Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:58 Zelenskyy, in an interview with Le Monde, again stated that Russia should be present at the second Peace Summit: "I believe - like most countries - that Russian representatives should be present at the second peace summit in November, otherwise we will not achieve viable results. I do not want them to interfere with us preparing a joint plan. If everyone wants them to sit at the table, then we cannot be against it. A fair peace for Ukraine should allow us to restore our territorial integrity, but this does not mean that we should do this exclusively with the help of weapons. It is desirable that the whole world stop Putin, so that borders are a precondition. Today, we are on the front line as long as Russia wants to wage war. And then we can resolve these issues diplomatically, if Russia so wishes."
Zelensky also stated that "any issue concerning the territorial integrity of Ukraine cannot be resolved by one president, one person or all presidents in the world without the Ukrainian people - this contradicts the Constitution of Ukraine."
"Ukraine will never give up its territories. The authorities do not have the official right to give up their territories. For this to happen, the Ukrainian people must want it. I will say frankly that this is not the best option, because we are dealing with Putin, and for him, obviously, it will be a victory if he gets part of our territory. But even later, if the conflict is frozen, he can come back and do it. That is why this issue is very, very difficult," Zelensky explained.
The president is also convinced that China can force Russia to stop this war if it wants. "That's why I don't want Beijing to be a mediator, I want it to put pressure on the Russian Federation," Zelensky added.
22:30 Ukraine has already used F-16s, so far as air defense, The Telegraph writes, citing sources.
21:59 Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg called calls for Ukraine to cede territory for the sake of peace unacceptable: "Let's imagine that we were attacked: Southern Styria or Burgenland was occupied by a foreign state, there was an attempt to destroy the federal government of Austria or expel it from the country. And then they would tell us: dear Austrians, why don't you cede part of your territory for the sake of peace?.. I consider such calls from outside unacceptable."
20:18 Zelensky said in his evening address that Kyiv is preparing new bilateral security agreements and new agreements at the multilateral level. "August is the time for preparation. Autumn is the time for results," the president added. He also said that he had heard Syrsky's report: "The frontline situation. First of all, the Pokrovsk direction. Our positions, our defensive actions and our possible reinforcement."
19:16 Ukraine will not restore the transit of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, Shmyhal said following talks with Fico: "The sanctions imposed by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine do not pose a threat to the energy security of Slovakia and Europe as a whole, which is why their cancellation is not a subject of discussion." According to the prime minister, Kyiv has "full understanding from Brussels on this issue."
18:34 The first F-16 aircraft have arrived in Ukraine, Bloomberg writes. According to the publication's sources, there are not many fighters, but the allies fulfilled their obligations within the deadline and transferred some before the beginning of August.
17:59 GUR special forces have struck a Russian base in Syria, Kyiv Post reports, citing sources in the intelligence service. According to them, the Khimik group carried out another comprehensive strike on the positions of the Russian occupation forces in Syria at the end of July 2024. This time, the target of the attack was Russian military equipment at the occupied Kuweires airfield east of Aleppo. First, a Russian mobile electronic warfare system was destroyed, and then drones attacked Russian military facilities at the airfield itself.
17:37 GUR representative Andrey Yusov spoke about the peculiarity of the night drone attack on Ukraine: "It can be noted that this time there was a significant number of so-called distracting UAVs, that is, without an explosive part, the purpose of which is to exhaust and study air defense systems. And this is also not a new tactic. The defense forces practice and effectively counter such challenges."
16:46 The Ukrainian side has not been officially notified of the death of Mariupol defender Oleksandr Ishchenko, Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets reported. "I have sent an urgent letter to the Human Rights Commissioner in the Russian Federation so that she can look into the tragic death of a prisoner of war held by the Russian side and inform me of the circumstances and cause of death," the Human Rights Commissioner said.
16:12 Russians shelled the village of Pivnichny in the Bakhmut district of Donetsk Oblast with artillery, wounding two people, the prosecutor's office reported. In addition, one person died as a result of Russian shelling of the Novogrodivska community. In the village of Annovka in the Pokrovsky district, Russian troops dropped an aerial bomb - three people were wounded, including two children aged three and 15.
15:35 Ukrainian drones hit a Russian Mi-8 helicopter at takeoff, z-publics write. According to them, this happened far from the front line. Ukrainian publics report that this happened in the Donetsk region. Donetsk Telegram channels published footage of large-scale smoke today, but did not name the reasons for it.
15:04 A 55-year-old Ukrainian prisoner of war, Alexander Ishchenko, who served as a driver in the Azov Regiment, has died in a pretrial detention center in Rostov-on-Don, Russian media reports.
14:28 China will tighten export controls on drones and related products starting in September, the Ministry of Commerce announced. The decision was made to protect "national security and interests." Unless special permission is granted, it will be impossible to export UAV engines with a power of more than 16 kW, laser targeting systems, and infrared imaging equipment. The restrictions will also apply to UAV suppression equipment with a range of more than 5 km.
14:13 There is a high probability that Ukraine was attacked tonight not by "shahids", but by new cheap Russian Gerber drones, reports military radio technology specialist and technical blogger Sergei Beskrestnov (Flash). Or, according to him, the attack was combined - there are many facts to prove this. "That is why there were so many of them, and the destruction result was 100%. The goal was to wear out our air defense," Beskrestnov noted.
