[Reuters] It’s a new kind of war. In the “kill zone” of Ukraine, surveillance and attack drones swarm the skies, hunting anything that moves.
There’s no more massing of troops and artillery.
Just as well, given how many are left after all the massing both sides used to do.
Instead, soldiers on both sides hide for months at a time in tiny, isolated foxholes to survive.
Soldiers move in small groups to dodge detection, often on foot or motorbike. Even then, the drones hunt them mercilessly. Casualties are staggering.
Our immersive reconstruction will take you deep into the kill zone, a strip of land about 30 km (20 miles) wide in some places that straddles the line of contact. In this hellscape, buildings lie in ruins and trees are shredded.
A terrifying game of hide-and-seek is playing out in this deadly corridor that snakes along the 1,200 km-long (750-mile) front line in Ukraine.
The war, well into its fifth year, has become the first major conflict to be dominated by unmanned aerial vehicles, with thousands of the cheap but deadly machines filling the skies.
Ukraine and invader Russia are constantly advancing the new technology, which is transforming modern warfare. Both sides have had to abandon age-old tactics of gathering troops, vehicles and artillery in a relatively compressed area along the front lines. Such visible targets are easy prey for drones.
Instead, teams as small as two to three soldiers hide in tiny dugouts hollowed under the ground, scattered across a huge kill zone extending many kilometres on either side of the line of contact between the two sides. Infantrymen often act as lookouts, avoiding direct engagement that could give away their position, instead calling in drones to do the killing, said an officer in leading Ukrainian drone brigade Madyar’s Birds, who goes by the callsign Silhouette.
Drones are guided by pilots hiding in the kill zone or further away who fly them using video game-style controls. Many are first-person view (FPV) craft, allowing the pilot to see the scene from the drone’s perspective in real time. They are controlled either through radio signals or via long, ultra-fine fibre optic cables stretching behind the drones.
This graphical illustration is the most detailed reconstruction yet of the new breed of battlefront. It will take you into the kill zone via a “fly-over” that starts 15 km inside Russian-held territory before heading to the contact line between the two sides and then 15 km further into Ukrainian-held land.
A 30 km strip where drones make any movement lethal.
The illustration isn’t a recreation of any particular stretch of the front but features a concentration of scenes from multiple sectors that show how the armies operate and engage. It is based on dozens of first-hand accounts from Ukrainian soldiers, drone pilots and commanders, as well as interviews with military experts and hundreds of battlefield videos posted online by units on both sides.
Reuters was unable to interview members of Russia’s military for this article because of tight restrictions in Russia on reporting the conflict. The Russian defence ministry did not respond to questions about the changing nature of the battlefield.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 22.45 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the Russian ballistic missile strike on the event in the Buchansky district of the Kyiv region, which occurred on July 24. According to him, holding an arms exhibition in wartime conditions was unacceptable, especially in a place where there were many people and residential buildings were located nearby. Responsibility for the attack lies entirely with Russia, but conclusions must be drawn, Zelenskyy emphasized.
21.48 Russia is preparing for a new large-scale missile strike on Ukraine. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky, referring to data from Ukrainian special services and international partners.
"We know from intelligence and our partners that the Russians have prepared missiles for a new massive strike on Ukraine. This strike may happen today: preliminary information is that it will happen within 48 hours," Zelensky said.
21.08 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated the risk of new Russian provocations in the Black Sea and recommended that shipping companies temporarily suspend flights to Russian ports in the region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Russia continues to attack civilian cargo ships and port infrastructure of Ukraine, grossly violating international law and the principle of freedom of navigation.
20.42 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the best scenario for Ukraine would be to end the war in the near future if it would save people's lives. He said this in an interview with American blogger Laura Loomer.
"If tomorrow we can stop the war, arrange a ceasefire, it is better than fighting for 10-20 years until victory and losing our people," Zelenskyy noted.
The President also expressed the opinion that US President Donald Trump has begun to better understand Ukraine's position on the desire to end the war.
20.40 Mykhailo Drapaty has officially headed the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Ihor Skybyuk - the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The transfer of powers has taken place. This was announced by the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky.
According to him, Acting Minister of Defense of Ukraine Yevheniy Khmara introduced the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Mykhailo Drapaty, and the new Chief of the General Staff, Major General Ihor Skybyuk, to the leadership of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
During the ceremony, Syrsky officially transferred his powers to Drapatom.
"A new stage lies ahead. I wish the new military leadership strength, endurance, wise decisions, unity with the army, and victories," the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
20.24 In 2027, Ukraine will have drones with a range of 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to him, the Defense Forces are currently using strike UAVs at distances of over 3,000 kilometers. In particular, in July, the FP-1 drone covered such a distance during the attack on the Omsk oil refinery in Russia.
"Now we have drones with a range of over 3,000 kilometers. By the end of the year we will have drones with a range of 4,000 kilometers. Next year - with a range of 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers," Zelensky said.
