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Russo-Ukraine War - 31 July 2025 - Day 1254

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that in June 2025, the Russian Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Africa Corps fully replaced the Wagner Group's deployment to Mali. Africa Corps likely has around 2,000 personnel currently deployed to Mali, compared to Wagner's prior deployment of around 2,500 personnel.

Africa Corps has deployed with over 100 pieces of major combat equipment to Mali, including main battle tanks, multiple launch rocket systems and tactical bomber aircraft, greatly increasing the firepower available to Russian forces in the country.

The Wagner organisation had previously operated along a significant portion of Russia's frontline against Ukraine using almost 50,000 prisoners from Russia's jails. Over the course of 2023, Wagner rapidly transformed from the Russian MOD's trusted auxiliary to one of the primary threats to the security of the regime, with the group driving on Moscow during their June 2023 mutiny attempt.

Since then, the Russian MOD has sought to centralise control over Russian security deployments overseas, reducing the potential threat independent Private Military Companies pose to the Russian state, whilst increasingly formalising Russia's security relationships with its partners.

Despite the Russian MOD replacing Wagner in Syria in late 2023, Libya in early 2024, and now Mali, the Wagner Group nevertheless continues to operate independently in both the Central African Republic and Belarus, where around 2,000 and 300 Wagner personnel are likely deployed respectively.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that since the beginning of this day, there have been 124 combat clashes.

Today the Russian occupiers made 36 aviation strikes, used 66 controlled bombs.

In addition, the Russians involved 1,449 kamikaze drones and carried out 3,410 shelling at the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements.

Ukrainian defenders repelled twelve Russian attacks in the North-Slobozhansky and Kursky directions, three more clashes are ongoing.
Since the beginning of the day, the Russian opponent made six aviation strikes, in total dropped 16 controlled aviation bombs and carried out 304 artillery shelling, including three - from the jet systems of salpovogo fire.
In the South Slobozhansky direction, Ukrainian troops stopped seven Russian attacks in the area of the settlement of Vovchansk and in the direction of Dvorichansky, Kolodiaznogo.
In the Kupiansk direction, Russian forces carried out three offensive actions in the areas of populated areas of Kupiansk, Petropavlivka.
In the Lyman direction during the day, Russian zagarbniks twenty-eight times attacked the positions of Ukrainians near the settlements of Karpivka, Ridkodub, Mirne and towards the settlements of Shandrigolove, Yampil, Grigorivka.
Four clashes are ongoing so far.
In the Sívers воkomu direction, Ukrainian defenders repelled four Russian attacks in the direction of Grigorivka and Stupočok.
One battle is going on.
In the Kramators Краkomu direction, there are currently two collisions.
Russian Zagarbnik tried to move towards the settlement of the White Mountain.
In the Toretsky direction, Russians eight times unsuccessfully attacked the positions of Defense Forces.
The main efforts of the invasion of the Russian occupiers were concentrated in the areas of populated areas:
Diliyivka, Toretsk, Scherbynivka and in the direction of Stepanivka, Rusynogo Yar.
In the Pokrovsky direction, the Russian zagarbnic гарkí units thirty-seven times tried to break through Ukrainian defense in the areas of settlements:
Poltavka, Razine, Novoekonomíčne, Peace-loving, Fox, Zvirove, Kotline, Udaachne, Muravka, Novoukraina, and towards settlements Volodymyrivka, Rodinske, Mirnograd, Novopidgorne.
Today in this direction Ukrainian soldiers zneškodili eighty-eight Russian occupiers, fifty-two of them - irrevocably.
Two motorcycles, a BPLA control point, two unmanned aircraft and the occupiers' cannon were also destroyed.
In the Novopavliv direction, Russian forces attacked seventeen times in the areas of settlements:
Zaporizhia , Yalta, Star, Piddubne, Tolstoy, Mirne, Shevchenko, Novosilka, Novopil, and towards the settlement of Temirivka.
The three Russian attacks are ongoing.
No combat clashes were recorded in the Gulyaipil direction.
Twice the Russian aggressor attacked in the Orihiv direction - the Russian occupiers tried to advance in the areas of settlements Kamianske and Mali Scherbaky.
In the pridniprovsk direction, Russian forces carried out one unsuccessful attack.
In other directions, the situation has not changed significantly.