Friday, July 28

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A view of a shelter one month after the Russian attack on the Ria Pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, that left 10 dead and 60 wounded. (Photo by Jose Colon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Military reports liberation of Staromaiorske in Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian forces liberated the southeastern village of Staromaiorske in Donetsk Oblast, soldiers announced in a video published by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram.

Putin attempts to bribe African leaders with free grain after pulling out of grain deal. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin told African leaders at the Africa-Russia Summit on July 27 that Russia is ready to offer their countries grain supplies to replace Ukrainian grain exports that are now virtually blocked after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative earlier this month.

Podolyak: Ukraine needs more air defenses to protect its cities. Ukraine needs more air defense systems from its partners to protect its cities against Russian missile threats, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukraine’s Presidential Office, told The Guardian on July 27.

Parliament extends martial law, mobilization. Ukraine’s Parliament approved two bills on July 27 extending martial law and general mobilization for another 90 days.

Lviv Oblast Governor orders investigation of tactical first aid kits gone missing. Lviv Oblast Governor Maksym Kozytskyi announced on July 27 that he had asked law enforcement to examine the disappearance of close to a million dollars in volunteer-donated military supplies for Ukrainian soldiers.

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Ukraine’s energy operator readies for worst-case scenario next winter. Ukraine’s state energy operator Ukrenergo is preparing for the worst-case scenario next winter but is confident that the country’s main energy network will be able to function without restrictions, head of Ukrenergo Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said in Kharkiv on July 27, Ukrainska Pravda reported.

US intelligence report: China’s support increasingly important for Russia’s war effort. Chinese support is growing increasingly crucial for Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine, according to an unclassified report by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence released on July 27.

Russian proxy claims Ukraine struck Tokmak in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The Russian-installed proxy leader of the occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Vladimir Rogov said on Telegram on July 27 that Ukrainian forces had struck the Russian-held town of Tokmak.

Russia bans civilian access to Arabat Spit connecting Crimea with Kherson Oblast. Russian occupation authorities in Crimea prohibited civilian access to the Arabat Spit, which connects the eastern part of the peninsula with Ukraine’s mainland, Interfax reported on July 27, citing Russia’s Border Service of the Federal Security Service (FSB).

UK Defense Ministry: Russia commits new attack helicopters in response to Ukrainian counteroffensive. The U.K. reports that there is evidence Russia is using a small number of new Ka-52M helicopters, which are “heavily modified” versions of the Ka-52 HOKUM attack helicopters.

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Officials accused of using war as pretext for hiding ill-gotten wealth

As Ukrainian soldiers are defending their homeland on the front line, officials in the rear are accused of using the war as a pretext for hiding their wealth.

Photo: Ukrainian President / Handout/ Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces liberate Staromaiorske village in southeast

Ukrainian forces have liberated Staromaiorske village in Donetsk Oblast, according to the footage of Ukraine’s 35th Marine Brigade and Territorial Defense Forces.

Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

‘The War Came to Us’: A review of Christopher Miller’s memoir on his journalism in Ukraine

Christopher Miller’s debut memoir “The War Came to Us” looks back at the pivotal events he witnessed and reported on firsthand, including the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, Russia’s illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and the invasion of Donbas that followed.

Why Russia’s war in Ukraine is not ‘Putin’s war’

Human cost of war

Russia shells 9 communities in Sumy Oblast, injuring 1. Russian forces attacked nine communities in Sumy Oblast on July 27, firing more than 80 rounds from various types of weapons, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on Facebook.

Death toll of July 23 attack on Odesa rises to 2. Odesa City Council said on July 27 that the body of a woman was found under the rubble of a building on Parkova Street, bringing the death toll of the Russian attack to two. Russian forces bombarded Odesa’s historic center with 19 missiles during the night of July 23 in one of the most damaging attacks on the city since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Russian airstrike kills 1, injures 4 in Kharkiv Oblast. A Russian attack on Kivsharivka, a town south of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, killed a 74-year-old woman, oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on July 27.

International response

Politico: US expects to start delivering Abrams tanks to Ukraine in September. U.S. Abrams tanks could be deployed to the Ukrainian battlefield in September, Politico reports, citing six people familiar with the planning.

In other news

NYT: Russian oligarchs enjoy luxury life in UK under sanctions exemptions. Sanctioned Russian oligarchs spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury life in the U.K. thanks to numerous sanction exemptions, the New York Times reported on July 27.

Ukrainian fencer disqualified after refusing to shake hands with Russian opponent. The Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan has been disqualified from the World Fencing Championship after refusing to shake hands with her Russian opponent on July 27. Kharlan won the match in Milan against Russian fencer Anna Smirnova, who was competing under a neutral flag.

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