10:45 Explosions reported in Charkiw - Air alarm declared in other regions of Ukraine
In Charkiw, Ukraine's Suspilne.media reports two explosions in the morning. Shortly after, the head of the regional military administration, Oleg Sinegubov, reported on his Telegram channel about two missile attacks by the Russians. The type of missiles is being determined. There are currently reports of air alarm being sounded in some regions of Ukraine, according to the news portal "RBC-Ukraine." This applies to Donetsk, Charkiw, Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, and Dnipro, it is stated.
10:07 Governor reports 5 Dead and 15 Wounded from Russian Shelling in the Donetsk Region
Five civilians were killed and 15 more were wounded in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk by Russian shelling on Saturday, regional governor Vadym Filashkin reported on Telegram. Five residents of the Donetsk region were reportedly killed. Three of them were in Iwaniwka, one in Kostiantyniwka, and one in Toretsk. An additional 15 people in the region were injured during the day, according to Filashkin. Since the beginning of the Russian offensive in February 2022, the Ukrainian news agency "Ukrinform" reports that 2110 civilians have been killed and 5515 injured in the Donetsk region. These numbers do not include the victims in Mariupol and Volnovakha, it is stated.
09:46 IfW President: German Fiscal Policy is "Security Risk for Europe"
The President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), Moritz Schularick, is urging the German government to allocate significantly more money for security and defense - and criticizes the coalition's budget compromise at the same time. "The German government is currently making an irrational fiscal policy for what the country needs," Schularick said in an interview with t-online. "Not only that, but the fiscal policy is and remains a security risk for Europe." A future special fund for the Bundeswehr must "be significantly larger than the current one with a volume of 100 billion euros," the economist continued. "Just to close the budget gap in the next ten years, we are probably talking about a volume of 250 to 300 billion euros."
And even then, it is clear: "Germany would still be spending proportionally less for the military than Poland, Norway, or the USA, which have not reduced their investments to the same extent in the past two decades," Schularick added. "It would take an expenditure of 3 to 3.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product to deter Putin's Russia with 'strength and resolve,'" he said.
09:15 Expert sees Donetsk as "lost cause" for Ukraine
The Ukrainian armed forces are currently under particular pressure from Russian attacks in the Donetsk region. Military expert Ralf Thiele sees no chance for Ukraine to hold the Donetsk region in the future. The Russians are "making progress inch by inch" and the Ukrainians are on the retreat. The region is a "lost cause" for Ukraine, says Thiele on ntv(see also entry at 08:16). "That's unfortunately sad when you have to say that," the military expert added. Donetsk is "on the negotiating table" or "on the real battlefield." This means either there will be talks about "a ceasefire on equal terms" or "a surrender ceasefire," Thiele explained. In both cases, the region "is lost in the end," he added.
08:52 Ukraine reports 1180 Russian casualties within one dayRussia allegedly lost approximately 574,690 soldiers in Ukraine between February 24, 2022, and July 27, 2024. Among them were 1180 fatalities or injuries in the past 24 hours. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced this in their daily update on Facebook. Additionally, Russian losses included: 8344 tanks, 16,095 armored combat vehicles, 15,936 artillery systems, 11,27 multiple rocket launchers, 906 air defense systems, and 2,405 missile systems. The Russian army reportedly lost 363 combat aircraft, 326 helicopters, 12,766 tactical unmanned aerial systems, 28 warships/cutters, 1 submarine, 21,572 vehicles and tank trucks, and 2,671 pieces of special equipment since the beginning of their offensive war.
08:16 Thiele on the situation at the front: Ukrainians are "de facto on a gradual retreat"According to Ralf Thiele, the situation in the contested areas in the east of the country is not good for Ukraine. The military is trying to prevent a Russian breakthrough, but at the cost of a retreat. The military expert fears that Ukraine will inevitably lose the region of Donetsk.
08:00 Kursk reports fire in fuel depot under controlA Ukrainian drone attack reportedly set a fuel depot in the Kursk region on fire, according to local Russian authorities. The fire was quickly brought under control, writes the regional governor Alexei Smirnov on Telegram. There were no injuries reported.
07:44 TASS: Russians destroy howitzer and Ukrainian ammunition depot in the Cherson regionRussian paratrooper drones destroyed a howitzer M-777 and a Ukrainian ammunition depot for field artillery on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River in the Cherson region, according to the state Russian news agency TASS, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. After the drones were launched, the shrapnel penetrated the front line along the riverbank. Simultaneously, a reconnaissance drone identified as targets a 155-mm howitzer M-777 and a field artillery ammunition depot. A direct hit reportedly destroyed the ammunition depot and disabled the howitzer.
