Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:09 Beijing will not side with Ukraine or Russia in the current war, since China will only side with China, Kuleba said in an interview with TSN following his visit to China: "Those who believe that China will side with Russia or Ukraine are deeply mistaken and are looking too superficially at China's strategic vision of the development of the situation in the world, not only in Ukraine."
The minister also claims that "the position on supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is unshakable for the PRC." According to Kuleba, the head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry emphasized during the meeting that Ukraine needs "a fair and lasting peace."
21:27 The Russian X-101 missile that struck the Okhmatdet children's hospital in Kiev contained an American chip, The New York Times writes, citing the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption of Ukraine. In particular, the missile used a Field Programmable Gate Array manufactured by American companies Intel or AMD. The publication notes that since the beginning of the war, Russia has imported such chips for $390 million. Such chips are used in alarms, missiles, and UAVs for fast data processing.
20:39 The Ukrainian defense industry is becoming "completely different - stronger, more efficient," Zelensky said in an evening video address. The president emphasized that "foreign funds have finally begun to work in defense production in a real and noticeable way - not only state budget funds, but also investments by partners in defense production in Ukraine."
"Today we have decided on updated tasks with Ukroboronprom and our missilemen. In many areas, we not only have potential or some specific results, but also supplies for the performance of tasks by the Defense and Security Forces - growing supplies. Plus, we are preparing steps for our long-range drones to achieve greater quantity and higher quality," the president added.
19:31 Russians have struck the village of Pristin in the Kupyansk community of the Kharkiv region, three people were wounded, reported the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. Two more people were injured as a result of Russian shelling of the village of Russkaya Lozovaya in the Kharkiv region.
19:17 Russian troops attacked a vehicle carrying humanitarian aid in Kindeyka, Kherson region, the driver was wounded, OVA reported. Another person was wounded as a result of another Russian shelling of Kherson.
19:03 Trump said that in his recent conversation with Zelensky, he told him that "we have to end this war." "You're up against a war machine. That's what they do - they fight wars. They beat Hitler. They beat Napoleon. But the spring offensive never happened. And I said the Russians have millions of mines and thousands of army tanks. I said we have to end this war. A lot of Russians have been killed, but a lot of Ukrainians have been killed. It's a total mess. It shouldn't have happened," Trump stressed, adding that "Biden shouldn't have allowed this."
"It was easy to stop. President Putin would never have done that for two reasons. Number one, oil prices were low under me. I kept them low. I kept gasoline prices low. As soon as the new government came in, oil went up to almost $100 a barrel, which is twice what it should have been, and suddenly Russia had huge amounts of money that they didn't have. And then I think one of the reasons Putin did that is because he saw Afghanistan, how we got out of it. Putin saw that, President Xi of China saw that - strong guys, strong people," Trump said.
18:36 During his visit to Hong Kong, Kuleba met with the head of the administration John Lee and called for closing the path for Russia to bypass sanctions. The parties also discussed new opportunities for trade and investment in the context of Ukraine's recovery.
18:00 In the morning, the Russian army used the FAB-1500 for the first time in Kupyansk-Uzlovaya in the Kharkiv region - as a result of the airstrike, one person was wounded, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.
17:41 Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that the discussion on the return to Ukraine of those who evade military service is being conducted at the EU level. "Here we can set such conditions for the stay of Ukrainians in the EU that will stimulate them to fulfill their obligations to defend their homeland," he added.
17:23 A project to exchange collaborators for captured Ukrainians has been launched in Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reported. The state project is called I Want to Return to My Own and should facilitate the return of Ukrainians from Russian captivity. The first and main goal of the project is to make public information about convicted Russian agents, traitors, and collaborators who collaborated or assisted Russian occupation forces in the war against Ukraine. The information will be published on the project's website, where, through the "consent to exchange" option, convicted collaborators will be able to agree to be exchanged for Ukrainians in Russian captivity.
Thanks to the project, it will also be possible to learn about the possibility of ending forced cooperation with the enemy and how to inform law enforcement about enemy agents in your environment.
