Russia-Ukraine war: France to renationalise electricity giant EDF amid energy crisis

EAM S Jaishankar met with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov  on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali. In a tweet, India's External FM said that he discussed bilateral matters of mutual interest and also exchanged views on contemporary regional and international issues including the Ukraine conflict and Afghanistan. 

Image: EAM Twitter

France will renationalise the previously in debt electricity giant EDF as it struggles with the looming energy crisis. French prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, told the parliament: “We must have full control over our electricity production and performance,” according to Guardian newspaper.“We must ensure our sovereignty in the face of the consequences of the war and the colossal challenges to come … That’s why I confirm to you the state’s intention to own 100% of EDF’s capital," she furthermore added. 

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said during his nightly address that the artillery provided by the West is working “ powerfully” against Russians. "Finally it is felt that the western artillery - the weapons we received from our partners - started working very powerfully," said Zelenskyy. "Its accuracy is exactly as needed. Our defenders inflict very noticeable strikes on depots and other spots that are important for the logistics of the occupiers."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nightly recording informed that the Russian missile strike in Kharkiv had destroyed a pedagogical university. This he stated is the example of Russia's atrocities and damage on civilian infrastructure.  The main building, lecture halls, university museum and scientific library of H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University was completely destroyed, he added. 

Russian troops have committed over  21,000 war crimes that are being investigated by Ukrainian authorities, according to Ukraine’s prosecutor general Irina Venediktova.

NASA’s Harvest mission on Thursday said that the invading Russian troops have captured an estimated 22% of Ukraine’s arable land. According to its analysis land where 28% of winter crops are grown and 18% of spring crops are sown is now under Russian occupation.

An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 civilians are still residing in the eastern city of Severodonetsk. As Russian forces push deeper into Ukrainian towns for assault, they will be subjected to horrific conditions such as little or no water, gas or power supply, Oleksandr Striuk, the head of the military administration of Severodonetsk, said. 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday thanked Ireland for the resolution that recognizes the Russian invasion of Ukraine as "genocide." Speaking at a joint news conference alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Kyiv, Zelesnkyy thanked Ireland for taking in Ukrainian refugees. The two also discussed the joint response for tacking the global food security, the energy crisis. 

“Ukraine belongs to the European Union” and that Ireland will be with Ukraine “every step of the way" said Irish leader. 

“Russia's brutal war against this beautiful democratic country is a gross violation of international law. It is an affront to everything that Ireland stands for. It cannot and it will not be allowed to stand." Martin stressed that he witnessed "horrific reality of war on the people of Ukraine” as he visited Borodianka, Irpin and Bucha.

Russian forces have blocked opportunity for Ukrainian people to know the truth about what is going on in the southern regions of Kherson, zaporizhzhia, but people need to know that Ukrainian military is fighting for them, Ukraine's leader Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. "We will not give our land - the whole sovereign territory of Ukraine will be Ukrainian," he asserted accusing Russia of sblocking the ocial networking sites, messengers and YouTube to detach the occupied towns from the rest of the Ukraine. 

"People need to be aware of this. So if you have the opportunity to talk to people in the south - with Kherson, Genichesk, Berdyansk, Melitopol and other cities and villages - please spread the truth there. Take every opportunity to tell people in occupied areas that we remember them and fight for them," said Zelenskyy. 

A  crowdfunded Turkish-made military drone will be delivered “immediately” to Ukraine from Lithuania, defence minister Arvydas Anušauskas said.  “Vanagas” which implies “Hawk” in Lithuanian, along with ammunition, has arrived in the Baltic country on Monday and will "very soon it will be delivered to Ukraine,” Anušauskas informed in a tweet. 

Western officials are claiming that Russian troops are making ‘genuine headway’ after capturing Lysychansk. In a statement to Guardian, one official said it “remains highly uncertain whether Russia will secure the limits of Donetsk Oblast this year” but that Russia’s attacks on Ukraine after Lysychansk control have been “challenging." 

Russia has made “some significant command changes” in recent weeks they told the paper, adding that General Sergei Surovikin who took over the command of the southern group of forces is now focusing on the occupation of southern Ukraine and Donbass region from the south.

"He’s a controversial figure even by the standards of Russian general officers. It is unclear whether it’s his influence which has led to the recent successes around Lysychansk, but certainly there’s been better cooperation amongst groups of forces on the Russian side than we saw in the earlier phases of the war," the official said. 

UK PM Boris Johnson shockingly admitted to MPs on Wednesday that he met with Russia's ex KGB agent, Alexander Lebedev, without officials on a personal visit in Italy. Johnson told Labour’s Dame Diana Johnson at the Commons liaison committee that he met with Lebedev without officials on 28 April 2018. 

"I certainly have met the gentleman in question who used to be the proprietor of the London Evening Standard when I was mayor of London. I certainly am not going to deny having met Alexander Lebedev, I certainly have. I have certainly met him without officials. I met him on a very few occasions. On the occasion you are mentioning, if that was when I was foreign secretary, then yes," said UK PM. 

World hunger rose in 2021, with around 2.3 billion people facing moderate or severe difficulty obtaining enough to eat -- and that was before the Ukraine war, which has sparked increases in the cost of grain, fertilizer and energy, according to a U.N. report released Wednesday.

“The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” paints a grim picture, based on 2021 data, saying the statistics “should dispel any lingering doubts that the world is moving backwards in its efforts to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms.”

