[Korrespondent] 23:30 The executive director of the Turkish company Baykar Makina, Haluk Bayraktar, said that he would never allow the sale of Bayraktar drones to Russia and supported Ukraine in its struggle for sovereignty and independence.
23:28 Zelensky decided on the most high-profile personnel decisions from the very beginning of the war. The heads of key law enforcement agencies - the head of the SBU Ivan Bakanov and Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova - have been removed from their posts. Tomorrow, July 19, the Rada may vote for the dismissal of Bakanov. According to Venediktova, there is no such clarity yet. More details - in the material Loud personnel audit .
23:09 Washington is "monitoring the situation" in the Ukrainian government after the removal of the head of the SBU and the prosecutor general due to cases of treason, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said. He said the State Department "looks forward to the information" it shares with Ukrainian partners to "help them gather evidence to bring to justice those who may have committed war crimes and other atrocities."
23:04 Today, 1028 settlements have been liberated from the invaders, another 2621 are still under the control of the invaders, Zelensky said in an evening video message. He called on everyone who has contacts and opportunities to bring real information to the occupied territory, to support Ukrainians, to spread the truth there: "All over our land from Kherson to Gorlovka, from Genichesk to the occupied regions of Kharkiv region, in Melitopol and Berdyansk, in Energodar, in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions, in the Crimea, our people should hear about Ukraine from the Ukrainians."
23:00 The Russians are afraid of new deliveries of Western weapons, so they are in a hurry to hold a "referendum" despite the fact that neither Luhansk nor Donetsk regions are completely under their control, said the head of the Lugansk OVA, Sergei Gaidai.
22:56 The Armed Forces of Ukraine hit the industrial zone in Berislav, Kherson region - they hit the administrative building and the hangar with Russian fuel trucks, said the adviser to the head of the Kherson Regional Military District, deputy of the regional council Sergey Khlan. According to him, more than 100 Russians were killed, and many were injured.
22:38 The mayor of Energodar, Dmitry Orlov, said that today "an event occurred" on the territory of the occupied Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, as a result of which Russians "fell a little physically." In particular, it is known that in the afternoon, nine Russian servicemen were urgently delivered to the city hospital with injuries of varying severity. Some are treated on an outpatient basis, some are hospitalized, one of them is in serious condition. There are also dead, but their exact number is still unknown.
According to Orlov, the Russians "were so frightened that they ran around the station in a panic, blocked for a long time at the enterprise two shifts of operational personnel at once, which were supposed to replace each other, but in the end the people were released."
22:33 Zelensky said in an evening video message that the SBU is undergoing a personnel audit, the issue of dismissing 28 officials is being decided: "Different levels, different directions. But the grounds are similar - unsatisfactory results of work."
22:17 The position of chief rabbi appeared in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which became Hillel Cohen, - he himself said in an interview with the Israeli website Ynet: "The task of the rabbi is to raise morale and help soldiers in difficult situations, he cooperates with the chief military chaplain and ... distributes warriors need equipment in battle. In recent months, Cohen traveled from one Jewish soldier to another on the fronts of Ukraine as a volunteer, and over the weekend his mission became official - Cohen was appointed Chief Rabbi of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
22:14 Shells of Soviet calibers in Europe "are almost running out, if not to say that they have run out," Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexei Danilov said on the air of the telethon. According to him, due to the supply of weapons in sufficient quantities, "we can say that we have reached parity in some positions." But this is still not enough to win, so at the Ramstein-4 meeting an increase in arms supplies will be discussed: "There are high hopes for pleasant surprises for our country from partners."
21:22 Slovak President Zuzana Chaputova granted permission to four citizens of the country to fight against Russia on the side of Ukraine, her speaker Martin Strizhynets said in an interview with dpa. According to him, in these four cases, the president adhered to the recommendations of three ministries - interior, defense and foreign affairs.
21:06 Russian media report that the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, Sergei Kiriyenko, was in Nova Kakhovka during the strike of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to them, the strike was struck after Kiriyenko visited the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and held a meeting with the "leadership" of the Kherson region appointed by the Russians, none of the participants in the event was injured.
20:56 The "government" of the occupied part of the Zaporozhye region was headed by Anton Koltsov, who previously held the post of the first vice-governor of the Vologda region, said a member of the "administration" of the region Vladimir Rogov.
