Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday inspected his armed forces’ fortifications and defensive positions along the border with Belarus, as Russia reportedly seized a town in the east of the country.
Zelensky was accompanied on his visit to the north-western Volyn region by senior military officers, according to a statement from the presidential office in Kiev.
“The head of the State Border Guard Service, Serhiy Deineko, reported on the protection of the border, including the number of soldiers involved, their capabilities and weapons,” the statement said.
Zelensky got a personal tour of the construction of the fortifications, trenches and shelters. “We have a strong defence, both in terms of personnel and defensive lines,” Zelensky said. “And we will continue to strengthen them.”
In recent months, the Ukrainian military has massively reinforced the border with neighbouring Belarus, leading Minsk to respond by deploying additional forces.
However, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko recently declared the crisis on the border to be over and ordered the withdrawal of the additional troops.
Belarus, Russia’s closest ally, is not directly involved in the war against Ukraine. However, during Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Minsk authorized Russian troops to invade Ukraine from Belarusian territory.
Eastern town seized
Russian troops have reportedly seized the town of Pivdenne in the Donetsk region as part of their ongoing advance in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian military observers have said.
The town has been identified as under Russian control for several days. However, there was no official confirmation from Kiev. The Russian Ministry of Defence has been reporting new conquests for weeks.
The Center for Countering Disinformation in Kiev refuted Ukrainian media reports, citing an army officer, about initial fighting on the outskirts of the nearby town of Toretsk.
At the same time, however, it was admitted that Russian reconnaissance units had already made advances. Heavy fighting was also reported from the neighbouring town of Niu-York.
Currently, Russia controls approximately one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory and is demanding territorial concessions and other terms as conditions for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Kiev claims responsibility for airbase attack
The Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Russian airbase in the far north near Murmansk.
Two Russian Tupolev Tu-22M supersonic bombers were severely damaged in the attack, HUR representative Andriy Yusov told the Unian agency.
The information could not be independently verified.
“We are talking about an explosion over the location of the aircraft,” he said, suggesting that the military airport may have been attacked by combat drones.
The attack had already taken place on the afternoon of July 25, but the intelligence service had only now become aware of the result. The repair work on the two bombers is likely to take several months, Yusov estimated.
Ukraine has repeatedly attacked targets on Russian territory with combat drones. Most recently, an attack on a military airfield near Russia’s border with Finland was reported.
The distance between the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and Murmansk is just under 2,100 kilometres.
War costing about $4 billion a month
Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko on Tuesday said the country’s war with Russia is costing Kiev more than $135 million per day.
In a major interview with the RBC-Ukraine news site, Marchenko said monthly spending on security and defence has risen to 166 billion hryvnia ($4.04 billion).
The Ukrainian government is currently planning a major tax reform to cover a budget shortfall of roughly $12.2 billion.
The proposed changes include an increase in the military levy – first introduced in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea – from 1.5% to 5%. The charge is separate to the main income tax.
In addition, car and jewellery purchases are to be subject to a military levy of 15% and 30% respectively.
According to media reports, new car sales in Ukraine’s major cities skyrocketed after the plans were announced.
Ukraine has been fending off Russia’s all-out invasion for nearly two and half years. Around half of the state budget is currently financed by foreign loans and aid.
