Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Response Corps, which took over the situation in July, has had the unenviable task of stabilizing the situation given deteriorating conditions, lack of reserves, and manning levels of deployed units. The geometry of the battle has long been unfavorable. 4/
Full-scale invasion and national resilience, broadcasted live.
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AFU’s ‘firefighting’ approach due to lack of reserves and Russian advances
Earlier in the summer AFU units were working to stem the infiltration. The Russian advance at Dobropillia to some extent forced a shift of attention & resources. A lack of operational reserves has long resulted in a ‘firefighting’ approach to counter advances across the line. 3/
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Russian drones from Pokrovsk widen contested area and interdict logistics
As Russian forces accumulated in Pokrovsk they increasingly began to bring in drone teams, and operate drones from the city itself, widening the contested area around the city and interdicting logistics. 5/
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Critical situation in Pokrovsk as Russian forces advance
The situation around Pokrovsk has deteriorated over time as Russian forces continued infiltrating through the southern part of the city. Ukrainian positions have grown increasingly thin. Worsening weather has allowed Russian troops to deploy more men into the city in recent weeks.
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Reassessment of the Pokrovsk battle and flank stabilization
As the situation in Pokrovsk becomes critical, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces reinforce the pocket to stabilize the flanks, there is considerable attention now to how this battle is unfolding. A few thoughts on the situation. 1/
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Angelina Jolie receives a Kherson commemorative coin
Angelina Jolie received a Kherson commemorative coin from the head of the Kherson City Military Administration. Ms Jolie is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, has supported Ukraine since the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion and has now come to Ukraine for the second time.
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Kharkiv firm Logity downsizes; recovery may take decade
Entrepreneur Pavlo Kobzar says his firm Logity shrank from 850 to 185 staff in Kharkiv. He splits time between cities and expects Kharkiv will need at least a decade to recover, depending on how secure it becomes. 6/
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Kharkiv’s tech sector declines as IT workers relocate west
Kharkiv’s tech sector threatens. It had 50,000 IT workers before 2022. Their share dropped from 14% to 4%, while Lviv’s rose from 14% to 18%, says Olga Shapoval of Kharkiv IT Cluster. Most relocated west or abroad. 4/
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Kharkiv half-empty after invasion, residents and students flee
Kharkiv, once Ukraine’s second-largest city, is half-empty. Before the invasion, it had 270,000 students; now most study online. Human-rights advocate Nataliya Zubar says only 1.2–1.3 million of its 1.6 million residents remain. 3/
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Lviv gains industrial park, university, EU rail links, revitalized historic center
Lviv’s mayor Andriy Sadovyi says the city gained a new industrial park, a university and EU-funded rail links to Poland and Romania. The historic center is full again with residents, tourists and students. Geography now defines opportunity. 2/