Victory Chronicles-DAY 1239

Latvian Ogre town mayor Egils Helmanis was injured in a Russian airborne attack on July 16 while delivering humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

The previous day, Latvia had also dispatched new Patria 6×6 Patria armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.

The municipal spokesperson for the town said that “these types of trips have been part of the mayor’s agenda regularly since 2022.”

Latvian media reported that Helmanis is in “stable condition.”

Latvia is a member of NATO and the European Union and has been a vocal proponent of more severe restrictive measures to be imposed on Russia for its war mongering in Ukraine.

 U.S. President Donald Trump announced that about $10 billion of additional military assistance to Ukraine that will be financed by NATO member countries that will include up to 17 Patriot air-defense systems.

In a news conference delivered on July 15, Trump pondered the option of also using frozen Russian assets to partially finance the delivery of the materiel and other weapons.

He also issued a 50-day ultimatum to Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire that he unjustifiable instigated, otherwise threatened the Kremlin with up to 100 percent “secondary tariffs,” on Russia’s main trading partners of India and China who purchase Russia vast amount of raw materials and fossil fuels.

The $10 billion military assistance also is posited to included long-range 300-kilometer ATACMS missiles that could strike deep into Russian territory, HIMARS 155-millimeter artillery shells, and ammunition.

Russia conducted a large-scale aerial attack on the city of Vinnytsia overnight on 16 July, with hits recorded on industrial and civilian infrastructure. Early reports indicate that eight people have been injured, said Nataliya Zabolotna, deputy head of the Vinnytsia regional military administration on social media.

“Hits on civilian infrastructure have been recorded as a result of an enemy attack on the city of Vinnytsia. There is information that four people have been injured,” she said on Facebook.

A Ukrainian ambulance was struck by a Russian drone on July 16 in the Kupiansk district of the northeastern region Kharkiv, injuring two medical personnel.

“On 16 July at around 09:00, Kupiansk District Police Department received a report that an enemy first-person view (FPV) drone had struck an ambulance at a crossing. Two medics aged 53 and 59 have sustained injuries in the attack,” Ukraine’s National Police said in a statement.

The police added that the injured medics refused to be taken to hospital. An investigative team, bomb disposal experts and forensic officers worked at the scene.

Source: National Police of Ukraine

Key Takeaways as of July 15:

• Kremlin officials dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that Russia agree to a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine within 50 days while promoting claims that Russia can withstand economic pressure and remains committed to achieving its war aims.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin’s theory of victory continues to drive his unwillingness to compromise on his pre-war demand for Ukraine’s capitulation.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced new appointments within the Ukrainian government.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy Oblast. Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Borova, and Toretsk.

Valerii Reva, 44, killed in action in Luhansk region

Sgt. Maj. Valerii Reva, known by the call sign of “Revo,” was killed in action on Oct. 25, 2022, during a combat mission near the village of Nevske in Ukraine’s easternmost Luhansk region. He died after triggering an enemy landmine and coming under artillery fire. He was 44 years old.

Reva was born on Feb. 19, 1978, in the village of Branytsia in the northeastern region of Chernihiv. After finishing school, he completed mandatory military service and went on to study at the Bobrovytsia Vocational College, where he earned a degree in animal science.

He served with the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade during Ukraine’s Anti-Terrorist Operation in the Donbas.

At the time of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Reva was living in Brovary, a northern city outside Kyiv, and worked as deputy head of security at a Velyka Kyshenya supermarket.

He later became a commander of an infantry fighting vehicle in the 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

For his service, Reva received several honors, including the presidential award “For Participation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation,” the “War Veteran – Combatant” badge, and the “For Exemplary Military Service” badge, 3rd class. He was posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage,” 3rd class.

“He was brave, kind — the best son, brother, husband, and father,” said his sister Alla.

• Russia rejects Trump’s demand for a Ukraine war ceasefire in 50 days as unacceptable
• Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump says weapons on their way to Kyiv before Russia launches 400 drones
• Don’t bomb Moscow, Trump says, after reportedly giving Zelenskyy the idea
• ‘Putin’s War Is Moving Closer to Our Borders,’ Sikorski Says as Polish Factory in Ukraine Hit by Drone
• Ukraine’s prime minister submits resignation, parliament set to dismiss government on July 16
• Smoke rising near Russian battery plant amid reported Ukrainian drone attack