Victory Chronicles-DAY 860

On July 1, 2024, Ukrainian pilots launched a strike on an ammunition depot in Crimea, which Russia temporarily occupies. The Commander of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, confirmed the successful mission, stating that Ukrainian aircraft continue to carry out combat missions, including missile and bomb strikes on enemy positions and important military facilities. 

Meanwhile, Russian propaganda claimed that Ukrainian aircraft had been destroyed in a missile attack on a Ukrainian airfield in the Poltava Oblast. Colonel Yuriy Ignat, a spokesperson for the Air Force, dismissed these claims, acknowledging that there were some losses of military equipment but not as many as the enemy claimed. Ignat also revealed that the Air Force uses various means, such as models, to mislead the enemy. 

On the same day, explosions occurred in Sevastopol and Balaklava in Crimea, with the self-proclaimed “governor” of Sevastopol claiming that air defense systems shot down four targets.

The Russian army has suffered significant combat losses in Ukraine, with a total of 545,090 service members lost since February 24, 2022. Over the past day alone, 1,280 servicemen were killed and 1,280 wounded. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook. 

The Ukrainian defense forces also destroyed a significant amount of Russian military equipment, including 8,107 tanks, 15,566 armored combat vehicles, 14,655 artillery systems, 1,114 multiple-launch rocket systems, 874 anti-aircraft missile systems, and 2,335 cruise missiles. In addition, the Russian army lost 360 combat aircraft, 326 helicopters, 11,641 tactical unmanned aerial vehicles, 28 warships/boats, 1 submarine, 19,787 vehicles and fuel tankers, and 2,452 pieces of special equipment. These statistics demonstrate the significant losses and damage suffered by the Russian army in the war against Ukraine.

In a recent incident, Russians targeted and shelled a wheat field in the Karasivka village of the Zolochiv community in the Kharkiv Oblast, resulting in a fire. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that firefighters were able to swiftly contain the fire and prevent it from spreading further, saving the majority of the 110-hectare field. The photos provided by the Ukrainian authorities showcase the aftermath of the shelling, highlighting the destruction caused to the wheat field. 

Rescuers in Kherson came under repeated fire: at night, the Russian army massively shelled the central part of the city. Residential buildings, an educational institution, a medical facility and an administrative building were damaged.

Russia assumed its one-month-long rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on July 1 for the first time since April 2023 and will likely use this position as a power projection base within the international system as it historically has.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will chair UNSC debates on July 16 and 17. ISW assessed during Russia’s April 2023 presidency that Russia exploited its UNSC presidency to further several narratives regarding Russia’s desired sway in the international system and has previously noted that Russia uses its UNSC veto power as a base of power projection.

Several high-ranking Russian officials have recently launched several information operations meant to deflect responsibility for well-documented Russian violations of international law committed in Ukraine, likely to set conditions for the upcoming UNSC presidency.

“Azov fighter” Andriy Slavych, with the call sign Sapsan, died on December 10, 2023 in a battle with the enemy on the territory of Serebrianka forestry near the city of Kreminna, Luhansk Oblast. His life was cut short by a mortar attack. The warrior was 23 years old.

Andriy was born in the village of Boberka, Lviv Oblast. He finished school in the village of Verkhni Hai. Then he studied at the Drohobych Oil and Gas College. Later he went to work abroad. He was fond of books. He wrote poetry. He did it even on the battlefield.

In the first days of the full-scale war, Andriy stood up to defend Ukraine. At first, he served in the 103rd Brigade of the TRO. After being wounded and rehabilitated, he was transferred to the 12th Special Forces Brigade of the Azov National Guard, where he was among the top 4 out of hundreds of his comrades in training. He fought as a mechanic driver.

“Andriy loved this life, despite all its obstacles and difficulties. He was sincere, smiling and very kind, always ready to lend a helping hand. Like a ray of sunshine that brought joy to the lives of those who knew him, lit everyone’s heart and left a mark on it… His versatility has always been impressive. He is a courageous warrior with his own convictions and true strength of spirit. His comrades-in-arms described him as a man with whom one was never afraid. A man with a big heart who was not afraid of the challenges of fate… Andriy died a month after our wedding. He managed to find out about my pregnancy and told me what to name the baby. When he went on his last assault, I was going for my first ultrasound, which he did not see,” said Anastasia, the wife of the deceased.

Posthumously, senior fighter Slavych Andriy Ivanovych was awarded the Order “For Courage” of the III degree. The Hero was buried on the Walk of Fame in Drohobych. Andriy is survived by his mother, his wife, who was pregnant at the time of his death, two children, two sisters and his grandmother.

*Andriy’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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• U.S. House Democrats to Austin: Train more Ukrainian F-16 pilots
• Russia’s aggression prompts German companies to break the taboo of servicing the military-industrial complex