Fierce fighting as Russian occupation of Ukraine enters sixth month

Unrelenting fighting continues as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its sixth month, with Russian troops relentlessly shelling the north, south and east.

There are indications that the Russian military, in addition to a shortage of personnel, is facing difficulties in replacing or repairing hundreds of pieces of military equipment damaged in combat.

Ukrainian armed forces reported shelling by the Russian army in the north, south and east on July 24, as Kiev said it would press ahead with efforts to retake lost territory.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on July 25 that “indecisive” fighting was taking place in the east and in the Kherson region in the south, which was captured by the Russians at the start of the war, because low manpower was making it harder for Russian commanders to decide whether they want to strengthen their offensive in the east, or strengthen the defense in the west of Ukraine.

The ministry added that on July 18, British intelligence identified a Russian military vehicle repair facility near Barvinok, in Russia’s Belgorod region, located 10 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

“At least 300 damaged vehicles were located there, including tanks, armored personnel carriers and a support truck,” said the British military intelligence daily.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian army said that Russian troops on July 24 continued their efforts to take control of the Vulehirska power plant, located about 50 kilometers northeast of Donetsk. This power plant is the second largest in Ukraine and is a strategic infrastructure that Russian forces want to take control of.

The General Staff said that Russian forces have withdrawn after another failed attempt to take control of this power plant.

“The enemy is losing personnel, but it is stubbornly continuing its efforts to take control of the territory of the Vulehirska power plant,” Shtabi said.

The General Staff said Ukrainian forces had also repulsed Russian forces on July 22 in their attempts to take control of the power plant.

Yuriy Ignat, an air force spokesman, said Ukrainian jets armed with missiles had attacked three Russian strongholds, destroying equipment and killing troops.

Speaking to Ukrainian television, Ignat also said that the anti-aircraft defense is working “perfectly”, as he reported that four Russian Kalibr missiles, which were launched from the Black Sea towards the Helnitski region, were shot down.

These claims could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during an address in the late hours of July 24, said that his forces are advancing “step by step” in the occupied southern region of Kherson, located south of the Dnieper River.

“Even the occupiers admit that we will win,” he said, as he said that July 28, Ukraine’s statehood day, will be a state holiday, which Zelensky had announced last year.

“We listen to their conversations all the time. We listen to what Russian soldiers say to their relatives when they call,” Zelensky said.

In Moscow, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee said Russia has charged 92 members of the Ukrainian armed forces with crimes against humanity.

Aleksandr Bastrykin told the Russian government newspaper, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, that over 1,300 criminal investigations have been initiated.

About 96 people, including 51 commanders of the Ukrainian armed forces, are wanted, he said.

These wanted persons are involved “in crimes against the peace and security of humanity”, he added.

Bastrykin’s claims could not be independently verified and Ukraine has not commented.

Kiev is also conducting its own investigations. Ukrainian authorities said earlier this month that they are investigating more than 21,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression allegedly committed by Russian forces since Moscow launched the invasion on February 24.

The International Criminal Court has sent a team of investigators and forensic experts to Ukraine, a country they have described as a “crime scene”.

The Kremlin denies all allegations of war crimes and denies targeting civilians.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has started a tour in Africa, to assure the states that the international agreement on the export of Ukrainian grains through the Black Sea remains in force.

He told leaders in Egypt that Russia “has reaffirmed the commitment of Russian grain exporters that they will fulfill all their commitments.”

According to the grain agreement, which was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, Ukrainian grain exports from the three Black Sea ports will resume to pre-war levels of about 5 million tons per month. The agreement also enables Russian grain and fertilizer exports to resume.

Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the Russian invasion and Moscow’s blockade of Ukrainian ports has blocked shipments.

These blockades have caused food prices to rise around the world, putting millions of people in poor countries at risk of starvation and causing fears of social unrest./REL

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