11:33 Fleeing from military service: Some Ukrainian men seek help from counterfeiters
In Ukraine, a new recruitment offensive is emerging to mobilize more soldiers for the fight against Russia. Consequently, some Ukrainian men are turning to online dealers and forgers to avoid military service, as reported by the British newspaper "Guardian". It is expected that attempts to flee the country will also increase. Ukraine recently passed far-reaching mobilization measures, which allow the military to call up more soldiers and impose stricter penalties for draft evasion. Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a controversial law in the past April that lowers the draft age from 27 to 25. Anyone who refuses military service can lose their driver's license and access to their bank accounts. Property can also be confiscated.
11:04 Zelenskyy releases video of soldiers reunited with their familiesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video on his social media channels of ten soldiers returning home from Russian captivity and reuniting with their families.
10:36 Ukrainian police car in Sumy attacked by Russian droneIn the Sumy Oblast in northeastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian police car was attacked by a Russian drone. The Ukrainian newspaper "Kyiv Post" reports this based on information from the Ukrainian National Police. The policemen were not in the vehicle at the time of the attack, but nearby when they heard the explosion.
10:08 Kremlin remains silent on Trump's comments about ending the warThe Kremlin declined to comment on Donald Trump's remarks that he would end the war against Ukraine if re-elected in November. The British newspaper "Guardian" reports this. Trump made these comments during the US presidential debate with incumbent Joe Biden on the previous Thursday. "When it comes to Russia and Ukraine: If we had a real president, a president who knew Putin respected him, he wouldn't have gone into Ukraine," Trump said.
09:26 Zelenskyy thanks Coe at meeting for exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Sebastian Coe, President of the World Athletics Championships. Zelenskyy shared this on his Facebook page. "We welcome the decisions made by World Athletics in early March 2022 to ban representatives of Russia and Belarus from participating in international athletics competitions," Zelenskyy writes. He also expressed his gratitude for the support of Ukrainian athletes.
09:01 Four people dead and ten injured in Russian attacks in the Oblast of ChernobylThe Russian military has shelled numerous cities and villages in the Chernobyl region, resulting in the deaths of four people and injuries to ten others. This was announced by Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the military administration of the region, via Ukrinform on Telegram. "Four people were killed by Russian aggression in Sadove, Tiahynka, Novotiahynka, Olhivka, and Chernobyl," Prokudin said. According to him, the Russian military targeted residential areas in the region and damaged several private homes. In addition, businesses and a gas pipeline were reportedly hit.
08:34 Governor of Kursk: Five dead in Ukrainian drone attack on border villageAccording to Russian reports, five people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on a border village. Two of the deceased were reportedly small children, according to the governor of the western Russian region of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, via Telegram. "Two more family members are in critical condition," he added. The drone is said to have crashed into a house in the small village of Gorodishche. Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, both sides have regularly targeted each other with drones, some of which have ranges of several hundred kilometers. The Ukrainian army has expanded its drone attacks on Russian territory this year. It is targeting both Russian energy facilities and border towns and villages.
08:02 Kiev: Over 1000 Russian soldiers "eliminated"According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, 1070 Russian soldiers have been killed or are no longer able to fight within one day. Since the start of the war in February 2022, a total of 541,560 Russian soldiers have reportedly been "eliminated." According to the Defense Ministry's daily reports on Russian losses, the enemy has also lost seven additional tanks (8073). Since the start of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has counted over 15,500 armored vehicles and around 11,500 drones that are no longer in the possession of the Russian military or have been destroyed. These figures cannot be independently verified. Moscow itself keeps information on its own losses in Ukraine to itself.
07:28 Fire department in Dnipro rescues man from buried carOnce again, Russian rockets hit a Ukrainian residential area. The latest attack on the city of Dnipro reportedly resulted in at least one fatality, with injured parties including a seven-month-old baby. A man was buried under the rubble of his car.
07:06 Positions of Ukrainian military being surveilled: SBU arrests suspected Russian agentThe Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) of the Ukrainian domestic intelligence service has arrested another suspected Russian agent. The man is alleged to have prepared a breakthrough of the Russian troops in the Donetsk region and spied on Ukrainian defense forces. According to the SBU press service, he is a resident of Myrnohrad, who works as an employee of a private security company. Russia reportedly noticed him as an active user of pro-Russian Telegram channels, where he is said to have published anti-Ukrainian comments.
06:34 Ukrainian Air Force: Ten Russian drones shot down at nightThe Ukrainian air defense has shot down all ten drones launched by Russia at night. According to the Ukrainian Air Force.
05:43 General Staff in Kiev: 102 battles at the frontThe Ukrainian General Staff reports 102 battles at the front within 24 hours. The enemy has increased the tempo of its offensive actions since Friday morning, according to the situation report of the Ukrainian General Staff on Facebook. The most battles are reported near Pokrovsk. The Russian troops attempted to dislodge Ukrainian units from their positions 28 times. The Ukrainian army repelled 21 attacks. Seven battles are still ongoing, according to the announcement.
04:59 Czech Republic preparing security accords with KievCzech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on X that the Czech Republic will sign a bilateral security accord with Ukraine during the EU summit in London on July 18. He announced on the previous day that he had agreed with President Zelenskyy to "conclude the negotiations on the text of the Czech-Ukrainian security accord before the NATO summit in Washington." The next NATO summit is scheduled for July 9-11. The Czech Republic will thus join 19 other countries, including the USA, Great Britain, Germany, and France, as well as the European Union, which have already signed similar bilateral agreements.
