11:01 Military base burns in Kursk, Russia
Videos from the Russian city of Kursk show a large smoke cloud over the city. A Ukrainian attack is reported to have set several vehicles on fire at a military base. The governor of the region confirms a fire in the city center.
10:40 Ukraine: Multiple civilians killed in Russian attacks
Russian troops reportedly shot at the village of Borova in the Charkiw region overnight. The military administration of Charkiw reports on Telegram that during this attack, a man was killed and two others were injured. According to reports, at least three people were killed and 18 others were injured in a Russian rocket and drone attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
10:19 Kremlin: No talks with Trump about Ukraine
According to the Kremlin, Russia is not in dialogue with former US President Donald Trump about Ukraine. The Interfax news agency reports this based on a spokesperson for the Russian Presidium. Trump had announced during a TV duel with President Joe Biden during the previous week that if he won the November election, he would resolve the war in Ukraine before his inauguration in January.
09:46 Ukraine lacks hangars to protect fighter jets
According to a report in the Ukrainian "Defense Express" newspaper, the Ukrainian army does not have enough hangars to protect all its fighter jets from Russian attacks. The newspaper reports that a military airbase in the Poltawa oblast does not have sufficient large hangar spaces for Su-27 fighter jets. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has reportedly released footage of a recent air raid on the airfield, which shows several Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jets damaged in the open. The Ukrainian military lacked hangars to protect all its fighter jets.
09:16 Defense Committee approves purchase of 105 Leopard 2A8 tanks
The Defense Committee of the German Bundestag is expected to 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 Litauen 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 company KNDS is expected to deliver the tanks to the Bundeswehr by 2030.
08:44 Russia: Ukrainian attack on Black Sea port repelled
Russia reports that it has repelled attacks by two unarmed Ukrainian explosive boats on the Black Sea port of Noworossijsk. The Defense Ministry reports that the drone boats were destroyed in the Black Sea. The port of Noworossijsk is home to a large Russian Black Sea Fleet harbor. Many of the Russian warships used in the conflict against Ukraine are stationed there after Ukrainian forces attacked Häfen on the Crimean peninsula. The Ministry did not comment on possible damages. The authorities in Noworossijsk urged people to stay in their homes and buildings during the night.
08:21 A large part of Ukrainians feel unity in society
According to a nationwide survey conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on July 2, 44% of Ukrainians believe that Ukrainian society is united at present. A smaller portion of interviewees, 15%, view Ukrainian society as divided. Corruption is cited as the primary concern, followed by language issues. Inequalities during the war, collaboration, and Russophile sentiments are also seen as factors contributing to societal division.
07:55 Kremlin: Ten Ukrainian attack drones destroyed
According to Russian statements, ten Ukrainian attack drones have been shot down over Russian territory. Five drones were reportedly destroyed over the Belgorod border region, four over the Brjansk border region, and one over the Moscow region. Additionally, two Ukrainian reconnaissance drones were reportedly destroyed, which had been heading towards the Noworossijsk Black Sea port in the Krasnodar region.
07:20 Ukrainian General Staff: Nearly 1,200 Russian losses yesterday
The Ukrainian General Staff reports 1,180 losses on the Russian side in the past 24 hours. This includes 16 destroyed tanks, 17 armored vehicles, 57 artillery systems, and 63 tank and other vehicles. Two Russian air defense systems were allegedly destroyed by the Ukrainians, along with a missile. The number of dead or wounded Russian soldiers, according to the General Staff, has surpassed 546,000 since the full-scale invasion began.
06:48 Putin arrives for 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. The two-day event focuses on regional security, defense, and cooperation issues. The heads of state and government of the SCO member states are discussing "the current state and prospects for further deepening of multifaceted cooperation," according to Moscow. Putin is scheduled to hold bilateral talks, including with China and Turkey. The summit is attended by representatives from 16 countries - including India, Iran, and Pakistan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also expected to attend.
06:11 Ukraine continues to reject territorial concessions to PutinAccording to the words of Andrij Yermak, the chief of staff of the Ukrainian president, Ukraine continues to categorically reject territorial concessions to Russia to end the war. "We are not willing to make compromises on important things and values," Yermak said to journalists and named "independence, freedom, democracy, territorial integrity, sovereignty." In response to statements from Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump, who claimed he could end the conflict quickly, the government in Kiev is open for advice 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 was willing to surrender the territories claimed and occupied by Moscow in the east and south of the country. In response to a question about how Ukraine views Trump's handling of the war, Yermak replied: "Honestly speaking: I don't know. We'll see."
