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Reçu hier — 25 juillet 2025

“Five in one trench, while enemy storming from three sides”: Ukrainian machine gunner survives deadly battle near Pokrovsk

25 juillet 2025 à 05:55

Roman, also known as Peugeot, a fighter from the machine gun company of Ukraine’s 21st National Guard Brigade, lived through a brutal ambush on the Pokrovsk front in Donetsk Oblast. His group had almost no ammunition while Russian forces stormed them from three directions.

Pokrovsk is an important railway and road hub in Donetsk Oblast, which opens access for the further advance of Russian troops into Ukraine. The city is regarded as a “gateway to Donbas.”

From Sevastopol to the front

Roman completed his mandatory military service in Sevastopol. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, he didn’t hesitate to enlist.

“Started from our city, then we went to the Kherson and Donetsk fronts. Got around a bit,” he recalls.

He was stationed across from the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant when it was blown up.

The Kakhovka Plant, destroyed by Russian forces, was critical for water supply, energy system stability, and cooling the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the station in Europe, occupied since 2022. 

“A wasteland appeared there… just islands left. A massive catastrophe,” he says. 

The destruction exposed lake bed sediment containing more than 90,000 tons of dangerous heavy metals, a toxic cocktail that had been quietly accumulating on the reservoir floor since 1956.

Drone strike, buried comrades, and a fight for survival

On 26 March, Roman’s armored vehicle was hit by a Russian FPV drone on the Pokrovsk axis.

FPV drones have an advantage because they operate on analog or fiber-optic channels, which makes it difficult to intercept or jam them. They oftern fly at low altitudes of 20–50 meters, where they are hard to detect or shoot down.

“We had to abandon the vehicle and walk,” he continues. 

Later, he was assigned to reach a buried position and dig out comrades trapped under debris.
Under shelling, five soldiers hid in a single trench. 

“The enemy was trying to storm from three sides. That’s when drone operators saved our lives,” Roman says. 

The UAVs struck back at the enemy, giving the fighters a chance to survive.

“Almost no ammo left”: when the sky saves the ground

In the woods, eight Russian soldiers encountered Roman’s five-man group. The Ukrainian defenders were left with “only two magazines for five of us.”

However, drone operators not only repelled the attack but also dropped extra ammunition. Despite heavy fire, the group crossed 13 kilometers of open terrain and made it out alive.


“I can say with confidence — I eliminated the enemy and sent several more to ‘the 300s’,” Roman adds.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump that Moscow plans to escalate military operations in eastern Ukraine during its summer offensive.

As of now, Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including most of Luhansk Oblast, two-thirds of Donetsk Oblast, and parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts. 

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  • ✇Euromaidan Press
  • UN: Russian attacks kill 232 Ukrainian civilians in June, highest monthly toll in three years
    The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine documented 232 civilian deaths and 1,343 injuries in June 2025, marking the highest monthly casualty toll in three years as Russian forces launched ten times more missile strikes and drone attacks than in June 2024. Russia’s unprecedented escalation of violence against civilians coincides with military recruitment reaching 30,000 troops monthly while Ukrainian territories face daily bombardment from an estimated 600,000 Russian forces—the high
     

UN: Russian attacks kill 232 Ukrainian civilians in June, highest monthly toll in three years

12 juillet 2025 à 03:52

Russian terror against civilians

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine documented 232 civilian deaths and 1,343 injuries in June 2025, marking the highest monthly casualty toll in three years as Russian forces launched ten times more missile strikes and drone attacks than in June 2024.

Russia’s unprecedented escalation of violence against civilians coincides with military recruitment reaching 30,000 troops monthly while Ukrainian territories face daily bombardment from an estimated 600,000 Russian forces—the highest troop presence since the invasion began.

The surge demonstrates Moscow’s strategic shift toward terrorizing populations across practically every Ukrainian region as Russian military casualties exceed one million, forcing reliance on terror tactics against defenseless civilians rather than battlefield advances.

Escalating campaign targets all regions

The June statistics reveal Russia’s expanding geographical scope of civilian terror, with casualties documented in at least 16 oblasts and Kyiv, regardless of distance from frontlines. The UN monitoring mission noted Russia’s tenfold increase in long-range missile strikes and loitering munition attacks compared to the same period in 2024.

“Civilians across Ukraine are facing suffering we haven’t seen for more than three years,” said Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. “The increase in long-range missile strikes and drone attacks has brought even more death and harm to civilian populations in areas far from the front lines.”

The 9 July assault exemplified this unprecedented escalation, with Russian forces deploying 741 projectiles—728 drones and 13 missiles—in the largest single-night attack since the full-scale invasion began, primarily targeting the western city of Lutsk with 50 drones and five missiles.

Since then, Russia had launched massive aerial assaults each night, with the latest—12 July—targeting west Ukraine, hitherto considered a safe haven from Russia’s terror.

