07/17/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 08:08 Ukrainian military: incident on the Crimean bridge could be a provocation by Russia +++
According to the Ukrainian military, the Crimean bridge incident could be a provocation by Russia. The procedure and the subsequent loud announcement are typical, says the spokeswoman for the southern command, Natalya Humeniuk, on the Rada station. However, Kiev recently admitted responsibility for the last major incident on the bridge, the explosions on October 8, 2022. On Telegram Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar recently said about the incident at the time: “273 days ago [wir] carried out the first strike on the Crimean bridge in order to break through the Russian logistics.”
+++ 07:36 Russia: Two dead in incident on the Crimean bridge – girl injured +++
According to the authorities, two people died in the incident on the bridge to the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia. A man and a woman died in their car, says the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, in a video message. The couple’s daughter was injured and taken to the hospital. The victims come from the Russian region of Belgorod. The Russian Ministry of Transport also reports that there is damage to the roadway of the bridge, but the bridge structure is intact.
+++ 07:00 ISW: Russia removes high-ranking military from “most effective units” +++
The Russian Defense Ministry has begun removing commanders from some of the “most combat-effective units and formations in the Russian military,” according to the Institute for War Studies (ISW). The Russian armed forces fighting in Ukraine could be “significantly demoralized” in this way, it is said. The ISW cites Russian sources, according to which the military command recently fired the commander of the 7th Guards Airborne Division, Major General Alexander Kornev. The Russian authorities also arrested the commander of the 90th Armored Division, Major General Ramil Ibatullin. Several Russian war bloggers recently reported that the high command recalled Major General Vladimir Seliverstov as commander of the 106th Guards Airborne Division on Saturday. Major General Ivan Popov had already been dismissed.
+++ 06:35 train traffic on the Crimean bridge should be resumed after the incident +++
The Russian-installed Governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, writes on Telegram that the train service on the Crimean bridge is to be resumed by 9 a.m. after consultation with the First Deputy Minister of Transport Kostyuk. The law enforcement authorities would also provide information about the causes of the incident. Previously, Russian sources reported at least two attacks on the Crimean bridge. Here you can read more about it.
+++ 06:03 Ukraine: Russian invaders restrict access to medicines +++
Russian forces deny residents of the occupied territory of the Zaporizhia region access to discounted medicines unless they have Russian passports, according to the National Resistance Center of the Ukrainian military. Zaporizhia is partially under the control of the Russian invaders, including the nuclear power plant there.
+++ 05:28 grain agreement is threatening to expire today +++
Almost a year after it came into force, the agreement on shipping Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea expires this Monday. The grain agreement, which was painstakingly negotiated with the help of Turkey and the United Nations, ends at 11:00 p.m. CEST if no agreement is reached. The Russian President Putin had recently brought up a suspension of the agreement, which is also important for the fight against hunger in the world, until Moscow’s demands are met.
+++ 04:35 Russian sources report at least two attacks on the Crimean bridge +++
The Russian Telegram channel “Gray Zone”, which is associated with the mercenary group Wagner, reports two attacks on the Crimean bridge. The footage released on the canal shows at least one collapsed bridge section and a damaged civilian vehicle. Governor Sergei Aksjonov, appointed by Russia, speaks of an incident on the 145th pillar of the bridge. He asks the population not to drive on the bridge. Here you can read more about it.
+++ 04:17 report on explosions on Crimean bridge – Russian governor: traffic interrupted +++
According to Russian information, traffic on the Crimean Bridge came to a standstill due to an “emergency situation”. This is what the governor Sergei Aksyonov, appointed by Russia, writes on Telegram. He does not give any further details. RBC-Ukraine news agency reports that explosions were heard earlier on the bridge connecting the Crimea peninsula with Russia’s Krasnodar Territory.
+++ 01:21 Continued uncertainty about possible extension of the grain agreement +++
The United Nations (UN) brokered grain deal between Ukraine and Russia remains in limbo. The agreement, which allows for the safe export of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea, was not renewed on Sunday. “We are waiting for Moscow’s position, everything is possible,” reports the Russian state news agency TASS, citing people from UN circles familiar with the matter. The deal expires on Monday.
+++ 00:26 Zelenskyj on the anniversary: ”Our country will never give up sovereignty” +++
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, 33 years after adopting the Declaration of Sovereignty, highlights the country’s strength in resisting Russian war of aggression. “Our country will never give up its sovereignty. Everyone in the world knows that,” he said in a video message that was broadcast daily in Kiev. Let’s celebrate a free Ukraine. Zelenskyj once again thanked named soldiers who fought for the country. On July 16, 1990, the Ukrainian parliament passed a document on the independence of the country, which was still part of the Soviet Union at the time.
+++ 23:48 Ukrainian representative of the Crimea: Hundreds of thousands of Russians are threatened with “forced expulsion” from the peninsula +++
Tamila Tasheva, the permanent representative of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to Crimea, told Newsweekthat Kiev could punish up to 10,000 Ukrainians in the peninsula for their cooperation with the Russian occupation authorities. In addition, Ukraine would have to deal with an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 Russian citizens who came to Crimea illegally after the annexation. According to Tasheva, those who do not leave the peninsula before its liberation will face “compulsory deportation.” However, Crimea is still firmly in Russian hands, and there are no signs of liberation by Ukrainian troops anytime soon.
+++ 22:11 Russia: Ukraine attacks Crimea with drones +++
Russia reports repelling a Ukrainian attack with at least ten drones on the annexed peninsula of Crimea. According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, the “terrorist attack” on targets near Sevastopol did not cause any casualties or damage. Sevastopol is the home port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, has been a regular target of attacks.
+++ 21:23 Ukrainian fencer Boreyko killed in the war +++
Ukrainian fencer Denys Boreyko has been killed in a combat operation in the wake of Russia’s war of aggression. According to his club Liberte Dnipro, the 34-year-old died on July 3 and was buried ten days later. Advisor to the Ukrainian Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko wrote on Twitter about the deceased “world champion and European champion at juniors and master of sports of international level”: “From the first days of the Russian major invasion in February, Denys supported the Ukrainian military and territorial defense of Dnipro and voluntarily joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces in March 2022.” The international fencing federation FIE decided in March that Russian and Belarusian fencers may take part in international competitions as neutral athletes. Last week it was confirmed that Ukraine will boycott the individual competitions at the World Championships in Milan from July 22-25. Russians and Belarusians are not allowed to take part in the team competitions.
Read earlier developments here.