Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:59 The White House announced a new $2.35 billion package of military aid to Ukraine. It will include, in particular, interceptor missiles for Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, missiles for HAWK air defense systems, ammunition for HIMARS, 155 mm and 105 mm artillery shells, mortar shells, Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank systems, TOW anti-tank missiles, ammunition and grenades for small arms, etc.
21:02 Erdogan called for a ceasefire in Ukraine at a meeting with Putin in Astana: "Turkey will continue to make efforts to establish peace in the region and the world. Turkey can lay the foundation for a consensus to end the war between Russia and Ukraine first by achieving a ceasefire and then achieving peace. A fair peace that can satisfy both sides is possible."
20:27 Fourteen people were injured in Kharkiv as a result of today's Russian shelling, including a baby and an eight-year-old child, the regional prosecutor's office reported. One of the strikes hit an open area in the outskirts of the city, and two more hit residential buildings in the Kievsky district. Private residential buildings, multi-story buildings, cars, a post office, a service station, and a gym were damaged. The strikes were carried out by the UMBP D-30 (unified interspecific gliding munition, 30 cm caliber) from the village of Batratskaya Dacha in the Belgorod region.
19:08 Russians have been attacking Poltava Oblast for the third day, OVA chief Filipp Pronin reported. According to preliminary information, one person was killed and three were injured as a result of today's attack. There were hits, and a school and a kindergarten in Poltava Oblast were damaged by debris.
19:05 In Dnipro, the number of victims as a result of today's attack has increased to 53, reported the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak.
18:59 Scholz said Germany would not support a ceasefire that would require Ukraine to capitulate. The chancellor called Putin's proposal "strange." According to him, this shows "how cynical their thinking is, and that the Russian leader has no intention of ending his war of conquest."
18:51 On Thursday, July 4, hourly shutdown schedules will be in effect throughout the day, Ukrenergo reported. From 07:00 to 13:00 and from 23:00 to 24:00, two queues of shutdown schedules will be in effect, and three queues during other hours.
18:48 Russians carried out at least three KAB strikes in the Kievsky district of Kharkov, destroying two private houses. At the moment, six victims are known, including an eight-year-old child, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.
18:20 The fire on the Russian missile ship Serpukhov in Baltiysk, Kaliningrad Oblast, on April 7 was a special operation by the GUR, said military intelligence spokesman Andrei Yusov. The fire on the ship was started by a Russian serviceman, now a recruit for the Freedom of Russia Legion. He served on the Serpukhov and helped the Ukrainian special services for a long time, and then carried out the sabotage. The Russian was taken to Ukraine along with secret documents.
17:34 The new Minister of Defense of the Netherlands Ruben Brekelmans assured of continued support for Ukraine: "The Netherlands remains committed to supporting Ukraine as much as we can and for as long as necessary. We and our allies are united in our determination to return peace and security to Ukraine." In turn, Zelensky said that he personally congratulated Dick Schoof on his appointment as Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
17:01 In the Czech Republic, the Czech-Ukrainian company UAC has launched serial production of Leleka-LR reconnaissance drones and Bulava strike drones exclusively for the Ukrainian army, writes the Czech publication E15. The company has launched serial production in the Czech city of Kolin and plans to supply about 100 reconnaissance and strike drones per year.
16:56 Over the first six months of 2024, the Ministry of Defense codified and approved for operation more than 70 models of unmanned aerial systems. All of these drones are domestically produced. Over the entire last year, the Ministry of Defense approved about 60 UAVs for various purposes, the department reported.
16:29 A human body has been found under the rubble of a multi-story building in Dnepr that the Russians attacked on June 28. The death toll from the Russian strike has risen to three, the city's mayor Boris Filatov said.
16:15 Russia can now hit any point in Kharkov with a FAB-500, said OVA chief Oleg Sinegubov. According to him, the 500-ton guided missile has been modified, increasing its strike range to 80 km. Because of this, "real" air raid sirens are sounding in the city for 12-16 hours.
16:11 Zelensky reported that he held a meeting in Kiev with the head of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis.
