Summary of the day so far Ukraine predicts that it will recapture the southern region of Kherson by September. Sergiy Khlan, an aide to the head of Kherson region, said in an interview with Ukrainian television: “We can say that the Kherson region will definitely be liberated by September, and all the occupiers’ plans will fail.” But AFP reports from a village 25 miles from Kherson city suggests Ukrainian soldiers are doing well just to hold the front line.
Russia said its forces hit a Ukrainian warship and US-supplied Harpoon anti-ship missiles in the port of Odesa. Russia targeted Ukraine’s main port on Saturday with high-precision missiles, barely 12 hours after Moscow signed a deal with Ukraine to allow monitored grain exports from Ukraine’s southern ports. The deal was supposed to be a breakthrough to unblock grain exports from Black Sea ports and ease global food shortages caused by the war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces were moving “step by step” into the occupied eastern Black Sea region of Kherson, in video posted late on Saturday night. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its latest assessment that Ukraine appeared to be launching a Kherson counteroffensive, and quoted Ukrainian adviser for the Kherson region’s administration, Serhiy Khlan saying on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had seized unspecified settlements in the region. Ukraine has said it will push on with grain exports despite the attacks. Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said they would “continue technical preparations for the launch of exports of agricultural products from our ports,” and public broadcaster Suspilne quoted the Ukrainian military as saying the missiles had not significantly damaged the port.
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is in Cairo today for diplomatic talks with Egypt. It is the first stop on a charm offensive around Africa to try and turn around the country’s global reputation and trade. The governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said that two civilians were killed and another two injured in the region on Saturday. He also said two schools were destroyed in Russian shelling. Teachers were seen clearing one school in Bakhmut that was destroyed in Russian shelling in the early hours of this morning.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the strikes on Odesa “barbarism” and said they showed Moscow could not keep its promises. “This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it,” he said during a meeting with US lawmakers, according to a statement from the presidency. The US secretary of state condemned the Russian attack against Odesa, accusing Russia of deepening the global food shortage. In a statement posted on Twitter, Antony Blinken said: “The United States strongly condemns Russia’s attack on the port of Odesa today. It undermines the effort to bring food to the hungry and the credibility of Russia’s commitments to the deal finalized yesterday to allow Ukrainian exports.” Ukraine’s defence ministry has urged citizens in Enerhodar, a key area seized by Russia, to reveal where Russian troops are living and who among the local population was collaborating with the occupying authorities. “Please let us know as a matter of urgency the exact location of the occupying troops’ bases and their residential addresses … and the places of residence of the commanding staff,” it said on Saturday, adding that exact coordinates were desirable. The governor of Zaporizhizhia has said that Russia is keeping 170 people captive in the Zaporizhizhia oblast, the Kyiv Independent reports. According to the governor, Oleksandr Starukh, Russian forces have abducted at least 415 people in the southern region since 24 February – the day Russian forces invaded Ukraine – and at least 170 individuals are still being kept captive. Key events
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Ukraine’s health ministry said that least 18 medical personnel have been killed and nearly 900 medical facilities damaged or destroyed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which entered its sixth month on Sunday.
In a Facebook post, the ministry went on to say that over 50 medical workers had been wounded by Russian attacks since Moscow launched its invasion on February 24.
The post also said that 123 medical facilities in Ukraine were totally destroyed by the invasion, while another 746 needed repairs.
Russia has denied deliberately targeting civilians or medical workers. Instead, it claims that it is conducting a “special military operation” in Ukraine to fight nationalists.
A medical worker takes care of people injured during Russian shelling on Thursday at a intensive care of a hospital in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, Friday, July 15, 2022. Photograph: Efrem Lukatsky/APSince Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 183 religious sites have been either fully or partly destroyed, the Kyiv Independent reports.
According to the Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnic Affairs and Freedom of Conscience, the sites include churches, mosques, synagogues, educational and administrative buildings of Ukraine’s religious communities.
The outlet went on to report that five of the 183 sites that have been ruined or destroyed by Russian attacks are Muslim, five are Judaic and the other 173 are Christian.
Hi everyone, it’s Maya Yang here – I’ll be taking over the blog for the next few hours and will bring you the latest updates on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Stay tuned.
