Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrsky said in an interview with the British publication The Guardian, published on July 24, that the Russian army has significantly increased manpower and material resources for the war in Ukraine over the past two years and a half.
Syrsky's statement is not indicative of a sudden increase in Russian military presence in Ukraine, but of the problems Ukrainian forces have been facing for more than two years.
Syrsky said that Russian forces currently have 520,000 troops in Ukraine, and should be 690,000 by the end of 2024. Sirsky noted that fighting continues along 977 kilometers of the 3,700 kilometer long front line and reiterated, that the Russian military command is pursuing tactical gains despite significant manpower losses, while Ukrainian forces are primarily trying to keep their soldiers alive.
Syrsky said Russian forces currently have a two-to-one or three-to-one equipment advantage over Ukrainian forces. Russian forces have doubled the number of Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers and tripled the number of artillery systems in Ukraine by 2022.
This is stated in the analysis of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China (PRC) Wang Yi in Guangzhou on July 24 and discussed the war in Ukraine and the potential role of the PRC in a future negotiated settlement of the war.
Both sides offered slightly different interpretations of the talks — Kuleba stressed that a just peace in Ukraine is in the strategic interests of the PRC and that while Ukraine remains ready to negotiate with Russia "at a certain stage", Russia has not yet shown a willingness to reciprocate.
In contrast, Wang Yi stressed that both Ukraine and Russia have signaled their willingness to negotiate "to varying degrees", but that "the conditions and time are not yet ripe".
Wang Yi also indicated China's willingness to act as a mediator and highlighted the recent Sino-Brazilian six-point peace plan, which calls for a peace conference on the war that includes both Russia and Ukraine.
Wang Yi's suggestion reflects the PRC's general diplomatic and rhetorical alignment with Russia on the subject of negotiations and helps further Russia's insistence that Ukraine is the country refusing to negotiate.
ISW often writes that it is Russia that has no interest in good faith negotiations with Ukraine on any terms other than the Kremlin's demands for Ukraine's capitulation.
The Russian State Duma passed an amendment on July 24 that would allow Russian commanders to punish subordinates for using personal communication and navigation devices on the front lines, prompting a sustained backlash from Russian ultranationalists as well as other Duma lawmakers.
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Several deputies from the Russian Duma explicitly opposed the bill.
Russian ultra-nationalist bloggers have expressed concern that personal conflicts will be settled and grievances censored.
Russian forces launch attacks north of Kharkiv and southeast of Kupyansk. Fighting continues near Svatovo and Kremina, without significant changes on the front line.
The Russians continue offensive operations near Siversk, Chasov Yar and Toretsk. Russian troops are advancing in Novoselivka Persha, west of Avdeevka, and in the Donetsk region.
Fierce fighting is taking place in the Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions, where Ukrainian forces continue to repel Russian attacks.