July 31,2022

  1. On July 30, 2022 Russian Defence Ministry spokesman made additional statement concerning deliberate murder of Ukrainian POW by Kiev’s regime in a detention center

On July 29, 2022 a deliberate missile strike delivered by the Kiev regime using US-made HIMARS MLRS at a detemtion facility near near Yelenovka [DPR], killed and maimed most of the 193 sleeping Ukrainian prisoners.

According to updated figures as of the morning of July 30, 50 Ukrainians were killed in missile strike. The bodies of 48 Ukrainian POWs were found and recovered from under the rubble of the detention facility. Two more Ukrainian POWs died of serious wounds on the way, while being transported to a medical facility.

73 Ukrainian POWs were taken to medical facilities with serious injuries. All of them were given the necessary medical treatment.

The names of those killed and wounded during the Kiev regime's missile strike on Ukrainian prisoners of war have been published on the official information resources of the Russian Defence Ministry.

All political, criminal and moral responsibility for the carnage against Ukrainians falls on Zelensky personally, his criminal regime and the Washington that supports them.

The UN is ready to send a group of experts to investigate the shelling of the pre-trial detention center in the village of Yelenovka. Russia has applied to the ICRC to send its experts to the scene.

2. Humanitarian situation

Russia, continues to record numerous facts of criminal actions by Kiev regime against civilians, as well as the use of medical infrastructure for military purposes by Ukrainian armed formations:

a) in Artemovsk, Donetsk People's Republic, militants of nationalist battalions have equipped stronghold and ammunition depot in the building of medical college (Nosakova Street), the approaches to the educational institution are mined, but the local population is deliberately not informed of this;

b) in Berezovka, Odessa Region, buildings of the Higher Vocational School of the National Polytechnic University and the Agrarian Lyceum (Pobedy Street) host AFU servicemen, while artillery and armoured vehicles are deployed in the adjacent territory;

c) in Slavyansk, Donetsk People's Republic, AFU and territorial defence units are deployed in the buildings of Transport Infrastructure College (Gagarin Street), roadblocks and firing points are equipped on the approaches to the educational institution, and residents of nearby houses are forcibly detained in the premises under the pretext of allegedly ensuring security.

d)  in Seversk, Donetsk People's Republic, neo-Nazis have equipped firing positions and ammunition depots in residential buildings (Sadovaya Street) without evacuating local residents;

e) in Izmail, Odessa region, territorial defence units are deployed at the Agrotechnological College (Suvorov Avenue), and roadblocks and firing points have been equipped in the vicinity of the building;

f) in Kharkov, Ukrainian militants, MLRS and artillery are stationed on the territory of the Machine-Building College (General Momot Street) and the approaches to the building are mined, but the local population is deliberately not informed about this;

g) in Artemovsk, Donetsk People's Republic, AFU soldiers have equipped a stronghold in the teacher training college (Blagoveshchenskaya Street), armoured vehicles and artillery are deployed, and residents of nearby houses are forcibly detained in the premises of the institution under the pretext of supposedly ensuring security.

In addition, according to operational information, militants of Ukrainian armed formations in Novopavlovka, Dnepropetrovsk Region, have mined a road bridge across the Solyonaya River.

Such actions by criminal Ukrainian authorities demonstrate complete indifference to the fate of their own citizens and absolute disregard for all norms of morality and the principles of international humanitarian law.

Russia MoD once again emphasized that during the special military operation, the Russian Armed Forces and military formations of Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics are not striking at civilian infrastructure facilities, are treating civilians extremely humanely and are providing civilians with comprehensive assistance and support.

3. The situation in the Black Sea

Despite the Istanbul arrangement reached on July 22, 2022 concerning food deliveries’ deal, 70 foreign vessels from 16 countries still remain blocked in six Ukrainian ports, namely Kherson, Nikolaev, Ochakov, Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhniy. By the way, In accordance with that deal, Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhniy are selected as exit seaports to deliver grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine who has not demined these seaports it has mined itself a long time ago. Under the Istanbul accord, Kiev has to demine these zones by itself.

That is why the threat of shelling and high mine danger posed by official Kiev prevents vessels from entering the high seas unhindered. At the same time, the Kiev authorities continue to avoid engaging with representatives of states and ship-owning companies to resolve the issue of ensuring the safe passage of foreign vessels to the assembly area. The danger to navigation from Ukrainian mines drifting off their anchors along the coasts of Black Sea states remains.