Russia attacks drone missile on civilians Ukraine
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Russia targets Ukraine’s western “safe havens” with record 597-drone attack

Children forced underground as trauma spreads

The psychological impact on Ukrainian children has reached alarming levels as families adapt to constant aerial threats. “Children are sleeping not in beds, but in corridors, basements or bathrooms, covering their ears with their hands so as not to hear the sounds of sirens and explosions,” Bell emphasized. “Such experiences leave deep psychological trauma.”

The broader 2025 trend confirms systematic deterioration in civilian protection. During the first half of 2025, total civilian casualties reached 6,754 people—a 54% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 4,381 casualties were documented. Deaths among civilians rose 17%, while injuries surged 64%.

People hide from Russian bombs at a subway station during a nighttime missile and drone attack on Kyiv.
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Ukraine’s sleepless nation: 80% trapped in chronic stress from nightly Russian attacks

Russian weapons evolution drives casualty surge

Three primary factors drove the dramatic increase in civilian casualties: Russia’s deployment of powerful long-range missiles and drones against urban areas, enhanced destructive capacity of these weapons, and growing frequency of attacks. The expanded use of short-range drones has proven particularly deadly for communities near frontlines.

“In many regions, daily life has been reduced to constantly seeking shelter,” Bell noted. “During mass bombings, people remain in shelters for hours, and when they emerge, they often see that their homes or workplaces have been damaged or completely destroyed. This cycle of seeking shelter and suffering losses has become harsh everyday reality for many communities.”

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, the UN mission has documented at least 13,580 civilian deaths, including 716 children, and 34,115 civilian injuries, including 2,173 children.

Background

Russia’s escalating civilian casualties occur as military losses mount exponentially. Ukrainian officials announced in June that Russian military personnel losses reached 1,000,340 since 24 February 2022, with more than 628,000 deaths occurring in just the last 18 months. Despite these massive losses, Russia continues recruiting approximately 30,000 troops monthly while maintaining about 600,000 forces in Ukraine.

The June civilian casualty surge follows April 2025 becoming the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since September 2024, with 209 deaths and 1,146 injuries primarily from ballistic missile strikes on major cities including Kryvyi Rih, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, and Kharkiv.

Russia attacks Ukrainian civilians
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My bomb shelter is a bathroom floor

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. Become a patron or see other ways to support
  • ✇Euromaidan Press
  • Russia targets Ukraine’s western “safe havens” with record 597-drone attack
    In the wee hours of 12 July, Russia struck the west-Ukrainian cities of Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi. East-Ukrainian Kharkiv was also affected. The attack comes one day after Russia’s record aerial missile attack on Kyiv as President Zelenskyy warns that Russia is ramping up its capacities to launch up to 1000 Shahed kamikaze drones at Ukraine daily. The attack involved 597 drones (339 of them were Shahed kamikaze drones, the rest — imitator drones) and 26 cruise missiles, the air force re
     

Russia targets Ukraine’s western “safe havens” with record 597-drone attack

12 juillet 2025 à 03:27

Russia attacks drone missile on civilians Ukraine

In the wee hours of 12 July, Russia struck the west-Ukrainian cities of Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi. East-Ukrainian Kharkiv was also affected.

The attack comes one day after Russia’s record aerial missile attack on Kyiv as President Zelenskyy warns that Russia is ramping up its capacities to launch up to 1000 Shahed kamikaze drones at Ukraine daily.

The attack involved 597 drones (339 of them were Shahed kamikaze drones, the rest — imitator drones) and 26 cruise missiles, the air force reported. 319 Shaheds and 25 cruise missiles were reported downed.

The drone attack lasted 11 hours, while the missile attack started at 3:34 and lasted 1.5 hours, according to the monitor TG channel.

Drone missile trajectories above Ukraine
Trajectories of Russian drone and missiles above Ukraine as they targeted west-Ukrainian cities. Graph: mon1tor_ua/Telegram

A 26-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man were killed in Chernivtsi due to falling drone wreckage, which has seen relatively few attacks since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Lviv, another relatively safe haven, has also come under the brunt of Russia’s escalating attacks. 46 buildings were damaged, and 500 windows smashed in an attack that also damaged the Lviv Polytechnic University.

Russia drone attack west Ukraine
Buildings damaged in Lviv after a massive Russian drone attack on 12 July 2025. Photo: Lviv info/TG channel

A private house was destroyed in Lviv; cars also suffered damage.

Poland scrambles jets, but no help to Ukraine

The attack forced Poland to scramble its military aircraft overnight, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command reported.

Poland has previously scrambled its jets in response to Russia’s attacks on western Ukraine, as it is standard procedure for Poland’s military to scramble jets and increase the readiness of air defense systems when “there is a danger of Russian air strikes on western Ukraine and potential assumptions that [the] border of Poland might be impacted.|

Throughout the war, Russian missiles and attack drones have repeatedly infringed the airspace of Romania, Latvia, Poland, and other NATO members, with Ukraine asking EU and NATO ministers in late August 2024 to start shooting down Russian missiles and drones heading toward NATO over Ukraine.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has stated that his and other countries have a duty to intercept Russian missiles before they enter NATO territory, though NATO maintains it “will not become a party to the conflict.”