“The most recent evidence available suggests that the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet around the world rose by 112 million to almost 3.1 billion, reflecting the impacts of rising consumer food prices during the (COVID-19) pandemic,” the heads of five U.N. agencies that published the report said in the forward. But the war in Ukraine has worsened crisis as Russia and Ukraine produced almost a third of the world’s wheat and barley and half of its sunflower oil, while Russia and its ally Belarus are the world’s No. 2 and 3 producers of potash, a key ingredient of fertilizer.

“The global price spikes in food, fuel and fertilizers that we are seeing as a result of the crisis in Ukraine threatened to push countries around the world into famine,” World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley said at a U.N. event.

Source/Image: Associated Press

The Russian Embassy in the United States issued a statement claiming that Washington's proposal to ban Moscow from all sporting events globally is "politically driven" and an example of unfair competition. According to a statement released by the US Department of State, Washinton along with its allies have urged to suspend the membership of the national sports federations of Russia and Belarus within all international federations. "We have noted yet another Russophobic attack from the United States and its satellites, which do not leave attempts to limit Russian participation in sporting events," the Russian Embassy’s stated, the TASS news agency reported. 

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a "traitor" who provided the invaders with the home addresses of Ukrainian military personnel and territorial defence fighters in the village of Vorzel near Kyiv. According to reports, the culprit was detained following an investigation.

"Cyber ​​experts and SBU operatives established that the traitor had been recruited by a Russian intelligence operative, who tasked her with carrying out subversive activities. She also publicly called on Ukrainians to join the ranks of the occupation troops, and justified their crimes," Ukrinform reported citing an SBU report. 

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry claimed that the Hryhoriy Skovoroda Pedagogical University in Kharkiv and its patron's statue were damaged by a Russian missile attack on Tuesday night. 

Taras Vysotskyi, the first deputy minister of agrarian policy and food of Ukraine, stated that the country expects to harvest at least 50 million tonnes of grain in 2022, which is still beyond expectations despite being significantly less than the 85 million tonnes it produced the year before. 
“Taking into consideration all circumstances and difficulties of the sowing campaign and the logistics during the wartime, we expect the harvest to be not that bad — higher than the average for the last five years. At least 50 tonnes of grain, maybe more. It depends on corn harvest, the results of which we will see in October," Vysotskyi stated, as per CNN. 

The secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov stated that about a million Ukrainians are currently acquiring combat and military experience, and the war-torn nation is re-arming at a rate that is faster than what is required by NATO.

The National Security and Defence Council Secretary further added that since the start of Russia's aggression in Ukraine, the process of rapid rearmament in accordance with NATO standards has been taking place, as opposed to the "demilitarisation" of Ukraine that Russia ostensibly desired. Additionally, Western weapons and technology continue to be a major part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' arsenal.

Danilov tweeted, "About a million Ukrainians get combat and military experience. Is “Putin's plan” on schedule? Ukrainian quality will outweigh the ruscist quantity for sure. Grateful to our partners!"

In a significant development, the Lithuanian government has decided to allocate additional 10 million euros for the restoration of Ukraine. According to Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, the country will continue to provide assistance to Ukraine even after the culmination of the ongoing war. 
 

Vadym Liakh, the leader of the Sloviansk's military administration, claimed that Russia is planning to launch an attack on the city, located in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. He further stated that Ukrainian forces are currently holding invaders on the Siverskyi Donets river. "Probably, they will attack Sloviansk. Probably, that is why the incoming hits have become more frequent. I think that as soon as the enemy is able to carry out assault operations, it will begin the destruction of the infrastructure and the city itself," Liakh added, as per CNN. 
 

Amid the ongoing devastating war between Moscow and Kyiv in Eastern Europe, Vadym Novynsky, a pro-Russian lawmaker of Ukraine, has decided to resign from the Parliament.  According to reports, he has decided to step down owing to the Russian occupation of Mariupol. In 2019, he was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Mariupol constituency. "I have decided to step down as an MP of Ukraine and focus on humanitarian projects, on developing the national economy, serving the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and restoring destroyed churches," Novynsky stated, as per the Interfax news agency. 

Russian shelling killed at least seven civilians in Ukraine over the past 24 hours and wounded 25 more, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. Pro-Russia separatists said attacks by Ukrainian forces killed four civilians.

The Ukrainian presidential office said Russian forces targeted cities and villages in the country’s southeast, with most civilian casualties occurring in Donetsk province, where Russia stepped up its offensive in recent days.

Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a Telegram post that two people died in the city of Avdiivka, which is located in the centre of the province, and the Donetsk cities of Sloviansk, Krasnohorivka and Kurakhove each reported one civilian killed. “Every crime will be punished,” he wrote.

Kyrylenko urged the province’s more than 350,000 remaining residents to flee late Tuesday, saying that evacuating Donetsk was necessary to save lives and allow the Ukrainian army to put up a better defence against the Russian advance.

(Associated Press)

Mariupol's mayor has claimed that the reconstruction of the region may cost over $14 billion. According to Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko, it may take up to 10 years to completely rebuild the wrecked city in the southeast and provide 220,000 residents with appropriate housing.
 

As the invading Kremlin troops continue to wreck through Ukrainian towns and cities, with no signs of stopping, Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres said that millions of people have been forcibly displaced by Russia's aggression in Ukraine, further claiming thousands of lives.

He also highlighted that millions of Ukrainians have lost their jobs, and 90% of the population faces the possibility of becoming impoverished. According to UN News, the UN chief claimed that it would take years to reconstruct the damage and destruction which has occurred to homes, schools, hospitals, and other important infrastructure.

