Russian Airstrike Kills Three Civilians in Kherson
The attack came hours after a missile strike killed a policeman and wounded at least fifty-two others in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (The Guardian)
In Kyiv, Blinken Declares $1 Billion in New U.S. Aid to Ukraine
The aid package includes funds for demining equipment and anticorruption efforts; during U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Kyiv yesterday, Russian missile strikes on a shopping center in eastern Ukraine killed at least sixteen people and injured more than thirty others (WSJ)
Blinken Makes Surprise Visit to Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv today on an unannounced trip to show support for Ukraine as its counteroffensive makes slow progress; he is expected to announce more than $1 billion in new U.S. funding for Ukraine, meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and discuss anticorruption efforts with civil society organizations (WaPo)
The two-day trip is Blinken’s fourth visit to Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion last year (LA Times)
The trip follows the resignation of Ukraine’s defense minister amid speculation of corruption in the defense ministry (CNN)
Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops have been slowed by entrenched Russian forces in southeast Ukraine as Moscow has continued to fire missiles at Kyiv and Ukraine’s southwestern port cities along the Danube River (Al Jazeera)
Putin Says No Progress on Black Sea Grain Deal
Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Russia would not resume its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Ukraine until the United States and its allies allow Russia to increase its own agricultural exports (AP)
However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who helped broker the initial deal and discussed its resumption with Putin in Russia yesterday, said he was confident Moscow would rejoin the initiative “soon;” meanwhile, Putin is pushing for a separate deal in which Russia would ship one million tons of grain to lower-income countries in Africa (FT)
The Black Sea initiative saw Russia ease a military blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports that facilitated exports of Ukrainian grain; Russia pulled out of the agreement in July, sending grain prices soaring and sparking fears of a food crisis in low-income countries dependent on Ukrainian grain for most of their wheat imports (Guardian)
Russia has since bombarded Ukrainian agricultural ports on the Danube River (LA Times)
Ukraine Replaces Defense Minister
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy selected Rustem Umerov to be Ukraine’s new defense minister after the previous minister resigned earlier this week amid speculation of corruption in the defense ministry; Umerov’s appointment marks the largest change in Ukraine’s leadership since Russia invaded last year (WaPo)
Kyiv’s Counteroffensive Advances in Eastern Ukraine
Days after retaking the southern village of Robotyne, Ukrainian forces have pushed east toward the village of Verbove, where they are expected to confront Russian defensive lines that could impede the advance of the Ukrainian counteroffensive; its stated goal is Melitopol, a city forty-five miles (seventy-two kilometers) further south that is considered the gateway to Crimea (NYT)
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his stance that there will not be “sustainable peace” until Russia reverts to its pre-2014 borders, which would cede control of Crimea back to Ukraine (Al Jazeera)
In recent weeks, Ukraine has ramped up missile strikes on the region and escalated its drone attacks inside Russia, intensifying debate about how the war could end (NYT)
Ukraine and Russia Trade Air Strikes as Ukraine Widens Target Scope Inside Russia
Ukrainian forces launched drones into seven Russian regions overnight, Russian officials said, while Russian strikes in Kyiv killed two security guards at an industrial facility; Ukraine’s strikes appeared to be the widest simultaneously launched at Russian military targets since the war began, hitting four military transport aircraft at an airfield in Pskov, Russian state media reported (WSJ)
Ukraine Says It Recaptures Strategic Settlement Amid Counteroffensive
Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said yesterday that Ukrainian forces recaptured the village of Robotyne in the country’s southern region of Zaporizhzhia; the reported battle victory would be a boon for Ukraine in its grinding counteroffensive that was launched two months ago (Reuters)
Robotyne lies on the path that Ukrainian forces aim to take in order to reach their counteroffensive target of Melitopol, a city about forty-five miles further south; between Robotyne and the Russia-controlled city of Tokmak some fifteen miles to the south lie two Russian defensive lines of trenches, minefields, and anti-tank barriers (NYT)