13:29 The Main Intelligence Directorate carried out one of the largest cyberattacks on the financial sector and government resources of the Russian Federation, Ukrainian media write, citing intelligence sources. According to them, the attack continued continuously for a week and affected the online services of all major Russian banks, including the Central Bank, as well as providers, national payment systems, etc. In particular, the victims of the attack were VTB Bank, Alfa Bank, Sberbank, Raiffeisen Bank, RSHB Bank, Ak Bars Bank, Rosbank, Gazprombank, T-Bank, Bank, Dom.RF bank and the Bank of Russia. On the last day of the cyberattack, Russian resources of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Tax Service were also affected. As of the evening of July 30, the Russians have not managed to resume the work of the attacked resources.
12:22 Russians struck the urban settlement of Velykyi Burluk in the Kupyansky district of the Kharkiv region with KABs - one person was killed, a ten-year-old child was injured, reported the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.
12:05 Putin has issued a decree increasing payments for joining the army for six months. From August 1 until the end of the year, an additional 400 thousand rubles (about 4,600 dollars) will be paid for signing a contract. This is a federal payment in addition to the regional ones. They vary in different regions, in Moscow they already reach almost 2 million rubles (about 23.1 thousand dollars).
11:48 The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia will view the contract for Japan to supply the US with Patriot missiles as a "hostile step" and "reserves the right to respond." The $20 million contract was signed two days ago. Previously, Japan could only export parts manufactured under an American license to the US, but now it can export finished products. Moscow fears that Japanese missiles could end up in Ukraine.
10:56 The Russian Ministry of Energy reported that a “fundamental decision” has been made to extend the ban on gasoline exports from Russia until September-October.
10:19 The Defense Forces struck a weapons and military equipment storage facility near Kursk at night, the General Staff reported. Detailed information on the results of the strike is being clarified.
10:07 In four districts of the Kyiv region, 13 private houses were damaged during a night drone attack. The fall of most UAV debris is recorded outside populated areas, said the head of the OVA Ruslan Kravchenko.
09:48 Air defense destroyed all 89 Shahed-type attack UAVs , which Russia used to attack mainly Kiev and the region, the Air Force reported. A guided Kh-59 air missile, which the enemy used to attack the Nikolaev region, was also shot down. The Air Force emphasized that this is one of the most massive attacks by Shahed attack drones. The enemy used the same number of "shaheds" on New Year's Eve, January 1, 2024.
09:10 The Russian Defense Ministry announced the start of the third stage of the exercise of non-strategic nuclear forces, during which missile formations of the Southern and Central Military Districts will practice preparation for the combat use of Iskander-M systems.
09:03 In Donetsk Oblast, one person was killed as a result of Russian shelling on July 30 - in Toretsk. Four more people in the region were injured in the past 24 hours, reported OVA head Vadim Filashkin.
08:44 One person was killed and one was wounded as a result of a Russian drone strike on Kherson at night, OVA head Oleksandr Prokudin reported. Three more people were injured as a result of enemy shelling of Oleksandrivka. Over the previous day, one person was killed and five were wounded in the region, including one child. Critical infrastructure facilities and an agricultural enterprise, two multi-story and 46 private houses, and gas pipelines were damaged.
08:29 In the Kiev region, a residential building caught fire at night as a result of falling drone debris, the State Emergency Service reported. The building was partially destroyed, no one was hurt.
08:18 In the morning, Russia attacked Kiev with drones again, said the head of the Kyiv State Air Defense Forces Sergey Popko. According to him, not a single drone reached its target. In total, more than 40 UAVs were shot down in the airspace of Kiev and on the approaches to the capital during two waves of attacks.
08:12 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of July 31:
- personnel - about 578,120 (+1060) people,
- tanks - 8390 (+9),
- combat armored vehicles - 16,161 (+20),
- artillery systems - 16,086 (+30),
- MLRS - 1131 (+1),
- air defense systems - 907 (+1),
- aircraft - 363 (+0),
- helicopters - 326 (+0),
- Operational-tactical level UAVs - 12,853 (+21),
- cruise missiles - 2407 (+1),
- ships/boats - 28 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 21,739 (+52),
- special equipment - 2697 (+1).
07:45 The Russian Defense Ministry announced that a Neptun-MD guided missile was destroyed over the Kursk Region at night. In addition, air defense systems allegedly intercepted and destroyed 11 UAVs over the Belgorod Region, four over the Bryansk Region, one each over the Kursk, Kaluga, Rostov Regions, and Crimea. Kursk Region Governor Alexey Smirnov announced a fire "at one of the facilities" that started after a drone attack. Publics write that the fire was accompanied by explosions.
06:28 At night, Russia carried out the most massive attack on Kiev in 2024 in terms of the number of attack drones, said the head of the Kyiv State Military Aviation Service, Serhiy Popko. According to him, more than 30 drones were destroyed in the capital's airspace and on the approaches. The air raid alarm lasted for more than seven hours. UAVs approached Kiev in waves and "from almost all possible directions," Popko added. At the moment, there are no casualties or damage in Kiev.
00:27 The United States cannot guarantee Ukraine's success in its confrontation with Russia alone, said Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien. In this regard, according to him, NATO is beginning to develop a new strategy towards the Russian Federation. "This will unite all allies in further interaction with Russia," O'Brien said. According to the diplomat, all members of the Alliance agree that "China is a decisive supporter" of Russia in the war in Ukraine.