13:55 International Criminal Court investigates torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating the torturing of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians in detention facilities in the formerly occupied territories and in Russia, according to the Ukrainian agency "Ukrinform". The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office is working with the ICC on this matter. Ukrainian photographers Kostiantyn and Vlada Librov show on Instagram photos of Ukrainian soldiers who had fallen into Russian captivity and have since been freed. The photographers wrote that it was "the most difficult shooting of the last six months" afterwards.
13:19 Russian postal workers are replacing doctors in rural areasDue to a lack of medical personnel in rural areas of Russia, postal workers are now taking on medical tasks in some regions. This is reported by the "Moscow Times" on Telegram. Sanitation and midwife stations are being set up in rural post offices. The postal workers are supposed to diagnose and perform various medical procedures. Russian publicist Alexander Nevzorov called this practice a return to the Middle Ages, according to the "Kyiv Post".
12:58 No agreement among NATO countries on long-term Ukraine aidNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg failed to persuade NATO countries to make long-term commitments for military aid to Ukraine. The 32 Allies could only agree in the run-up to the summit in Washington on providing support in the amount of at least 40 billion Euros within the next year. This is reported by the German Press Agency and refers to statements by several delegations.
12:24 Five dead, 34 injured in Dnipro attack, according to Ukrainian reportsThe number of casualties from the Russian attack on Dnipro has risen to four dead, according to Ukrainian reports, in addition to at least 34 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. Reports indicate that a shopping mall and a weapons factory were hit.
11:31 Ukraine receives another 2 billion Euros from the IWFThe financially stricken Ukraine has received an additional 2 billion Euros from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The money is part of an ongoing credit program worth around 15 billion Euros. The money will be used by the government, according to Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal, mainly for social welfare and salaries of civil servants, including doctors and teachers. Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has reportedly received over 80 billion Euros in aid from foreign partners in the form of budgetary assistance.
11:01 Fire at military base in Russian KurskVideos from the Russian city of Kursk show a large smoke cloud over the city. An Ukrainian attack is said to have set several vehicles on fire at a military base in the city center. The governor of the region has confirmed a fire in the city center.
10:40 Ukraine: Several civilians killed in Russian attacks
Russian troops shot at the village of Borova in the Charkiw region during the past night, according to the Charkiw Military Administration's Telegram message. At least one man was reportedly killed, and two others were injured. In a Russian rocket and drone attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, authorities say at least three people were killed and 18 more were injured.
10:19 Kremlin: No talks with Trump about Ukraine
Russia is not in dialogue with former US President Donald Trump about Ukraine, according to the Interfax news agency, citing a spokesperson for the Russian Presidential Administration. Trump, during a TV duel with President Joe Biden last week, said he would end the war in Ukraine before his inauguration in January if he won the November election.
09:46 Ukraine lacks hangars to protect fighter jets
According to the Ukrainian Defense Express report, the Ukrainian army does not have enough hangars to protect all its fighter jets from Russian attacks. The newspaper reports that a Ukrainian airbase in the Poltawa Oblast does not have sufficient large hangar spaces for Su-27 fighter jets. Russian media has released footage of a recent airfield attack on the base, showing several damaged Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft in the open. The Ukraine lacked hangars to protect all its fighter jets.
09:16 Defense Committee approves purchase of 105 Leopard-2A8 tanks
The German Defense Committee is expected to approve the purchase of 105 Leopard-2A8 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 combat 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 claims to have repelled attacks by two unarmed Ukrainian explosive boats on the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The Defense Ministry reports that the drone boats were destroyed in the Black Sea. Novorossiysk is home to a large port for the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Russia has stationed many of its warships used in the conflict against Ukraine there after Ukrainian forces attacked Häfen on the Crimean peninsula. The ministry did not comment on possible damages. The authorities in Novorossiysk 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 issue, followed by language problems. Inequalities during the war, collaboration, and Russophilism are also considered factors contributing to societal division.