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. Become a patron or see other ways to support
  • ✇Euromaidan Press
  • 741 projectiles: Russia’s biggest attack since war began follows suspicious lull in massive overnight bombing
    Ukraine faced its most extensive aerial bombardment since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, with Russian forces deploying 741 air targets against multiple regions on the night of 9 July.  The timing matters. This bombardment came as multiple countries pushed for ceasefires and peace talks. Russia’s response? Its biggest terror campaign yet. Russia maintains its strategy of using drones and missiles in nightly strikes targeting infrastructure and civilian areas across Ukraine, inc
     

741 projectiles: Russia’s biggest attack since war began follows suspicious lull in massive overnight bombing

9 juillet 2025 à 03:47

On 9 July 2025, Russia launches 741 air targets on Ukraine in largest single-night attack since the full-scale invasion began.

Ukraine faced its most extensive aerial bombardment since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, with Russian forces deploying 741 air targets against multiple regions on the night of 9 July. 

The timing matters. This bombardment came as multiple countries pushed for ceasefires and peace talks. Russia’s response? Its biggest terror campaign yet.

Russia maintains its strategy of using drones and missiles in nightly strikes targeting infrastructure and civilian areas across Ukraine, including schools, hospitals, and apartment buildings. Most of these attacks lack clear military objectives and appear designed to terrorize the local population, following a pattern established throughout the war.

Russian forces launched 728 drones of various types and 13 missiles against Ukrainian territory, according to Ukraine’s Air Forces. The drone fleet included over 300 Shahed models alongside other unmanned systems. The missile component consisted of seven X-101 and Iskander-K cruise missiles plus six X-47 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles.

Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 718 of the incoming targets. Seven cruise missiles were destroyed, while 728 drones were neutralized through direct fire or electronic warfare systems. 

Ukraine last night – and all through the night.

Russia's tactics now often focus on one primary target—like Lutsk last night—with hundreds of drones and missiles launched simultaneously, while others strike multiple regions en route. pic.twitter.com/N3EvTsHuEf

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 9, 2025

City in western Ukraine takes the worst hit

The western city of Lutsk endured what Mayor Ihor Polishchuk described as “the most massive shelling of the city since the beginning of the full-scale war.” Regional administration head Ivan Rudnytsky reported that the Russian forces targeted the city with five missiles and 50 drones.

The attacks triggered fires at a garage cooperative and an industrial facility, according to Mayor Polishchuk. No fatalities were reported from the Lutsk strikes, though the assault caused significant property damage across the city.

The western city of Lutsk endures heaviest bombing since full-scale war began as Russia deploys record drone swarm on 9 July.
Photos: State emergency service

One woman injured in Kyiv Oblast

Beyond Lutsk, Russian projectiles struck targets in central Kyiv and Zhytomyr oblasts and western Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts. In Kyiv Oblast, strike drones injured one woman who sustained a closed chest fracture, according to regional administration head Mykola Kalashnyk.

Ternopil city came under attack from cruise missiles and strike drones, though officials provided no immediate damage assessment. In Khmelnytskyi Oblast, regional head Serhii Tyurin reported damage to a private residence’s roof and walls.

Russian largest attack on Ukraine caused extensive damage across regions, including Kyiv.
Photos: State emergency service

Zelenskyy calls for stronger sanctions

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized the bombardment as a “telling attack” occurring amid international peace efforts that Russia continues to reject.

“This is a telling attack – and it comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all,” he wrote.

Zelenskyy said the attack proved the need for “biting sanctions against oil, which has been fueling Moscow’s war machine with money for over three years of the war.”

A new massive Russian attack on our cities. It was the highest number of aerial targets in a single day: 741 targets – 728 drones of various types, including over 300 shaheds, and 13 missiles – Kinzhals and Iskanders. Most of the targets were shot down. Our interceptor drones… pic.twitter.com/Lxa5TdYVXT

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 9, 2025

The president emphasized that “everyone who wants peace must act,” calling for secondary sanctions against entities purchasing Russian oil and “sponsoring killings.”

Russia was clearly preparing for major attack

The massive 9 July attack followed a notably smaller Russian drone strike on 8 July that brought just a handful of drones against eastern Mykolaiv Oblast. One man was wounded, some fires started, but nothing approaching the scale of what followed.

Russia often scales back daily attacks for 24-48 hours, then unleashes everything at once. The quiet nights aren’t mercy—they’re preparation.

Why stockpile drones? Because mass psychological impact requires mass numbers. A few dozen drones every night becomes routine. But 728 in one assault? That keeps entire populations awake, wondering when the next mega-attack will come.

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. Become a patron or see other ways to support
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