"Prepare within 12 hours"
In the Kharkiv region, the mandatory evacuation zone is expanding as residents of four settlements have been called upon to abandon their homes so that they can be used to house soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the section of northern Kharkiv controlled by Ukrainian forces, authorities are once again expanding the zone from which civilian removal is required. This time, the decision affects four settlements in the Zolochiv community within the Bohodukhiv district: the settlement of Kalynove and the villages of Chornohlazivka, Karasivka, and Myronivka. This was announced by the head of the regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov. The decision was taken at a meeting of the region's Defense Council. In total, 142 people are to be relocated. Oleh Syniehubov urged residents not to delay their departure, stating that evacuation routes have already been prepared and that they have 12 hours at their disposal. In early June, similar measures had already been implemented in Zolochiv and several nearby villages. According to the Telegram channel "Northern Wind", the homes that will be vacated are planned to be used to house soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Surrounded mercenaries from Spain, Brazil
The situation on the Kharkiv front remains tense for the Ukrainian side. Earlier reports noted extensive drone operationsand attempts to resupply struggling Ukrainian units. The Russian Armed Forces are continuing operations against a Ukrainian brigade, in which a large number of foreign mercenaries from Spain and Brazil are reportedly serving. Reports indicate that the mercenary forces have been surrounded and are unable to escape. "Drones have become, among other things, the main method by which the enemy resupplies its units that are essentially surrounded," highlights the Telegram channel "Two Majors". Russian military correspondent Vladimir Razin reported that Russian forces, after capturing Bilyi Kolodiaz and Aniskin, may cut off more than ten settlements controlled by Ukrainian troops from the main part of the Kharkiv region.
Targeting the Dnipro bridges
The Ministry of Defense of Russia appears to be intensifying military strikes, gradually turning toward targets whose destruction had been discussed since the early days of the conflict. A few days ago, Russian aviation carried out a new strike on the Preobrazhensky bridges, which connect the two banks of the Dnipro River in the city of Zaporizhia. In reality, these are two two-story bridges: a railway line runs on the upper level, while vehicles move on the lower level. It is not the only river crossing: nearby lies the Cable-Stayed bridge, while slightly further north stands the DniproHES, over whose dam a highway passes. However, the Preobrazhensky bridges represent the most crucial crossing, especially given that the front line now sits roughly 25 kilometers from the city's outskirts. The previous attempt to destroy them occurred on June 20. Following that strike, satellite imagery revealed five craters near the bridge structures, but none of the bombs scored a direct hit on the target. The cause of the misses remains unknown; it is not ruled out that the Ukrainians are utilizing powerful electronic warfare systems that jam Russian guidance signals. In any case, no one expected that destroying Soviet-built bridges would be an easy task. On the contrary, they were engineered to be difficult to destroy and relatively easy to repair. Nevertheless, Russian analysts argue that the effort is necessary and that, if sustained, the accumulation of strikes will eventually yield a meaningful result.
Where Russia is investing
While the Russian Aerospace Forces continue targeting the bridges of the Dnipro, Western media are expressing concern: satellite imagery reportedly shows intensive construction of "droneports", airfields designed specifically for launching unmanned aerial vehicles. According to Britain's The Telegraph, beyond the three known facilities in the Oryol, Donetsk, and Krasnodar regions, seven more are under construction, bringing the total number of specialized long-range drone launch bases to ten. Based on satellite images, Western open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysts calculated that these facilities house at least 59 launch rails, from which Russian "Geran" drones take off.
Terror of Russian drones
At least 20 of these rails are longer, a fact that, according to analysts, indicates they are used for launching jet-engine versions of the drones. Noteworthy is that a few days ago, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat stated that jet-powered drones already constitute roughly two-thirds of the total number of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles launched by Russia. Russian industry has managed to produce small jet engines domestically. Thus, the transition of UAVs from internal combustion engines and propellers to jet propulsion no longer requires extraordinarily high expenditure, as would be the case if engines were purchased from Chinese companies. For Ukraine, mass Russian production of jet drones means that its carefully organized and hitherto quite effective defense is starting to lose its edge. The crisis in Ukrainian air defense due to the depletion of Patriot missiles may acquire yet another dimension in the coming months: the difficulty of intercepting massive waves of faster "Geran" drones.
