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Ukraine’s air force has repelled one of Russia’s largest long-range drone attacks of the war overnight, shooting down all 89 drones launched at Kyiv.
The attack primarily targeted Kyiv and the surrounding region, and local authorities said more than 40 drones were shot down.
The capital’s military administration said no civilian or critical infrastructure took a direct hit, but debris damaged the roofs, windows and facades of 13 private residences in the region.
“This is one of the most massive attacks by Shahed-131/136 strike drones,” the air force said.
Some 11,500 residents sheltered for safety in metro stations in the night as the drones came in several waves from “all possible directions”.
This comes as the Russian military has begun a third round of drills with tactical nuclear weapons.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the drills will feature units of the central and southern military districts armed with Iskander short-range missiles.
They will practice receiving nuclear weapons from storage and deploying them to designated launch areas.
The drills are intended to maintain troops’ readiness for combat missions. Tactical nuclear weapons include bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions and are meant for use on a battlefield.
Key Points
- US to arm F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine with advanced weaponry
- Russia launches drone onslaught of Kyiv
- Russia claims it has captured Donetsk’s Pivdenne
- Russia kicks off massive navy drills with 300 vessels and 20,000 personnel
- Ukrainian drones fly 1,100 miles to hit Russian supersonic bombers at Arctic base
ICYMI: Ukraine-Russia recap – Wednesday 31 July
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Kyiv bombardment one of largest in entire war and seventh this month
- Ukrain’es capital Kyiv saw one of the largest aerial bombardments so far during the war this morning, military officials said, and the seventh attack on the city this month July.
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Ukraine shoots down 89 drones and one missile to defend Kyiv
- Ukraine’s air force says shooting down 89 drones launched at Kyiv and other regions.
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Prisoner swap expected with the West as dissidents disappear from Russian jails
- A number of Russian dissidents and people convicted for their opposition to Moscow’s war in Ukraine have disappeared from Russian prisons in recent days, in what rights activists say is a possible sign that a prisoner swap with the West may be close.
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Ukrainian Navy claims attack on weapons depot near Russian city Kursk
- Ukraine's Navy carried out an attack on a weapons storage facility near the Russian city of Kursk, Kyiv army officials have said.
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Russian military begins third round of drills to train troops in tactical nuclear weapons
- The Russian military have begun a third round of drills with tactical nuclear weapons, part of the Kremlin’s messaging intended to force the West to limit its support for Ukraine.
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Putin doubles signing bonuses for volunteers to fight in Ukraine
- Putin has attempted to drive recruitment in the armed forces by doubling upfront payments for volunteers to fight the war. All Russians who sign a contract with the army will now receive an upfront payment of 400,000 roubles (£3,624).
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said Kyiv's sanctions prohibiting the transit of Russian producer Lukoil's oil did not pose a threat to Slovakia's energy security.
In a statement on the Telegram messenger, he said that lifting the sanctions was not a matter for discussion and that Kyiv had the European Union’s “full understanding” on the matter.
Russian drone parts found at third Romanian location
Drone fragments have been found at a third location near the Romanian-Ukrainian border after last week's Russian attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure, according to Romania's defence ministry.
The ministry said it had found drone parts near the village of Ceatalchioi in the southeastern county of Tulcea across the Danube river from Ukraine.
Searches since last week had already found drone fragments in the nearby villages of Plauru and Periprava.
Jabed Ahmed31 July 2024 15:45 1722435347Russian-UK dissident disappears from jail in latest sign a prisoner swap with West may be close
Vladimir Kara-Murza, a dual Russian-British national jailed on treason charges for 25 years, has been moved from his prison in Siberia and is being sent elsewhere, Russia's prison service said.
The prison service, FSIN, told news agency Reuters that Kara-Murza was being transferred from the IK-6 penal colony in Omsk to another destination. It did not say where.
A number of Russian dissidents and people convicted for their opposition to Moscow's war in Ukraine have disappeared from Russian prisons in recent days, in what rights activists say is a possible sign that a prisoner swap with the West may be close.
UK committed to increasing ‘quantity and quality of drones’ to Ukraine
The UK government has renewed it’s commitment to providing Ukrainian forces with arial and maritime drones.
