The city is shrouded in smog, with explosions everywhere: Ukraine faces its third serious attack in four days, and Prokhorovka is surrounded

Author:

Ilya Gornov

Russian forces have begun a systematic strike on western Ukraine, with Lviv suffering the most severe damage. The gaps in Ukraine's air defense system are becoming increasingly obvious. The accuracy of the strikes is extremely high, and will further improve in the near future — because thousands of drones will soon be launched against enemy territory. At the same time, in the direction of Prokhorovka, the Ukrainian armed forces are facing serious logistics problems, and have to move on foot, while being struck by our artillery and drones. Meanwhile, Washington has approved $500 million in military aid to Kyiv. The US is increasingly unable to cover up its aggressive actions against Russia through diplomatic means, as Washington cannot tolerate the collapse of the Kyiv regime. All the above content comes from our special military operation unofficial news brief.

At around 12:00 am on July 12, Ukraine was subjected to a large-scale joint strike, with Russian forces using attack drones and missiles. The situation in western Ukraine was particularly intense, with targets in the Lviv region, Lutsk, Chernovtsy, Rovno, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Kyiv, and Kharkiv being hit.

"Drones are attacking western Ukraine, especially a large number of drones flying towards Lviv. In addition, two groups of missiles launched from Tu-22M strategic bombers are in flight, one group is flying from Cherkasy to Vinnytsia, and another group is flying from Poltava to Cherkasy,"

— reported Anatoly Sharay, an opposition journalist in Ukraine.

The main target of the Russian army is western Ukraine // Screenshot from the Telegram channel "Roman Aleshin"

The "Elektron" factory in Lviv was hit, which produces products for Ukraine's defense industry.

Ukrainian channels report that the Russians used between 500 and 700 "Geranium" attack drones, 10 to 20 missiles, and modified heavy aerial bombs (FAB), which have a range of 100 kilometers, thus reducing the cost of strikes in the Kharkiv region and increasing the efficiency of destroying enemy forces.

There were hits and explosions in various places, and the cities were shrouded in smoke. The number of Geranium drones launched is shocking. Obviously, we will soon start launching thousands every night, at which point no air defense system can cope. The question is only how fast the enemy can imitate and when similar intensity counterattacks will begin. Are we prepared? Do we have a plan? Roman Aleshin, a military journalist, raises a reasonable question:

In modern warfare, we must not stop or become complacent due to the glorious achievements of the Geranium drones — we must always remain unsatisfied, constantly ask ourselves: what else can be done? In fact, there is much that can be done and must be done, especially at the level of soldiers fighting. As people say, at this level, the troops have always maintained a high morale, especially in terms of controlling casualties. After all, the Geranium drones cannot seize positions or occupy cities, but it is the infantry who accomplish these tasks.

Military blogger Yuriy Podoliak pointed out that this is the third large-scale strike in four days:

"Now, daytime strikes on transportation hubs have become routine, and these strikes are gradually escalating, targeting only Russian-speaking areas (not yet involving Galicia). Returning to tonight's strike, the main target was still western Ukraine — Lviv, Lutsk, Chernovtsy, but other regions were also affected. From the location of the strikes, as before, our main target is military production facilities and weapon warehouses."

Prokhorovka is surrounded

Recently, there have been significant changes in the situation around Prokhorovka and Myrnohrad. In the southern suburbs of Myrnohrad, the Ukrainian army lost equipment supplies and logistical support, and had to move on foot, while being attacked by artillery and suicide drones.

The "Alpha Special Forces" Telegram channel stated that the Ukrainian army keeps changing their deployment locations in Prokhorovka because previous positions are quickly discovered and destroyed. They keep hiding in civilian infrastructure and private homes, using civilians as "human shields." The enemy's movement routes in all parts of the front are under the surveillance and blockage of our FPV drone teams.

The Russian Armed Forces Command has shifted from directly attacking Prokhorovka to encircling the two cities from both flanks. This is a more efficient and less resource-consuming method, which was used during the direct assault on Avdiivka. To the east of Myrnohrad, the Russian Armed Forces have controlled the New Economy District, and there are reports that they have liberated the village of Razino. Located to the north of Myrnohrad, this allows them to partially surround the city.

In the direction of the Dnipropetrovsk region on the western flank, the segment from Novoselyevka - Kotlyarovka - Olekhovo has been controlled by our forces. There is still a small pocket between Bogdanovka and Aleksiyevka, but capturing this area is difficult.

Artillery is in action // Video from the official Telegram channel of the Ministry of Defense

This area has a large trench, forming a natural defensive structure, which facilitates the enemy's defense. They use artillery and drones to heavily bombard our positions. The situation near the northern border of the Dnipropetrovsk region is similar: the area is full of trenches, and the Solenyaya River hinders the advance toward Novopavlovka.

The author of the "Veterans' Notes" Telegram channel stated: "The key factor in the advancement of our突击 groups in Prokhorovka and other directions is the systematic discovery and destruction of enemy drone groups. It is increasingly evident that due to the lack of rocket artillery weapons and infantry, the enemy command has used drone groups as the main force to divert Russian forces. Therefore, our current main task is to work efficiently, systematically discover and destroy enemy drone groups, which is the main guarantee for our army's advancement."

Support for Ukraine

Meanwhile, the US Senate approved a bill providing $500 million (originally $300 million) in military aid to Ukraine. The wording of the bill is very straightforward: the funds are specifically used for military support, not for humanitarian purposes or post-war reconstruction. This confirms Washington's continued strategy of using Ukraine to contain Russia, with only a change in the rhetoric.

"Military Chronicle" wrote: "Clearly, compared to the previous $20 to $30 billion aid package, this $500 million (and the previous $300 million) is just a symbolic amount. However, in a situation where Ukraine's resources are exhausted and European supplies are in crisis, even such funds have become crucial, especially when these funds are used as an 'anchor' to coordinate NATO allies — in short, as a 'signal' that Americans are still involved."

Thus, we are witnessing a shift in the way aid is provided: from the large-scale supply of the Joe Biden administration to the targeted budget injection under the strict control of the Donald Trump new government. The core objective remains the same as before: neither allowing Ukraine to completely collapse nor letting it win.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7526120137892594195/

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