Prepared by Sofia Oliynyk, Maryana Zaviyska, Anna Dovha
Photo: The official telegram channel of the mayor of Mykolaiv
Human rights.
Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War called Russia to provide lists of Ukrainian defenders who were killed and wounded as a result of the terrorist attack in Olenivka penal colony. Also, all wounded must receive proper medical care and the bodies of fallen soldiers must be returned for proper burial. However, the representatives of Russia have not provided any response to the appeal. Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Saturday it had requested access to a prison in eastern Ukraine where more than 50 Ukrainian POWs are reported to have been killed. However, no access has been granted.
The Government of Ukraine called for the immediate evacuation from the Donetsk region. Iryna Vereshchuk, Minister of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, has announced mandatory evacuation of residents of unoccupied areas of Donetsk region before the start of the heating season. Minister underlined that heating networks are severely damaged and people need to leave prior to the heating season starts. Vereshchuk emphasized that those who refuse to evacuate, they will be forced to sign a refusal form, that a person understands all the consequences and is responsible for his/her life.
The Russian occupiers have introduced permits for all those willing to leave Melitopol. ‘They (Russian occupiers) started to inform that from Monday (1st of August), in order to leave the temporarily occupied territory, it will be necessary to take some special passes at the commandant’s office. They are trying to make it difficult to leave the territory,’ the Mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov said.
Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration reported that since March, Russian troops have taken 453 civilians hostage in temporary occupied parts of the Zaporizhzhia region. 191 of them are still in captivity. Oleksandr Starukh said that five minors were held hostage. Three of them were released, two still remain hostage.
The National Police is investigating 21 criminal cases of sexual violence by the occupiers, says Kateryna Pavlichenko, Deputy Minister of Interior Affairs. In total, more than 50 claims were submitted to the police, but this picture is far incomplete. Based on the submitted claims, most cases of sexual violence were recorded in Kyiv region, Sumy region, and Chernihiv region.
Foreign policy.
The Parliament of Montenegro condemned the armed aggression by Russia against Ukraine. ‘Another strong gesture of highly valued support from Montenegro – Skupstina‘s Resolution condemned armed aggression of Russia against Ukraine and firmly supported territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated.
The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, approved the new Maritime Doctrine, where he called the Black Sea a ‘zone of national interests’. The main threats to national security in the document, among others, are the growth of NATO activity, the desire of the US to dominate the World Ocean, the territorial claims of a number of states to Moscow, as well as the informational and military pressure on Russia to reduce the effectiveness of its maritime activities.
The president of Moldova, Maia Sandu has condemned the murder of Ukrainian war prisoners in Olenivka. ‘This unjustified war against Ukraine is a severe breach of international law and human rights violation. We strongly condemn its (Russian) actions & call for international investigation and sanctioning,’ she stated.
Cities under attack.
Mykolaiv was under massive shelling over the weekend. Around 40 missiles were launched at the city during the massive nighttime shelling, said the head of the Regional Council Hanna Zamazieieva. In addition, two people were killed and three wounded when 12 missiles hit homes and educational facilities, Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych told Ukrainian television, earlier describing the strikes as ‘probably the most powerful’ on the city of the entire war. Also a farm was hit by fire severely damaged due to the shelling. Up to 50 Grad rockets hit residential areas in Nikopol on Sunday morning, Dnipropetrovsk Governor Valentyn Reznichenko wrote on Telegram. One person was wounded. Shelling of the Sumy region continues, as 90 fires were recorded from various types of weapons within a day. As a result of the shelling, a field in the Bilopol community caught fire, and 25 hectares of wheat were destroyed. On Monday morning, Russian forces shelled a bus stop in Kharkiv. As a result, two women were injured and hospitalized.
