"Russian Ministry of Defense instructs on “building up military operations in Ukraine in all directions.” The Ukrainian army repulsed the attack on the Vuhlehirska thermal power plant. Russian forces make limited to incremental, if any, gains around the northern Donbas, held off by Ukrainian defenses. Russian forces continue to deploy indiscriminate artillery bombardment, along with air missile strikes. The Netherlands will help Britain train Ukrainian soldiers. The EU is preparing a “golden package” of sanctions against Russia. The US and Saudi Arabia agreed to help Ukraine with grain exports. The special services of the Russian Federation have stepped up their activities in the countries of Eastern Europe." One interesting announcement: Someone in Ukraine government says that will soon begin using the powerful HIMAR systems against military targets in Crimea. We know that USA has prohibited their use against russian territory and of course russia annexed crimea in 2014. But this annexation has never been accepted as legal by most of the world. Is Ukraine just floating an idea to see how USA and russia will react? https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/07...FU5Erq_5Uf2bkvqh5GLNPb-5iQDZZWucEgzLXK1TGbjHg
Russia Accidentally Shoots Down Their Own $36M Su-34 Bomber https://www.newsweek.com/russia-shoots-su-34-bomber-luhansk-ukraine-claims-1725524
Russia Says It’s Losing Because Ukraine Has Experimental Mutant Troops Created in Secret Biolabss Nearly five months into its senseless war against Ukraine, Russia has concocted a wild new explanation for why the Kremlin’s plans for a quick takeover fell apart so spectacularly—because Ukrainian troops were turned into superhuman killing machines during “secret experiments” in American-run biolabs, of course. Never mind the myriad reports of Russian troops refusing to fight by the thousands, sabotaging their own shoddy equipment and even deliberately wounding themselves to abandon the war, Russian lawmakers claim the real setback for Moscow was “drugged up” Ukrainian soldiers. That claim was made Monday by two Russian lawmakers heading up a commission to investigate “biolaboratories” in Ukraine, Kommersant reported. Konstantin Kosachev, the deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, and Irina Yarovaya, deputy chair of the State Duma, touted what they described as bombshell findings from the “investigation.” Testing of Ukrainian POWs’ blood, they claimed, uncovered “a range of diseases” that suggest they were secretly experimented on “for military purposes.” “And we see: the cruelty and barbarity with which the military personnel of Ukraine behave, the crimes that they commit against the civilian population, those monstrous crimes that they commit against prisoners of war, confirm that this system for the control and creation of a cruel murder machine was implemented under the management of the United States,” Yarovaya was quoted telling reporters. “And those performance enhancing drugs that they are still given in order to completely neutralize the last traces of human consciousness and turn them into the most cruel and deadly monsters also confirm this,” she claimed. Bizarrely, she also claimed that the presence of Hepatitis A antibodies in Ukrainian prisoners’ blood was proof of an American biolabs conspiracy, since a former health minister for Ukraine was a dual Ukrainian-American citizen who had worked to acquire drugs for the treatment of hepatitis in the country. “It is quite possible that this was about testing these drugs on military personnel,” Yarovaya said. The claims appeared to be a new take on the biolabs conspiracy theory that Russia’s Defense Ministry has routinely rolled out to try and justify the war. While the conspiracy theory dates all the way back to the Soviet Union, it has been amplified more frequently by Kremlin figures after the Feb. 24 invasion, as Moscow’s initial claim that it invaded Ukraine in order to “de-Nazify” a country led by a Jewish president failed to gain much traction beyond its own domestic propaganda. The latest iteration appears to be aimed at explaining away Russia’s military setbacks by way of mutant Ukrainian troops. https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-says-losing-because-ukraine-104546288.html
Russia's highest ranked female tennis player, Daria Kasatkina, came out as gay and called for end to war in Ukraine.
Day 146: Russian military prioritizes the seizure of Siversk and Bakhmut. Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast under shelling for 19 hours in a row. Russians carry out 10 strikes in the Odesa Oblast. Gazprom declared force majeure on gas supplies to Europe: Russia might blackmail Europe for helping Ukraine. Europe looks at other sources of gas. European Commission President signs a memorandum on strategic partnership in the energy sector with the Azerbaijani President. The first batch of American Abrams tanks arrives in Poland. Possible resistance in ethnic enclaves in Russia. (Euromaidan Press did not post update yesterday) https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/07...dQvcAf0avFkpaj3FfzkG-QBb5sreOco6zZg-sUhlZXrLI
Darth Putin @DarthPutinKGB Day 146 of my 3 day war. Unable to beat Ukrainians, my air force has started shooting its own planes down. I remain a master strategist.
