Ukrainian Artillery losses Running Total: 304
RuZZian Tank losses Running Total: 2091
July 2023 – 17
June 2023 – 73
May 2023 – 90
April 2023 – 5
March 2023 - 127
February 2023 – 118
January 2023 – 61
December 2022 – 76
November 2022 – 105
October 2022 – 212
September 2022 - 217
August 2022 – 74
July 2022 – 108
June 2022 – 67
May 2022 – 148
April 2022 – 243
Feb 24 - March 2022 – 350
RuZZian Artillery losses Running Total: 691
July 2023 – 15
June 2023 – 47
May 2023 – 43
April 2023 - 24
March 2023 - 37
February 2023 – 41
January 2023 – 31
December 2022 – 19
November 2022 – 55
October 2022 – 64
September 2022 - 73
August 2022 – 21
July 2022 – 21
June 2022 – 18
May 2022 – 20
April 2022 – 52
Feb 24 - March 2022 – 110
Previous day’s thread: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/4165903/posts
A late thread from an airport lounge...
Re-posted from yesterday’s thread.
Extras:
——> What DPICM Cluster Munitions Are And Why Ukraine Wants Them So Bad <——
Cluster munitions are highly controversial, but Ukraine has its reasons why they can be crucial to unseating deeply entrenched Russian forces.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/what-dpicm-cluster-munitions-are-and-why-ukraine-wants-them-so-bad
==
——> Ukraine Situation Report: Zelensky Blasts Bulgarian President Over Opposition To Arming Kyiv <——
Irked over Bulgarian President Rumen Radev’s refusal to arm Ukraine, Zelensky lashed out with a sarcasm-laced diatribe.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraine-situation-report-zelensky-blasts-bulgarian-president-over-opposition-to-arming-kyiv
==
——> Russia Now Using Parachute Flares In Attempts To Down U.S. MQ-9 Reapers <——
The use of parachute flares launched from Su-35 fighters against MQ-9s signals a change in Russian drone harassment tactics.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/russia-now-using-parachute-flares-in-attempts-to-down-u-s-mq-9-reapers
[ Death Sentence | Trap | Russians Make a Catastrophic Mistake ]
••Day 498: Jul 06
Today there are a lot of updates from the Kherson region.
After conducting a long-requested missile strike on the Ukrainian bridgehead, Russians slowly realized that it did not change the situation, and Ukrainians continued conducting their planned operations.
In order to rectify their failure, Russian Air Force decided to bomb the area with FAB-500 air dropped bombs.
Unfortunately for the Russians, the pilots did not do a great job, and the bombs missed the target, which is why this operation was almost completely omitted by the media space.
In the meantime, Ukrainians continued accumulating forces and equipment to resist Russian assaults more efficiently.
Since it was happening right after a series of strikes, the Russian command assumed that Ukrainians were desperately pumping soldiers in order to compensate for the losses and retain the bridgehead, which is why Russians sent just one T-72 tank to target and demolish what was left of Ukrainians and Ukrainian positions.
However, the estimations could not be further from the truth.
Ukrainian reconnaissance teams quickly noticed the advancing Russian tank and communicated the information to the ATGM crews, which rapidly set out to meet the attackers.
The moment the Russian tank assumed its firing position, it immediately received a Ukrainian missile.
The tank and the crew survived and started running away, but they promptly received the second missile in the rear, and the tank got critical damage and drove off the road.
After receiving a clear sign that Ukrainians did not lose their combat capability, the Russian command started planning a new attack.
Soon, Russian forces launched extensive artillery preparation on the eastern part of the Ukrainian bridgehead.
Such actions opened a window of opportunity for the Russians to enter the region and start conducting offensive actions.
For this purpose, Russian reportedly used several armored fighting vehicles and a tank.
The tank reportedly provided fire support from a distance to minimize the chance of losing yet another tank.
Russian sources immediately reported that deployment was successful, and all Russian assault units started confidently pushing the Ukrainian out.
