July 12 2024

Australia announced $250 million in military support for Ukraine, it’s Australia’s largest-ever single package. The military package will include; guided missiles, air defense missiles, anti-tank weapons, ammunition, and a shipment of boots. Additionally, Australia will sign on as an operational partner to a new NATO command for Ukraine, and a group of Australian personnel who are already stationed in Europe will transfer to a new 700-person training and security initiative.


The UK Ministry of Defense clarified that it has not permitted Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow cruise missiles inside of Russian territory, despite earlier claims that they would have no limitations.


Romania and Ukraine signed a bilateral security agreement. The agreement states that Romania will deliver a Patriot system to Ukraine, and collaborate on strengthening security in the Black Sea region. Romania will assist in demining the Black Sea region, and aid the F-16 training center for training Ukrainian pilots. The security agreement has clauses that allow for the faster transit of military aid for Ukraine through Romania. Ukraine has signed bilateral security agreements with 23 countries now.


The United States announced a $225 million defense package. The funds will come from the Presidential Drawdown Authority. (PDA).

The package includes

•  One Patriot battery;
•  Munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
•  Stinger anti-aircraft missiles;
•  Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
•  155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
• Tube-launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) equipment and missiles;
•  Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;
•  Small arms ammunition;
•  Demolitions munitions;
•  Spare parts, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.

The USA has not changed its position regarding long-range strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation with American weapons, according to White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.


German Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not want to allow Ukraine to strike targets deeper into Russian territory and says this relaxation of restrictions would be unnecessary. This comes despite Ukraine and other countries such as the Netherlands putting pressure on Germany to remove these restrictions.

According to Prime Minister of Hungary, Victor Orban, Hungary does not want NATO to become an anti-China bloc. They say China is an important trading partner and investor with Hungary. They say such actions would make NATO weaker.

China has demanded that need NATO needs to stop saying that China is assisting Russia in its war against Ukraine and accused NATO of smearing China, and demanded that NATO stay out of Asia. At the NATO summit in Washington DC, all 32 NATO leaders demanded that China “cease all material and political support to Russia’s war effort."

32 NATO member states have released a communique officially declaring Ukraine’s path toward membership in the alliance to be ‘irreversible.’


The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution initiated by Ukraine, regarding the safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear facilities. The resolution was called “Safety and security of nuclear facilities of Ukraine, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.” The resolution called for Russia to withdraw military personnel from the plant and restore full Ukrainian control to ensure safety. It also urged Russia to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency with unrestricted access to assess nuclear safety. Ukraine emphasized the catastrophic potential of any incident at the plant, pointing out that radiation leaks can and do cross over international borders. The resolution received support from 99 countries with 60 abstentions, but nine countries opposed the resolution. Those 9 countries are Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, and Syria.


During tests in the Norwegian Sea on July 1, 2024, Russia’s AS-36 deep-sea vehicle sustained damage. The AS-36 underwent modernization at St. Petersburg's "Cannon Ship Repair Plant" in 2017, and was aboard the Northern Fleet rescue ship "Mikhail Rudnitsky." The crew lost control of the AS-36 during its descent, resulting in a collision between the ship and the AS-36. Russia is determining the extent of the damage and trying to figure out how long repairs will last. Russia has scientifically proven that running over one boat with another boat is a bad idea. This is how knowledge advances.


There have been numerous reports of Indian men being coerced into serving in Russia’s army and being sent to the war in Ukraine. India's CBI identified 35 such cases, with at least two confirmed deaths. India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited Russia and convinced Russia to release all Indians serving in its army and facilitate their return. Families of Indian soldiers who died fighting with the Russian army in Ukraine have begun receiving payments from Russia. One family received $54,000 after their son was killed, with a pledge for an additional $155,000. Russia also offered citizenship to the soldier's father, who plans to accept.


The acting deputy head of the State Tax Service in Kyiv was caught in a corruption scandal, as reported by Ukraine’s Security Service. The official allegedly extorted bribes from a Kyiv-based company specializing in fuel sales, promising licenses in exchange. The SBU arrested the official and an accomplice during the transfer of a second bribe payment after they had already received the first.


Two buildings of the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital struck by a Russian missile strike on July 8, 2024, will not be repaired, as they were too badly damaged. They will be replaced with a new building, funded in part by charitable donations, according to Health Minister Viktor Lyashko. The hospital has restored electricity and water, and they are working on returning surgical rooms to operation. The extent of damage is still being assessed to determine construction costs. Over $19.5 million has been raised from partners, complemented by state funds, for reconstruction. The cost of replacing medical equipment that was damaged is estimated at $8.7-$9.75 million.