07:11 Ukrainian Minister: Olympic participation is "our victory"The Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Bidyovka views the Ukrainian Olympic team's participation as a powerful symbol and an opportunity to draw the international community's attention to the situation in the country following the Russian offensive war on Ukraine. "It is a symbolic act and a sign that Ukraine is a strong country with resilient people," Bidyovka said at the opening of the Ukrainian House in Paris. It is very important that Russia is represented by a small team of 15 neutral athletes in Paris. Russia as a nation was excluded from the Olympics by the International Olympic Committee due to the aggression. "There is no Russian flag here. There is only the Ukrainian flag. That is our victory," Bidyovka said.
It is now the responsibility of the Olympic team to "bring the international community together in support of Ukraine and to speak to the people who normally don't listen to politicians." The participation is a "strong signal that Ukraine not only survives but also has the will to win."
06:58 Russia reports shooting down seven Ukrainian dronesThe Russian air defense shoots down seven Ukrainian drones according to their own reports. Five of them were over the Belgorod region and two were over the Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry reports on Telegram.
06:36 Governor: Oil depot in Kursk is on fire after drone attackIn the night, there are explosions in the Kursk region in Russia due to a drone attack. In an oil depot and several areas, fires have broken out, Kursk region governor Alexei Smirnov reports on Telegram and the channel Baza. The air defense forces are "on alert," the Russian official writes and urges the region's residents to "be vigilant." In the region, at least two fires have broken out, one in the Medwenka district and one in the Kursk district, it is reported. A fire is said to have been caused in the village of Polyova's oil depot, reports the Shot channel on Telegram. Residents reportedly heard "multiple strong explosions" near the oil depot at night. Previously, they had heard the characteristic sound of a drone flying over the area. After the explosions, witnesses reported seeing heavy smoke in the sky. Additionally, there was an explosion in the city of Sudzha, a house in the Medva district was on fire, it is reported.
05:41 Linnemann questions welfare payments to Ukrainian refugeesCDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann questions the welfare payments to Ukrainian women and men in an interview with Funke media. "We need to discuss why more than 50 percent of the Ukrainians work in many European countries, but only 25 percent in Germany," he says. "There are clearly no incentives for quick employment." The Ukrainians also defended the rights of the Germans. "But if there is a performance, it is linked to a counter-performance. That includes taking up work."
04:49 Ukraine: Over 75 percent of wounded soldiers return to dutyIn Ukraine, the proportion of soldiers who return to duty after rehabilitation, according to Deputy Defense Minister Natalia Kalmykova, is reported to be very high. "We have a very high percentage of high-quality rehabilitation measures and returnees to duty. This is also recognized by our western partners," she says, according to the Interfax news agency. Kalmykova speaks of over 75 percent of the wounded.
03:13 ISW: Ukrainian forces retake positions near ToretskAccording to the Institute for War Studies (ISW), Ukrainian forces have reportedly retaken lost positions near Toretsk, north of Donetsk. This is shown in geolocated images. The Russian side is said to have continued its offensive operations in the area.
01:08 Ukraine reports several deaths after Russian shelling - including a childAccording to Ukrainian authorities, at least five civilians were killed in Russian attacks in various regions of Ukraine yesterday. In the region of Kherson, there were three deaths. In the northeastern border region of Sumy, a 14-year-old boy was killed and 12 others were injured by a rocket attack on the small town of Hluchiv. In the Charkiv region, a man was killed by Russian shelling in a residential building.
23:46 Russia reports capture of another village in UkraineRussia, according to its own reports, has taken control of another village in eastern Ukraine. The settlement Losuwatske, located in the Donezk region, has been "liberated," the Russian Defense Ministry reported in its daily briefing. It is approximately 25 kilometers east of the city Pokrovsk, in the area where the Russian army has advanced relatively quickly in recent months, near the occupied Russian town of Otscheretyne. Ukraine has not confirmed the takeover.
22:23 Blinken threatens China with "measures" over continued support for Russian defense industryUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China that the US would take "measures" if Beijing continued to support Russia's defense industry. According to the Ukrainian newspaper "Kyiv Independent," Blinken made this statement during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Laos. This came shortly after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held talks with Wang in Guangzhou during his first visit to China since the war began. "The minister reaffirmed his serious concern over China's support for the People's Republic of China's defense industrial base and made it clear that the United States would continue to take appropriate measures if the People's Republic did not respond to this threat to European security," Miller said.
You can read about previous developments here.**
- The escalating Ukraine-Conflict has led to concerns about potential military deployments from NATO, as Russia continues its attack on Ukraine.
- Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, has called on NATO for increased support in the face of Russian aggression.
- Reports of cyberwar have emerged, with Ukraine alleging Russian involvement in cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.
- The attack on Ukraine has sparked discussions about strengthening European defense and fiscal policies, with some experts arguing that Germany needs to increase its military expenditure.
- Amidst the military conflict and political tensions, diplomatic efforts to bring about a ceasefire and negotiate a settlement remain a priority for both Ukraine and Russia.
