17:19 Civilians freed after years arrive in Kiev

Ten Ukrainian civilians, who were held captive in Russia, have returned to Kiev. The ex-prisoners, wrapped in blue and yellow flags, were greeted by relatives in the capital city. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to all involved and specifically to the Vatican for its mediation. Some of the now-released individuals had been arrested by Russia before its large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Among them was Nariman Djalal, the deputy chairman of the Mejlis, a representative body of the Crimean Tatars. Djalal was abducted from Crimea in 2019, where he lived despite the annexation.

16:47 Ukraine investigates dismissed General SodolThe Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office is investigating the actions of dismissed General Leytenant Yurii Sodol. He is accused of sending unnecessary soldiers to their deaths. The General gave orders to Ukrainian troops during the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv Oblast. At the beginning of the current Russian offensive on May 10, he was in command. The General was dismissed on June 24 after one of the commanders of the Azov Brigade filed an official complaint. In the complaint, he accused the General of abuse of power and incompetent command of troops, which led to the loss of Ukrainian territory and personnel.

16:10 Ukraine thanks for CrimTatarish translation toolGoogle's online translator now includes Crimean Tatarish as part of an extension of 110 new languages. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly expressed its gratitude. Crimean Tatarish is endangered in Ukraine due to the declining number of speakers. Mass deportations and repression against Crimean Tatars by the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union have significantly contributed to the decline. The illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 has intensified the trend. Crimean Tatars are exposed to persecution and deportation by the Russian occupiers on their homeland.

15:29 EU imposes sanctions on BelarusDue to Belarus' involvement in Russia's armed conflict, the EU has imposed sanctions on the country. This is intended to make it more difficult for Russia to bypass sanctions.

Export restrictions on goods and technologies for maritime transport, as well as luxury goods to Belarus
Extension of the export ban on technology and goods that could increase Belarusian industrial capacity
New export ban to Belarus for goods and technologies suitable for oil refining and gas liquefaction
Import ban from Belarus of gold, diamonds, helium, coal, and mineral products, including crude oil
Comprehensive ban on services for Belarus
Ban on goods transport in the EU for Belarusian trailers and semi-trailers

14:56 Ukraine's Foreign Minister to Make War "Impossible"Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated during a podium discussion about the goal for the time after the war. "As we know from our own recent history and from the history of other regions, peace without justice leads to a new war," he said. "Therefore, the goal is not only to end the war but to create a reality where peace is just and lasting, and a new war becomes impossible. This will be the victory."

14:31 Belarus Reinforces Air Defense at Border with UkraineBelarus, according to its own statements, has strengthened its air defense at the border with Ukraine. The reason is an increase in Ukrainian drone activities in the area, the military of the close ally Russia reported. Additional air defense forces have been sent to the border to protect "critical infrastructure installations." The situation in the airspace over the border remains tense. The Defense Ministry reported that they have information that Ukraine has moved more troops, weapons, and military equipment to the northern region of Schytomyr, which borders Belarus.

13:52 Seehofer on No to Taurus Deliveries for Ukraine: "Scholz's Behavior is Exactly Right"The former Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer endorses Chancellor Olaf Scholz's "No" to Taurus missile deliveries to Ukraine. "In one respect, I find Scholz's behavior exactly right - regarding the Taurus missile deliveries," said the CSU politician in an interview on the occasion of his 75th birthday in the "Augsburger Allgemeine." The Chancellor wanted to prevent escalation and work together with the Americans under all circumstances. "I have always considered that right, even though that is also seen differently in my party," so Seehofer about Scholz's stance in the Taurus issue. "This stance does not use up the chance that, when the Ukrainians consider it right, they may try to end this horrible and brutal war of the Russians."

13:23 Economists Warn Against New Foreign Policy Course of the AfDEconomists warn against the efforts of influential AfD politicians to distance themselves from the EU and the USA and to orient themselves more strongly towards Russia and China. "A departure from the USA and EU to cooperate more strongly with China could contribute significantly to political and economic uncertainty and also carry long-term risks," said Oliver Holtemöller, Deputy President of the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research Halle, to the "Handelsblatt." The President of the German Institute for Economic Research, Marcel Fratzscher, told the newspaper that orienting oneself more strongly towards Russia and China would be the "biggest mistake" that Germany could make politically and economically.