20:54 Zaluzhny, in a telephone conversation with the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said that Ukraine managed to stabilize the situation: “It is complex, tense, but completely controllable. An important factor contributing to our holding defense lines and positions is the timely arrival of M142 HIMARS, inflicting targeted strikes on enemy command posts, ammunition and fuel depots."
20:52 After the start of the war in Ukraine, 2.7 million tons of Ukrainian grain were exported through the territory of Romania, said Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu. According to him, this is about half of the total volume of grain exported by Ukraine.
20:29 Putin ordered Russian troops to capture Kharkiv and the rest of the unoccupied Kharkiv region, analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War suggest. The Ukrainian military agrees with them. However, both Ukrainian and foreign experts say these plans have a low probability of success. For more details - in the material Putin ordered to take Kharkov - what is the probability .
20:34 European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders proposes to keep Russian assets frozen until the Russian Federation agrees to pay for the restoration of Ukraine after the end of the war.
19:57 The Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled enemy attacks in the Slavic direction and in the area of ​​​​the Uglegorsk TPP, the General Staff said in an evening report .
19:53 The invaders seized part of the united energy system of Ukraine, said the mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov. According to him, in the occupied territories, the enemy took away all the capacities of Oblenergo and takes money from residents for electricity, which he himself is not able to generate. "It is significant that most of the employees of Oblenergo did not agree to work for the rashists. They left the captured enterprise," Fedorov said.
19:35 Adviser to the head of the Kherson OVA, Sergei Khlan, confirmed the strike on Novaya Kakhovka: "The arrival of Russians was recorded in the area of ​​​​the asphalt plant, which is on the district."
19:29 The EU has found an alternative to Russian gas in Azerbaijan. Baku must ensure the supply of at least 20 billion cubic meters of gas to the EU annually until 2027. More details - in the material Baku will help the EU .
18:58 The head of the Nikolaev OVA, Vitaly Kim, promises to pay $100 for each handed over fire spotter. According to him, the Russians offer the Ukrainians a criminal income - to provide them with the data necessary for more accurate shelling. Kim assured that the spotters are still calculated and detained, and every resident of the region can help hunt them. At the same time the governor emphasized that the action extends only to the Nikolaev area.
18:51 In the Dnieper, rescuers removed from the rubble the body of another person who died after a missile attack on the Southern Machine-Building Plant on July 15. Search and rescue operations at the enterprise have been completed, said the head of the OVA, Valentin Reznichenko. In total, as a result of an enemy attack, four people were killed, 16 were injured, seven of them are now in the hospital.
18:45 Ukrainian troops launched a missile strike "in the area of ​​the hydroelectric power station in Novaya Kakhovka, the degree of damage is being specified," Russian media reported, citing the "head of administration" of the city.
18:33 The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Microsoft is "fulfilling the order of the Pentagon and special services" to "take full control" of the entire information infrastructure of Ukraine.
18:17 Turkey will freeze Finland's and Sweden's applications for NATO membership if they do not fulfill their promises to "fight terrorism," Erdogan said. In his opinion, Sweden has not yet demonstrated a desire to meet Ankara's conditions.
18:12 Diplomats from 17 EU countries, as well as Israel, arrived in Vinnitsa today, the mayor of the city Sergey Morgunov said. Diplomats came to express their condolences to the relatives and families of those who died as a result of a Russian missile attack on the city center on July 14.
Diplomats from 17 EU countries and Israel arrived in Vinnitsa to express their condolences to the relatives and families of those who died as a result of the Russian missile strike
18:04 Zelensky said that he had spoken by phone with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro: "I informed about the situation at the front. We discussed the importance of resuming the export of Ukrainian grain to prevent the global food crisis provoked by Russia. I call on all partners to join the sanctions against the aggressor."
17:53 German Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir was skeptical about a possible agreement between Ukraine and Russia on a grain corridor: "If you still believe Putin's word, you might as well believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Approximately the same level of seriousness and credibility."
17:30 The main tool in the liberation of Crimea will be diplomatic dialogue, but the military will still be the first to enter its territory, Tamila Tasheva, permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, said in an interview with Ukrinform. Therefore, according to her, military elements will definitely be used during the de-occupation of Crimea.