16:03 Five people were killed and 47 injured in Dnipro as a result of a massive Russian attack, including a 14-year-old child, the prosecutor's office reported. Residential buildings, medical institutions, kindergartens, educational institutions, gas stations, and a shopping and entertainment center were damaged.
15:24 If Trump knows how to end the war in Ukraine, he should tell us about it today, Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg. "If there are risks to Ukrainian independence, if we lose our statehood, we want to be ready for this, we want to know... We want to understand whether we will receive strong support from the United States in November or will be left completely alone," the Ukrainian president added. According to Zelensky, he is "potentially ready" to meet with Trump to listen to his team's proposals.
Zelensky also spoke about delays in the delivery of weapons from Western allies: "This is the biggest tragedy of this war, that between the decision and the real fact we have a very, very long wait." At the same time, the president does not agree with the opinion that the war has reached a dead end. According to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are now better prepared in terms of manpower than they were several months ago, and a new offensive is a matter of arming the brigades.
Zelensky also said China could play a "huge role" in resolving the conflict, as Moscow is heavily dependent on its export market. He suggested that the US and China, if they put their differences aside, could work together to end the war.
15:01 The occupation administration of the Zaporizhzhya NPP announced an alleged Ukrainian drone strike on the Raduga substation in Energodar. Eight people were injured, the city's regular power supply scheme was disrupted, as well as the functioning of a number of the station's facilities, the Russians claim.
14:55 On July 1, the Main Intelligence Directorate, together with the Foreign Intelligence Service, launched a drone strike on electrical substations in the Belgorod Region, which resulted in the Ugarov Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant in the Voronezh Region shutting down, UP reports, citing intelligence sources. The plant was completely de-energized, which caused all the electric arc furnaces in which the metal had solidified to stop. It may take several months to restart them.
Sources note that this plant is of exceptional importance for the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation, since it produces high-quality steel, including alloyed types of special steel for the automotive and mechanical engineering industries.
14:46 NATO countries failed to reach an agreement on long-term support for Ukraine, DPA writes. According to the agency, Stoltenberg failed to convince the allies to make a long-term financial commitment to support Ukraine.
13:59 The death toll in Dnipro has risen to five, Zelensky said and showed a video from the site of today's attack.
13:53 Russians have completely occupied the Kanal district in the city of Chasov Yar in Donetsk Oblast, reported Revansh Battalion commander Bogdan Khodakovsky: "At the cost of huge losses and the actual destruction of all multi-story buildings, the Russians have achieved success. And despite the disproportionate losses, the loss of Chasov Yar has become closer. In the long term, this has serious consequences for changing the operational map of Donetsk Oblast. The next stop is Konstantinovka. We must organize counteroffensive actions and regain strategic positions."
13:44 NATO allies have agreed on military aid to Ukraine for next year in the amount of 40 billion euros, Reuters writes. According to the publication, the leaders of the Alliance countries will sign the corresponding commitment next week at the summit in Washington.
13:35 In Dnipro, the number of victims has increased to 34, reported the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak.
13:26 Russians shelled Kherson again - two people were wounded, OVA reported.
12:17 In Dnipro, the number of people killed as a result of today's attack has risen to four, 27 people were injured, reported the head of the OVA Serhiy Lysak. Of these, 11 were hospitalized, two are in serious condition.
12:10 Russians struck the village of Russkaya Lozovaya in the Kharkiv region with a KAB, reported the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. A private house is burning, there may be people under the rubble. At the moment, two people are known to be injured.
11:36 In the morning, the Russians launched a strike with three Iskander-K ground-based cruise missiles, four Kh-59 guided air missiles and five Shahed-type attack UAVs, the Air Force reported. The main direction of the strike was the Dnipropetrovsk region. Air defense forces shot down one Iskander-K missile, all Kh-59s and Shaheds, as well as one Orlan-10 UAV.
11:17 Peskov stated that Putin and Trump are not conducting a dialogue regarding achieving peace in Ukraine.
11:09 Russians attacked the Dnieper with missiles and attack UAVs - according to preliminary information, three people were killed, 18 were injured, including a 14-year-old child. Several fires occurred, there is destruction, said the head of the OVA Sergey Lysak. Local publics write that one of the shopping centers was damaged as a result of the strike.
