Victory Chronicles
-DAY 527

Special operation in Novorossiysk: Ukrainian drone damages Russian landing ship

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has conducted a special operation in Novorossiysk Bay, Russia, and an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) has damaged the Olenegorskiy Gornyak large landing ship. The video shows an SBU USV loaded with 450 kilograms of TNT attacking an enemy ship with about 100 crew members. Sources in the Security Service noted that the special operation was carried out with the Ukrainian Navy. As a result of the attack, the Olenegorskiy Gornyak now has a big hole in its hull and is currently unable to carry out its combat missions. “Therefore, all the Russians’ statements about the so-called repelled attack are fake,” the source stressed.

Latest news

• Commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces: Russians ceaselessly try to advance on two fronts, Ukraine’s forces disrupt their plans
• White House: Top Russian official pitched North Korea on increasing sale of munitions to Moscow
• Washington Post: Ukraine’s defense forces use fresh reserves for breakthrough in south
• General Staff: Ukrainian defenders kill another 640 Russians and destroy 19 artillery systems and 27 Russian UAVs
• Reuters: Russia doubles 2023 defense spending plan as war costs soar

Symbolic number of the Day - 44

The bodies of 44 more fallen Ukrainian defenders returned from the temporarily occupied territories, announced the Commissioner for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances Oleh Kotenko. “The bodies of the soldiers who gave their lives for Ukraine have been transferred. Today we managed to return the bodies of 44 defenders to their families,” he said.

War in Pictures

Russians have attacked the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast five times, injuring two people and damaging more than two dozen private buildings since yesterday evening and last night.

Video of the Day

The Ukrainian President’s Office has posted a video of what the Kakhovka Reservoir looks like now after Russian forces detonated the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) nearly two months ago. 

ISW report

Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations on at least three sectors of the front on August 3 and reportedly advanced in some areas. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations in the Berdyansk (Zaporizhia-Donetsk Oblast border area) and Melitopol (western Zaporizhia Oblast) directions, and Ukrainian officials stated that Ukrainian forces continued to advance in the Bakhmut direction.

Ukrainian Director of the Department of Planning of the Main Directorate of the National Guard Colonel Mykola Urshalovych stated that Ukrainian forces advanced up to 650m into Russian defenses along a 1.5km front in the Melitopol direction.

A Russian milblogger claimed that Ukrainian forces advanced near Mykilske (27km southwest of Donetsk City) in western Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov stated on August 3 that the Ukrainian counteroffensive does not have a set deadline or schedule. Danilov added that Russian defensive lines along the front continue to be heavily mined, with some areas having three, four, or five mines per square meter.

War Heroes

Defender Ivan Sidun died in a Kharkiv military hospital on July 15, 2023. The fighter was seriously injured while performing a combat mission in the Luhansk Oblast. Exactly one month later, he would have turned 28 years old.

Ivan was born in the village of Znyatsovo, Zakarpattia Oblast. He graduated from a local school. After that, he immediately went to work. He met the love of his life. Later, the couple moved to the girl’s hometown, Nizhyn, Chernihiv Oblast. In 2016, they got married, and their son was born a year later.

During the full-scale Russian invasion in April 2023, the man was mobilized into the ranks of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 25th Separate Airborne Sicheslav Brigade. “He was a loving husband, a caring father, son, and brother,” the community said. The defender was buried on the Walk of Fame in Nizhyn. Ivan is survived by his wife Alina, son Maksym, family, and friends.