12:58 Russia reports capture of settlement in the Donezk OblastAccording to reports from Russian state media, the Russian military has taken control of the Ukrainian village of Schumy in the Donezk region. The state Russian news agency Ria reports, citing the Russian Defense Ministry, that the army has taken the settlement near the city of Torezk. The statement says that Ukrainian troops suffered 360 casualties. These claims cannot be independently verified.

12:38 Zelensky: Russian attacks have destroyed 80% of thermal energy in UkraineAccording to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian attacks have destroyed 80% of Ukraine's thermal energy and one third of its hydropower. The British newspaper "Guardian" reports this. Russian attacks reportedly targeted energy facilities and other critical infrastructure. The attack in Dnipro shows, according to the Ukrainian leader, that Ukraine needs more air defense systems. "Only sufficient quantities of high-quality air defense systems, only sufficient determination from the whole world can stop Russian terror," Zelensky said.

12:25 Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba in Croatia for visitThe Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is in Croatia for a visit. He is participating in the 17th Dubrovnik Forum. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced this. According to the announcement, the focus of the meeting will be on restoring peace and security in Ukraine and Europe, as well as the results of the first peace summit. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and EU Foreign Policy Chief Joseph Borrell are among those attending the meeting.

11:51 Military economist: End of 2025 could mark end of war - "Time is running against Russia"According to military economist Marcus Keupp, Russia will not be able to sustain the war against Ukraine for years. As he said in an interview with the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung," the Russian supply lines, according to estimates, will collapse no later than mid-2027, possibly even by the end of 2025. "That's the computational end, then the warehouses are empty." Keupp bases his calculations on losses of the Russian army, which are documented on open-source websites on the internet. According to his calculations, Russia has lost four tanks per day since the start of the war. Since only 300 to 500 tanks can be built new each year, Moscow cannot sustain this indefinitely, the military economist says. Satellite images already show that old Soviet military bases are emptying out "at breakneck speed" across Russia, according to Keupp. "Russia is living off its reserves. It is essentially on the dead legs of the Soviet Union." Keupp's conclusion: "Time is running against Russia." In his opinion, Russia's method of warfare is not sustainable. "Putin has the same problem as Hitler. His resources are melting away, he's stuck in the mud of the Soviet Union."

11:33 Flight from Military Service: Some Ukrainian Men Seek Help from Forgers
In Ukraine, a new recruitment offensive is underway to mobilize more soldiers for the fight against Russia. Therefore, 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 that allow the military to call up more soldiers and impose stricter penalties for draft evasion. Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a controversial law in 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 Returning POWs Reunited with Their Families
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video on his social media channels of the moment ten soldiers returned home from Russian captivity and reunited with their families.

10:36 Ukrainian Police Car in Sumy Attacked by Russian Drone
In the Sumy Oblast in northeastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian police car was attacked by a Russian drone. The Ukrainian newspaper "Kyiv Post" reported this based on information from the Ukrainian National Police. According to the report, the policemen were not in the vehicle at the time of the attack but were nearby when they heard the explosion.

10:08 Kremlin Remains Silent on Trump's Remarks about Ending the War
The Kremlin declined to comment on Donald Trump's remarks that he would end the war against Ukraine if reelected in November. The British newspaper "Guardian" reported this. Trump made these remarks during the US presidential debate with incumbent Joe Biden on the previous Thursday. "As for 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 Athletes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Sebastian Coe, President of the World Athletics Championships. Zelenskyy shared this information on his Facebook page. "We welcome the decisions made by World Athletics in early March 2022, banning representatives of Russia and Belarus from participating in international athletics competitions," Zelenskyy wrote. 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 Chernobyl

The Russian military has shelled numerous cities and villages in the Oblast of Chernobyl, 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 Cherson," Prokudin said. According to him, the Russian military attacked residential areas in the region and damaged some private houses. Additionally, businesses and a gas pipeline were reportedly hit.