Seven-year-old Yehor Zavadetskyi passed away in Kyiv's cardiac center after being transferred from Okhmadyt Children's Hospital. Yehor had been in a coma for 12 days due to severe injuries including liver damage and brain swelling caused by a bike accident. His mother, Anastasia, confirmed his death on social media.


Alexey Zhuravlev, a 28-year-old Russian soldier from Chuvashia, shot and killed two other Russian soldiers and wounded another in the Belgorod region because he planned to desert. He fled the scene with a weapon and ammunition. Zhuravlev had a criminal record for robbery in 2011 and worked various jobs before joining the military. Russian authorities suspect he may be armed and dangerous.


A Russian serviceman passed information about the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division involved in the missile attack on Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital on July 8, 2024. The serviceman contacted the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine's chatbot and provided documentation of his military unit, including personal files of senior officers and private photos, to protest against the attack on civilian infrastructure. The Sprotyv info project published a photo of 30 commanders of the division and identified all of them.


Ukrainian defense factories can produce more weapons than the government can afford to buy, causing delays in development and production. Factories can produce $20 billion worth of weapons and equipment annually, but the state can only afford to purchase about $6 billion worth of it. This situation is so extreme, that the Ministry of Strategic Industries has considered exporting Ukrainian manufactured equipment to fund larger domestic purchases, but this idea has proved to be unpopular with Ukraine’s government for various reasons.

To combat this issue, Ukraine's Ministry of Strategic Industries launched the ZBROYARI initiative, which encourages Western partners to purchase weapons and equipment manufactured inside of Ukraine. This program attempts to address multiple problems at once: the West’s slow rate of production of equipment, the high costs of this production, and bolstering Ukraine’s economy. ZBROYARI initiative follows in the footsteps of a similar program Israel implemented after they were able to produce more than they could afford to buy. Israel convinced the US to convert some of the military aid the US was providing into direct purchases from Israel’s arms industry. The ZBROYARI initiative aims to secure $10 billion in contracts from Ukrainian manufacturers, funded by Western partners. So far, Ukraine has secured $675 million from various countries, with the expectation that they will secure more funding in the future.

Denmark was the first country to respond to the ZBROYARI initiative, providing $170 million for Ukrainian arms manufacturers, at least some of that money is going towards the purchase of 18 "Bohdan" self-propelled guns. Canada has also joined in on the program. Canada had previously pledged $95 million to buy 800 Skyranger drones for Ukraine, and Defense Minister Bill Blair was shown several examples of comparable drones made in Ukraine which are a fraction of the price. Canada has so far pledged $2.1 million to buy drones through the ZBROYARI initiative. The Netherlands has also joined the initiative, pledging €17.5 million for maritime drones and €20 million for FPV drones. Germany will fund the production of Lynx IFVs at a Rheinmetall facility in Ukraine and Britain will be paying for the maintenance and repairs of L119 howitzers at a facility in Ukraine. The European Union will provide the ZBROYARI initiative with €400 million from the profits of frozen Russian assets. This money should be disbursed this summer. The ZBROYARI initiative also hopes to get funding from the US.

Ukraine and Northrop Grumman have signed an agreement to establish a new medium-caliber ammunition production facility in Ukraine. Northrop Grumman will produce a range of medium-caliber ammunition, including 25×137, 30×113, 30×173, and 35×228 rounds. Once that is established, they are planning to expand that to include 155mm artillery and tank shells.

Canada pledged $350 million in military aid to Ukraine during a summit in Washington, announcing support for LAV 6.0 ACSV armored vehicles. The aid package also includes financial support for weapons under various European initiatives and $280 million for training and equipment for Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jet program.


The U.S. Air Force is developing a new air-launched precision munition, called the Extended-Range Attack Munition (ERAM), specifically for Ukraine to use against Russia. It aims to be low-cost, quickly developed, and capable of traveling 250 nautical miles. Sixteen companies are interested. ERAM will be a 500-lb.-class munition with high explosive and fragmentation capabilities. It needs to travel at least Mach 0.6, navigate without GPS, and hit within a 10-meter radius of its target.


Ukrainian soldier Stanislav Osman:

    “In the direction of Ocheretino, our helicopters eliminated fat boys in panties.”

Osman again:

    “Today we have more or less positive dynamics in the direction of Karlivka, we are repelling [Russian] attacks with the help of FPV.
The main task set by the [Russian] infantry commanders is to move forward and immediately bring in the REBs [EW systems].”

Quote of the Day:

    “The enemy of art is the absence of hedgehogs.”

― Orson Welles