At first, Ukrainians were rapidly losing ground, however, the tide unexpectedly shifted.
The moment Russians got close to the bridge, they faced overwhelming artillery fire.
Russians realized that they got trapped in a fire bag and attempted to make a breakthrough.
This risky move was assigned to the punitive Storm-Z detachment, mostly consisting of prisoners, while soldiers from the 205th and 61st Brigades were clearing the houses.
The risk did not pay off, and after incurring substantial losses, Russian forces started retreating.
The Russian command decided to double down and reinforced the units on the ground and opened the second major axis of advance.
The main assumption was that if Ukrainians are pushing east of the bridge, then their positions are weaker west of the bridge.
Russian sources reported that the Russian operation stalled, and the troops found themselves in a very difficult situation.
Later Ukrainian sources reported that radio intercepts revealed that they refused to make a suicidal push without support from the air, preferably bombing the area with FAB-500.
Soon, it became evident that the strike would not happen, and Russian forces started gradually retreating while receiving ATGMs in the back.
Overall, Ukrainians successfully lured Russians into a trap, where Russians exposed their flanks to the fire from the other side of the river.
Russian analysts started blaming the Russian command for poor planning and the subsequent unsuccessful operation.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister commented on the situation and stated that in the aftermath of heavy fights in the vicinity of the Antonivsky Bridge, Ukrainian forces managed to inflict substantial losses on the enemy.
More precisely, that day Ukrainians eliminated 50 Russian soldiers, 23 armored fighting vehicles and armored cars, and multiple boats and drones.
The successful draining of Russian resources in this direction is contributing to the gradual depletion of the Russian forces.
Once it reaches a critical level, Ukrainians will make the next move and advance on Oleshky.
••Bakhmut:
UA continues to advance in Klischiivka direction.
Berkhivka region north of Bakhmut:
Russians still hold high ground.
==
Only Biden’s signature remains to approve ATACMS transfer in next year’s budget. Ukraine needs those missiles now.
Cluster munitions approval scheduled for next week. Will be used to break through Russia’s defense lines.
Human Rights Watch hysterically condemns giving cluster munitions to Ukraine because they could be used on civilians, but said nothing about Russia targeting and killing Ukrainian civilians.
==
POW exchange returned a lot of UA soldiers but they were in poor condition: sick, starved, beaten, and threatened while in Russian hands.
==
Sources including Oryx now show the UA has more tanks than the Russians: 1.5k to 1.4k. All combined, Russia is losing resources while Ukraine is gaining.
••To hold the counteroffensive of Ukraine, Russia had to transfer troops to the front from the border with China (!) - British intelligence
The 58th Combined Arms Army was sent to the Zaporizhia region, which is “responsible for the security” of the Caucasian region of Russia.
In the Velyka Novosilka area there is the 5th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Federation and the Marine Corps, usually based 7000 km away as a counterbalance to the Chinese army.
[ Xi Jinping is all smiles. ]
==
Maxx Pro American armoured vehicle was hit by the anti- tank missile. Crew survived. Thanks god those vehicles are so robust.
==
In the event of a direct conflict with Russia or China, the United States will have enough stocks of precision-guided weapons for hours or days - Wall Street Journal
“Shortly after that (the US) will run out of other vital supplies.”
I guess we all need more production of ammunition and weapons.
Unfortunately there are still threats in 21st century from stupid Russia and China regimes.
==
Shows image of 4 or 5 AKs strapped together an mounted on a swivel tripod: Don’t know if it is precise but looks interesting
==
Russian officials said everything is going according to the Plan & Prigozhin agrees.
Russia is a 14th century feudal empire running a gas station with nukes in the backroom.
You can hear secondary explosions which points an ammunition dump.
Russian-occupied Sorokyne is more than 134km away from the next Ukrainian Army position.
https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1677416185019727874
More than 134km?
Storm Shadow or possibly GLSDBs.
https://twitter.com/ChuckPfarrer/status/1677434678276509702
The target was identified by Ukrainian partisans, who observed the strike-- which was launched at a distance of more than 100 Km (60 miles) from the active front line.
