UKRAINE WAR BRIEF DAILY DRAFT
For: 2024-07-21
Slava Ukraini! In early 2022 I began a Telegram channel aggregating news from a number of sources daily on the war in Ukraine. Since June 2023 I have provided a daily draft for the Ukraine War Brief Podcast collecting news from over 60 sources daily, much of which forms the basis of the script. While the Podcast is on hiatus I will make this Draft available here both on my own Substack and The People’s Media for those who wish to keep up with events on a daily basis.
ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
GSAFU Morning Report
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its Operational Information update at 22:00 on July 21 stated that day 878 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine was about to begin.
During the past day, 126 combat engagements took place. Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 2 missile strikes, 54 air strikes, 531 drone strikes and n 3,179 artillery strikes across the positions of Ukrainian forces.
At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers continue to inflict losses in manpower and equipment on the occupying troops, exhausting the enemy along the entire front line and continue to disrupt the plans of Russian occupiers to advance deep into the territory of Ukraine.
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Weekly Ground Forces Air Defence Review
Air defense and electronic warfare units of the Ground Forces continue to hold the sky over Ukraine, destroying enemy air targets: both in the rear and along the line of combat. The GSAFU reports.
From July 13 to July 19, 2024, the Air Defense Forces of the Ground Forces destroyed 154 means of aerial reconnaissance and attack of the Russian troops, namely:
KR Kh-101/555— 6 units;
as well as 148 UAVs of various types:
Unmanned aerial vehicle Shahed-131/136 — 12 units;
BpLA Orlan-10/30 — 11 units;
BpLA Zala — 40 units;
BpLA Lancet — 35 units.
Supercam UAV — 8 units;
BpLA Privit-82 — 27 units;
n/t — 15 units;
In the conditions of intense hostilities, we also land and suppress a significant number of tactical UAVs of the enemy, in particular fpv drones and drones of the "wing" type, using various EW means.
In just the last week, our soldiers have foiled about 5,000 tasks for enemy UAVs of the "wing" type and for more than 3,000 enemy fpv drones!
Separately, I would like to note the high professionalism of the air defense calculations of the 110th separate mechanized brigade named after Corporal General Mark Bezruchka. The day before, the soldiers of the brigade once again showed the Russians that the sky over Ukraine can only be Ukrainian by destroying another Su-25 in the Pokrovsky direction.
The ground component of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continues to destroy the enemy not only on land, but also in the air.
Air Force Daily Report
On the night of July 21, 2024, the enemy struck with three Iskander-M ballistic missiles from the Kursk region and Crimea, two Kh-59/69 guided air missiles from the airspace of the Kursk region - Russian Federation. and 39 strike UAVs of the "Shahed" type from three directions: Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Russian Federation, Crimea.
During the night attack, the radio engineering troops of the Air Force identified and escorted air targets in more than 10 regions of Ukraine. Units of mobile fire groups of all Defense Forces of Ukraine, as well as anti-aircraft missile forces and EW of the Air Force were involved in repelling the air attack.
That night, the anti-aircraft defense managed to shoot down 35 enemy attack UAVs "Shahed - 131/136". Also, thanks to active countermeasures, the enemy's Kh-59/69 guided air missiles did not reach their targets.
Anti-aircraft defense worked in Sumy, Poltava, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Cherkasy regions.
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Kharkiv axis: 5 Russian attacks were repelled near Hlyboke and Vovchansk
Kupyansk axis: The enemy tried to advance 11 times against Ukrainian positions near Synkivka, Pishchane and Hlushkivka. The situation is under control.
Lyman axis: Russian troops attacked Ukrainian defenders 7 times in the areas of Makiivka and Nevske
Siversk axis: Russian forces carried out 7 assaults in the vicinity of Verkhnokamianske, Spine and Vyimka
Kramatorsk axis: In the Chasiv Yar sector Ukrainian defenders defeated 11 assaults by the invaders in the area of Novomarkove, Kalynivka and Stupochky One battle near Klischiivka is ongoing.
Toretsk axis: There have been 5 unsuccessful Russian attacks over that last day, All the efforts of the enemy were directed to the areas of Pivinchne, Zalizne and Nui-York.
The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Pokrovsk axis: The greatest activity over the past day was in this sector. The enemy conducted 47 attacks against Ukrainian defences in this area over the last day in the vicinity of Novooleksandrívka, Prohes and Novoselivka Persha
Kurakhove axis: The enemy 11 times unsuccessfully attacked our positions near Krasnohorivka, Heorgievka, Paraskovievka and Kostiantynivka.
Vremivka axis: There have been four battles near Staromaiorske
Orikhiv axis: The enemy made 5 attacks in the vicinity of Robotyne and Mala Tokmachka
The Odesa operational-strategic group
(Responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea.)
Prydniprovsk axis: Ukrainian forces repelled 8 attacks of the enemy on the left bank of the Dnipro.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Nothing to report.
THE HOME FRONT
Russia launches 'double-tap' attack on rescue workers in Sumy Oblast
Russian forces launched a "double-tap" attack on first responders as they were curbing the aftermath of the previous attack in Sumy Oblast on July 21, the State Emergency Service said. The Kyiv Independent reports.
