As an aside, the real name of the settlement of Nadiya is Nadezhda. Translated into English, it means "Hope," or the female name that uses the same word. Very fitting, since the liberation of Nadezhda gave us the first confirmation of the seriousness of the Russian Army's plans in the Oskol/Zherebets pocket.

PS. Okay, fair enough, Nadiya means the same thing in Ukrainian, but what do we care about that? It's not their hope, it's ours.

A monument to Soviet test pilot Valeriy Chkalov has been dismantled in the village of Gostomel in Kiev Region #theirvictory

We would like to remind you that in Gostomel there is Antonov airport, where experimental aviation flights were conducted (tests of aeroplanes produced and repaired by Antonov ANTC).

Now the village is in disrepair, which is perfectly visible on the photo, but the local authorities were more interested in the monument to Chkalov.

#source

@Slavyangrad
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Kupyansk section of the front
situation as of 16.00 (Moscow time) on 28 July 2023

🔻 Near Kupyansk, Russian units during the positional offensive were able to expand the zone of control west of Liman 1st, reaching the Oskol River.

At the same time, the RF Armed Forces are attacking enemy strongholds south of Liman 1, trying to advance towards Sinkovka.

According to some sources, the Russian Armed Forces have achieved a small tactical success in the village, and fighting is already underway in the settlement itself. However, so far there is no confirmation of this information.

At the same time, this fact is indirectly indicated by the emergency preparation of concrete structures on the opposite bank of the Oskol as part of the construction of a new defence line in case the Russian army breaks through to Kupyansk.

@rybar

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From 9 August, the Japanese will ban the export to Russia of cars with engines of more than 1.9 litres, hybrids and electric cars.

Thankfully, we have friends all over the world who will be happy to help us bring in the car we want, despite the sanctions.

Godzilla has already made the first delivery.

#source

@Slavyangrad
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Roman Donetsky (@DonRF22) writes about Staromairoskoye:

It's not pleasant when the enemy storms your settlement and takes it. Even if this settlement is in the screening sector of the main line of defense. Even if it was fought for a month, which turned it into a kind of analog of the village of Polunino during the Battle of Rzhev. Even if the loss to success ratio was not worth it for the enemy. It's just unpleasant. And it sparks concerns. Nevertheless, even before the beginning of the battle, the fate of the Vremeevsky Salient, located to the north of the main line of defence, was predetermined—as a screening band, a pre-field. A place where the enemy will be slowed down, a place to absorb the initial frontal assault.

More than one village has been lost there. And there's nothing wrong with that. Keeping troops in the pocket, created at one time to storm Velikaya Novoselovka, is dangerous and stupid. Voluntarily staying in a cauldron for the sake of the peace of mind of some of those in the rear is overkill. Meanwhile, the enemy has been pressing on Priyutnoe for more than a month, suffering heavy losses there, and will now take up the assault on Urozhaynoe. The enemy's operational base is comprised of Malinovka (abandoned by the Russian Armed Forces last year) and Poltavka. Just as Gulyai Pole is a base for attacks in the direction of Polog, and Orekhov—in the direction of Rabotino.

But the media is silent about Priyutnoye, the grave of the Zaporozhye territorial defence forces of Ukraine. And so are the bloggers. It is as if the settlement does not exist. As well as the district of Vasilievka. If it does not exist in the media, it is not real. But the men are fighting. It's like with Kleshcheyevka over on another front. Even if our troops retreat from there, nothing much will happen. There are defensive lines further afield. But in the public consciousness a myth has been painted... a beautiful and flawless mirage. But this myth is a lie. So is the myth of the villages in Zaporozhye. After almost two months, the enemy entered a village in the screening sector. That's all there is to say about that.

And this is no reason to worry and interfere with the army implementing its plans. The people there know their job. They perform two tasks—minimizing their own losses and disrupting the enemy offensive. There's no need to put spokes in their wheels. Make it a cardinal rule. The Russian Army is working, and working successfully. It is holding back the enemy's advance.

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This is correct. Ukrainians do not hold Staromaiorskoye completely. They are only in the northwestern part.

This is because the village does not exist anymore. There is nowhere to hide, there is nothing to control, and they would be sitting ducks further south.

Russian forces have also moved outside the settlement, for the exact same reason. There is absolutely no sense in sitting in a firing bag. Both sides realize this.

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Sergey Mardan writes about the importance of Russia's role in Africa and confirms @Slavyangrad's position that the termination of the grain deal was decided long in advance, as were drawn up the plans for strikes on the Ukrainian ports:

Putin promised six African countries free grain. Some idiot commentators immediately started whining about "going back to the USSR" [GB: If only their whining reflected reality]. But there is no USSR in sight.

Six countries (Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, Eritrea), even at 50 thousand tons, equal only 300 thousand tons of grain.

This year's harvest in Russia is predicted to be 150 million tons. Do you know what grain exports will be? At least 50, but more likely—over 60 million tons.

