According to its own statements and according to the assessment of Western secret services, Ukraine is making progress in its efforts to recapture parts of southern Ukraine. According to the British Defense Ministry, the bombing of three bridges over the Dnipro is making it difficult for Moscow to supply the occupied territories. The city of Cherson, the most politically important city in the region under Russian control, is now all but cut off from the rest of the occupied territories. Meanwhile, fighting in eastern Ukraine continues unabated and is approaching the towns of Bakhmut and Soledar. The 155th day of the war at a glance.
Ukraine is apparently targeting Moscow’s supply routes
The Ukrainian general staff announced on Facebook that there are currently positional battles in the Kherson region and that Russian troops have counterattacked on the border with the Dnepropetrovsk region. For weeks, Kyiv has nurtured hopes that parts of southern Ukraine will soon be recaptured.
Western security circles announced on Wednesday that Ukraine was making progress with its counter-offensive in the Cherson region. With bridges destroyed or damaged, Moscow is losing important supply routes. On the Russian side there are serious problems with supplies and the morale of the armed forces. “In our view, an operational pause is inevitable,” said a senior Western official.
Zelenskyy wants to liberate and rebuild Ukraine
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to rebuild the bombed bridges and other destroyed parts of the country after the reconquest. On the new holiday celebrating the country’s statehood, he was confident of victory: “We will liberate our entire country with military, diplomatic and all other accessible instruments.” According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine has so far lost control of around 20 percent of its territory. He demanded more heavy weapons from the West to stop Russian attacks and liberate occupied territories.
Bundeswehr delivers NBC defense package to Ukraine
Although the Bundeswehr does not provide the Ukrainian armed forces with heavy weapons, it does provide vehicles and equipment for the disposal of nuclear, biological or chemical warfare agents. “I have now decided to also deliver a German NBC defense package,” said Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht.” The package, worth over 860,000 euros, includes HEP70 systems, which include six vehicles with complete decontamination equipment. The training Ukrainian soldiers on the device has already been completed.
Ongoing fighting in eastern Ukraine
Meanwhile, in the eastern war zone of Donetsk, fighting between troops from Kiev and Moscow is moving closer to the towns of Bakhmut and Soledar. The Ukrainian general staff announced that the enemy had achieved partial success near Werschyna, south-east of Bakhmut. On the other hand, other attacks in the Bachmut area and also in neighboring Soledar were repelled. Russian attacks north of Sloviansk also failed. Artillery fired on Ukrainian positions in dozens of places in Donetsk and the neighboring Kharkiv region. There were also air raids.
Media: Civilians killed by Russian missiles
At least five people were killed and 26 others injured in a Russian missile attack in the central Ukrainian city of Kropvnitsky, according to Ukrainian media, citing the head of the local military administration, Andriy Rajkovich. Civilians are among the injured. According to the online newspaper Ukrajinska Pravda, at least 15 people were injured in further rocket attacks in the Kyiv region. Civilians are also affected here.
Moscow calls US report on Russian deaths “fake”
According to US estimates, the number of victims is also increasing on the Russian side. However, the Kremlin in Moscow has now rejected the figures given in the USA as “fake”. This is not information from the US government, but only media reports, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. CNN quoted Elissa Slotkin, a Democratic member of the House of Representatives, who had previously attended a secret US government briefing. She said: “We have been informed that more than 75,000 Russians have been either killed or injured, which is enormous.”
There is no current information from the official authorities in Russia on the number of deaths. Most recently, the number of 1351 dead was mentioned. The US foreign intelligence agency CIA recently estimated that 15,000 people had died on the Russian side. In Ukraine, one’s own losses are considered a state secret. By mid-July, however, President Selenskyj had posthumously awarded medals to around 3,500 dead soldiers. Presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych put the losses at “up to 10,000” in early June.
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