Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is also claiming more and more civilian victims. “We have confirmation of 10,749 dead civilians and 15,599 wounded. Of these, 499 children were killed and 1,900 children were injured,” said Yuriy Belousov, head of the War Crimes Unit in Ukraine yesterday. The United Nations has so far assumed that 9,000 civilians have been killed.
Belousov expects a high number of unreported cases. The true extent will become apparent when Russian-occupied areas are recaptured. “If we occupy our territories, the number will increase many times over. Tens of thousands will die in Mariupol alone.”
Meanwhile, the war continues unabated. The armed forces of Ukraine have to contend with another difficulty – with regrowing undergrowth. The mostly agricultural area in the combat zone has now been fallow for 18 months, allowing weeds and shrubs to regrow faster in the warm, humid summer conditions, the UK Ministry of Defense said.
demining more difficult
The British write in their daily update on Twitter that this means additional camouflage for Russian defense positions and makes it more difficult to clear minefields. Although the undergrowth can also provide camouflage for small, stealthy infantry attacks, the bottom line is that it is more difficult for either side to advance. Yesterday, Russia continued its attack on ports, destroying grain infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi therefore again called for more international support for air defense. With its war of aggression, Moscow wants to bring about a “global catastrophe,” Zelensky said. The US Institute for War Studies (ISW) estimated that 40,000 tons of grain were destroyed by attacks on the port of Odessa on the night of August 2 alone.
820th air alert in Kyiv
According to their own statements, the air defense repelled 15 drones that were moving towards the capital Kiev in the night of yesterday. This was the 820th air alert in Kiev since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.