UN Secretary-General Guterres made these remarks during the Ukraine Recovery Conference, held in Lugano, Switzerland. The UN chief also revealed that nearly 9 million people have obtained vital and life-saving assistance because of United Nations' strong collaboration with the Ukrainian government, over 300 local civil society partners, as well as international non-governmental organisations. In the upcoming months, the UN wants to reach millions more people, he added.  

Amid the ongoing war, Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin visited Kyiv on Wednesday to show his support to the War-torn country. During his visit, he reiterated Ireland’s backing for Ukraine's EU membership bid and sanctions against Russia. "Ireland will stand with Ukraine in the face of Russia’s immoral and unprovoked war of terror, Martin said, the Kyiv Independent reported. 

Amid heavy shelling in Ukraine's Donetsk region, an ammunition depot was set on fire in Makiivka on Wednesday. Earlier on Tuesday, the regional governor said that the Russian forces escalated their offensive in the region. In fact, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko urged to evacuate more than 3,50,000 troops from the region. 
 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy once again urged his Western partners to supply modern and effective air defence systems to counter Russia's aggression. His statement came after Russian forces attacked targets in the Khmelnytskyi region of western Ukraine, setting off air raid sirens all around the nation on Tuesday evening, July 6. During his nightly address on Tuesday, the embattled President also condemned the attack and accused Russian troops of continuously taking the lives of the people. 
“The Russian army does not take any breaks. It has one task — to take people's lives, to intimidate people — so that even a few days without an air alarm already feel like part of the terror. And this evening, Kyiv and again almost the whole of Ukraine heard the air alarm,” Zelensky stated, CNN reported. He further stated that Ukrainian defence forces also destroyed some of Russia's missiles as they continue to give tough resistance to the enemy. According to Zelenskyy, his government will not stop engaging in diplomatic activities in order to acquire enough modern anti-missile systems for the country. 

European lawmakers will decide Wednesday whether fossil gas and nuclear energies can be included in the EU’s list of sustainable activities, in a cliff-edge vote targeting climate change but heavily influenced by the war in Ukraine. The executive Commission of the 27-nation bloc wants nuclear energy and natural gas in its green finance plans for building a climate-friendly future, believing that will speed the phasing-out of more polluting fuels like oil and coal. But this has divided the 27 member countries and even the parliament’s political groups, while environmentalists claim it amounts to “greenwashing.”

AP

Japan's proposal to place a cap on Russian oil prices would lead to significantly less crude on the market and could drastically push the oil prices higher, warned Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday. Responding to the idea that was floated by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday, Medvedev said on Telegram that Tokyo “would have neither oil nor gas from Russia, as well as no participation in the Sakhalin-2 LNG project” if Japan decided to go through with the proposal. 

“Japanese PM Kishida recently blurted out that the price ceiling for Russian oil would be set at half its current price. Plus, a mechanism will be created that will not allow the purchase of our oil at a price higher than the established one,” the former president wrote, as per Russian news agency RT. 

Furthermore, the Former Russian President explained that japan’s suggested method would severely limit the amount of oil available on the market, causing the price to be “much higher”. Medvedev said, “In fact, it will be even higher than the predicted astronomical price of $300-400 a barrel. Compare this with the dynamic of gas prices”.
 

Austria's energy minister Leonore Gewessler told a news conference, "If customers do not store (gas) then the capacity must be handed over to others. It is a critical infrastructure. We need it now in such a crisis. That is exactly what is happening now in the case of Gazprom and its storage at Haidach" adding that gas regulator e-Control had started the process of ejecting Gazprom.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "Russia’s war in Ukraine has taken thousands of lives and forcibly displaced millions of people.  Millions of Ukrainians have lost their livelihoods — and 90 per cent are at risk of falling into poverty.   The damage and devastation to homes, schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure will take years to rebuild".

 Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office on Telegram said that a total of 346 children have been killed and over 645 injured in Ukraine since the Russian invasion started on February 24. 

“As of July 6, 2022, over 991 children in Ukraine were affected by the Russian armed aggression. According to the data from juvenile prosecutors, a total of 346 children were killed and over 645 injured,” the report stated, as per Ukrinform

Ukrainian Army’s General Staff said in its latest war update, "Our defenders repelled the enemy assault and pushed the invaders back to the Dolyna settlement area. The enemy is conducting assault operations near Mazanivka, the fighting continues."

"The invaders are advancing in the Luhansk region, hostilities continue. In the Avdiyivka, Kurakhivka, Novopavlivka, and Zaporizhzhia directions along the contact line, shelling from mortars, barrel and rocket artillery continues. The enemy carried out airstrikes near Avdiivka," it also said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he intends to "intensify" negotiations with Russia and Ukraine in the hope of reaching a deal on a U.N. plan to export Ukrainian grain to world markets.

Erdogan made the comments during a joint news conference with Italy's prime minister, Mario Draghi.

Turkey is working with the United Nations, Ukraine and Russia on a U.N. plan to that would allow millions of tons of Ukrainian grain sitting in silos to be shipped through safe corridors in the Black Sea.

"We will intensify our talks within a week or 10 days and try to reach a result," he told reporters.

Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russia's invasion and a blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering food supplies to many developing countries, especially in Africa.

Draghi praised the possibility of an accord as important not just to get the grain and fertilizer to poor countries but because it would represent the first time Ukraine and Russia had come to an agreement on anything in the war.

Last week, Draghi said the U.N. plan to export Ukrainian grain via safe sea corridors could save weeks to a month of precious time to empty silos before the autumn harvest since it wouldn’t require demining the ports. He said the plan requires Russia’s final approval.

(AP)

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said on Telegram that Ukrainian army is resisting Russian forces  on the border of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. He said, "Every day, the Russians receive an order to advance further, but they do not always carry it out, because the losses in personnel are very significant".

