The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. The
month of July did not bring any earth-shattering changes on the battlefield, as Russia entered
the operational pause phase after its success in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, while Ukraine
focused on destroying Russian ammunition depots and military infrastructure established on the
occupied territories also thanks to HIMARS, along with a slow-paced counterattack on the
Kherson front. But none of the sides managed to make any major territorial gains in July
and the stalemate continued. In this video, we are going to describe the most
important events of July - the 5th month of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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start making some extra cash today. At the beginning of July, Russia continued
to develop its success on the Donbas front. The 150th Motor Rifle Division, the elements
of the Chechen National Guard, and the 4th and the 14th Motor Rifle Brigades of the LPR
militia continued their advance in Lysychansk. By July 2, it was reported that the Ukrainian
units finalized their fighting withdrawal from Lysychansk to their next line of defense roughly
between Berestove in the South and Hryhorivka in the North, as Russia captured the city. Although
Russian sources claimed an encirclement of a large Ukrainian force in the area, they failed to prove
this with images or video, and the claim was later largely dropped later on. The next target
of the Russian army in Donbas was to break through the Siversk-Bakhmut line and then fight
for the agglomeration of Sloviansk-Kramatorsk and against the Sloviansk-Kostyantynivka line. On
July 1, they also made attempts to advance towards Klynove, Novoluhanske, and Vuhlehirsk power
station, where the 30th and the 72nd Mechanized Brigades defended their positions against the 31st
Guards Airborne Brigade and the Diesel Battalion, the 11st Motor Rifle Regiment and the 5th Separate
Motor Rifle Brigade of the separatist DPR forces. Here the goal was to reach Bakhmut, the important
transportation hub of the Donetsk Oblast. Russia also saw its attacks repelled
in Dementiivka of the Kharkiv oblast and Pavlivka of the Zaporizhia Oblast. Along
with that, the Russian army made yet another brutal attack on the civilian infrastructure of
Ukraine, as it launched 3 Kh-22 missiles on Odesa killing at least 21 civilians. It was the first
major attack on the civilian population in July, as similar brutal attacks took place in Chasiv
Yar on July 9 killing at least 48 people, and in Vinnytsia on July 14
killing at least 22 people. On July 1, the US government announced its 14th
aid package worth 820 million dollars to Ukraine, which included ammunition for HIMARS and 155mm
artillery, 2 NASAMS, and 4 counter-artillery radars. On the same day, the Institute for
the Study of War reported about a proposed amendment to federal laws on the Russian Armed
Forces, which would transform the Russian economy into a war-time economy by prohibiting
businesses from rejecting the state orders for the “special military operation” and by allowing
the state to force employees to work overtime. This amendment, which was adopted on July
6, arose out of necessity, as Russia had started to brace for a longer conflict that
would require more military production. Numerous Russian military bloggers that support
the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but criticize the political and military leadership for failures
on the battlefield, including the former commander of the DPR separatists Igor Girkin-Strelkov also
stated their support for the mobilization of the reserves of the Russian army. They believe that
the forces deployed in Ukraine are insufficient to defeat the Ukrainian army and then control
the occupied areas and that only mobilization could change that. However, even though the
majority of the Russian population is supportive of the so-called special military operation,
mobilization is a risky affair. Supporting a war somewhere else is one thing, but being ready
to participate in it is a completely different matter. Mobilization would be an unpopular
decision even among many Putin supporters and it would be difficult for the corrupt Russian
army to actually execute it properly. Moreover, mobilization would mean acknowledging that the
special military operation is not going according to the plan, contrary to what the Kremlin
has been saying since the start of the war. Therefore, general mobilization of the Russian
army is unlikely at this point, but the Russian government has been employing other measures
to alleviate the shortage of personnel deployed to Ukraine. On July 13, a report about the
covert order of the Russian government to form volunteer battalions in the RF’s federal
subjects emerged. According to this report, each federal subject was assigned with creating
at least one battalion with 400 men by the end of August. This would mean around 34000 new recruits
for the Russian army, who would first pass a month-long training in Russia. Administrations of
federal subjects encourage potential recruits with around 200k rubles (approximately 3400 USD) of
enlistment bonus, along with 220000-350000 rubles of salary per month. The Russian media reported
about the creation of such battalions in Kursk, Primorskyi Krai, Republic of Bashkortostan,
Chuvashia Republic, Chechnya, Republic of Tatarstan, Moscow City, Perm, Nizhny Novgorod,
and Orenburg Oblasts in late June and early July. On July 2, the 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division
made another attempt to take Dementiivka in the Kharkiv oblast, but the 113th Territorial Defense
Brigade repulsed it. The purpose of this offensive was to disrupt the Ukrainian supply lines along
the T2117 highway and secure the E105 highway. Dementiivka was also unsuccessfully attacked
on July 8, 12, and 14. Securing it would enable Russians to attack the city of Kharkiv
once again, but at that moment Russia did not have sufficient troops to realistically
threaten the second largest Ukrainian city anyway. There was also some minor action on the
Donbas front, as the 90th Guards Tank Brigade tried to advance on Bohorodychne, where the
80th Air Assault Brigade defended its positions. Another notable event of this day was the reported
sabotage by Ukrainian partisans near Melitopol, where a Russian armored train carrying ammunition
was derailed. It is notable that throughout July, Ukraine had a major focus on destroying Russian
military infrastructure on the battlefield, namely its ammunition and weapon depots and oil depots.