If these were GMLRS rockets, the launchers would have to be located near the FEBA.
Ukraine: military situation update - July 7, 2023
••Denotes Transcribed Dialogue. Extras are just that - from other sites, or my comments marked (Edit: .... ) or { } or [ ].
==
Extras:
——> Ukraine Situation Report: U.S. Sending ‘Hundreds Of Thousands’ Of Cluster Munitions <——
The DPICM cluster shells will help break Russia’s stubborn trench networks and keep Ukraine’s supply of critical artillery up.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraine-situation-report-u-s-sending-hundreds-of-thousands-of-cluster-munitions
==
——> Watch Six AK-74s Strapped Together As A Ukrainian Anti-Drone Gun In Action<——
It looks like something out of a post-apocalyptic Hollywood action movie and its usefulness is questionable, but it sure looks intimidating.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/watch-six-ak-74s-strapped-together-as-a-ukrainian-anti-drone-gun-in-action
[ Russians in Shock | Ukrainians Reveal Russian Achilles Heel ]
••Day 499: Jul 07
Today there is a lot of good news from the Velyka Novosilka direction.
After starving out Russians in Rivnopil and forcing them to retreat virtually without a fight, the next target of the Ukrainian assault units became Pryyutne.
Ukrainians tried to capitalize on the possible disarray associated with the retreat, however, it seems like Russians were preparing to do it for a long time, so it was pretty organized, and Ukrainians were stopped on the first tree line south of Rivnopil.
If we look at the topographic map, we can see that these Russian positions are separated from the rest by the gully, which complicated the supply and support of this group.
Ukrainians understood the weakness and vulnerability of the Russian positions along the tree line and immediately adapted their plans.
Soon, Ukrainians launched a powerful attack along the hills west of Mararivka to penetrate Russian defense orders and cut the main supply roads to Russian positions south of Rivnopil.
The operation was extremely successful, Ukrainians developed a wide bridgehead and advanced in some places by up to 2 km.
Ukrainian fighters from the 35th Marine Brigade showed a captured underground facility somewhere near Staromaiorske.
It turned out that it was a command post of a Russian mortar detachment.
Even though all the ammunition and equipment seemed to have been evacuated, Ukrainians found plenty of other useful equipment.
In the meantime, the Russian forces in the tree line in front of Rivnopil started to struggle.
As Ukrainians cut off their supplies, ammunition shortage started to kick in, and they had to ration their expenditure.
However, after the Ukrainians conducted the imminent flank attack, the Russian defense along the tree line started falling apart like dominos, and they stepped back behind the gully.
Soon, Russian sources reported that Russian forces decided to make a tactical retreat with the goal of evening out the front line.
Ukrainian sources reported that Ukrainian forces entered the newly captured positions and created additional fortifications, and equipped the positions to face potential Russian counterattacks.
Interestingly, Russian forces did not counterattack and devoted all of their resources to preventing further front-line collapses.
Russian sources reported that Ukrainians started deploying sabotage groups.
After that, the Ukrainians launched a series of bigger attacks toward Pryiutne and managed to advance by around 300 meters.
Russian analysts started panicking about the unfavorable development of the situation and reported that Ukrainians were seen preparing two large assault groups: one around Maakrivka and one around Levadne.
Both of these assault groups have only one goal - to push Russians out of Pryiutne.
Russian forces responded to these developments by conducting a series of airstrikes.
Nonetheless, Ukrainians continued advancing.
Russian sources reported that Ukrainians brought a lot of equipment to facilitate rapid assaults.
Russian reconnaissance teams noted that Ukrainians supplied the forefront positions with a lot of grenade throwers.
As you probably know, grenades and grenade throwers are some of the most indispensable tools of the assault units.
In the meantime, Ukrainian drone operators started undermining Russian defensive capabilities by hunting down Russian armored fighting vehicles and trucks with supplies of ammunition.
Ukrainian 110th Territorial Defense Brigade managed to destroy up to 4 vehicles in one day.