A church on the Donbass frontline in Sviato-Pokrovske, Donetsk, Ukraine, 23 July 2022 Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesA Canadian citizen has died in Ukraine, Canada’s foreign ministry has confirmed.
A media report suggests the Canadian was with two US citizens who recently died in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, Reuters reports. Their deaths were confirmed yesterday by the US State Department.
“Global Affairs Canada is aware of the death of a Canadian in Ukraine. Consular officials are in contact with the family and are providing consular assistance,” a Canadian foreign ministry spokesperson said. They added that further details are not being shared, due to privacy considerations.
The US and Canadian governments have not given details on how recent the deaths were, or their circumstances. The State Department has previously urged Americans not to travel to Ukraine to fight alongside Ukrainian forces, warning of the risks and dangers.
Ukraine has warned that a deal to export grain via the Black Sea will stall if there are further Russian airstrikes on key ports, the Guardian’s Jon Henley reports. It comes after Saturday’s missile attack in Odesa.
Ukraine has warned that grain exports via the Black Sea would not restart as hoped if a Russian airstrike on a key port was followed by more, as Moscow insisted its weekend missile barrage on Odesa hit a warship and weapons stores.
Saturday’s attack, which the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, denounced as “barbarism” that showed Moscow could not be trusted to implement a freshly inked deal allowing grain exports to resume, drew international condemnation.
Turkey, which helped broker the accord aimed at easing global food shortages, said immediately after the double cruise missile hits on the strategic southern port that it had received assurances from Moscow that Russian forces were not responsible.
But Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday the strikes had destroyed a naval vessel and arms delivered by Washington. Kyiv said two Kalibr missiles fired from Russian warships hit an area around a pumping station and two more were shot down.
Read Jon Henley’s report in full: Airstrikes on ports could derail grain export plan, warns Ukraine
Ukrainians march through Belfast to show Russian invasion “is not over”
Several hundred people have marched through Belfast to remind the British public that the war in Ukraine is not over.
The crowd included Ukrainian nationals and supporters, who marched through Belfast city centre waving Ukrainian flags and chanting messages including “stop genocide in Ukraine”, PA reports.
One of those present, Kateryna Zaichyk, told PA the group’s main message is that fighting continues and that Ukraine still needs support.
Addressing crowds at City Hall, Oleg Shankaruk, chair of Ukrainians in Northern Ireland, thanked government agencies who have already offered support to host Ukrainian families. “We want to say a big thank you to everyone in Northern Ireland,” he said.
I’m Anna MacSwan, and will be bringing you the latest developments on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this evening.
Summary of the day so far Ukraine predicts that it will recapture the southern region of Kherson by September. Sergiy Khlan, an aide to the head of Kherson region, said in an interview with Ukrainian television: “We can say that the Kherson region will definitely be liberated by September, and all the occupiers’ plans will fail.” But AFP reports from a village 25 miles from Kherson city suggests Ukrainian soldiers are doing well just to hold the front line.
Russia said its forces hit a Ukrainian warship and US-supplied Harpoon anti-ship missiles in the port of Odesa. Russia targeted Ukraine’s main port on Saturday with high-precision missiles, barely 12 hours after Moscow signed a deal with Ukraine to allow monitored grain exports from Ukraine’s southern ports. The deal was supposed to be a breakthrough to unblock grain exports from Black Sea ports and ease global food shortages caused by the war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces were moving “step by step” into the occupied eastern Black Sea region of Kherson, in video posted late on Saturday night. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its latest assessment that Ukraine appeared to be launching a Kherson counteroffensive, and quoted Ukrainian adviser for the Kherson region’s administration, Serhiy Khlan saying on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had seized unspecified settlements in the region. Ukraine has said it will push on with grain exports despite the attacks. Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said they would “continue technical preparations for the launch of exports of agricultural products from our ports,” and public broadcaster Suspilne quoted the Ukrainian military as saying the missiles had not significantly damaged the port.