17:12 Gazprom announced force majeure on gas supplies to Europe to at least one large consumer, writes Reuters. The gas monopolist's letter says that from July 14 it will not be able to fulfill its obligations on deliveries due to "extraordinary" circumstances beyond its control. The letter concerned deliveries to Germany via the Nord Stream pipeline.
16:49 Based on the materials of the SBU, Belarusian locomotives were arrested, with which the Russian Federation transferred military groups to the borders of Ukraine. The approximate value of the blocked property is over UAH 70 million. According to the investigation, the locomotives were used to transport personnel, weapons, military equipment and logistic support of the invaders to the northern borders of Ukraine.
16:31 Foreign Ministers of the EU countries have agreed on a new package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, which does not contain additional bans on energy supplies , Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said. Also, according to him, the new package does not contain restrictions against Gazprombank. At the same time, the sanctions will include a ban on trading in gold and dual-use goods. In addition, the package includes 48 individuals, including one of the vice-premiers and regional politicians, as well as nine organizations.
16:28 Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has launched about 3,000 missiles of various types in Ukraine: air-to-surface aircraft, missiles of operational-tactical systems (Tochka-U, Iskander), as well as Onyx missiles of the Bastion coastal complex. The command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine clarified that the Russian Federation is increasingly using old Soviet Kh-59, Kh-22, Kh-31 missiles. In recent weeks, the Russian army has begun to hit ground targets with anti-aircraft missiles from the S-300 complex, the main purpose of which is to destroy air targets.
16:21 Putin and Erdogan will discuss the export of Ukrainian grain at a meeting in Tehran on Tuesday, July 19, writes Reuters. Also on Tuesday, Putin and Erdogan will be joined by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to discuss the crisis in Syria.
16:17 Scholz advocates the abolition of the right of veto, which allows one state to block the decision of the entire EU. The war in Ukraine reinforces the need to end the "selfish blocking" of European decisions by individual member states, the chancellor said: "We simply can no longer afford national veto power, for example, in foreign policy, if we want to continue to be heard in a world of competing greats." powers."
16:15 Putin's assistant Yuri Ushakov said that the Ukrainian negotiating delegation does not maintain any contacts with Russia after the Istanbul agreements are reached, and if the negotiations resume, the conditions for them will be "completely different."
16:12 On the eve of the heating season in Ukraine, a new wave of internal displacement of people from east to west of the country is predicted, Vereshchuk said on the air of the telethon. According to her, part of the Zaporozhye region is actually cut off from gas supply, and there is no way to resume it yet. This means that there will most likely be no heating season in those places, and local residents will be forced to leave and seek refuge in western Ukraine.
Vereshchuk added that only 4.5 million internally displaced persons are registered in Ukraine, but in reality we are talking about almost 7 million people.
16:07 The EU is counting on reaching an agreement between Ukraine and Russia on unblocking grain exports as early as this week, Borrell said before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels: "We are doing everything possible to export grain along the line of solidarity through the Black Sea, through Bulgaria and Romania, but this is not enough, so I hope this week for an agreement to unblock Odessa and other Ukrainian ports."
15:56 The "Ministry of Internal Affairs of the LPR" stated that, according to the results of the "investigation", 14 people became "victims of self-detonation of explosives" by the Ukrainian military in the drama theater of Mariupol.
15:41 Norway has started raising funds for Bayraktar for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Turkish edition of AA, the organizers of the action said that each citizen can donate at least 10 crowns to Bayraktar TB2. As part of the campaign, it is planned to collect 55 million crowns (about $5.5 million) and transfer them to the aid fund at the Ukrainian Embassy.
15:22 The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that the plan on the grain issue was agreed upon on general principles, it needs to be specified. A meeting of delegations from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the UN on the issue of unblocking grain supplies will take place this week.
15:08 Irina Vereshchuk said that the initiative of the Ministry of Reintegration to ban the eviction of internally displaced persons from educational institutions was supported: “I visited two educational institutions in Zaporozhye, through which we received signals to the hotline of the Ministry of Reintegration. We were contacted by about 250 people and reported that they were in "They want to be evicted soon. We contacted the local authorities. The issue is resolved. People will not be evicted, all their rights are preserved. The same is true for other institutions."