07:55 Kremlin: Ten Ukrainian attack drones destroyed
According to Russian reports, ten Ukrainian attack drones were shot down over Russian territory. Five drones were destroyed over the Belgorod border region, four over the Brjansk border region, and one over the Moscow region. Additionally, two Ukrainian reconnaissance drones were destroyed as they approached the Novorossijsk Black Sea port in the Krasnodar region.
07:20 Ukrainian General Staff: Nearly 1,200 Russian losses yesterday
The Ukrainian General Staff reported 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 anti-aircraft 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 at 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 situation and prospects for further deepening of multifaceted cooperation," according to Moscow. Putin is reportedly planning 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 Putin
According 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 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 ready to hand over 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 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 counter the Russian offensive war in Ukraine. This was announced by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a visit by his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umjerow in Washington. The package, which has been approved by US President Joe Biden, includes "additional surface-to-air missiles, anti-tank weapons, and other important ammunition from US stocks," explained Austin. A "realignment of some foreign military deliveries" will also enable the USA to make available Munition for Patriot and other air defense systems "in an accelerated timeframe."
04:49 NATO expanding presence in Kiev
The NATO is expanding its civilian presence in the attacked Ukraine. As a spokesperson confirmed, the 32 alliance members have decided to send a type of special envoys to the capital Kiev. The senior official is to coordinate the political and practical support of the alliance on site. The background is, in particular, 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 receive the new NATO post in Kiev is still not known.
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 custody in Russia on espionage charges. "The deprivation of freedom of Evan Gershkovich is arbitrary" and violates several articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, write the experts 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 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 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 maintains good relations with the Kreml despite the Russian annexation of Crimea.
01:29 Russian Court sentences 19-year-old to twelve years
A Russian court sentenced a 19-year-old man 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 term in a penal colony," says a comment from the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB, picked up by the state-controlled Kremlin media. The teenager is accused of sending money to help the Ukrainian army buy food and drones. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, thousands of Russians have been arrested and many of them imprisoned. According to Amnesty International, at least 21,000 people were targeted by repressions 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% of respondents believe that the United States is not providing enough aid to Ukraine, compared to 18% in November 2023 when the survey was last conducted. However, more Americans (31%) believe that the United States is providing too much aid, and 25% believe that the US aid is sufficient.
22:53 Lithuania reports airspace violation by Russian aircraft
Lithuania reports a violation of its airspace by a Russian aircraft. The unspecified aircraft of the Russian airline Pobeda entered the airspace of the Baltic EU and NATO member illegally in the evening of June 30 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 occurred over the Baltic Sea, as the plane was on its way from Moscow to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad bordering Lithuania. The EU has 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 viewed favorably, according to a Pew Research survey. On average in 13 countries, 63 percent of the population holds a positive view, 33 percent a negative one. Germany stands out with 64 percent positive sentiment, just above the average. Exceptional is the assessment in Poland: 91 percent hold a positive image of the alliance. The trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stands at an average of 40 percent and has decreased in member states over the past year. Poland is once again an exception, 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 Orbán for peace negotiations, according to the Presidential Press Office. During his first visit to Kiev since the conflict began, Orbán proposed a rapid ceasefire, which he believed could "accelerate peace negotiations with Moscow." "The president listened to him, but in response clarified Ukraine's position and rejected the proposal," the press office said. Previously, Kiev had already rejected ceasefires, citing the risk 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 and take effect upon reaching adulthood. "They hope to recruit tens of thousands of teenagers with propaganda," says the Ukrainian 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 earlier developments here.
- The International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating alleged war crimes in Ukraine, including the torture of prisoners and civilians in Russian detention facilities.
- In the context of Ukraine's military struggle against Russia, NATO countries are discussing long-term commitments for military aid, but have only agreed on providing support worth at least 40 billion Euros within a year.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, has rejected a peace proposal from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for negotiations with Russia, citing concerns over a potential ceasefire allowing Russian forces to regroup.
- Amidst the Ukraine conflict, cyberwarfare tactics are reportedly being employed by both sides, according to various security reports and analyses.
- Russia is accused of recruiting minors for military operations in Ukraine, which has been met with warnings from the Ukrainian National Resistance Center and condemnation from international organizations concerned with children's rights.
