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 previously 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 released. 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. Sanitary and midwife stations are being set up in rural post offices. The postal workers are supposed to diagnose and perform various medical interventions. Russian publicist Alexander Nevzorov described this practice as a return to the Middle Ages.
12:58 No agreement among NATO countries on long-term Ukraine aidNATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg failed to persuade the alliance's members 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 additional 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 about 15 billion euros. The money will be used by the government, according to Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal, mainly for social assistance 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 budget support.
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: Multiple civilians killed in Russian attacks
The Military Administration of Charkiw reports that Russian troops shot at the village of Borova in the Charkiw region last night. At least one man was killed and two others were injured, according to their statements. 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 Ukraine
According to the Kremlin, Russia is not engaged in dialogue with former US President Donald Trump regarding Ukraine. Interfax news agency reported this based on a spokesperson for the Russian Presidential Administration. Trump stated during a TV duel with President Joe Biden last 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 Ukrainian Air Force base in the Poltawa Oblast does not have sufficient large hangar spaces for Su-27 fighter jets. Russian media has recently released footage of an air raid on the airfield, showing several Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft damaged in the open. The Ukraine lacked hangars to protect all its fighter jets.
09:16 Defense Committee approves purchase of 105 Leopard tanks
The Defense Committee of the German Bundestag is expected to approve the purchase of 105 Leopard 2A8 combat 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 commitments to Ukraine," adds the FDP politician. The proposal has a volume of approximately three billion euros. The defense contractor 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 Ukraine attacked Häfen on the Crimean peninsula. The Ministry did not comment on possible damages. The authorities in Novorossiysk urged residents 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 main issue, followed by language problems, injustices during the war, collaboration, and Russophilism as factors contributing to societal division.
07:55 Kremlin: Ten Ukrainian attack drones destroyed
According to Russian reports, ten Ukrainian attack drones have been 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 seed drones were destroyed that were heading towards the Noworossijsk Black Sea port in the Krasnodar region.
07:20 Ukrainian General Staff: nearly 1200 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 reportedly 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 deepening multifaceted cooperation," according to Moscow. Putin is also scheduled for 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 for the purpose of ending 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 quickly end the conflict, the government in Kiev is open for advice to achieve a "just peace." Trump stated during a 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 the Ukraine evaluates 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 additional military aid in the amount of approximately 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 Umjerow 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 allow the USA to make available Munition for Patriot and other air defense systems "in a quicker 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 high-ranking official is to steer the political and practical support of 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 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 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 regard 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 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," says a comment from the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB, which was picked up by the state-controlled Kremlin media. The teenager is alleged to have sent 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 have been imprisoned. According to Amnesty International, at least 21,000 people were targets of repressions against war opponents in 2023.
00:20 One 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 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 planeLithuania reports a violation of its airspace by a Russian plane. The unidentified aircraft of the Russian airline Pobeda allegedly entered the airspace of the Baltic EU and NATO member unlawfully in the evening of June 30 and stayed there for about a minute. 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 as a 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 opinion, while 33 percent hold a negative one. Germany stands out with 64 percent positive sentiment, just above the average. Exceptional is the assessment in Poland: 91 percent have 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 president 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 negotiations, according to a spokesperson from the Presidential Administration. During his first visit to Kiev since the war began, Orban proposed a rapid ceasefire, which he believed could "accelerate peace negotiations with Moscow." "The president listened to him, but in response, he clarified Ukraine's stance and rejected the proposal," the spokesperson said. Previously, Kiev had already rejected ceasefires, citing the possibility that Russian forces could reorganize during this time.
21:02 Ukraine: Moscow Recruits Minors
Russia is actively recruiting minors for the war in Ukraine, according to Ukraine. Recruitment contracts are reportedly signed with minors, taking effect upon reaching adulthood. "They hope to recruit tens of thousands of teenagers with propaganda," the National Resistance Center warns: "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 ICC is investigating alleged human rights violations against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians by Russian forces, according to Ukrainian officials.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, has rejected peace proposals from external parties, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, citing concerns that ceasefires could allow Russian forces to regroup.
- NATO members have been providing military aid to Ukraine, with reports indicating that the United States will provide additional aid in the near future.
- Russia is facing international criticism for reportedly recruiting minors for the war in Ukraine, with Ukraine warning that any enemy on its territory will be eliminated.
- Cyberwarfare has also become a part of the Ukraine conflict, with reports of Russian cyberattacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and forces, including an attack on a military base in the Russian city of Kursk.
