August 2, 2022
1. On August 2, 2022 Russian MoD has issued the following statement:
Russian Defence Ministry has recorded and is taking into account for the future an official admission by General [Vadym] Skibitsky, Deputy Head of the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, that Washington directly coordinates each target for Kiev before strikes from US-made HIMARS MLRS.
Speaking to The Telegraph's British journalists, Skibitsky admitted that "before rocket launches, there are consultations between intelligence officials from both countries, which allow Washington to stop any potential attacks if they were unhappy with the intended target".
All this undeniably proves that Washington, contrary to White House and Pentagon claims, is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
It is Biden administration that is directly responsible for all Kiev-approved rocket attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure in populated areas of Donbass and other regions, which have resulted in mass deaths of civilians.
No one else in Ukraine or in the world should have any doubts that the strikes by HIMARS rockets on Novaya Kakhovka on July 12, on Stakhanov on July 17, on Krasniy Luch on July 24, dozens of strikes on Donetsk and, of course, the July 29 strike on the detention facility in Elenovka, which killed 50 and injured 73 Ukrainian POWs, have been planned by Zelensky regime and approved by Washington.
Political, criminal and moral responsibility for the Elenovka massacre and other war crimes in Ukraine, along with Zelensky, is directly linked with Biden administration.
2. AFU still conduct criminal actions against civilians
Russian troops continue 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 Seversk, Donetsk People's Republic, AFU have deployed artillery and MLRS on the territory of Zolotaya Rybka kindergarten (Molodezhnaya Street), from which they systematically shell Russian Armed Forces positions, provoking them to return fire;
b) in Odessa, Ukrainian armed formations have deployed MANPADs on the roof of the Musical Comedy Theatre (Panteleymonovskaya Street) and heavy weapons and armoured vehicles on the adjacent territory of the Ecology University dormitory (Lvovska Street);
c) in Cherkasy, Ukrainian nationalists have equipped firing positions for heavy artillery and MLRS in private households (Pushkin Street), while locals have not been evacuated.
Furthermore, it has been reliably established that in Dnepropetrovsk Region, militants of Ukrainian armed formations have mined a railway bridge and a road bridge across the Volch'ya River between the settlements of Chernenkovo and Novoskelevatoe, which they plan to blow up and accuse units of the Russian Armed Forces and Donetsk People's Republic of allegedly indiscriminate strikes on transport infrastructure.
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.
Russian MoD once again emphasizes 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 them with comprehensive assistance and support.
3. Kiev still uses prohibited APM
Armed Forces of Ukraine or AFU continue to wage a barbaric and cruel war against civilians in Donbass and in some other parts of Ukraine by using MLRS and other long-range large caliber howitzers (155 mm).
Besides using M142 MLRS HIMARS produced and delivered to Ukrainian inhuman ultra-Nazi regime by the USA, Kiev began wider employment of anti-personnel mines (APM) known as PFM-1 “Lipestok” in Russian and “Pelustka” in Ukrainian that are prohibited by the international law as very dangerous and inflicting excessive injuries to people [see Report # 113].
Russian Armed Forces do not have such lethal criminal weapon in their arsenal
On the contrary, AFU possess them and are widely used against civilians in Donbass despite the fact that Ukraine signed in 2005 and ratified in 2006 the relevant Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines and their employment (1997). AFU intentionally disperse them in densely populated areas and in the centers of the cities that do not have military facilities at all.
So far, four civilians in Donbass have been heavily injured by Ukrainian “Pelustka” PFM-1.
Russia has sent the UNO data on the use of banned PMF-1 by AFU. Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UNO, said in his Telegram channel that the UN Secretary General António Guterres and UN Security Council Chairman Zhang Jun had been sent information about the mines used by Ukrainian troops for civilian targets in Donbass using banned PMF-1 mines, with attached relevant photographic materials to it.
According to the report, the letter will be distributed as an official document of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly.
4. Situation on the battlefields
As a result of Russian Aerospace Forces strike on combat positions of 54th Mechanized Brigade of AFU near Mar'inka in Donetsk People's Republic, more than 50 nationalists of 2nd Battalion of this unit have been destroyed.
High-precision weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces struck on a temporary deployment point of the Ukrainian Foreign Legion near Nikolaev city. The attacks have resulted in the elimination of up to 250 nationalists and 20 units of military equipment. High-precision strikes of the Russian Aerospace Forces have eliminated up to 500 nationalists of 92nd Mechanised Brigade of AFU and large amount of military equipment in Merefa and Chuguyiv in Kharkov Region.
