Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 07-29-2024

Olha Kharlan won the individual bronze in saber.

Ukrainian fencing great Olga Kharlan won the saber individual bronze on Monday to secure her country’s first medal of the Paris Olympics.

The 33-year-old produced an extraordinary comeback from 11-5 down to beat South Korean opponent Choi Se-bin 15-14.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media post that he was “deeply grateful” to his US counterpart Joe Biden, the US Congress and the American people for the assistance.

The United States on Monday announced new military aid for Ukraine valued at around $1.7 billion that features air defense munitions and artillery rounds that Kyiv’s forces say they desperately need.

The aid includes $200 million in equipment that will be drawn from existing US military stocks and will reach the battlefield quickly, as well as about $1.5 billion in new orders that will take longer to arrive, the Defense Department said in a statement.

Kyiv repelled Russia’s attempt to capture Kharkiv, allies are “front loading” military and financial aid, and Crimea is becoming a death trap for Kremlin forces.

The Olympics in Paris provides a welcome distraction, but Ukraine is racking up significant wins in its struggle against Russia.

Kyiv repelled Russia’s attempt to capture its second largest city Kharkiv, has driven Russia’s Black Sea fleet from its 240-year-old naval base in Crimea, and placed the peninsula under siege. Vital shipping lanes for Ukrainian exports are reopened and Western weapons flow again into Ukraine.

Ukraine has been conducting a major cyberattack on Russia’s banking and payment systems, causing disruptions in banks, public transport, and mobile services since July 23, a source at HUR says.

Russian Central Bank services were made unavailable or significantly interrupted Monday, July 29, a source working for Ukraine’s military Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) told Kyiv Post.

According to the source, the bank – which is being targeted because it financially supports Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine – fell victim to a cyberattack that started at 11 a.m.

A Ukrainian military consultant said Russia has managed to infiltrate Ukrainian military communications posing as Ukrainian soldiers using a mobile app and cautioned troops to stay vigilant.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian military consultant specializing in communication and electronic warfare (EW) who posts under the pseudonym “Flash,” said Russian forces have been able to infiltrate communications that use Signal, an encrypted mobile communication app favored by the Ukrainian military.

Beskrestnov said a profile using photos of another service member as its avatar had been uncovered which, upon further investigation “pulled out a whole nest of Signal accounts run by agents of the Russian Federation.”

Vovche is the latest in a string of villages and settlements, many consisting of no more than a few streets and a handful of abandoned buildings, that Moscow claims to have captured in recent weeks.

Russia said Monday its forces had captured the village of Vovche in eastern Ukraine, the latest in a string of frontline advances Moscow has claimed in recent weeks.

Vovche lies about 16 kilometers (10 miles) northwest of Avdiivka, a city that Russia captured in February and from which its troops have been pushing forward since.

President Zelensky praised Special Operations soldiers for their crucial role in strengthening Ukraine in “the hottest areas of the front, most important combat operations and most responsible tasks.”

On Special Operations Forces Day, President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated frontline servicemembers and recognized the SSO (Special Operations Forces) fighters’ work that have “strengthened Ukraine and weakened Russian troops,” the Presidential website says.

Zelensky visited the Special Ops advanced command post in the Kharkiv sector near Vovchansk on Monday, July 29, to decorate the SSO soldiers with medals and recognize their service with state awards, including two titles of Hero of Ukraine – the nations’ highest award.

Jake Broe, in this exclusive interview with Kyiv Post, explains what internal pressures Russia is now facing that could well lead the world’s largest country to a brutal defeat.

The president’s statement came after talks with Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief amid speculation that the war was grinding to stalemate that would require territory to be ceded in exchange for peace.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said “Ukraine has the strength to achieve its goals,” shortly after his latest briefing from his Commander-in-Chief.

“I spoke with Commander-in-Chief Syrsky about our actions both now and in the near future. Ukraine has the strength to achieve its goals. I am grateful to everyone who provides it with their power,” Zelensky said during his evening address on Sunday, July 28.

Kyiv Post obtained an exclusive photo of Tuareg rebels posing with a Ukrainian flag after defeating Wagner mercenaries over the weekend.

Kyiv Post obtained an exclusive photo Monday, July 29 from sources in Ukraine’s defense and security sector showing Tuareg rebels posing with a Ukrainian flag after having just dealt a major defeat to Russian state-funded Wagner mercenaries in Mali.

Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), stated, during a national telethon on Monday, July 29, that “the rebels received necessary information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals,” adding, “We won’t discuss the details at the moment, but there will be more to come.”

The statement came amidst the latest posturing by Russia and the West on nuclear weapon deployments after the US announced plans to begin “episodic deployments” of long-range missiles in Germany.

Germany said on Monday it “will not be intimidated” by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to deploy “medium and shorter-range strike weapons” in response to Washington’s intention to deploy missiles to Europe.

“We will not be intimidated by such statements,” foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a government press conference, as reported by AFP.

Proclaimed Venezuelan election result perpetuates the split between democratic and anti-Western states.

Many nations expressed doubts Monday about the transparency of Venezuela's election after Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner, while his traditional allies congratulated the long-time leader.

President Maduro won re-election with 51.2 percent of votes, according to the electoral council (CNE), which in its majority is loyal to him.

The FSB detained a Russian suspected of planning to blow up a Russian Defense Ministry vehicle on behalf of Ukraine’s HUR in the so-called Donetsk Peoples’ Republic (DNR).

Agents of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) have detained a Russian who they alleged was working for Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR). According to the FSB, the individual was planning to blow up a military service vehicle using an improvised explosive device.

Kyiv Post reached out to Andriy Yusov, a representative of HUR, for comment, but he declined to comment on the Kremlin's claims.