Reclaiming Robotyne meant that Ukraine’s counteroffensive broke through the most difficult line of defense against Russian forces, a Ukrainian commander said (NYT)
Russian Officials Confirm Prigozhin’s Death in Plane Crash
DNA testing confirms that Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the private military company Wagner Group, was onboard a plane that crashed last week, Russian officials said; Prigozhin’s top deputy was also confirmed dead, adding to uncertainties about Wagner’s future (FT)
Moscow has denied any involvement in the crash (Al Jazeera)
Ukraine, Russia Trade Air Attacks; Putin Acknowledges Deadly Plane Crash
Russia said that Ukrainian missiles and drones targeted Crimea today, while Ukraine reported a barrage of new Russian missile strikes on its territory (RFE/RL)
In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time the plane crash that is thought to have killed Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prighozin, saying that Prigozhin was a “talented person” who “made serious mistakes in life” (BBC)
Wagner Group Chief Reported Dead in Plane Crash
Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Russian private military company Wagner Group, was aboard a plane that crashed yesterday in Russia, killing all people onboard, Russian emergency officials said; Russian President Vladimir Putin did not immediately comment on the crash, which comes two months after Prigozhin led a failed uprising against the Russian government (FT)
A Wagner-linked social media channel claimed the plane was shot down by Russian air defenses (Reuters)
While a full account of the incident remains unclear, Western officials suggested the Russian government could be linked to the killing; U.S. President Joe Biden said that “there’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind” (Reuters)
A Ukrainian presidential aide called the incident a signal to Russian elites ahead of the 2024 election (The Guardian)
The news also comes as Ukraine holds a subdued ceremony today to mark its Independence Day (NYT)
Drone Hits Central Moscow Building in a String of Aerial Attacks on City
A drone hit a building in central Moscow today in the sixth consecutive night of aerial attacks on the capital region, while the governor of a Russian region near the border with Ukraine said a drone attack killed three people; Moscow officials blamed Kyiv for the strikes, though Ukraine did not immediately comment (The Guardian)
Amid a reported rise in Ukrainian air attacks on Russian territory, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said today that Washington does not encourage or enable attacks inside Russia and that “it is up to Ukraine to decide how it chooses to defend itself” (Reuters)
As fighting continues on the war’s front lines, Russia has also bombarded Ukraine’s grain supplies in recent weeks, with a strike overnight in the Odesa region destroying thousands of tons of grain, Ukrainian officials said (VOA)
Kyiv’s counteroffensive has been slow to advance, though Ukrainian officials said yesterday that their forces entered the southern village of Robotyne (NYT)
Zelenskyy Wraps Up European Tour in Greece
At a news conference in Athens, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Greece will help train Ukrainian fighters on F-16 jets; he later attended a dinner with the leaders of Greece, the European Union, and Balkan nations (WaPo)
Ukraine Nearing Grain Export Deal With Global Insurers
The deal seeks to make grain shipping through the Black Sea viable after Russia’s withdrawal from a grain deal last month (FT)
U.S. Approval Allows Ukrainian F-16 Training to Begin
Washington approved the transfer of F-16 training materials to Denmark, clearing a bureaucratic hurdle that will soon allow Ukrainian pilots to learn to fly the jets, unnamed U.S. officials said; Kyiv does not expect to receive the jets this year (Politico)
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again extended martial law, which was declared following Russia’s invasion; if it is not lifted, parliamentary elections meant to occur in the fall will be postponed (WaPo)
Merchant Ship Departs Ukrainian Black Sea Port, Testing Russia After Deal Withdrawal
A container ship sailed out of the Ukrainian port city of Odesa yesterday for the first time since Russia withdrew last month from a deal to allow grain exports from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and threatened to attack civilian ships in the area (FT)
