Footage showing three Russian Geran-2 drone strikes on a warehouse complex in the village of Peremoha, Sumy Oblast. The warehouses were reportedly used for storing Ukrainian UAVs.

Coordinates: 51.54525, 33.94791

Poor captured Ukrainian Baba Yaga drone is trying to fly away 😢

The fire continues to burn through the morning, with the smoke being spread far away. Judging by the size of the fire, it could be at the oil depot next to Vasylkiv Airbase.

Today, the IDF officially confirmed the beginning of their offensive to clear Gaza City. I'd like to give some context regarding this.

Many people seem to believe that Israel will be "entering" Gaza City today, but in reality, they have been operating within the city limits since March, and as Israel begins their offensive, they control approximately 46% of the city.

After Israel largely withdrew from Gaza city in 2024 to focus on the cities of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun to the north, and then from the Netzarim corridor during the ceasefire period in early 2025, many Gazans returned to their homes in the city. Unlike cities like Rafah, Gaza City was damaged but not flattened, meaning that it still had infrastructure for a large population.

But after Israel broke the ceasefire in March, they restarted their operations in the city and began clearing the eastern Shujaiyya, Kuba, and Al-Tuffah neighbourhoods which lie on higher ground overlooking Israel's border settlements. This meant that they were home to some of Al-Qassam's (Hamas) elite units. Due to the topography of the area, its proximity to the border, and the known substantial presence of militants, Israel aimed to create a buffer zone from the border. Over a period of several months, they slowly pushed deeper and deeper through the neighbourhoods, facing resistance in the form of ambushes, rocket attacks, and mortar shellings. However, a lack of coordination between militant cells, higher-quality equipment, and manpower, decreased the effectiveness of these attacks. Nevertheless, it ensured the IDF was more cautious and patient when clearing and demolishing the neighbourhoods, especially due to the known presence of some of the surviving elite Palestinian forces.

Last month, the IDF began a new series of attacks on the Al-Zeitoun neighbourhood, which included an unprecedented speed of demolition operations. This increased the percentage of the city that they controlled and largely eliminated one of the areas that Hamas and other groups had a relatively large presence there, further pressuring their overall presence in the city. This, combined with intensified operations in central Jabalia could result in a "squeezing" effect, where Israeli forces close in from three sides and isolate parts of the city to clear separately.

As for evacuations, the IDF stated that over 250,000 civilians have fled south, which they claim equates to approximately 40% of the city's population at the time. I suspect that a portion of Palestinian militants in the city also fled south to the central camps (Nuseirat, Maghazi, and Bureij) and the city of Deir Al-Balah, which contain some of the only areas Israel has not operated in yet during the course of this war. As a result, they are generally safer and hold more coordinated and substantial presences of fighters.

Before anyone starts commenting about me "whitewashing" a genocide, I'd like to say that this post is looking at the war purely from a military standpoint (war and genocide are not mutually exclusive). There is obviously a lot more to this offensive (and the war in general), but that is a whole other story.

2 Russian Su-34s carried out launch maneuvers of KAB glide-bombs towards Kherson

2 KABs are flying towards Kherson city.

Flying to the village of Dar'ivka. A Russian reconnaissance drone will film the strikes.

2 minutes away

Approaching the village of Inhulets.

Another Su-34 is flying from Crimea towards Kherson Oblast. It may fly to Zaporizhzhia Oblast, following two earlier aircraft.

Explosions were heard. 4 KABs impacted the area.

The 3rd plane is circling in the Crimea-Kherson border area. It will escort the two Su-34s back to their home base, which are already on the return flight, flying southeast over Kherson Oblast.

Watch out guys, Astraia Intel knows more about how the war is going than the literal president of Ukraine. I think if Zelensky (someone who has constantly lied about this war) is sounding the alarm bells, it's a solid sign that things haven't been going in Ukraine's favour.

"They will accept military rule because I say so"

Yesterday, the battle for the Serebryanskyi Forest in Luhansk Oblast finally ended after the remaining Ukrainian forces were pushed out of its southwestern-most part.

This battle began in late 2022 during the Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive and lasted for nearly three years. Ukrainian forces, including Azov, held their positions in a massive complex of trenches and bunkers within the now largely destroyed forest.

However, the vast majority of Russian advances during this nearly 3-year-long battle occurred in the final month. I have overlayed what the frontline roughly looked like on August 6, around the beginning of the Russian offensive here.

As a result, Ukrainian control in Luhansk Oblast has now shrunk to roughly 47 km².