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is in Cairo today for diplomatic talks with Egypt. It is the first stop on a charm offensive around Africa to try and turn around the country’s global reputation and trade. The governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said that two civilians were killed and another two injured in the region on Saturday. He also said two schools were destroyed in Russian shelling. Teachers were seen clearing one school in Bakhmut that was destroyed in Russian shelling in the early hours of this morning.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the strikes on Odesa “barbarism” and said they showed Moscow could not keep its promises. “This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it,” he said during a meeting with US lawmakers, according to a statement from the presidency. The US secretary of state condemned the Russian attack against Odesa, accusing Russia of deepening the global food shortage. In a statement posted on Twitter, Antony Blinken said: “The United States strongly condemns Russia’s attack on the port of Odesa today. It undermines the effort to bring food to the hungry and the credibility of Russia’s commitments to the deal finalized yesterday to allow Ukrainian exports.” Ukraine’s defence ministry has urged citizens in Enerhodar, a key area seized by Russia, to reveal where Russian troops are living and who among the local population was collaborating with the occupying authorities. “Please let us know as a matter of urgency the exact location of the occupying troops’ bases and their residential addresses … and the places of residence of the commanding staff,” it said on Saturday, adding that exact coordinates were desirable. The governor of Zaporizhizhia has said that Russia is keeping 170 people captive in the Zaporizhizhia oblast, the Kyiv Independent reports. According to the governor, Oleksandr Starukh, Russian forces have abducted at least 415 people in the southern region since 24 February – the day Russian forces invaded Ukraine – and at least 170 individuals are still being kept captive. AFP has a report from a village 25 miles outside the city of Kherson that casts doubt on rhetoric coming from the Ukrainian authorities about recapturing the region by September. The reporter was told by local troops that Ukraine was “doing well just to hold the front line”.
More from AFP here:
In a devastated village near Ukraine’s southern front line, the thud of incoming Russian artillery is a constant reminder of the hard battle ahead for Kyiv’s troops in a planned major counter-offensive.
Signs of destruction are all around in the village, which was only liberated from Russian occupation after intense fighting.
Almost every house has been levelled to the ground or badly damaged, there are burnt out cars, craters left by rockets and there is no sign of the people who once called the area home
Now a small detachment of Ukrainian soldiers holds the position in sandbagged trenches and the wreckage of destroyed buildings, always alert to enemy drones in the air. A couple of dogs and a cat keep them company during the long, hot days of waiting.
“There are those who are afraid – but what can we do, we need to defend our homeland, because if I don’t do it then my children will be forced to do it,” said Stanislav, 49, who left his wife and two kids at home to volunteer to fight when Russia invaded.
Kyiv has vowed to launch a counter-offensive to retake the strategic Kherson region and President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that his forces were advancing “step by step”.
For now, the troops at the position visited by AFP said Ukraine was doing well just to hold the front line.
None doubted a push for Kherson city, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) away, would come eventually – even if the prospect looks brutal and Ukraine still needs more big guns and armoured vehicles to make larger gains.
“We really don’t have enough artillery here – if we fire eight times at them, they fire back 48 times. For now they have superiority in artillery,” said Stanislav, who comes from the neighbouring Odessa region.
“But we are holding on.”
Teachers have returned to a destroyed school that was shelled in Bakhmut, Donetsk today. It is one of two schools that Donetsk’s governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said were destroyed in Russian shelling in the early hours of this morning.
AFP’s Igor Tkachev has taken pictures of the teachers who returned today to salvage school equipment.
Anton, a teacher, carries out surviving items from his school destroyed as a result of a shelling in Bakhmut, Donetsk region. Photograph: Igor Tkachev/AFP/Getty ImagesA teacher examines destructions in a school destroyed as a result of a shelling in Bakhmut, Donetsk region. Photograph: Igor Tkachev/AFP/Getty ImagesTeachers and workers carry out surviving items from their school destroyed as a result of a shelling in Bakhmut, Donetsk region. Photograph: Igor Tkachev/AFP/Getty ImagesUkraine predicts it will recapture Kherson region by SeptemberUkraine is now predicting that it will recapture the southern region of Kherson by September.
Sergiy Khlan, an aide to the head of Kherson region, said in an interview with Ukrainian television: “We can say that the Kherson region will definitely be liberated by September, and all the occupiers’ plans will fail,” AFP reports.
Kherson, which is an important region for Ukrainian agriculture, was taken by Russian troops early on in the war. But the Ukrainian army, bolstered by new supplies of Western long-range artillery, have been making gains in the area in recent weeks.