The Minister urged IDPs to contact the hotline of the Ministry of Reintegration 1548 in case of problems.
14:57 The New York City Council has approved a bill to rename Brighton Beach Avenue and Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn to Ukrainian Way - Ukrainian Way, said Ukraine's representative to the UN Serhiy Kislitsa. Now the document must be signed by the mayor of the city.
14:55 Ukraine has completed the ratification of the Istanbul Convention. The relevant documents were handed over to the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Bjorn Berge, CE Secretary General Maria Pejcinovic-Buric said. Ukraine became the 36th country - a party to this agreement.
14:53 During a special operation in the village of Dementievka, Dergachevsky district, Kharkiv region, a large unit of Russians was found, located in destroyed buildings. As a result of the fire damage, 36 invaders were destroyed, many were injured of varying severity, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
As a result of the operation, numerous trophies were obtained and a wounded platoon commander of an enemy DRG was captured. It turned out to be Stanislav Trutnev, a native of the Zaporozhye region, a soldier of the 140th special forces detachment to combat underwater sabotage forces and means of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy.
14:47 The EU will increase gas supplies from Azerbaijan in the next few years, said Ursula von Der Leyen, who is in Baku on a visit to sign the relevant agreement.
14:40 Kuleba said in an interview with Forbes Ukraine that now Ukraine does not intend to negotiate peace with the Russian Federation. According to him, negotiations are possible only after the defeat of Russia: "Everyone understands that negotiations are directly tied to the situation at the front. I tell all partners a simple thing: Russia must sit down at the negotiating table after the defeat on the battlefield. Otherwise, it will again be the language of ultimatums" .
14:26 Russian commanders invaded Ukraine, guided by the topographic maps of 1969. According to the SBU, these cards were found in the possession of Russians in the occupied districts of the Kharkiv region. Saltovka in Kharkov, Travyanskoe and Murom reservoirs are completely absent on the maps. And the invaders drew the border between Ukraine and Russia with a pen, since it was not on the maps at all.
14:03 Negotiations on unblocking Ukrainian ports are in the final stage, Kuleba said in an interview with Forbes: “We understand the political framework. It remains to resolve issues related to logistics and security. Yesterday, delegations and negotiating teams largely removed these issues. Now all this is necessary put on paper."
At the same time, the head of the Foreign Ministry stressed that Ukraine would not agree to any decision that would leave any gap for the possibility of a frontal attack on Ukrainian ports from the sea by the Russian Federation.
Kuleba also said that he sees only one argument why Putin will agree to unblock the ports: “This is his desire to show countries that are neutral or more inclined towards the Russian position on the war (in Africa, Asia) that he saved them from starvation, from rising food prices. Other than that, I don't see why he would need it. By agreeing to unblock Ukrainian ports, he is undermining his own efforts to strangle the Ukrainian economy."
14:01 Kuleba announced an increase in the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine : "The supply of weapons is a very delicate process. I will simply say: HIMARS, other MLRS from other countries, howitzers, tanks - everything is coming and there will be even more. It is only a matter of time. Our task is accelerate processes: from making political decisions to solving logistical problems".
According to him, deliveries from different countries through different channels are quite stable, but quantitatively unsatisfactory. Kuleba also noted that the main problem with the supply is the schedule: "If we had received more 155-caliber artillery, more multiple launch rocket systems in time, then Lisichansk and Severodonetsk would have remained under the control of Ukraine. But everything takes time - this is how the system unfolds" .
13:59 The EU allocates another 500 million euros for armaments for Ukraine , said EU Council President Charles Michel after consultations with EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Thus, the total amount of EU funds for military assistance to Ukraine will increase to 2.5 billion euros.
13:57 Russia has intensified the shelling of the border areas, but the creation of strike groups in the Russian Federation and Belarus, which could make a second invasion, is not observed now, the representative of the State Border Service Andrei Demchenko said on the air of the telethon: "Everything necessary is being done to strengthen both the border line and and border areas in case the enemy, or those who want to join him, try to attack our country."
13:55 Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called on the West to increase arms supplies to Ukraine. He said this on the eve of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the EU: "Since Brussels is going on vacation, this is a good opportunity to remind that the Russian military does not plan to take days off from a further attack on Ukraine."