Russian forces launched a "double-tap" attack on first responders as they were curbing the aftermath of the previous attack in Sumy Oblast on July 21, the State Emergency Service said.
The first responders at the site were able to take shelter, as a result there were no casualties in the "double-tap" attack. They were able to finish extinguishing the fire afterward.
Over the past months, Russia's “double-tap” attacks escalated, killing nearly 30 rescue workers in Odesa, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia and wounding more than 20 in March and April of 2024 alone, according to Timothy Hanway, the acting U.S. envoy to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
In a recent interview with the Ukrainian media Interfax on July 19, the head of the Ukrainian State Emergency Service Andrii Danyk said that 93 emergency workers were killed and almost 400 wounded since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion.
Most Ukrainian POWs haven’t seen Red Cross while in Russian captivity, ombudsman says
Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on July 20 that most Ukrainian prisoners of war who were released had never been visited by the Red Cross representatives while in Russian captivity. The Kyiv Independent reports.
His post on social media came in response to a recent interview of Boris Michel, the head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Russia, with the Russian state-controlled media RIA Novosti.
In the interview, Michel said that ICRC staff visited 3,100 prisoners of war in Russia and Ukraine, adding that these visits “are very important for the prisoners of war themselves and their relatives, as they await news about their loved ones.”
Lubinets said that Michel didn’t specify how many visits were paid to POWs separately in Russia and Ukraine because “almost all” the POWs who received the visits were Russian prisoners held by Ukraine in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
RUSSIAN WORLD
Russian continues to coerce immigrants with threats of deportation into military service
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US based think tank, in its July 20 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment stated that Russian authorities are likely trying to strengthen coercive measures aimed at impressing migrants facing deportation into military service. Kremlin newswire TASS reported on July 19 that the Russian State Duma will consider amendments that would allow Russian authorities to detain foreigners and stateless persons who are subject to expulsion from Russia, in "special institutions" for no more than 48 hours before their deportation.
The amendments reportedly propose that officials from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) or Federal Security Service (FSB) can request that a judge extend the period of detention from 48 hours to 90 days, however. Russian authorities are currently allowed to detain foreigners and stateless persons subject to deportation for a maximum of 90 days. Russian authorities have increasingly been conducting raids against migrants and impressing migrants into signing military contracts by threatening migrants with deportation. The amendments significantly shortening the period during which Russian authorities can detain people facing deportation are likely aimed in part at increasing pressure on migrants to join the military in lieu of deportation.
NEWS WORLDWIDE
Zelenskyy calls for long-range weapons after another drone attack on Kyiv
Ukraine needs long-range weapons to protect its cities and troops on the frontline from Russian bombs and drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday after a massive overnight drone and missile attack. Reuters reports.
Russia launched its fifth drone attack on Kyiv in two weeks overnight, with Ukraine's air defence systems destroying all the air weapons before they reached the capital, Ukraine's military said.
Ukraine's air force said on Telegram that its air defence systems destroyed 35 of the 39 drones and two cruise missiles that Russia had launched overnight. The weapons, the air force said, targeted 10 of Ukraine's regions.
It was not immediately clear how many drones were launched at Kyiv. There were no casualties and no significant damage reported, Serhiy Popko, head of the Ukrainian capital's military administration, said on the Telegram.
"During last night alone, the Russian army used almost 40 'Shaheds' against Ukraine. Importantly, most of them were shot down by our defenders of the sky," Zelenskyy said on Telegram, referring to the drones.
He said it was necessary to destroy Russian bombers at Russian air bases to protect Ukraine from air raids.
"Our sufficient long-range capabilities should be a fair response to Russian terror. Everyone who supports us in this supports the defence against terror," Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskiy renewed his call for Western allies to allow long-range strikes on Russia on Friday in London, saying Britain should try to convince its partners to remove the limits on their use.
NATO members have taken different approaches to how Ukraine can use weapons they donate. Some have made clear Kyiv can use them to strike targets inside Russia while the United States has taken a narrower approach, allowing its weapons to be used only just inside Russia's border against targets supporting Russian military operations in Ukraine.
MILITARY & TECH
Ex-Polish Defense Chief discloses MiG-29 delivery timeline for Ukraine
Poland may hand over its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in late 2024 or early 2025, former Polish Minister of National Defense Janusz Onyszkiewicz said in a comment to news agency Ukrinform on July 21.
Although this will depend on the timing of the delivery of new U.S. F-35s to the Polish Air Force.
“The transfer of the remaining Polish MiG-29s to Ukraine will depend on the schedule of delivery of F-35s to Poland, which are to replace them. I think it may take about six months,” Onyszkiewicz said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Poland on July 8 that Warsaw could give Kyiv its MiG-29 fighter jets if NATO allies replaced them with other aircraft.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Tusk signed a bilateral security agreement in Warsaw under which Poland will consider transferring at least one additional MiG-29 squadron (at least 14 fighters) to Ukraine.
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