Victory Chronicles-DAY 883

The commander of the National Guard of Ukraine, Brigadier General Oleksandr Pivnenko, has stated that he believes Russian troops will lose the ability to conduct active offensive operations on multiple fronts simultaneously within the next month and a half. He suggests that they will be forced to move to a defensive position. 

Pivnenko emphasizes the need for the Ukrainian forces to find the Russians’ weaknesses and avoid their strengths. He highlights the importance of adapting and changing the management model, setting tasks, and trying asymmetrical approaches when necessary. 

Pivnenko also comments on the improvement of fortifications in Ukraine, stating that when taking a defensive position, it is crucial to dig deep and thoroughly. 

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According to the Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU), Oleksandr Pivnenko, there are still 755 Ukrainian National Guard members in Russian captivity. Many of them were captured in Mariupol, and efforts are being made to secure their release. The NGU commander stated that they are in constant contact with the relevant authorities and the families of the captured fighters, and their main objective is to bring everyone home. The National Guard has been successful in returning fighters during various exchanges. 

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During a recent Russian attack on Kharkiv, a well-known volunteer, Yuriy Sapronov, was among the victims. His home was hit directly, causing significant damage to his yard and the Audi Q8 parked there. Sapronov reported that there were a few people with minor injuries but assured everyone that they were all alive and well. 

He also mentioned that he is currently searching for his cats, of which five out of six have been found. Despite the attack, Sapronov stated that Kharkiv is his home and he has no plans to leave. The photos shared by the volunteer show the extent of the destruction caused to his house.

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Command of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has released a video showing how the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces operators shot down a Russian ZALA reconnaissance drone with a stick.

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Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that the Russian military has significantly increased its manpower and materiel commitments to the war in Ukraine over the last two and a half years, but Syrskyi’s statement is not indicative of a sudden increase in the Russian military’s presence in Ukraine and is instead representative of the manpower and material disadvantage that Ukrainian forces have faced for over two years. Syrskyi told UK outlet The Guardian in an interview published on July 24 that Russian forces currently have 520,000 personnel committed to the war in Ukraine and that the Russian military aims to have 690,000 personnel committed to the war by the end of 2024.

Syrskyi noted that fighting is ongoing along 977 kilometers of the 3,700-kilometer-long frontline and reiterated that the Russian military command continues to pursue tactical gains regardless of significant manpower losses, while Ukrainian forces are attempting to safeguard the lives of Ukrainian troops. Syrskyi stated that Russian forces currently have a two-to-one or three-to-one equipment advantage over Ukrainian forces and that Russian forces have doubled the number of Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers and tripled the number of artillery systems in Ukraine since 2022. 

Syrskyi’s comparison of the current Russian military contingent committed to Ukraine with the initial invasion force underscores the difference between the military force that Russia has gradually staffed and supplied over two and half years for a long war effort and the initial and ill-prepared invasion force that the Kremlin wrongly assessed could quickly depose the Ukrainian government in February 2022. 

Syrskyi noted that the Ukrainian military command is focused on addressing supply challenges in order to defend against ongoing Russian offensive operations and highlighted the fact that Ukrainian forces are successfully conducting defensive operations despite the materiel disparity between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

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Defender Volodymyr Shvets, with the call sign Poet, died on May 28, 2023, near the city of Kreminna, Luhansk Oblast. While performing a combat mission, he was fatally wounded by artillery fire. In April, the defender turned 30 years old.

Volodymyr was born in the village of Khoroshiv, Zhytomyr Oblast. He received his education as a gas and electric welder and driver at the Turchynivka Vocational Lyceum.

He worked as a grinder at a stone processing plant for some time. He completed his military service and then signed a contract with one of the units of the Zhytomyr Oblast.

In October 2021, he signed another contract with the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and has been performing combat missions in Donbas since November.

Volodymyr received his call sign because he loved poetry and wrote poetry himself.

With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he and his comrades defended Ukraine on the front line. He was a driver in an artillery division and participated in battles in Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Luhansk Oblasts.

In June 2022, the fighter was awarded the medal “For Military Service to Ukraine”. In March 2024, his family received the Order “For Courage” III degree, which he was awarded posthumously.

“He was a kind, attentive guy who would always come to the rescue. According to his comrades-in-arms, Volodya never lagged behind, always took the initiative and was among the volunteers ready to go on assault. He was a courageous warrior, a brave and determined fighter with a sense of humor. He was a true patriot who honorably fulfilled his duty to protect the state and remained loyal to his oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people and Ukraine until his last breath. He dreamed of victory and did everything in his power to bring it closer!” wrote the deceased’s wife Olesia.

Volodymyr was buried in the village of Kamianyi Brid in the Zhytomyr Oblast, where he spent his childhood. He is survived by his wife and son from his first marriage.

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

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