The Ukrainian army is coming under increasing pressure in the eastern region of Donetsk – but according to its own statements it has initially fended off all Russian advances. Since conquering the neighboring region of Luhansk, the Russians have concentrated their attacks in the Donbass on Donetsk, where they have so far conquered around 60 percent of the territory. Russian offensives in the direction of the cities of Sloviansk, Bakhmut and Avdiivka had been repelled, the Ukrainian general staff said in its evening report. Fierce fighting has been raging around Bakhmut in particular for days. The small town is considered a cornerstone of the defense system surrounding the last Ukrainian-held metropolitan area in Donbass. Should Bakhmut and other smaller towns fall, the way for Russia’s troops would be largely free in the direction of the major cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
According to the Russian occupation administration, one of its members died after an attack in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson. The deputy head of the administration set up by the Russians in the city of Nova Kakhovka, Vitaly Gura, has succumbed to his injuries, pro-Russian politician Yekaterina Gubareva wrote on Telegram. Accordingly, he is said to have been attacked by unknown persons with a gun earlier in the day near his house. Russian troops installed their own administrations in several occupied areas of southern Ukraine. Since then, there have been repeated protests from the population against the new occupying power, particularly in Cherson. Russian and pro-Russian media also repeatedly reported attacks.
Ukraine says it has liberated at least 1,060 of the 3,649 Russian-occupied towns. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said so in a video address published on Telegram. However, most places would need to be demined and rebuilt. According to the Kyiv Independent, 1,028 settlements had been liberated on July 18.
According to a media report by the British “Daily Mail”, mobile crematoria are said to be in operation day and night in the Russian-occupied city of Cherson. According to local Ukrainian activists, Russian soldiers are supposed to cremate the bodies of murdered Ukrainian collaborators and their own comrades there. Hundreds of Russian soldiers were killed by Ukrainian shells falling from artillery positions around the city and by strong Ukrainian resistance.
The first cargo ship with Ukrainian grain since the beginning of the war docked in Lebanon later than expected. The arrival of the ship “Razoni” planned for this Sunday has been cancelled, reported the ARD, citing the Ukrainian ambassador in Lebanon. No information was given about the reasons. The Russian state news agency Tass, citing a source from the port administration in Tripoli in northern Lebanon, reported that the freighter will dock there on Tuesday – it has changed its route.
The head of the Ukrainian branch of the human rights organization Amnesty International resigned in response to a controversial report on the warfare by the Ukrainian army. “Unless you live in a country that’s being invaded by occupiers who are tearing it to pieces, you probably don’t understand what it’s like to condemn an army of defenders,” Oxanna Pokalchuk wrote on Facebook. In a report published last Thursday, Amnesty accused the Ukrainian army of entrenching itself in residential areas and thereby unnecessarily endangering civilians.
Is the Pope going to Ukraine soon? The Ukrainian ambassador to the Vatican fueled this rumor after an audience with Francis. Ukraine has been waiting for the head of the Catholic Church since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, Andriy Yurasch wrote on Twitter. And they will be happy to “welcome him before his trip to Kazakhstan”. The pontiff is planning a three-day trip to Kazakhstan for September 13.
That will be important on Sunday
In the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian army continues to defend the last major conurbation still under its control in the Donbass. In particular, the strategically important small town of Bakhmut is under severe pressure from Russian attacks.
The Russian army experiences a deadly inferno in Ukraine. According to two military researchers, Putin’s troops will have to deal with the aftermath for a long time. An example case illustrates what happened on the battlefield.
Russia is now taking a new measure to recruit more people for the army. According to a media report, male employees of state-owned companies are laid off if they can be dispensed with. However, they should not be used at the front.
The Russian company Gazprom apparently burns part of the gas that is actually supposed to go to Germany in a targeted manner at the Nord Stream 1 compressor station near Saint Petersburg.
The losses on the Russian side have not been officially communicated, but observers assume around 15,000 casualties. In order to advance his “special operation”, Putin needs many new soldiers. And they come primarily from remote, poor provinces.
