Wednesday, July 24

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Electricians of the DTEK Energy Company restore the power grid damaged by constant artillery and air strikes in a village near the front line in Donetsk Oblast on July 23, 2024. (Anatolii Stepanov / AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraine shoots down another Russian Su-25 jet in Donetsk Oblast. Four days earlier, the Khortytsia group of forces said it had shot down another Russian Su-25 jet near Pokrovsk.

Ukraine’s Antonov company plans to cooperate with Boeing in defense projects. The parties may cooperate in training, logistics, and overhaul of tactical unmanned aircraft systems used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including the long-range drone ScanEagle by Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing, according to the memorandum.

55% of Ukrainians oppose territorial concessions to achieve peace, poll finds. When asked about a possible set of acceptable conditions for peace, the highest number of respondents (62%) said that a situation in which Ukraine regains all occupied territories and becomes a member of the EU but refuses to join NATO would have the broadest level of support.

Russia building forces in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, military says. At the same time, there is no indication yet that Russia is preparing for another offensive in the area, said Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Tavria group of forces.

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Bill on banning Russian-linked churches postponed, MPs block parliament in protest. Lawmakers from several opposition parties – Holos (Voice), European Solidarity, and Batkivshchyna – blocked Ukraine’s parliament rostrum on July 23 following the governing party’s decision to not bring the bill on banning the Russian-linked church to the floor.

Killed, injured among 3,800 convicts serving in Ukraine’s military, lawmaker says. “(Around) 3,800 prisoners are already in the Armed Forces. Most of them have recently completed their training,” the secretary of the parliamentary national security committee, Roman Kostenko, told Ukrainska Pravda.

Ukraine and Moldova in talks about returning draft dodgers. Kyiv and Chisinau are discussing the possibility of returning Ukrainian draft dodgers staying in Moldova, some of whom have been granted asylum in the country, Ukraine’s ambassador Marko Shevchenko said on July 23.

Ukraine confirms Russian ferry ‘seriously damaged’ in attack on Crimea. A Ukrainian attack on occupied Crimea overnight resulted in a ferry used by Russian forces to transport military equipment being “seriously damaged,” the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said on July 23.

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Eye of the storm: A day in the life of Ukrainian infantry on the zero line near Toretsk

Moscow has continued to press forward in Donetsk Oblast, looking to capitalize on Kyiv’s ongoing manpower issues.

Taking advantage of a botched rotation of two Ukrainian brigades, Russian forces surged forward outside Toretsk in late June, beginning a new offensive.

Photo: Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv confirms Russian ferry ‘seriously damaged’ in attack on Crimea

A Ukrainian attack on occupied Crimea overnight resulted in a ferry used by Russian forces to transport military equipment being “seriously damaged,” the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said on July 23. The drones attacked the ship at the Port of Kavkaz.

Photo: Libkos/Getty Images

Ukraine’s soldiers training on Starstreak – here’s why it’s so deadly

Ukraine’s Armed Forces announced on July 23 that another batch of its soldiers were in the U.K., learning how to use possibly the best-named weapon on the battlefield – Starstreak.

Photo: Liam McBurney - Pool/Getty Images

Ukraine’s energy crisis drives power decentralization

For Ukraine, Russian missile strikes that have crippled Ukraine’s grid have created an existential need to move energy production away from large facilities that have become targets for Russian attacks.

Photo: Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks against Ukraine injure 36 over past day. Ukrainian air defenses shot down seven of the eight Shahed-type kamikaze drones launched overnight, the Air Force said.

3 children injured in Russian attack against Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The victims have been hospitalized and are in a condition of moderate severity, the governor reported.

General Staff: Russia has lost 568,980 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,220 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

Our peace efforts have to engage Russia, but not on Putin’s terms, EU’s top diplomat says. Responding to a question about Kyiv’s plans for a second peace summit, Borrell said he is certain that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “will to continue advancing on peace talks and to have another conference with Russia’s attendance is real.”

Indonesia seeking to buy Russian oil for first time in over 10 years, Reuters reports. The Indonesian state-owned refinery Pertamina has included Russian crude oil grades in its September tender lists for purchase, Reuters reported on July 23, citing three traders.

Georgian security service reportedly begins investigating fighters returning from Ukraine. The opposition media outlet Mtavari reported on July 21 that at least four Georgians who fought in Ukraine have been sought for interrogation by Georgia’s State Security Service (SUS).

Czechia joins international drone coalition to boost Ukraine’s arsenal. Czechia joined the drone coalition for Ukraine led by Latvia and the U.K. after its delegation signed a memorandum of understanding during the NATO summit in Washington, the Latvian Defense Ministry announced on July 22.

Ukraine to attract almost $4 billion US grant via World Bank. “The government will use this money to pay salaries to rescuers, teachers, doctors, and social support programs,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

Kuleba lands in China, urges ‘direct’ peace talk discussions with Beijing.

During the visit, Kyiv’s chief diplomat and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi will discuss Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, China’s role in achieving just and stable peace, and Ukrainian-Chinese relations, Kyiv’s Foreign Ministry said on July 22.

In other news

Russian man arrested in France over Paris Olympics destabilization plot. On July 23, French police arrested a Russian man who is suspected of plotting destabilizing activities during the Paris Olympics.

Former TV journalist arrested after calling for armed resistance to mobilization. The “former host of popular Ukrainian television programs” along with seven other people, allegedly conducted “informational and subversive activities for the benefit of the aggressor country,” the Security Service said.

Russian court sentences exiled journalist Mikhail Zygar in absentia. A Moscow court sentenced exiled Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar to eight and a half years in prison in absentia for spreading “fake news” about the Russian army, as part of Russia’s intensifying crackdown on opposition media.

Moscow to pay residents over $21,000 signing bonus for joining army. While other regional authorities have also instituted signing bonuses, such as 1 million rubles in Krasnodar Krai ($11,200) and 500,000 rubles ($5,600) in Dagestan, the Moscow signing bonus appears to be the highest reported so far.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Kateryna Hodunova, Nate Ostiller, Toma Istomina, Chris York, Sonya Bandouil, and Olena Goncharova.

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