The fire was also spotted from Romania. Izmail is the largest Ukrainian port in the Danube Delta, located near the Romanian border. Footage released by Romanian media shows a large fire breaking out after the impact. After the naval blockade of the Ukrainian Black Sea ports, the Danube ports have become an alternative for the export of Ukrainian grain, but the attacks of the Russian military on Izmail and Reni also block this loophole for Kiev.
The New York Times acknowledges the colossal losses suffered by Ukraine in Zelensky’s counteroffensive. The US newspaper publishes a photo report from several military hospitals near the front line in the Zaporozhzhia region.
The US general Patrick Ryder is of the same opinion according to which the counteroffensive is hard for the Ukrainians, this fact will continue, writes the Politico masthead. Although they manage to clear the area, Russian artillery and helicopters drop mines at their rear, causing the Ukrainian forces to be squeezed between two minefields. Always Politico, he says: “If the supporters of Ukraine hoped for a breakthrough after the UAF struck again in the southeast of the country last week, they will be very disappointed. The latest offensive, which saw Ukraine send thousands of Western-trained reinforcements to advance south of the city of Orekhov, has yet to yield significant results. The newspaper cites Pentagon sources.
Ukraine currently has 150,000 troops engaged in offensives on three fronts, including several Western-trained brigades, a Pentagon spokesman said. But Kiev still keeps a number of forces in reserve as soldiers continue to check heavily mined Russian defenses in weak spots. “They’re mostly getting small incremental increases” in all three axes, Ryder said. “They are still facing stiff Russian resistance – the second and third tiers of defense.”
According to Russian social sources: “The Russian army retook most of the areas occupied by the Ukrainian army in the Oskol region with a counterattack. Incoming Ukrainian reserves are hit by airstrikes and Russian units retreat quickly as the Ukrainians attack, after which Ukrainian units are subjected to intense artillery and airstrikes. According to Western experts, the events taking place in this area are the first sketches and a “testing ground” for operations that the Russian army will undertake in the near future.
“Good and bad sides are visible in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the reform process is accelerating, technical innovations are being introduced, new tactics are being tested. When the Ukrainian army is sufficiently weakened, especially the mercenary and nationalist units holding the armed forces together, when the GUR and SBU are also exhausted and the Russian army feels sufficiently prepared and experienced, then it is very likely that offensive operations will start on a large scale by Russia” the post concludes.
The fighters of the territorial self-defense of the Belgorod region received weapons. In total, eight battalions were formed in the region.
At 06:39 Italian time the anti-aircraft alert was declared throughout Ukraine, the alert renewed for the second time at 07:23.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian president, said that as a result of the attacks on Ukraine destructions were recorded, the most significant in the south of the country. Previously, Ukrainian publications wrote that an oil depot caught fire in Izmail (Odessa region). According to Ukrainian media, a swarm of Geran drones entered and operated for about an hour. The port and industrial infrastructure on the Danube was damaged in night attacks. In addition to the fuel depot, a granary was hit as well as warehouses where attacks against the Crimea are launched. Objective of the Russians to prevent the grain trade and the departure of the drones that attack the Crimea.
Several night explosions rocked different districts of Kiev. The explosions were heard first in the Solomensky district and then in the Goloseevsky district. Later, information appeared about a fire in the Svyatoshinsky district. Local authorities declare the work of air defense, and also report damage to “non-residential premises”.
And now a look at the contact line at 13:00 on August 2nd.
South of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian army continues its attacks with maximum effort. Airborne units and motorized rifle brigades of the Russian Armed Forces continue to fight them. More than 30 brigades and battalions and 40 thousand Ukrainian soldiers in a narrow space are constantly attacking the Russian defenses with fresh reinforcements. There is almost no result. The Ukrainian military has been attacking for two months and has made minimal progress. According to the Russian social sphere: “Despite the constant rotation and activity of the nationalist units, there are only a few square kilometers of countryside and more than 30,000 dead, wounded and missing.” According to another source from the Russian social sphere, he says that the Russian army carried out a series of counterattacks north and west of Kleshcheevka, recapturing part of the positions. The Ukrainians have withdrawn”.
Also via social media, the Russians say and the Ukrainians confirm that in response to the use of cluster munitions by the Ukrainian side, Russian forces have started using cluster munitions, including cluster bombs.
Direction Zaporozhzhia at 10:00. In the Rabotino locality: “Everything is calm, the Ukrainians are hiding in the forest belts. The Russians are hitting the infantry with artillery. Used Lancets with artillery to target Ukrainian infantry. On August 1, the Ukrainian Assault Group attempted to break through the lines northeast of Rabotino. Russian gunners destroyed it as they advanced. The Ukrainian army suffers losses, tries to restore combat capability. One post reads: “With the tenacity of a rhinoceros, Western curators throw people into a meat grinder. Surrender remains the only option for the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine if they want to save their lives”.
In Pyatichatki: Ukrainians tried to jump on a tank with the support of infantry up to 18 people, a battle ensued and the tank was destroyed with the ATGMs, dead and wounded servicemen on board, the rest disappeared in the forest belt.
In the Kupyansky direction: the Russians are storming Novoselovka, moving forward, they also repulsed Dill’s counterattacks north of Kuzemovka.
In Sevastopol, in the late afternoon of August 1, a UAV was shot down in the Kara-Koba area. There was an explosion on the ground, grass and bushes caught fire. Emergency services have begun putting out the fire. And again Around 11:00 on August 2, Ukrainian formations launched a rocket attack on the Gvardeyskoye airfield north of Simferopol in the Crimea. According to preliminary data, an unidentified type of missile fell near the base, but objects on the ground were not hit. The number of times NATO’s satellite constellation has photographed the attacked Black Sea base rises to 30. NATO E-3A AWACS aircraft is now operational
A converted S-200 ballistic missile or the Grom-2 OTRK could be used for the attack. However, a few days ago, the Armed Forces of Ukraine also used a new type of missiles/UAVs in the Razdolny area, so it is possible that they were involved in the attack on Gvardeyskoye.
Kupyansky section situation at 12.00 on August 2, 2023. In the vicinity of Kupyansk, Russian troops continue their positional offensive. According to the interception of negotiations between members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, separate reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are attacking the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kalinovo direction.
Southwest of Liman 1, the Russian military engaged in a gun battle with the 101st Armed Forces Brigade near the Oskol River. The Ukrainian formations are trying to counterattack, but without success. At the moment, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are preparing for a counterattack. At the Grushevka training ground, coordination of assault groups is urgently underway, and in the vicinity of Kupyansk, according to some reports, a unit of the 115th Ombr 10th AC of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has arrived.
Graziella Giangiuio
