Russian soldiers in southern Ukraine are running out of air

8:40 a.m.: According to British secret services, the Ukrainian counter-offensive is putting pressure on the Russian occupying forces in southern Ukraine. “General problems facing Russian commanders in the south are likely to include shortages of artillery ammunition, lack of reserves and problems in securing the flanks of defending units,” the British Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday.

The fights are therefore mainly concentrated in two sections. South of the city of Orikhiv, the 58th Army was confronting the Ukrainian attackers. This force was most likely struggling with combat fatigue and attrition in forward regiments that had been engaged in intense combat for more than eight weeks.

Further east at Welyka Novosilka, the Russian troops were made up of units from the Eastern and Southern Military Districts, which led to coordination problems. “Parts of the 5th Army are likely to be under particular pressure and probably also have the feeling that a rotation from the front line is long overdue,” it said in London.

Russia reports attacks on Black Sea Fleet

8:00 a.m.: The Russian Black Sea Fleet has fended off three attacks by Ukrainian sea drones on its ships, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow. Ukraine tried to attack the patrol ships “Sergei Kotov” and “Vassily Bykov” with the unmanned explosive boats. The ministry announced in Moscow on Tuesday that the three objects had been destroyed by the onboard weapons of the Russian ships. The corvettes continue to carry out their patrols in the Black Sea around 340 kilometers south-west of the port city of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia.

According to the ministry, there was only an attempted attack on the “Kotow” on July 25. Tensions in the Black Sea have increased since Russia canceled the agreement to ship grain from Ukrainian ports. According to Western intelligence services, the modern “Kotov” patrols between the Bosphorus and the Ukrainian port of Odessa – as part of a Russian naval blockade.

In mid-July, Moscow withdrew its security guarantees for a grain corridor to Türkiye. Instead, all ships calling at Ukrainian ports would be considered as carrying military cargo, it said. As a result, Ukraine also announced that it would take action against ships calling at Russian-controlled ports in the Black Sea.

Military expert: Putin wants to turn Ukraine into a ‘barren glacis’

06.45 a.m.: According to military expert Markus Reisner, Putin wants to turn Ukraine into a “barren glacis”. Reisner said in an interview with “nv“. Reisner explains: “The term comes from the construction of fortresses in the early modern period. This was an uninhabited area in front of a fortress, where defense took place in the event of an attack.”

Reisner continues: “Great empires have always tried to set up buffer zones around themselves – if possible depopulated or deserted, so that an attacker cannot find any support there. If you look at the destruction Russia is inflicting on Ukraine when it claims to be “liberating,” you have to assume that’s exactly what it’s aiming for there.”

Mayor: Drone hits office tower in Moscow’s business district

Tuesday, August 01, 03:56: According to official information, a drone flew into an office tower in the business district of the Russian capital Moscow, which had already been hit over the weekend. “Several drones were shot down by anti-aircraft systems trying to fly to Moscow. One flew into the same tower (…) as last time,” said Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin early Tuesday morning in the online service Telegram.

The facade on the 21st floor was damaged in the incident, Sobyanin said. According to him, there was no information about injuries. Rescue workers were on site.

Shortly after the drone attack, traffic at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport was temporarily suspended, the state news agency Tass reported. Flights were diverted to other airports. According to Tass, normal flight operations were resumed a little later.

According to its own statements, on Sunday Russia shot down Ukrainian drones that had damaged two office towers in Moscow’s business district.

After recent rocket attacks: Zelenskyj calls for tougher sanctions

11:08 p.m.: After the heavy rocket attacks on his hometown of Kryvyi Rih, among other things, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has again called for stricter sanctions against Russia. “The global sanctions pressure against Russia deserves a significant increase,” said Zelenskyj in his evening video address on Monday. In particular, loopholes in sanctions that Russia uses to keep its arms production running must be closed.

In addition, the Ukrainian head of state once again insisted on longer-range missiles for his country. This is necessary “so that we can eliminate this terrorist threat that Russia is creating against our people, against our children,” he said.

In addition to Kryvyi Rih, Russia had previously attacked the city of Cherson in southern Ukraine. In Kryvyi Rih, two Russian rockets hit a nine-story apartment building and a university building. Most recently, there was talk of six dead and 75 injured, including several children. According to official figures, four civilians died in Kherson and 17 others were injured.