War

Russian invaders are deploying in Donbas obsolete Soviet-era mines that are considered indiscriminate weapons, which could inflict massive civilian casualties That’s according to a report by the British Defense Intelligence, seen by Ukrinform.  “Russia is highly likely deploying anti-personnel mines to protect and deter freedom of movement along its defensive lines in the Donbas. These mines have the potential to inflict widespread casualties amongst both the military and the local civilian population,” the report reads. It also notes that in Donetsk and Kramatorsk, Russia has likely attempted employment of PFM-1 and PFM-15 scatterable anti-personnel mines. Commonly called the ‘butterfly mine’,…

Speaking of "sabotage" by Ukrainian teachers in the occupied areas of Zaporizhia region, propagandist Sergei Mardan proposed that the Russians resort to torture and murder of Ukrainians, as well as to building a Gulag-type labor camp for defiant teachers. The corresponding video of a radio show on Russia's Komsomolskaya Pravda Radio is available on YouTube, Guildhall reports, as seen by Ukrinform. "Sabotage in the initial period was totally at all levels. The head of the main utility company Chystota destroyed all the electronic control units, which is the unique equipment, as you understand, and there are no spare parts," said…

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has committed 27,203 crimes of aggression and war crimes against Ukraine. As the Prosecutor General's Office reports, 26,190 crimes relate to violations of the laws and customs of war, 73 – planning, preparing or initiating and waging the war of aggression, 28 – propaganda of war, and 912 other crimes. In addition, 12,724 crimes against national security were registered. Of them, 8,783 relate to encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, 1,525 – high treason, 1,800 – collaboration, 113 – aiding and abetting the aggressor state, 64 – sabotage, and…

Russia has lost at least 5,083 pieces of military equipment in its war with Ukraine since its unprovoked all-out invasion of Ukraine began on February 24. That's according to the international research group Oryx, which counts and identifies the destroyed/captured military equipment in Russia's war against Ukraine based on photos and videos published on the Internet, Ukrinform reports. As of August 7, photos of 3,238 pieces of destroyed Russian equipment were published on the group's website, including 109 pieces of damaged equipment and 326 pieces of abandoned equipment. Some 1,410 pieces of Russian military equipment were captured by Ukraine's defense…

British L119 105mm howitzers are effectively helping Ukrainian service members destroy Russian invaders in southern Ukraine. According to Ukrinform, the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces said this in a Telegram post. "Artillery units of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already mastered and are using British L119 105mm howitzers in practice. It is in the Kherson region that they help Ukrainian gunners effectively hit and destroy enemy targets," the report reads.

Russian troops are leaving explosive devices in residential houses, shops, dog pens and children’s playgrounds in the areas liberated in Kherson Region. The relevant statement was made by Kakhovka Operational Task Force on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. “[Russian] occupiers are leaving such ‘gifts’ in the most unexpected places: residential houses, children’s playgrounds, shops, dog pens… One does not have to be a military person to realize that such actions of the enemy are directed against civilians,” the report states. Russian invaders have long abandoned the idea to defeat the Ukrainian Army, and now they are aiming at Ukrainian civilians,…

Over 3.5 million Ukrainians have been left homeless due to the Russian armed aggression. The relevant statement was made by the United24 fundraising platform on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Six months into the war, Ukrainians continue to fall victims to Russian terrorist attacks nearly every day. Recently, Russian projectiles have hit civilian objects in Mykolaiv Region and Kharkiv Region. “They [civilian objects – Ed.] are targeted by the occupiers 60 times more often than military objects, according to the data from the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine,” the report states. Currently,…

More than 1,063 children have been affected in Ukraine due to Russia’s full-scale armed aggression. "As of the morning of August 7, 2022, the official number of killed children did not change over the past day – 361. The number of injured children increased – more than 703," the Prosecutor General's Office posted on Telegram. As noted, the data are not final as efforts are ongoing to establish casualties in the areas of active hostilities, in temporarily occupied and liberated territories. Most children were affected in Donetsk region – 371, Kharkiv region – 197, Kyiv region – 116, Chernihiv region…

Oleksandr Starukh, Head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, has stated that evacuation will be almost impossible in case of an accident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. "A prepared provocation took place in Enerhodar town. Two power lines were damaged, power unit No. 4 [of Zaporizhzhia NPP] was disconnected from the power grid. There is no great danger yet, but I must state that it is almost impossible to implement our evacuation plans in the current conditions," Starukh said during the nationwide telethon. Read also: Ukraine calls on world to take measures to force Russians to release Zaporizhia NPP…

If Ukraine succeeds in continuing a counteroffensive in Kherson region and pushes toward Izyum, the Russians will be facing a hard choice – they will either have to retreat from their positions west of Izyum or deploy more personnel and equipment. That’s according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform reports. “The seriousness of the dilemma facing the Russian high command likely depends on Ukraine’s ability to sustain significant counteroffensive operations on multiple axes simultaneously. If Ukraine is able to press hard around Izyum as it continues rolling into the counteroffensive in Kherson, then Russian forces will…