13:46 The Armed Forces of Ukraine explained why most men are mobilized in the western regions of Ukraine. According to Roman Gorbach, head of the personnel service of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, more citizens currently live in the western regions, including refugees and migrants. In addition, if the necessary specialists are not available in a certain region, the military command can attract them from other places, the colonel added.
13:41 The operational command of Pivden reported that the Russian army had attacked the Odessa region with four Su-35 missiles from the Black Sea. One missile was shot down over the sea, two hit a military infrastructure facility where firefighting continues, and another hit a bridge across the Dniester Estuary.
13:28 The National Bank put into circulation a commemorative coin Oh, there is a red viburnum at the puddle . The coin in denominations of 5 and 10 hryvnias is decorated with images of bunches and leaves of viburnum with lines from the couplet: "And my red viburnum is drunk. And our glorious Ukraine, gay, gay, cheer!"
12:46 The Russians fired at the Sinelnikovsky district of the Depropetrovsk region, said the head of the OVA, Valentin Reznichenko. According to him, the rocket hit the elevator, warehouses with more than 5,000 tons of grain were destroyed. Another blow hit the school yard, the facade and roof of the local lyceum were damaged, more than 50 windows were broken. There is also a hit in a private house. Previously, there were no casualties.
12:27 SBU exposed an agent of the Russian special services, who collected the coordinates of objects for missile strikes on Kiev. According to preliminary information, the enemy planned to use this data for launching missile strikes, as well as for possible sabotage in the capital.
12:17 Zelensky, by his decree, appointed interim acting. head of the SBU, the first deputy head of the special services, Vasily Malyuk.
11:56 In the occupied Snegirevka of the Nikolaev area Russians for creation of "picture" fired at the yard of the high-rise building on city outskirts. As a result, four people were killed, Dmitry Pletenchuk, press officer of the military commandant's office of Nikolaev, said.
11:53 Since the beginning of the war, the State Bureau of Investigation has opened 675 cases for treason and collaborationism, 198 suspects have been reported, 111 have been put on the wanted list. Another 1,234 people are being checked for involvement in treason and collaboration activities. 14 proceedings were sent to the court under these articles. The largest number of production facilities is open in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
11:50 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine monitors around the clock the places of storage of enemy ammunition, military equipment, areas of accumulation of weapons and supply routes for advanced units of the Russian Federation, Vadim Skibitsky, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, said on Apostroph TV: "We understand how much Russia's military resources exceed Ukrainian ones in in all respects. Those stocks that have been since the days of the Soviet Union remained on the territory of Russia. And in order to slow down the offensive pace of the Russian Federation, their resource must be destroyed right on the battlefield."
According to Skibitsky, the enemy really appreciated this threat and began to move their warehouses to further distances from the front line.
11:47 Slavyansk was subjected to a missile strike, as a result of which several microdistricts were left without electricity, including the villages of Mirnoye and Bylbasovka, Tselinnaya Street, partly Slavyansk and Severny, Mayor Vadim Lyakh said. According to him, the repair is hampered by constant shelling. The mayor said that last week, during the departure of the repair team, the car was damaged, the driver was injured.
11:45 British intelligence reports that Russia used the Wagner PMC to strengthen forward forces and reduce the shortage of personnel and losses. The PMC probably played a central role in the battles for the capture of Popasna and Lysichansk. In these battles, the group suffered heavy losses. Wagner, according to intelligence, lowers hiring standards by hiring convicted and previously blacklisted individuals. This is likely to affect the group's future combat effectiveness and reduce its value as a backbone for regular Russian forces, analysts say.
11:42 For the first time, a unified female military uniform will appear in the Ukrainian army - two groups of volunteers are involved in its development with the support of the Office of the President and deputies of the Kyiv City Council, reports the BBC. At the first stage, they plan to engage in individual tailoring, a test batch of clothes will be sent to the military to test convenience and functionality.
The idea came about after numerous requests from women who are now fighting on the front lines. Men's sizes and styles of clothing do not correspond to women's, because of this, the defenders have to alter the uniform or adapt it with pins and a tactical belt in the field, which is very inconvenient and non-functional.