For the last two months the Russian Armed Forces have created safe passage conditions for the operation of two maritime ‘blue-sea’ humanitarian corridors, which are safe lanes for ships, including:

1) in the Black Sea - to leave Kherson, Nikolaev, Chernomorsk, Ochakov, Odessa and Yuzhnyi ports in a south-westerly direction from Ukraine's territorial sea, 139 miles long and 3 miles wide;

2) in the Sea of Azov, to leave Mariupol port 115 miles long and 2 miles wide towards the Black Sea.

Detailed information in English and Russian on the modus operandi of the maritime humanitarian corridor is broadcast daily every 15 minutes on VHF radio on 14 and 16 international channels in English and Russian.

4. A French volunteer witnessed fake performance staged by Kiev in Bucha

A French volunteer and writer, former military man Adrian Boke, who visited Ukraine, said that he witnessed the preparation of a provocation in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, RIA Novosti reports.

‘The Bucha tragedy’ has been widely used by Ukrainian leaders, especially President Zelensky, and many Western politicians as a heavy-weight propaganda tool versus Russia.

In April, Andrian Boke visited Ukraine twice on a mission to deliver humanitarian aid, medical equipment and medicines. He visited both the Polish-Ukrainian border and Bucha, and saw how Russian prisoners of war are being tortured and killed, as well as how Ukrainian militants are engaged in a staged massacre of civilians.

“When I talk about murders and torture, I am talking about the murder and torture of the Russian military. First of all, the officers were executed. I heard screams when the Azov people asked who the officer was here. As soon as the answer sounded, this person was immediately shot in the head <…> The worst thing is that I did not see any human attitude, there were no emotions, because in front of my eyes people were executed, people were hurt, people were shot, shot in limbs , in the head,” said Boke.

According to his story, he witnessed the torture and murder of Russian prisoners of war in a hangar in the northern part of Bucha. It was in early April, that is, when the Ukrainian military had regained control of the city for several days, RIA Novosti specifies.

Boke said that he often talked with the fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the “Azov”, who impressed him with their inhuman treatment of Russians, Jews and people of other races.

“I had to pretend a lot so as not to show my opinion and emotions and in the first place not to show disagreement with their opinion. Disagreement with their Nazi ideology, especially when they expressed their attitude towards Jews and people with dark skin, because these were very cruel statements. And first of all, I am talking about hatred for Russians, because they <…> call you “Russian dogs”. And for all these soldiers, for the soldiers from the Azov Battalion, the main task, as they always told me, is to torture and kill “Russian dogs”. As a former military man, this surprised me. Because it was evident in everything that their main goal was to torture and kill “Russian dogs”, while they did not even talk about the liberation of their population”, recalls the volunteer.

In addition, he talks about how a provocation is being prepared in Bucha to accuse the Russian military of massacres of civilians.

“When we entered Bucha by car, I was in the passenger seat. And when we drove through the city, I saw the bodies of people on the sides of the streets, and at the same time, in front of my eyes, the bodies of people were taken out of the trucks, which were laid out next to the bodies lying on the ground to give the effect of mass deaths”, Boke said. He clarified that there were journalists nearby who immediately began filming as soon as a group of bodies formed.

“One of the volunteers who was at this place the day before, I emphasize that it was not I who saw it, but one of the volunteers told me this. He told me that he had seen the day before, refrigerated trucks from other cities of Ukraine arrived in Bucha, from which the bodies of people were unloaded and laid out in rows. From this, I realized that there are dramatizations and extras”, the agency quotes the interlocutor.

Volunteers and local residents were pressured – to avoid publicity, the militants threatened them with imprisonment and reprisals, the volunteer noted.

“We distributed medicines, including those containing narcotic substances, painkillers containing morphine. We were told in plain text: if you don’t share with us, you won’t get where you need to go. I clearly remember that we had to deliver these pain medications to the children’s hospital and we were told that if we did not share, we would not get there. Moreover, when we were not far from Bucha, we were accompanied by military guards, they were “Azov”. They escorted us to one of the hangars and told us to prepare a separate box with drugs containing morphine so that we could move on,” Boke said.

In addition, volunteers were forbidden to take photos and videos. “We were warned that otherwise we would face a ten-year sentence or more severe consequences. This ban also extended to the local population. This pressure was exerted by the military, primarily by the Azov people. Europe today does not understand how much the population of Ukraine is under strong pressure”, said the Frenchman.

