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Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,237
Here is how things stand on Tuesday, July 15: Fighting Russian forces launched drone attacks on Ukraine's eastern regions of Kharkiv and Sumy, killing at least one person and wounding 21 others, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing local authorities. The Ukrainian Red Cross said the attacks also damaged buildings in Sumy, including an educational and medical facility. The death toll from Russian attacks on Ukraine on Sunday has risen to six, including three people in Sumy, two others in Donetsk and one more in Kherson, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing local officials. Russia's Ministry of Defence claimed control of two more villages in eastern Ukraine: Malynivka in the Zaporizhia region and Mayak in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian drone attacks wounded two people in Russia's Kursk region, and another person in the city of Kamianka-Dniprovska in Ukraine's Zaporizhia region, which Moscow partially occupies, according to the Russian state TASS news agency. Another Ukrainian drone hit a transformer substation in Kreminna, in Russian-occupied Luhansk, setting it on fire, TASS reported. Earlier, the Russian Defence Ministry said its air defence units destroyed 11 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian territory as well as the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, and the Black Sea. Russian officials also said Ukrainian forces had launched a drone attack on a training centre at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on Sunday evening, adding that 'no critical' damage was recorded. This comes a day after the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said that it had heard hundreds of rounds of small arms fire late on Saturday at the plant. Weapons United States President Donald Trump said Washington would be sending 'billions' of dollars in military equipment, including Patriot air defence systems and other missiles to Ukraine, in a deal that would be paid for by NATO members. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, speaking alongside Trump at the White House, said Ukraine would get 'massive numbers' of weapons under the deal. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his country would play a 'decisive role' in funding the supplies, while the country's defence minister said Berlin and Washington would decide about sending two US-made Patriot air defence systems to Kyiv within days or weeks. Earlier on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticised the US support for Ukraine, saying that while 'it seems' supplies to Kyiv will now 'be paid for by Europe … the fact remains that the supply of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment from the United States continued and continues to Ukraine'. Politics and diplomacy Trump also said that if Moscow failed to sign a peace deal with Ukraine in 50 days, he would impose 'very severe tariffs' on Russia, including secondary tariffs of 100 percent. The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, welcomed Trump's tougher stance on Russia, but said a 50-day ultimatum was 'a very long time if we see that they are killing innocent civilians every day'. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that he had spoken to Trump and 'thanked him for his readiness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings and establish a lasting and just peace'. The Ukrainian leader also announced a major cabinet shuffle, asking Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko to become the next prime minister, and the incumbent prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, to be the defence minister. Svyrydenko said Ukraine was facing a 'crucial time' and that her priorities would be 'strengthening' its economy, expanding domestic support programmes and scaling up weapons production. US special envoy Keith Kellogg visited Kyiv and held meetings with Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov. Regional security Former military officers in Sweden could be recalled to military service in case of need up to the age of 70, a government-appointed review suggested, as the country continues to rethink its security approach due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Denmark will donate European-produced satellite equipment to Ukraine to provide 'secure and stable satellite-based communications', the Danish Ministry of Defence said.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine's summer of losing ground: Here's how Russia is cracking the front line
Over the past month, Russia's summer campaign has maintained the methodical pace set in May and June – deliberate, grinding, but steadily effective. In total, Russian forces have seized roughly 500 square kilometers of territory – three times more than during the same period last year. While the advances may appear modest on the map, they reflect a consistent application of pressure along multiple axes and a broader shift in battlefield momentum. Active fighting has unfolded across four key sectors, stretching from the northern borderlands near Sumy to the southern reaches of the Zaporozhye front. Each offers a distinct tactical picture, yet together they form a coherent narrative of Russia's evolving strategy. Below, we examine the month's developments, front by front – from north to south. Russian forces continue to push forward along the Sumy axis, working to establish a buffer zone on the Ukrainian side of the border with Russia's Kursk Region – directly across from last year's staging area near Sudzha. Faced with a potential threat to the regional capital of Sumy, Ukrainian command was forced to redeploy units from other sectors and pull reserves into the area. In late June, the Ukrainian army launched a series of counterattacks near Alekseevka and Kondratovka, aiming to squeeze the Russian bridgehead from the flanks or potentially sever it altogether. