According to Ukraine, it has developed an air defense system that is currently in the testing phase. This was said by the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Security in the Ukrainian Parliament, Yehor Chernev, on Ukrainian television, as reported by the “Kyiv Independent”. Accordingly, the developed air defense system has a medium range. The tests have so far been “quite successful,” said Tschernjew. According to him, the system is similar to the Hawk air defense system from the USA. However, it is not a replacement for the longer-range Patriot system.
+++ 03:54 Governor: One dead and 18 injured in the attack on Odessa +++
According to local authorities, a civilian was killed in another night-time attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa. “Unfortunately, as a result of the night-time terrorist attack by the Russians on Odessa, one civilian died,” said the region’s governor, Oleg Kiper, in the online service Telegram. Shortly before he had spoken of 18 injured, including four children. Of the injured, 14 were taken to the hospital, including three children.
+++ 02:31 Kremlin: Putin and Lukashenko meet for a briefing +++
According to the Russian government, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will meet on Sunday. Lukashenko is on a working visit to Russia and will talk to Putin about the further development of the “strategic partnership” between the two countries, the Kremlin said.
+++ 02:20 repair center for Leopard tanks in Poland goes into operation +++
A repair center in Poland for Leopard tanks delivered to Ukraine, which German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called for, has been completed and put into operation. This was announced by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak on Saturday evening. “The repair center in Gliwice is operational! The first two Leopards have already arrived at the Bumar plant from Ukraine,” wrote the national-conservative minister on Twitter. As early as April, Pistorius and Blaszczak had agreed on the construction of the repair center of the armaments manufacturer Bumar-Labedy in Gliwice (in German Gleiwitz). Leopard main battle tanks from Germany and Poland, which are used by Ukraine in the fight against Russia, are to be repaired there. However, during his visit to Poland in early July, Pistorius criticized the Polish side for being too slow in completing the center.
Here you can read more about it.
+++ 02:06 Several dead after shelling in eastern Ukraine +++
Several people were killed and injured by Russian shelling in Ukraine. In the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region in the east of the country, a resident was killed by Russian shelling on Saturday, the local prosecutor told Telegram. Another person was killed and one injured in the shelling of the town of Dvorichna in the Kupyansk area, it said. According to the military administration of the Sumy region in the north-east of the country, several towns were shelled with artillery or helicopters on Saturday. According to preliminary information, at least one person was killed and four others injured in Krasnopil.
+++ 00:53 NATO-Ukraine Council will meet on grain agreements +++
At the request of Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is calling a meeting of the new NATO-Ukraine Council next Wednesday. Alliance spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the aim was to discuss the latest developments and to discuss the transport of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. The meeting should take place at ambassador level. Shortly before the announcement, Stoltenberg had called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Stoltenberg said afterwards: “We strongly condemn Moscow’s attempt to use food as a weapon.” Allies would stand by Ukraine for as long as needed. The country attacked by Russia is closer to NATO than ever after the alliance’s most recent summit.
Here you can read more about it.
+++ 23:07 Selenskyj is pushing for the resumption of grain deliveries +++
Despite the expired grain agreement with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing for grain exports to continue across the Black Sea. “Any destabilization in this region and the disruption of our export routes brings problems with corresponding consequences for everyone in the world,” he says in his daily video address. The increase in food prices is the smallest problem. He spoke to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about possible solutions, says the head of state. Russia stopped the grain deal earlier this week because, according to the Kremlin, Moscow’s demands for easing its agricultural exports have not been met.
+++ 22:15 Belarus dictator Lukashenko reaches St. Petersburg +++
According to the Kyiv Independent, the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has arrived in St. Petersburg. A meeting with Vladimir Putin is to follow later. According to the report, Lukashenko’s press service said it would deal with “security issues, the international agenda, the implementation of alliance programs and joint resistance to the pressure of sanctions.” The two heads of state only recently met after the Wagner mercenary uprising. These are now on Belarusian territory near the border with Poland.
+++ 21:37 Ukraine is holding back resources in counter-offensive – they could still “make a difference” +++
Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Havrylov confirmed again today that the Ukrainian forces are not using all of their military resources in their counter-offensive (entry from 18:13). US Secretary of State Blinken also recently referred to this in Colorado. “If they go out and use all the forces that have been trained over the last few months, the equipment that we and about 50 countries have given them, I think it would make a difference,” the US Secretary of State said, according to Voice of America.
+++ 20:59 Ukraine confirms renewed attack on Crimea +++
Ukraine has confirmed an attack it carried out today on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia. The attack was aimed at “military facilities,” a source in the Ukrainian army told AFP. The source did not provide any further details about the attack. Moscow-appointed Crimean governor Sergey Aksyonov previously announced that an ammunition dump had exploded as a result of a Ukrainian drone attack. After that, in the Krasnogvardeyskoye region in Crimea, it was decided to evacuate within a five-kilometer radius of the camp. Nobody was injured in the drone attack, Aksjonov explains in the online service Telegram.
+++ 20:19 Russian tennis player Swonarewa prevented from entering Poland +++
Poland has rejected Russian tennis player Vera Zvonareva upon entry. According to the Polish Ministry of the Interior, the double partner of the German Laura Siegemund tried to enter the country from Belgrade on a visa issued by France. It will then be stopped at Warsaw Airport and leave Poland for the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica. Poland refuses entry to athletes from Russia and Belarus because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. The Ministry of the Interior explains that the border guards prevented Swonarewa from entering the country “for reasons of state security and the protection of public safety”. Poland denies entry to all those who support the actions of Russia and Belarus.
+++ 19:43 Ex-“Prime Minister” of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” Alexander Borodaj wounded +++
Alexander Borodai, Russian politician and former “Prime Minister” of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic”, has come under fire and was injured, according to a report by the Nexta news agency. Borodaj is considered one of the former leaders of the pro-Russian separatists, who have been waging war against Ukraine since 2014. A recording shows him with a bleeding wound on his head, he also seems to be injured on his arm.
+++ 18:59 “Very hard work” – footage shows trenches being taken by Ukrainian fighters +++
Again and again shots and heavily breathing soldiers who risk their lives every second. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has released footage showing militants retaking trenches occupied by Russian forces. The mission succeeds, among other things, through the successful use of hand grenades. Several invaders are eliminated and one captured. The Ukrainians also captured ammunition and weapons. “They were shocked when we showed up here,” says a commander about the operation. “It is indeed very difficult to be offensive. It is very hard work,” says another soldier in the nearly eight-minute video. The Ministry of Defense writes about the clip: “This is how it’s done: an attack on the enemy positions by the Presidential Brigade.”
+++ 18:13 Kiev sees “military initiative” now – and “resources not yet fully exhausted” +++
After the Ukrainian side reported a few days ago that 100,000 men had been massed near Kupjansk and Lyman, Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Havrylov was nevertheless optimistic. In a telegram statement, he said the military initiative on the frontline had gone to Ukraine. “Along the front line, it was a desperate attempt to withdraw our forces from other areas. No matter what they say now, the Russians tried to do something in the Kupyansk area. But in general, the initiative is now on our side.” He also adds that Ukraine has not yet fully exploited its resources and will sooner or later succeed. “It’s clear that people sitting in warm rooms and watching the internet and TV would like everything to go faster, but the reality is that we have to take into account what’s happening on the ground.”
You can read more about the events of the previous day here.