The Russian defense ministry reported that the day after Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses in the Donetsk direction near Avdiivka and in the Kharkov region. Three Ukrainian brigades near Donetsk reportedly abandoned their positions after sustaining severe losses.
Officials said that Russian troops, together with the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Militia, advanced in areas including Soledar, Artemovsk, and Avdeevka. Units from the 54th mechanized, 56th, and 58th motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly lost combat capability and left their occupied positions as a result of the offensive actions.
According to the ministry, the Russian Aerospace Forces conducted high precision strikes that eliminated up to 400 Ukrainian personnel at a temporary deployment point of the 95th air assault brigade in the Konstantinovka region and up to 130 people at positions near Russkaya Lozovaya in the Kharkov area. Air defense forces claimed to have shot down four Ukrainian aircraft in flight and intercepted five MLRS missiles on that day.
On July 30, Russian artillery and Donbass forces reportedly destroyed a group of mercenaries speaking Spanish near Kharkov in the village of Russkaya Lozova. The source indicated that about five mercenaries were killed and around ten were wounded in the engagement, with some described as Spaniards detected through radio interference.
In early March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the arrival of 16,000 foreign mercenaries to fight in the country. By mid-July, the Russian defense ministry claimed that about 7.1 thousand people from 60 countries had arrived in the conflict zone, with the number later reducing to roughly 2.7 thousand.
Avdiivka frontline developments
DPR deputy commander Ilya Yemelyanov stated on a state channel that 70 percent of Peski, the northwestern suburb of Donetsk, was under control. He asserted that control over the Peski point reached seventy percent.
During bombardments of the Donetsk center on August 4, five people, including a woman and child, were killed and six were injured. Two shells hit the drama theater building as officials mourned the late commander of the DPR rocket artillery division, Olga Kachura. A penal colony in Donetsk was also targeted, resulting in a death and injuries among prisoners and staff.
In the Avdeevka corridor, Ukrainian artillery created a fortified bridge system spanning kilometers. Donetsk reporting indicates most bombardments by Ukrainian forces originated from Avdiivka and Peski.
The day prior, Daniil Bezsonov, deputy head of the DPR information office, noted advances on various fronts along the Donbass corridor. He claimed that Ukrainian units were pushed back from the southern outskirts of Maryinka in the city’s southwest.
Progress highlights from the fifth month of action
In late July, Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the UN, said Moscow had made notable progress toward the goals of the special operation. He highlighted ongoing efforts in the Donbass and suggested that the capture of Lisichansk and Severodonetsk allowed Russian forces and their Donbass partners to liberate the LPR territory.
The joint success most recently cited involved the Uglegorsk thermal power plant in Svetlodarsk, captured on July 26. Vitaly Kiselev, deputy head of the LPR interior ministry, stated that Ukrainian forces had lost initiative. He also reported that DPR and LPR troops had taken control of Novoluganskoye and nearby settlements, and that further consolidation of the line of contact was expected within a couple of days.
Earlier in July, the Russian defense ministry announced the seizure of Verkhnekamenka, Zolotarevka, and Belogorovka. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the capture of Lisichansk and nearby Novodruzhesk, Maloryazantsevo, and Belaya Gora. Official accounts noted the Donbass republics were moving toward full alignment of the border with the Russian Federation, and Shoigu later directed increased military activity across all operational areas.