Timeline: day 162 of Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression
photo by Oleksandr Sienkevych
Today is August 4. russia's military attack on Ukraine has been going on for 162 days. We're reporting on the current news. The article will be updated.
What about today?
Key points
While the occupiers are fighting in hysterics, trying to burn every piece of Ukrainian land, our defenders are fulfilling their duty—mercilessly crushing the enemy who is infringing on our territories and freedom. Our soldiers' greatest motivation is family, friends, and people who believe in the Armed Forces and Victory and know that the Ukrainian army will fight and stand. "This is our land, and we protect it!"
The Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully repulsed the attempted offensive of the russian invaders. The enemy offensive failed in four directions. In particular, in the Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Bakhmut, and Avdiivka directions. Fighting continues in some areas.
More in the summary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the morning of August 4:
- russian offensive attempts are underway in the direction of Bayrak—Husarivka (south of Balaklia, Kharkiv region).
- There were attempts to attack the enemy along the line Dovhenke—Bohorodichne and Yaremivka—Dolyna to the north of Sloviansk.
- The enemy was repulsed in all directions of the attack near Bakhmut, except for the attempts to advance from Novoluhanske to Kodem, where the fighting continues.
- In Pisky, the enemy conducted two unsuccessful attacks from the side of Vesele and Lozove.
- Fighting is going on in the direction of Maryinka.
British intelligence reports that Ukrainian missile and artillery units continue to strike russian military strongholds, personnel concentrations, rear support bases, and ammunition depots. The British Ministry of Defense believes that this will most likely affect the replenishment of the logistical supply of the russian military and will put pressure on russian combat support units.
During the day, our army aircraft struck two enemy strongholds in the Blahodatne and Pravdyne districts. According to the results of firing missions, the missile and artillery units of the South Operational Command ensured the loss of the enemy in the amount of 31 rocket launchers, a T-72 tank, Gvozdika, and Msta-B howitzers, two mortars, three units of armored and automotive equipment and one reconnaissance UAV.
It has been confirmed that the Ukrainian troops destroyed the command post of russia's 22nd Army Corps of the Coastal Forces of the Black Sea Fleet in Chornobaivka. The total amount of enemy losses are being investigated.
Today, 41,500 russian invaders have been eliminated.
The russian army has already damaged 135 objects of cultural heritage in Ukraine. Among them are 23 monuments of national importance. During the five months of the full-scale war, 450 episodes of war crimes against such objects were recorded, said Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko.
Humanitarian missions
The International Committee of the Red Cross says that it did not guarantee the safety of Ukrainian prisoners of war who left the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. The organization noted that as a neutral mediator, the ICRC facilitated the safe exit of combatants from the Azovstal plant in coordination with the parties to the conflict. "We did not guarantee the safety of prisoners of war who fell into the hands of the enemy because it is not within our power. We clarified this to the parties in advance," the statement reads.
Organized evacuation from the occupied territories of the Luhansk region is impossible. The occupiers do not allow the corridors to be opened.
Nuclear objects
russia uses the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to intimidate the West. That's what the American Institute for the Study of War believes. "russian forces based around the NPP have attacked Ukrainian positions in Nikopol and elsewhere in recent weeks, intentionally putting Ukraine in a difficult position—either Ukraine returns fire, risking international condemnation and a nuclear incident (which Ukrainian forces are unlikely to do), or Ukrainian forces allow Russian forces to continue firing on Ukrainian positions from an effective 'safe zone,'" says the institute's report.
According to experts, russian troops may be keeping heavy military equipment at the Zaporizhzhia NPP to protect it from Ukrainian strikes.
Who's coming to Ukraine?
On financial and information aid, weapons and politicians
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov held a telephone conversation with his American colleague Lloyd Austin. They discussed future US military aid and Ukraine's needs. At the end of the talks, the Pentagon said that Austin emphasized the US commitment to supporting Ukraine's ability to resist russia, "which was recently confirmed by the US announcement of additional security assistance."
News from partners
The largest European satellite communication operator, the French Eutelsat, turned off the broadcasting of "NTV-Mir" throughout the European territory because the russian TV channel persistently calls Ukrainians Nazis. "The TV channel constantly portrays not only the Ukrainian leadership and the Ukrainian army but first of all the Ukrainian people as supporters of the ideology of Nazism and the Third Reich," the Agence France-Presse quoted a Francomnadzor report as saying.
The Senate of the US Congress approved the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO. US President Joe Biden welcomed this decision and said he would sign the documents on joining the alliance of Finland and Sweden.
The head of EU diplomacy, Borrell, commented on Pelosi's visit to Taiwan almost a day after it ended: "There is no reason to use the visit as an excuse for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait. It is routine for lawmakers from our countries to make international trips."
Sanctions on the aggressor!
The Chinese tech giant and the most extensive equipment supplier to russia, Huawei, has stopped online sales in the russian federation since August 1. In March, the Chinese company stopped hiring russian employees and stopped supplying goods offline due to the threat of secondary sanctions.
The Finnish customs began to catch russians with sanctioned goods. When leaving the country in less than a week, almost 100 cases of attempts to transport sanctioned goods, including drones suitable for military purposes, were detected. The customs opened twenty smuggling cases.
Life considering hostilities
The painting "Mariupol Intercession" by the Ukrainian artist Maksym Palenko was sold at the Saint Javelin auction for $22,000. The received money is planned to be used for the needs of the Ukrainian army.
"Small-scale privatization, especially in regions where people in villages and towns know about facilities that have been in a stall for years and are inefficiently used, is intended to provide an opportunity to buy these premises at a fair price and start work," said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during meetings with heads of regions. Mass privatization will start in Ukraine on September 1, Prime Minister Shmyhal said. Simultaneously with privatization, Ukraine launches grant programs to motivate businesses and people to create jobs as much as possible.
In turn, the Ministry of Economy announced that at the beginning of September, auctions would be announced for elevator capacities and bread production plants.