08:34 Governor of Kursk: Five Dead in Ukrainian Drone Attack on Border Village

According to Russian reports, five people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on a border village. Two of the fatalities were reportedly young children. The governor of the western Russian region of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, made the announcement via Telegram. "Two more family members are in critical condition," he added. The drone reportedly crashed into a house in the small village of Gorodische. Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, both sides have regularly targeted each other with drones, some of which have a range of several hundred kilometers. The Ukrainian army has expanded its drone attacks on Russian territory this year. They have targeted not only Russian energy facilities but also border towns and villages.

08:02 Kiev: Over 1000 Russian Soldiers "Eliminated"

According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, 1,070 Russian soldiers have died or become incapacitated in the conflict within a day. Since the start of the war in February 2022, a total of 541,560 Russian soldiers have reportedly been "eliminated." The Ministry's daily reports on Russian losses indicate that the enemy has also lost seven additional tanks (8073). Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has counted over 15,500 armored vehicles and approximately 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 has kept information on its own losses in Ukraine to itself.

07:28 Fire Department in Dnipro rescues man from crushed car (after Russian attack)

Once again, Russian rockets hit a Ukrainian residential area. The latest attack on the city of Dnipro reportedly resulted in at least one fatality, with a seven-month-old baby among the injured. A man was buried under the rubble in 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 Russian troop breakthrough 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 became aware of the man 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 were 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 Facebook that he had agreed with President Zelenskyy on July 17 to "conclude 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 United States, 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 Ukraine with weapons and ammunition worth $150 million, 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 the desperate pleas for support from Ukraine 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. The Wall Street Journal reports this 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 state officials 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 risen from around 400 to over 500. About 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 troops have taken control of the settlement of Rosdoliwka in eastern Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian military states that heavy fighting are taking place in the areas around the settlement. Rosdoliwka is located in the Donetsk region, the hotspot 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 Dollars

In the USA, the US Army has awarded the defense contractor Lockheed Martin a multi-year contract worth 4.5 billion Dollars for the Patriot air defense system. The Pentagon announced this. 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 More Olympic starting places for Russians - Judokas rejected

The International Olympic Committee continues to invite athletes from Russia and Belarus to starting places for the Summer Games in Paris. As the IOC announces 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 Judokas from Russia, only two each will be allocated to men and women - whether the four will accept the invitation is open.

23:59 Ten Ukrainians returned from Russian captivity
According to reports from Kiev, ten Ukrainian civilians have returned from Russian captivity. Among the released prisoners is Nariman Djeljal, a leader of the Crimean Tatars, writes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on social media 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 has been annexed by Russia since 2014. He was 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 views of the Baltic states and other countries on the NATO eastern flank, which have taken a firm stance against Russia and supported Ukraine until its victory. "She has never hidden her position, she has clearly and openly expressed her views on issues that are important to us," Landsbergis told the BNS news 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 champion of a resolute Western stance towards Moscow.

23:00 Baerbock: Support for Ukraine is the best protection for peaceful sleeping
According to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, ongoing support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion forces 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 in a talk with 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." There are "light tests" along the entire EU border and the NATO outer border. "Every reasonable person in the world, in Europe and in Ukraine" wishes nothing more ardently than peace in Ukraine. That depends on Putin. "He needs to withdraw his troops and finally end this killing." Instead, his answer is "always more violence and terror".

You can read about earlier developments here.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanks the Vatican for its role in the release of Ukrainian civilians held captive in Russia.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office is investigating General Yurii Sodol for sending unnecessary soldiers to their deaths during the Russian offensive.
Following the EU's imposition of sanctions on Belarus for its involvement in Russia's armed conflict, Google has added Crimean Tatarish to its online translator.
The Russian military has allegedly taken control of a Ukrainian village in the Donezk Oblast, causing significant casualties to Ukrainian troops.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses Russia of destroying 80% of Ukraine's thermal energy and a third of its hydropower through attacks on energy facilities and infrastructure.