20.13 Emergency and rescue operations at the site of the Russian missile strike in the Buchansky district of the Kyiv region have been completed. According to rescuers, ten people were killed and dozens more were injured in the attack. The Russian attack also damaged 23 private residential buildings, two hotels, a restaurant, and 34 cars.
19.50 US President Donald Trump said that thanks to his personal agreements with the leaders of China and Russia, they do not sell weapons to Iran, and the United States, in turn, does not sell weapons to "Ukraine, but only to NATO countries."
19.46 Russian occupation forces on Friday, July 24, for the second time in a day launched an airstrike on Sloviansk, Donetsk region. Residential areas of the city were hit. According to the latest data, 16 people, including a child, were injured and wounded as a result of the attack. The Russian attack damaged 11 high-rise buildings, two cafes, a pharmacy, a shop and a printing house.
19.24 Russian troops attacked a passenger train of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia in the Dnipropetrovsk region. As a result of the strike, the drone hit the locomotive. According to Ukrzaliznytsia, the threat was detected in time by a monitoring group, after which the train crew was warned of a possible attack. Railway workers and passengers managed to evacuate the cars.
18.44 The United States is to blame for the failure of the "Anchorage Agreements" between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The reason was the words of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who, after yesterday's meeting with Lavrov, stated that last year's talks between Trump and Putin in Anchorage "didn't work." In response, the Russian minister suggested finding out "who exactly failed."
According to Lavrov, the Russian delegation arrived at the summit in Alaska having previously familiarized itself with Washington's proposals for peace in Ukraine. Moscow allegedly agreed to the compromise proposed by the American side.
"President Trump repeatedly said: 'Here is our proposal, it is partially a compromise,' and we accepted it. But he added that Zelensky would do what he proposed. Well, it didn't work out," the Russian Foreign Minister said.
Lavrov added that the Russian side's "conscience" on this issue is supposedly clear.
"You know, as they say, the word of the boy: the boy said - the boy did. We said - we are ready. But from that side, this approach was modified," he said.
18.15 Two criminal proceedings have been opened in connection with the Russian attack on a private facility in the Kyiv region. As reported by the Prosecutor General's Office, the first proceeding concerns a war crime committed by Russian military personnel. The second concerns possible improper performance of official duties during the preparation and holding of the event, which could have led to the death of people. The prosecutor's office emphasized that during the investigation, all circumstances of the organization of the event will be checked, in particular, compliance with security requirements under martial law.
18.05 New parameters of the work of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and the principles of its renewal have been determined. Rustem Umerov and Ihor Klymenko will receive new areas of responsibility. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the head of state, Umerov will focus on working with international partners, negotiations, developing security cooperation and interaction between the intelligence communities of Ukraine and other states. He will also be involved in the implementation of international security programs, in particular Drone Deals and the Ukrainian anti-ballistic program Freya.
At the same time, given Klymenko's experience in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the NSDC's work will focus more on the domestic dimension. This includes strengthening Ukraine's resilience, coordination between defense and security structures, and countering cyber threats from Russia and the activities of criminal networks.
18.00 The mandatory evacuation of families with children has been expanded in the Dnipropetrovsk region. This was announced on July 24 by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA Oleksandr Ganzha. Children from 10 villages of the Sinelnyky district will be evacuated. 222 families, in which 364 children are raised, have to leave.
17.54 Russia is ready to wait for new proposals from the US regarding a possible settlement of the war against Ukraine, but has no intention of stopping hostilities. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this in an interview with Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin.
According to Peskov, US President Donald Trump is supposedly "sincerely seeking" to find a solution to end the war, so Moscow is ready to consider further American initiatives. At the same time, he stated that Russia will continue the war until its goals are achieved.
17:43 A conversation was intercepted in which the occupier talks about the suicide of a soldier of the 104th Airborne Assault Regiment of the Russian Federation in the Pokrovsky direction. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported this on July 24, releasing the corresponding audio recording.
17.42 The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine clarified information about the Russian missile strike on the Kyiv region and the results of air defense work.
According to the military, at around 11:30 a.m., Russian forces attacked the Kyiv region with three Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles launched from a northern direction.
"As a result of combat work, air defense managed to intercept one missile. Two missiles were recorded hitting the Buchansky district of the Kyiv region. We express our condolences to the families of the deceased and injured," the message says.
Also at around 11:45 a.m., Russia attacked the Odessa region with two Onyx anti-ship missiles from temporarily occupied Crimea. Due to active countermeasures by the Defense Forces, the enemy missiles did not reach their targets.
In addition, during the current 24 hours (07:00-16:30) over 90 attack UAVs were recorded in the airspace, more than a third of them are jet. As a result of combat work, 81 Russian drones were shot down/suppressed by air defense.
17.31 Russia attacked Sloviansk, Donetsk region, with guided aerial bombs. The strike killed five people and injured nine others. The building of the honorary consulate of Latvia was also damaged. This was reported by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
Information about the damage to the diplomatic institution was also confirmed by Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže. According to her, the foreign ministers of the European Union and NATO countries, as well as international organizations, have already been informed about the incident.