Their drone operators found 3 armored fighting vehicles, one of which they managed to take down on the run; and also one Russian car with a machine gun planted in the rear.
Ukrainian Drone detachments from the 501st and 36th Brigades also targeted Russian positions in and around Priyutne.
The released footage indicates that they revealed and, in coordination with artillery crews, destroyed Russian mortar crews together with ammunition and equipment.
Overall, Ukrainians are preparing to penetrate Russian defenses around Pryiutne and collapse the front line.
If we look at the topographic map, we can see that this Russian settlement is located almost in the center of the next elevated platform.
The settlement itself is also relatively big, if we compare it to other settlements in the region, which mean that it serves as the main logistical hub that is responsible for the stability of the entire region.
This means that if Russians lose it, Ukrainians can double the liberated square area virtually overnight, and judging by how events on this front line unfold, it is just a matter of time until Ukrainians liberate this settlement.
••Cluster Munitions:
To break Russian defense lines which, lacking F-16s, are impenetrable without heavy infantry and vehicle losses. Uses less artillery shells to do the same job. Ukraine signed agreement not to use them near towns and villages.
[ Russians use them on civilians. US cluster munitions have a 1% dud rate, while Russia has 30%. US munitions deteriorate over a specific time, Russian do not. ]
DPICM 155mm M864 Shells: supply is limited to what is needed to break through Russian defense lines. Contains either 48 low power M42 grenades or 24 high power M46 grenades. These shells are also useful to de-mine.
==
Erdogan: Ukraine has the right to become a member of NATO
==
[ Elsewhere: the Russians are reported to have built up a 120,000 troops force of unknown quality in the Svatove-Kreminna region to either take back ground in the Kharkiv direction, or reinforce the Bakhmut region. Amount, type, quality and quantity of vehicles is unknown. Ukraine has not committed its new armored battalions yet, and it is reported that there is a communications blackout in Kiev. ]
==
German sends bridging equipment.
==
Boudanov said there is a little less than 10 months for success or until next spring. The UA must take bigger ground & the main aim of the operation is to get to Crimea.
==
Russia sends its brand new antique T54/55 tanks to the Zaporizhia region.
==
Czech Republic will send its MiG-24 helicopters and 1 full flight F-16 training simulator which is enough to maintain skill set.
Local F-16 flight training itself will be conducted mostly in Romania.
==
Russia tried another attack on Avdiivka, but it ended like the others in failure and loss.
==
Belarusian “Wagner” camp features outdoor washing trough for body, clothes etc.
••The Czech Republic will hand over combat helicopters and ammunition to Ukraine, the country’s prime minister said.
Also, Prague will supply Kyiv with flight simulators so that pilot training for the F-16 can take place directly in Ukraine (partially)
==
8th of July already in Ukraine. 500th day of the full scale war.
==
On the 500th day of the war, President Zelensky arrived on the Snake Island, from where Ukraine drove the Russian military out a year ago.
This is one of the most dangerous points - there are no Ukrainian military on the island, since the island is located in the zone of target range of the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
==
Russian officials said everything is going according to the Plan & Prigozhin agreed.
Russia is a 14th century feudal empire running a gas station with nukes in the backroom.
Just so every one is aware - I will be posting my daily thread here until Speedy returns - so there may be quite a few posts.
New must read post from JR to every one:
NOTICE: Please knock-off the abusive posts, name-calling, taunting, trolling, stalking, flame-baiting, insults, religious insults, flames, threats, ill-wishes, harassing & annoying posts, unwanted posts & FReepmail, etc, etc, etc
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4166577/posts
NATO allies hold ‘frantic, last-minute’ talks on Ukraine ahead
July 10, 2023
https://kyivindependent.com/politico-western-allies-hold-frantic-last-minute-talks-on-ukraine-ahead-of-nato-summit/
“The objective is to establish a broad-based plan to secure ongoing military aid to Ukraine, accommodating diverse terms and conditions from country to country.
