Day 535 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Over 30 Frontline Battles in the Country, 20 Drones Launched against Crimea

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Day 535 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Over 30 frontline battles in Ukraine
• Russia says it has destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched against Crimea
• Moscow wants an open meeting of the UN Security Council because of "Western arms supplies" to Ukraine
• The ruble fell to its lowest levels since the start of the war
• 385 Ukrainian children taken to Russia have been returned to their families so far
• Christo Grozev to the “Financial Times”: Either Prigozhin will die or there will be a second coup

Over 30 frontline battles in Ukraine

The Ukrainian General Staff reported more than 30 battles on the front line in the morning briefing. And the defense ministry in Moscow said Russia had destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones fired at the Crimean peninsula early this morning.

More than 20 settlements in the occupied Donetsk region suffered from Russian artillery shelling. Near Bakhmut, the Ukrainian army repelled another attack by the occupation forces, according to the summary of the General Staff in Kyiv. "The Defense Forces of Ukraine continue the offensive operation in the region of Melitopol and Berdiansk," the General Staff also wrote.

The Washington Institute for the Study of War notes that over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian troops have advanced along the border of the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia region.

Over the past night, Russian air defenses have shot down 14 unmanned aerial vehicles over the occupied Crimean peninsula, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense in Moscow. Local residents heard a loud explosion in Kirovskoe, in the eastern part of the peninsula, where there is a military training ground. Traffic on the bridge over the Kerch Pass was closed for two hours. Russian military correspondents on "Telegram" write about drones over Novoozernoe, in the western part of Crimea, where there is a military storage base with a large amount of equipment.

Ukrainian naval drones can attack missile cruisers with Kalibr missiles, with which the occupiers strike Ukraine, a Ukrainian military expert told the UNIAN agency. According to him, it is a matter of defeating heavy ships, which can be compared to a blow from a heavy naval torpedo.

In his usual address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv is doing everything to ensure that Ukraine remains a guarantor of food security. Measures to double the transit capacity of Ukrainian grain through Romania from 2 to 4 million tons each month will be taken next month, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Sorin Grindeanu announced. In Galați, he held talks with senior representatives of the United States, the European Union and Moldova about alternative routes for transporting grain from Ukraine.

Russia says it has destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched against Crimea

Russia has destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched towards the Crimean peninsula early this morning, the defense ministry in Moscow said. The movement of vehicles on the Crimean bridge was temporarily blocked.

Russian air defense systems have shot down 14 unmanned aerial vehicles over the occupied Crimean peninsula, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense. Local residents heard a loud explosion in Kirovskoe, in the eastern part of the peninsula, where there is a military training ground. Traffic on the bridge over the Kerch Pass was closed for two hours.

Russian military correspondents reported on "Telegram" about drones also over Novoozernoe, in the western part of Crimea. There is a military storage base there with a large amount of equipment. Earlier this month, there were explosions near the Kerch bridge, in the area of Dzhankoi and Sevastopol.

In his usual address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv is doing everything to ensure that Ukraine remains a guarantor of food security:

"We work constantly with our partners at all levels. Today, Chief of Staff Yermak, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kuleba, as well as Cabinet Deputies Andrii Sybiha and Igor Zhovkva worked with the ambassadors of the partner countries on the peace formula, as well as on getting more countries to join."

Ukraine is constantly working to increase the production of ammunition and equipment for the needs of the army, Zelensky assured.

Last night, a spokesman for the European Commission announced that the EU had delivered 224,000 of the total 1,000,000 shells promised to Ukraine earlier this year.

The delivered ammunition is from the stockpiles of the European countries. According to spokesman Peter Stano, framework contracts will be concluded with the defense industry in the coming weeks, which will allow member states to start submitting joint orders for 155 mm projectiles worth a total of up to one billion euros.

In Washington, President Biden's administration asked Congress to allocate an additional $24 billion in military aid to Ukraine. And the White House has said that the United States is ready to train Ukrainian pilots on its territory to fly F-16 fighter jets if Europe no longer has the capacity for such training.

Moscow wants an open meeting of the UN Security Council because of "Western arms supplies" to Ukraine

Russia has requested an open meeting of the UN Security Council because of "Western arms supplies" to Ukraine, reported the deputy head of the Russian mission to the world organization. According to him, military aid to Kyiv "exacerbates the crisis and undermines efforts to find a peaceful solution."

Moscow's request comes a day after United States President Joe Biden formally asked Congress to approve $24 billion in additional funding for Ukraine.

The ruble fell to its lowest levels since the start of the war

The Russian ruble continues to depreciate and has fallen to some of its lowest levels since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The dollar rate on the Moscow Stock Exchange rose to 99 rubles, the euro - to 109 rubles, Bloomberg reported.

This happened for the first time since March 25, 2022, but the decline has been a sustained trend for six months, placing the ruble in the top 3 weakest currencies in the world. Only the Turkish lira and the Argentine peso have depreciated more.

In practice, however, a weak ruble helps the Russian economy because it increases inflation and helps fill a budget suffering from a 40% collapse in oil and gas revenues.

Nevertheless, investors from Russia's "friendly" countries have started to sell off the shares of Russian companies. Data from the Central Bank of Russia indicate that in July they sold Russian shares for 10.4 billion rubles, which is a record since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. As a result, foreigners from "friendly" countries have disposed of more shares than all other categories of participants in the auctions combined.

The US sanctions 4 Russian oligarchs profiting from the war in Ukraine

The US has imposed sanctions on four prominent representatives of the Russian financial elite. All of them are connected to the "Alfa Group" Consortium - one of the largest financial and investment conglomerates in Russia, the US State Department announced, reported by DPA.