17.26 As a result of shelling in the Buchansky district of the Kyiv region, 27 private houses and 44 vehicles were damaged. Information on the number of dead and wounded is being clarified. All victims are being provided with necessary medical assistance.
17.14 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the military leadership. The conversation resulted in determining Ukraine's course of action in response to Russian strikes.
Zelenskyy listened to reports from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapaty, Acting Minister of Defense Yevheniy Khmara, and Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa. According to the president, during the meeting, the situation on the front and areas that require the greatest attention and operational decisions were discussed in detail.
"In particular, we have determined the order of our actions in response to Russian attacks on the infrastructure of our country, namely in response to Russian terror against our cities and communities in border and frontline regions, Kyiv and the region, Odessa region, and our sea corridor," Zelenskyy said.
The President noted that all key structures of the security and defense sector are involved in the implementation of these decisions: "At all levels - the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and other government structures, intelligence and special services - there is a clear list of measures."
17.10 Since the beginning of the day, the Russian military has attacked the positions of the Defense Forces of Ukraine 52 times. The invaders are exerting the most pressure in the Pokrovsky, Slavyansky and Konstantinovsky directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on July 24.
16.43 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that a civilian facility in the Kyiv region, which was hit by a Russian missile on July 24, does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. This was reported by the spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major Dmytro Lykhovii. He emphasized that when organizing and holding any mass events, regardless of the form of ownership or subordination of the facility, it is necessary to take into account all risks, observe maximum security measures and use shelter.
16.21 On the afternoon of July 24, Russia launched a combined missile strike on the territory of Ukraine, using three ballistic missiles and two supersonic anti-ship missiles "Onyx". According to preliminary data, the air defense forces destroyed one of the three ballistic missiles. The other two were hit in the territory of the Kyiv region. This was reported by the head of the communications department of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yuriy Ignat.
16.13 The number of victims of Russian guided bomb attacks in Zaporizhia has increased to 30, seven of them children. This was reported by the State Emergency Service of Zaporizhia region. It is noted that among the wounded are seven children, including a three-month-old baby.
16.03 On the afternoon of July 24, the Russians shelled a hospital in the village of Bilozerka in the Kherson region with artillery, injuring two nurses. This was reported by the Kherson OVA. It is noted that two nurses aged 51 and 56 were injured. They have explosive injuries, concussions and concussions. The victims were prescribed outpatient treatment. The Russians also once again attacked the Korabelny district of Kherson with UAVs. A 60-year-old man was hit by the enemy attack. He suffered an explosive injury, shrapnel wounds to the head, neck, torso and limbs. The victim was taken to the hospital.
15.52 The Governor of the Kirov Region of the Russian Federation, Alexander Sokolov, reported that at least six people were killed and 32 others were injured in the morning attack on the enterprise on July 24. However, the authorities did not disclose which facility was hit.
According to OSINT sources, this is a strike on the Aviatek defense enterprise in Kirov, which produces components for missile weapons and fighter jets.
Co-owner and chief designer of the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point Shtilerman hinted that the plant in Kirov was hit by a Flamingo.
15.50 Russia has accumulated a certain stock of missiles, so Ukrainians should respond to air alert signals as much as possible in the coming days. This was stated by Yuriy Ignat, head of the communications department of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"The enemy has accumulated a certain number of missiles. We need to respond to alarm signals as much as possible these days, understand that ballistics is very fast and dangerous," he emphasized.
15.42 In Zaporizhia region, over 1,800 hectares of crops have been destroyed due to Russian shelling. This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhia OVA Ivan Fedorov on July 24. According to him, the harvest of early grain and industrial crops is currently underway in the region on an area of over 120,000 hectares.
15.26 A Russian strike drone hit a car in the Kyivsky district of Kharkiv, killing the driver.
15.23 During July 23-24, units of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck 19 energy facilities of the Russian troops in the temporarily occupied territories. This was reported by the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdi (Magyar). According to him, 17 of the struck facilities are located in the temporarily occupied Crimea, and two more - in the occupied part of the Donetsk region.
The commander also noted that in total, from July 1 to 24, Ukrainian drones have already hit 136 energy targets used by the occupation forces.
15.10 On the night of July 24, the Security Service of Ukraine carried out new successful strikes on oil refineries, oil pumping stations, and a radar station in Russia and temporarily occupied Crimea.
Among the affected facilities:
Subkhankulovo linear production control station in the Republic of Bashkortostan (distance - 1350 km). As a result of the impact, the tank farm is on fire.
Novospassky mini-refinery in the Ulyanovsk region (distance - 900 km). A fire also broke out in the tank farm.
Mini-refinery 1st plant in the Kaluga region.
Nebo-U long-range radar station at the Belbek military airfield in temporarily occupied Crimea.
A tank with fuel and lubricants at the Saki military airfield in temporarily occupied Crimea.
14.55 The European Commission welcomes any US efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, said EC spokesman Anouar El Anouni.
"We have welcomed US efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace from the very beginning, and we are in constant contact with our American colleagues," he said.