While a security assurance declaration may simply consolidate the aid allies currently provide Ukraine, the aim of the declaration is to offer a more enduring demonstration of unity among member nations.
“It is basically a guarantee towards Ukraine that we will, for a very long time to come, we will equip their armed forces, we will finance them, we will advise them, we will train them in order for them to have a deterrent force against any future aggression,” a senior NATO diplomat told Politico.
Kyiv seeks swift inclusion into NATO, which would invoke mandatory military support from other members under Article 5. However, a significant number of NATO allies maintain that Ukraine should only be considered for membership once the war with Russia ends.“
Turkey’s Bombshell Sweden Demand Rocks NATO Summit Before it Even Begins
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/19309
(NATO) “Alliance leaders gathering in Vilnius on the eve of Tuesday’s summit were hoping a meeting between Erdogan and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson would see the Turkish leader lift his veto on Sweden’s membership.
But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared in no mood to compromise, declaring that he would only back Sweden’s NATO candidacy if European Union members – most of whom are also NATO allies – agree to revive Turkey’s negotiations to join the EU”
“Almost all the NATO members are EU members. I now am addressing these countries, which are making Turkey wait for more than 50 years,” Erdogan said, before boarding his flight for the Lithuanian capital.
“First, open the way to Turkey’s membership of the European Union, and then we will open it for Sweden, just as we had opened it for Finland.”
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a powerful figure in both NATO and the EU, was quick to stress there was no link between Sweden’s bid and Turkey’s EU application, which was formally launched in 2005 but has stalled.
“Sweden meets all the requirements for NATO membership,” he said in Berlin (Leaving unspoken that Turkey does not meet all EU requirements).
Since announcing the "F-16 Training Program" back in May, dates have consistently slipped to the right. And while many countries have jumped on the training support bandwagon, there still hasn't been a single country that has committed to providing the actual aircraft. Hopefully this announcement includes Ukraine's transition to NATO fighters. They also need a path to western attack helicopters.
WHY SHOULD WE CLOSE THE BORDER OF UKRAINE WITH POLAND?
This is the main prospect if we want to complete the reformatting of Ukraine into a neutral project. Serious and long-term results cannot be achieved without external blocking.
How to do this is an important question, I do not want to discuss it. As the military say, this is a "complex of measures." And it should not be fire control. To paraphrase Suvorov, "the eggs of a Russian soldier should hang over the border with Poland."
I will now give you examples of wars and operations in which we, Russia, first of all tried to block the external borders of the countries and territories in which we fought.
Afghanistan - failed to block, we left. Chechnya (first campaign) - failed to block, we left. Chechnya (second campaign) quickly blocked the border with Georgia and won.
And this is a video from 1993, Tajikistan. I witnessed how we blocked the border with Afghanistan. Blocked and saved the country from collapse. Tajikistan is flourishing.
Ignoring that some of his examples are ridiculous, he offers no solution. An assault close to the Polish border via Belarus would invite extreme risk of escalation/expansion and most probably sound defeat.
Kazan is posting lies about you on other threads.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4166943/posts?page=26#26
Ukraine: military situation update - July 10, 2023
••Denotes Transcribed Dialogue. Extras are just that - from other sites, or my comments marked (Edit: .... ) or { } or [ ].
——> Australian E-7 Radar Jet Will Watch Over Ukraine Aid Shipments <——
Australia will deploy an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to Germany later this year where it will support airspace surveillance efforts over Ukraine.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/australian-e-7-radar-jet-will-watch-over-ukraine-aid-shipments
==
——> Ukraine Situation Report: Kyiv’s Forces Push Deeper South Near Robotyne <——
The small but potentially significant push deeper south in Zaporizhzhia Oblast puts Ukrainian troops a step closer to Crimea.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraine-situation-report-kyivs-forces-push-deeper-south-near-robotyne
==
——> Is Ukraine Using Old S-200 SAMs In The Land-Attack Role? <——
Russia claims Ukrainian S-200 SAMs were launched against ground targets as video emerged supposedly showing one of the strikes.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/is-ukrainian-using-old-s-200-sams-in-the-land-attack-role
[ Most Brutal Russian Defeat | Insane Attack. Russians Lose 200 Men, 21 Tanks & BMPs in 20 Minutes ]
••Day 502: Jul 10
Today there is a lot of news from the Avdiivka direction.
