Victory Chronicles-DAY 1240

Population centers around the besieged Donetsk region town of Pokrovsk, including Dobropillya, as the Russian military appears to be moving beyond the settlements in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war that is already in its fourth year.

“Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, confirmed the deaths while saying that rescue efforts were ongoing to determine if survivors could be located under rubble,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

Russia has not been able to conquer both settlements – Dobropillya is 30 kilometers of Pokrovsk – for months despite so-called meat-grinder assaults that send waves of infantry to assault Ukrainian positions.

Pokrovsk and the surrounding area is considered a vital logistical hub for Ukrainian defensive forces that based in the Donetsk region.

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Brussels-based European Commission is allocating $116 billion for Ukraine in its 2028-2034 budget that is still pending approval. It’s part of the Commission’s Multiannual Financial Framework that is worth $2.3 trillion.

Still, Ukraine faces a governmental financial gap of $17.7 billion for the year of 2026.

“Support for Ukraine will benefit from a degree of flexibility given the magnitude and unpredictability of the needs. Support for operations with military aspects will continue to be covered by the European Peace Facility,” the European Commission news release said.

Ukrainian Special Operations soldier solely fights off five Russian soldiers

A Ukrainian soldier from the Bratsvo (Brotherhood) unit of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence unit single-handedly repulsed an assault by five Russian soldiers in Ukraine’s northeastern region of Kharkiv near Kupiansk. After the altercation, Russian forces deployed first-person view drones, used poison gas and launched mortars.

“Last month, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said Moscow sees the use of chemical weapons as a “normalized, standardized and widespread” tactic, warranting tougher sanctions and removal from its seat on the executive council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW),” the Kyiv Post reported.

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The U.S. TIME’s latest magazine cover reports of the fate of kidnapped Ukrainian children whom Russia has been pushed to the edges of the peace process, intensifying fears across the country that they may never come home.

Official Ukrainian illegal deportation figures stand at 20,000 and only about 1,400 have been repatriated. Independent estimates from Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab and United Nations’ experts say the number could possibly be up to 35,000.

Once abducted, the Ukrainian children are subjected to a systemic program of assimilation, indoctrination, and relocation, all action of which are considered violations of international law and have been condemned of crimes against humanity.

Key Takeaways as of July 16:

Key Takeaways:

• The Kremlin is recycling several longstanding informational narratives, including nuclear threats, in a renewed effort to break the United States away from Ukraine and the NATO alliance.
• Western officials provided additional details about the new US-led effort to arm Ukraine.
• Russian forces conducted a large series of missile and drone strikes against Ukraine overnight on July 15 to 16, heavily targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
• The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (parliament) accepted the resignation of Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on July 16, dissolving the current Ukrainian government.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy Oblast. Russian forces recently advanced in northern Kharkiv Oblast and near Borova, Lyman, and Novopavlivka.

Ukrainian Soldier Artem Keniz, 23, Killed in Action in Zaporizhzhia Region

Senior soldier Artem Keniz, 23, known by the call sign “Major,” was killed June 11, 2023, near the village of Robotyne in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region.

He died from shrapnel wounds during an assault on enemy positions.

Keniz was born on Dec. 29, 1999, in the village of Novomykhailivka, also in the same region. He attended the local secondary school, where he especially enjoyed shop class and physical education, and showed an early interest in mechanics. Known for his kindness and readiness to help others, he was well liked by friends and classmates.

After completing ninth grade in 2015, he enrolled at the Zaporizhzhia Vocational Automotive Transport Lyceum, where he trained as an auto mechanic.

His teachers remembered him as a disciplined and diligent student, sociable and full of energy, with a particular passion for hands-on work.

Following his graduation in 2018, Keniz worked various jobs before becoming a senior security guard at an ATB supermarket in Zaporizhzhia. In 2021, he began remote studies in entrepreneurship and trade at the Trade College of Zaporizhzhia National University.

In March 2023, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Initially serving at checkpoints in and around Zaporizhzhia as part of a Territorial Defense unit, Keniz was later assigned to the 59th Separate Rifle Battalion, where he completed missions in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. He later underwent advanced training in Germany and became a gunner with the Magura 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

“My son Artem will always be in my heart,” his mother, Liubov Volodymyrivna, wrote. “He was only 23, but he showed incredible courage and strength of spirit. He was sincere, kind and brave—always on the side of truth and unable to stand by in silence. Artem went to defend Ukraine because he believed in justice and in our free future. He was an extraordinary person. His memory will live on forever in the hearts of his family, comrades and all who knew him. Artemchyk, you are our Hero.”

Keniz was laid to rest at Kushuhum Cemetery in Zaporizhzhia region.

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