Wednesday, July 31

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Destroyed seats from a stadium in Kharkiv are displayed at the Ukraine House in the Nations parc as part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 30, 2024. (Olympia de Maismont / AFP)

Ukraine’s energy situation likely to improve during next 3 months, official says. Yurii Boiko said that the amount of electricity generated in the system increased due to decreases in weather temperatures and the restoration of some energy-generating facilities.

Ukraine hit oil depot in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, General Staff reports. Ukrainian forces struck the oil depot Logistics Center №43 in the village of Vozy in Russia’s Kursk Oblast overnight on July 30, the General Staff reported.

US will provide its own weapons for F-16s to be delivered to Ukraine, WSJ reports. The Pentagon has limited stocks and production capacities, but it will supply Ukrainian F-16s with air-to-ground munitions, precision-guidance kits for bombs, and advanced air-to-air missiles in sufficient quantities to meet Ukraine’s most urgent needs, a senior U.S. official said.

Ukrainian paratroopers repel another massive Russian attack near Kurahove. Ukraine’s 79th Tavrian Air Assault Brigade stopped another large-scale attempt by Russian forces to advance near Kurahove in Donetsk Oblast, the Airborne Assault Troops Command reported on July 30.

Ukraine needs additional $12-15 billion from partners in 2025 ‘because the war will continue,’ finance minister says. “Now we are constantly discussing with our partners that we need additional financial assurance because the war will continue in 2025, and we need to have a buffer,” the minister said. According to Marchenko, the current pledges from partners will not be sufficient.

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2 bombers damaged in last week’s attack on airfield in Russia’s Murmansk Oblast, HUR says. Two Tu-22M3 bombers were damaged in the July 25 strike targeting the Olenya airfield in Russia’s Murmansk Oblast, located about 1,800 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine signs two contracts with domestic defense industry worth $121 million, Umerov says. According to Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine’s defense industry has a capacity worth around $20 billion, but the state can muster only up to $10 billion to purchase weapons and equipment.

Ukraine needs to increase nuclear power capacity to overcome problems with electricity generation, US official says. In the long run, the Ukrainian government will decide how to generate electricity on its own, but building up nuclear power is a rational quick solution, Penny Pritzker, U.S. special representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery, said.

Russia will likely try to influence US election in Trump’s favor, intelligence official tells media. The official, who is associated with the U.S. Foreign Malign Influence Center, said that Iran will likely continue to oppose Trump and that China does not have a preference.

Russia jails citizen over alleged sabotage plans on Freedom of Russia Legion’s behalf. The court called Artem Sanzharaev a “convinced ideological opponent of the state” who “voluntarily joined” the Freedom of Russia Legion through Telegram.

Read our exclusives

Here’s where Kamala Harris’s potential VP picks stand on Ukraine

With the Democratic party planning to nominate U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s 2024 presidential nominee by Aug. 7, a running mate selection is near.

Photo: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

Ukraine businesses furious over government-proposed tax hikes

Business and government in Ukraine are publicly slamming one another over a proposed tax hike Kyiv says is necessary to fund its fight against Russia.

Photo: Genya Savilov /AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv strikes Russian oil depot; 2 Russian bombers hit in earlier attack

Ukrainian forces struck the oil depot Logistics Center №43 in the village of Vozy in Russia’s Kursk Oblast overnight on July 30, the General Staff reported.

Photo: Pavel Golovkin / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 4, injure 14 over past day. Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least four people and injured at least 14 over the past day, regional authorities said early on July 30.

Another Georgian volunteer fighter killed in Ukraine. Bondo Gagnidze was reportedly killed fighting in Luhansk Oblast. Another Georgian fighter was also wounded, the Civil.ge media outlet said.

Finnish volunteer fighter killed in Ukraine. A Finnish volunteer fighter was killed in Donetsk Oblast in mid-July, marking the fourth Finnish national killed fighting for Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Association of Finnish War Veterans confirmed on July 30.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: Is momentum building for peace talks?

Over the past week, several developments suggest that momentum might be building for peace talks in Ukraine, writes Timothy Ash.

Photo: Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images

Investments in Ukraine recover as M&A deals continue upward trend

Business and government in Ukraine are publicly slamming one another over a proposed tax hike Kyiv says is necessary to fund its fight against Russia.

Photo: Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via Getty Images

International response

EU irritated with Hungary, Slovakia over their Russian oil spat with Ukraine, Politico reports. Hungary and Slovakia turned to the EU earlier this month as Ukrainian sanctions effectively halted the supplies from the Russian Lukoil company to the two Central European countries through the Druzhba pipeline.

Hungary’s decision to ease visa restrictions for Russians increases risk of spying, leading EU party says. Earlier in July, various media sources reported that Hungary had quietly changed the rules for its National Card program to allow Russian and Belarusian citizens to enter the country in a streamlined visa-acquisition process that does away with enhanced security checks or other restrictions.

Czechia shows interest in Poland’s Ukrainian Legion project. “The Czech Defense Ministry is gathering information from the Polish side about the creation of the so-called Ukrainian Legion,” the ministry’s spokesperson, David Polak, told the Idnes.cz news portal earlier.

Lukashenko pardons German citizen sentenced to death by firing squad for ‘terrorism.’ German citizen Rico Krieger has been sentenced to death by a court in Belarus after being accused of committing six crimes, including “terrorism,” and “mercenary activity.”

Russia passes new cryptocurrency law in effort to dodge Western sanctions. Russia on July 30 passed a law that will allow businesses to use cryptocurrencies in international trade, as the Kremlin seeks ways to circumvent Western sanctions, Reuters reported on July 30. The new law will go into force in September.

Ukraine at Olympics

Ukraine loses to Argentina, fails to reach Olympic football knockout stage. Argentina defeated the Ukrainian Olympic football team 2:0, kicking the latter out of the tournament. Argentina will be joined in the knockout round by Morocco, who defeated Iraq 3:0 to win the group.

Ukraine’s Marta Kostiuk reaches Olympic tennis quarter-finals, but heartbreak for Elina Svitolina. Ukraine’s Marta Kostiuk has reached the tennis quarter-finals at the 2024 Olympics, beating Maria Sakkari of Greece in three sets on July 30. Kostiuk won 4:6, 7:6, 6:4, and will play Croatia’s Donna Vekich in the next round on July 31.

Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak reaches Olympic quarter-final. Khyzhniak defeated Ukrainian Pylyp Akilov, who represents Hungary, by a majority decision. He will face Brazil’s Wanderley Pereira on Aug. 2.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Toma Istomina, Oleksiy Sorokin, Kateryna Hodunova, Martin Fornusek, Liliane Bivings, Nate Ostiller, Chris York, Dmytro Basmat, and Sonya Bandouil.

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