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Russian military operations in Ukraine continue without significant changes on the battlefields. The main front lines of Russian advance lay along the Bakhmut –Soledar-Seversk line where the Armed Forces of Ukraine established heavy defenses in an attempt to slow down the offensive on the cities of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk from the eastern direction. On August 1, the first reports from the front lines claimed that Ukrainian forces began to withdraw from Soledar. Russian-led troops already reached the outskirts of Soledar and attempt to surround the town. Fierce clashes continue in the village of Bakhmutskoe. Near the town of Bakhmut, fighting is ongoing in Zaitsevo, Semigorye and Veselaya Dolina. Ukrainian forces attempt to counter attack in the village of Vershina which recently came under Russian control. Allied forces claimed some successes on the Donetsk front lines. On the outskirts of Avdiivka, the Ukrainian stronghold near the air-shaft of the Butovka mine was occupied by DPR fighters. Positional battles continue along the entire front line in Eastern and Southern Ukraine amid the strikes on Ukrainian military facilities throughout the country. Last night, the Russian Air Force inflicted massive damage on the enemy positions at the Malyshev plant, as well as in the Seminary Street and the Press House in the city of Kharkiv. On the morning of July 31, Russian forces struck targets in Nikolaev. Ukrainian oligarch Alexey Vadatursky, who financed Ukrainian nationalist military formations, was killed. In the evening of the same day, Russian missiles hit the outskirts of the Odessa airport. Despite the ongoing hostilities, on August 1, the first cargo ship with 26 thousand tons of corn left the port of Odessa. According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, the Razoni cargo ship under the flag of Sierra Leone is heading to Lebanon. A safe corridor for grain exports by sea has been created within the framework of the agreement signed on July 22. The military of either side should not accompany cargo ships. Representatives of Turkey and the UN will monitor the loading, and a quadrilateral coordination center will check vessels at the entrance to and exit of the Black Sea. Full-fledged grain export through the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny controlled by Ukraine may begin in the coming weeks. Celebrating the start of grain export, Ukrainians forget that the grain harvest in the country may be halved by the end of the year. Already in January 2022, due to the shortage of grain, Ukrainian enterprises were forced to purchase cheap Turkish flour. Moreover, in June, Turkish Agriculture Minister Vahit Kirishchi claimed that an agreement has been reached with Ukraine on the purchase of grain with more than 25% discount. Thus, Kiev sells the meager harvest of the current year to Turkey at a huge discount.