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army has retained a presence in Tetkino – the only settlement on Russian territory, in Kursk Region, where Ukrainian forces still hold positions. As of early July, Ukraine's counteroffensives appear to have ground to a halt. Russian troops succeeded in dislodging the Ukrainian troops from one of their two remaining footholds in Tetkino. The coming weeks will determine whether the Russian advance into Ukrainian territory will continue – or if the focus will shift to consolidating gains and expanding the border buffer zone. Last autumn, Russian forces secured a foothold on the western bank of the Oskol River north of Kupiansk, while simultaneously advancing toward the river from the south. By late June and early July, reports surfaced suggesting that Russian units had captured Moskovka – a key stronghold along the strategic Kupiansk-Volchansk railway. Encircling Kupiansk effectively would require cutting off two major arteries: The main supply route running west through Blagodatovka, and another road leading south through Osinovо. What's the situation now? Despite earlier claims, there is still no confirmed Russian presence in Moskovka, suggesting the village remains contested or under Ukrainian control. Overall, the Kupiansk axis is viewed as a secondary theater. Operations in this area appear designed primarily to pin down Ukrainian forces, preventing them from reinforcing more critical sectors of the front. After a successful push in May, Russian advances in the Konstantinovka sector have slowed somewhat. Russian forces are now pressing up against the city's primary defensive lines, advancing along the Stepanovka, Aleksandro-Kalinovo, and Plescheyevka axes. What's unfolding follows a now-familiar Russian approach to urban warfare. First, the city is flanked and key lines of communication are brought under fire control. Then begins the grinding phase: Sustained artillery bombardment wears down the defending garrison as Russian troops close in from three directions. Over time, this pressure begins to erode the city's defenses. At that point, Ukrainian forces face two choices – either retreat in an orderly fashion, as seen in Kurakhovo, or, if ordered to hold at all costs, risk a defensive collapse with potentially serious consequences for adjacent sectors, as happened in Avdeevka and Ugledar. Meanwhile Russian forces are currently focused on wearing down the Ukrainian garrison. The main roads into Konstantinovka are under Russian fire control, and pressure on the flanks is steadily increasing. On the northern approach from Chasov Yar, however, progress remains limited due to difficult terrain – an issue we addressed in a previous report. The situation around Pokrovsk mirrors that of Konstantinovka – and together, these battles may mark some of the most consequential developments of the summer campaign. On the eastern outskirts of Pokrovsk, Russian forces have advanced up to 8km toward Rodinskoe, bringing two of the three main supply routes into Pokrovsk and neighboring Mirnograd under fire control. Further south, between Pokrovsk and Velikaya Novoselka, Russian troops achieved their most significant gains this month – pushing up to 15km across a 30-kilometer-wide front. Their advance reached the administrative boundary of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), with the village of Komar – an important Ukrainian defensive position – reportedly cleared and brought under Russian control. On July 7, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the capture of Dachnoye, a village located on the DPR's border and the first settlement in Ukraine's Dnepropetrovsk Region to fall under Russian control. As part of Ukraine's fortified defense line, securing Dachnoye marks both a tactical and symbolic milestone for the Russian advance. After nearly a year and a half of relative calm, the southern front near the Dnepr River has erupted with renewed activity. Russian forces are now advancing along three axes in the region. Notably, they have captured Kamenskoye – a strategically significant settlement on the riverbank. On July 11, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov visited the forward command post of the Dnepr Group of Forces, signaling high-level attention to the area. In the coming weeks, it should become clearer whether this uptick in operations is intended to stretch Ukrainian reserves and apply pressure – or if it marks the opening phase of a broader Russian offensive in the south.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,236
Here is how things stand on Monday, July 14: Fighting: Russian drone attacks killed a 53-year-old Ukrainian man in Ukraine's Sumy region and left parts of the city of Sumy without power, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing local authorities. Ukraine's SBU intelligence service said it killed several Russian secret service agents during an operation to arrest them in the Kyiv region on Sunday. The SBU said it believed the agents were behind the killing of its colonel, Ivan Voronych, in Kyiv on Thursday. Russia's Ministry of Defence said its forces have captured the villages of Mykolaivka and Myrne in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. The United Nations's nuclear watchdog reported hearing hundreds of rounds of small arms fire late on Saturday at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian forces. The agency described the shots as unusual and said that it was seeking further information about the incident. Weapons United States President Donald Trump said Washington would send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, without specifying how many, just two weeks after Washington said it would pause some arms deliveries for Kyiv. 'I haven't agreed on the number yet, but they're going to have some because they do need protection,' he told reporters. Top Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a key Trump ally, told the CBS News broadcaster that he expects an influx of US weapons shipments to Ukraine to begin soon. 'The game… is about to change,' he said. 'I expect, in the coming days, you will see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves.' Politics and diplomacy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government is preparing to receive Trump's special envoy, Keith Kellogg, in Kyiv on Monday and said: 'We count on the United States fully understanding what can be done to compel Russia to peace.' Zelenskyy also said Russian forces launched more than 1,800 long-range drones, more than 1,200 glide bombs and 83 missiles of various types at Ukraine in the past week. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on Sunday and 'discussed relations with the United States and prospects for resolving the Ukrainian crisis', according to Moscow. French President Emmanuel Macron called for a massive boost to France's defence spending, saying that freedom in Europe is facing a greater threat than at any time since the end of World War II.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Russia's summer push in Ukraine targets three fronts but faces stern resistance