Ukraine calls for a UN and ICRC probe into the July 29, 2022, Olenivka prison attack, which killed 50 Ukrainian prisoners. President Zelensky demands Russia be held accountable.

Ukraine called on the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to investigate a deadly attack on a prison in occupied eastern Ukraine last year on Monday, July 29.

The attack, which occurred two years ago on July 29 at the Olenivka facility in the eastern Donetsk region, resulted in the deaths of at least 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) and injured around 130, according to Kyiv.

Ukrainian drones scored two successful strikes on Russia’s power grid in Russia’s Belgorod and Orlovsky regions, as the countries sent aerial drone raids on mutual overnight assaults.

Overnight mutual drone attacks exercised the air defenses of both Russia and Ukraine, with Kyiv’s drones scoring two hits on energy infrastructure targets within the Russian Federation, several Telegram channels reported.

Drone raid on the power plant in Tomarovka

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

Venezuela’s opposition claimed victory in Sunday’s presidential election, setting up a showdown with the government, which earlier declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner. “The Venezuelans and the entire world know what happened,” opposition candidate Edmundo González said. The National Electoral Council, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists, earlier said Maduro had secured 51% of the vote to 44% for González. But it didn’t release the tallies from each of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide, promising only to do so in the “coming hours,” hampering the ability to verify the results. - AP

Israel has vowed that Hezbollah will “pay the price” after holding the Lebanese militant group responsible for a rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 children. This incident has reignited fears of a potential full-scale war in the region. Hezbollah has “firmly denied” any involvement in the strike, which is the deadliest attack on Israel since the October 7 assaults. In response, Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on Hezbollah targets both deep inside Lebanese territory and along the border overnight Sunday. It remains unclear if there were any casualties from these strikes. During a visit to Majdal Shams, the town near the Syrian and Lebanese borders where the rocket attack occurred, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant promised a severe retaliation. “Hezbollah is responsible for this and they will pay the price,” Gallant stated. He also emphasized in a previous statement, “We will hit the enemy hard.” - Lebanon Star

The saying “Many a good tune played on an old violin” equally applies to weapons of war on the battlefield – as Ukraine shows that new isn’t necessarily better.

Ukraine was once used as the forward repository of weapons and ammunition for the Soviet Union and much of that legacy remains, which Kyiv is putting to good use. Kyiv Post earlier reported how 60-year-old S-125 air defense launchers firing 40-year-old missiles was having success against modern Russian missiles and drones.

Let’s look at two even older weapons that Ukraine’s armed forces are using to good effect on the battlefield in the war with Russia.

“Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them,” Erdogan told a meeting of his ruling AK Party in his hometown of Rize.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday (28 July) that Turkey might enter Israel as it had done in the past in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, though he did not spell out what sort of intervention he was suggesting.

Erdogan, who has been a fierce critic of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, started discussing that war during a speech praising his country’s defence industry.

The partisans’ report states that, given significant losses in equipment and manpower, it is logical for the Russian forces to attempt to fill gaps by transferring reserves.

The Russian army is relocating convoys with dozens of tanks from Sertolovo to St. Petersburg to bolster the front line with Ukraine, according to the Atesh partisan movement via Telegram.

Atesh released a video reportedly showing a convoy of Russian T-90M Proryv (“Breakthrough”) tanks being moved. Kyiv Post was not able to independently verify the date and location of the video.

In Pokrovsk, a transport hub and a key prize for invading Russian forces where the hospital is situated, the bombardments are becoming louder and nearer.

Patients and doctors in the last maternity hospital in eastern Ukraine get little sleep now.

In Pokrovsk, a transport hub and a key prize for invading Russian forces where the hospital is situated, the bombardments are becoming louder and nearer.

The US announced it will start deploying long-range missiles in Germany from 2026, including SM-6, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and developmental hypersonic weapons, for a longer-term deployment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday (28 July) warned the United States that if Washington deployed long-range missiles in Germany then Russia would station similar missiles in striking distance of the West.

The United States said on 10 July that it would start deploying long-range missiles in Germany from 2026 in preparation for a longer-term deployment that will include SM-6, Tomahawk cruise missiles and developmental hypersonic weapons.

The EU Commission has published its fifth Rule of Law report. It concludes that many 27 member states have made good progress but harshly criticize Hungary.

The EU Commission has published its fifth Rule of Law report. It concludes that many of the 27 member states have made good progress but harshly criticises Hungary. The report makes eight recommendations to Budapest in all four areas of the rule of law: the justice system, anti-corruption measures, the separation of powers and press freedom. Slovakia was also admonished for shortcomings in the latter area.

Requirements remain unchanged

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to use nuclear saber-rattling to target Western decision-making and promote Western self-deterrence.
• Russia used Navy Day celebrations to showcase Russia's relations with a number of non-Western states as part of efforts to create a supposed Russian-led group of states to rally against the West.
• Ukrainian forces conducted a drone strike against a Russian oil depot in Polevaya, Kursk Oblast on the night of July 27 to 28.
• A rebel coalition in Mali reportedly killed and wounded dozens of Russian servicemen and Wagner Group mercenaries as well as a prominent Wagner-affiliated milblogger on the Mali-Algeria border on July 27.
• Primorsky Krai Governor Oleg Kozhemyako recently announced the creation of an independent volunteer unit to police migrants as the Russian government continues efforts to expand its control over migrants in Russia.
• Russian forces recently advanced northwest of Avdiivka, west of Donetsk City, and in western Zaporizhia Oblast, and Ukrainian forces recently regained lost positions in the Siversk direction.
• Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets assessed that the Russian military may need to accumulate up to 320,000 additional personnel in Ukraine in order to achieve its reported plans to deploy 690,000 troops in Ukraine.