PRESS DIGEST – UKRAINE

Fifth month of heroic resistance of Ukraine against Russian military invasion

Key updates on the war against Ukraine as of July 15, 2022

#ArmUkraineNow

DESTRUCTION AND LOSSES

📌 On July 8, the rescuers of the Donetsk region eliminated 8 fires of wheat at the root that arose as a result of enemy shelling on the territory of Kramatorsk, Pokrovsk, and Bakhmut districts. The fires destroyed 345.5 hectares of wheat.

📌By launching a war against Ukraine, Russia is putting 323 million people at risk of starvation. It was the aggression of the Russian Federation that provoked the global food crisis, EU High Representative Josep Borrell said at a meeting of G20 foreign ministers.

📌UN: 124 cases of sexual violence have already been reported since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine. At the same time, Pramila Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, admitted that the available data are “only the tip of the iceberg” and do not reflect the scale of sexual violence in the context of the Russian Federation war against Ukraine.

📌 More than 1009 children were affected by the Russian armed aggression in Ukraine. 352 children were killed, and another 657 were wounded.

📌ODESA REGION:

• On July 11, Russian troops launched a missile attack on the Odesa region. 4 missiles were fired from aircraft over the occupied Crimea. One of the missiles hit a building. 

📌LUHANSK REGION:

• Serhii Haidai, Head of the Luhansk regional military administration stated that the Luhansk region was not fully occupied, and the pause of the Russians was caused by the success of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

📌DONETSK REGION:

• The Russian army fired rockets from Grad at a high-rise building in Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region. Two entrances of the building are destroyed. 48 people, including a 9-year-old boy, died. Another 9 people were rescued. The search operation lasted 5 days, 323 people were involved in it.

• Russian forces step up artillery and missile strikes west of Bakhmut, presumably to isolate the city from Ukrainian lines of communication to the south and west — Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

• In temporarily occupied Mariupol, the Russian occupation “authorities” admitted that currently, the water supply in the city couldn’t be restored due to damage to the water pipeline as a result of shelling.
• Russians completely cut off the water supply of Mariupol. Residents of the city are trying to explain the lack of water by “repair work”. Electrical networks can not withstand the heat, and the operation of even one pumping station leads to a power outage.

📌KHARKIV REGION:

•  On July 9, as a result of shelling in Kharkiv, 7 people were injured.
• Missiles hit Kharkiv three times at night on July 11. One missile struck a 6-story apartment building. As a result, 3 people were killed, and 31 people were injured, including two children aged 4 and 16.

• Civilian objects and peaceful residents of Kharkiv are still under attack by the Russians. As a result of the shelling of the Industrialnyi District on July 12. Five people were injured.

• At night on July 14, the Russian invaders launched a series of attacks on Kharkiv, including strikes at the subway depot. The prosecutor’s office has already recorded the damage from the shelling.

📌 ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION:

• In Melitopol and other temporarily occupied territories, problems with bread began. Due to a gas pipeline rupture as a result of shelling, there is no gas in the city and bakeries cannot bake bread.
• Russia continues to steal grain in the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia — Ukrainian intelligence. They created the so-called “State Unitary Company” to illegally ship Ukrainian grain. The “SUC” set purchase prices for agricultural products: coarse wheat – 6,000 rubles, food wheat – 9,000 rubles, barley – 7,000 rubles per ton. 
• Russian missiles destroyed 600 hectares of grain in the Zaporizhzhia region on July 12.

• Two rockets hit one of the enterprises in the Dnipro district of the city of Zaporizhzhia on the afternoon of July 13. There was a fire, special services are working on the spot, and rescuers are clearing the rubble. 7 victims are known.

📌 MYKOLAIV REGION:

• On July 9, Russia fired six S-300 missiles at Mykolaiv. Nobody died, but there is the destruction of houses.
• The Russian military attacked Mykolaiv on July 12, hitting 2 medical facilities and residential buildings. The number of injured in the Mykolaiv missile attack — was 12 people.

• The Russians fired 9 missiles at Mykolaiv on July 14 – two educational institutions, a transport infrastructure facility, Hotel “Mykolaiv” and the shopping centre were hit. One person died, and one person was injured.

