Victory Chronicles
-DAY 525

Ukraine's Armed Forces dislodge Russian forces from positions near Andriivka

Ukrainian defenders have dislodged entrenched Russian forces from positions south of Andriiivka, near Bakhmut. “On the Bakhmut front, our troops continue to conduct offensive actions to the south of the city of Bakhmut. During the Defence Forces’ offensive actions, the enemy was forced to withdraw from positions in the area south of Andriivka, they unsuccessfully tried to regain lost positions north and west of Klishchiivka, as well as northwest of Kurdiumivka. Heavy fighting continues,” reported General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook.

Ukraine’s Defence Forces continue to conduct an offensive operation on the Melitopol and Berdiansk fronts, consolidating their positions. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported that Russian forces are suffering significant losses in personnel, weapons and equipment. Meanwhile, Russian occupiers continue to resist strongly, redeploy units and troops, and deploy reserves.

Latest news

• Radio Svoboda: Explosion sounds near air base in Crimea
• General Staff: Ukraine’s defenders kill 540 Russian soldiers and destroy 27 artillery systems
• CNN: The US is still waiting for European officials to submit a final plan for training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, which the US will have to authorize before the program can actually begin
• WSJ: In Ukraine, Amputations Already Evoke Scale of World War I
• Politico: United States prepares new military aid package for Ukraine

Symbolic number of the Day - 23

The Air Force shot down 23 Shahed kamikaze drones launched by Russian occupiers across Ukraine on the night of 1-2 August. “Russian occupation forces attacked Ukraine with Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 attack drones on the night of 1-2 August 2023. The Shahed drones were launched from three directions – Kursk (Russia), Primorsko-Akhtarsk (Russia) and Chauda (Crimea). The Air Force, in cooperation with air defense units from other components of the Ukrainian Defence Forces, destroyed 23 attack UAVs,” reported The Air Force of Ukraine.

War in Pictures

Russian shelling of Kyiv on August 2. Last night, the enemy made another attack on Kyiv. Preliminary, the fall of debris was recorded in Solomyansky district of the city. The facade of an administrative building from the 9th to the 11th floor was damaged. Rescuers examined the damaged building at the site of the attack. There was no fire. There were no casualties. Three units of basic and special fire and rescue equipment and 16 personnel were engaged at the scene.

Video of the Day

Ukrainian port infrastructure has been damaged in a Russian Shahed-136 attack UAV strike on Odesa Oblast. The Russians reportedly tried to destroy the port infrastructure on the Danube River. The attack severely damaged a grain elevator and silos, tanks of one of the cargo terminals, and production, storage and administrative buildings.

ISW report

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) accused Ukraine of attempting to attack two Black Sea Fleet patrol boats with unmanned semi-submersibles on August 1. The Russian MoD initially claimed that Ukraine launched three unmanned boats at the “Sergey Kotov” and “Vasily Bykov” Project 22160 large patrol ships in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, about 340km(211 Miles) southwest of Sevastopol.

The Russian MoD later clarified that the patrol ships were escorting Russian civilian transport ships en route to the Bosphorus Strait via the Black Sea and claimed that the patrol ships detected and destroyed all three semi-submersibles.

Russian authorities may be amplifying claims of Ukrainian attacks to frame Ukraine as irresponsibly threatening civilian ships in the Black Sea, thereby setting conditions to further escalate naval activity and consolidate control in the Black Sea, though there is no indication that Ukrainian attacks on Russian military targets have threatened civilian vessels.

War Heroes

Junior Sergeant Ihor Turmiy, call sign Tur, died in a Kyiv hospital. During a combat mission the fighter was seriously injured near the village of Krasnohorivka, Donetsk Oblast. He was 31 years old.

Ihor was born and lived in the city of Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast. After school, he received a degree in electrician at Kremenchuk Vocational School №27. He did his military service. He worked at a local factory, then started traveling abroad to work. In his free time, he liked to play football.

When the full-scale war started, he was in Poland. However, he decided to act like a true patriot – he returned to his homeland and went to the military enlistment office. In March 2022, Ihor was mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 71st separate ranger brigade. After training, he went to Donetsk Oblast. He was wounded twice.

“Ihor was the best person in my life. He was an honest, brave, fair, loving husband, father, son, brother. I still can’t believe that he is not with us,” said Olga, the wife of the fallen defender. The Hero was buried on the Alley of Glory of Svishtovsk Cemetery in his hometown. At home, his parents, brother, wife and daughter, who was 3.5 years old at the time of his father’s death, were waiting for him.