Victorious news of 496th day of war: Ukrainian forces advance by 2 km in Berdiansk sector, while Moscow region is attacked by drones

Ukraine has not lost a single HIMARS system in a year

Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine Hanna Maliar said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have not lost a single HIMARS multiple launch rocket system that was supplied by the United States.

"Our congratulations on Independence Day to the American people! Thank you for your continued support, which helps us to fight for our freedom, destroy the enemy and protect our common values," the deputy minister wrote.

Maliar said she considers the HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to be one of the strongest expressions of support provided by the United States to Ukraine.

"Frightened and feeling the first huge losses, Russian occupiers started hunting for HIMARS. But they have not hit any yet. With a maximum speed of 85 km/h, HIMARS can deploy, fire and leave its position in less than 1 minute. This allows it to be used for shoot-and-scoot tactics, which significantly reduces the chances of being detected and hit by the enemy," Maliar said.

Ukrainian Armed Forces advance up to 2 km in Berdiansk sector

Valeriy Shershen, a spokesman for the Tavria Defense Forces' Joint Press Center, told Espreso TV channel that the Ukrainian army had managed to advance up to 2 km deep into enemy defences in the Berdiansk sector over the past 24 hours.

"In the Tavria sector, the Defense Forces are systematically driving the enemy troops out of their positions and continuing to advance. In particular, in the Berdiansk sector, our units were able to advance 2 km deep into the enemy's defence. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are now consolidating the gained ground. We are conducting aerial reconnaissance of the area and delivering artillery fire on the identified targets. We are also conducting counter-battery combat and demining," said Shershen.

Guerrillas become more active in Mariupol

Over the past two weeks, the bodies of eight killed Russian soldiers have been found in different parts of the occupied Mariupol, Donetsk region. This was reported by the Mariupol City Council with reference to Russian Telegram channels.

According to the city council, six Russian soldiers were stabbed to death and two were shot in the back of the head. At the same time, the facts of the deaths are being carefully concealed to prevent panic among Russian occupiers.

"According to Russian soldiers, they see that Mariupol residents do not like them. Therefore, there is a suspicion that it was done by local residents," the statement said.

Moscow region attacked by ‘kamikaze’ drones

On July 4, in the morning, explosions were heard in the Moscow region and reports of air defence operations emerged. According to Russian media, one ‘kamikaze’ drone struck an administrative building on the territory of a military facility in Kubinka, Moscow region. In total, there were at least five drones.

One of the drones exploded near the village of Marushkino, just one kilometre from Vnukovo airport. The airport allegedly postponed several flights because of this. Another one fell in the village of Kubinka between the airfield and the main church of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

Media suppose that the target of the drones could have been Putin's residence in Novo-Ogaryovo.

Mavka. The Forest Song continues to break records

In 18 weeks the Ukrainian animated film Mavka. The Forest Song was watched by more than 1.2 million viewers in Ukraine.

"According to the results of the eighteenth week in the national box office, the cash collections of the animated film amount to UAH 152,331,158," Ukraine’s State Film Agency press service reported.

The number of tickets sold increased to 1,215,519.

"We are happy together with the Mavka team and thank our loyal viewers for these four months in cinema," the agency emphasises and adds that the film is still in distribution.