Zelensky: Ukraine is the successor of Kyivan Rus

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the Ukrainians on the National Statehood Day on July 28. “We will not surrender. We will not give up. We cannot be intimidated. Ukraine is an independent, free, indivisible state. And it will always be like that,” Zelensky stressed.

The Day of Ukrainian Statehood was introduced by a presidential decree dated August 24, 2021. This states that the history of Ukrainian statehood goes back to “the founding of the city of Kyiv and the flourishing of the state during the time of Prince Volodymyr the Great of Kyiv.” It was he who, having accepted Christianity in 988, “made a civilizational choice for the Kyivan Rus.”

With the new holiday Zelensky set last year, Ukraine was also countering Russia’s claim that it was not a real state but an artificial entity.

An Ilovaisk for Russians in Kherson

Russian troop positions on the right bank of the Kherson region now look “very vulnerable,” Britain’s Ministry of Defense reported on Twitter with reference to intelligence data. This follows the Armed Forces of Ukraine launching successful attacks on the bridges across the Dnipro River.

The intelligence reported noted that Ukraine’s counter-offensive in the Kherson region is gathering momentum and that the country’s forces have likely established a bridgehead south of the Inhulets River, which forms the northern boundary of Russian-occupied Kherson.

The Ministry of Defense also observed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have applied their new long-range artillery to damage at least three bridges across the Dnipro River, through which the Russian army was carrying its supply of military equipment out on the right bank of the Kherson region.

Inimical targets will be destroyed regardless of location

The leadership of Ukraine will have enough political will to destroy the military facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation from which the Ukrainian land is being shelled, stated Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

“As for the will, we have it. This will saved us on February 24-25. And if it becomes necessary, believe me, no oneʼs hand will hesitate to sign what needs to be signed in order for the objects you are talking about to be destroyed. Moreover, our President’s statement that we will respond precisely to those territories where tt comes from is a clear confirmation of this,” Danilov stated when he was asked if the political and military leadership of Ukraine will have the will to eliminate military facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation that are firing on Ukraine.

Russian ultranationalists, “liberators” of Ukraine from Ukrainians

To participate in hostilities in Ukraine, the Russian Federation attracts the so-called “Imperial Legion” - forces that openly profess neo-Nazi ideology and are included in the list of particularly dangerous terrorist organizations, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Maliar said.

“The military-political leadership of the Russian Federation is trying to urgently resume the combat capabilities of formations and units that suffered losses among personnel during military operations on the territory of Ukraine. To this end, Putin's propaganda machine has activated the activities of the so-called ‘Russian Imperial Movement.’ Intensive mobilization of members of this movement, in particular its paramilitary wing, the Imperial Legion, is being carried out to participate in hostilities in Ukraine,” stated Maliar.

She stressed that the special cynicism of the narratives of Russian propaganda lies in the fact that in order to implement the goals officially declared by the leadership of the Russian Federation of the so-called "special military operation" and the so-called "denazification" of Ukraine, forces that openly profess neo-Nazi ideology and are included in the list of particularly dangerous terrorist organizations are involved.

… Two in distress make sorrow less!

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada passed a law establishing legal and social guarantees for Polish citizens residing in Ukraine on July 28, European Pravda reports. As part of the law, Polish citizens will be able to stay on the territory of Ukraine for 18 months and have access to the same work, educational, and health care rights as Ukrainians. The law still has to be signed by the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and the president to enter into effect.

Ukrainian grain goes to Somalia?

United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said he was hopeful that the first shipment of grain from a Ukrainian Black Sea port could take place as early as Friday, but “crucial” details for the safe passage of vessels were still being worked out.

Griffiths said on Thursday that Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian military officials were working with a UN team at a Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul to hammer out standard operating procedures for the last Friday.

Knock and the door will be opened to you

On the occasion of the second anniversary of the Lublin Triangle – a trilateral platform for political, economic and social cooperation between the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Poland and Ukraine – the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the three states noted that: “Considering the upcoming 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Poland confirm their readiness to intensify the discussion within the Alliance on inviting Ukraine to negotiate its joining NATO.

The parties intend to cooperate closely to facilitate broad international efforts for the reconstruction of Ukraine with due respect to understanding the significance of successful Ukraine for overall prosperity and stability in the region and the wider Europe.

War divides them into heroes and traitors

Long before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia established its own network of secret agents there to smooth the way for the invaders. The infiltration of these agents was much deeper than previously recognized, according to a study conducted by the British news agency Reuters.

On the first day of the full-scale invasion, on February 24, Russian armored vehicles reached the Chornobyl NPP. The 169 Ukrainian National Guard soldiers tasked with guarding the nuclear power plant laid down their weapons without a fight in less than two hours, allowing Russia to seize the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a nuclear storage facility and a key bridgehead on the way to Kyiv. Russia’s success in Chernobyl was not a coincidence, but part of a long Kremlin operation to infiltrate the Ukrainian state.

Five people interviewed by Reuters with knowledge of the Kremlin’s preparations for war said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s circles were convinced that with the help of these agents, Russia would need a small military contingent and only a few days to force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky administration to resign, flee or capitulate.

“In addition to the external enemy, we unfortunately have an internal enemy, and this enemy is no less dangerous,” Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said in an interview.