Trump called Dmitry “Medvedev, a failed former Russian president who still thinks he’s president,” and warned him “to be careful with his words,” Trump wrote on his social network, Truth Social. “He’s entering a very dangerous zone!” The US president did not specify which Medvedev’s statements caused discontent.
Some European countries will borrow tens of billions of euros from the EU and will consider using these funds to help Ukraine, Politico reports. The deadline for applications to participate in a new subsidized loan program for arms purchases under the €150 billion Security Fund for Europe expired on July 30. Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Spain, Finland, Hungary, and Lithuania have officially expressed interest in receiving loans. The Czech Republic, Latvia, Bulgaria, Greece, and France will likely follow suit a little later. Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands are more likely to decline the loan. “By combining arms purchases under this scheme, countries can obtain a lower price than they would by purchasing weapons separately and then transferring them to Ukraine. Countries that do not accept loans will be able to reduce their arms procurement costs by participating in joint purchases,” Politico reports.
Ukrainian media report that Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s new bill to restore the powers of anti-corruption agencies, an attempt to amend the law that led to their revocation, has not yet reached a majority. Senior Ukrainian politicians are also said to be demanding guarantees that the agencies will not launch large-scale investigations into politicians after their powers are restored. And even if Zelensky’s bill restoring the independence of anti-corruption agencies were approved, they would not be able to fully resume their work, according to Klymenko, head of Ukraine’s Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, according to the Financial Times. In the late afternoon of July 31, the law was then approved.
Demonstrations near the Verkhovna Rada building. The demonstration in support of the president’s bill restoring the independence of NABU and SAPO continues. Participants are also demanding the appointment of the head of the BEB. Parliament has considered bill No. 13533, and during the debate, an altercation escalated into a fistfight between deputies from the “Servant of the People” party. People’s MP Dmytro Kostyuk announced his resignation from the Servant of the People group: “I am leaving the Servant of the People parliamentary group. This is my reaction to last week’s vote,” he said from the parliamentary rostrum. Kostyuk was elected to a majoritarian district in the Zhytomyr region and is a journalist.
NABU materials obtained through secret investigations and searches of the apartment of Mindich, the owner of Zelensky’s portfolio, who fled to Vienna, were handed over to the FBI. These materials document Mindich’s negotiations with Chernyshov, Yermak, Galushchenko and Grinchuk, Zelensky, Gmyrin, Abramovich (Igor), Shurma, and several other Ukrainian businessmen, politicians, and MPs.
Defense Minister Shmyhal, speaking at a committee meeting, stated: “From August 15, if the budget changes are not approved today, there will be arrears for financial support to the army.” The Ukrainian administration of the part of the DPR controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been transferred from Kramatorsk, where it had been located since 2014, to Dnipro. This was announced by the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, Filashkin, appointed by the Ukrainian authorities.
The Russian delegation, led by Valentina Matviyenko, is likely returning from Geneva. During the meeting with the Ukrainian delegation, the exchange of prisoners and Russian citizens in Ukraine and Ukrainians in Russia was discussed. The Kremlin rejected Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s accusations of Russia’s intentions to interfere in Moldova’s parliamentary elections, calling these claims false. “First of all, this is not true; Russia does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. We regret that the electoral rights of many Moldovans are being violated,” said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on Sandu’s statement.
And now, a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on July 31. According to official data from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Russian army launched 317 air targets against Ukraine: Ukrainian air defense shot down 288 drones and three missiles. Direct hits by five missiles and 21 attack drones were recorded at 12 locations.
On July 30, Ukrainian forces carried out 58 artillery strikes on populated areas on the left bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region. Emergency services in the region reported this.
Russian forces carried out a group attack with high-precision weapons on Ukrainian facilities, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The following were hit: Military-industrial complex enterprises; military airport infrastructure; an ammunition depot; missile weapons; and drone production components. Air defense systems shot down 169 drones. According to Ukrainian sources, 124 civilian buildings were hit, with at least six people injured and one child killed.
Kiev was under attack by Russian drones throughout the night, and missile attacks were reported. At the start of the massive raid, Klitschko reported on the Ukrainian air defense operations and, in the morning, reported drone strikes against civilian targets. Explosions were also reported in the regions of Chernihiv, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, and Pavlohrad.
In the morning, regional authorities in the Rostov region reported the destruction of Ukrainian drones in the districts of Chertkovsky, Verkhnedonsky, Sholokhsky, Kasharsky, and Dubovsky. Fires in the area were extinguished. Media reported a drone strike near the Kotelnikovo railway station in the Volgograd region.
In the direction of Sumy, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to transfer elite units (including the MTR “South” Center, formerly the 73rd Marine Special Operations Center) from other directions and the rear, as reported by the GDV “Nord.” In Yunakivka, house-to-house battles are taking place.
Toward Kharkiv, heavy fighting is taking place in Vovchansk and surrounding areas, and in the forested strips between the villages of Milove, Zarubynka, and Khatnje.
In the Belgorod region, 10 drone strikes have injured at least three people.
Toward Kostyantynivka, Russian forces are close to securing access to the Kleban-Byk reservoir from two sides.
Toward Pokrovsk, the main news was the entry of Russian forces into the city. The size and specialization of the units spotted in Pokrovsk are unclear; perhaps the Russian DRGs are working. Russian success is visible northeast of Myrnohrad, where Russian troops are cutting through Ukrainian defenses.
Toward South Donetsk, the Vostok Group continues its offensive. Fighting is ongoing on the outskirts of Oleksandrohrad, in the direction of Andriivka-Klevtsove, in the western part of Voskresenka; Russian troops are advancing from Maliivka towards Voskresenka. The penetration area of Ukrainian defenses on the southern outskirts of Komyshuvakha has been expanded, and the Russians are now focusing on the forest strips south of Temirivka.
On the Zaporizhia front: battles for Plavni and Stepnohirsk. Ukrainians launched a rocket attack on a playground in the town of Vasylivka, in the Zaporizhia region, injuring three children. An apartment building was damaged.
Controversy over Chasiv Yar: according to the Russian Defense Ministry, the town is under Russian control, while the Ukrainians say otherwise. If the Russian presence were confirmed, the capture of Chasiv Yar would compromise the entire defense system of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in this area.
Graziella Giangiulio
Follow our updates on Geopolitical Gleanings - Spigolature geopolitiche: https://t.me/agc_NW and on our blog The Gleanings of AGCNEWS - Le Spigolature di AGCNEWS: https://spigolatureagcnews.blogspot.com/
