11:14 Authorities: Russians are registering over 500 housing units in Luhansk
In the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic," Russian occupiers have illegally seized 514 residential houses from residents of the region, according to Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, citing a Telegram message from the head of the Luhansk regional administration, Artem Lysohord. These are objects that are subject to the "nationalization procedure," which begins 30 days after discovery, Lysohord notes, adding that a large part of the land reportedly seized by the occupation authorities will be nationalized.
10:45 Explosions reported in Kharkiv - Air alarm declared in other regions of Ukraine
Suspilne media in Ukraine reports two explosions in Kharkiv in the morning. Shortly thereafter, the head of the regional military administration, Oleg Sinegubov, reports on his Telegram channel about two missile attacks by the Russians. The type of missiles is being determined. According to the news portal "RBC-Ukraine," air alarm has been declared in some regions of Ukraine, including Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, and Dnipro. A threat from missiles cannot be ruled out in these regions.
10:07 Governor reports 5 dead, 15 injured from Russian shelling in Donetsk region
Five civilians were killed and 15 others were injured by Russian shelling in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk on Saturday, Governor Vadym Filashkin reports on Telegram. According to Filashkin, the Russians killed five residents of the region. Among the dead were three in Ivaniwka, one in Kostiantynivka, and one in Toretsk. Another 15 people were injured in the region during the day, Filashkin writes. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression in February 2022, according to Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, 2110 civilians have been killed and 5515 injured in the Donetsk region. These figures do not include the victims in Mariupol and Volnovakha.
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, calls on the German government to significantly increase spending on security and defense - and criticizes the coalition's budget compromise. "The German government is currently not making sensible fiscal policy for what the country needs," Schularick says in an interview with t-online. "Not only that: 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 its size of 100 billion euros," Schularick continues. "Just to close the budget gap in the next ten years, we are probably talking about a volume of 250 to 300 billion euros."
Even with all these additional expenditures, Germany would still be spending proportionally less for the military than countries like Poland, Norway, or the USA, which have not reduced their investments to the same extent in the past two decades. In total, Germany would need spending of around 3 to 3.5 percent of its Gross Domestic Product to deter Putin's Russia with "strength and determination."
09:15 Expert sees Donetsk region as "inevitably lost" for Ukraine
The Ukrainian forces are currently under particularly heavy pressure of Russian attacks in the Donetsk region. Military expert Ralf Thiele sees no way for Ukraine to hold the region Donetsk in the future. The Russians are "step by step on the offensive" and the Ukrainians are on the retreat. The region is "inevitably lost" for Ukraine, Thiele told ntv. "It's unfortunately sad when you have to say something like that," the military expert added. Donetsk is either on the negotiation table or on the "real table." This means either there is a ceasefire talks or a surrender ceasefire, Thiele explained. These are the alternatives he sees. But in both cases, the region "is at the end of the day lost," Thiele added.
08:52 Ukraine reports 1180 Russian casualties within 24 hours
Russia has lost approximately 574,690 soldiers in Ukraine between February 24, 2022, and July 27, 2022, according to Ukraine's military calculations. Among them are 1180 fatalities or injuries in the past 24 hours. The Ukrainian military's General Staff announced this in its daily update on Facebook. In addition, Russian losses include: 8344 tanks, 16,095 armored combat vehicles, 15,936 artillery systems, 11,270 multiple rocket launchers, 906 air defense systems, and 2,405 missile systems. The Russian army has also 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 specialized equipment since the beginning of their offensive war, it added.
08:16 Thiele on the situation at the front: Ukrainians are "de facto on a step-by-step retreat"
The situation is not good for Ukraine in the contested areas in the eastern part of the country, according to military expert Ralf Thiele. The military is trying to prevent a Russian breakthrough - albeit at the cost of a retreat. The military expert fears that Ukraine will lose the region Donetsk in every scenario.
08:00 Kursk reports fire in fuel depot under control
A Ukrainian drone attack set a fuel depot in the Kursk region on fire according to local Russian authorities. However, the fire was quickly brought under control, regional governor Alexei Smirnov wrote on Telegram. There were no injuries reported, he added.
07:44 TASS: Russians destroy howitzer and Ukrainian ammunition depot in the Kherson region
Russian paratrooper drones destroyed a howitzer M-777 and a Ukrainian ammunition depot for field artillery in the Kherson region, according to the state Russian news agency TASS, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. After the drone strikes, the shrapnel penetrated the defensive line along the riverbank. At the same time, a reconnaissance drone identified as targets a 155-mm howitzer M-777 and a field artillery ammunition depot, the statement said. A direct hit destroyed the ammunition depot and disabled the howitzer, it added.
