Overview of the situation - Zelensky wants to protect schoolchildren from Russian attacks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to ensure special protection for schoolchildren in his country from the war. "The school year is approaching, and the priority now is to ensure that children, wherever possible thanks to safe spaces, can learn normally and not remotely," Zelensky said in his evening video address yesterday. The government has been instructed to accelerate its efforts to build safe spaces.
Zelensky is also concerned about the energy supply of the country in the fall and winter. There are significant possibilities for creating new energy sources in most regions, he said, without going into detail. "On a national level, we are working to protect energy facilities." Given the constant Russian attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, especially the power supply, Kyiv is working to secure supplies for the winter.
Zelensky visits troops at the border with Belarus
Zelensky inspected the fortifications and defensive positions of his troops at the border with Belarus. During his working visit to the Volhynia region, he was accompanied by senior military officials, as reported by the presidential administration in Kyiv. "We have a strong defense, both in terms of personnel and defensive lines," Zelensky said. "And we will strengthen them further."
The Ukrainian military has significantly reinforced the border with neighboring Belarus in recent months. In response to the visible troop movements on the Ukrainian side, Minsk, in turn, deployed additional troops to the border. Just a few days ago, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko declared the crisis at the border over and ordered the withdrawal of additional troops.
Belarus is not directly involved in the war against Ukraine but is allied with Russia and allowed the invasion of Russian troops from its territory into Ukraine at the beginning of the war over two years ago. The direct advance on the capital Kyiv failed, however.
Kyiv reports damaged Russian bombers
The Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR claims an attack on a Russian air force base in the far north near Murmansk. Two Russian supersonic bombers of the Tupolev Tu-22M type were heavily damaged in the attack, said HUR representative Andriy Yussov to the agency UNIAN. The claims could not be independently verified.
"We are talking about an explosion over the location of the aircraft," he said, suggesting that the military airport may have been attacked by combat drones. The attack took place in the afternoon of July 25, but the result was only known to the intelligence service now. Repair work on the two bombers is likely to take several months, Yussov estimated.
Ukraine has repeatedly attacked targets on Russian territory with combat drones in recent weeks. The latest known attack was on a military airport near the Russian border with Finland.
The Ukrainian military reported heavy Russian attacks in the area around Kurachove in the Donetsk Oblast in the east of the country. Throughout the day, several Russian attacks, supported by dozens of tanks and armored fighting vehicles, were repelled. According to Ukrainian reports, at least eight Russian tanks and twelve armored fighting vehicles were destroyed during the fighting, with enemy losses reported as 36 dead and 32 wounded. These figures could not be independently verified.
First North Korean armored fighting vehicles spotted at the front
Following the close military cooperation agreed between Moscow and Pyongyang, Ukrainian intelligence claims to have spotted the first armored fighting vehicles of North Korean origin in the war zone. Reports suggest that armored fighting vehicles equipped with the Bulsae 4 anti-tank missile system have been discovered at unspecified front sections. These missiles have an effective range of up to ten kilometers.
Air alert in Kyiv in the late evening
An air alert was sounded in Kyiv and other cities late in the evening. Military administrators reported on Telegram about the impact of so-called kamikaze drones and warned of possible missile attacks.
The European Union has expressed its support for Ukraine during the ongoing conflict, providing substantial aid and advocating for international sanctions against Russia. The European Union officials have repeatedly urged for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and called for respect for Ukrainian sovereignty.
Given the strategic importance of energy supply for Ukraine during the upcoming winter, the European Union has also pledged to assist in enhancing Ukraine's energy infrastructure, aiming to increase its resilience and reduce dependency on Russian energy sources.
