Victory Chronicles-DAY 1233

Russia unleashed a massive overnight combined missile and drone attack on Kyiv for the second consecutive day, killing two women and injuring at least 22 people, including a child, according to local officials.

Explosions rocked the capital in the early hours on July 10, damaging residential buildings and critical infrastructure across eight of Kyiv’s ten administrative districts. Fires broke out, and emergency crews rushed to extinguish the blazes and assist the injured.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the victims were a 68-year-old Kyiv resident and a 22-year-old female police corporal serving in the metro police. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that 10 of the injured were hospitalized, while others were treated on site.

More people are seeking medical care at the time of this report as inspections of damaged homes continue. “This is a terrible loss,” said Kyiv City Military Administration head Timur Tkachenko. The strike caused damage to homes, schools, medical facilities, businesses, and parts of the city’s transit infrastructure. 

Ukraine receives 1 billion euros from EU in frozen Russian asset proceeds. Ukraine has received 1 billion euros ($1.08 billion) from the European Union, using proceeds from frozen Russian assets, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on July 10.

The funds come through the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) initiative, developed jointly with the Group of Seven (G7) nations. The program channels profits earned from Russian sovereign assets that were frozen by Western governments following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“This mechanism is working,” Shmyhal said. “Since the start of the year, Ukraine has received more than $18.5 billion from these proceeds.” He added that the funding is being used to support Ukraine’s economic stability and help speed up recovery efforts amid ongoing war damage.

Russian airstrike kills three civilians in eastern Ukraine, including two trapped in rubble. A Russian airstrike on the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast killed three civilians and injured another on July 10, Ukrainian emergency services reported.

The strike destroyed a one-story administrative building and damaged 21 single-family homes and a critical infrastructure site. Rescue workers recovered the bodies of two men trapped beneath the rubble after clearing over 20 tons of debris.

Fires also broke out in four residential houses, burning more than 2,900 square feet (270 square meters) in total before firefighters contained the blazes. Kostiantynivka is considered a frontline cityin eastern Ukraine and has faced repeated constant Russian attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. 

Ukrainian forces repel Russian armored assault near Toretsk, destroy two tanks. Ukrainian troops from the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade, together with supporting units, have successfully repelled a Russian armored assault near the Donetsk regional town of Toretsk, destroying one tank and disabling another, the brigade reported.

After weeks of small-unitinfantry attacks, Russian forces attempted a larger assaulton July 7, sending two heavily reinforced tanks with infantry support toward Ukrainian positions. Reconnaissance units from the 3rd Mechanized Battalion spotted the advance early.

Ukrainian artillery damaged the tanks first, after which drone operators from the “Spalakh” strike drone unit, “Kurt&Company,” and R.V. teams of the 3rd Battalion moved in. Most of the Russian troops were killed before they could dismount. One tank was destroyed outright; the second was set ablaze and rendered inoperable.

Key Takeaways:

• Russian forces conducted the largest combined drone and missile strike of the war so far on the night of July 8 to 9 with 741 total drones and missiles — an about 34 percent increase from the previous record high of 550 Russian drones and missiles launched on the night of July 3 to 4.
• The continued increase in the size of strike packages is likely intended to support Russian efforts to degrade Ukrainian morale in the face of constant Russian aggression.
• The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that Russian forces and pro-Russian separatists engaged in illegal military activity in Ukraine between 2014 and 2022.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Borova and Toretsk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Toretsk, Novopavlivka, and Velyka Novosilka.

In Memoriam: Oleksii Hanzha, a hero of Ukraine’s defense forces

Oleksii Hanzha, a National Guard officer, was killed on September 14, 2024, during a combat mission in a border area of Chernihiv Oblast. He was 28 years old. A Russian FPV drone struck a rapid response vehicle. Oleksii absorbed the blast to protect his comrades. His call sign was “Holova.”

He was born on March 9, 1996, in the village of Ryzhky, Chernihiv Oblast, and grew up in neighboring Nekhaivka. After school, he studied at the National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine in Kharkiv, where he excelled academically and athletically. He became a candidate for master of sport in track and field and pentathlon.

Before the full-scale invasion, Oleksii served in the National Guard in Cherkasy and later in Chernihiv as a combat training officer. He was known for his leadership and integrity. Alongside his military work, he completed a master’s degree in legal studies at Chernihiv Polytechnic.

From the first day of the full-scale war, he helped defend Chernihiv. In 2024, he completed officer training in Latvia and served as commander of a combined unit in the 27th Regiment of the National Guard. He was decorated for service, including the medals “For the Defense of Ukraine” and “For the Defense of Chernihiv.” He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel.

“Oleksii was joyful, fair, and strong-willed,” said his wife, Angelina. “He didn’t seek praise or recognition. He simply did what needed to be done to protect our land and his loved ones.” He was buried in his native village. He is survived by his wife, parents, and extended family.

*Hanzha’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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