At the same time, the spokesman confirmed the position of the European Union, which recognizes that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is trying to buy time through negotiations without being fully committed to it.
14.24 The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Hungary, Andriy Szybiga and Anita Orban, discussed how they can cooperate to ensure global food security in connection with the blockade of maritime navigation in the Black Sea by the Russian Federation.
"I had a constructive conversation with the Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Orban. I informed my colleague in detail about Russia's ruthless and brutal attacks on peaceful Ukrainian cities and the Kremlin's attempts to take global food security hostage by blocking maritime navigation in the Black Sea," the diplomat wrote in H.
Szybiga stressed that such escalation by Russia at sea requires a coordinated response. "We discussed how Ukraine and Hungary can work together with our partners to strengthen and ensure global food security."
14.14 American inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk believes that Russia will not agree to a complete withdrawal of troops from Ukraine. The SpaceX founder expressed this opinion in an interview with The Economist.
The billionaire is convinced that ending the war will be possible only after concessions to Moscow.
"It's an illusion that Russia should completely withdraw its troops, etc., but that's unrealistic. I've been advocating for peace for a long time. A few years ago I wrote that in fact some concessions from Russia are necessary. This is not a pro-Russian position. I'm just a pragmatist," Musk explained.
14:00 Russian troops attacked the port infrastructure of the Mykolaiv region with Shahed attack drones. Two civilian vessels were damaged as a result of the attack. There were no casualties.
13.43 Russian troops struck Sloviansk with two air bombs, killing five people and wounding nine. This was reported by the head of the Donetsk OVA Vadim Filashkin on July 24. According to him, 10 private houses, a company and the premises of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Latvia were damaged. He specified that the Russians dropped two air bombs on the city this morning. Filashkin added that the Russians are attacking cities in the Donetsk region every day, and for the second day in a row their attacks have resulted in numerous casualties in Sloviansk.
13.41 In the Kyiv region, the consequences of a Russian drone attack have been recorded in two districts. In the Brovary district, a car was damaged as a result of the Russian attack. In the Fastiv district, a private residential building was damaged.
No critical infrastructure was hit, and no residents were injured.
13.15 The Ministry of Defense has expanded the list of positions for which infantry assault contracts can be signed with clear terms of service from 6 to 14 months. This was reported by the press service of the ministry.
Currently, the list includes the following positions: mortar (artillery) battery commander; deputy mortar (artillery) battery commander for psychological support of personnel; mortar (artillery) platoon commander; mortar (artillery) platoon commander - senior officer in the battery; company commander (for officers in BOS 393000 - combat use, control and support of unmanned systems, as well as BOS 063401 - combat use of tactical-class unmanned aircraft systems units); deputy company commander (BOS 393000 and 063401); platoon commander (BOS 393000 and 063401).
13.14 A peace agreement on Ukraine must include "an integral element of compromise," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"Any agreement on Ukraine must contain an integral element of compromise," the Russian Foreign Minister said.
Against this background, Lavrov commented on the words of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the failure of negotiations between US President Donald Trump and Russian ruler Vladimir Putin in Alaska last summer.
According to the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, "it is still necessary to find out who exactly failed."
"If there is a proposal, there is an agreement, then, probably, there were agreed results in Anchorage? There were. President Trump, I won't reveal a big secret, has repeatedly said that our proposal is partly a compromise. We accepted it: it is a compromise proposal, and any agreement must probably contain an integral element of compromise," Lavrov said.
12.43 In the area of the village of Yalta, Komarska rural community, representatives of the Russian army captured a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After interrogation, one of the occupiers gave the order to execute the Ukrainian defender, and the other shot him with a firearm.
12.41 In Odessa, a store building and infrastructure were damaged as a result of a Russian attack on July 24. This was reported by the head of the Odessa MVA, Serhiy Lysak.
"The enemy attacked Odessa. Preliminary, there is a casualty. The store and infrastructure were damaged," the report says.
12.31 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed laws extending martial law and general mobilization until October 31.
12.19 Military operations disrupted water supply to certain facilities of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant occupied by Russia and nearby areas. This is stated in a statement by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
It is noted that there is currently no shortage of water from wells, which is used to cool nuclear fuel in reactors.
At the same time, attacks on Energodar and its surroundings, where a significant part of the NPP personnel lives, were directed, in particular, at the local electrical infrastructure, which led to water supply disruptions in the city and on the territory of the ZNPP.
"Reliable access to essential services and resources is essential for the well-being of staff and the continued performance of their important work," Grossi said.
IAEA observers at the station, he said, have had only limited access to tap water since July 18.
At the same time, Grossi did not mention either Ukraine or Russia when talking about military activity in the area.
12.08 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the Defense Forces struck an enterprise in Kirov, Russia, which works for the Russian military-industrial complex, as well as an oil facility almost 1,350 kilometers from Ukraine.