11:18 In Toretsk, Donetsk region, as a result of the morning shelling, six people were killed, the State Emergency Service reported. The shell hit a two-story building in which there were people. The bodies of five dead, as well as three injured, one of whom died in the hospital, were pulled out from under the rubble.
10:57 Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Andrei Smirnov said on the air of the telethon that the dismissal of Bakanov and Venediktova does not mean their dismissal. He connects the dismissal of officials with the fact that Zelensky has been waiting for a long time for more concrete and, possibly, radical results to clear the state traitors who are in the departments. In the near future, checks will be held, and the president will decide whether to dismiss Venediktova and Bakanov completely.
10:55 The Russian army shelled the Sumy region in the morning, according to the head of the OVA Dmitry Zhivitsky. Mortar attacks fell on the Glukhov, Shalygin, Khotyn and Nikolaev rural communities, there were no casualties.
10:46 Adviser to the head of the Kherson OVA, Serhiy Khlan, confirmed that explosions are heard in the Novokakhovka community - it is the enemy's ammunition that is burning and detonating.
10:44 Germany plans to completely eliminate dependence on Russian gas by the summer of 2024, said the head of the Federal Network Agency Klaus Müller.
10:40 One of the Polish Krab self-propelled howitzers has been destroyed in Ukraine, the Polish edition of Onet writes, citing a video with a broken howitzer posted online. Ten out of a batch of 18 Krab vehicles were delivered to Ukraine by July.
10:14 Peskov said that the Russian military "have an order from Putin to avoid harm among civilians and work carefully." Also, on the eve of Putin's visit to Tehran, he said that "restrictions are the price that Russia and Iran pay for sovereignty."
10:11 Peskov said that the Russian "special operation" will end when all its goals are achieved, "there is no clear time frame, the main thing is efficiency."
10:07 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that Rustam Muradov is in command of the Russian troops in Donbas. Earlier, they stated that the southern group of Russian troops, which was fighting in Zolote and Gorsky, was commanded by Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces Sergey Surovikin, and the Center group, which was advancing on the Luhansk region, was commanded by Colonel General Alexander Lapin.
10:01 In Moscow on Wednesday, July 20, they will conduct a scheduled check of the readiness of warning systems - sirens will sound and the message Attention everyone! , the mayor's office said.
09:58 Kadyrov announced the need to deploy an air defense base in Chechnya: "Under the current conditions, Russia needs new strategic military solutions. First of all, I believe that air defense systems are in demand more than ever in the mountains of the Chechen Republic, on the southern borders of Russia."
09:56 Ukrainian troops launched rocket attacks on Novaya Kakhovka. Local publics write that the BC warehouse is on fire, and the Russian media, citing the "authorities", reported that "the air defense system worked, but there are hits."
09:50 The delegation of the European Commission went to Azerbaijan for negotiations on gas supplies to the EU. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson will visit Baku on Monday to discuss gas supplies to Europe with the Azerbaijani authorities.
09:19 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy on the morning of July 18. The enemy suffered the greatest losses in the Bakhmut direction.
- personnel - about 38,450 (+150) people liquidated,
- tanks - 1687 (+3),
- armored combat vehicles - 3886 (+7),
- artillery systems - 849 (+3),
- MLRS - 248 (+0),
- air defense systems - 113 (+3),
- aircraft - 220 (+0),
- helicopters - 188 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 690 (+2),
- cruise missiles - 166 (+0),
- ships/boats - 15 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 2753 (+7),
- special equipment - 70 (+2).
09:14 In Kharkiv, at night, the enemy launched artillery strikes on the Kievsky district of the city, only civilian infrastructure was damaged, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said. Also in the region at night, a blow was struck at the Bogodukhovsky and Chuguevsky districts, and during the day the Izyumsky district was subjected to shelling: landfills and winter wheat on a 250-hectare field were on fire. In the region, two people died as a result of Russian aggression per day - in the village. Kalinovo and Pechenegs.
09:12 There are two ships with 16 Caliber cruise missiles in the Black Sea, OK Pivden reports. In connection with a two-day storm, the command warns of an increased mine danger - mines can drift, including towards the shore.
09:10 In Nikolaev as a result of massive rocket attack it is known about hit in a car dealership and salon on sales of agricultural machinery. Other hits were on the outskirts of the city, previously without casualties, said the head of the OVA Vitaly Kim.