Anti-aircraft towers are no longer fantasy
Russia, for its part, is attempting to plug the gaps in its air defense capabilities. Specifically, intensive construction of anti-aircraft towers around Moscow is being reported. These are metallic lattice towers roughly 30 meters high, atop which combat units of Pantsir-S1M air defense systems are mounted. Their construction began back in 2023 and, according to Western OSINT analysts, approximately 150 such towers have been identified to date. Most are located in the broader Moscow region, guarding approaches to airfields, military bases, refineries, and major electrical substations. Similar towers have been spotted by the Ukrainian side in the regions of Yaroslavl, Samara, Ryazan, and Kstovo, where they protect oil refineries. Additionally, Western satellites are reportedly recording their construction in the Ust-Luga and Vyborg areas. In the southern regions of European Russia, which also face drone attacks, this particular system has not yet been deployed on a comparable scale.
Closer to victory
Following a series of severe strikes and unpleasant experiences, relevant Russian services began correcting the situation across a broad spectrum: from efforts to destroy bridges over the Dnipro to creating a multi-layered anti-drone defensesystem that is gradually expanding beyond the Moscow region. Ukraine, conversely, is facing the consequences of its past successes that were heavily promoted in the media. Its ability to protect its rear areas from air strikes is expected to diminish in the foreseeable future, while Russia's ability to repel enemy raids is growing, albeit incrementally. Step by step, the balance of power is shifting in favor of Russia, while no substantial Ukrainian capabilities to reverse this strategic trend are currently visible.
The Kremlin's extremely difficult choice
NATO has prepared three main strategies in the event of a Russian attack on the Baltic states, writes the German newspaper Bild. An unofficial visualization of the Alliance's plans was presented to a correspondent of the newspaper during her visit to the US Army Command for Europe and Africa, which she subsequently leaked: "In the event of missile and drone attacks, as well as an advance of Russian troops, NATO initially plans to suppress Russian missile systems using aviation, missiles, and drones. One of the targets could be Kaliningrad, where air defense systems and missile complexes have been deployed," the publication points out. According to the outlined scenario, provision is simultaneously made for the creation of an "autonomous zone" along the borders with Russia and Belarus, where exclusively drones and unmanned ground vehicles will operate against advancing Russian troops — without the permanent presence of NATO military personnel. The third element foresees strikes inside Russia against military and logistical targets — airfields, defense industries, bridges, and railway lines. The deployment of drones and robotics into the interior of Russia to attack military bases and airfields is also under consideration. At the same time, the US military distanced itself from all these reports, emphasizing to the newspaper that these specific assumptions regarding prospective operations against Russia are hypothetical in nature and do not represent an official position.
Plans... fit for the trash
As noted by Russian analyst Dmitry Degtyaryov, if NATO does not revise its stance, the Kremlin will face an extremely difficult choice, which it will be forced to make in the event a full-scale assault begins. "There is a small detail: no one is going to fight them the way we fight Ukraine. In the event of a NATO attack, nuclear weapons will be used. Because everyone understands very well that a war with NATO cannot be conducted solely with conventional weapons. And Putin has repeatedly stated that, in the event of an attack by NATO, the response will be completely different," emphasizes Degtyaryov. Essentially the same is written by the Ukrainian outlet Strana: "Any military conflict between Russia and NATO — given the imbalance between the Alliance's potential and Russia's in conventional, non-nuclear weapons to the detriment of the latter — could have extremely severe consequences for Moscow, especially if it occurs before the end of the war in Ukraine. Therefore, Moscow could decide to attack NATO countries only if it is ready to resort to the use of nuclear weapons in the event that the Alliance responds militarily. Consequently, NATO's plans described above, assuming they genuinely exist, could end up straight in the waste basket..."