"Our Ukrainian Defense Forces today struck one of the important military enterprises in Kirov, Russia. It supplies components for the occupier's aviation and missile equipment, which, in particular, is used in massive strikes on our cities and communities. Thank you to the soldiers for their accuracy! Our response is absolutely fair," he noted.
The Ukrainian military also struck an oil facility almost 1,350 kilometers from the state border of Ukraine.
11.54 In the temporarily occupied Crimea, a fire broke out at an electrical substation in the Kirov district between the villages of Novopokrovka and Vladyslavivka. This was reported by the monitoring group of the Telegram channel Crimean Wind, citing satellite imagery. A powerful electrical substation is on fire in the Kirov district of Crimea. A fire was recorded at the 110/35/6–10 kV NS-16 substation between the villages of Novopokrovka and Vladyslavivka, the report says. It is noted that in addition to the settlements of the district, the substation provides operation of a pumping station near the Feodosia reservoir. An electrical substation in Sudak was also probably hit. There is no electricity in the entire city. There is also no water in most areas. In addition, arrivals were recorded in the district of the GRES in Simferopol.
11.37 Explosions were heard in Kyiv during a missile attack during the day. The Air Force had previously announced a threat of ballistic weapons from the north.
The mayor of the capital, Vitali Klitschko, later confirmed that air defense forces were operating in the city.
"Explosions in the city. Air defense forces are working in the capital. Stay in shelters!", the mayor wrote.
According to monitoring channels, the movement of ballistic missiles was recorded in the direction of Kyiv.
11.25 Pilots of the Phoenix border unit of the Pomsta brigade, together with their adjuncts in the Dobropol direction, stopped a Russian assault, into which the enemy threw dozens of armored vehicles. This was reported by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. It is noted that 9 tanks, two armored vehicles, three Grad installations, which were supposed to cover the movement of enemy equipment, and several dozen enemy personnel were destroyed.
10.59 In Ukraine, as of the morning of July 24, consumers in five regions of Ukraine have lost power due to Russian attacks. This was reported by NPC Ukrenergo. Power outages were recorded in Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions. Emergency restoration work is already underway where security conditions allow.
10.36 For the first time in NATO history, the Ukrainian Navy has received the right to command the Alliance's forces. This became possible after successfully passing the evaluation during Sea Breeze 2026. This was reported by the press service of the Navy.
10.05 Russian troops on the night of July 24, Russian occupation forces carried out another massive attack on the Odessa region with missiles and strike drones. Two people were injured, infrastructure was damaged. This was reported by the head of the Odessa OVA, Oleg Kiper. It is noted that a woman and a 4-year-old child were injured. As a result of the hit, the roof of an apartment building was damaged. Private homes and cars were also damaged. The territory of one of the enterprises was also damaged. Fortunately, there was no damage or casualties.
09.42 Russian troops attacked Izyum in the morning with three guided aerial bombs, hitting in particular the Novaya Poshta branch. This was reported by the MVA.
9.40 On the front of the past day, 233 combat clashes of the Defense Forces of Ukraine with Russian invaders were recorded, in the Pokrovsky direction, Ukrainian defenders stopped 36 attacks. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on July 24. Over the past day, aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces struck 16 areas of concentration of enemy manpower, five artillery systems, one unmanned aerial vehicle control point and one enemy logistics warehouse.
08.51 Air defense neutralized 164 Russian UAVs and missiles that Russia launched over Ukraine on the night of July 24. This was reported by the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
08.21 Chernihiv region was once again attacked by Russian drones on the night of July 24. The strikes caused fires in several areas. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported this on Friday.
07.54 The defense forces have eliminated 1,410 Russian occupiers over the past 24 hours. Thus, the total losses of the enemy in the war amount to about 1,436,100 people. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on Friday.
07.27 The number of people injured in the Russian attack on Zaporizhia has increased to 28. This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhia Regional Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov.
5.44 Russian cities of St. Petersburg and Tver were hit by a massive drone attack on the night of July 24. The attack caused a large-scale fire at at least one of Wildberries' warehouses, according to the independent Russian publication Astra on Telegram, as well as monitoring Telegram channels Exilenova+ and Supernova+.
2.59 Explosions were heard in occupied Simferopol. Drones could have attacked the Wildberries warehouse in Crimea. This was reported by the monitoring Telegram channel Crimean Wind.
Explosions, in addition to Simferopol itself, also thundered in Sudak, Yevpatoria, Sevastopol, and other cities of the occupied peninsula.
2.48 Chernihiv, Chernihiv and Koryukiv districts are without electricity after Russian attacks, which they suffered around midnight on July 24. The reason for the power outage in the city and districts was damage to one of the energy facilities. ChernihivOblenergo reports this on Telegram.
1.37 Today, a major threat is posed by online-controlled jet fighters. However, they have limitations on their control range. This was stated by the presidential advisor on defense technology development, Serhiy Beskrestnov (Flash), in Telegram.
He laid out a map of Ukraine, showing in red which regions and cities fall into the zone of potential attack by these drones.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 21:40 Russian flag in liberated Belitsky, –MAP 20:51 During the day, in the period from 8:00 Moscow time to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 210 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tula regions, the Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, the Republic of Crimea and over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
20:16 FPV drone operators of the Zapad group blew up armored vehicles, pickups and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Krasnolimansk direction.
