine Infantry Brigade and the 7th Separate Battalion ‘Arey’ liberated the village of Staromaiorske. Glory to Ukraine,” said a Ukrainian serviceman. Its re-taking was confirmed by Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar and a spokesperson of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The village is 90 kilometers north of occupied Mariupol.

2.     President Volodymyr Zelensky inspected the damage to the renowned Transfiguration Cathedral caused by a recent massive Russian bombardment of Odesa. He called for increased Western air defense support for the site.

3.     US intelligence believes China is supplying Russia with military technologies that Russia uses in its war against Ukraine. An agency report said that “the PRC is providing some dual-use technology that Moscow’s military uses to continue the war in Ukraine, despite an international cordon of sanctions and export controls.” American intel also reported that China has become Russia’s “most important trading partner” since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Other Topics of Interest

Scholz Urges More Ukrainian Refugees in Germany to Take Up Work

Germany is the EU country that has taken in the most Ukrainian refugees, about a third of the total. However, only about 18% were employed in January 2024, one of the lowest rates in the OECD.

4.     Ukraine’s postal service plans to issue a stamp in honor of Ukrainian fencer Olha Kharlan, who was disqualified from the World Fencing Championship in Italy as a result of provocation by a Russian competitor. The Ukrainian world champion refused to shake the hand of her opponent from the Russian Federation, whom she defeated. “Today, we realized that the country that terrorizes our state, our people, and our families, also terrorizes sports,” Kharlan said. Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba called on the International Fencing Federation to cancel her suspension from participation in the World Championship and allow her to compete.

5.     Three hundred and forty-three Ukrainian healthcare facilities damaged during the war have been fully restored, according to the Health Minister. “To date, more than 1,500 healthcare facilities have been damaged or destroyed. We strive not just to restore them but to rebuild them better than they were... More than 700 objects of healthcare facilities have already been partially or completely restored,” Viktor Lyashko said. Most facilities were restored in the Mykolayiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions.

6.     Ukraine’s Prosecutor General believes Yuriy Aristov, a national parliamentarian from the Servant of the People party, illegally went on vacation to the Maldives earlier this month. He is currently under investigation for potential prosecution for falsifying documents.

7.     The state budget of Ukraine received $1.5 billion in concessional financing from the World Bank under a guarantee by the Government of Japan. “The involved financing will be aimed at recovery of the economy and strengthening the social protection of the population,” Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko said.

8.     Skydio autonomous drones will be provided to Ukraine for the documentation of war crimes. The American Agency for International Assistance (USAID) will deliver nine to the Prosecutor General’s Office. It’s anticipated they’ll be used to document more than 115,000 cases of destruction of civilian infrastructure and evidence of human rights violations in frontline communities and liberated territories, the agency said.

President Zelensky’s Message

Infographic of the Day

Ukraine Summer Offensive Summary

Snapshot

Ukraine took back the village of Staromaiorske in the western Donetsk region and may have made territorial gains south of Orikhiv in western Zaporizhzhia.

Operational Aspects on Southern Front

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted footage on July 27 showing Ukrainian forces inside Staromaiorske (9 km south of Velyka Novosilka) in the western Donetsk region following heavy fighting in the area.

The morning update of the General Staff of the AFU said: “Under heavy fire from aircraft and artillery, the Ukrainian Defense Forces liberated the settlement of Staromaiorske (Donetsk region).”

“At the same time, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to conduct the offensive operation on Melitopol and Berdyansk axes, consolidating their positions,” it continued.

Geolocated footage published on July 26 suggests Ukrainian forces made additional advances east of Robotyne (10 km south of Orikhiv) during offensive operations, according to ISW.

Pro-Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces this morning renewed assaults near Robotyne after their July 26 breakthrough of Russian defensive positions northeast of the settlement.

Operational Aspects in Bakhmut

Geolocated footage published on July 26 indicates that Ukrainian forces also made marginal advances north of Klishchiivka (7 km southwest of Bakhmut), according to ISW.

Pro-Russian milbloggers stated that “in the Bakhmut axis, Ukrainian troops, after shelling, advanced in the area of Kurdyumovka and Andriivka.”

Operational Aspects on Northern Front

Russian forces conducted offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on the northern front, as well as in Bakhmut, along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line, and in the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia regional border area and did not make any confirmed advances, according to ISW.

General Developments

According to the morning update of the General Staff of the AFU, Russian forces launched 3 cruise missile attacks, 29 air strikes, and more than 70 MLRS attacks at the positions of Ukrainian troops and various settlements. Ukraine conducted seven air strikes.

Ninety Ukrainian settlements and troop positions were hit by Russian artillery and mortar fire, according to the General Staff.

Moscow’s Mayor claimed that Ukraine conducted an unsuccessful drone strike on Russia’s capital last night.

Ukraine’s border service transferred additional personnel to the country’s north, and its military strengthened local fortifications with additional anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, amid reports of the presence of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus.

Abrams tanks will be Ukraine’s battlefield in September 2023, according to Politico. The first batch will include six to eight units. In total, the US promised in January to send 31 tanks. The US will send older Abrams M1A models – not the more modern A2 version – for operational reasons.

Norway allocated $25 million for military support to Ukraine through the European Peace Fund. Norway earmarked the amount for the supply of ammunition and spare parts for Leopard 2 tanks. In addition, by the end of the year, Ukraine should receive two Skynex air defense systems from the Rheinmetall concern as funded by Norway.