The United Kingdom’s defence ministry has said in its latest intelligence update, "With the town also under threat from the central and southern groups of forces, there is a realistic possibility that the battle for Sloviansk will be the next key contest in the struggle for the Donbas".

Russian Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has instructed the Foreign Affairs Committee to study options of denouncing a treaty on maritime delimitation and cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean, according to Barents Observer.

On the morning of Tuesday, July 5, the enemy rained heavy barrel artillery fire on the village of Velyka Kostromka in Dnipropetrovsk region, reported Ukrinform citing reference to Operational Command South. The statement said, "The crossing over the Inhulets in the north of Kherson Region and twice the area of ​​the liberated Ivanivka were attacked with single and paired Ka-52 enemy helicopter strikes. No casualties were reported".

Institute for the Study of War stated that Russia’s stated objectives in Ukraine remain constant, despite military setbacks. The ISW said Russia’s baseless goals of “denazifying and demilitarizing" Ukraine are constant, despite rhetoric indicating a potential reduction in war aims. Meanwhile, Russian war hawks are reportedly pushing for the realization of maximalist goals in Ukraine, urging further territorial gains and regime change in Kyiv.
 

Ukraine’s military has defeated 18 Russian soldiers in southern Ukraine as the war entered day 133, as per Operational Command South. Ukraine has also destroyed a Russian Msta-B howitzer, a ZU-23 anti-aircraft gun, two self-propelled mortar systems, two ammunition depots, and five armored and military vehicles, Kyiv Independent reported.

In order to felicitate rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of a war, Ukraine is proposing to build three tier offices dedicated to restoration tasks in Washington, Brussels, London and other cities. The main headquarter, however, has been suggested to be located in Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Making a speech at a conference in Lugano, Switzerland, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the recovery of Ukraine will consist of three levels, first will constitute the leaders of the states that will be key decision makers, the second will consist of the joint coordination group, which will include heads of executive power who will implement the rebuilding projects. 

read more here

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny, stated that conscripts who are planning to travel outside their districts and regions must take permission from territorial recruitment and social support centers.

"Dear citizens - conscripts and those liable for military service! I remind you that the war is going on. Your country needs you! Everyone who has not still registered or renewed their military registration should do so. Those of you who are planning to leave your districts and regions must obtain permission from the territorial recruitment and social support center," he said in Facebook post.

Ukraine will get ten self-propelled artillery systems and loitering munitions, also known as suicide drones from the UK in the coming weeks, as per a press release issued by the office of the head of the British government. This comes following a phone conversation between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“The Prime Minister updated on the latest UK military equipment, including 10 self-propelled artillery systems and loitering munitions, which would be arriving in the coming days and weeks,” the release said.

Russia's envoy Denis Alipov on Tuesday underlined the strength of bilateral ties with India, saying "Unfortunately, in the first months after the launch of the special military operation in Ukraine there were certain difficulties with supplying Russian goods to India and vice versa. However, today we have successfully overcome most of these barriers. We are confident that Indian exports to Russia (including science-intensive ones) will gain momentum in the near future".

Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on July 5 that 220,000 people residing in Kharkiv Oblast have received IDP status and have relocated to safer areas due to Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, according to Kyiv Independent.

At least 34 countries including the United States, Germany, and Australia called for the suspension of Russian and Belarusian national sporting bodies and individuals from international sports federations. In a joint statement released by the US Department of State, all countries agreed that the national and international sports organisations will suspend the broadcasting of sports competitions in Russia and Belarus. Besides, it also banned the use of Russian and Belarusian flags, emblems and anthems during any sports event. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry released a video, on Wednesday, wherein it showcased a purported Russian soldier claiming torture in Ukrainian captivity. Calling it a violation of the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War, it claimed that the "Russian soldiers" were tortured brutally and were thrashed with batons.

French Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it will complement its ongoing assistance to Ukraine with a focus on reconstructing Chernihiv Oblast, with which it has “ancient ties", as per reports. Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine’s candidate status in the European Union (EU) can speed up the war-torn nation’s reconstruction process in the recovery phase after the conflict with Russia ends. 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson took to Twitter on Tuesday and informed that he held conversations with war embattled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where he briefed him about the progress made at the G7 Summit and NATO Summit last week. According to Johnson, he believes that the Ukrainian military can retake territories that have been captured by Russian forces since the onset of the war. "The UK remains committed to helping Ukraine defend itself and rebuild," he said. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has again bolstered his voice against the aggressor, Russia and urged Europe to work collectively in imposing sanctions on Moscow to end the incessant war. While speaking during an online conversation at the opening of the 26th Annual Economist Government Roundtable on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said his voice is not enough to deter the aggression of the Kremlin and added the war-torn nation needs a united Europe to defend its democracy and freedom. "It is difficult to fight this. My voice, the voice of our society is not enough for this, we need the voice of a united Europe. Therefore, as long as Europe and the whole world can support us, democracy and freedom will be protected," he noted.

Read more here 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will not meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov when the two are in Bali, Indonesia for the G20 summit. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said  that the “time is not right” for a bilateral engagement between the two diplomats after biden administration suspended "business as usual" with Russia over its brutal invasion of Ukraine. 

"We would like to have the Russians give us a reason to meet on a bilateral basis with them, with Foreign Minister Lavrov, but the only thing we have seen emanate from Moscow is more brutality and aggression against the people and country of Ukraine,” Price said. “The secretary intends to engage fully in the G-20. I’m not going to speak to any plans on the part of Foreign Minister Lavrov ... but I can tell you the secretary will be a full and active participant in the G-20, which we see as a valuable forum,” he added. 