On July 3, Ukrainians struck a depot in Melitopol. On July 4, Russian ammunition depots in
Snizhne, Yakovlivka (Donetsk oblast), at Donetsk railway station, in Dibrivne (Kharkiv oblast),
and near Kadiivka (Luhansk oblast) exploded. On July 5, a military warehouse at Topaz Plant
in Donetsk exploded. On July 6, the Ukrainian military destroyed Russian ammunition depots near
the Kherson railway station and an oil depot in Donetsk. On July 8, an ammunition depot exploded
in the occupied Shakhtarsk of Donetsk Oblast, where the strike of the Ukrainian army allegedly
killed several commanders of the 106th Airborne Division. On July 9, there were explosions at
ammunition depots in Irmino, Kherson and Alchevsk. On July 10, at Chornobaivka airfield of Kherson.
We can extend this list even further. Depots in the Russian rear were most probably destroyed by
HIMARS, while those closer to the frontlines could have been destroyed by other artillery systems.
Images from FIRMS - NASA satellite created for the reporting on the forest fires, which
is also useful to calculate the military fires, indicated that since Ukrainians launched
their methodic campaign of destruction of Russian depots, significantly fewer artillery
fires had been recorded on the Russian side. On July 3, the Russian troops advanced from
Lysychansk to capture Zolotarivka village. But the attempt of the Oplot unit of DPR
to advance near Spartak was repelled by the 56th Motorized Brigade, while the 437th
Motor Rifle Regiment’s attack on Prudianka was defeated by the Ukrainian National Guard.
On the same day, the governor of the border region of Belgorod claimed that Ukraine shelled
the region causing the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the death of 3 civilians.
On July 4, Russia made several other gains in Donbas. The 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade
captured Klynove in battles against the 72nd Mechanized Brigade. In the Kramatorsk direction,
the Russian army crossed the Siversky Donets river. The Russian 36th Separate Guards Motor
Rifle Brigade, the 3rd Motor Rifle Division, and the 90th Guards Tank Division attacked
the positions of the 81st Airmobile Brigade and the 80th Air Assault Brigade on the
Mazanivka-Krasnopillya-Dolyna-Bohorodychne line achieving small gains towards Mazanivka. In the
Donetsk direction, the Russian forces pushed the Ukrainian lines to Siversk-Fedorivka-Bakhmut. The
DPR’s Sparta battalion’s attempt to advance near Pobeda and Mariinka was repelled by the Ukrainian
Donbas Battalion. But despite incremental gains in a number of directions, Russia was
entering the phase of the operational pause, which was evident from the words Putin said
during his meeting with Defense Minister Shoigu: “[Forces] that took part in active
hostilities and achieved success, victory … should rest, increase
their combat capabilities”. But even though the operational pause phase,
at least for Russian troops fighting in Donbas, was declared, Russia continued small-scale
offensive operations on this front. On July 5, the Ukrainian military repulsed
another attack at Dolyna village, while also defending Bilohorivka of Luhansk oblast. Russia
was more successful in the Spirne direction, where Wagner mercenaries achieved small gains
against the 118 Territorial Defense Brigade. Also on this day, the United States claimed
that Russia was seeking to purchase drones manufactured by Iran, which was refuted by the
Islamic Republic. Nevertheless, the White House National Security advisor Jake Sullivan reiterated
this claim on July 11, stating that Iran was going to supply Russia with “up to several hundred
UAVs” and that Russian soldiers would start training on their use as early as July. We have
yet to see any Iranian drone on the battlefield, but we will see if the American claims are true
soon enough. The Iranian foreign minister denied this claim yet again in his phone call
with his Ukrainian colleague on July 15. July 6 was the first day
since the start of the war, on which the Russian Defense Ministry
did not claim any territorial gains, despite the fact that clashes were reported near
Dolyna, Mazanivka, Verkhniokamianske, Bilohorivka, Hryhorivka, Spirne, Novoluhanske,
Vershyna, Luhanske and Lozove. On July 7, Ukraine destroyed a bridge between
Novobohdanivka and Troitske to complicate the movement of troops and supplies between Kherson
and other fronts. On the Kherson front, the 109th Territorial Defense Brigade repelled the assault
of the 127th Separate Reconnaissance Brigade near Dobrianka. On the same day, President Putin tried
to convey confidence to the parliamentary leaders of Russia and its people: "Today we hear that they
want to defeat us on the battlefield. What can you say, let them try. We have heard many times that
the West wants to fight us to the last Ukrainian. This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but
it seems that everything is heading towards this. Everyone should know that, by and large, we
haven't started anything yet in earnest”. On July 8, after several attempts, the LPR units
managed to gain ground against the Kalionouski. Regiment in the direction of Verkhnokamyanske.
