Monday, July 15

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian civilian women married to front-line service members perform assault combat training in Kyiv Oblast on July 14, 2024. (Narciso Contreras/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Russia claims launch of 3-ton aerial glide bombs from Su-34 jets against Ukraine. Russia has started to use Su-34 jets to launch aerial glide bombs weighing 3,000 kilograms against Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on July 14.

Ireland preparing security agreement with Ukraine, Zelensky says. Ireland is preparing the first steps towards creating a security agreement with Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 14, after meeting with Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris the day before.

Battlefield situation ‘tense’ near Toretsk, Pokrovsk, General Staff reports. The General Staff reported that the “hottest” situation currently lies in Pokrovsk, where Russian forces attacked Ukrainian positions 35 times.

Energy situation should improve after July 20, Shmyhal says. The government has been providing support to a wide spectrum of consumers, ranging from individual households to businesses, to facilitate additional energy generation, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

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Russia uses injured soldiers, POWs in human wave attacks, Telegraph reports. Ukrainian soldiers have said that Russia often fails to evacuate injured troops and at times sends its own wounded soldiers back to the battlefield.

China, Russia begin joint military drills. The news comes days after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on July 11 said that China is a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Drone hits energy substation in Lipetsk Oblast, Russian official says. The drone hit “the territory of an electrical substation in the Stanovlyansky municipal district,” Lipetsk Oblast Governor Igor Artamonov said on July 15.

Donetsk bear adopted by Scottish zoo dies after medical procedure. Yampil, a bear that was evacuated from a zoo in Donetsk Oblast in 2022, has died after not waking up from anesthesia, Five Sisters Zoo in Scotland announced on July 13.

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Ukraine war latest: Kyiv has right to hit targets in Russia, Stoltenberg says

“My position is that there is no doubt that Ukraine has the right to attack legitimate military targets on the territory of the aggressor country, Russia,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. “Ukraine has the right to self-defense, and this includes strikes on the territory of the aggressor. This is absolutely clear to me.”

Photo: Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images

Ukraine and its soldiers weigh in on whether Biden should step aside

As calls mount for U.S. President Joe Biden to step aside in the upcoming presidential election among Democratic party allies in Washington, Ukrainian soldiers more than 5,000 miles away on the front lines are also voicing their concerns over the U.S. leader’s ability to help them fight Europe’s bloodiest war since World War II.

Photo: Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks kill 13, injure 54 in Ukraine. Civilian casualties were reported in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.

Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast kill 1, injure at least 9. As of 6:30 p.m. local time, one person was reported killed in a missile strike on Myrnohrad. Two more people are thought to be trapped under the rubble.

General Staff: Russia has lost 559,090 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,320 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

German opposition leader wants Berlin to send combat planes to Kyiv. “I believe that we should help Ukraine to at least restore sovereignty over its own airspace,” Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politician Friedrich Merz said on July 14.

Ukraine has right to strike military targets within Russian territory, Stoltenberg says. “I welcome the decision of the allies to open up the possibility of greater use of weapons to strike these targets,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

In other news

Zelensky wishes Trump a speedy recovery after assassination attempt. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wished former U.S. President Donald Trump “a speedy recovery” following the attack at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.

Russian forces illegally detain Georgian citizen near occupation line, authorities report. “Russian occupation forces are responsible for all destructive actions committed on the occupied territories of Georgia, as well as along the occupation line,” Georgia’s State Security Service (SUS) said.

Ukrainian gymnast wins World Challenge Cup in Romania. Sixteen-year-old Onofriichuk is a 2024 European hoop bronze medalist. She will be among the athletes representing Ukraine at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Toma Istomina, Elsa Court, Teah Pelechaty, Nate Ostiller, Daria Shulzhenko, and Abbey Fenbert.

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