Victory Chronicles-DAY 1255

Russian troops have captured the villages of Kamianske in the southern Zaporizhzhia Region and Verkhnokamianske in the easternmost Donetsk Region, according to the monitoring project DeepState.

They have also made gains near the Donetsk villages of Ivano-Darivka and Bila Hora. Ukrainska Pravda reports that, according to Ukrainian military sources, Russian forces have already been spotted in the next village of Stepnohirsk.

Earlier, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Russia had significantly intensified operations on the Zaporizhzhia front and was also focusing efforts near the Sumy border. Russia still doesn’t fully control any of Ukraine’s regions except for the Crimean Peninsula that was illegally annexed in 2014.

“The Russians launched an offensive near Kamianske, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, in mid-June 2025. This advance is aimed at pushing the Ukrainian defence forces further from occupied Vasylivka — a town with buildings and basements potentially suitable for housing personnel — and, in the longer term, getting closer to the city of Zaporizhzhia,” Ukrainska Pravda reported.

In addition to front-line advances, Russia continues to bombard Ukrainian cities and towns on a daily basis. The Ukrainian World Congress publishes news on the largest shelling incidents. More detailed information on the consequences of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, read the Victory Chronicles.

Zelenskyy: Russia launches over 9,000 aerial weapons on Ukraine in July. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that in July alone, Russia deployed more than 9,000 aerial projectiles against Ukraine, including 5,100 guided aerial bombs (KABs), over 3,800 Shahed suicide drones, and nearly 260 missiles, 128 of which were ballistic. He highlighted the devastating July 31 missile strike on Kyiv that killed 31 innocent civilians, including five children. Zelenskyy called for stronger joint action from the U.S., Europe, and global allies, emphasizing that “every interaction matters. Every day matters.”

Russian airborne strike ignites fires at businesses in central Ukraine. Russian forces targeted the city of Bila Tserkva in Kyiv Oblast overnight, sparking large fires at several civilian industrial sites. More than 100 firefighters and 34 fire engines, including robotic units, were deployed to control the blaze, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

Officials reported no casualties. Photos shared by emergency responders show flames engulfing warehouse buildings and smoke pouring into the night sky. The attack caused partial destruction to a furniture company’s office and sparked a fire at a nearby production facility.

Ukrainian POW rebukes US rapper Azealia Banks over mockery of weight loss from Russian captivity. Ukrainian marine and former prisoner of war Oleksandr Kiriienko has issued a powerful response to U.S. rapper Azealia Banks after she publicly mocked his appearance, specifically weight loss he suffered during harsh conditions of Russian captivity.

 Kiriienko, who defended the besieged Azov Sea coastal city of Mariupol in the Donetsk region during Russia’s 2022 onslaught, was captured and imprisoned under inhumane conditions. 

Ukrainians and the global diaspora felt the insult that only landed one man, Banks’ comment was a dismissal of a nation’s suffering. Many families in the diaspora have relatives who have served or are serving in Ukraine’s military, some of whom have disappeared, or perished in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. 

The physical transformation of Kiriienko that was undergone is not aesthetic fodder, it is instead a testimony to the horrors inflicted in Russian prison camps, from Olenivka in the Donetsk region to Taganrog in Russia. 

During his time in detention, he and fellow Ukrainian POWs were reportedly subjected to starvation, physical abuse, and psychological torture. Methods that are widely condemned by international human rights organizations. 

In a video shared on Facebook, Kiriienko addressed the female rapper directly: “I support free speech,” he said. “But conscience and honor must set limits. Azealia, I hope no one close to you ever experiences what we did.”

He added that what some might cruelly refer to as a “diet” was, in fact, a result of torture and deprivation, a crime under international law. “Captivity breaks the human spirit,” he said.

His address underscored the trauma endured by many who survive Russian prison camps.

Kiriienko, who was captured by Russian forces in April 2022 after leaving the Illich Steel Plant, lost about 88 pounds [40 kilograms] during nearly three years in captivity. He was freed in a February 2025 prisoner exchange.

Unlike Russia, Ukraine has repeatedly and publicly demonstrated that its treatment of Russian POWs adhere to the Geneva Conventions and during prisoner exchanges, the contrast of the physiological appearance of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners is noticeably visible. 

The controversy highlights a recurring issue in global pop culture, where celebrities with little knowledge of geopolitical conflicts or war crimes sometimes wade into deeply sensitive topics with flippant or offensive remarks. 

While Banks is known for courting controversy and confrontation online, her comment in this case drew sharp condemnation from Ukrainians and allies who viewed her words as not just tasteless, but dehumanizing.

Though Banks has not responded further, Kiriienko’s reply serves as a sobering reminder of the human cost behind the headlines,and of the moral responsibility public figures bear when commenting on war and suffering.

Key Takeaways:

• The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed on July 31 that Russian forces completed the seizure of Chasiv Yar, although available geolocated footage does not support claims that Russian forces have yet advanced to the western administrative boundary of the town.
• Russian forces have taken 26 months to advance 11 kilometers from the western boundary of Bakhmut, which Russian forces seized in May 2023, to western Chasiv Yar.
• Russian forces will likely complete the seizure of Chasiv Yar in the coming days, which will open several possible avenues for Russian forces to attack Ukraine’s fortress belt — a series of fortified cities that form the backbone of Ukraine’s defensive positions in Donetsk Oblast.
• Russia has launched a simultaneous kinetic and cognitive response to US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
• The Kremlin’s nuclear threats and rhetorical efforts to delay peace negotiations are part of a broader cognitive campaign to undermine US-led efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
• The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a decisive enabler of devastating long-range Russian strikes against the Ukrainian rear.
• European and US sanctions appear to be degrading Russian revenues from third-country importers of Russian oil.
• Russia continues to look to its small coalition of international partners to lend legitimacy to its illegal occupation and annexation of Ukraine.
• Ukrainian forces continue to innovate technical solutions to offset Russian strike adaptations.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law on July 31 designed to safeguard the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP).
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced in eastern Zaporizhia Oblast and near Lyman and Velykomykhailivka. Russian forces recently advanced near Lyman, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk.

• Putin says his ultimatum to Ukraine from 2024 has not changed
• “It is a matter of nuclear deterrence”: France expects real threat from Russia by 2030
• Ships with Russian oil idle off India as refiners seek guidance
• Germany announces transfer of two Patriot systems to Ukraine
• Pentagon orders AMRAAM missiles from Raytheon, Ukraine included among recipients