Cities under occupation.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and Institute of War Studies indicated that the Kremlin has sent representatives of the United Russia political party to the occupied territories of Ukraine to prepare so-called annexation referendums. Partisans, in turn, according to intelligence information, have become more active in the occupied territories, which will probably prevent the invaders from holding a pseudo-referendum. Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine observes that measures are being taken to clarify the so-called voter lists. In addition, they opened polling stations for holding elections. The process of distributing Russian passports has actively begun. This is a set of measures that Russia is currently conducting in the occupied territories in order to prepare and hold a referendum. Preliminary the referendum is to take place in September.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that the occupiers are withdrawing personnel from the territory of the villages of Verkhniy Tokmak and Chernihivka. When leaving the settlements, the Russian occupiers try to create the impression of a planned rotation. In fact, the occupiers intend to completely leave the village and have started mining access roads, according to the Ukrainian Intelligence.
According to the Head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration Serhii Gaidai, near the temporarily occupied Svatovo, Luhansk region, partisans burned down a railway control switchboard designed to control traffic lights and crossings. As a result, it will be more difficult to bring ammunition to the front by rail.
Smart Maritime Group, a manufacturing company responsible for the development of marine assets, lost control over the Kherson Shipyard. It is noted that the military of the Russian Federation does not allow the administration and workers into the territory. The general director appealed to all law enforcement agencies and the Security Service of Ukraine with a statement about the seizure of the enterprise.
Energy security.
International rating agency Fitch Ratings has downgraded three Ukrainian corporate issuers, National Joint Stock Company Naftogaz of Ukraine, Private Joint Stock Company National Power Company Ukrenergo and Ferrexpo plc. According to the agency, the downgrade reflects uncured payment default, announcement of a distressed debt exchange and deterioration of operational conditions, respectively.
Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Moldova Andrei Spinu announced that in August, the Ukrainian side will supply Moldova with 30% of the missing electricity. Suppliers will be Ukrainian ‘Energoatom’ and ‘Ukrhydroenergo’.
Latvian company Latvijas gāze resumed gas purchases in Russia. ‘Latvijas gāze is now purchasing gas, but we are not buying gas from Gazprom, because we cannot pay off Gazprom. We have another supplier,’ said the Head of the company Aigars Kalvitis. However, on the morning of July 30, Gazprom distributed the following message: ‘Today PJSC Gazprom stopped gas supplies to Latvia as part of the July application, due to violation of the conditions for gas withdrawal.’
‘Ukrenergo’ stated that on behalf of the government the company will finance the creation of a strategic coal reserve. This reserve guarantees that during the wartime heating season, Ukrainian thermal power plants will have enough fuel to provide uninterrupted electricity to the military, household consumers, hospitals, utility companies, etc.
The agreement, signed by the European Union to fight the gas supply crisis, will come into effect after the conclusion of bilateral agreements of the member states on the distribution of gas. Currently six such agreements have been concluded. A number of countries remain without clear terms on how and when they will share gas in the event of a supply crisis.The issue of financial compensation, which countries will provide or receive for gas, also remains unresolved.
Food Security.
First ship carrying 26 000 tons of corn left Odesa port this morning as part of a UN-backed deal to unblock Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and secure a safe corridor for grain and other food exports. Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov reported that there are another 16 vessels waiting their turn.
A Syrian ship with grain stolen from Ukraine was detained in Lebanon. The Lebanese prosecutor’s office seized the vessel and transferred the investigation into it to the special services. The police conducts a search of the vessel. The Embassy of Ukraine in Lebanon reported ‘We have received key documents and evidence from Ukraine that the flour and barley on board the LAODICEA were stolen from Ukraine. Tomorrow we will submit a petition to the judge in Tripoli to extend the arrest period’.
According to the State Service of Ukraine for Emergency Situations, a combine exploded on an anti-tank mine during agricultural work. The driver of the combine was injured as a result of the explosion. As a result of the explosion, the stubble caught fire. The fire was extinguished on an area of 60 square meters.
In the Donetsk region, a fire broke out in a wheat field due to shelling of Russian invaders. The fire destroyed 150 hectares of fields.