Three hundred (300) thousand tons for poor African countries is 0.6% of Russia's grain exports. Do you know how much wheat prices have already risen after the termination of the Grain Deal?

Seventeen percent (17%). If our valiant air force blows to pieces the ports in Reni and Izmail and, ideally, sinks a couple of barges with grain in the Danube riverbed, the prices will rise by 30% or even 50%.

And if, for good PR, which the entire "civilized world" insists we should engage in, it is necessary to give Somalia and Zimbabwe 0.3% of our annual exports, then it is not just a good deal. It is a damn good deal that Soros would have envied in his best years.

And judging by the fact that the African Forum was started to be prepared very well in advance, the decision to withdraw from the "grain deal" was likely made around the same time. And around the same time, tactical plans for strikes on Ukrainian ports began to be prepared.

Nor do I think that this is the end of this chess game. The military coup d'état in Niger seemed very "timely."

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Sergey Mardan writes about the importance of Russia's role in Africa, one of the fastest growing regions on the planet, with some areas significantly outpacing even the breakout economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region:

Countries on the African continent have demonstrated steady economic growth in recent years, with Equatorial Guinea holding the record. Its GDP, calculated on a purchasing power parity basis, increased almost 92 times between 1990 and 2020, which is a world record (China is in second place with a significant gap).

In addition to Equatorial Guinea, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, and Uganda are among the top 20 fastest-growing economies in the world. And many other African countries are doing quite well. In general, African growth has become a reality and it is not surprising that many companies are taking advantage of the favourable economic situation.

Rosatom is no exception and uses a comprehensive approach in its African strategy. In Egypt, the state corporation is building a nuclear power plant using its news designs—four VVER-1200 (water-water energetic reactor) power units. And, in Namibia, a uranium mining project is being implemented, which is scheduled to start in 2029. However, Rosatom's activities in Africa are not limited to purely economic projects.

A comprehensive approach to working with African countries has led to the emergence of a number of interesting humanitarian, educational and environmental projects. In particular, a program to support higher education and anti-poaching efforts is being implemented in South Africa (isotopes are embedded in rhino horns, making it impossible to sell them on the black market).

In Tanzania, Rosatom supports the Nyerere National Park (financing a group of rangers to combat the illegal shooting of animals). In many African countries, the "International Cooperation in Nuclear Education" project is being implemented. It provides for training of students from African countries in Russian universities, as well as lectures and seminars for the African youth.

The creation of joint master's degree programs between Russian universities and African partners is also practiced. Joint programs incorporate further work with graduates, including providing career guidance and employment assistance. Thus, Rosatom expects to establish itself in Africa seriously and for a long time. And not only as a business corporation, but also as a company offering a broad partnership to the continent's countries.

@Slavyangrad
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Vladislav Shurygin reports on his correspondence with a US journalist and the realities of the Ukrainian counteroink hidden from the public eye.

GB Note: Shurygin did not post the original, only the Russian translation, and I have done what I can to clean up the auto-translate version to make it sound more natural.

My fellow concerned American journalist continues to inform us about his findings:

PART I | PART II

"Vladislav, hi!

All of this comes from the same West Point Academy online veterans' forum; my brother downloaded a letter from one of the forum subscribers, which the latter mistakenly posted in the public domain, and then erased, realizing his mistake. Well, the letter very interesting!

"... "Ivy" returned from Kiev two weeks ago. We had a great time last weekend at my ranch in Colorado. He talked a lot about his business trip and the war with the Russians. He's now writing an "analysts report" for "the Army." I've been taking notes and want to share it with you. This is our guy's view from inside this gig. I'll start right away by saying that "Ivy" is highly critical. The six months he spent at the Ukrainian General Staff have made him a pessimist. According to him, the prospects for this war with the Russians are very negative. Without the [NATO] Bloc entering the war, the Ukrainians can hardly last another year. Hopes for a successful offensive in which the Ukrainians would inflict a serious military defeat on the Russians proved untenable. The offensive is stuck in the Russian [screening] line, and for five weeks now the Ukrainians have been unable to break through even the first line of Russian defences. At the same time, their losses in men and equipment are very heavy. In fact, they have no forces left for a deep breakthrough. The combat effectiveness of their brigades is low.

In general, Ukrainians have changed a lot. If a year ago they perceived us with great enthusiasm and our military assistance encouraged them, today their attitude towards us has become cold and pragmatic—"consumerist." The only thing we hear now is: "Give us ATACMS, give us F-16s, give us lots of Abrams, give us shells!" Ukrainians are openly critical and vocal about the assistance of our advisers. They consider our training programs outdated and ineffective. It often gets to the point when they snap at the advisers' remarks with phrases, such as: "First go fight the Russians, and then you can teach us!".