US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken is expected to raise the energy and food security at G20 ministers’ session on Friday, Ramin Toloui, the US assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs told reporters in the US. Blinken will also push for Russia to support UN plan of establishing the corridor for safe transit of Ukrainian grain. 

"G20 countries should hold Russia accountable and insist that it support ongoing UN efforts to reopen the sea lanes for grain delivery,” said Ramin Toloui. 

Head of the Luhansk Regional Military–Civil Administration Serhiy Haidai said at national TV that heavy battle is ongoing near Lysychansk region between Ukraine's military forces and the invading Russian troops. "The enemy is using massive resources, constantly trying to build river crossings to transport more equipment over Seversky Donets r-r. They are also suffering heavy losses. The equipment russians use now is old, but its quantities are still overwhelming." 

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked for an explanation from the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces about military's travel restrictions for leaving their place of residence. General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces had announced that those in military service, conscripts, and reservists would now have to obtain permission from the local military registration and enlistment office before leaving their areas of residence, according to The Kyiv Independent. 

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, condemned Russia’s “senseless war” in Ukraine that she said has wrought unimaginable human suffering. “As we enter the fifth month of hostilities, the unbearable toll of the conflict in Ukraine continues to mount,” Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said at the UN Human Rights Council. “In the name of every victim of this senseless war, the killings, the torture, the arbitrary detentions must stop.”

Russian forces are pushing deeper into Donetsk in the eastern Donbass region after capturing the Luhansk area. Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko is now worried about safely evacuating an estimated 50,000 civilians in the province in order to save lives and to enable the Ukrainian army to better defend towns. 

“The destiny of the whole country will be decided by the Donetsk region,” Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko told reporters in Kramatrosk, Ukrainian military’s regional headquarters, according to Associated Press. "Once there are less people, we will be able to concentrate more on our enemy and perform our main tasks” Kyrylenko said.

UN has documented nearly 270 cases of “arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance” of civilians in the Ukraine as Russians continue to attack the territory. According to the UN’s human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet the findings were based on UN's field visits and interviews conducted with more than 500 victims. 

Britain has added Denis Gafner and Valeriya Kalabayeva, the two Russian individuals to its sanctions list, both of whom it described were involved in spreading disinformation about Russia's war in Ukraine. 

The 30 NATO allies signed off on the accession protocols for Sweden and Finland on Tuesday, sending the membership bids of the two nations to the alliance capitals for legislative approvals — and possible political trouble in Turkey.

The move further increases Russia’s strategic isolation in the wake of its invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February and military struggles there since.

“This is truly a historic moment for Finland, for Sweden and for NATO,” the head of the alliance, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, said.

The 30 ambassadors and permanent representatives formally approved decisions made at a NATO summit in Madrid last week, when the leaders of member nations invited Russia’s neighbor Finland and Scandinavian partner Sweden to join the military club.

Image/Source: Associated Press

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the war in Ukraine would continue until all of the goals set by Putin are achieved. However, Shoigu said “the main priorities” for Moscow at the moment were “preserving the lives and health” of the troops, as well as “excluding the threat to the security of civilians," according to AP.

When Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, his stated goals were defending the people of the Donbas against Kyiv’s alleged aggression, and the “demilitarization” and “denazifaction” of Ukraine. 

Russia has started withdrawing military equipment from the Finnish border after Finland's accession to NATO , Yle reported. Satellite photos published by the Finnish media agency shows that most of the military equipment has been removed from the village of Alakurtti, which is located at about 70 kilometers from the Finnish border. It is about more than 100 units, including dozens of armored personnel carriers. 

Military expert Marko Eklund said that a third and half of the soldiers had left the military unit. "It is very likely that they were sent to Ukraine," he added. 

A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in seizing an eastern Ukraine province essential to his wartime aims, a city in the path of Moscow’s offensive came under sustained bombardment, its mayor said Tuesday.

Mayor Vadim Lyakh said in a Facebook that “massive shelling” pummeled Sloviansk, which had a population of about 107,000 before Russian invaded Ukraine more than four months ago. The mayor, who urged residents hours earlier to evacuate, advised them to take cover in shelters.

At least one person was killed and another seven wounded Tuesday, Lyakh said. He said the city’s central market and several districts came under attack, adding that authorities were assessing the extent of the damage. The barrage targeting Sloviansk underscored fears that Russian forces were positioned to advance farther into Ukraine’s Donbas region, a mostly Russian-speaking industrial area where the country’s most experienced soldiers are concentrated. Ukrainian military withdrew its troops Sunday from the city of Lysychansk to keep them from being surrounded. 

Source: Associated Press

Russia announced on July 5 that no decision had been made on whether to convert Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) sales to rubles. During a press conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also stated that the details of Gazprom's proposals, including whether they concern only LNG from its portfolio or the export of all LNG, should be directed to the company itself.

In response to a question about a Gazprom representative's statement about the prospects for selling LNG for rubles and how much such an idea has been worked out at the Kremlin level, as well as whether a corresponding presidential decree is planned in the near future, Peskov told reporters, "So far, no decisions have been made on this matter. And there are no prepared decrees on this matter."

According to a senior manager quoted by the Interfax news agency on July 4, Russia's Gazprom may propose extending its "rubles for gas" programme for pipeline gas to include LNG. Further, on July 4, the Interfax report quoted Kirill Polous, deputy department head at Gazprom as saying that there is a foreign exchange war going on between LNG, which is taxed in dollars, and pipeline gas, which is sold in rubles and sold as a commodity.