“We see that our armed forces are advancing openly. We can say that we are switching from defensive to counteroffensive actions,”Khlan said.
Russian forces seized the region’s main city, also called Kherson, on 3 March. It was the first major city to fall following Moscow’s invasion.
A new website set up by Russia’s independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, has been blocked a week after its launch. The move is a sign that Russia continues to stifle any free press.
Here’s more from AFP:
Russia on Sunday blocked the website of a new editorial project by independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which was forced to suspend publication in March amid repression of critics of the offensive in Ukraine.
On July 15, its staff launched a paper magazine that can be seen online via a new website called “Novaya Rasskaz-Gazeta”.
This first issue notably contained analysis of the ideology of Vladimir Putin and authoritarianism.
But, a week after it launched, Russia’s telecoms watchdog blocked the new website at the request of the prosecutor’s office.
On Sunday, it was inaccessible in Russia without a virtual private network (VPN), AFP journalists said.
“Our site was killed soon after it was born. We held it for seven days and nine hours,” the publication said in a statement.
It said the Russian prosecutor’s office accused it – without providing details – of “discrediting” the Russian armed forces, a new offence that has been widely used since March to stifle criticism of the military intervention in Ukraine.
“At the moment, there are no complaints against our paper-based magazine. So we will continue to prepare its second issue,” the statement added, calling on its readers “not to be discouraged”.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has held a joint press conference in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukry, following diplomatic talks.
Lavrov said he discussed Russia’s “military operation” in Ukraine with Egyptian officials who urged for “a political and diplomatic” settlement to the conflict, Associated Press reports.
Lavrov met President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi first, before talking to Shukry. He is also speaking to Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit today, according to RT.
The Cairo meeting is the first in a string of diplomatic talks across Africa, as an increasingly alienated Russia tries to recruit support. Lavrov also announced that a second Russia-Africa summit will be held in mid-2023 as part of Moscow’s diplomatic push.
African nations have been particularly affected by rocketing grain and fuel prices caused by fallout from the war. Egypt is among the world’s largest importers of wheat, mainly from Russia and Ukraine. It has so far refused to take sides in the conflict.
In an article on the Russian Foreign Ministry website, that was also published in four African newspapers, Lavrov praised African nations for taking “an independent path” on sanctions.
He claimed that the West’s portrayal of Russia as responsible for the global food crisis was “another attempt to shift the blame to others.”
Pope Francis told journalists today that he is yearning to visit Ukraine. When asked about a possible future trip to the country, he said: “I have a great desire to go to Kiev,” Reuters reports.
He was speaking on the papal plane to journalists travelling with him from Rome to Canada. No pope has ever visited Moscow and pope Francis has been outspoken about Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Last month he implicitly accused Moscow of waging a “cruel and senseless war of aggression”.
AFP has an interesting report on souring relations between Israel and Russia after the closure of an agency that helps Russian Jews emigrate to Israel. More here:
A Russian decision to shut down an agency that processes the immigration of Jews to Israel would be a “serious event” impacting bilateral ties, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Sunday.
A Moscow court said last week that the justice ministry had requested the “dissolution” of the Jewish Agency because of unspecified legal violations, and set a hearing for July 28.
Some experts interpreted that as a warning shot from the Kremlin towards Lapid, who has taken a tougher rhetorical line over the Ukraine conflict than Israel’s former premier Naftali Bennett, who stepped aside on July 1.
Lapid told a meeting of senior officials Sunday that “closing the Jewish Agency offices would be a serious event that would affect relations”, a government statement said.
He also ordered that a “legal delegation be prepared to depart for Moscow as soon as the Russian approval for talks is received and to make every effort to exhaust the legal dialogue”, on top of diplomatic efforts to ease the dispute.
Pictures published today show a carnival-style clean-up operation in the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv, as volunteers cleared debris from a destroyed house of culture.
Yahidne, north of Kyiv, came under sustained attack early in the war, with villagers having to hide in a school basement for weeks on end.
The images from Reuters photographer, Viacheslav Ratynskyi, show a party atmosphere amongst volunteers on Saturday, with a DJ set and musician playing amidst the rubble.
The event was organised by volunteer movement Repair Together, who travel around regions no longer occupied by Russia to help local residents clear damaged buildings accompanied by electronic music.