5. Developments on the battlefields

Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) continue to use heavy weapons against civilians in Donbass every day. On July 29 they fired 440 shells and on July 30 513 shells against civilians and social infrastructure facilities in Donbass. As a result of the shelling of the Kirovsky district, the coalmine named after Skochinsky was de-energized (72 people have been trapped underground) and the Abakumov coalmine (5 people were underground). Rescue measures are being carried out.

So far the DPR has liberated 263 population settlements.

AFU also used anti-personnel mines “PFM-1” called “Lepestok” in Russian or “Pelustka” in Ukrainian (means: flower petal or flower leave in English) that are prohibited by the international law as very dangerous and inflicting excessive injuries to people [see photo]. Each mine is rather small (2 x 6,5 x 12 cm) and very light (weight is 80 grams).

AFU has dispersed them in the center of Donetsk by MLRS. Its one missile can deliver and disperse up to 300 such mines that are difficult to notice on the ground. In the afternoon MLRS BM-27 "Hurricane" of AFU scattered prohibited PFM-1 mines in the Kirovsky district of Makeyevka.

One such mine can destroy a foot of any adult person or even killed a child if they step on it. 

One person has been heavily injured so far.

          Russian experts managed to defuse and destroy more than 600 such mines. Barbaric action made by Kiev.

A self-made drone struck the courtyard of Navy HQ in Sevastopol, wounding five of its employees due to shattered glasses of the windows, Mikhail Razvozzhaev, the Governor of the city, said. “Early this morning [July 31], the Ukronazis decided to ruin Navy Day for us [celebrated the same day]. An unidentified object flew into the courtyard of the Headquarters of the Fleet, according to preliminary data, it is a drone”, said the head of Sevastopol.

On the other hand, high-precision air-based weapons in the evening of July 28, destroyed military train at Krasnoarmeisk station in Donetsk People's Republic carrying elite Assault Battalion of 1st Separate Brigade of the Ukrainian president. More than 140 nationalists were killed. About 250 more fighters were wounded to varying degrees of severity. All military equipment is out of action.

On July 29-30, high-precision air-based weapons hit temporary deployment point of the 110th mechanized brigade of AFU near Yasnobrodovka, Donetsk People's Republic. The strike destroyed up to 30 servicemen, military equipment and  depot with rockets for Grad combat vehicles.

High-precision weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces hit temporary deployment point of 14th mechanized brigade of AFU near Artemovsk. The compound suffered losses of up to 50 servicemen and 8 pieces of military equipment. High-precision Iskander missiles hit temporary deployment point of Kraken nationalist group, equipped in the hangars of local meat-processing plant near Bogodukhov, Kharkov Region. The attacks have resulted in the elimination of up to 30 nationalists and 10 units of military equipment.

Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery strikes continue against military facilities in Ukraine. 8 command posts were hit, including those of 80th Airborne Assault Brigade near Seversk and 72nd Mechanized Brigade near Artemovsk in Donetsk People's Republic, as well as 256 areas of enemy manpower and military equipment concentration. Three depots of missile and artillery weapons and ammunition of 72nd Mechanized Brigade near Artemovsk and 24th Mechanized Brigade near Soledar in Donetsk People's Republic have been destroyed. One MiG-29 aircraft of the Ukrainian air force has been shot down near Krivoi Rog by the Russian Aerospace Forces' fighter aircraft.

In addition, one US-made AN/TPQ-36A counter-battery radar station near Nikiforovka in Donetsk People's Republic and 1 US-made AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery radar station near Novovontsovka in Kherson Region were also destroyed.

As part of counter-battery fighting, two American M777 howitzers near Stepnogorsk, Zaporozhye Region, and hit 1 battery of Uragan multiple rocket launchers near Kurdyumovka, 2 artillery batteries of Giatsint-B howitzers in Kodema and Bilaya Gora areas in Donetsk People's Republic were destroyed.

Also suppressed: 6 platoons of Grad MLRS, 2 batteries of Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mounts, 3 artillery platoons of D-20 guns, 4 artillery platoons of D-30 guns at firing positions near several settlements in the DPR, Zaporozhye and Nikolaev Regions Russian air defence means have shot down 13 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in Kharkov Region, Peski in Donetsk People's Republic and Kherson Region. In addition, six MLRS missiles have been intercepted in the air over Novaya Kakhovka, Chervonyi Mayak and two Tochka-U ballistic missiles near Staraya Mayachka, Kherson Region.

Written by Vladimir P. Kozin