The State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, approved the first vote for a fresh set of economic measures targeted at assisting the country's Armed Forces. If the bills are adopted, the Legal entities in Russia won't be able to decline contracts with the Russian Armed forces. However, there are still a number of rounds of parliamentary procedure to go before the final adoption of bills. "The bills introduce the obligation of organizations to conclude contracts in order to ensure counter-terrorism and other operations outside the territory of the Russian Federation, and also grant the rights to contractors to purchase products necessary to fulfil the State Defense Order from a single supplier," Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov stated, as per RIA Novosti. 

Turkey has seized a Russian-flagged ship accused of exporting thousands of tonnes of Ukrainian grain illegally. According to reports, the Russian ship named 'Zhybek Zholy' has been detained and being probed by Turkish authorities in the Black Sea port of Karasu. The Turkish customs officials swung into action after Kyiv claimed that the ship was illegally exporting around 7,000 tonnes of Grain from the Russian-occupied Berdiansk port city. 

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a man over suspicion of spying for Russia in the Kharkiv region. According to the SBU, a 41-year-old local resident was providing Russian personnel with information regarding the whereabouts of military installations and defence fortifications. 

United Kingdom's Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a telephonic conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and backed Ukraine to regain its lost territories to Russia. "The Prime Minister said the world was behind Ukraine, and he believed President Zelensky’s military could retake territory recently captured by Putin’s forces," a Downing Street spokesperson said, as per CNN. 

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that the country requires a safe space that is effective even when Ukraine is not a member of NATO. Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian President, is not a member of NATO, but it is on its way. He stated during a speech at The Economist's 26th annual government round table, a video of which was published on Zelenskyy's Telegram, that the main goal is to ensure that there is no grey security zone.

"We need such a system of security guarantees, such a safe space that can be effective even in conditions when we are not in the Alliance," the Ukrainian President stated.

"We are not in NATO, but we are on this path. And there must be certainty - and certainty now: what to do to prevent aggression? What should be done to immediately stop the aggression that has begun? We want to give answers to this and are currently working on them with our partners, with those states that, in fact, will be able to become guarantors. If such a system were in place now, there would be no war," Zelenskyy added.

A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in seizing an eastern Ukraine province essential to his wartime aims, the mayor of a city in the path of Moscow’s offensive warned residents Tuesday to evacuate ahead of an expected assault.

The warning from the mayor of Sloviansk underscored fears that Russian forces were positioned to advance farther into Ukraine’s Donbas region, a mostly Russian-speaking industrial area where the country’s most experienced soldiers are concentrated.

Sloviansk, which had a population of about 107,000 before Russia invaded Ukraine more than four months ago, appeared to be the next target. The city has taken rocket and artillery fire during the war, and the bombardment has picked up since Moscow took the last major city in neighbouring Luhansk province, Mayor Vadim Lyakh said.

“It’s important to evacuate as many people as possible,” he said, adding that shelling damaged 40 houses on Monday. The Ukrainian military withdrew its troops Sunday from the city of Lysychansk to keep them from being surrounded. Russia’s defence minister and Putin said the city’s subsequent capture put Moscow in control of all of Luhansk, one of two provinces that make up the Donbas.

Associated Press

The head of the Luhansk region military administration claimed that Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled a Russian assault on Bilohorivka village in the area today. "The main efforts of Russians are focused on establishing control over the territory of the Luhansk region within its administrative borders," Serhiy Hayday said, as per CNN. 

A set of principles were adopted at an international conference in Lugano, Switzerland, that would help Ukraine long-term as it seeks to rebuild and recover from the war with Russia. It came as the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference, which was attended by representatives of more than 40 nations and international organisations culminated on Tuesday.

"Here in Lugano we have launched the process of Ukraine's recovery at the international level and set out the principles underpinning the recovery. The principles would link recovery to reform and focus on transparency, partnership and equality," said Ignazio Cassis, president of the Swiss Confederation and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, CNN reported. He further stated that this would offer the people of Ukraine hope and the assurance that they are not alone. 

According to media reports, Russia is preparing to hold referendums in the occupied region of Donbass by August. The Kremlin has ordered the preparation and recruitment of locals in occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republic in an attempt to hold referendums by August, Russian media outlet Kommersant reported citing sources. 

Amid the ongoing devasting war between Moscow and Kyiv, Kazakhstan's Industry and Infrastructure Development Minister stated that the country is set to terminate the contract with the Russian company that rented a ship which illegally exported Ukrainian grain. According to reports, the Russian ship "Zhybek Zholy" has been detained in Turkey for breaching international law. "If the vessel conducts activities that do not comply with legal norms adopted in Kazakhstan and international law, of course, this contract will be terminated and the vessel will be recalled," Kairbek Uskenbayev told Radio Azattyk. 

In its latest operational update, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry claimed that Russia has lost nearly 36,350 soldiers, 3,772 Armored Personnel Vehicles (APV), 1,594 tanks, 806 artillery systems and 247 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), and at least 105 anti-aircraft warfare. In addition, the invaders also lost as many as 2,634 vehicles and fuel tanks, 660 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), 217 aircraft, 187 helicopters, 144 cruise missiles, 65 special equipment and 15 boats, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry stated in a Facebook post. 

The road for nordic nations towards becoming members of NATO has not been easy especially due to Turkey's opposition to the same. With Turkey on the same page, given certain conditions, Finland and Sweden are on the verge of taking one more step towards joining NATO on Tuesday, 5 July.