Kyiv had announced a “new humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea in response, though Moscow did not state if it would respect the route; the ship, co-owned by German and Chinese companies, was detected today off the coast of Romania (AFP)
International grain prices have risen following Russia’s withdrawal from the deal, and Russia has repeatedly bombed Ukrainian grain silos since, destroying tens of thousands of tons of food (PBS)
In recent weeks, Russia has also struck ports on the Danube River where Ukraine has been trying to export grain as an alternative to the Black Sea route (BBC)
Ukraine Retakes Southeast Village of Urozhaine
The move signals Ukraine is proceeding with its southern offensive toward the Sea of Azov; Ukraine has struggled to make progress due to extensive Russian minefields and defensive lines (Reuters)
The attacks on Lviv and Lutsk killed three people (BBC)
Russia’s Currency Slides to Sixteen-Month Low Amid War’s Financial Fallout
The Russian ruble fell to a value of 101 to the U.S. dollar today, its weakest point in more than sixteen months; a spike in oil prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year caused a short-lived rise in the currency’s value, but it has now fallen about a quarter in its value against the dollar since the war began (Reuters)
Moscow has increased spending to fund its war effort as its economy suffers under Western sanctions (NYT)
Russia’s central bank said it could continue to raise interest rates to respond to the sliding currency and that the ruble’s decline did not present a threat to Moscow’s financial stability; however, raising interest rates could risk slowing down the country’s economy for consumers (FT)
Analysts say that Western investors’ shunning of Russia following the invasion is taking its toll (Bloomberg)
Meanwhile, China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu has begun a six-day trip to Russia and Belarus, where he will give a speech at a Moscow security conference and visit senior military officials in Belarus (SCMP)
Biden Asks Congress for $21 Billion in New Funds for Ukraine
President Joe Biden is asking Congress for $13 billion in emergency defense aid and $8 billion in humanitarian relief for Ukraine before the end of the year; Congress approved the last such supplemental spending request on Ukraine, though some lawmakers since then have voiced skepticism on approving new war funds (AP)
Poland Plans to Deploy 10,000 Soldiers to Border Amid Wagner Worries
The government said it is concerned about Wagner Group’s activity in Belarus, as well as migrants trying to cross the border (AP)
Meanwhile, Ukraine ordered residents in the northeast Kupiansk district to evacuate over concerns about constant Russian shelling (BBC)
Separately, President Biden reportedly intends to ask Congress for at least twenty-five billion dollars in additional aid for Ukraine (Bloomberg)
Additionally, Arkady Volozh, a co-founder of Russia’s largest technology company, became the second sanctioned Russian businessman to unequivocally condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it “barbaric” (NYT)
Russia Shot Down Two Drones Over Moscow
Officials said Russian air defenses shot down two drones headed for Moscow overnight and that Ukraine was responsible; Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment (NYT)
Russian officials have reported a series of attempted drone attacks on Russian soil in recent days (Moscow Times)
Moscow Faces Export Challenges After Promising to Replace Ukrainian Wheat
Even though sanctions do not directly target Russian agricultural products, Russian exporters say “hidden sanctions” may raise transportation and insurance costs and, consequently, world prices (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Russian strikes on four Ukrainian regions killed at least twelve people (WaPo)
Ukraine Detains Woman for Alleged Assassination Attempt on Zelenskyy
The woman allegedly gave Russia information about the Ukrainian president’s whereabouts, including the itinerary of his trip to Mykolaiv (ABC)
Meanwhile, Chinese and Russian officials held a call after Saudi-led talks on Ukraine, with Beijing saying it will “uphold an independent and impartial stance” on the war and “actively promote” peace efforts (NYT)
China Attends Saudi Peace Talks on Ukraine
European diplomats who attended the Saudi-hosted talks over the weekend said Chinese envoys “appeared constructive” at the talks after China had declined to participate in a previous round in Copenhagen in June; China indicated that it would attend future meetings (FT)
Ukraine called the talks productive, while Russia called them “doomed” (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Kyiv struck and damaged the Chonhar road bridge that connects Crimea to mainland Ukraine and replaced a Soviet emblem on the Motherland Monument in the capital (Reuters;NYT)