09:46 Ukraine lacks hangars to protect fighter jets
According to a report by the Ukrainian "Defense Express", the Ukrainian army does not have sufficient hangars to protect all their fighter jets from Russian attacks. The newspaper reports that a military airbase in the Oblast Poltava does not have large enough hangar spaces for Su-27 fighter jets. Therefore, Russia has released images of a recent air raid on the airfield, showing several Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft damaged in the open. The Ukraine is lacking hangars to protect all their pilots.
09:16 Defense Committee approves purchase of 105 Leopard-2A8 tanksThe Defense Committee of the German Bundestag will approve the purchase of 105 Leopard-2A8 battle tanks today. "We are exhausting all options," writes the new committee chairman Marcus Faber on the platform "X". "We are fully equipping the brigade in Lithuania with battle tanks, replacing older Leo2 in the army, and creating room for further appropriations to Ukraine," adds the FDP politician. According to the proposal, the order has a volume of approximately three billion Euros. The defense conglomerate KNDS is expected to deliver the tanks to the Bundeswehr by 2030.
08:44 Russia: Ukrainian attack on Black Sea port repelledRussia claims that it has repelled attacks by two unmanned Ukrainian mine boats on the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The Defense Ministry reports that the drone boats were destroyed in the Black Sea. In Novorossiysk, there is a large port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Russia has stationed many of its warships used in the conflict against Ukraine there after the Ukrainian forces attacked the ports on the Crimean peninsula. The Ministry did not comment on possible damages. The authorities in Novorossiysk urged people to stay in their homes and apartments during the night.
08:21 A large part of the Ukrainians feel unity in societyForty-four percent of Ukrainians believe that Ukrainian society is currently united, according to a nationwide survey conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on July 2. A smaller group of interviewees, 15 percent, consider Ukrainian society to be divided. Corruption is cited as the main problem, followed by language issues. Injustices during the war, collaboration, and pro-Russian sentiment are also identified as factors contributing to the division within society.
07:55 Kremlin: Ten Ukrainian attack drones destroyed over Russian territoryRussia claims that it has shot down ten Ukrainian attack drones over Russian territory. Five drones were shot down over the Belgorod border region, four over the Brjansk border region, and one over the Moscow region, the Defense Ministry reported on Telegram. Additionally, two Ukrainian sea drones were destroyed that had approached the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar region.
07:20 Ukrainian General Staff: nearly 1200 Russian casualties yesterday
The Ukrainian General Staff reports 1,180 casualties on the Russian side in the past 24 hours. Accordingly, 16 destroyed tanks, 17 armored vehicles, 57 artillery systems, and 63 tank and other vehicles were also destroyed. Two Russian air defense systems and a missile were allegedly destroyed by the Ukrainians. The number of dead or wounded soldiers on the Russian side, according to the General Staff, has exceeded 546,000 since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
06:48 Putin arrives at the SOZ summit in Kazakhstan
Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Kazakhstan, according to Kremlin reports. He is participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana. During the two-day meeting, issues of regional security, defense, and cooperation will be discussed. The heads of state and government of the SCO member states will discuss "the current situation and prospects for further deepening of multifaceted cooperation," Moscow reports. Putin plans to hold bilateral talks, including with China and Turkey. Representatives from 16 countries are participating in the summit - among them India, Iran, and Pakistan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also expected.
06:11 Ukraine rejects territorial concessions to Putin again
Ukraine continues to reject territorial concessions to Russia to end the war, according to the words of the chief of staff of the Ukrainian president, Andrij Yermak. "We are not ready to make compromises on important things and values," Yermak told journalists during a visit to Washington. He named "independence, freedom, democracy, territorial integrity, sovereignty." Yermak reacts to statements by the Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump, who claimed he could quickly end the conflict. The Ukrainian government is open to advice, however, to achieve a "just peace." Trump said during the television debate that he would not accept Putin's conditions. Putin had declared that Russia would end the war if Kiev were willing to surrender the territories in the east and south of the country that Moscow claims and occupies. Regarding Ukraine's assessment of Trump's handling of the war, Yermak said: "Honestly, I don't know. We will see."
05:42 USA to provide new military aid to Ukraine shortly
Ukraine needs urgent military supplies to defend against the Russian offensive. The USA will make additional military aid to Ukraine available in the coming days, worth around 2.3 billion US dollars (around 2.14 billion Euros). US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced this during a visit by his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umjeroв in Washington. The aid package includes "additional air defense missiles, anti-tank weapons, and other important ammunition from US stocks," Austin explained. A "realignment of some foreign military deliveries" will also enable the USA to provide Munition for Patriot and other air defense systems "in an accelerated timeframe."
04:49 NATO strengthens presence in Kiev
The NATO is expanding its civilian presence in Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia. A spokesperson confirmed that the 32 alliance members have decided to send special representatives to the capital Kiev. The high-ranking official is supposed to oversee the political and practical support of the alliance on site. The background is mainly that NATO intends to give the starting signal for a new deployment at the upcoming summit in Washington for the coordination of weapons deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian armed forces. The headquarters for this should be built in Wiesbaden. Who will get the new NATO position in Kiev is still unknown.
