Russian invasion forces captured Mykolaivka and Novoekonomichne in the Pokrovsk area of Ukraine's Donetsk region on or before July 25th, according to a source reporting on military movements. The advance positions these towns as the last settlements before the larger town of Myrnograd, indicating a significant territorial gain for Russia in the wider Pokrovsk operational direction. The situation in the Pokrovsk area has severely deteriorated, with over a third of the 174 combat engagements recorded along the frontline in the past 24 hours occurring in this region, as stated by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. One source suggests that the gravity of the situation may be underreported at the official level. In related military developments, components of a promised Patriot air defense system and other interceptor missiles from Germany have arrived in Ukraine, according to The Telegraph. In Kharkiv, a Russian guided aerial bomb struck a tuberculosis clinic in the Industrial District on Thursday, resulting in 12 injuries and an unknown number of people trapped under rubble. Police reported that 13 patients and 15 medical staff were present in the clinic at the time of the strike, which also damaged nine private homes and nearby vehicles. The Prosecutor's Office stated that the Russian Federation used a new UMPB-5 ammunition with a 100 km radius in the Kharkiv attack. Separately, explosions were reported at the Nevinnomyssk Azot Plant in Russia's Stavropol Territory, attributed to unknown drones. The plant is a major producer of nitrogen fertilizers and ammonia. Meanwhile, the Russian Central Bank announced on Friday that it had lowered its Key Rate to 18.00%. In Ukrainian domestic politics, Members of the Verkhovna Rada are scheduled to consider President Zelenskyy's draft law on NABU and SAPO on July 31st. On Wednesday, Ukrainian MP Maryana Bezuhla faced public backlash in Kyiv, with protesters chanting "Bezuhla — out!" and "Traitor!" as she appeared at a protest against a bill that undermines the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies, NABU and SAPO. Bezuhla was among the Members of Parliament who supported this bill. An incident of a Starlink satellite communication blackout reportedly lasted over two hours across Ukraine, impacting operations on the front lines. An explosion was also reported in occupied Nizhna Krynka, Donetsk region, with the cause and damage currently unknown.
