Key updates on July 24:
- Pokrovsk situation 'tense and difficult,' Ukrainian military says
- Russia outguns Ukraine but suffers 3 times higher losses, Syrskyi says.
- Ukraine, Russia seemingly 'in unison' on peace talks, claims Kremlin, while Kyiv remains skeptical
- Rheinmetall receives order to build ammunition factory in Ukraine.
- Moscow car bombing injures Russian intelligence officer, media reports
Fighting near Donetsk Oblast town of Pokrovsk is "tense and difficult," Ukraine's military said on July 24.
Russian forces are attempting to break through Ukrainian defenses in the area, and the sector near Pokrovsk in the western part of Donetsk Oblast has become the hottest part of the front.
Moscow is expending significant resources to break through toward this key logistics hub, a spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces told the Kyiv Independent earlier on July 24.
In a later post on Telegram, the Khortytsia group of forces said the situation was "tense and difficult" but that Ukrainian forces "continue to courageously hold the defense."
"Measures are being taken to drive the enemy out of there. Fighting continues," it added.
Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said earlier this week that Russia continues to push toward it despite suffering heavy losses.
Moscow's troops are also reportedly attempting to develop an offensive west of the occupied and deserted cities of Avdiivka and Marinka to make their way toward Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.
Russia captured Marinka in December 2023 and Avdiivka two months later after both cities were largely destroyed in heavy battles.
"Russia threw a lot of forces into the capture of the village of Ocheretyne, so they can rush the Pokrovsk-Kostiantynivka highway from there" to capture this vital route, said Nazar Voloshyn, Khortytsia group spokesman.
The crowd-sourced monitoring website DeepState reported that the situation in the Pokrovsk sector has become serious in recent days.
According to DeepState, Russia captured Prohres – a village over 23 kilometers (15 miles) east of Pokrovsk – over the weekend and is now attempting to encircle Ukrainian units nearby.
The claims could not be independently verified.
Chris York
Russia outguns Ukraine but suffers 3 times higher losses, Syrskyi says
Moscow currently fields some 520,000 troops in Ukraine and plans to raise this number to 690,000 by the end of the year, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with the Guardian published on July 24.
"When it comes to equipment, there is a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 in their favor," Syrskyi said.
Ukraine's top military commander explained that this is the key reason for Kyiv's setbacks on the battlefield in recent months.
Syrskyi ordered a withdrawal from Avdiivka in February as Ukrainian forces struggled to hold on to the key front-line city in Donetsk Oblast, suffering ammunition shortages due to delays in U.S. aid.
More recently, Russian forces have been capturing villages in Donetsk Oblast as they push toward Pokrovsk, and forced out Ukrainian troops from the eastern part of Chasiv Yar.
Moscow scored these successes largely due to its advantage in heavy equipment, according to Syrskyi.
The number of Russian tanks grew from 1,700 in 2022 to 3,500, while the number of artillery systems has tripled, and armored personnel carriers went from 4,500 to 8,900, the Guardian writes.
Russian successes are only "tactical," however, and come at high costs, Ukraine's top commander said, adding that Russia suffers "three times" higher casualties than Kyiv's forces, and even higher in some areas.
Natalia Yermak
Ukraine, Russia seemingly 'in unison' on peace talks, claims Kremlin, while Kyiv remains skeptical
The Kremlin on July 24 said Kyiv's recent comments on possible peace talks "can be said to be in unison with our position" even though more details are needed, while Ukraine made clear it remains skeptical of Russia's ability to "act in good faith."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is in China where the topic of how to end Russia's full-scale war has been top of the agenda.
"Kuleba restated that (Kyiv) is ready to engage the Russian side in the negotiation process at a certain stage, when Russia is ready to negotiate in good faith, but emphasized that no such readiness is currently observed on the Russian side," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on July 24.
In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia "has never refused negotiations," adding Kuleba's statement was "in unison with our position."
"But details that we do not yet know are important here. Therefore, we need to wait for some clarification on this issue," he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that as a condition for peace negotiations, Ukraine must fully withdraw from four partially occupied oblasts that Moscow illegally annexed in 2022. Kyiv rejected this demand.
In turn, the Kremlin has rejected Ukraine's key condition in the peace formula on the full withdrawal of Russian forces.
Liliane Bivings
Rheinmetall receives order to build ammunition factory in Ukraine
The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall announced on July 24 that it had received an order from the Ukrainian government to begin the construction of an ammunition factory in Ukraine.
The July 24 announcement marks the official beginning of the project, which is expected to be completed within a few years, Rheinmetall said.
"The intention is to start the ammunition production in Ukraine within 24 months," the statement read.
The initial order "covers the complete technical equipment of the factory through to commissioning."
The name of the Ukrainian company involved in the joint venture was not specified.
"We are putting our words into action, and together with our partner, we will create a Ukrainian competence center for ammunition," Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, said.
"The order underlines the confidence in Rheinmetall's expertise and manufacturing capacities. We are grateful to be able to support the country in its re-industrialization and in strengthening its defense capability."
Francis Farrell
Moscow car bomb attack injures Russian intelligence officer, media reports say
An officer from Russia's foreign intelligence agency has reportedly been injured by a car bomb in Moscow, Kremlin state media reported on July 24.
The TASS news agency said the man had his feet blown off in the attack, which targeted a Toyota Land Cruiser.
It also said his wife had been injured, and five other cars were damaged.
The Kommersant newspaper said the man serves in the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU).
Russian Telegram channel Baza published CCTV footage of what it said was the moment of the explosion, which occurred shortly after the man got in the parked vehicle.
Surveillance video of the moment when an apparent car bomb went off on a car in Moscow. @kommersant says a man who was wounded in the blast is a GRU officer. Investigative Committee says it's investigating. https://t.co/Vxv2Lvg4Dn pic.twitter.com/zt7jChZj1K
— Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel) July 24, 2024
Russia's Interior Ministry said two people had been injured in the attack, caused by the detonation of an unidentified device, and that a criminal investigation had been launched.
The perpetrators of the attack have not been identified. Kyiv has denied any involvement in the attack.
Andrea Januta