03:42 UN call for release of Gershkovich
Experts of the United Nations are calling for the immediate release of US journalist Evan Gershkovich, who is in Russian custody on espionage charges. "The detention of Evan Gershkovich is arbitrary" and violates several articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the experts write in a statement. In light of the circumstances of the case, the "immediate" release of Gershkovich is appropriate.
02:40 Serbian President Vucic receives Russian deputy foreign minister
The Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received the Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Gruschko in Belgrade. He spoke with Gruschko about the bilateral relations between Serbia and Russia and evaluated them as "very good". He also thanked Russia "for its support for Serbia's territorial integrity, as well as in relation to the UN resolution on Srebrenica". Moscow still refuses to recognize Kosovo's independence. Serbia has been an EU membership candidate since 2012, but despite the Russian intervention in Ukraine, it continues to maintain good relations with the Kreml.
01:29 Russian court sentences 19-year-old to twelve years
A Russian court has sentenced a 19-year-old to twelve years in prison for "treason", after he was accused of donating money to the Ukrainian army. "The Rostov Regional Court found him guilty and sentenced him to a twelve-year prison term in a penal colony", it says in a comment by the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB, which was taken up by the state-controlled Kremlin media. The teenager is said to have sent money to help the Ukrainian army buy food and drones. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, thousands of Russians have been arrested and many of them have been imprisoned. Amnesty International reported at least 21,000 people were targeted with repression against war opponents in 2023.
00:20 One quarter of US citizens find US aid to Ukraine insufficient
Almost a quarter of Americans believe that the United States is not providing enough military aid to Ukraine. This percentage has risen since November last year, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. According to the survey, 24 percent of respondents believe that the United States is not providing enough aid to Ukraine, compared to 18 percent in November 2023, when the survey was last conducted. However, more Americans (31 percent) believe that the United States is providing too much aid, and 25 percent believe that the US aid is sufficient.
22:53 Lithuania reports airspace violation by Russian aircraftLithuania reports the violation of its airspace by a Russian aircraft. The unspecified machine of the Russian airline Pobeda allegedly entered the airspace of the Baltic EU and NATO member illegally on the evening of June 30th and stayed there for approximately one minute. The Foreign Ministry in Vilnius announced this. The Russian embassy representative was summoned and the Russian authorities were urged to take all necessary measures to prevent such incidents in the future. The airspace violation occurred over the Baltic Sea, as the aircraft was on its way from Moscow to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad bordering Lithuania. The EU has closed its airspace to Russian aircraft as a reaction to Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
22:12 Survey in Member States: Great Trust in NATO, in Zelenskyy notNext week, NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary. In the member states, the transatlantic defense alliance is generally viewed favorably, according to a Pew Research survey. On average in 13 countries, 63% of the population holds a positive opinion, while 33% hold a negative one. Germany is slightly above the average with 64% positive sentiment. The evaluation in Poland stands out: 91% hold a positive image of the alliance there. The trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is, on average, at 40% and has decreased in the member states in the past year. Poland also stands out, where the head of state has lost 22 percentage points - from 70 to 48%. In Germany, trust has decreased by 7 percentage points to 54%.
21:27 Zelenskyy rejects Orban's peace proposalUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected a peace proposal from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for peace negotiations. During his first visit to Kiev since the start of the war, Orbán proposed a quick ceasefire. "This could accelerate peace negotiations with Moscow," he said. "The president listened, but in response, he clarified Ukraine's position and rejected the proposal," said a spokesperson for the Presidential Administration. Kiev had already rejected ceasefires on the grounds that Russian forces could regroup during this time.
21:02 Ukraine: Moscow recruits minorsRussia is actively recruiting minors for the war in Ukraine, Ukraine reports. The recruitment contracts are allegedly signed with minors, taking effect when they reach the age of majority. "They hope to recruit tens of thousands of teenagers with propaganda," says the Ukrainian agency "National Resistance Center": "We warn that any enemy on our territory will be eliminated." On occupied Ukrainian territory, Russia also employs minors, for example, to manufacture drones.
- Following the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Ukrainian army is in need of more hangars to protect their fighter jets, particularly Su-27s, as reported by Defense Express.
- In response to the lack of adequate protection for their military assets, Germany's Defense Committee has approved the purchase of 105 Leopard-2A8 tanks for Ukraine, as stated by the new committee chairman Marcus Faber.
- Meanwhile, Russia claims to have repelled an attack by two Ukrainian unmanned mine boats on the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and destroyed the drone boats in the Black Sea, according to their Defense Ministry.
- The ongoing Ukraine conflict has resulted in a significant divide within Ukrainian society, with 15% of interviewees in a nationwide survey conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology considering Ukrainian society to be divided.
- In the wake of the conflict, Ukraine has been receiving military aid from NATO, with the alliance sending special representatives to Kiev to oversee political and practical support for Ukraine's armed forces, as confirmed by a NATO spokesperson.