16:52 Russia is preparing an offensive on Hulyaipole in the Zaporizhia region, Bild writes, citing sources among the Ukrainian military. According to them, the Russians are currently concentrating near the city of Polohy in order to attack Hulyaipole from there. Meanwhile, a Bild source in Western military circles reports that Ukraine, thanks to the current mobilization, intends to begin local counterattacks as early as this fall. According to him, Kiev presented such a plan to its allies on the eve of the NATO summit in Washington.
16:27 The new commander of the British army, Roly Walker, believes that Russia may need five years to completely capture the four regions of Ukraine that it is laying claim to - Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk. In doing so, the Russian army will lose more than 1.5 million people. "Russia should have more concerns than losing the best part of 1.5 to 1.8 million people for a piece of Ukraine," Walker said. At the same time, he added that for Ukraine, the big question is whether it will be able to continue to defend itself given the current course of events on the battlefield.
15:59 British intelligence believes that Ukrainian attacks on the port of Kavkaz could force Russia to return to the risky transportation of fuel via the Kerch Bridge.
14:45 Czech President Petr Pavel called for Russia and China to be involved in peace talks on Ukraine. Particularly important, according to him, is China's participation as a "major global player" that can influence Moscow. If Beijing refuses to negotiate, Russia "will not feel an internal need to act" and "will try to gain advantages for itself," Pavel believes. At the same time, he stressed that the negotiations will be meaningless if Moscow continues to put forward conditions for Ukraine's capitulation.
Pavel also expects "a certain shift" in the war in Ukraine in late 2024 or early 2025 due to elections around the world, including in the US, and "war fatigue that is reflected on both sides."
13:58 Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu confirmed that Russian drone debris had been found on Romanian territory. According to her, Romania had informed its allies about the incident and was coordinating its actions with them.
13:41 A resident of Antonovka in the Kherson region was admitted to hospital after being hit by an enemy strike, OVA reported. Another person was injured in Antonovka as a result of a Russian drone attack.
13:02 Peskov stated that Russia is "generally open" to the negotiation process with Ukraine, but "we need to understand whether the Ukrainian side is ready for this."
12:49 According to the results of the first half of 2024, the share of Ukrainian manufacturers in the total volume of contracts of the procurement agency of the Ministry of Defense, the State Logistics Operator, amounted to 80%, and the Defense Procurement Agency - 70%, the Ministry of Defense reported.
12:23 EU countries did not support Hungary and Slovakia in their claims against Ukraine regarding the transit of Russian oil, writes the Financial Times. According to the publication, representatives of 11 EU countries spoke out against the demands of Hungary and Slovakia to respond to the blocking of transit.
12:11 Russians attacked a local resident of Kindeyka, Kherson region, from a drone, he died, OVA reported. Another person was injured as a result of explosives being dropped from a drone in the village of Sadovoe.
12:07 Romanian military personnel sent to survey the Danube bank after Russia's drone attack on Ukrainian ports have discovered debris that could be fragments of downed "shahids," local publication Digi24 writes.
11:20 Starting today, all Ukrainians whose homes were damaged or destroyed as a result of Russian aggression can apply to the international Register of Losses in The Hague, which will become the basis for future reparations. This can be done on the Diia portal, said Mykhailo Fedorov, head of the Ministry of Digital Transformation. An application can be submitted even if the property rights are not registered in the Register of Rights, there is no act on damaged property from local authorities, the housing is located in temporarily occupied territories or in a combat zone.
11:13 The Russian military helicopter Mi-28, which crashed today in the Kaluga region, could have been a "UAV hunter". Russian publics write that it was returning from a combat mission in the Bryansk region.
10:59 National Guard Commander Oleksandr Pivnenko said in an interview with Ukrinform that in a month or a month and a half, Russian troops will not be able to conduct active assaults in many directions at once and will go on the defensive: "The enemy's offensive capabilities are not unlimited, and they suffer so many losses... I think that in another month or a month and a half, they will not be able to conduct active assaults in many directions at once and will go on the defensive. And during this time, we need to form and prepare our units."