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems crews from the Center group eliminated enemy personnel and military installations in the village of Dobropillya.
Attack UAV operators from the Vostok group destroyed enemy drone control centers in the Zaporizhzhia region.
18:51 As a result of strikes by air-launched precision weapons and attack drones struck:
in the port of Odessa (state enterprise "Sea Trade Port "Odessa") infrastructure facilities of the logistics center, where military cargo was stored;
in the port of Yuzhny (state enterprise Sea Trade Port Yuzhny) facilities for storing military cargo and tanks with fuels and lubricants intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
in the port of Nikolaev (state enterprise Nikolaev Sea Trade Port) there are two tugboats;
on the sea crossing (northeast of Zmeiny Island and in the area of the settlement of Zatoka) a bulk carrier and a dry cargo ship were delivering military cargo to the port of Chernomorsk.
16:52 Artillerymen and drone operators destroyed ten robotic systems and two drone control points were deployed in the Kramatorsk district, and a shelter housing manpower north of Konstantinovka was also targeted.
15:33 122mm D-30 crew of the Sever group smashed a control center for enemy drones in the Sumy region.
Paratroopers from the Dnepr group attacked a Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold in the Zaporizhzhia region.
14:42 First assault troops came into the outskirts of Alekseevo-Druzhkovka.
14:14 Druzhkovka direction. Attack aircraft are advancing towards Osykovo north of Konstantinovka, MAP
12:45 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the Special Military Operation (from July 18 to 24, 2026)
From July 18 to 24, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out a massive strike and 18 group strikes using long-range high-precision air- and ground-based weapons and strike unmanned aerial vehicles.
As a result, infrastructure facilities at the ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk, Yuzhny, Izmail, and Nikolaev, used for unloading and storing military cargo, as well as fuel and lubricants, were damaged.
Over the course of a week, 27 sea vessels used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were damaged, including 16 dry cargo ships, 10 bulk carriers, and a container ship.
In addition, military-industrial complex enterprises in the city of Kyiv and the Kyiv region, logistics centers, fuel and energy and transport infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, production and storage sites for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned boats, ammunition depots, as well as temporary deployment points for Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries were damaged.
Over the past week, units of the North military group have taken control of the settlements of Zakharovka, Ivashkino Volokhovskoye, and Artelnoye in the Khar'kov region.
The manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, two motorized infantry brigades, an airmobile brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a territorial defense brigade, and a National Guard brigade were damaged.
In total, in the area of responsibility of the North group of forces, the enemy lost over 1,695 servicemen, a tank, 17 combat armored vehicles, 97 cars, 13 field artillery pieces, and two Grad multiple launch rocket system combat vehicles.
Units of the "West" force group have improved their tactical position. Over the past week, they have defeated two mechanized brigades, an assault brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval iunfantry brigade, and a territorial defense brigade.
In total, in the area of responsibility of the West group of forces, the enemy's losses amounted to 1,495 servicemen, 23 combat armored vehicles, 105 cars, eight field artillery guns, a Verba multiple launch rocket system combat vehicle, and eight electronic and counter-battery warfare stations.
Last week, units of the Southern Group of Forces advanced deep into the enemy's defenses. They defeated the personnel and equipment of six mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, an assault regiment, a security brigade of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and two territorial defense brigades.
In total, in the area of responsibility of the Southern Group of Forces, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 1,175 servicemen, 23 combat armored vehicles, 174 vehicles, and 17 field artillery pieces.
Units of the Center group of forces, as a result of decisive actions, liberated the village of Lenina (Mirnoye) and the city of Belitskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Over the course of a week, three mechanized brigades, a Jaeger and an assault brigade, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, three naval infantry brigades, four National Guard brigades, and the Azov* special forces brigade were defeated.
Enemy losses in this direction amounted to over 2,415 military personnel, 19 combat armored vehicles, 49 cars, 11 field artillery guns and five electronic warfare stations.
Over the course of the week, units of the "East" force group continued to advance deep into the enemy's defenses and liberated the settlements of Volne in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and Blagovatne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. They inflicted losses on the personnel and equipment of a mechanized, assault, three airborne assault brigades, four assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a naval infantry brigade.
The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces in the area of responsibility of the "East" group of forces amounted to more than 2,960 servicemen, 18 combat armored vehicles, 76 cars, six field artillery pieces, and two Grad multiple launch rocket system combat vehicles.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades, a mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade.
Over the course of a week, the enemy lost over 425 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, 118 cars, two field artillery pieces, and 11 electronic warfare stations in this area.
11:45 While the assault troops advance, covert, but no less dangerous, work is taking place behind them. Soldiers from the engineering unit of the 35th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Center group carry out daily mop up of territory (Dobropolsky direction).
09:25 Tonight, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued application of group strikes with high-precision air-launched weapons and strike unmanned aerial vehicles.