This comes not only as a positive addition to the security of the nordic nations but also at a time when Russia-Ukraine War is continuing unabated. With Russia already having warned Finland about not allowing the setting up of a NATO base near its borders, it remains to be seen how it reacts to the nations moving ahead towards joining a security alliance which stands completely against Moscow's policies.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in a briefing on Monday, 5 July, confirmed the creation of two safe shipping corridors in the Black Sea according to RT News. He also added that threat of Ukrainian mines from the port of Mariupol has been eliminated. 

Pointing towards the military action, he highlighted that 170 foreign mercenaries have been killed in Ukraine in the past 10 days and 99 have fled the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his nightly address to the Ukrainian citizens emphasised the fact that the Russian offensive was on the rise as each day passes. He also laid stress on the fact that economic recovery is not something that needs to be focused on after Ukraine's victory but must happen side by side. Highlighting the difficulty of the task at hand, he also stressed that taking the fight to the Russians 'requires time and superhuman efforts'. 

He added, "We have no alternative - this is about our independence, about our future, about the fate of the entire Ukrainian people."

Ever since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War, confiscation of the assets belonging to Russian oligarchs and other influential people close to the Kremlin or thought to support Putin's plans has been at the forefront of Western nations. UK FM, Liz Truss recently expressed plans regarding the reuse of the confiscated assets either as reparations or as a help to Ukrainian govt.

Now, the European Union is also thought to be working on the idea to find ways to use the confiscated assets. According to Euractiv, a pilot project has been given a go-ahead by the European Commission. The project will include a feasibility study of different aspects of the usage of these assets.

In a bid to bolster support to Ukraine, Japan on Tuesday extended its sanctions on Russia and its strongest ally Belarus. Tokyo announced that it will stop Russian gold imports, and suspend consulting and accounting services from both nations. 

The all-out Russian war in Ukraine has "directly damaged" infrastructure exceeding $100 billion, said Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Addressing the forum on Ukraine Recovery in Lugano, Switzerland, Shmyhal underscored that at least 2,50,000 victims of the war have registered for compensation for damages caused during Russia's arbitrary bombings. "We are already creating an electronic map of Ukraine, where we record all the damages caused by the war. This map is constantly updated. Damage is constantly recorded and verified," Shmyhal explained to the participants in the conference, as reported by Ukrinform.

Shmyhal added that the Kyiv government has employed digital tools and the 'Diia' web application where every citizen who has lost their residential property in war-related incidents can register detailing the condition of their homes. Local authorities verify the authenticity of the information and supplement them with details on destroyed and damaged objects, he added. Notably, the Ukraine President's office and an official team have also been established alongside experts from the Kyiv School of Economics to ascertain total damages in compliance with international standards.

Read more here

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on July 4 sat for a private dinner in Paris. According to a report by Le Monde, both leaders engaged in detailed conversation about the further responses to the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

Macron and Scholz discussed  "the main current issues at the international, European and bilateral levels", the report said. 

The meeting came a week after the European heads of met in Germany for the G7 Summit last week.

As the brutal war between Moscow and Kyiv continues unabated, the Ukrainian forces have raised the country's flag over Snake island after compelling a Russian pullout from the strategically significant region. Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Ostrov in the Ukrainian language, is located about 48 kilometres (30 miles) off the coast of Ukraine and also considered a strategically important and symbolic stronghold in the Black Sea. According to reports, Russian forces retreated last week following months of intense bombardment in the region. 

"The military operation in the region is over and Snake Island has been returned to the jurisdiction of Ukraine,” Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern military command, told reporters, as per The Guardian. Meanwhile, control of the island has been viewed by Ukraine as a crucial first step in easing Moscow's blockade of its southern ports. However, it remained unclear if Ukrainian troops would try to establish a long-term presence there as the region is perilously exposed to bombing. 

Read more here

[IMAGES: @EmineDzheppar/Twitter]

Ukraine's Southern Command on Tuesday said that Russia has stationed at least 6 combat-ready ships with missile carrier in the Black Sea coast of Ukraine.

 "In the northwestern part of the Black Sea, there are currently three surface and two underwater Kalibr carriers ready to launch more than 30 missiles," the commander said in a statement.

The warships, as reported by Ukrinform, carry two submarines and a total of over 30 Kalibr cruise missiles. 

Thousands of Ukrainians joined the US Independence Day parade on Monday with an intention to express their gratitude to America for its support in the ongoing war. According to a report by Ukrinform, people wore blue and yellow colours and traditional vyshyvanka embroidered shirts, and chanted the slogans and songs explaining "glory to Ukraine". This was the debut of the Ukrainian delegation which was attended by the employees of the Ukrainian Embassy in the USA, the Carpathia folk dance ensemble, members of the United Help Ukraine, US Ukrainian Activists (USUA), Ukrainian American Veterans organizations, and others.

Aiden Aslin, a Briton who was sentenced to death by a court in the pro-Russia separatist region in eastern Ukraine, has launched an appeal against the verdict. He had received the sentence along with another UK national Shaun Pinner and a Moroccan Saaudun Brahim in a trial in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR),  a territory recognised only by Russia and Syria. Pinner and Brahim were previously reported to have filed an appeal against the verdict.   

The lawyer representing Aslin, Pavel Kosovan told the Russian news agency Interfax, “A cassation appeal against the verdict was filed today”.

All three foreign nationals were charged with “mercenary” activities and hence, were not protected under the Geneva conventions for prisoners of war by DPR authorities. Aslin, from Nottinghamshire, has previously told his family that his captors claimed there had been no attempt by UK officials to negotiate on his behalf, The Guardian stated. His family also revealed that Asli said he had been told that “time is running out” by his captors. 