Shelling of combat positions of 16th Battalion of 58th AFU Motorized Infantry Brigade near Artemovsk have resulted in the elimination of over 130 nationalists. The remaining battalion servicemen, numbering up to 70, hurriedly left their positions and departed for Konotop, Sumy Region, where they were disarmed and declared deserters.
21st Battalion of 56th Motorized Infantry Brigade, which had suffered significant losses near Peski, came under artillery fire of AFU during its retreat to Vodyanoye and was almost completely eliminated.
Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery strikes continue against military facilities in Ukraine. Five command posts have been hit, including those of 36th Marine Brigade near Nikolaev, 92nd Mechanized Brigade near Tsyrkuny in Kharkov Region, as well as 142 areas of AFU manpower and military equipment concentration. Seven ammunition depots have been destroyed near Artemovsk, Kostantinovka, Ochertino in Donetsk People's Republic, Trudovoye in Zaporozhye Region and Nikolaev.
As part of counter-battery warfare two artillery batteries of Giatsint howitzers near Dzerzhinsk and Novhorodskoye, Donetsk People's Republic have been hit.
Four platoons of Grad MLRS and 9 artillery platoons at firing positions near Seversk, Kirovo, Artemovsk, Avdeevka, Peski, Orlovka, Shakhterskoye, Velikaya Novoselka in Donetsk People's Republic, Dobropolie in Zaporozhye Region, Shirokoye, Bereznevatoye in Nikolaev Region, Russkaya Lozovaya and Nortsovka in Kharkov Region.
Russian air defence means have shot down 5 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Moskalevka, Petropavlovka, Kopanki, Volkhov Yar in Kharkov Region and Sergeevka in Kherson Region. Two shells of Uragan multiple rocket launchers have also been intercepted near Kherson.
In total, 261 Ukrainian airplanes and 145 helicopters, 1,664 unmanned aerial vehicles, 361 anti-aircraft missile systems, 4,225 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 782 multiple launch rocket systems, 3,240 field artillery and mortars, as well as 4,655 special military vehicles were destroyed during the SMO.
Meanwhile, Russia collected more than 52,000 tons of basic necessities, food and medicines have been prepared at the collection points.
Since March 2, 2022, 49,946.7 tons of humanitarian aid has already been delivered to Ukraine during 1,390 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including 5 actions in Kherson and Kharkov Regions, as well as in Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, during which 27.6 tons of basic necessities, medicines and food were transferred to the civilian population of the liberated areas.
5. Under the Istanbul food deal the first merchant ship left Odessa
On August 1, 2022, the first ship Razoni (flag of Sierra Leone, cargo - maize) departed from Odessa port to Tripoli port (Lebanon). The Russian Federation is taking a set of necessary measures to ensure the safety of civilian navigation and to prevent provocations along the crossing route.
The sea corridor through which Razoni is travelling is in the north-western part of the Black Sea. The control of the humanitarian operation for the departure of the first ship was planned with the active participation of Russian officers who are participating in the Joint Coordination Centre located in Istanbul.
The Russian Federation is taking a set of necessary measures to ensure the safety of civilian navigation and to prevent provocations along the crossing route. There also remains a danger to navigation and damage to port infrastructure from drifting Ukrainian mines off anchor along the coast of the Black Sea states.
The Russian Armed Forces have once again confirmed that two maritime humanitarian corridors, which are safe lanes for ships are still operational, 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.
6. Ukrainian “Azov” nationalist group has been recognized as a terrorist faction
The Russian Supreme Court has designated the Ukrainian “Azov” nationalist battalion as a terrorist organization and outlawed its activities in Russia, TASS reported.
"To satisfy the administrative motion of the prosecutor general and to recognize the Ukrainian paramilitary unit “Azov” as a terrorist organization, banning its activities on the territory of the Russian Federation," the judge read out the decision.
The court announced only the operative part of the judgement. The ruling has not yet come into effect, and it may be appealed against in the Court of Appeal.
The suit was examined in the absence of representatives from the opposite side. Most of the hearing took place behind closed doors, journalists were only allowed to watch the broadcast at the stage of the examination of witnesses. The witnesses - Russian human rights activists and journalists, told the court about the numerous episodes of crimes committed by “Azov” militants. In the courtroom, they showed interviews with residents of Mariupol and Volnovakha, whose relatives had been killed, kidnapped, or tortured by militants from the “Azov” battalion.
Members of the organization recognized by the court as a terrorist organization are criminally liable. The founders and leaders are punished by 15 to 20 years in prison with a fine of up to 1 million rubles (over $16,500), while rank-and-file participants - from 5 to 10 years in jail with a fine of up to 500,000 rubles. Those who had voluntarily stopped participation in the activities of the organization before the investigation began, are exempt from criminal liability.
Written by Vladimir P. Kozin
