Ukrainian relay sabotage halts Russian supply line in occupied Ukrainian territories. Partisans from the Atesh resistance movement carried out a sabotage operation in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast, blowing up rail infrastructure crucial for enemy logistics on the Zaporizhzhia front.

Sabotage deep in enemy territory

“A member of the Atesh movement operating deep behind enemy lines conducted a successful sabotage along the railway between Safonove and Novooleksiivka,” the partisans report.

A relay cabinet was damaged, paralyzing the movement of ammunition and fuel trains toward Melitopol, a key logistics hub for Russian forces in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Moscow troops control nearly 70% of the region, except for the main city – Zaporizhzia. 

Russian-occupied Melitopol is gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with water and power outages, drone strikes on high-voltage equipment, mass raids, and repression against locals, according to Glavcom.

Despite this, the residents refuse to back down, memorial events continue in the city, such as those marking the anniversary of the Olenivka tragedy. 

“Ah, this one’s dead? Good,” said Russian Olenivka prison chief — and continued sipping coffee

Zaporizhzhia front ablaze

Fighting remains intense, with over 500 Russian attacks reported in a single day, including airstrikes on Stepnohirsk and Novoandriivka, hundreds of drone strikes, and artillery barrages. Ukrainian forces hold the line, especially around Orikhiv, where they continue to repel assaults, says Ivan Fedorov, the region’s head. 

The greatest risk in the region remains the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Due to ongoing shelling of power lines, the facility is frequently forced to switch to diesel generators, posing a real danger of disaster. 

The Russians are ready to sacrifice tens of thousands of their soldiers for a political goal. Donetsk Oblast remains one of the hottest regions of Ukraine, where the Russians try almost daily to break through to the city of Pokrovsk, says Andrii, the commander of the battalion of the 32nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, Suspilne reports.

“Pokrovsk is located at one of the transport hubs. Accordingly, for them, this is a standard target — to partially cut off our logistics. This is a political goal,” the commander explains.

Russian troops use all possible forces and tricks to break through the Ukrainian defense, but unsuccessfully. According to the commander, they are even ready to “sacrifice tens of thousands of their soldiers just to occupy or capture something.”

Recently, the President of Ukraine and the Commander-in-Chief reported the destruction of sabotage groups in this direction. As Andrii notes, Russia’s tactics of using small sabotage groups of 2–3 people are not new. They try to “sneak past the positions of the Armed Forces units” to weaken the Ukrainian defense.

On 14 July, Dmytro Zhmailo, a Ukrainian expert and the Executive Director of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, said Kyiv troops managed to stop the first wave of the Russian summer offensive. Currently, Moscow is trying to fulfill its main objective, which is the complete capture of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Russia masses 100,000 troops to crush Ukraine’s defenders in Donetsk’s crucial battle

About 100,000 troops from the overall 700,000-strong Russian grouping are concentrated near the Kostiantynivka settlement in Donetsk Oblast. The Russians are receiving reinforcements for the start of the second wave of the offensive.

Pavel Slavinsky, Chief of Staff of the 2nd International Legion, reveals the motivations of foreigners fighting in Ukraine. He says this Ukrainian military project is quite dynamic and “has a future,” Dzerkalo Tyzhnia reports. 

“Some want to earn money. Some want to improve their service record. Some want to gain experience, learn modern warfare techniques and methods. Some fight for the adrenaline rush. Some fight for freedom and justice, and some want to kill Russians,” says Slavinsky. 

According to him, volunteers from Colombia and Brazil form one large conglomerate in the Legion. 

“The rest are from America, Britain, and Europe. Roughly 50/50 are Anglos and Spanish speakers. Their motivations differ greatly,” he explains. 

For Brazil and Colombia, many are either economic migrants or cartel-related, sent to gain military experience. These are mostly young men of 25–35 years.

“The Anglos are mostly much older men, over 40, who came to finish what they started in Afghanistan or Iraq,” he continues. 

He does not disclose the exact number of volunteers in the Legion: “That’s classified information. We are a special forces battalion with additional capabilities.”

The ratio of Ukrainians to foreigners is about 50/50. Half are Ukrainians, the other half are international fighters. Many of them are in support roles like logistics, while infantry and specialists tend to be foreigners.

Slavinsky notes that Americans and Brits have the highest discipline. But due to coordination issues, mistakes happen: “If Colombians or Americans are in key positions and aren’t informed that friendly UAVs are flying overhead, they might shoot down anything they see, considering anything unknown as hostile.”

Military tactics have changed fundamentally since 2022. Western veterans, who taught the Ukrainians at the start of Russia’s war, now have to learn new approaches on the frontlines. 

“Now combat involves UAV dominance, small groups of two to four soldiers, and heavy equipment is largely unnecessary as it can’t reach the front line—it gets destroyed en route,” Slavinsky says. 

Sometimes, legionnaires depart from active duty military service and stay in Ukraine before returning home.

“Of course, at the train stations, a person who doesn’t look Ukrainian, especially in camo, attracts police and military police attention. These foreigners often end up in reserve battalions,” Slavinsky says.

From there, they are either transferred to the Legion or try to find ways to leave Ukraine, often communicating well with each other to find exit routes.

They are brave fighters who have already proven their strength on the battlefield. In the Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade Magura, a reconnaissance and strike group composed mainly of Colombian volunteers has been formed.

A video showcasing this unit of Colombian volunteers was published by ArmyInform. 

The company commander, known as Hamlet, personally organized the arrival of foreign volunteers, including Colombians and fighters from Peru, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Italy, and Mexico. Ukrainian state programs allow them to quickly undergo training and integrate into the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

“The work of the Colombian assault troops shows excellent results and significantly helps on the battlefield. They have already fought alongside elite Russian brigades and North Korean special forces in Kursk Oblast,” the command of the Colombian assault company states.

They have also been described as “brave and humane,” who retrieve their wounded comrades and injured Ukrainians from the frontline, and are ready to carry out essential missions.

Earlier, BBC Russian Service identified the names of 523 foreign mercenaries killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine, using only open-source confirmations.

The outlet reported that those were from 28 countries and died in Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion. The database relies strictly on publicly available information, including Russian official announcements, social media posts by family members, and grave photographs. It excludes Ukrainian sources and Western intelligence.