Victory Chronicles-DAY 1253

Five people were killed and five others injured Tuesday when Russian forces attacked civilians waiting in line for humanitarian aid in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, according to local prosecutors.

The strike hit the village of Novoplatonivka around 10:30 a.m., targeting an area near a store where volunteers were distributing water and aid. The Russian military used a multiple launch rocket system in the attack, prosecutors said. A fire broke out, engulfing the store and a parked car. Two women and three men died at the scene; four others were injured.

Trump sets 10-day deadline for Russia to end war against Ukraine, threatens new tariffs. Aboard Air Force One on July 29, U.S. President Donald Trump gave Russia a 10-day ultimatum to halt its unprovoked war against Ukraine, warning of sweeping tariffs and additional punitive measures if Moscow fails to comply. 

“They clearly want to keep fighting, but we’ll see. I’m not optimistic,” Trump told reporters, signaling his impatience with Kremlin actions and his own prior diplomatic overtures.

The latest deadline replaces a previous 50-day deadline, which he abruptly shortened after a wave of deadly Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities. The warning builds on rising U.S. frustration with Russia’s intensifying assault and signals Trump’s sharpest rhetoric yet since returning to office. 

Russian drones strikes hit train station, farms in central Ukraine, injuring 2. Russian drone attacks overnight targeted infrastructure and farmland in central Ukraine, injuring two people and disrupting rail service, regional officials said on July 30. 

In the city of Pavlohrad, drones struck a transportation hub, igniting multiple fires and damaging a local train station, railway tracks, and power lines, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Serhii Lysak.

A 70-year-old man was hospitalized with injuries from the blast. Ukraine’s railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said the strike forced the rerouting of several commuter trains. Drones also set fire to nearby businesses and killed livestock in outlying areas. Pavlohrad, a key railway junction, has been frequently targeted due to its logistical significance in moving military and civilian cargo across central and eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian Special Forces eliminate seven Russian troops, seize key position in northeast. Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) have seized a Russian stronghold and killed seven enemy soldiers during a targeted assault in the North Slobozhanskyi sector, the SSO news service reported on July 30.

Operators from the 73rd Maritime Special Operations Center and the 144th SSO Center approached the fortified position and issued multiple surrender calls, which the Russians troops refused. Ukrainian forces then launched a coordinated assault, overrunning a position while recovering weapons and intelligence documents. 

One Ukrainian soldier was wounded by Russian mortar fire during the operation and is now in stable condition. The assault signifies Kyiv’s continued efforts to disrupt Russia’s defenses in northeastern Ukraine, where positional fighting continues. 

Key Takeaways:

• Kremlin officials decisively rejected US President Donald Trump’s new deadline for Russia to negotiate an end to its war against Ukraine and reiterated Moscow’s interest in continuing the war.
• Russian forces conducted a series of drone and missile strikes against civilian targets near the frontline and in the Ukrainian rear on July 28 and 29 that resulted in high casualties.
• Ukrainian forces appear to be intensifying a long-range strike campaign against Russian military industrial facilities and transport networks.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Lyman, Chasiv Yar, Pokrovsk, and Novopavlivka, and in eastern Zaporizhia Oblast.

• Moldovan president accuses Russia of planning interference in parliamentary elections
• Ukrainian intelligence presents new evidence of Russia abducting Ukrainian children
• Australia imposes sanctions on Russian shadow fleet vessels
• Trump says he will allow Ukrainian refugees to remain in US until end of war
• US State Department: Kremlin misinterpreted Trump’s patience
• US senator on sanctions bill: Putin doesn’t deserve more time