• On the morning of July 15, the Russians shelled the Mykolaiv with at least 10 rockets.  The city’s two largest universities were affected.

📌VINNYTSIA REGION:

On July 14, Russia fired missiles at Vinnytsia. A fire broke out at the site where the missile hit.  The strikes on Vinnytsia were carried out by Kalibr cruise missiles from a submarine in the Black Sea. 23 people have already died, including three children. At least 71 people were hospitalized. 117 victims were sent to medical institutions. Rescuers continue to search for 29 people.

• The US ambassador said that Russia has carried out another horrific attack and claimed the lives of innocent civilians. So far, experts have met at a conference to bring Russia to justice for war crimes in Ukraine.

📌DNIPROPETROVSK REGION:

• Russian troops fired from Grads at residential areas of the Inhulets district of Kryvyi Rih, said the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration Valentyn Reznychenko. A 20-year-old girl died in the hospital. In total, 2 people died and 3 were injured.

• On July 15, Russia fired a rocket at a school in the Sinelnyk district, causing serious damage there.

📌417 crimes against the cultural heritage of Ukraine were committed by Russians.

📌FIRMS: Ukraine on fire can be seen from space. This is what mass fires on the front line look like. These images were recorded by a special fire monitoring system FIRMS from NASA. The photo shows a clear demarcation line resulting from mass fires.

📌The Russian military seized the Institute of Animal Husbandry “Askania-Nova” in the Kherson region. The invaders hung a Russian flag on the Institute’s administrative building and introduced the “director of the enterprise” to the staff. Recall that zebras, antelope, bison and buffalo, deer, and wild horses – over 1,000 animals in total – live in Askania-Nova in semi-free conditions.

📌Russian troops have again struck at Zmiinyi Island – they are fighting for the remnants of their equipment, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. The General Staff reported that Ukrainian troops control the territory of Zmiinyi Island, and in the future, they will control the entire water area of the Black Sea.

RUSSIAN AND BELORUSSIAN CONTEXT 

⚠️In Belarus, active aviation exercises are being held at five airfields at once. Pilots from Russia also arrived at the exercises and practised their landing skills. “About 20 pilots from Russia arrived in Baranovichi. They arrived in the city on the morning of July 7 by the regular train Moscow-Brest. Moreover, this is not the first report that the Russian military again began to arrive in Belarus by ordinary passenger trains. There is a definite correlation between the arrival of the Russian military and the increase in the number of air exercises,” says the Belarusian Gayun.

⚠️️ The Russian authorities, without declaring mobilization, continue to recruit contract soldiers en masse. In the regional employment centres of the Russian Federation, more than

22.2 thousand vacancies for military personnel under the contract have appeared. The invaders are looking for snipers, artillerymen, drivers, medical instructors, and others.

⚠️️ ISW: Lukashenko is likely to continue granting Russian forces access to Belarusian airspace to demonstrate Putin at least nominal support. The likelihood of Belarus’ direct involvement in the war in Ukraine remains low due to influence that could change the stability and even survival of Lukashenko’s regime.

⚠️️Reuters: Iran is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred drones. The U.S. also has information indicating that Iran is willing to train Russian soldiers on how to use these drones.

DEFENSE UPDATES

📌On July 11, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a missile attack on the Russian ammunition depot in Nova Kakhovka

📌On July 12, Ukraine returned the bodies of 30 fallen Ukrainian defenders in the Zaporizhzhia region — Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.

📌 Acting head of the Kherson regional military administration said that in total, Ukrainian defenders liberated 44 settlements in the region.

📌Ukraine has become an associate member of the technical cooperation program of the armed forces of NATO member states. Ukraine received the right to jointly develop and amend key NATO standards for interoperability of combat control systems and related standards.

📌 At a meeting regarding the export of Ukrainian grain, the parties agreed to establish a coordination centre in Istanbul and hold a second meeting of Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Turkey next week, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said. 

📌​​10,000 Ukrainian soldiers started training in Great Britain. They will receive training during the upcoming weeks.