Thought you might be interested in this. There is some anti-gay sentiment in Ukraine but they are trying to be better. (russia is going in the opposite direction in general) On July 14-15 2022, KyivPride and Odesa LGBTQ+ Association “LIGA” presented an exhibition “I am in Ukraine / I am outside Ukraine.” The show is dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community during the war and covers many ways in which the LGBTQ+ community helps Ukraine fight the Russian aggression at home and abroad. The exhibition was first shown in Kyiv during Pride Month to attract the attention of the international community to the war in Ukraine and to the role of the LGBTQ+ community in the struggle of the Ukrainian people against the Russian invaders. It presented photo stories of LGBTQ+ people from different regions in Ukraine engaged in volunteer activities and fighting as military personnel and territorial defense volunteers in their home country and fundraising, organizing protests, and shedding the light on the war while temporarily living abroad. https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/07...0jQvP6kkQCCtfv1I8WI4GUcJ8rj5bmn9ROc2POwwQhsxA
Ukrainians received Dissident Human Rights Award "Our long-suffering warning to the world: remember that the darkest past easily returns. And in some places it has not disappeared and only pretends to be modern. At the price of heroic efforts, we fight not only for our freedom. We are fighting to ensure that Stalin's Great Terror is never again used anywhere in the civilized world," Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska said in Washington Since 2015, the prize has been awarded to activists and dissidents — representatives of enslaved peoples for their courage in defending human rights and freedom. This year, for the first time, it was awarded not to a specific individual, but to the entire people of Ukraine for the "courageous struggle for freedom and against Russia's aggressive war."
I had read about Pride in Ukraine but not as much detail. It looks from my distance like Russia can't win in the ground but is still ruling the skies. Not so much land war but constant missile attacks. Is that correct?
It's somewhat correct. They use a lot of missiles and you have seen the damage in the cities. But a lot of their missiles get shot down and a lot don't hit anywhere near their targets. In general their planes are afraid to fly over Ukrainian held territory as Ukraine will shoot them down (one Ukrainian soldier has shot down six using a handheld manpad, not really meant for jets). russia's main area of dominance is artillery, supposedly have ten times as much as Ukraine and plenty of shells. Ukraine is running out of shells for it's soviet style artillery so is relying more on NATO artillery but has very little of it. Ukraine is now making great use of HIMARs, powerful and very accurate rocket systems supplied by the West. They are knocking out ammo depots and headquarter groups that are far behind russian lines. They are recently using to try to destroy a bridge that connects occupied Kherson in the south to Crimea. They only have about 12 HIMARs and are begging for more.
Day 147. Russia prepares to annex Ukrainian territory. The US announces 4 new HIMARS systems for Ukraine. Russia continues to make minimal gains in its Donbas offensive, with Ukrainian forces holding the line. Ukrainians completely liquidated a group of PMC “Wagner” (“League”). Ukrainian troops strike enemy tank platoon, command posts in the south. Ukraine expects to harvest about 67M tonnes of grain and oilseed crops in 2022. SBU collects evidence of Russian nuclear terrorism in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Ukraine, EU sign memorandum on EUR 1B tranche. Putin visits Iran. https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/07...kKML4Gsq-mBk-rheVs-W8myQDXaA3_ZRMMy6VgCVCEmKs
Ukraine Invites Weapon Makers To 'Test Products' on Russian Forces Ukraine's defense minister has urged the U.S. and other international partners to keep sending cutting-edge weapons to the war torn country, describing the battlefields as a valuable "testing ground" for new arms. Oleksii Reznikov said on Tuesday that Ukraine's resolute defense against Russia's ongoing invasion showed Kyiv's forces are capable of handling the most modern and devastating weapons that NATO nations have to offer. These include the U.S.-made HIMARS rocket artillery system partially credited with stabilizing the front line in the east and south in recent weeks, Reznikov said. "Ukraine is now essentially a testing ground," Reznikov told an online Atlantic Council event. "Many weapons are now getting tested in the field in real conditions of battle against the Russian army, which has plenty of warning systems of its own." Kyiv is sharing details of Russian electronic warfare, signals intelligence, air defense, missile technology and more with its international partners, Reznikov said. "We are sharing all the information and experience with our partners," he explained. "We are interested in testing modern systems in the fight against the enemy, and we are inviting arms manufacturers to test new products here." Reznikov noted Ukraine's significant use of American, French, and Polish