05:42 USA to provide new military aid for UkraineThe Ukrainian military is in urgent need of supplies. The USA will make available to Ukraine in the near future additional military aid in the amount of around 2.3 billion US dollars (around 2.14 billion Euros) to counter the Russian attack war in Ukraine. This was announced by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a visit by his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umjeroв in Washington. The package approved by US President Joe Biden includes "additional air defense missiles, anti-tank weapons, and other important ammunition from US stocks," explained Austin. A "realignment of some foreign military deliveries" will also make it possible for the USA to provide Munition for Patriot and other air defense systems "in an accelerated timeframe."
04:49 NATO expanding presence in KievThe NATO is expanding its civilian presence in the attacked Ukraine. A spokesperson confirmed that the 32 alliance members have decided to send a kind of special envoy to the capital Kiev. The high-ranking official is supposed to steer political and practical support from the alliance on site. The background is that the NATO intends to give the start 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 post in Kiev is still not known.
03:42 UN call for release of GershkovichExperts from the United Nations are calling for the immediate release of US journalist Evan Gershkovich, who is in custody in Russia on espionage charges. "The deprivation of liberty of Evan Gershkovich is arbitrary" and violates several articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the experts write in a statement. Taking into account the circumstances of the case, the "immediate" release of Gershkovich is appropriate.
02:40 Serbian President Vucic receives Russian deputy foreign ministerThe 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 assessed them as "very good", Vucic stated on Instagram. He also thanked Russia "for its support of 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 continues to maintain good relations with the Kreml despite the Russian annexation of Ukraine.
01:29 Russian court sentences 19-year-old to twelve yearsA Russian court sentenced a 19-year-old man to twelve years in prison for "high 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 term in a penal colony," according to a comment from the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB, which was picked up by state Kremlin media. The teenager is alleged to have sent money to help the Ukrainian army buy food and drones. Thousands of Russians have been arrested and many of them imprisoned since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to Amnesty International, at least 21,000 people were targeted with repressions against war opponents in 2023.
00:20 A quarter of US citizens find US aid to Ukraine insufficientAlmost 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 Centre. According to the survey, 24 percent of respondents believe that the United States is not providing enough aid, 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 a violation of its airspace by a Russian aircraft. The unidentified plane of the Russian airline Pobeda entered the airspace of the Baltic EU and NATO member illegally in the evening of June 30th and stayed there for about a minute, according to the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry in Vilnius. The representative of the Russian embassy was summoned and the Russian authorities were asked to take all necessary measures to prevent such incidents in the future. The airspace violation took place over the Baltic Sea, as the plane was on its way from Moscow to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad bordering Lithuania. The EU closed its airspace to Russian planes in reaction to Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
22:12 Survey in Member States: High Trust in NATO, Low Trust in Zelenskyy
Coming Week, NATO Celebrates Its 75-Year Anniversary. In member states, the transatlantic defense alliance is generally well regarded, according to a Pew Research survey. On average in 13 countries, 63 percent of the population holds a positive view, 33 percent a negative. Germany is slightly above average with 64 percent positive sentiment. Exceptional is the assessment in Poland: 91 percent have a positive image of the alliance. The trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy averages 40 percent and has decreased in member states in the past year. Poland stands out, where the head of state has lost 22 percentage points - from 70 to 48 percent. In Germany, trust has decreased by 7 percentage points to 54 percent.
21:27 Zelenskyy Rejects Orban's Peace Proposal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected a peace proposal from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for peace talks, according to a spokesperson from the Presidential Administration. During his first visit to Kiev since the start of the war, Orban proposed a quick ceasefire. This could "accelerate peace negotiations with Moscow," he said. "The president listened to him, but as a response, he clarified Ukraine's stance and rejected the proposal," the spokesperson said. Previously, Kiev had rejected ceasefires, citing the possibility that Russian forces could regroup during this time.
21:02 Ukraine: Moscow Recruits Minors
Russia is actively recruiting minors for the war in Ukraine, Ukraine claims. The recruitment contracts are reportedly signed with minors, taking effect upon reaching adulthood. "They hope to recruit 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.
You can read about previous developments here.
- The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Selensky, continues to reject territorial concessions to Russia to end the war, despite calls from Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump to make compromises.
- According to reports, the Ukrainian military is lacking sufficient hangars to protect all its fighter jets from Russian attacks, as seen in a recent air raid on a military airbase in Poltawa oblast.
- The Defense Committee of the German Bundestag is expected to approve the purchase of 105 Leopard 2A8 tanks, with the new committee chairman Marcus Faber stating that they are fully equipping the Brigade Litauen with battle tanks and creating room for further appropriations to Ukraine.
- Russia is reportedly repelling attacks by Ukrainian boats on the Black Sea port of Noworossijsk, home to a large Russian Black Sea Fleet harbor.
- The Kremlin is not in dialogue with former US President Donald Trump about Ukraine, despite Trump's announcement during a TV duel with President Joe Biden that he would resolve the war in Ukraine before his inauguration in January, if he won the November election.
