The Romanian Defense Ministry has denied reports that a Russian drone fell in the forest of Tulcea county, the Romanian government press service reported. The mayor of Catalchioi municipality in Tulcea told Digi24 that on Wednesday morning, after a drone attack on the port of Izmail in Ukraine, drones would fly over the houses of Romanian residents and land in the local forest.
On August 4, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin held a meeting with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council, according to the Kremlin: ”Matters of strengthening internal stability in today’s conditions were discussed. The director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov, the director of the foreign intelligence service Sergei Naryshkin and the Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev made presentations”, reads the website of the Russian Presidency. It is learned from the Russian authorities that the security measures in the waters of Sochi after the attack on Novorossiysk.
From Kiev we learn that on August 3, Ukraine and the United States began negotiations to provide security guarantees, according to Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the president of Ukraine. Washington has confirmed it, the details of the agreements are currently unknown. Deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry Vadym Skibitsky told Ukrainian media about the plight of the Ukrainian military on the line of contact and called for more weapons.
On August 4, the scheduled rotation of observers of the IAEA mission at the Zaporozhzhie nuclear power plant was held. The agency’s employees have been present at the ZNPP since 1 September 2022. Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency regularly visit the facilities of the Zaporizhzhie Nuclear Power Plant and have the opportunity to inspect their main equipment. They have repeatedly ensured that the nuclear power plant provides all conditions necessary for its safe operation, that sufficient water supplies are maintained, and that the required routine maintenance is performed in a timely manner.
NBCR specialists of the Russian Armed Forces at nuclear power plants carry out activities to ensure radiation safety and carry out radiation monitoring of the territory of the nuclear power plant. The IAEA delegation found no landmines and other munitions on the roof of the power units of the Zaporozhzhie nuclear power plant, reports Olga Kurlaeva, special correspondent of Rossiya-24. IAEA members began their mission by inspecting the roof of Units 3 and 4. The inspection was monitored by the Russian military and Rosenergoatom Director General Advisor Renat Karchaa. Officers spent half a day on the rooftops, but found nothing. This denies what was said by the Ukrainian government which, citing intelligence sources, spoke of anti-personnel mines present in the plant.
The Ukrainian army tried to attack the Novorossiysk naval base at night with two unmanned boats, the Russian Defense Ministry said. According to the ministry the boats were destroyed by fire from the regular armament of Russian vessels guarding the raid outside the base. Footage of the attack by a naval drone on the large mining landing ship Olenegorsky appeared on the network.
A Russian military analyst on the attack on the Russian ship in the Black Sea writes: “This is a combined attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Black Sea area”. Around midnight, from the vicinity of Kherson, probably from the Chernobaevka airfield, two to four groups of Mugin-5 PRO drones (at least 18 UAVs) were launched in the direction of the Crimean peninsula.
One of the groups moved through Kalanchak towards Armyansk and Cape Tarkhankut, and the other through Chaplinka and Chongar towards Feodosia. The first six drones were suppressed by electronic warfare over Chaplinka.
In addition, units of the 31st Air Defense Division worked on targets of the Pantsir-S1 air defense missile system near Krasnoperekopsk and Cape Tarkhankut. Two more were planted by electronic warfare near Krasnoperekopsk and Armyansk.
The main Ukrainian attack was concentrated on Feodosia, where Russian troops shot down seven UAVs (three from S-400 air defense systems, four from ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns) and one was suppressed by electronic warfare. One of the drones crashed near an oil depot in the city, there is no damage data yet.
The attack on Feodosia is not accidental. Large oil fields are found in this city (the fall of a UAV nearby indirectly indicates that they were the target). In addition, there is also a power station that connects the Crimean power lines.
Details of the attack on Novorossiysk have also appeared online. An unmanned Ukrainian boat hit the port side of the Olenegorsky. As a result, one of the compartments was flooded, but the vessel remained afloat and will be launched after repairs.
According to the Russian analyst: “In this case, it is curious that the drone approached the BDK unimpeded. The crew probably didn’t expect an attack, so they took no action to destroy the drone. And this also raises the question of equipping all non-combat ships with additional machine gun mounts, as has already been done on several ships of the Black Sea Fleet. In closing, the analyst reports that: “The combined attack on Crimea, together with a blow to a ship of the Black Sea Fleet, took place exactly after extensive reconnaissance by NATO aviation and satellites. And this time the Armed Forces of Ukraine changed their goals: from the already familiar Sevastopol and Gvardeisky to Feodosia and Novorossiysk.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the suppression of the attack of 13 Ukrainian UAVs on Crimea. According to the agency, ten drones were destroyed by air defense means, three more were suppressed by electronic warfare. No damage done.
We close with a look at the front line.
The Russian army counterattacks simultaneously in three sectors of the Bachmut (Artemovsky) direction. Fighting is going on in the Bachmut (Artemovsky) direction – Ukrainians are increasingly using heavy armored vehicles and are trying to occupy key settlements. However, the Russian fighters hold their positions and do not allow the militants to achieve at least some success and counterattack in the Kurdyumovka, Andriivka and Kleshcheevka area.
In the Zaporozhzhie direction in the area of the Vremevsky ledge, the Russian army counterattacked the Ukrainian armed forces in the Blagodatny direction – positional battles continue. In the Vuhledar sector, the Ukrainians attempted to attack Nikolskoye to break through to Volnovakha, but the Russian fighters returned fire and defeated the advancing and holding their positions.
In the Svatove-Kreminna direction, the Russian army advanced near Belogorovka and reached the eastern outskirts of the village. The Russian military has also taken a number of new positions in Novoselovskoye behind the H-26 highway.
Graziella Giangiulio