artillery pieces, as well as Turkish drones, among other foreign-made systems. "It's a good chance to test their equipment," he added. "Give us the tools, we will finish the job, you will have new information." To finish the job, Reznikov said Ukraine needs a broad range of fresh weapons systems. Air and rocket defense systems are needed to blunt Russia's devastating missile strikes around the country, while more long-range artillery, aviation, tanks, and other vehicles are needed to press counter-offensives. More anti-ship missiles, the minister added, would help harass Russian warships in the Black Sea and re-open sea lanes to ship Ukrainian grain and other exports. Western high-precision, long-range artillery has helped slow the Russian advance in the eastern Donbas region and destroy key logistics and command hubs, Reznikov said. More are now needed to eject the occupiers, he added." We need them fast, because wherever we stop the enemy they begin to dig in...this will increase our losses during the counter-offensives," Reznikov said. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry to request comment. With the Russian eastern offensive slowing, attention is now moving to southern Kherson Oblast where Ukrainian troops are preparing the ground for a major counter-offensive. "The Kremlin doesn't control the south of Ukraine, we will definitely liberate it," Reznikov said. "But we need to accumulate more weaponry." The eight HIMARS so far sent to Ukraine have been particularly helpful, Reznikov said. The U.S. has already committed to sending four more, with Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby saying Tuesday that Kyiv would receive an unspecified number of additional systems. "We are using HIMARS systems precisely, like the scalpel of a surgeon," Reznikov said. "We will not use the Russian 'meat grinder' strategy." Ukraine needs a minimum of 15 HIMARS to stabilize the current front lines, the defense minister said, and at least 100 to be a "game changer on the battlefield" and support successful counter-offensives. Ukraine has so far only been supplied with HIMARS munitions with a range of 50 miles. The U.S. has held back the more advanced rockets with ranges of between 90 and 180 miles, fearing subsequent escalation by Russia. "Long-range systems would allow us to completely destroy their logistics, and rapidly cut off the Russian army from its support," Reznikov said. He added that following the recent dramatic strikes against Russian depots in the south and east, occupying units are moving their logistics and command hubs further from the front. The defense minister suggested that the U.S. may eventually come around to providing the full range of HIMARS munitions. "I remain optimistic," Reznikov said. "For me, the word 'impossible' means 'possible in the future.'" https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-invites-weapons-test-russia-forces-defense-minister-1726243
Yes. This bridge was built at a height to block passage of larger Ukrainian cargo ships. The building of it was really an act of war. It would really induce panic if it was destroyed. However russia has said they will strike government centers in Kyiv if the bridge is attacked. So it might depend on when Ukraine feels like they have a good enough air defense to stop a missile attack on Kyiv.
Day 148. Kyiv and its partners will no longer announce the number of weapons Ukraine receives. The Russian Foreign Minister announces that Russia will respond to the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine by seizing new territories. Russian forces resume limited ground attacks in Donbas but fail to seize the Vuhlehirska power plant, Ukraine’s second biggest power plant, 50km northeast of Donetsk. Ukrainian forces conducted the second consecutive high-precision strike against the Antonivskyi Bridge, a major Russian logistics artery east of Kherson City. The Ukrainian military continues to destroy the Russian weapons depots. Russian authorities use Ukrainian high-precision strikes and partisan activity to start mass deportations of Ukrainian citizens to Russia. Ramstein-4: “No fatigue from the war in Ukraine.” First Lady of Ukraine speaks in the USCongress. Putin might face another war front as a Chechen battalion prepares a second offensive against the Russian Federation. https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/07...28niHBUpqJMPOBEZ4kJBu1S8_xV4JF8z3abXprgRH2FCI
"The Russian military isn’t just bombing civilians. It’s also targeting the laws and values that protect human rights." Anne Applebaum is one of the premier historians studying russia. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/07/russia-war-crimes-terrorism-definition/670500/
Day 149. Russian forces conducted a few limited and highly localized ground attacks. Russian troops have used up to 55-60% of Russia’s pre-war reserve of high-precision missiles. Russian forces move military equipment and explosives to the engine room at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant violating fire safety guidelines. Zelenskyy says the latest EU sanctions against Russia are not enough. https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/07...BIm0_ByAzi1rKbGfitjh5Sa71zuip_aDJn5a8GDXWIJXY