The four sanctioned Russian oligarchs are the co-founder of "Alfa Group" Mikhail Fridman, Pyotr Aven, German Khan and Alexei Kuzmichev.

"The United States will continue to take all necessary actions to hold accountable those who enable and benefit from Russia's war against Ukraine," the US State Department stressed.

Any assets of the four Russian oligarchs under US jurisdiction will be frozen. In addition, US citizens, as well as people living in the country, are prohibited from doing business with those sanctioned.

"Alfa Bank" is considered the largest private financial institution in Russia and is already subject to sanctions, DPA notes.

385 Ukrainian children taken to Russia have been returned to their families so far

A total of 385 Ukrainian children taken to Russia have been returned to their families so far, according to estimates confirmed today by the Austrian association "SOS Kinderdorf of Children's Villages", which is involved in the repatriation, AFP reported.

"SOS Kinderdorf of Children's Villages" supports parents, sometimes providing financial resources or helping them plan their route, the organization's spokeswoman Anna Radl told AFP.

"A total of 385 deported children have been repatriated to Ukraine so far, 84 of them with the help of our organization and its partner organizations," said the NGO, which is one of the "three main actors" active in the field.

"It is often the children themselves who call for help, for example through social networks, and sometimes residents of the occupied areas give us directions," the organization based in the Austrian city of Innsbruck said in a statement yesterday.

It trains social workers and psychologists to provide targeted support to minors and their families.

In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war crime of "illegal deportation" of children, according to AFP.

According to the official data of Kyiv, it is about more than 19,000 children.

Taking care of 2.5 million minors and their relatives registered in 137 countries and territories in 2022, SOS Children's Villages describes itself as the "largest global organization" of its kind.

Financial flows to its Russian branch have been halted until further notice after allegations emerged in the media that it was caring for Ukrainian children under non-transparent conditions.

Christo Grozev to the “Financial Times”: Either Prigozhin will die or there will be a second coup

Putin went on television and called Prigozhin a "traitor." Everyone knows what the Russians do with the "traitors", and Putin has not done it so far. They want to see him dead. He can't do that yet. In six months Prigozhin will either die or there will be a second coup. I'm agnostic between the two, but I don't see either of them happening.

This was stated by Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev in an interview with the “Financial Times”. Grozev was declared wanted by Russia at the end of last year. "He is always looking over his shoulder, and his cat helps him find a possible agent," wrote the author of the article - the British daily's national editor for the US, Edward Luce.

Although Aspen, Colorado sits at an elevation of nearly 2,500 meters above sea level, afternoons in the city are sweltering. Christo Grozev, the lead Russia investigator at Bellingcat — the open-source investigative group that has uncovered numerous Russian plots and assassinations — apologized for being about 20 minutes late after driving five hours across the Rockies from Denver, the author notes.

Grozev confided that he was now able to spend "significant time" with his family for the first time since February, when he was forced to leave Vienna after Austrian authorities told him they could no longer guarantee his safety. Despite being Bulgarian, Grozev was accused by Vladimir Putin's justice system of being a "foreign agent" - essentially an enemy of Russia with a target on his back. After weighing other options for residence in Europe, Grozev concluded that the United States was the safest place. His family remains in Europe, summarizes Edward Luce.

Asked in which part of the United States he resides, the 54-year-old Bulgarian replied: "Let's say I alternate between the west and east coasts."

The author notes that Christo Grozev conducted a number of investigations into Russia, exposing Putin's methods of operation. Grozev was part of the team that won an Oscar this year for the documentary “Navalny” about the attempted assassination of the Russian opposition figure, who is now in prison.

Although it cannot declare a Bulgarian a "traitor" - the riskiest category of Russian citizens, for whom the end is almost invariably painful - Moscow clearly sees him as a threat, writes the “Financial Times”.

Christo Grozev has twice returned to Austria under very strict security. On the second visit - in March, after his father died - police said it was too dangerous for him to go to the funeral. He was only allowed to meet his family briefly with a police escort at a safe house in the capital Vienna, the publication noted.

Asked if Austria is the least safe European country, Christo Grozev answered:

"Yes. While we were investigating the Austrians, they were watching me and I didn't know about it at the time. They were doing it specifically at the request of the Russians. This is deep penetration. (...) The only country in Europe where I can be safe today is the United Kingdom."

However, he is still angry with London police for refusing to let him and his family into February's BAFTA film awards ceremony in London.

Both Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, which are teeming with Russians, are a no-go zone for Christo Grozev. "Dubai is the Vienna of the Persian Gulf," says Grozev, who has been warned by authorities in both countries not to visit, saying: "Don't come here. We will try to protect you. We will never extradite you to Russia. However, we can’t guarantee your safety."

"It strikes me that Grozev is potentially in a dilemma like that of Salman Rushdie," notes the author of the article. "He'll never know for sure when it's safe to go back to normal life. What precautions is he taking?" asks Edward Luce.

"I know when I'm being followed, but I won't go into details. What helps me is my unpredictability: I don't have a set program for a given day. This makes life difficult for people in the surveillance business," answers Grozev.

"Putin's strategy in the war in Ukraine is to postpone any military outcome until the US presidential elections in November next year. He hopes that the support of the West will be suffocated by a Trump victory," says Christo Grozev.

The investigative journalist emphasized how important it is for Russia to lose. "If it is proven that the Russian model is finished and it will fall apart, this would scare many other candidate-dictators," says Christo Grozev.

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