At the same time, the level of training of the troops is constantly decreasing. Even the best Ukrainian brigades, which a year ago fought successfully and were determined to defeat the Russians, today are little different from ordinary infantry brigades, which have almost no heavy weapons and are manned by all sorts of rabble, which the Ukrainian military recruitment offices literally grab on the street, as if in the times of the Hundred Years' War. The reason is the huge losses suffered by the Ukrainians during these months. Most brigades that have been fighting since last spring have lost between half and two-thirds of their personnel, and some have already changed their combat personnel twice. As a result, the only constant thing about these brigades is the operational and tactical command staff, who do not enter the battle themselves and only manage the fighting from well-protected command posts. This has led to the brigade commanders losing the sense of responsibility for their soldiers and regarding them solely as expendable material for the fulfillment of this or that task. And that only adds to the casualties."

...continued...

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Vladislav Shurygin reports on his correspondence with a US journalist and the realities of the Ukrainian counteroink hidden from the public eye.

GB Note: Shurygin did not post the original, only the Russian translation, and I have done what I can to clean up the auto-translate version to make it sound more natural.

My fellow concerned American journalist continues to inform us about his findings:

PART I | PART II

"The second factor increasing the losses is the command's orders to protect the equipment [at all costs]. They have no military industry and all supplies of armored vehicles and artillery come only from us. There is no rhythm in these deliveries, and [the losses of some types of] weapons are poorly compensated at all, especially tanks, IFVs, and SPAs [GB Note: self-propelled artillery]. We have almost none of them in our warehouses either! That's why the Ukrainian command has given the order to stop using heavy armoured vehicles on the battlefield until the Russian defences are breached and to switch to the tactic of attacking with small infantry units, believing that this way they will exhaust the Russians and force them to pull back their forces under the pressure of continuous attacks. While for the first two weeks this tactic allowed the AFU to advance a little, now the Russians have adapted to it and, letting the Ukrainians get closer, simply destroy them with mortar and machine-gun fire, and then themselves counterattack and, on the shoulders of those fleeing, break into their positions and occupy them.

The general mood in the Ukrainian headquarters is one of despondency and bitterness. If last fall the Ukrainian generals had the fire of determination burning in their eyes—they were working out plans for future strikes and arguing about the right way to storm Perekop and Sevastopol—now the days begin with reports about the lack of advancement of the attacking battalions, equipment losses, and data on the remaining supplies of shells and ammunition. And the faces of the same people who planned to storm Sevastopol in the fall have the stamp of hopelessness. In frank conversations, many Ukrainian senior officers now increasingly admit that they see no prospects for a successful conclusion to the war. The only hope that many of them have, strangely enough, is the hope that we will intervene directly in this war. But, then again, many immediately qualify that this hope is like believing in Santa Claus.

Separately, it should be said that, like any failure, the current failed offensive has deepened the conflict in the Ukrainian military leadership. Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny and Army Commander Syrsky frankly can't stand each other and even avoid appearing together at the same meetings. Zaluzhny, who returned to action after being seriously wounded, accuses Syrsky of being unprincipled, of agreeing to launch an offensive even though the AFU was not yet ready for it.

But this is hardly Syrsky's fault. To attack was the categorical demand of "Marshal G" (apparently, this refers to Biden's aide Sullivan, who directly oversees all matters relating to the conduct of the war against Russia), and Zelensky repeatedly relayed it at all meetings with the military. Zaluzhny was just "lucky" not to be at the helm at the time. What deepens all this is our [own internal] conflict between Milley and Power [GB Note: While I am not certain, "Powers" could be a reference to Lloyd Austin, as in the sarcastic "Austin Powers", perhaps the Chat can help here], who similarly can't stand each other and therefore act at cross-purposes. If there had been agreement and understanding between them, this offensive adventure would hardly have begun at all..."

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⚡️ Strong explosions are reported in Dnipro

⚡️It was only after the explosions that an air raid alert was issued.

⚡️Zaporozhye hit with ballistic missiles

⚡️In the Dnipropetrovsk region, presumably, two arrivals

#source

@Slavyangrad
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MIG 31K in the air!

Edit: that's 0907 pm for those of you that don't read military time. 🤣

⚡️Ukrainian air defense again hit a residential building in Dnipro 😔

#source

@Slavyangrad
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According to information, after the terrorist attack in Taganrog, there were 15 appeals, of which three were hospitalized, one was operated on.

List of victims of the explosion in Taganrog:
1. Nikitenko I. 1965
2. Klimenko I. 2000
3. Novikova M. 60 years old
4. Nechaeva V. 1977
5. Cherednyakov V. 2001
6. Pozhidaeva K. 2002
7. Rudenko O. 1999
8. Ivashchenko A. 2002
9. Sosnitskaya A. 1966
10. Yashchenko E. 2000
11. Dubrov S. 2005
12. Tarabrina N. 1974.

#source

@Slavyangrad
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According to reservsvo, the SBU building in Dnepropetrovsk is reportedly sent to Bandera!

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