Ukrainian forces conducted counteroffensive operations on at least three sectors of the front on July 31, the analytical review of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says.

“Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces continued attacking northwest and southwest of Bakhmut, in the western Donetsk–eastern Zaporizhia region border area, and in western Zaporizhia region. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported that over the past week, Ukrainian forces liberated an additional two square kilometers of territory in the Bakhmut area and 12.6 square kilometers in Berdiansk (western Donetsk–eastern Zaporizhia region border area) and Melitopol (western Zaporizhia region) directions.

It is reported that the Russian forces conducted offensive operations along the Svatove-Kreminna and Avdiyivka-Donetsk City lines and made claimed gains in Luhansk region.

“Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations near Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations in western Donetsk and western Zaporizhia regions. Russian forces conducted limited counterattacks in western Donetsk and western Zaporizhia regions,” the analysts report,” the analysts report.

According to ISW, Iran and Belarus are deepening bilateral cooperation over the backdrop of their mutual support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. “Belarusian Defense Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin arrived in Iran on July 31 and met with his counterpart, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding and a bilateral military cooperation plan for 2023. Ashtiani is primarily responsible for negotiating military acquisitions and sales in his role as Iranian Defense Minister, so Khrenin and Ashtiani likely discussed arms deals during their meeting. Belarus may have also been seeking to secure an agreement on Iranian production of Shahed drones on the territory of Belarus following initial reports that Iran was seeking to convert a plant in Belarus’ Gomel Oblast into a Shahed production plant,” the message reads.

The Wagner Group may be supplanting the Russian military as the Belarusian military’s key training partner.

“The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) likely succeeded in recruiting an unknown number of Wagner personnel following Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed rebellion … Prigozhin stated that the Wagner Group stopped recruiting in Russia and claimed that the Wagner Group does not need to recruit more personnel and has sufficient reserves,” the ISW informs.