12:01 Putin threats response to US-Raketen in Germany
**Due to plans for the stationing of US long-range rockets in Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens a reaction at the large naval parade in St. Petersburg. In the event of implementation of these plans, Russia will respond symmetrically and no longer feel bound by an earlier prohibition on land-based atomic medium-range missiles. The INF Treaty on the prohibition of these weapons no longer applies after the US withdrawal in 2019. According to Putin, Russia has so far imposed a moratorium and adhered to the agreements. However, the US has long complained about Russian violations of the treaty. In a speech to sailors from Russia, China, Algeria, and India, Putin says the US could trigger a missile crisis reminiscent of the Cold War. "The flight time of such rockets that can be armed with atomic warheads towards targets on our territory will be approximately ten minutes," Putin says.
11:14 Authorities: Russians seize over 500 houses in Luhansk for themselves
In the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic," Russian occupiers have illegally seized 514 houses from evacuated residents. The Ukrainian news agency "Ukrinform" reports this, citing a Telegram message from the head of the regional administration of Luhansk, Artem Lysohord. These are objects that are subject to the "nationalization procedure," which begins 30 days after discovery, Lysohord writes, adding that a large part of the land seized by the occupation authorities will be nationalized.
10:45 Explosions reported in Kharkiv, air alarm declared in other Ukrainian regions
Suspilne.media, the Ukrainian broadcasting corporation, reports two explosions in Kharkiv in the morning. Shortly thereafter, the head of the regional military administration, Oleg Sinegubov, reports two missile attacks by the Russians. The type of missiles is being determined. There is currently no information about casualties, he writes on his Telegram channel. According to the news portal "RBC-Ukraine," air alarm has been declared in some regions of Ukraine. This applies to Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, and Dnipro. A threat from missiles cannot be ruled out in these regions, it is said.
10:07 Governor reports 5 dead, 15 injured from Russian shelling in the 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 via Telegram. According to Filashkin, five residents of the region Donetsk were killed. Among the dead were three people in Ivanivka, one in Kostiantynivka, and one in Toretsk. Fifteen other people in the region were injured during the day, Filashkin writes. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression in February 2022, according to the 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, it is said.
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, urges the German government to significantly increase spending for security and defense - while also criticizing the coalition's budget compromise. "The German government is currently not making reasonable fiscal policy for what the country needs," Schularick says in an interview with t-online. "Much more than that: 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," the economist adds. "To close the gap in the budget in the next ten years, we are probably talking about a volume of 250 to 300 billion euros."
And even then, it's clear: "Even with all these additional expenditures, Germany would still be investing less proportionally 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," Schularick says. It would take spending of 3 to 3.5% of the Gross Domestic Product to deter Putin's Russia with "strength and determination," he adds.
09:15 Expert sees Donetsk region "lost for Ukraine in every case"
Ukrainian forces are currently under particularly heavy Russian attack in the Donetsk region. Military expert Ralf Thiele sees no chance for Ukraine to hold the Donetsk region in the future. The Russians are "inch by inch" on the offensive, and the Ukrainians are on the retreat. The region is "lost for Ukraine, in every case," Thiele says on ntv. "That's unfortunately sad when you have to say that," the military expert adds. Donetsk is "on the negotiating table" or "on the real path." That means, either there will be a ceasefire negotiation or a surrender ceasefire," Thiele explains. Both alternatives mean that "in the end of the day, the region is gone," he adds.
08:52 Ukraine reports 1180 Russian losses in one day
Russia has lost approximately 574,690 soldiers in Ukraine between February 24, 2022, and July 27, 2024, according to Ukrainian calculations. Among them were 1180 fatalities or injuries in the past 24 hours. The Ukrainian General Staff reported this in its daily update on Facebook. In addition, Russian losses included: 8344 tanks, 16,095 armored combat vehicles, 15,936 artillery systems, 11,271 multiple rocket launchers, 906 air defense systems, and 2,405 missile systems. The Russian army had also lost 363 combat aircraft, 326 helicopters, 12,766 tactical unmanned aerial vehicles, 28 warships/cutters, 1 submarine, 21,572 vehicles and tank trucks, and 2,671 pieces of special equipment since the start of their offensive war.
08:16 Thiele on the situation at the front: Ukrainians are "de facto on a step-by-step retreat" In the contested areas in the east of the country, the situation for Ukraine is "not good," says 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 certainly lose the region of Donetsk.