Here, over the last several weeks, Ukrainians took advantage of the decreased focus of the Russian forces on this region and conducted a series of counterattacks.
The first axis of Ukrainian advance became Krasnohorivka.
The main goal of this attack was to clear the tree lines in front of Terrikon and set conditions for the potential development of the counterattack, undermining Russian positions in Krasnohorivka.
The counterattack was successful, and Ukrainians advanced by up to 1 km.
The last storming operation involved taking a Russian strong point right near the eastern edge of the reservoir.
The assault was conducted early in the morning, and the goal was to get close to the Russian fortification undetected.
The closer the Ukrainians got, the higher became the risk of being detected, and eventually, Russians noticed the movement and started fighting back, fixing Ukrainian troops in the tree line.
Ukrainian artillery immediately responded to this development by suppressing the Russian fire and allowing Ukrainians to cut the remaining distance and enter the trenches.
After that, Ukrainian forces took some time to regroup.
Ukrainian commanders identified an opportunity in the southern part of the region and decided to recapture several positions in front of Opytne, while Russian defenses here were weak.
The operation was also successful, and Ukrainians got to the outskirts of Opytne.
Ukrainian commanders tried to pull off the same stunt in front of Vodiane when Russians suddenly hit them from the opposite direction.
Russian forces noticed the deterioration of the situation, and an especially dangerous for them development of the Ukrainians bridgehead near Vesele and decided to take advantage of the fact that Ukrainians moved their attention away to the southern part of the region by conducting a massive counterattack.
Ukrainian commanders reported that Russian forces used 21 armored vehicles of various types.
Judging by the video, Russians deployed at least 3 assault units, each consisting of 1 or 2 tanks and 4 or 5 armored fighting vehicles.
The tanks advanced first and tried to suppress Ukrainian fire, while simultaneously undermining and demolishing the fortifications that the Ukrainians had just recaptured.
Unfortunately for Russians, the Ukrainian 110th Mechanized Brigade never left their positions.
Ukrainians unleashed artillery fire and also engaged their most skilled drone operators to target Russian vehicles.
As a result, one by one, Russian tanks and armored fighting vehicles got destroyed, and Russians lost approximately 200 men killed in action.
Other graphic footage that I will not show in this video captured the moments when abandoned, wounded Russian soldiers in the field were killing themselves after the battle.
This was the most disastrous Russian attack since Vuhledar.
The only difference is that this time, Russians did not advance even an inch.
In the meantime, in order to indirectly address the speculations of the removal of the Russian Chief of the General Staff, Gerasimov, from the position of the commander of the so-called special military operation, Gerasimov conducted a meeting with the main topic, the war in Ukraine.
However, instead of dispelling all doubts about the intactness of the Russian Ministry of Defense, it gave rise to even more speculations.
People noticed that Russian Air Force was represented by Afzalov instead of Surovikin, and it’s been widely speculated that Surovikin was dealing with charges of treason because he secretly supported the Wagner coup.
This is very bad news for the Russians because Surovikin was one of the best Russian commanders.
If you still remember, Surovikin was appointed to be the commander of the so-called special military operation right when the front lines started collapsing during the Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions.
He was basically made the captain of the sinking ship, and he was supposed to take the blame for everything.
However, he stopped the collapse of the front line in the Luhansk region and started building an extensive defense line in the south, which Ukrainians are dealing with right now.
When the Russian Ministry of Defense saw that the situation stabilized, Gerasimov assumed the top position while putting Surovikin in charge just of Air Force, and now we saw that Air Force was represented by Afzalov, not Surovikin.
The continuous disposal of competent leaders inside the Russian Army and the promotion of less competent bureaucrats is very good news for Ukrainians.
