WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Russian troops inch forward in Ukraine's east with waves of bombs and infantry
Russian assaults are raising pressure on the strategic eastern logistics hub of Pokrovsk, Ukraine said on Friday, as waves of guided bombs and infantry lead to some of Moscow's largest territorial gains since the spring.
The push is fuelling a surge in civilians fleeing, with requests for evacuation in the area increasing about tenfold over the past two weeks, according to a volunteer helping people leave.
Russian forces have been steadily inching forward on several fronts in the eastern Donetsk region, staging particularly fierce attacks near Pokrovsk with Kyiv's troops stretched thin 29 months since Russia's full-scale invasion.
Russia's gains of around 57 square km (22 square miles) in the space of a week are the third largest recorded since April after they made only modest gains in June, Pasi Paroinen, an analyst with the Black Bird Group, told Reuters.
Russian forces are using warplanes and artillery fire to support waves of infantry assaults in the area near Pokrovsk, Ruslan Muzychuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's National Guard said in televised remarks.
"These assaults are not always supported by armoured vehicles, often it is infantry assaults," he said, flagging the bombing by Russian warplanes as a particular problem.
"It's a significant threat ... because the Pokrovsk and Toretsk fronts are taking a large share of the daily aviation strikes carried out on the positions of Ukrainian defenders."
Russia's Ministry of Defence said its forces had captured five settlements in the Donetsk region in the past week.
Russia's use of warplanes to fire guided bombs was crucial for Moscow's battlefield tactics, said Valeriy Romanenko, a Kyiv-based aviation expert, who compared it to a "conveyor belt".
"The Russians are not piercing our defence, they are pushing it back. They are advancing 100, 150, 200 metres every day using this tactic: dropping guided bombs, then a 'meat assault', (and if those are) repelled, dropping guided bombs again, a 'meat assault' again."
He said the supply of U.S. F-16 fighters to Ukraine could disrupt that dynamic if the jets were able to threaten Russian warplanes, but that such operations were unlikely for now given the risk it would present for the new pilots operating expensive jets.
Paroinen said the Russian offensives around the settlements of Toretsk and Niu York as well as the one to the east of Pokrovsk around the villages of Ocheretyne and Prohres had created a "double crisis" for Ukraine towards the end of June.
That, he said, followed the Russian offensive into the northeastern Kharkiv region, which was halted by Ukraine, but opened a new front and spread the defenders extremely thin.
'THEY ARE DESTROYING EVERYTHING'
Roman Buhayov, an evacuation driver from humanitarian organization East SOS, told Reuters that the number of requests for evacuation in the area had increased about tenfold over the past two weeks.
On Friday, he drove a bus evacuating residents from Novohrodivka, a town with a pre-war population of some 14,000 near Pokrovsk. It now lies around 10 km from the front line, which inches closer each day.
Antonina Kalashnikova, 62, and her disabled son Denys, 34, evacuated their pummelled home by taking Buhayov's bus to Pokrovsk where she spoke to Reuters.
Together with their neighbour, they arrived to the town with all of their possessions reduced to a few market bags before continuing their journey to the southern city of Mykolaiv.
"They started bombing heavily and it became extremely frightening. We didn't sleep all night, and we decided to leave," Kalashnikova said. "They are destroying everything."
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
Russia pounds Ukrainian military enterprises, troop deployment sites over week — top brass
Russian troops delivered 11 strikes by precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises, military trains, troop and mercenaries’ deployment sites over the past week in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.
"On July 27 - August 2, the Russian Armed Forces delivered 11 combined strikes by precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles, hitting Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises engaged in the production and repair of armor, assembly workshops and storage sites of attack UAVs. In addition, the strikes targeted depots storing ammunition, air-launched weapons and missile/artillery armament, military trains and temporary deployment sites of the Ukrainian army and foreign mercenaries," the ministry said in a statement.
Ukrainian army loses 13,570 troops in all frontline areas over week
The Ukrainian army lost roughly 13,570 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past week, according to the latest data released by Russia’s Defense Ministry.
The data show that on July 27 - August 2 the Ukrainian army suffered roughly 1,755 casualties from Russia’s Battlegroup North, 3,605 casualties from the Battlegroup West, 4,020 casualties from the Battlegroup South, 2,635 casualties from the Battlegroup Center, 905 casualties from the Battlegroup East and 650 casualties from the Battlegroup Dnepr.
Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts 1,755 casualties on Ukrainian army over week
Russia’s Battlegroup North repelled 27 Ukrainian army counterattacks and inflicted roughly 1,755 casualties on enemy troops in its area of responsibility over the past week, the ministry reported.
"During the week, Battlegroup North units inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade, an assault brigade, a motorized infantry brigade, an air assault brigade and an infantry brigade of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade, three territorial defense brigades and a National Guard brigade. They repelled 27 enemy counterattacks," the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the week amounted to 1,755 personnel, two tanks, six armored combat vehicles, including a Turkish-made Kirpi armored vehicle and two US-made HMMWV armored vehicles, 12 motor vehicles and 20 field artillery guns, among them five Western-made 155mm howitzers and self-propelled artillery guns, it specified.
In addition, Russian forces destroyed six field ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army over the week, the ministry said.
Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts 3,605 casualties on Ukrainian army over week
Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 3,605 casualties on Ukrainian troops in its area of responsibility over the past week, the ministry reported.
"Battlegroup West units gained more advantageous frontiers and positions and inflicted casualties on formations of three mechanized brigades and an assault brigade of the Ukrainian army, three territorial defense brigades and also nationalists of the Azov brigade [outlawed in Russia as a terrorist organization]. They repulsed 12 counterattacks by enemy assault groups," the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the past week amounted to 3,605 personnel, five tanks, eight armored combat vehicles, 66 motor vehicles, 41 field artillery guns, including 13 Western-and Ukrainian-made 155mm self-propelled artillery systems and howitzers, it specified.
In addition, Russian troops destroyed 10 electronic warfare systems and counterbattery radar stations and 22 field ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, the ministry said.
Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts 4,020 casualties on Ukrainian army over week
Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted roughly 4,020 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a German-made Leopard tank in its area of responsibility over the week, the ministry reported.
"Battlegroup South units improved their forward edge positions as a result of active operations. They inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of four mechanized, two air assault, two airmobile brigades and an assault brigade of the Ukrainian army. They repelled five enemy counterattacks," the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the past week amounted to 4,020 personnel and two tanks, including a German-made Leopard tank. The Ukrainian army also lost 10 armored combat vehicles, among them three US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, 19 motor vehicles and 68 field artillery guns, including 33 Western-made weapons, it specified.
"Nine electronic warfare systems and counterbattery radar stations and 20 field ammunition depots were destroyed," the ministry said.
Russia’s Battlegroup Center liberates five communities in DPR over week
Russia’s Battlegroup Center liberated five communities in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past week, the ministry reported.
"Battlegroup Center units liberated the settlements of Lozovatskoye, Progress, Yevgenovka, Volchye and Leninskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic in active operations," the ministry said.
Reuters/Tass