08:57 Shoigu inspected the Russian group Vostok, which is performing the tasks of a "special military operation" in Ukraine, and instructed the commander "to prioritize the destruction of enemy long-range missiles and artillery with high-precision weapons, from which Donbass settlements are being fired and wheat fields are deliberately set on fire , as well as grain storage facilities.
08:36 In the controlled territory of Donetsk region as a result of Russian shelling over the past day, two civilians were killed - in Avdiivka and New Donbass. Ten more people were injured, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
08:33 Russian troops are "mobilizing" men in the occupied territories in the Lugansk region, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Gaidai. According to him, 10-15% of the population remained in the captured cities, and the remaining men are "mobilized" into the army, while some go to fight voluntarily, believing in the promises of high salaries.
Gaidai also said that Lisichansk-Bakhmut remained the main direction for the occupying forces. Yesterday the enemy tried to advance towards Verkhnekamenka, but withdrew with losses. Also, the Armed Forces of Ukraine repulsed the attack on Belogorovka.
08:30 The Russians inflicted four strikes on Kramatorsk in the morning, presumably from the MLRS, Mayor Alexander Goncharenko said. All hits fell on the industrial zone.
08:28 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Beijing will not "sit idly" in the event of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine: "Our country does not belong to the states involved in the crisis in Ukraine, but we do not intend to sit back and parties to passively observe what is happening."
At the same time, the Chinese minister made it clear that these would not be military measures: Beijing is not going to "add fuel to the fire" and will "stubbornly promote peace talks." In his opinion, it is necessary through the coordinated efforts of the world community to create "an effective and stable mechanism for ensuring security in Europe."
08:24 Iran is preparing to provide Russia with up to 300 drones and this month will begin to train Russians to use them, writes The New York Times, citing sources. These UAVs will fill the "critical gap" of Russian forces in Ukraine, the newspaper notes. The urgency for Moscow also lies in the fact that drones help fight against American MLRS.
The publication also indicates that problems with UAVs have begun in Ukraine: according to analysts, Russian electronic warfare systems have nullified the success of American and Turkish drones. According to British experts, Russia destroys any Ukrainian reconnaissance UAV in a maximum of a week.
07:40 APU repelled the assaults of the Russians in the areas of Verkhnekamensky, Disputed and Serebryanka in the Donetsk direction, near Novolugansky, Semigorye and Uglegorsk TPP, as well as near Kamenka, Novomikhailovka and Vugledar, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in the morning report .
07:36 The head of the Dnepropetrovsk OVA, Valentin Reznichenko, said that at night Russian troops hit Nikopol several times from the MLRS, firing more than 60 shells at residential areas and urban infrastructure. One person was previously wounded, about ten private houses were destroyed, a water supply and a gas pipeline were damaged on one of the streets. The hospital, industrial and energy enterprises, the port were hit.
04:45 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that the Russian army, having no new territorial achievements, is dragging out the war in Ukraine to restore and replenish its forces. The Russian troops on July 17 continued their expected return from the operational pause and did not have any confirmed territorial gains. Analysts predict that the end of the operational pause will be characterized by hesitation and a stepwise resumption of ground offensives.
The Russians continued limited ground offensives around Seversk, Bakhmut and Donetsk, and shelled civilian and military infrastructure throughout the Donbass. Also, Russian troops concentrated on the defense north of Kharkov and along the southern direction. In addition, Russian troops continued to create conditions for the resumption of the offensive against Slavyansk.
03:20 In Nikolaev at least ten powerful explosions have thundered, mayor Alexander Senkevich reported.
01:34 In the Kherson region, Ukrainian aviation twice inflicted a fire defeat on a strong point and an accumulation of manpower, weapons and equipment of the enemy in the area of ​​Blagodatny and Davydov Brod, OK Pivden reported. According to the command, the enemy continues to equip defense lines, is limited in the conduct of hostilities due to the demoralization of personnel, problems with logistics and the precise work of Ukrainian rocket and artillery units.
Twice the Russians tried to launch an air strike on the liberated territories in the north of Kherson, but, having attacked the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they immediately retreated under the onslaught of retaliatory fire damage.
00:16 Nikopol, Dnepropetrovsk region, was again shelled, the head of the RVA Yevgeny Yevtushenko said.