EDF colonel: Russia attacking Ukraine across front without major success

The fighting continues across the frontline in Ukraine, and Russian forces have attacked Ukrainian civilian territory 41 so far times in July, but have failed to make any breakthroughs, said Col. Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Intelligence Center.
Speaking at the Estonian Ministry of Defense's weekly Friday press briefing, Col. Kiviselg said that the Russian Federation had failed to make any breakthroughs on the Ukrainian front over the past week. On average, there were 140 to 150 points of contact along the frontline each day, which is a similar amount to that seen during the previous week.
The EDF colonel said that the Donetsk region is where the most active fighting is taking place.
"The epicenter of the fighting is still in the Donetsk region, where the Russian offensive continues at a high level of intensity. The main fighting continues to be concentrated in the Pokrovsk offensive in the Ocheretyne and Toretsk areas and around Chasiv Yar," Kiviselg said.
According to Col. Kiviselg, Russia has only managed to expand the territory it controls, with small tactical advances in the Ocheretyne area.
On the Toretsk offensive, Russian units have stalled and have not achieved the same level of success as they did during the previous week. The enemy's advances have also stalled in Chasiv Yar.
However, according to the EDF colonel, Russia's offensive activities cannot be expected to slow down any time soon.
"Despite huge losses of both personnel and equipment, amounting to up to 90 percent of the strength of some units, Russian Armed Forces units have launched a new offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, in Vovchansk," Col. Kiviselg said.
Col. Kiviselg noted that Russia has attacked Ukrainian civilian objects 41 times so far in July.
"Russia's desperation due to its own failure is manifested in increasingly savage war crimes, attacking civilian objects in Ukraine's major cities with cruise missiles and large-scale attack drones. This month alone, Russia has attacked critical civilian infrastructure in Ukraine with these kinds of high-altitude weapons on 41 occasions, five of which have been on hospitals or medical facilities," said the EDF colonel.
According to Col. Kiviselg, the tactical weakening of Russia will enable Ukraine to launch counter-attacks, which are supported by deep strikes on ammunition depots and energy infrastructure, to destroy Russian territory.
On July 28, the Russian Navy will hold a parade in St. Petersburg and Kronstadt, which will also mean an increase in Russian naval activity in the Baltic Sea. According to Col. Kiviselg, some ships belonging to the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet have entered the Baltic Sea in the past week.
According to Russian Federation sources, a total of seven submarines and 21 ships will take part in the parade. No nuclear submarines took part in last year's parade. The first major rehearsal for the parade is due to take place on July 18, at which point it is likely to become clear which vessels will take part.
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Editor: Michael Cole