Moscow [Russia], July 28: After unsuccessful direct assaults on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, Russian troops have now shifted to attempts at encirclement, local troop spokesman Viktor Trehubov reported on Ukrainian state television on Sunday.
Efforts are being made, particularly from the east, to break through Ukrainian positions and encircle Pokrovsk, Trehubov said, adding that the defensive battle in the area near Kostiantynivka is ongoing.
A direct assault on Pokrovsk reportedly makes no sense for the Russian military given the high losses, hence the attempt at encirclement.
Pokrovsk has been a persistent hotspot on the fronts in eastern Ukraine for months. The city is located in the west of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk at a strategically important transport hub. It is now almost completely destroyed.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for over three years.
Meanwhile, at least three passengers have died in a Russian drone attack on a bus in the eastern Ukrainian region of Sumy. Additionally, a further 20 passengers were injured, according to the regional military administration.
The information could not be independently verified.
In the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a 58-year-old woman died in a Russian attack, according to official reports.
Two days earlier, a resident was killed and another seven were injured in a Russian attack on the city.
The respective reports did not specify whether the people were victims of drone or artillery attacks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday announced the restructuring and further armament of the navy during the conclusion of a major naval exercise.
By the end of the year, two marine infantry brigades will be converted into divisions, with three more to follow shortly, Putin said.
"This will significantly increase the fleet's striking power and combat capabilities," he stated. The five-day exercise, which concluded on Russia's Navy Day on Sunday, involved more than 150 warships and support vessels, 120 aircraft and helicopters, and over 15,000 soldiers, according to official information.
The drills took place simultaneously in the Baltic Sea, the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Caspian Sea.
The aim of the exercise was to defend against a large-scale naval attack, the Russian government said.
The Kremlin accuses NATO of endangering Russia's security. The Western military alliance also conducted a naval exercise earlier this year: BALTOPS 2025. According to official figures, around 50 ships and approximately 9,000 soldiers participated in the exercise in June.
In a video message, Putin described the navy as the "pride and achievement of the fatherland."
However, the naval parade planned for Sunday - an annual event Putin started in 2017 - was cancelled for security reasons, unlike the military exercise.
In the region surrounding St Petersburg, more than 10 drones were reportedly shot down in the morning, according to official information.
Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said a woman in the Lomonosov district was slightly injured by falling drone debris.
St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport was closed for several hours in the morning for take-offs and landings.
The Russian military reported the downing of 99 drones nationwide.
Putin called this year's Navy Day a wonderful holiday, but added, "It is right that we spend the holiday in a combat and working atmosphere, with everyone in their place, and the fleet demonstrating its combat potential and quality."
The head of the Kremlin followed most of the naval manoeuvres via video transmission from the navy's
main headquarters in
St Petersburg.
Source: Qatar Tribune