📌The European Union and 43 other countries supported Ukraine’s intention to sue the Russian Federation under the Genocide Convention, – EEAS press centre.  “We reiterate our support for Ukraine’s petition to bring proceedings against Russia in the International Court of Justice under the 1948 Genocide and Punishment Convention,” the statement said.

📌 Estimated losses of the Russian Federation Army in Ukraine:

📌Ukraine has already received or will soon receive EUR 33 billion of aid from its partners.

📌On July 9, Gérard Larchet, The Chairman of the Senate of the French Republic addressed the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

“The fate of your country is written in the bloody letters of war. The sacrifice of your daughters and sons is a daily reality that we must all be aware of and be part of. On behalf of the Senate of the French Republic, I would like to pay tribute to all of Ukraine, the successor of ancient history in the very heart of the European continent. The whole nation rose up to fight the slavery that Russia wanted to impose on you, with your people protecting their homeland. Ukrainians, thanks to their courage, are today a source of respect and inspiration for all countries that support them. These walls of the Verkhovna Rada today witness the heart of European parliamentarism beating.”

📌On July 11, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the command post of the Russian National Guard in the occupied Kherson region — Serhii Bratchuk, the spokesman of the Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, confirmed. Bratchuk emphasized that the occupants suffered losses.

📌The first eight foreign vessels arrived at the ports of Ukraine to transport agricultural products through the mouth of the Bystrinsky Canal of the Danube-Black Sea. The unblocking of the crossing became possible due to the liberation of Snake Island from the invaders. The opening of the crossing will allow the unloading of the Sulina branch, where a large number of ships have accumulated. The restoration of agricultural exports along the river will help reduce the threat of world hunger.

PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT OF UKRAINE

📌Canadian Minister of National Defence Anita Anand said they are talking about 39 armoured fighting fire support vehicles manufactured by General Dynamics.

📌The European Union donated almost one million euros worth of helmets and body armour for border guards to Ukraine.

📌 US President Joe Biden has signed a new $400 million military aid package for Ukraine. It includes four additional HIMARS MLRS and ammunition.

📌 The Bank of Estonia announced the start of sales of a 2-euro coin dedicated to Ukraine. The proceeds from the sale of coins will be transferred to the National Bank of Ukraine.

📌 The US will supply Ukraine with 155-mm precision-guided projectiles for the first time. This is a new type of 155-mm artillery shell that will give Ukraine the ability to accurately hit specific targets, making their use more effective.

📌According to Anthony Blinken, USA state secretary, The USA is to provide 368 million dollars of humanitarian aid for the Ukrainians who left the country and for those, who stayed.

📌The Minister of the Economy and Finance of France is preparing for a complete disconnection from Russian gas. 

📌Since the beginning of July, almost $7 billion worth of Russian assets have been blocked in Switzerland.

📌The Netherlands will supply Ukraine with modern heavy weapons, armoured vehicles and self-propelled howitzers. The Netherlands will provide Ukraine with €200 million for payments to teachers, doctors, and pensioners.

📌The Lithuanians bought anti-drones and Wingman radars for Ukraine. Anti-drones will help the Ukrainian military to shoot down the Russians’ UAVs at a short distance.

📌Ukraine received another $1.7 billion in grant aid from the United States — Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal. “$1.7 billion in grant aid has come to the Ukrainian budget from the World Bank Trust Fund and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

This is the second U.S. grant in the last two weeks, the total amount of aid was $3 billion,” the statement said.

📌The EU Council approved 1 billion euros of macro-financial assistance for Ukraine — Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis.

📌The Lithuanian government approves a 10 million euro aid package for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

📌Russia and Belarus may not be allowed to participate in the 2024 Olympics — Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee Craig Reedie.

📌From August 1, Germany will stop purchasing Russian coal, and from December 31, it  will refuse Russian oil — Reuters.

📌NATO is aimed at helping Ukraine with weapons, and not at its entry into the alliance, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

📌The EU does not recognize passports issued by Russia in occupied territories of Ukraine — EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

📌In addition, the EU countries strongly condemn any attempts by Russia to replace the democratically elected and legitimate Ukrainian administration.

 📌Saeima of Latvia approved a ban on the supply of Russian gas starting in 2023.