Russian forces failed to make headway along frontlines, claims Ukraine after a night of drone attacks

Ukrainian officials on Wednesday (August 2) said that no headway was made by Russian forces along the frontlines, but added that they are entrenched in heavily mined areas they control which has made it difficult for the troops of Kyiv to move east and south.

Meanwhile, Russian forces fighting on the frontline stated that they have repelled 12 Ukrainian attacks in the Donetsk region, which has remained a focal point of Russian advances for months.

The majority of Russian military activity focused on air attacks which damaged grain infrastructure in the Danube port of Izmail, Ukraine.

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Russian defence ministry further stated that a Ukrainian naval drone was destroyed by its forces after it tried to attack a Russian warship which escorted a civilian vessel in the Black Sea.

A drive was launched by the Ukrainian forces in June to re-take occupied areas. The forces have now been pressing southward toward the Sea of Azov for severing the land bridge between the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula and occupied eastern Ukraine.

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Reoccupation of areas near Bakhmut

Kyiv also said that it has reoccupied areas near Bakhmut, which is an eastern city that was occupied by Russian forces in May after months of battles.

Deputy Ukrainian Defence Minister Hanna Maliar stated that Russian forces had "tried quite persistently to halt our advance in the Bakhmut sector. Without success."

Maliar, taking to the Telegram messaging app, said that the Russian forces were increasing equipment and reserves in three areas further north, where heavy fighting was reported by officials in recent weeks.

Secretary of Ukraine's Security Council Oleksiy Danilov said that there was ample time for Russian forces in months of occupation to lay extensive minefields and prepare defences.

"The enemy has prepared very thoroughly for these events," he said while speaking to national television. "The number of mines on the territory that our troops have retaken is utterly mad. On average, there are three, four, five mines per square metre," Danilov said.

"No one can set deadlines for us, except ourselves... there is no fixed schedule. I have never used the term counter-offensive. There are military operations and they are complex difficult and depend on many factors," he added.

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'Almost 15' drones downed in overnight attack on Kyiv

Ukrainian officials claimed that around 15 drones were downed during an overnight attack on Kyiv. Air defence forces "detected and destroyed almost 15 air targets", stated Sergiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration.

He added that no damage or casualties were reported in the attacks. Popko stated that a barrage of Shahed drones was used by the attackers in the onslaught which lasted for three hours.

"It became the 820th (air alert) for Kyiv since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The strike was repelled a day after another massive overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital," Popko said.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos

(With inputs from agencies)

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