On the following day, Wagner mercenaries conducted another offensive towards Spirne without
success. Several more such attacks would happen until the end of the month in an attempt to move
towards Sieversk, but without much to show for. The 31st Guards Airborne Brigade tried
to develop its success in Klynove too, but could not capture Vesela Dolyna.
The following several days continued with small-scale engagements on several
fronts. Clashes reported in Hryhorivka and Dolyna did not break the stalemate, but the
11th Motor Rifle Regiment of the DPR militia pushed back the 30th Mechanized Brigade in
Dolomitne near the Vuhlehirsk Power Plant. But while the Ukrainian army was under continued
pressure from the Russian army in Donbas, they intended to capture momentum on the battlefield
by gaining success on another front. On July 10, President Zelensky ordered a counter-attacking
operation to liberate the Kherson oblast. With this announcement, the destruction of the
Russian supplies on this front intensified, as blasts of ammunition depots in Tokmak and
Nova Kakhovka were reported on July 11 and later. In the following days, the Ukrainian army
repelled Russian assaults in Krasnopillia, Mariinka, Mazanivka, Ivanivka, Dolyna,
Dovhenke, Kodema, and Vershyna. At this stage, Russia was still in the phase
of operational pause after long and grinding battles for Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, but
continued conducting small-scale operations to probe for weaknesses in the Ukrainian
defenses. On July 11 the US government announced an additional 1.7 billion in aid to
Ukraine. Overall, the United States has so far provided around 7.3 billion dollars worth of
aid to Ukraine since the start of the war. On July 15, reports of the Russian regrouping at
Kramatorsk direction for the Siversk offensive emerged, which proved to be an indicator of the
end of the operational pause for the Russian army, as, on the following day, the Russian defense
minister Shoigu ordered to increase the intensity of their military operations on
all directions in the battlefield. Yet this was not reflected by any territorial changes
on the ground, as Russian attacks on Kodema, Bilohorivka, Spirne, Vershyna, Dolomitne,
Novoluhanske, Verkhniokamianska, Berestove, Vuhlehirsk Power Plant and other locations
did not result in any kind of breakthrough. On these days several good news for
the Ukrainian army was announced, as the Ministry of Defense informed about the
arrival of the first M270 MLRS to Ukraine, which according to them “will be good
company for HIMARS on the battlefield”. Furthermore, US congressman Adam Kinzinger stated
that the US House of Representatives allocated 100 million dollars for the training of Ukrainian
pilots on US fighters, which is an indicator that the United States is contemplating
giving their fighter jets to Ukraine. On July 22 White House Press Secretary, John Kirby
confirmed that the United States could give the US-made military aircraft to Ukraine. But on July
17, unexpected news came from President Zelensky, who dismissed the Head of the Ukrainian
Security Service, Ivan Bakanov, and the Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova.
This was explained by dozens of employees of these structures engaging in collaboration
with Russian forces since the start of the war. On July 19, Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada confirmed
this decision. On July 19, the Russian attempted offensive operations near Udy, Spirne, Hryhorivka,
Semyhirya, Vuhlehirsk Power Plant, Vershyna, and so on, were all repelled. Russia’s only
successful operation was the partial capture of the village of Pokrovske near Bakhmut, where
the 90th Guards Tank Division pushed back the 10th Mountain Brigade. Also on this day,
Ukraine hit the Antonivsky bridge connecting Kherson to the Zaporizhia oblast with HIMARS.