07:11 Ukrainian Minister: Olympic participation is "our victory"
The Olympic participation of Ukraine, according to Sport Minister Vadym Bidny, is a strong symbol and an opportunity to draw the international community's attention to the situation in the country following the start of the Russian aggression war. "It is a symbolic act and a sign that Ukraine is a strong country with resilient people," says Bidny at the opening of the Ukrainian house in Paris. It is very important that Russia is represented in Paris with only a small team of 15 neutral athletes. Russia as a nation was expelled from the International Olympic Committee due to the aggression war. "There is no Russian flag here. There is only the Ukrainian flag. That is our victory," says Bidny.
It is now the responsibility of the Olympic team to unite the international community in aid for Ukraine and to speak to the people who normally do not listen to politicians. The participation is a strong signal that Ukraine not only survived but also has the will to win.
06:58 Russia reports shooting down Ukrainian drones
The Russian air defense shoots down seven Ukrainian drones, according to their own statements. Five were over the Belgorod region and two over the Kursk region, according to a message from the Russian Defense Ministry on Telegram.
06:36 Governor: Oil depot in Kursk on fire after drone attackIn the night, in the Kursk region of Russia, there are explosions due to a drone attack. In an oil depot and several areas, fires have broken out, according to the governor of the region Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, via Telegram and the channel Baza. The air defense forces are "on alert," writes the Russian official and urges the residents of the region to "vigilance." In the region, at least two fires have broken out, one in the Medvenka district and one in the Kursk district, it is reported. In an oil storage facility in the village of Polyova, a fire is said to have been caused, reports the channel Shot on Telegram. Residents reportedly heard "several strong explosions" near the oil depot at night. 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 refugees in Germany
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann questions the welfare payments to Ukrainian women and men in Germany 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 missing incentives for prompt employment." The Ukrainians also defended the freedom 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 duty
In Ukraine, the proportion of soldiers who return to duty after rehabilitation, according to the 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 the service. This is also recognized by our Western partners," she says according to the news agency Interfax. Kalmykova speaks of over 75 percent of the wounded.
03:13 ISW: Ukrainians regain positions near Toretsk, north of DonetskAccording to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian forces have reportedly retaken positions near Toretsk, north of Donetsk. This is indicated by geolocated footage. The Russian side is said to have continued its offensive operations in the area.
01:08 Ukraine reports multiple civilian 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 fatalities. In the northeastern border region of Sumy, a 14-year-old boy was killed and 12 others were injured in a rocket attack on the town of Hluchiw. In the region of Kharkiv, a man was killed by Russian fire in a residential building.
23:46 Russia reports capture of another village in UkraineRussia has reportedly taken control of another village in eastern Ukraine. The village of Losuwatske in the Donezk region is "liberated," according to the Russian Defense Ministry in its daily report. The village is located about 25 kilometers east of the city of Pokrovsk in the area where the Russian army has advanced relatively quickly in recent months. Ukraine has not confirmed the capture.
22:23 Blinken threatens China with "measures" over continued support for Russian defense industryUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China that the United States would take "measures" if Beijing continued to support Russia's defense industry. This was reported by the Ukrainian newspaper "Kyiv Independent" quoting Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US Department of State. Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Laos, shortly after his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba held talks with Wang in Guangzhou during his first visit to China since the outbreak of the war. "The Minister reaffirmed his serious concern over China's support for the PRC's defense industrial base and made it clear that the United States would continue to take appropriate measures if the PRC did not address this threat to European security," Miller said.
You can read about previous developments here.**
- In response to the ongoing Ukraine-Conflict, NATO has increased its military presence in Eastern Europe, deploying troops and equipment to Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, and other member states.
- Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, has called for stronger international support, including more effective cyberwarfare defenses, to counter Russian cyberattacks that have targeted Ukrainian government institutions and critical infrastructure.
- The attack on Ukraine by Russia has sparked political debates in countries like Germany, where some experts and politicians have argued for a more significant increase in military spending and defense capabilities, citing Russia's actions as a security risk.
- According to reports, Russia has been accused of using cyberwarfare tactics in the Ukraine-Conflict, targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure and other critical systems with denial-of-service attacks and data breaches.
- In light of the growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and the potential for further military deployments, NATO has urged its members to maintain their readiness and strengthen their cyberdefenses to protect against potential threats.