The announcement was made in response to a written parliamentary question regarding the £3.5 billion defence export finance deal for Ukraine announced earlier this month.
Luke Pollard, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, said that the increase in drones for the Ukrainian military is primarily funded through the Ministry of Defence’s annual £3 billion support rather than the recent finance deal.
“The UK is committed to increasing the quantity and quality of drones being provided to Ukraine, through national and international partnerships for example through the UK co-lead Drone Capability Coalition,” he said.
“We will deliver over 10,000 drones (both aerial and maritime) to Ukraine this financial year, with deliveries well underway.
“Due to rapid battlefield changes, these drones are being procured and iterated rapidly using the Ministry of Defence’s annual £3 billion of support to Ukraine, rather than the £3.5 billion defence export finance deal.”
Jabed Ahmed31 July 2024 14:45 1722431747Mapped: movement of Russian drones in Kyiv during largest long-range attack
Jabed Ahmed31 July 2024 14:15 1722429947Putin doubles signing bonuses for volunteers to fight in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin doubled upfront payments for volunteers to fight in Ukraine , in a move aimed at facilitating military recruitment but likely to create imbalances in the overheated economy.
All Russians who sign a contract with the army will now receive an upfront payment of 400,000 roubles (£3,623). The decree also recommends that regional authorities match this payment from their budgets with at least the same amount.
Russian military begins third round of drills to train troops in tactical nuclear weapons
The Russian military have begun a third round of drills with tactical nuclear weapons, part of the Kremlin’s messaging intended to force the West to limit its support for Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the drills will feature units of the central and southern military districts armed with Iskander short-range missiles. T
hey will practice receiving nuclear weapons from storage and deploying them to designated launch areas.
The maneuvers will also include air force units that will arm their warplanes with nuclear weapons and perform patrol flights.
The ministry said the drills are intended to maintain troops’ readiness for combat missions.Tactical nuclear weapons include bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions and are meant for use on a battlefield.
They are typically far less powerful than strategic weapons — massive warheads that arm intercontinental ballistic missiles and are intended to obliterate entire cities.
The previous two rounds of the maneuvers were held in May and June. The drills in June were conducted jointly with the armed forces of Russia’s ally Belarus.
Jabed Ahmed31 July 2024 13:15 1722426347Ukraine able to produce over 3 million drones a year, Kyiv minister says
Ukraine has the production capacity to produce more than three million drones a year, but will require additional funding from international partners, according to the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Strategic Industries.
"We have large enough production capacity, we can produce more than 3 million drones of various types today," Anna Gvozdiar said, according to Ukrainian national broadcaster Suspilne.
Ukraine needs financing for the production of drones, as the state can only cover part of the budget. Funding from foreign partners, such as Canada, will help to cover the rest of the financing, Ms Gvozdiar said.
She added Kyiv is in talks with the UK government to to help purchase domestically-produced drones for the Ukrainian military.
The UK has pledged £12.5 billion in support to Ukraine since February 2022, of which £7.6 billion is for military assistance. Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government have reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Ukraine.
Jabed Ahmed31 July 2024 12:45 1722422747Ukraine repels one of Russia’s largest drone attacks of war
Ukraine's air force has said it repelled one of Russia's largest long-range drone attacks of the war overnight, shooting down all 89 drones launched at Kyiv, the surrounding region and other areas.
The attack, which came more than 29 months after Russia's full-scale invasion, primarily targeted Kyiv and the surrounding region where local authorities said more than 40 drones were shot down. An air raid alert remained in place most of the night.
The capital's military administration said no civilian or critical infrastructure took a direct hit, but debris damaged the roofs, windows and facades of 13 private residences in the region, according to authorities there.
"This is one of the most massive attacks by Shahed-131/136 strike drones," the air force said, naming the type of drone it says Russia has used in the thousands for strikes on Ukraine.
Some 11,500 residents sheltered for safety in metro stations in the night as the drones came in several waves from “all possible directions,” the city authorities said.
Jabed Ahmed31 July 2024 11:45 Newer1 / 7OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