10:35 In Romania, in the border town of Tulcea in the Danube region, an air raid alarm was declared for the second night in a row due to Russian "shahids", local media write. On the night of July 25, at about 01:20, city residents received a RO-Alert notification warning of possible falling debris.
10:23 The UK government has ordered a significant number of Martlet light multirole missiles (LMM) for its armed forces for £176m. Some of the missiles will be transferred to Ukraine, the country's Defence Ministry reported. The missiles are intended for short-range air defence systems such as the Stormer combat vehicles.
10:16 In the Zhytomyr region, during a night drone attack, as a result of falling debris and the shock wave from the impact, about ten private houses and an infrastructure facility were damaged, no one was hurt, OVA reported.
10:11 The Netherlands and Denmark will send a batch of Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine. Two combat vehicles are currently undergoing testing, and the first 12 have already been handed over for shipment. All 14 tanks will be delivered by the end of the summer, the Dutch Defense Ministry reported.
09:53 The National Police reported that they detained a group that, on orders from the FSB, organized arson attacks in EU countries, hiring Ukrainians for this. In particular, Russian special services ordered arson attacks on humanitarian support centers for Ukrainians, shopping centers in Poland and the Baltic countries in order to discredit Ukraine and reduce aid from Western countries. Those arrested face life imprisonment for treason.
09:26 Air defense destroyed 25 of 38 Shahed-type attack UAVs at night, the Air Force reported. The enemy attacked infrastructure facilities in several directions, in particular in the south of Odessa Oblast and in the central regions of Ukraine. Three drones were lost during the attack after crossing the border with Romania. Air defense operated in Odessa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr and Cherkasy Oblasts.
09:12 The death toll from yesterday's Russian Iskander strike on the city of Lozovaya in the Kharkiv region has risen to three, six people have been wounded, OVA chief Oleg Sinegubov reported. Nine people were injured in the Kholodnohirsk district of Kharkiv as a result of Iskander missile strikes, and three more were injured in the Shevchenkivsky district of the city as a result of KAB shelling. One person was injured as a result of KAB shelling in the urban-type settlement of Kupyansk-Uzlovoy.
08:37 At night, Russians attacked the Izmail district of Odessa region with attack drones, reported the head of the OVA Oleg Kiper. As a result of the shelling, an administrative building was partially destroyed, a fire broke out, which was quickly extinguished. Two people were injured due to debris falling on a private house.
08:31 In the Kherson region, over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed and six were injured, reported the head of the OVA, Oleksandr Prokudin. Three multi-story and 17 private houses, a gas pipeline, and warehouses were damaged.
08:24 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of July 25:
- personnel - about 571,350 (+1230) people,
- tanks - 8313 (+11),
- combat armored vehicles - 16,039 (+26),
- artillery systems - 15,804 (+45),
- MLRS - 1125 (+0),
- air defense systems - 904 (+2),
- aircraft - 363 (+0),
- helicopters - 326 (+0),
- Operational-tactical level UAVs - 12,610 (+66),
- cruise missiles - 2402 (+0),
- ships/boats - 28 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 21,358 (+79),
- special equipment - 2661 (+11).
08:18 Spain will transfer another battery of Hawk air defense systems to Ukraine in September, the country's Defense Ministry reported.
07:51 A Mi-28 attack helicopter has crashed in the Kaluga Region, the crew was killed, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported. The cause of the crash was a "technical malfunction."
05:39 At night, Russians attacked many regions of Ukraine with drones, including Kiev. The drones approached the capital from different directions, but were destroyed on the approaches to the capital, said the head of the Kyiv State Military Aviation Service, Sergei Popko. At this moment, there are no damages or casualties in Kiev.
03:53 Biden, in his address to the American nation during which he announced his withdrawal from the presidential race, said that helping Ukraine repel Russian aggression would be one of his priority goals in his final six months as president.
"I'm going to continue to work to end the war in Gaza. To bring home all the hostages and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war. We will continue to unite a coalition of proud nations to stop Putin from occupying Ukraine," he said. Biden also stressed that Washington "will keep NATO stronger, more powerful, and more united than it has ever been in our history."