As a result of the blows:
in the port of Odessa (state enterprise Sea Trade Port of Odessa), tanks with fuel and lubricants for the Ukrainian Armed Forces were damaged;
At the port of Izmail (state-owned enterprise Izmail Commercial Seaport), port infrastructure facilities designed for unloading and storing military cargo, three unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) storage depots, including the Magura unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) hangar, were damaged. Additionally, a floating dock for storing and launching autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles (AUVs) was damaged.
At the port of Nikolaev (state enterprise Nikolaev Sea Trade Port), a dry cargo ship carrying military cargo was damaged during unloading.
08:19 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 571 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Oryol, Pskov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula regions, the Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Crimea and over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
06:40 Artillerymen of the 312th Rocket Artillery Division of the Vostok group covered command posts and concentrations of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Jet fighters from the 506th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Center group destroyed an enemy stronghold in the Dobropolsky direction.
05:02 The crew of the TOS-1A "Solntsepek" thermobaric shock destroyed enemy air defense.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Gleb Zabelin
[REGNUM] Russian army soldiers continue to evacuate civilians from the liberated town of Konstantinovka. This rescue operation is being monitored at the highest level. On July 3, Vladimir Putin emphasized at a meeting at one of the temporary command posts of the Joint Group of Forces:
"I'd like to point out that there are still civilians in the area. Everything possible must be done to evacuate the civilian population from the combat zone."
During one of their most recent operations, fighters from the Southern Forces evacuated ten people—elderly residents and a family with a child. Other rescued individuals described a similar journey: several days on foot and by vehicle, passing through mined fields, receiving aerial escort, and being attacked by FPV drones.
During one of the exits, a group of evacuees was heading to a crossing—another waypoint they were required to arrive at at a designated time. After several crossings, 78-year-old Raisa began stumbling and falling. A former teacher who had lived in Konstantinovka all her life suggested leaving her on the road until the next day.
The group couldn't wait: movement along the prepared route was coordinated by time. The soldier escorting the residents called for other soldiers, then picked up the woman and carried her to the crossing. Raisa told RT about him:
"As we walked, everyone kept asking and stopping: 'Grandma, don't worry, we'll get you to safety.' I'll never forget those words, that attention. We were supposed to reach the crossing at a certain time. I couldn't walk anymore; I kept tripping and falling—I had no strength left. He called more guys.
And then he was all dressed up, carrying everything himself, and he picked me up. I said, "Leave me..." And he said, "No, we have orders to get you out. We'll do whatever it takes to get you out, we'll call for backup. You've come all this way—we'll save you." He carried me all the way to the crossing."
The route was divided into several sections. Between crossings, people were given time to recuperate, after which they were led to the next point. After crossing, transport picked up the evacuees.
"A BIRD WILL GUIDE YOU"
The military found residents while moving through city blocks. Those who saw our copter tried to signal it from the ground.
29-year-old Yulia was hiding in one of the houses with her family and child. Neighbors helped her: they wrote "Family with a child!" on a sign, went out into the yard, and showed it to a passing "bird." After the family was discovered, they gave the family a radio.
Leaving the city on their own was prohibited. The military communicated the departure time and route over the radio. A drone operator monitored the group from the air. Yulia told RT:
"It was dusk. The drone flew and flew, looked at us... And it seemed to wave at us, and flew away. We pulled out the radio... And the first words: 'Hello, the Russian Federation Army greets you. How many men do you have? Wounded, not wounded?' I listed them. The connection was poor, I was shaking all over. Then they told us: 'Get ready, we'll be preparing you for withdrawal.'"
At that moment, at 29, I had a heart attack. We'd contact each other when we ran out of food or the radio battery died. A drone would immediately fly to us. Then, I think it was a quarter to four: "Are you ready to go?" There wasn't a second to say no.
The soldiers reassured the woman, telling her, "A bird will guide you." Yulia says the route seemed imprinted in her mind: where to go, where to wait, when they'd call her. "We're running and hearing, 'This way, this way.' They were watching us from above, making sure we were on the right path... Guys, honestly, I'm so grateful to you," Yulia says.
A checkpoint separated one section of the route from another. Elderly residents arrived exhausted and dehydrated. If someone was unable to continue immediately, the group remained at the checkpoint. One of the soldiers explained, "My job is to get you there alive, healthy, and unharmed. Now we'll feed you, give you something to drink, and assess your strength. I'll monitor your condition. If we need to spend the night, we'll spend the night."
A resident of Konstantinovka described the stops between the crossings:
“When they met us, they hugged us. The guys brought us water, knowing we were dehydrated, and fed us. They walked along the way, sat for a bit, and then moved on. They do everything they can to keep you alive. It’s worth it. These are people who are fighting. But they love people. That gave me the opportunity to carry on. We also had a very positive guide. I said to him, ‘Oh my God, I can’t take it anymore.’ And he said, ‘What are you saying? There’s only so much time left.’ I remember all the guys by name. That will stay with me.”