The bridge was heavily damaged by this strike, but could still serve the purpose of a crucial
supply line of Russian troops in Kherson. Ukraine aimed to destroy it as a part
of its operation to liberate Kherson. On July 20, the Russian army continued probing
the Ukrainian defenses in several directions without much success. The assault of Wagner
towards Ivano-Daryivka was repelled by the 118th Territorial Defense Brigade, and the
attack of the DPR units on Novoselivka Druha was repelled by the 114th Territorial
Defense Brigade, while the 136th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade could not overpower
the Ukrainian National Guard in Mykilske. Although the original plan of the Russian command
on forcing the collapse of the Ukrainian state by just entering the country utterly failed, the
harsh impact of the war on the Ukrainian economy is beyond any doubt. On July 21, Ukraine
had to devalue its national currency by 25% due to the ongoing invasion. But the Western
pledges for more military support continued. On July 21, the UK Secretary of Defense, Ben
Wallace pledged additional 50000 artillery shells, counter-battery radar systems, and
hundreds of drones to the Ukrainian Army, while on the next day, the United States announced
a new aid package to the Ukrainian Army worth 270 million dollars, which included HIMARS systems,
GMLRS Rockets for them and 580 Phoenix Ghost drones. But the US also reiterated its position
not to give long-range missiles like ATACMS with a range of 300 kilometers. Two notable events
of July 22 were on the diplomatic front. Lithuania lifted the ban on transportation of sanctioned
goods to Kaliningrad over the Lithuanian land, alleviating the anxiety of a potential
confrontation between Russia and the NATO member state. Most importantly, a deal between Ukraine
and Russia agreed upon through the mediation of Turkey and the UN, with regards to the safe export
of the Ukrainian grain to the global markets can help the world avoid a potential drastic
food shortage. But on the next day of signing of this agreement, Russia struck the
Odesa Sea Trade Port with Kalibr missiles, causing further suspicion with regards to Russia’s
intentions on actually realizing this deal. On July 20-25, heavy battles raged
around the Vuhlehirsk Power Plant. Russia intended to capture this area in order to
gain access to the M03 highway leading to Bakhmut. The DPR militia units and Wagner mercenaries
managed to push back the 30th Mechanized Brigade from its positions and capture the Vuhlehirsk
Power Plant and Novoluhanske on July 25. Russian assaults on Ivano-Daryivka, Verkhnokamyanske,
Spirne were not as successful. On July 22, Ukraine continued its counter-offensive operations
in Kherson. The 109th Territorial Defense Brigade defended the bridgehead on the Eastern Bank of
the River Inhulets near Davydiv Brid against the assault of the 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault
Division. Along with that, there were reports of the advance of the 63rd Mechanized Brigade south
of Vysokopillia, Kherson Oblast, which allegedly surrounded 1000-2000 Russian soldiers of possibly
the 11th Guards Airborne Brigade. The reports of the surrounding of the Russian units were not
confirmed later, but they indicated that Ukrainian troops were making gains in this direction.
The Kherson Oblast Administration official Serhiy Khlan claimed that the Ukrainian forces
had liberated several unspecified settlements in Kherson Oblast, while Foreign Policy reporter
Jack Detsch referenced the US Defense official, who stated that on July 15-22, Ukraine liberated
portions of Russian-occupied villages in Kherson. On July 23, the Ukrainian military struck another
supply line linking Kherson to the rest of the occupied territory, the bridge in Daryivka
village between Kherson and Nova Kakhovka. On July 26, the President of the European
Commission von der Leyen stated the intention of the EU member states to decrease gas consumption
by 15%. The instability of supply through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline is going to cause
further concern for the European leaders, as Europe braced for gas austerity to be able
to withstand Russian pressure regarding gas supplies. On this day, Ukraine also struck
the Antonivsky bridge in Kherson once again, making it unusable, along with hitting a
Russian border checkpoint in Bryansk oblast with Switchblade 300 loitering munition. The strike on
the Antonivsky Bridge had forced Russia to build a pontoon bridge under the Antonivsky bridge to help
protect it from airstrikes. On July 26-28, clashes around Spirne, Sviati Hory, Verkhnokamyanske,
Semyhirya, Kodema, Dovhenke, Sloviansk, and Soledar did not result in the Russian advance.
At this point, the Russian army also intensified its attempts toward Avdiivka, where the DPR
units put heavy pressure on the 110th Territorial Defense Brigade, and the 56th Motorized Brigade.