••Bakhmut region, Rozdolivka:
UA now has two vectors of attack.
Bakhmut city now under UA fire control.
==
Special reserve Russian troops that guarded the Chinese border are now in the fight. A very desperate move, but the Russians still use “meat wave” tactics, without regard for the lives of their own troops.
==
Kadyrov’s Ahmat Battalion, much feared in various Tic Tok videos, has been sent to the Bakhmut area. In a shocking move, Russian mass media reports that the battalion was attacked by UA artillery. They had confirmed losses.
==
Russian mass media write that in Krasnodar, the captain of the 2nd rank, Stanislav Rzytskyi, who was the commander of the Krasnodar submarine, from which the invaders launched Kalibr cruise missiles over Ukraine, was shot 4 times on a Russian street.
==
Turkey agrees to proceed with the Swedish application to NATO - Bloomberg, citing Turkish officials.
Turkey has reportedly received assurances from Sweden on its main demands, including the Kurdish issue.
There is also progress towards lifting some sanctions on Turkey on defense procurement, Turkey’s accession to the EU Customs Union and visa-free entry into the EU for its citizens.
A breakthrough in the negotiations occurred a few hours before the start of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Now Sweden’s application must be ratified by the Turkish parliament.
==
The US & Germany oppose Ukraine membership in NATO because of concerns about Russian nukes.
==
Turkey will provide naval security for ships loading an unloading grain at Ukrainian ports, regardless of the Grain Agreement or Russia’s position on it. Another humiliation for the resident Russian genius. The taking of Snake Island and the sinking of the Moskva played a large role in the Turkish decision.
==
The construction of a factory for the production of Turkish attack drones Bayraktar has already begun in Ukraine - Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine Oleksandr Kamyshyn
==
Video from the Russian maintenance facility. Russian “Terminator” Battle vehicle and T-90 tank were damaged and unfortunately evacuated from the frontline.
••Video: How to de-mine the road with a small drone and a single grenade.
==
Another strike on Berdyansk today.
==
As a result of the strike by the British Storm Shadow cruise missiles on the Ruzzian command headquarters of the 58th Army in the Berdyansk region, the deputy commander of the Southern Military District, Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov, was killed.
==
600 million euros of aid: Germany is preparing a new package for Ukraine, - German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
It includes:
2 Patriot air defense systems.
40 BMP Marder 1A3.
25 Leopard 1A5.
1 system of unmanned aerial vehicles Luna.
==
France will give Ukraine long-range SCALP missiles. It is the same as a Storm Shadow
“Russian Army Ramps Up Female Recruitment Amid Force Depletion”
An independent news outlet called the hotline on the advertisement and was told that women under 50 are being encouraged to sign one-year contracts.
(snip)
Reports about Russia recruiting women first emerged a few months ago when its forces reportedly suffered huge losses.
(snip)
The first independent statistical analysis of Russia’s war dead found nearly 50,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the invasion began in February 2022.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/07/11/russian-army-female-recruitment/
“Putin’s Ukraine War Hits Home: Russian Hospitals Overwhelmed By Wounded Soldiers”
“In the Russian military, first aid is antiquated. In many instances, especially when it comes to reservists, troops are issued first aid kits that date all the way back to the 1950s. Instead of modern tourniquets that can effectively stop a bleeding and save a life, Russian soldiers are forced to use rubber bands much like their forefathers did in World War Two.”
“Russian troops are battling high and drunk: It’s nothing new”
“How Much Aid Has the U.S. Sent Ukraine? Here Are Six Charts.”
https://www.cfr.org/article/how-much-aid-has-us-sent-ukraine-here-are-six-charts
‘Readiness For Service’: Russia’s Schools Continue Marching Toward Militarization
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-schools-militarization-service-war-ukraine-putin/32500453.html
The 5th assault brigade found an ammunition storage site in a treeline. Shortly after it was destroyed.
https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1679738296396595200
south of Bakhmut, Donetsk geo: 48.559893, 37.975505