"WHO ELSE BUT US?"
In the final weeks and days before the liberation, the remnants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison mined everything they could reach. "The Ukrainians dropped two anti-tank mines into the rooms where we lived. In the basement. This was in June," 72-year-old Anna Plyushko told TASS.
Ukrainian minefields around the city blocked the route. Before each group's departure, the soldiers surveyed the route, searching for passage, and mapping out detours. The civilians followed their escorts along the designated path.
The soldiers spoke to Channel Five about how the routes were prepared and the threats they faced during the evacuation. An assault soldier from the 77th Separate Motorized Rifle Regiment, call sign Sedoy, explained: "The objective was to deliver the civilians to point zero safe and sound, create a safe path, and deliver them without any incidents."
The route had to be surveyed before each exit: the enemy had mined the passages again. As a soldier with the call sign Sevas recounted, "the enemy didn't let us leave peacefully: they were constantly mining, searching, preventing us from leaving, throwing 'ices' and 'gingerbreads'. " "Ice" and "gingerbreads" are the soldiers' nicknames for homemade Ukrainian mines.
During one of the missions, a soldier with the call sign "Scrooge" moved forward to check the area ahead of the group. There, he spotted a Ukrainian FPV drone flying toward the evacuees. His fellow soldier, Beck, recounted what happened next:
"While Scrooge was leading the men out, he went to check the area and noticed an FPV flying over civilians. He started to deflect it. He shot down the FPV, but he himself was injured—he stepped on a mine."
Scrooge diverted the craft away from the people and shot it down, but he himself was blown up by a mine. The people from Konstantinovka continued their exit. The soldier was given first aid and evacuated. After crossing, the residents were handed over to their escorts; they covered the final stretch to the evacuation point by transport.
Before meeting with Russian soldiers, Svetlana, a resident of Konstantinovka, left a letter for her children with her neighbors in case she couldn't get out. "You sit down and just write a letter to all your relatives... There's a line there: 'In case I don't make it.' I wrote it and told the people living nearby to pass it on," Svetlana told Vesti.
Around ten o'clock in the evening, while crossing the forest, Svetlana began to lose strength. Two young fighters approached her. The woman said :
"It's like they've known us for ages. 'Auntie Sveta, can I help you?' I say, 'Sons, you're about 18 or 20 years old. What's going on at home?' They reply, 'We came specifically to protect you. Who else but us?' They took me by the arms and led me away."
Those rescued from Konstantinovka reached safety. At the evacuation point, they were fed, watered, and transferred to transport. In a Channel 5 report, the survivors addressed the soldiers accompanying them: "Thank you, guys, all of you—the 77th Regiment and others... To everyone who showed concern and helped us get out. Guys, you're the best."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Russian air defense forces shot down 571 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported this on July 24.
"Over the past night, air defense alert systems intercepted and destroyed 571 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the defense ministry reported.
Drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were shot down over the Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov, Tver, Smolensk, Bryansk, Kaluga, Tula, Oryol, Kursk, Belgorod, Ryazan, Vladimir regions, the Moscow region, Kuban, and Crimea.
Some of the UAVs were destroyed by air defense systems over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
As of 4:25 AM Moscow time, 33 Ukrainian Armed Forces drones were shot down over the Leningrad Region overnight. Three people were injured in the Ukrainian drone attacks on a Wildberries warehouse in the village of Novosaratovka in the Vsevolozhsk District.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] The family of the new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), Mykhailo Drapatoy, had extensive ties to Russia. This was reported by Russian security agencies on July 24.
"We decided to study the nationalist's family, whose role in shaping a person's personality is often underestimated. <…> When Mikhail Drapatiy calls Russians a nation deprived of the right to exist, he also refers to his half-brother, Maxim, who has long lived in Russia," security officials told TASS.
The source noted that the brother of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief is a Russian citizen. He spent a long period of time in Surgut and currently resides in Sochi.
Drapatogo's father, Vasily, also lived in Surgut for a long time. He holds radical views, publishes Russophobic material on social media, and is a member of communities supporting former Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili and former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (who is listed as a terrorist and extremist by Rosfinmonitoring).
The military commander's uncle, Viktor, is a Euromaidan participant and staunch nationalist. He previously served in the Lviv regional police. Since 2014, the Ukrainian Armed Forces commander's wife, Yulia Redko-Drapata, has repeatedly made nationalist statements, often using Russian.
In an interview with Ukrainian media, Drapatiy stated that Russia "has no right to exist." He also called Donbas residents "freeloaders" unwilling to work and "belches of the Soviet Union."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova emphasized that the new commander-in-chief's remarks are a clear manifestation of neo-Nazism. Dmitry Peskov, the Russian leader's press secretary, noted that Drapatiy will answer for his offensive statements about Russian citizens.
On July 24, Chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin ordered a legal assessment of Drapatoy's statements. The Investigative Committee stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief's words demonstrate disregard for the fundamental principles of international law.
Drapatiy has held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since June 2025. On July 22, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed him on the wanted list under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