08:00 Kursk reports fire in ammunition depot under control A Ukrainian drone attack has set an ammunition depot in the Kursk region on fire, according to local Russian authorities. However, the fire was quickly brought under control, writes regional governor Alexei Smirnov on Telegram. There were no injuries reported.
07:44 TASS: Russians destroy howitzer and Ukrainian ammunition depot in the Cherson region Russian paratrooper drones destroy a howitzer M-777 and a Ukrainian ammunition depot for field artillery on the eastern bank of the Dnieper in the Cherson region, reports the state Russian news agency TASS, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. After the launch of the drones, the armor-piercing shells reportedly penetrated the front line along the riverbank. At the same time, a reconnaissance drone identified as targets a 155-mm howitzer M-777 and a field ammunition depot for field artillery. Through a direct hit, the ammunition depot was destroyed and the howitzer disabled, according to the statement.
07:11 Ukrainian Minister: Olympic participation is "our victory" The Ukrainian Olympic participation is seen as a strong symbol and an opportunity by Sports Minister Vadym Bidny to draw international attention to the situation in the country following the start of the Russian offensive war on Ukraine. "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 Olympics by the International Olympic Committee due to the offensive 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 "bring the international community together in support of Ukraine and to speak to the people who normally do not 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 drones The Russian air defense shoots down seven Ukrainian drones, according to Russian Defense Ministry reports on Telegram. Five were shot down over the Belgorod region and two over the Kursk region.
06:36 Gouverneur: Oil depot in Kursk is on fire after drone attackIn the night, explosions have occurred in the Kursk region of Russia due to a drone attack. In an oil depot and several areas, fires have broken out, according to Kursk region governor Alexei Smirnov via Telegram and the channel Baza. The air defense forces are "on alert," writes the Russian official and urges the region's residents to "stay alert." In the region, at least two fires have broken out during the "defense" of the drone attack, one in the Medvenka 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 storage facility, according to the Shot channel on Telegram. Local residents reportedly heard "multiple strong explosions" near the oil depot at night. Previously, the characteristic sound of a drone flying over the area was heard. After the explosions, witnesses reported seeing heavy smoke in the sky. Additionally, an explosion occurred in the city of Sudzha, a house in the Medva district was on fire, it is reported.
05:41 Linnemann questions the payment of social benefits to Ukrainian refugees in GermanyCDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann questions the payment of social benefits to Ukrainian women and men in German media. "We need to discuss why more than 50 percent of 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 freedoms of the Germans. "But if there is a performance, it is linked to a counter-performance. This includes taking up work."
04:49 Ukraine: Over 75 percent of wounded soldiers return to dutyIn Ukraine, the percentage of soldiers who return to duty after rehabilitation, according to Deputy Defense Minister Natalia Kalmykova, is reportedly very high. "We have a very high percentage of high-quality rehabilitation programs and returnees to duty. This is also acknowledged by our Western partners," she said, according to the Interfax news agency. Kalmykova speaks of over 75 percent of the wounded.
03:13 ISW: Ukrainian forces recapture positionsAccording to the Institute for War Studies (ISW), Ukrainian forces have reportedly recaptured lost positions near Toretsk, north of Donetsk. This is shown in geolocated imagery. 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 other people were injured in a rocket attack on the small town of Hluchiv. 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, 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 announced in its daily report. It is approximately 25 kilometers east of the city Pokrowsk, in the area where the Russian army has made significant progress in recent months. Ukraine has not confirmed the capture.
22:23 Blinken threatens China with "measures" over continued support for Russian defense industryU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China that the U.S. would take "measures" if Beijing continued to support Russia's defense industry. According to the Ukrainian newspaper "Kyiv Independent," Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, made the statement. Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Laos shortly after his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba held talks with Wang during his first China visit since the war broke out in Guangzhou. "The minister reaffirmed his serious concerns 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.**
- Amidst the ongoing Ukraine-Conflict, the US threatens to station long-range rockets in Germany, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin to threaten a response.
- The increased tension between Russia and NATO has led to concerns about a potential Cyberwar, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning about the risks of such a conflict.
- In response to the escalating Military deployments by both sides, Ukraine has been rallying support from its international partners, including discussions with NATO about further defense cooperation.
- Russia's military actions in Ukraine have resulted in heavy losses, with Ukrainian sources reporting over 1180 casualties in just one day, including 1180 fatalities or injuries.
- The continuing conflict in Ukraine has also resulted in Military deployments from China, Algeria, and India, who have sent naval forces to support Russia in its confrontation with Ukraine.
