Ukraine war in the live ticker: +++ 02:35 CIA boss: The next six months will be decisive for Ukraine +++

Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 02:35 CIA boss: The next six months will be decisive for Ukraine +++

According to the head of the US secret service CIA, the next six months will be decisive for the outcome of the war in Ukraine. “The key will be on the battlefield in the next six months,” CIA director William Burns said at an event at George Town University in Washington. “We must shake Putin’s hubris and make him understand that not only will he not be able to advance any further in Ukraine, but that with each passing month he is in more and more danger of losing the territory he has given Ukraine so far illegally snatched”. Putin does not want to negotiate seriously.

+++ 01:23 Zelenskyj: Ukraine “deserves” the start of EU accession negotiations this year +++
According to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Ukraine “deserves” to start negotiations on his country’s accession to the EU later this year. “I think Ukraine deserves to start negotiations on EU membership this year,” Zelensky said after talks with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv. According to Zelenskyi, those responsible in Ukraine and the EU are in agreement: “Only together can a strong Ukraine and a strong European Union protect the life we ​​value,” he says. “And that our further integration must give our people energy and motivation to fight against all obstacles and threats.”

+++ 00:00 US senators: F-16 sale to Turkey depends on NATO approval +++
According to a cross-party group of US senators, a billion-dollar sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey depends on Ankara’s approval of Sweden and Finland joining NATO. Once Turkey has approved and ratified the two countries’ entry into the military alliance, the US Congress could consider selling the planes for $20 billion, the senators write. Should Ankara refuse to join the Nordic countries, the sale of the jets would be put in question. Turkey blocks Sweden’s entry into the western military alliance. Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO after the Russians invaded Ukraine. This requires the approval of all 30 NATO countries.

+++ 22:19 US court wants to confiscate 5.4 million dollars from Russian oligarch +++
Sanctioned Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeev could have $5.4 million (£4.4 million) seized by a US court, a judge has ruled. US authorities accuse him of funding separatists in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. The seizure is part of a crackdown by the US Department of Justice to squeeze the finances of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s allies. The money from Malofeyev, the owner of the Orthodox Christian TV station Tsargrad TV, could be used to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction. The oligarch denies funding separatists.

+++ 22:01 Ukraine reports death of two Russian officers in Crimea – guerrilla group responsible? +++
Two Russian officers are said to have been killed in a bomb attack in Crimea. According to Ukrainian sources, the officers were on their way from Sevastopol to Simferopol when the attack took place. Members of the Ukrainian-Tatar resistance movement Atesh, a guerrilla group operating in Crimea, are said to be responsible for this.

+++ 21:38 court detains former Ukrainian Defense Minister +++
A former deputy secretary of defense is suspected of being involved in the ministry’s procurement of overpriced food and substandard equipment for the military. According to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), a Ukrainian court has ordered his detention. However, the SBI does not name the former official. The case follows the resignation of Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov last month after a media report alleging the Defense Ministry bought food at inflated prices. At the time, Shapovalov denied any wrongdoing but said he would resign to maintain public confidence in the ministry.

+++ 21:08 Russian authorities investigate journalists for “discrediting the army” +++
Journalist Ilya Asar faces criminal charges for “discrediting” the Russian army, reports Russian newspaper RIA Novosti, citing a law enforcement source. In the morning, the Baza Telegram channel reports that Moscow investigators are allegedly conducting an investigation into a journalist who left Russia after the war began. RIA Novosti writes: In June, Azar publishes a post on a social network in which he in every way discredits the Russian military. The journalist’s actions fall under Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public actions discrediting the army). Asar will be arrested in 2020. At that time he is said to have violated corona requirements during a protest.

+++ 20:49 Russia has lost 9000 tanks, vehicles and other war equipment since the beginning of the invasion +++
The experts of the Oryx team meanwhile come to the loss of 9000 tanks, armored vehicles and other war equipment on the Russian side. The team has been scouring the Internet for photos and videos of destroyed, damaged, or captured technology by Ukrainian soldiers since the Russian invasion began. According to the current figures, Russia alone loses 1,671 tanks and 771 armored vehicles, but also more than 650 artillery systems. There are also 75 helicopters and 69 airplanes. The kamikaze drones delivered from Iran do not appear in the overview.

You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.

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