Russian forces conducted drone strikes against Ukraine on the night of July 3 to 4 and a missile strike against Odesa Oblast during the day on July 4.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 22 Shahed-136/131 drones from Kursk Oblast and that Ukrainian forces shot down 21 drones over Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Poltava oblasts.[61] Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration Head Vyacheslav Chaus stated that a drone struck an unspecified facility in Chernihiv Oblast leaving almost 6,000 residents without electricity.[62] Odesa Oblast Military Administration Head Oleh Kiper stated that Russian forces conducted a missile strike with an unspecified type of missile against civilian port infrastructure in Odesa Raion, killing one, injuring seven, and damaging port facilities.[63]
Ukrainian officials reported that the Russian military is trying to modernize glide bombs to use in the Kharkiv direction. Ukraine's Southern Volunteer Army Spokesperson Serhiy Bratchuk stated on July 4 that Russian aviation has intensified glide bomb strikes, which has facilitated unspecified Russian tactical success in some sectors of the frontline.[64] Bratchuk noted that Russian forces are trying to use modernized glide bombs against Kharkiv Oblast. Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration Head Oleh Synehubov stated that Russian forces began conducting strikes against Kharkiv City and Oblast with FAB-500 glide bombs with increased ranges of up to 80 kilometers.
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"Putin is trying to signal his determination to win the war in Ukraine, no matter the cost or the length. This war will be his legacy."
The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced the purchase of $2.2 billion worth of US-produced air defense interceptors and an aid package worth $150 million for Ukraine on July 3.[20] The DoD stated that it will purchase $2.2 billion worth of recently produced PATRIOT and NASAMS air defense missiles for Ukraine to help protect the Ukrainian people and Ukraine's critical infrastructure from Russian drone and missile strikes. The DoD has yet to announce that it is sending these air defense missiles to Ukraine. The DoD stated that it is also provided an aid package worth $150 million from the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which includes: HAWK air defense missiles; HIMARS ammunition; 155mm and 105mm artillery shells; 81mm mortar rounds; Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles; Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems; small arms ammunition and grenades; demolition equipment and munitions; tactical vehicles and air navigation systems; and space parts, maintenance, and other equipment. The DoD noted that the PDA package is the Biden Administration's 60th tranche of equipment provided to Ukraine since August 2021.
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- Russian President Vladimir Putin explicitly rejected Russian participation in any meaningful negotiations on a ceasefire agreement, instead demanding Ukraine's "irreversible" "demilitarization" as a precondition for any ceasefire agreement. Putin is thus demanding that Ukraine effectively surrender in advance of any ceasefire.
- Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers reportedly detained the commander of the Russian 83rd Guards Airborne Assault (VDV) Brigade, Colonel Artyom Gorodilov, on fraud charges on July 3 following reports of the brigade suffering heavy losses in the Kharkiv direction in June 2024.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin supported the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) efforts to expand its presence in Central Asia and will likely use an increased SCO presence as one of its levers to expand Russian influence in the region.
- The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced the purchase of $2.2 billion worth of US-produced air defense interceptors and an aid package worth $150 million for Ukraine on July 3.
- Russian forces recently advanced near Kreminna, Avdiivka, and Donetsk City.
- Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev claimed on July 4 that around 190,000 Russians signed military service contracts during the first six months of 2024 during a Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) meeting about staffing the Russian military with contract soldiers.
Russian forces continue periodic cross-border raids into northern Kharkiv Oblast and have reportedly entered a small border settlement northwest of Kharkiv City. Ukrainian Kharkiv Group of Forces Spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Povkh stated on July 4 that a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group entered the village of Sotnytskyi Kozachok (directly on the Kharkiv-Belgorod Oblast border about 45 kilometers northwest of Kharkiv City) and that Ukrainian forces are still trying to identify and repel the Russian group.[21] Povkh noted that Russian forces are trying to create points of tension along the international border by using sabotage and reconnaissance groups, consistent with ISW's assessment that Russian forces are conducting periodic cross-border raids into northern Ukraine to divert and fix Ukrainian troops from other critical areas of the theater.[22] The Ukrainian State Border Guard Service previously reported a small Russian raid into Sotnytskyi Kozachok on June 26.[23] Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces have almost "completely" seized the settlement and are making "good progress" in the area, although ISW has not yet observed visual confirmation of an enduring Russian presence in Sotnytskyi Kozachok.
Geolocated footage published on July 4 shows Ukrainian forces repelling a Russian reinforced platoon-sized mechanized assault north of Kharkiv City, which is notably the first visual confirmation ISW has observed of an at least platoon-sized Russian mechanized assault in this area since Russian forces opened the northern Kharkiv Oblast axis in mid-May 2024.[24] The footage shows five Russian armored combat vehicles west of Krasne presumably attacking in the direction of Hlyboke.[25] Ukrainian forces destroyed three of five armored vehicles, and Russian forces did not make any confirmed advances during the assault.
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