12:24 Ukraine: 4 dead after attack on Dnipro
The number of victims in the Russian attack on Dnipro has increased, according to Ukrainian reports, to 4. At least 18 people were also injured, including a 14-year-old girl. The attack reportedly took place with rockets and drones and caused several explosions and fires in the city. A weapons factory is also said to have been hit.
11:31 Ukraine receives another two billion from the IWFFinancially stricken Ukraine has received an additional tranche of over two billion Euro from the International Monetary Fund (IWF). The money is part of an ongoing credit program worth approximately 15 billion Euro. The money will be used by the government, according to Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal, mainly for social aid and salaries of civil servants, including doctors and teachers. Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has reportedly received over 80 billion Euro in foreign aid for budget support.
11:01 Military base in Russian Kursk on fireVideos from the Russian city of Kursk show a large smoke cloud over the city. A Ukrainian attack is said to have set several vehicles on fire at a military base in the city center. The regional governor has confirmed the fire.
10:40 Multiple civilians killed in Russian attacksRussian troops reportedly shot at the village of Borova in the Charkiw region overnight. The Military Administration of Charkiw reported this on Telegram. According to their reports, a man was killed, two others were injured. In a Russian rocket and drone attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, at least three people were reportedly killed and 18 others injured.
10:19 Kremlin: No talks with Trump about UkraineAccording to Kremlin statements, Russia is not in dialogue with former US President Donald Trump about Ukraine. The news agency Interfax reported this, citing a spokesperson for the Russian Presidium. Trump had announced during a TV duel with President Joe Biden in the previous week that, if he won the November election, he would resolve the war in Ukraine before his inauguration in January.
9:46 Ukraine lacks hangars to protect fighter jetsAccording 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 military is said to be missing hangars to protect all its fighters. Russian footage of a recent air raid on the airfield reportedly shows several damaged Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jets in the open.
09:16 Defense Committee approves purchase of 105 Leopard-2A8 tanks The Defense Committee of the Bundestag will approve the purchase of 105 Leopard-2A8 battle tanks today. "We are solving 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 expenditures to Ukraine", adds the FDP politician. According to the proposal, the order has a volume of approximately three billion Euro. The defense consortium KNDS is supposed to deliver the tanks to the Bundeswehr by 2030.
08:44 Russia: Ukrainian attack on seaport repelled Russia reportedly repelled attacks by two unmanned Ukrainian explosive boats on the seaport of Novorossiysk. The drone boats were allegedly destroyed in the Black Sea, according to the Defense Ministry. In Novorossiysk, there is a large seaport 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 authorities in Novorossiysk urged people to stay in their homes and apartments during the night.
08:21 Majority 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 currently united. A smaller portion, 15%, perceive Ukrainian society as divided. Corruption is cited as the main problem, followed by language issues. Unfairness during the war, collaboration, and pro-Russian sentiment are also considered factors contributing to societal division.
07:55 Kremlin: Ten Ukrainian attack drones destroyed Russia claims to have shot down ten Ukrainian attack drones over Russian territory. Five drones were reportedly shot down over the Belgorod border region, four over the Brjansk region, and one over the Moscow region, according to the Defense Ministry on Telegram. Additionally, two Ukrainian harbor drones were destroyed that were heading towards the Novorossiysk seaport in the Krasnodar region.
07:20 Ukrainian General Staff: nearly 1200 Russian losses yesterday The Ukrainian General Staff reports 1180 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, as well as a missile. The number of dead or wounded Russian soldiers since the beginning of the full-scale invasion is over 546,000.
06:48 Putin arrives for SOZ Summit in Kazakhstan
According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Kazakhstan. He is participating in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SOZ) partner states in the capital Astana. During the two-day event, issues of regional security, defense, and cooperation will be discussed. The heads of state and government of the SOZ member states will reportedly discuss "the current state and prospects for further deepening of multifaceted cooperation," according to Moscow. Putin is reportedly planning 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 continues to reject territorial concessions to Putin
According to the words of Andrij Yermak, chief of staff of the Ukrainian president, Ukraine continues to categorically reject territorial concessions to Russia to end the war. "We are not ready to make compromises on important things and values," Yermak said to journalists and named "independence, freedom, democracy, territorial integrity, sovereignty." Yermak reacted to Trump's statements during a visit to Washington. The Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump had claimed he could quickly end the conflict. However, the Ukrainian government is open to advice to achieve a "just peace." Trump stated 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 conflict, Yermak said: "Honestly, I don't know. We'll see."
05:42 USA to provide urgent military aid to Ukraine
The Ukrainian military is in urgent need of supplies. The USA will make available to Ukraine, in the near future, military aid in the amount of approximately 2.3 billion US dollars (around 2.14 billion Euros) to help Ukraine counter the Russian offensive. This was announced by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a visit to his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umjerów in Washington. The aid package, approved by US President Joe Biden, includes "additional surface-to-air missiles, anti-tank weapons, and other important ammunition from US stocks," explained Austin. The "realignment of some foreign military deliveries" will also allow the USA to make available Patriot and other air defense systems "in an accelerated timeframe."
04:49 NATO strengthens presence in Kiev
The NATO is building up 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 green light for a new deployment to coordinate weapons deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian armed forces at the upcoming summit in Washington. The headquarters for this should be built in Wiesbaden. Who will get the new NATO position in Kiev is still unknown.
03:42 UN calls 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 continues to maintain good relations with the Kreml despite the Russian intervention in Ukraine.
01:29 Russian court sentences 19-year-old to twelve years
A Russian court has sentenced a 19-year-old man to twelve years in prison for "treason," after he was accused of donating money to the Ukrainian army to help buy food and drones. "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 from 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 attack on Ukraine, thousands of Russians have been arrested and many of them have been imprisoned. According to Amnesty International, at least 21,000 people were targeted with repression against war opponents in 2023.
00:20 A 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 proportion 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, 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 is said to have entered the airspace of the Baltic EU and NATO member illegally on the evening of June 30th and stayed there for approximately one minute, according to the Foreign Ministry in Vilnius. The representative of the Russian embassy 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 as a reaction to Russia's aggression in Ukraine for Russian aircraft.
22:12 Survey in Member States: Great Trust in NATO, in Zelenskyy notComing week, NATO celebrates its 75-year anniversary. In the member states, the transatlantic defense alliance is viewed favorably, according to a survey by Pew Research. 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 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 war began, Orbán proposed a quick ceasefire. "This could accelerate peace negotiations with Moscow," he said. "The President listened to him, but in response clarified Ukraine's position and rejected the proposal," says a spokesperson from the Presidential Administration. Kiev had already rejected ceasefires, citing the possibility that Russian forces could reorganize during this time.
21:02 Ukraine: Moscow recruits minorsRussia is actively recruiting minors for the war in Ukraine, according to Ukraine. The recruitment contracts are reportedly signed with minors and take 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.
- The Russian attack on Dnipro, resulting in 4 fatalities and 18 injuries, has sparked concerns about the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
- The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Selensky, is facing a challenging political landscape as Russia continues its military operations and cyberwar against Ukraine.
- NATO is strengthening its presence in Ukraine to provide military aid and training to help Ukraine defend against Russian attacks.
- The attack on a Ukrainian weapons factory in Dnipro is seen as a new front in the cyberwar between Russia and Ukraine, with implications for international politics.
- The United States and its allies are under pressure to provide more military aid to Ukraine to counteract the Russian attack on Dnipro and protect Ukraine's territorial integrity.