The Ukrainian army also stood its ground in the Bruskynske-Bilohirka area in Kherson Oblast. The
biggest gain of the Russian army on these days was the advance of Wagner and separatist DPR
units in the Vidrodzhennya-Vershyna direction. But they had failed to completely capture Vershyna
until the end of July. Their further attempts to push back the Ukrainian defenders near Sloviansk,
Sieversk, Avdiivka, Mariinka, Soledar, and Bakhmut did not result in any significant
territorial gains until the end of the month. The biggest success of the Russian
Army on the last day of July was the capture of Semyhirya by the DPR units. The most controversial event at the end of July
took place as a result of the explosion of the Olenivka detention facility of Ukrainian
POWs, some of whom were Azov fighters. The explosion killed more than 50 Ukrainian
POWs, for which both sides blamed each other. Ukrainians argue that POWs were specifically
moved to the building where the explosion happened a few days before the incident. Analyst Oliver
Alexander later presented evidence showing that Azov regiment POWs were housed in another
building within the Olenivka camp as late as June solidifying Ukrainian claims. The request of
the ICRC to visit the detention center so far had been rejected by the Russian authorities.
On the last day of July, Russia accused Ukraine of a drone strike on the Russian Black Sea Fleet
headquarters in Sevastopol in the occupied Crimea, which injured 5 people. Ukraine blamed this
on Russia as another false flag attack. Throughout July Ukraine made small gains
in the Kherson oblast, gradually grinding through Russian defenses, while also destroying
its supplies and logistical lines in this area. Ukraine’s advance in Kherson is similar to
the pace of the Russian advance in Donbas, which after the fall of Lysychansk was most
successful around Bakhmut, while stalling in Avdiivka, Soledar, Sieversk, Sloviansk, and
other directions throughout July. But the biggest difference is that Ukraine has fewer losses in
this offensive rather than Russia in its advance in Donbas. The death rate of Ukrainian soldiers
was claimed to drop to approximately 30 per day by President Zelensky on July 22, a sharp decrease
from around 100-200 daily deaths during the apex of the Russian campaign in Donbas. The strikes
on the Russian infrastructure by HIMARS and other artillery systems on the Kherson and Donbas fronts
have had a painful impact on Russian firepower. The situation in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhian
fronts had remained stable in July as it looks like neither of the sides is ready to deploy
forces sufficient to break the stalemate in these directions. Manpower and equipment
losses continued to mount for both sides. On July 20, the CIA Chief, William Burns
claimed 15k deaths in the Russian Army, while according to the Congressional sources,
they were briefed about close to 75000 killed and wounded. There had been no new reports and
claims of Ukrainian casualties in July. According to the ORYX military blog, these are the visually
confirmed losses of the Russian equipment by July 31: 916 tanks, 1775 vehicles, 101 command posts
and communication stations, 14 heavy mortars, 219 artillery pieces, 94 multiple rocket launchers,
38 aircraft, 49 helicopters, and 101 drones, and the Russian army reached a dubious milestone
of 5000 vehicles lost in this war. On the Ukrainian side, the visually confirmed equipment
losses are the following: 232 tanks, 518 vehicles, 7 command posts and communication stations, 91
artillery pieces, 20 multiple rocket launchers, 39 aircraft, 11 helicopters, and 28 drones.
Although the international situation in the Balkans and around Taiwan continued to remain
tense, Ukraine remained the center of global attention in July and there is no end in sight
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Kings and Generals. A great YouTube history channel. They use sources and claims from both sides.
This war is gold for the history channel. Don’t have to watch re-runs from the 1940s world war anymore.
I grew up watching the history channel like every day learning about WW2. So hopefully, the next generation can learn that freedom isn’t free and takes effort to maintain and they can watch and learn as I did.
Edit: it’s not history channel per-say but the history channel will make tons of docs in the future
Misread “this” for “the” history channel . Honest mistake
Want to easily understand what's happening? Go on wikipedia. Open Fredericus II page. Welp, this is happening.
I love this channel on YT. Learned a lot about wars I knew little or nothing about. But yeah, I look forward to when they release these Russo-Ukranian War videos. They do a great job of showing how the frontlines change every few days (in the beginning) and every few weeks (later on, when the war's pace slowed).
Nice. Thanks.
If you want to stay abreast of this fast-moving scenario in Izyum campaign, you need to check map content hourly.
HeeeeMARS.
This is a great video, and I look forward to more, but HIMARS is pronounced like you're greeting the red planet: " Hi, Mars."