Artist performs while volunteers remove debris from the House of a Culture in the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv. Photograph: Viacheslav Ratynskyi/ReutersVolunteers remove debris from the House of a Culture in the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv region, which was heavily damaged earlier in the war. Photograph: Viacheslav Ratynskyi/ReutersVolunteers dance after cleaning up the House of a Culture in the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv region. Photograph: Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reutershttps://media.gutools.co.uk/images/c0c807bdda7ab2b233ccd2a1bc5d365d031f0992
A volunteer poses for a picture with a part of a mortar shell while DJ performs in the House of a Culture in the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv. Photograph: Viacheslav Ratynskyi/ReutersHere is some video footage of Russia’s missile strike on the port of Odesa on Saturday. The strike was condemned for coming barely 12 hours after Moscow signed a deal with Ukraine to allow monitored grain exports from the port. Russia now says the target was military and hit a Ukrainian warship and US-supplied anti-ship missiles.
Ukraine: Russian missile strike hits main port of Odesa – videoSummary of the day so far Russia said its forces hit a Ukrainian warship and US-supplied Harpoon anti-ship missiles in the port of Odesa. Russia targeted Ukraine’s main port on Saturday with high-precision missiles, barely 12 hours after Moscow signed a deal with Ukraine to allow monitored grain exports from Ukraine’s southern ports. The deal was supposed to be a breakthrough to unblock grain exports from Black Sea ports and ease global food shortages caused by the war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces were moving “step by step” into the occupied eastern Black Sea region of Kherson, in video posted late on Saturday night. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its latest assessment that Ukraine appeared to be launching a Kherson counteroffensive, and quoted Ukrainian adviser for the Kherson region’s administration, Serhiy Khlan saying on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had seized unspecified settlements in the region. Ukraine has said it will push on with grain exports despite the attacks. Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said they would “continue technical preparations for the launch of exports of agricultural products from our ports,” and public broadcaster Suspilne quoted the Ukrainian military as saying the missiles had not significantly damaged the port.
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is in Cairo today for diplomatic talks with Egypt. It is the first stop on a charm offensive around Africa to try and turn around the country’s global reputation and trade. The governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said that two civilians were killed and another two injured in the region on Saturday. He also said two schools were destroyed in Russian shelling. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the strikes on Odesa “barbarism” and said they showed Moscow could not keep its promises. “This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it,” he said during a meeting with US lawmakers, according to a statement from the presidency. The US secretary of state condemned the Russian attack against Odesa, accusing Russia of deepening the global food shortage. In a statement posted on Twitter, Antony Blinken said: “The United States strongly condemns Russia’s attack on the port of Odesa today. It undermines the effort to bring food to the hungry and the credibility of Russia’s commitments to the deal finalized yesterday to allow Ukrainian exports.” Ukraine’s defence ministry has urged citizens in Enerhodar, a key area seized by Russia, to reveal where Russian troops are living and who among the local population was collaborating with the occupying authorities. “Please let us know as a matter of urgency the exact location of the occupying troops’ bases and their residential addresses … and the places of residence of the commanding staff,” it said on Saturday, adding that exact coordinates were desirable. The governor of Zaporizhizhia has said that Russia is keeping 170 people captive in the Zaporizhizhia oblast, the Kyiv Independent reports. According to the governor, Oleksandr Starukh, Russian forces have abducted at least 415 people in the southern region since 24 February – the day Russian forces invaded Ukraine – and at least 170 individuals are still being kept captive. More detail is coming through on Russia’s claims that the targets in the port of Odesa were military. Saturday’s attack on Ukraine’s main port came barely 12 hours after Moscow signed a deal to unblock grain exports from it.
Reuters reports:
Russian forces have destroyed a Ukrainian warship and U.S.-supplied Harpoon anti-ship missiles in the Ukrainian port of Odesa, Russian news agencies quoted the defence ministry as saying on Sunday.
“A docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse with U.S.-supplied Harpoon anti-ship missiles were destroyed by long-range precision-guided naval missiles in Odesa seaport on the territory of a ship repair plant.”
The Ukrainian military had said Russian missiles hit the southern port on Saturday, threatening a deal signed just one day earlier to unblock grain exports from Black Sea ports and ease global food shortages caused by the war.