The Mayor of Mylokaiv Vitaliy Kim informed that a businessman and of the largest Ukrainian grain trading company ‘Nibulon’ died as a result of shelling in Mykolaiv. Before the war, ‘Nibulon’ exported products to 70 countries, in 2021 they exported 5.64 million tons of agricultural products, including grain. Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine stated that the death of Oleksiy Vadaturskyi was not an accident, but a well-thought-out and organized deliberate murder. “The accurate hitting of the missile not just in the house, but in a specific wing – the bedroom – leaves no doubts about the guidance and correction of the impact,” he said.
Healthcare.
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine reported that Ukraine will receive $5 million from the Qatar Fund for Development. This amount was transferred to the account of the Ministry of Health within the framework of the UNITED24. The funds will be used to purchase ambulances, anesthesia and breathing apparatus for inhalation anesthesia during surgical interventions in medical institutions.
Awards.
The authorities of the capital of Poland awarded the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klychko, the title of honorary citizen of Warsaw. ‘This is a great honor for me and a recognition of the heroism of all Kyivans, the courage of the Ukrainian people who are resisting the onslaught of Russian barbarians,’ emphasized the mayor of Kyiv in a video message to Polish colleagues.
Religion.
Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar announced that the chaplaincy service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be launched in the near future. ‘Ukraine is unique not only in the freedom-loving nature of our people, but also in conflict-free multi-confessionalism. In fact, the chaplaincy fraternity also proves this,’ she said. In November 2021, the Government of Ukraine adopted a draft law on the creation of the Military Chaplaincy Service in Ukraine. The document provides for the creation of the Military Chaplaincy Service as a structural unit within the military formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the consolidation of the status of military chaplains as military personnel.
Mobility.
With an outbreak of the Russian war in Ukraine, the mobility sector has been significantly affected with the shelling and overall military battles. Nevertheless, the connectivity between the cities remained, ensuring evacuation of the people from the hotspots to the safe pots. In addition, as we wrote last week, the European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport proposed to amend its proposal on the revision of the TEN-T Regulation. The proposal extends four European Transport Corridors to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Find out more about the key facts about the mobility sector in Ukraine during the war in our new factsheet.
Reading corner.
- Putin’s rule is weakening. So what comes next? By Timothy Snyder – ‘Russians might think that Russia is winning the war. But out there in the real world, on Ukrainian territory, the Russian army is taking losses, in equipment and in officers, that threaten its integrity as an institution, not to mention its ability to fulfill its many other missions beyond Ukraine.’
- I Once Wrote – and Spoke, and Thought – in Russian… No More. Volodymyr Rafeenko on Unlearning His Mother Tongue | Literary Hub – ‘Imagine a person like me, who had lived in Donetsk for nearly half a century—who spoke, studied, and wrote exclusively in Russian and had no problems doing so, suddenly being told that I needed to be protected from my own country. That is, the main factor and cause of the war, which began, of course, not now, in 2022, but then, in 2014, was declared to be me, a Russian-speaking citizen of Ukraine.’
- Vogue diplomacy: First Lady Olena Zelenska is Ukraine’s secret weapon | Atlantic Council – ‘An attention-grabbing photo shoot with a global media brand is a smart move by Zelenska that plays to Ukraine’s strengths and enhances the country’s ability to punch well above its weight in the information war against Russia. At a time when scenes of death and destruction in Ukraine have lost the power to shock, she offers a compelling personal perspective that brings home the reality of the war to outside observers. The battle for global opinion is one of the most important fronts in the Russo-Ukrainian War. Ukraine’s ability to defend itself depends heavily on the continued flow of Western arms and money, which in turn can only be assured as long as public opinion throughout the democratic world remains firmly on Ukraine’s side. This cannot be taken for granted.’
Statistics.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., August 01, 2022: personnel – around 41 030, tanks ‒ 1768, APV ‒ 4011, artillery systems – 932, MLRS – 259, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 117, fixed-wing aircraft – 223, helicopters – 190, operational-tactical level UAV – 736, cruise missiles – 174, boats and light speed boats – 15, soft-skinned vehicles and fuel tankers – 2912, special equipment – 82.
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