03:59 USA to supply Kiev with Hawk missilesThe US government will supply weapons and ammunition worth $150 million to Ukraine, including Hawk air defense missiles and 155-millimeter artillery ammunition. Two unnamed US officials announced that the weapons aid package is expected to be presented on Monday. The US government is reacting to Ukraine's desperate pleas for support in air defense, as Russia has bombarded Ukrainian energy infrastructure with air raids in recent weeks.
02:58 Report: Russian Agents in Vienna hired hit on Helicopter Pilot Kusminow
In Vienna, Russian agents are under suspicion for their involvement in the recruitment and financing of Russian operations, such as the assassination of the Russian military helicopter pilot Maxim Kusminow. He had defected to Ukraine and lived in Spain, where he was found by the hit squad. This is reported by the "Wall Street Journal" with reference to western security circles. The killers, who shot the man five times and then ran him over with a SUV, were criminals who were paid with cash provided by Russian civil servants from Vienna, according to the paper. "We are now becoming a burden for our neighbors, as Russia uses us as an operational base," says a high-ranking Austrian intelligence officer to the newspaper. According to Austrian intelligence sources, the number of active Russian diplomats in Austria in the last two years has increased from around 400 to over 500. Approximately half of them are diplomats and managers, while the other half function as spies.
01:58 Russia: Control taken over of location north of Bachmut - Ukraine denies
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian military has taken control of the location Rosdoliwka in eastern Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian military states that heavy fighting is taking place in the areas around the settlement. Rosdoliwka is located in the Donetsk region, the epicenter of the Russian advance in eastern Ukraine. It is located north of Bachmut and Soledar, two settlements that were taken under Russian control last year.
00:58 US Army awards Lockheed Martin contract worth $4.5 billion
In the USA, the US Army has awarded the defense contractor Lockheed Martin a multi-year contract worth $4.5 billion for the Patriot air defense system. This was announced by the Pentagon. The contract includes 870 PAC-3 MSE missiles and the associated hardware. Lockheed manufactures the latest version of the missile defense system, known as PAC-3 MSE, which equips the Patriot. The Patriot system is part of a series of highly developed air defense systems that the West has provided to Ukraine.
23:58 Further Olympic starting places for Russians - Judokas rejected
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) continues to invite Russian and Belarusian athletes to the Summer Games in Paris. As the IOC reports in the evening, 50 athletes and athletes from the two countries have been invited so far to compete under a neutral flag at the Olympics. However, not all of these invitations have been accepted, some have already withdrawn. Some judokas were rejected because of their affiliation with army sports clubs. Of the twelve quota places for Russian judokas, only two each will be allocated to men and women - it is open whether the four will accept the invitation.
23:59 Ten Ukrainians returned from Russian captivity - ten Ukrainian civilians have returned from Russian captivity, according to information from Kiev. Among the released prisoners is Nariman Djeljal, a leader of the Crimean Tatars, writes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in social networks on Friday. He thanks the Vatican for its mediation in the release of the civilians. Djeljal was arrested in 2021, before the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in the Crimea, which Russia had annexed since 2014, and later sentenced to 17 years in prison.
23:30 Lithuania's Foreign Minister: Kallas nomination acknowledges stance on Russia - Lithuania has welcomed the nomination of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the new EU Foreign Policy Chief. Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis speaks of recognition of the viewpoint of the Baltic States and other countries at NATO's eastern flank, which have set a firm stance towards Russia and support for Ukraine until its victory. "She has never hidden her position, she has clearly and openly expressed herself on issues that are important to us," Landsbergis told the BNS agency in Vilnius about Kallas. Kallas was appointed as the EU representative for external and security policy at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. The 47-year-old liberal has been Estonia's first female prime minister in its history and is known as a supporter of a resolute Western stance towards Moscow.
23:00 Baerbock: Support for Ukraine is the best protection for peaceful sleeping - According to the belief of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the ongoing support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion troops is also a prerequisite for peace and security in Germany. "If Ukraine can no longer defend our peace, our freedom, because we no longer support it, then the question is how far Putin's troops will advance then," Baerbock said at a talk by RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), NDR and "Hannoverscher Allgemeine Zeitung". "That's why the support efforts for Ukraine are the best protection for our own peace and our own security." Baerbock referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Of course, one could discuss whether the billions in aid for Ukraine should be used differently, Baerbock said. But in this case, she had to say: "I don't know how long we can continue to sleep peacefully here in Brandenburg, directly on the border with Poland." Everywhere along the EU border and the NATO outer border, there are "light tests" from Russia. "Every reasonable person in the world, in Europe and in Ukraine" wishes nothing more ardently than peace in Ukraine. That depends on Putin. "He must withdraw his troops and finally put an end to this killing." Instead, his answer is "always more violence and terror".
You can read about all previous developments here.
- The British newspaper "Guardian" reported that some Ukrainian men are turning to online dealers and forgers to avoid military service, as a result of Ukraine's new recruitment offensive to mobilize soldiers against Russia in the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
- The Russian drone attack on a Ukrainian police car in Sumy Oblast was reported by the Ukrainian newspaper "Kyiv Post", serving as an example of the increasing military operations between the two nations.
- The US government has announced it will supply Ukraine with Hawk air defense missiles and 155-millimeter artillery ammunition worth $150 million, in response to Ukraine's desperate pleas for support in air defense.
- According to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), a suspected Russian agent was arrested for his attempts to prepare a breakthrough of Russian troops in the Donetsk region and spy on Ukrainian defense forces.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Sebastian Coe, President of the World Athletics Championships, for excluding Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international athletics competitions, citing support for Ukrainian athletes and the decisions made by World Athletics in early March 2022.
