Victory Chronicles-DAY 1238

Russian forces are making incremental advances in eastern Ukraine as part of a grinding summer offensive focused on Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, Ukrainian military officials and independent analysts said Tuesday.

Heavy fighting has been reported near the towns of Borova in Kharkiv Oblast and Toretsk and Novopavlivka in Donetsk Oblast, where Moscow appears to be concentrating its firepower. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Russian troops have been capturing territory at a rate of about 15.8 square kilometers (6 square miles) per day over the past two months—faster than in earlier phases of the invasion.

Ukrainian forces are carrying out localized counterattacks to blunt the Russian push, especially around Sumy, eastern Kharkiv, and parts of Donetsk. However, no major breakthroughs have been reported on either side.

“The situation remains difficult along several sectors of the front,” Ukraine’s General Staff said in a morning update. “We are taking measures to stabilize the line and inflict maximum losses on the enemy.”

The fighting comes amid the arrival of new Western military aid. The United States has delivered additional Patriot missile interceptors, bolstering Ukraine’s air defense as Russia continues to launch missile and drone strikes across the country.

Military analysts say the offensive has so far resulted in modest territorial gains for Moscow, but at significant cost in manpower and equipment.

While the front lines remain largely static, the tempo of combat has intensified, signaling a prolonged battle for control in the east as both sides dug in for the second half of the year.

Russia possibly faces 100 percent U.S.-imposed tariffs within 50 days if Kremlin Ruler Vladimir Putin doesn’t take action to end the unjustified war he started on Ukraine, especially since the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

“We’re going to be doing secondary tariffs if we don’t have a deal within 50 days. It’s very simple,” Trump said in the Oval Office, alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “And they’ll be at 100%.”

He continued: “We are very unhappy, I am, with Russia,” the 47^th president said.

Trump also committed an additional $10 billion of military assistance to Ukraine as the Russo-Ukrainian war has entered its fourth year.

SOURCE:

Japan has just revolutionized Ukraine’s battlefield intelligence. By granting access to its cutting-edge SAR satellite network, Japan is giving Ukraine the power to see through clouds, camouflage, and darkness—anytime, anywhere. This real-time radar data is now directly integrated into Ukraine’s military systems, making Russian concealment nearly impossible. More than a tech upgrade, it signals Japan’s deepening strategic support and marks a turning point in Ukraine’s growing independence from U.S. intelligence networks.

ISW report

Key Takeaways as of July 14:

• US President Donald Trump announced largescale and rapid military aid supplies to Ukraine via NATO and possible future secondary tariffs against Russia.
• Trump is acting upon the reality that successful US efforts to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table require that economic instruments be coupled with Western military support to allow Ukraine to increase pressure on Russia on the battlefield.
• Trump noted that Russia has been delaying negotiations to end the war and that the recent intensification of Russia’s overnight drone and missile strikes demonstrates that Russia is not interested in peace – in line with ISW’s longstanding assessment of Kremlin intentions.
• Trump said that European security benefits US interests and noted that Europe is committed to helping Ukraine defend itself.
• Additional US military aid to Ukrainian forces will arrive at a dynamic, not static, frontline characterized by ongoing Russian offensive operations aimed at achieving slow maneuver and by Ukrainian counterattacks in key frontline areas.
• Russian forces’ ability to advance deep enough into Ukraine’s defenses to establish these salients indicates that the Russian military command has improved its ability to seize on opportunities to advance, but the rate of Russian advances has not increased beyond foot pace.
• Russian forces recently advanced in eastern Zaporizhia Oblast near Hulyaipole – the first tactically significant activity in this area of the frontline since the Summer 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.
• The Russian military command likely intends to seize on recent advances in western Donetsk Oblast in order to advance westward into Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia oblasts.
• Russian forces may leverage advances in western Donetsk Oblast to launch an offensive operation toward Pokrovske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, in pursuit of Russia’s long-standing desire to seize Zaporizhzhia City.
• Ukrainian forces are counterattacking in key areas of the front to slow Russian advances and are inflicting significant costs on the Russian military, however.
• Forcing Putin to abandon his current theory of victory and agree to end the war on reasonable terms requires Ukrainian forces to stop Russian advances and begin to retake operationally significant areas. Western aid provided in support of this effort is essential to hastening an end to the war.
• Timely and reliable Western military assistance to Ukraine coupled with increased economic pressure is necessary to bring about an end of the war on terms satisfactory for the United States, Europe, and Ukraine.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Lyman and Novopavlivka and in western Zaporizhia Oblast. Russian forces recently advanced in Sumy and Zaporizhia oblasts and near Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Hulyaipole.

Ukrainian Marine killed in Mariupol remembered as dutiful and kind

Pavlo Skyra, a Ukrainian Navy sailor known by the call sign “Pashka,” was killed on March 17, 2022, during the defense of Mariupol in the easternmost Donetsk Oblast. He was 19 years old.

Born on Nov. 5, 2002, in the village of Panivanivka, Poltava Oblast, Skyra attended Semenivskyi Lyceum No. 2.

“Pavlo was our only brother — the youngest among six sisters,” his sister Vita said. “We all loved him very much. He was a kind, conscientious boy who always helped others. He started earning money on his own at just 14.”

After graduating school, Skyra signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Nov. 24, 2020. He joined the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, where his brother-in-law, Andrii Hreba, was already serving. Skyra was first stationed in Mykolaiv before being deployed to Mariupol with his unit.

“He last contacted us on March 2. He said he couldn’t talk much about the war,” Vita said. “Then on March 24, a fellow soldier wrote to our sister Natalia that Pavlo was gone. We couldn’t believe it.”

Three days later, Hreba was also killed in Mariupol.

As of July 2025, Skyra’s body has not recovered and cannot be buried.

He was posthumously awarded the Order for Courage, 3rd Class.

Skyra is survived by his mother, Vasylyna, and his sisters: Liubov, Nadiia, Vira, Tetiana, Vita and Natalia.

SOURCE:

Exclusive: Putin, unfazed by Trump, will fight on and could take more of Ukraine

Trump threatens Russia with ‘severe’ tariffs if no Ukraine deal reached in 50 days

​Ukraine Scales Up Cheap Machine-Vision Drones — But Turning Them Into Shahed Interceptors Is Another Challenge

Ukrainians unimpressed by Trump’s 50-day ultimatum to Putin

Ukraine war latest: Kremlin responds to ‘serious’ Trump comments – as Ukraine PM resigns from job