Read more here

The UK along with its partners Scotland and Wales on Monday announced the decision to provide Ukraine with military aid of 100 million pounds. Taking to Twitter British PM Boris Johnson thanked Welsh Government for 35 million pounds to UK's military assistance for Ukraine. 

Scotland also agreed to allot 65 million pounds to show support for Ukraine. 

Ukraine will receive its first batch of macro-financial assistance from the European Union as soon as the bloc's parliament ratifies its candidacy, said Executive VP of European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis. Speaking on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, Switzerland, he added that the union is preparing for the said aid worth 1 billion euros and can be expected to be disbursed by summer. 

The initiative allows a total of 9 billion euros in total.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Monday announced that it has decided to set up a coordination office in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv to galvanise policy in support of Ukraine's recovery. 

"In order to strengthen and expand our policy to support Ukraine, we set up a coordination office at the OECD, which first started in Paris, but which we intend to move to Kyiv as soon as possible," said  Mathias Cormann, OECD Secretary-General, while addressing the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, Switzerland, as reported by Ukrinform. 

He outlined the necessity of a "huge" investment in infrastructure, and finances to formulate a coordinated action plan. Cornman stressed that the recovery of cities should be focused on the "green reconstruction" method. 

First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenskaa on Monday virtually addressed the 'Ukraine Recovery Conference' being held in Lugano, Switzerland. Speaking to the attendees, she outlined the significance of mental and physical recovery post war, which is as important as infrastructural recovery.

 "Very often, when talking about reconstruction, they mean the post-war restoration of buildings, infrastructure and the economy. This is undoubtedly important. But any discussions about the post-war recovery of Ukraine do not make sense if they do not prioritize the recovery of people's moral and physical health," the wife of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. 

Zelenska noted more than eight million internally displaced persons are currently registered in Ukraine and another six million were forced to move abroad.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Russian cargo ship carrying dry grain needs a thorough investigation. "The vessel seems to be really Russian, under the flag of Russia. It belongs, as far as I know, to Kazakhstan, and the cargo was under a contract between Estonia and Türkiye. It is necessary to investigate everything substantively," he said, as quoted by Anadolu Agency. 

In order to bolster its response in order to avert the looming global food crisis, Ukraine is in talks with Turkey and the United Nations to secure export routes for grains stuck in Ukrainian silos. Speaking to Swedish PM Magdalena Andersson on Monday's joint presser, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy affirmed that he is working to create opportunities for exporting at least 22 million tonnes of food grain stored in Ukraine due to the Russian blockade of the Black Sea. 

The Institute for Study of War on Tuesday claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has called to temporarily halt the "special military operation" after significant conquest in east Ukraine. 

The UK government is proposing new changes to a landmark online safety bill which would require social media giants to shield internet users and state-sponsored disinformation that threatens the country’s society and democracy. According to The Guardian, the legislation would call on social media platforms, video streaming services and search engines to tackle state-backed disinformation aimed at the interfering UK. For instance, amid the Russia-Ukraine war, such content would involve Moscow-based hoaxers and cyberattackers. 

Since the beginning of the war in late February, the Western nations including the UK have flagged cyberattacks launched by hackers based in Russia and warned people against the Soviet Republic’s propaganda strategy. Just earlier this year, a video was published of UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace being prank-called by a Russian hoaxer who was pretending to be the Ukrainian Prime Minister. Now, British Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said on Monday that the Ukraine invasion had underscored Russia’s readiness to use social media to spread lies and disinformation, as per the report.

“We cannot allow foreign states or their puppets to use the internet to conduct hostile online warfare unimpeded,” she said. “That’s why we are strengthening our new internet safety protections to make sure social media firms identify and root out state-backed disinformation.”

Read more

Speaking virtually at the Lugano forum on Ukraine's Recovery being held in Switzerland, Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska announced that she looked forward to hosting the second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen on July 23, as quoted by the presidential press of Kyiv.

pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said in a televised address that it may be too early for Moscow and Kyiv to discuss peace talks since neither side is ready to come to the negotiations table as Russia continues its assaults in the eastern Donbass region. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Kirby reiterated that it is “time for the US to continue to support Ukraine" when asked why US president Joe Biden isn't pushing the two warring sides to resume stalled dialogue and broker peace. Instead, Kirby replied that Washington's goal is to ensure that Ukraine gets to choose “how victory is decided” during the war and “on what terms.”

“We do not want to see Ukraine defeated by Russia and that is why we are continuing to rush aid and assistance,” Kirby told the broadcaster referring to the nearly $7 billion in aid approved by Biden administration for Ukraine.

When enquired if Ukraine was ready to hold talks for peace as Russia continues its brutal shelling on its soil, Kirby said, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “will tell you that the time is not now for those discussions.” he further claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has shown no indication that he is interested in negotiated talks."

Read more

Ukrainian Armed Forces on Monday claimed to destroy 2 Russian ammunition depots, a T-62 tank belonging to invading forces, and an Uragan MLRS. Kyiv's defenders also reportedly killed some 30 Russian soldiers in the past 24 hours. 

Russia has been transferring Ukrainian grains to Turkey via Crimea and there are satellite images to prove that, said an investigation conducted by Radio Free Europe journalist. 

Images accessed by the journalists showed that Russian vessels were moving out grain shipments from the occupied-Kherson region. 

Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Andrei Ermak, on Monday told participants at the Lugano Forum that Ukraine's rebuilding plan should attract funding from various sources. He added that the main principle behind the use of these funds will be "transparency & trust."