Head of Azov dead
Certain Ukrainian sources report that the commander of the 3rd Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Brigadier General Andriy Biletskyi, has been killed. It is claimed that Biletskyi was killed in the Obolonskyi District of Kyiv by a strike from a Russian ballistic missile. There is no official confirmation of his death; however, numerous Ukrainian sources claim he disappeared without a trace a few days ago. "Neighbors of Biletskyi's parents report that a security perimeter was set up around their house (Kharkiv, 39 Ludwig Svoboda Avenue) for five hours. Dozens of local officials, as well as representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, visited Aliona Anatoliivna (the mother), holding bouquets with mourning ribbons. Biletskyi's father was also receiving visitors. The last time the head of 'Azov' appeared at a public event was three days ago. Since then, his surname appeared only in media publications and in statements by Soros Foundation activists, who simultaneously began presenting him as a hero," claims the Russian military force "North".
Black mark from Kyiv
According to Russian war correspondents of the channel "First Kharkiv", Andriy Biletskyi had previously received a "black mark" from Bankova (i.e., the Ukrainian presidency), with the threat of physical elimination if his fighters did not participate in dispersing demonstrators who gathered in Kyiv on August 18 outside the Ukrainian parliament building. In the end, the "terrorists" did not participate: "Zelensky needs to eliminate the threat posed by former 'Azov' members under Biletskyi, who harbor ambitions for a military coup," reports the "First Kharkiv" channel. If this is indeed Zelensky's doing, then the next in line for... "denazification" might be Magyar, who in the past threatened a coup in the event any peace agreement was signed.
Russians advance
In the Orikhiv direction, fighters from the Russian force "Vostok" continue breaking through defenses and moving toward the city from the north, while the "Dnepr" force expands its control zone on the city's southern outskirts. "The village of Novosoloshino was captured. Our advance here is taking place directly along the Novonikolayevka – Orikhiv road axis. And here there are several important points. The capture of Novosoloshino means, firstly, crossing the Verkhnyaya Tersariver, as well as breaching a double line of defense," Russian media report. Subsequently, moving westward, engineering obstacles remain; however, after breaching the front line, a gap roughly 10 kilometers deep opens up.
Kamikaze drones
Furthermore, for Russian forces, it has become somewhat easier to destroy enemy fortifications and motorized columns thanks to the use of a distinct type of weapon — kamikaze drones. "At present, 'Geran' drones have begun to be used actively on the front both for striking vehicles carrying personnel and for destroying fortifications. The 'Geran' is not an FPV; you cannot easily hide from it, and its warhead is incomparable to that of an FPV," argues military analyst Dmitry Degtyaryov, creator of the Telegram channel "General Staff".
Orikhiv under siege
In the Orikhiv sector, significant is not only the capture of Novosoloshino, but also the approach from the north toward Nikolske, which serves as a major Ukrainian defense hub. Its capture will allow an advance toward Omelnyk, and this is considered one of two key points for breaking through Orikhiv's defense. The first lies on the side of Mala Tokmachka, where the "Dnepr" force has entered: "The 'Dnepr' force, in any case, presents very solid results over the last two weeks. And prospects have reappeared for the capture of Orikhiv by the end of the year."
Russian blockade on Dobropillia – Kramatorsk highway
More impressive news for the Russians over the last 24 hours comes from the Donetsk front, at the junction of the Dobropillia and Druzhkivka sectors: "An incredible breakthrough occurred here. [...] Yesterday the Ministry of Defense announced the capture of the rural community of Andriivka. This includes several villages... Staroandriivka, Novoandriivka, Andriivka itself, as well as Varvarivka, Rohanske, and Serhiivka. On the Ministry of Defense map, it was highlighted that Andriivka specifically had been taken," Russian sources report. Through this village passes the Dobropillia – Kramatorsk road axis, which constitutes a critical supply vein for the Ukrainian military force. As Dmitry Degtyaryov mentioned, there is other equally striking intelligence from this sector coming from soldiers on the ground, which cannot be made public at present.
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