Here is the situation on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Fighting
- Two people were killed in Russian attacks on Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. One person was killed in Avdiivka and another in Kostiantynivka, Kyrylenko said on the Telegram messaging app.
- Russia attacked the Ukrainian regions of Kyiv, khmelnytskyi and Kirovohrad with missiles, according to Ukraine’s air force spokesman. “We have registered high-speed targets, probably also ballistic missiles, the enemy is using different weapons types,” Yuriy Ihnat said.
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Ukraine’s domestic intelligence agency claimed responsibility for a sabotage operation that damaged the Russian-made bridge linking occupied Crimea with Russia in October.
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The Russian army said it repelled a Ukrainian attack involving several hundred soldiers near the town of Orikhiv in the south, one of the areas where Kyiv has been carrying out its counteroffensive.
- Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said that Kyiv’s troops continue to deter the advance of Russian troops in the Kupyan and Lyman areas of eastern Ukraine.
Diplomacy
- The NATO-Ukraine Council met to discuss the situation in the Black Sea after Russia terminated the UN-brokered grain shipments deal. NATO and Ukraine “strongly condemned” Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal, according to a statement.
- NATO said it would step up surveillance of the Black Sea region to assure the safe passage of ships carrying Ukrainian grain.
- Bridget A Brink, the US ambassador to Ukraine, met Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. “We look forward to exploring all options for building a more resilient energy grid, including by taking steps to enable private investment and through US support,” she said in a tweet.
- Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced plans to strengthen cooperation between Russia and North Korea, according to a statement by the defence ministry.
- International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach excluded Russia and Belarus from the list of 203 countries formally invited to participate in the Paris Olympics next year. The IOC left the door open for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutral participants in the competition.
- The European Union agreed to adopt “restrictive measures” against Belarus, including “listings of individuals and entities”, over its involvement in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, the Spanish presidency of the bloc says.
- Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Moscow would work with African leaders to weaken the US dollar, according to a report by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
- Moldova’s Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said the country will cut the number of staff Russia can have at its embassy, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.
- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his newly appointed Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed the latest situation in Ukraine among other issues in talks in Ankara on Wednesday, the Reuters news agency said, citing a Turkish foreign ministry source.
Military manoeuvres
- A Russian aircraft flew “dangerously close” to a US drone over Syria earlier this week in violation of established protocols and international norms, the White House said. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the drone had been on a mission against ISIL (ISIS) fighters during the incident.
- Ukraine’s counteroffensive is “not a stalemate” even if it is not progressing fast enough, White House national security spokesman John Kirby has told reporters. Kirby made the remarks when asked about the pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in a press briefing.
- Russia’s defence ministry said that its troops are making advances in Serhiivka in the Luhansk region, according to a report by Russia’s state news agency TASS.
- The southern regions of Ukraine experienced a “pause” in regular night attacks, with artillery fire significantly down compared with the previous week, Ukraine’s state broadcaster reported.
- The US Department of Defense announced $400m in additional security assistance for Ukraine, including air defence missiles, armoured vehicles and small drones.
СБУ затримала інформатора рф, який готував повітряні удари по залізничних мостах Миколаєва
➡️ https://t.co/VB8h1Sm1l6 pic.twitter.com/fnhzvyBBFA
— СБ України (@ServiceSsu) July 26, 2023
Law enforcement
- The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) arrested an alleged Russian informant accused of aiding Moscow in preparing air raids on rail bridges in Mykolaiv.
- Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs put Ukrainian activist Gennadiy Druzenko and Ukrainian presenter from the 1+1 TV channel, Natalia Moseychuk, on its wanted list, according to a report by Russian state news agency TASS.
- Ukraine’s security service opened an investigation into Yury Aristov, a member of parliament from Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party. Aristov had travelled to the Maldives in mid-July despite a ban on officials travelling abroad for leisure, according to the Slidstvo.info journalism project.
