Victorious news on 524th day of war: drone attacks on Russian ships, Ukraine’s production of Rubaka UAV

Ukraine receives Zuzana 2 howitzers from Slovakia

On August 1, Slovakia handed over two Zuzana 2 howitzers to Ukraine, the production of which was funded by Denmark, Norway and Germany, Slovak Prime Minister Ludovit Odor said on Twitter.

"Aiding Ukraine represents joint efforts for lasting peace, respect for freedoms and values. Thanks to Germany, Denmark and Norway for sending Slovak Zuzana 2 howitzers. More to follow," the Prime Minister of Slovakia wrote.

The US is increasing the ammunition production for Ukraine

The United States has signed an agreement with Bulgaria and South Korea to supply Ukraine with 155mm ammunition and is already in similar talks with Japan. This was reported by the Financial Times.

In this way, the United States wants to increase the supply of 155 mm ammunition to Ukraine, which is used in howitzers along the entire front line.

According to US officials, Ukraine fires up to 8,000 artillery shells a day. The newspaper writes that US officials have been aware of Ukraine's high rate of ammunition use over the past few months and were aware of possible supply disruptions, which is why they stepped up their efforts when Ukraine launched its counteroffensive.

The FT adds that Washington expects to increase its own ammunition production over the next two years. Thus, according to the publication, the US Army is building more production lines, including re-equipping a facility in Ontario, Canada, and building a new assembly line in Texas.

Ukraine starts producing its own ‘kamikaze’ drones

Ukraine has begun production of Rubaka ‘kamikaze’ drones of operational and strategic importance, which are already proving effective in combat, reports Defense Express.

Details about the drone manufacturer and production rates have not yet been made public.

There is currently information that the Rubaka ‘kamikaze’ drones are to be used by units of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. The cost of one UAV is about 15 thousand dollars (550 thousand UAH).

The declared range of the drones will be up to 500 km. Estimates of the weight of the warhead in different sources range from 2-5 kg to 15 kg.

The publication notes that the very fact that such a ‘kamikaze’ drone is at the disposal of the Ukrainian Defence Forces looks interesting not only because Ukraine’s military industry is expanding its UAV production line. But also because of some specific design elements of the Rubaka drone.

Russian Black Sea Fleet ships asked to evacuate wounded after drone attack

In the Black Sea, three naval drones attacked two Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels. The Russian Ministry of Defence traditionally reported that the attack was successfully repelled and all drones were destroyed. Instead, the Babel media outlet, citing its own sources, reports that the sailors of at least one of the vessels asked for the evacuation of the wounded.

Ka-29 helicopters were involved in the evacuation, and were ordered to deliver the bodies of the dead and wounded to the Black Sea Higher Naval School in Sevastopol.

In the intercepted conversation between the helicopter crews and the Russian coastal aviation services, the current coordinates of the ships' location are transmitted and the number of victims is specified.

"At the time of the conversation, there was at least one dead and five wounded who needed urgent evacuation. There were also words about the need for an ambulance and a border guard to be present during the evacuation for 'customs clearance', but what exactly is not specified. We can assume that it is the cargo of the Sparta-IV vessel," Babel reports.

The Sparta-IV container ship is supposedly civilian, but the source of the publication claims that the vessel is equipped with large-caliber weapons and has armed crews and military personnel on board, which is a gross violation of international maritime law.

Ukrainian Armed Forces advance in Melitopol and Berdyansk directions

The Ukrainian Defence Forces continue to conduct offensive operations in the Melitopol and Berdyansk directions, consolidating their positions and carrying out counter-battery operations. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Over the past day, Ukrainian aviation carried out seven strikes on the areas of concentration of Russian personnel, weapons and military equipment, one on the command post and one on the Russian air defense system.

Over the day, missile and artillery units struck 10 artillery pieces in firing positions, four electronic warfare stations, four command posts, one area where weapons and military equipment were concentrated, five air defense facilities, three areas of personnel concentration and two other important enemy targets.