10:28 Head of the Kharkiv OVA Oleg Sinegubov clarified that as a result of the night shelling of the Borovsk community of the Izyum district, one person was killed and two were injured. The enemy attacked the building of the Borovsk village council.
09:55 In the Donetsk region over the past day, two people were killed as a result of Russian shelling - in Selidovo and New York. Another nine people in the region were injured over the past day, reported the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin.
09:19 The number of victims as a result of yesterday's Russian strike on an enterprise in the Industrial District of Kharkiv has increased to four, including two teenagers aged 12 and 15, reported the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. In addition, two people were injured as a result of enemy shelling in the village of Borovaya in the Izyum District, two more in the village of Russkaya Lozovaya in the Kharkiv District, and one each in the villages of Kupyansk-Uzlovaya and Malye Prohody in the Kharkiv District.
08:57 Yermak, during a visit to Washington, told journalists that Kiev would listen to any advice on achieving a "just peace," but would not compromise "regarding very important things and values... independence, freedom, democracy, territorial integrity, sovereignty," Reuters reports.
08:34 In the morning, Russians shelled Kherson again, one person was injured, OVA reported. Over the previous day, as a result of Russian shelling in the region, one person was killed and 15 were injured.
08:16 In the Dnipropetrovsk region on the evening of July 2, debris from a downed missile damaged residential buildings, and two people were injured, reported the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak.
07:49 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of July 3:
- personnel - about 546,270 (+1180) people,
- tanks - 8123 (+16),
- combat armored vehicles - 15,583 (+17),
- artillery systems - 14,712 (+57),
- MLRS - 1115 (+1),
- air defense systems - 876 (+2),
- aircraft - 360 (+0),
- helicopters - 326 (+0),
- Operational-tactical level UAVs - 11,668 (+27),
- cruise missiles - 2336 (+1),
- ships/boats - 28 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 19,850 (+63),
- special equipment - 2464 (+12).
07:35 In the Zaporizhia region, one person was wounded as a result of Russian attacks on the Polohovsky district, reported the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov.
07:28 Explosions were heard in Novorossiysk at night, Mayor Andrei Kravchenko announced that an attack by unmanned boats had been repelled. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that two unmanned boats heading towards Novorossiysk were allegedly destroyed in the Black Sea at night. In addition, air defense systems destroyed five UAVs over the Belgorod Region, four over the Bryansk Region, and one over the Moscow Region.
05:04 If Russia tries to expand the front, the United States will allow Ukraine to strike with American weapons at a greater distance, said Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs James O'Brien. In this way, he responded to criticism from Republicans who said that the Biden administration's policy on strikes on Russian territory changed only after Russia's offensive in the Kharkiv direction, but even then they settled on "half measures."
02:12 Chinese and Russian companies are developing a strike drone similar to the Iranian Shahed kamikaze drone, Bloomberg writes, citing European officials. According to the agency, in 2023, companies from Russia and China held talks on the release of a copy of the Iranian Shahed drone in China, and this year they have already begun testing the version before sending it to Russia.
The West is concerned that China could produce a single drone like the Shahed much faster than Iran or Russia, the newspaper notes. Officials have not identified the drone, but Chinese defense websites and several media outlets have reported that the country is developing a kamikaze attack drone called the Sunflower 200, which is similar in appearance to Iran's Shahed 136.
01:17 Orban told Die Weltwoche that Zelensky had reservations about the idea of ​​a ceasefire for negotiations: "He was not very enthusiastic about it... He has some bad experiences with previous ceasefires, which in his interpretation were not good for Ukraine."
Orban also reiterated that "this is not our war": "When someone comes to Ukraine, it is easy to predict what will happen. Everyone applauds, saying that we are Ukraine, we are with you, this is our war and so on. But you know, the Hungarian position is different. We do not think that this is our war. And Hungary's interest is not in the continuation of the war, but in peace. And I try to represent the interests of Europe in a fair and objective way, which is different from what they usually did before."