While Russia's overnight drone and missile attacks on Ukraine have hit record levels, on the ground its military is claiming territorial month Russian forces seized 556 sq km (215 sq miles), it's biggest land grab this year, according to the open-source DeepState monitoring website in Ukraine. That is an area four times the size of Liverpool and nearly the same size as the city of goal is to cut off supply routes used by Ukrainian troops in the east, and create a buffer zone inside Ukraine's northern its advance remains relatively slow. At this pace it would take more than 70 years to capture the entire country. Most Russian attacks have been concentrated on three areas:The Sumy region that borders Russia in the north-eastThe two eastern cities of Pokrovsk and KostyantynivkaA third front, west of Pokrovsk Russian troops managed to push about 10-12km (6-7.5 miles) deep inside the Sumy region, but that advance has come to a stop in the face of fierce Putin says he wants to create a buffer zone to protect Russian territory, after Ukrainian forces captured a swathe of Kursk territory last summer. Russian forces eventually drove them out, with the help of North Korean troops and Russians then crossed into Ukraine but quickly became bogged down in fighting over small border villages, which keep changing hands even today. Without major reinforcements, it is unlikely Russian troops will be able to push much further northern region where Russia's army has reportedly crossed the state border is Kharkiv. Last week they claimed the capture of a border village, but without committing substantial resources they are unlikely to make further observers believe these operations are aimed at forcing Ukraine to spread its forces too thin along the entire 1,200-km long front line, so that they divert troops from key areas. One of those key frontline areas is Pokrovsk, a strategic hub in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow has been trying to capture for more than two years. According to the head of Ukraine's army Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, Russia has concentrated some 111,000 troops in that rarely launch massive assaults, says Lt Artem Pribylnov from Ukraine's 155th brigade, stationed near large movement of troops and armoured vehicles will be quickly detected and destroyed by drones. Instead, Lt Pribylnov says, the Russians rely on small groups of infantry troops who relentlessly attack Ukrainian positions, sometimes on motor bikes but more often on kind of "creeping offensive", as some call it, is aimed at exhausting Kyiv's resources until endless waves of Russian soldiers eventually push the Ukrainians out of their positions. But the price they pay is frighteningly general staff puts Russia's casualties at more than 1,000 soldiers a day. The BBC cannot verify these figures independently, but they do indicate the heavy losses Russia is aim in eastern Ukraine appears to be to create "a cauldron", semi-encircling the Ukrainians around Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka and then forcing them to retreat. Read more:Ukraine suffers heaviest attack as Trump criticises PutinSteve Rosenberg: Moscow shrugs off Trump's irritation with Putin Russian troops are now trying to wedge into the area between these two cities to create "a bridgehead from where they can attack Pokrovsk or Kostyantynivka", says Maj Viktor Trehubov, a spokesman for the Khortytsya operational-strategic group, which co-ordinates forces in eastern Ukraine.A breakthrough here is not considered likely. Russia's advance between Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk is already slowing down and earlier attempts to push from other sides have stalled. The biggest Russian gain in recent weeks was further west from Pokrovsk, in an area referred to by the Ukrainian military as the Novopavlivske direction, named after the village of Novopavlivka which became a defence hub following the westward retreat of Ukrainian observer Kostyantyn Mashovets says Moscow's operation there was most threatening for Ukraine as its defence measures "collapsed", allowing the Russians to advance up to 10km a move was so rapid that Russian military bloggers even claimed that their troops had reached the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time since the start of the military officials deny these claims, saying that a small group of Russian soldiers entered a village in the Dnipropetrovsk region to takes photos with a Russian flag but were quickly "eliminated". The Institute for the Study of War, however, indicates that Russian troops are still operating Trehubov argues this area offers little strategic advantage for Russian troops and their assault was instead motivated by political goals. Advancing further into Dnipropetrovsk region may work well for propaganda messages, but would require greater resources that are currently tied up in Pokrovsk and Ukrainians are nevertheless facing increasing pressure on the front lines, as Russian troops are constantly trying to cut off their supply lines with drone attacks."Those routes that we used two months ago, we can't use them now, not during the daytime, not even at night," Staff Sgt Viktor Pyasetskyi from Ukraine's 93rd brigade stationed near Kostyantynivka told the BBC over the a result it has become extremely complicated and slow to deliver food and ammunition, evacuate the wounded and rotate troops on the front drones like the Gerbera can fly for hundreds of kilometres to reach places that until recently were regarded as relatively aim is not just to erase defence lines but also "to terrorise the population", says Staff Sgt Pyasetskiy. "They systematically destroy civilian buildings. They want to undermine morale and weaken our faith in Ukraine's ability to stop the Russians."As he spoke, he was interrupted by the roar of drones. Shortly afterwards there were reports of an apartment block being hit. It was later confirmed the staff sergeant had survived.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Farmers turned soldiers, fields full of mines and a rural exodus: how Russia is punishing Ukraine's countryside
In a field outside the eastern Ukraine city of Sumy, Mykola Mondrayev, 55, is moving the wreckage of a Russian drone. A pickup truck stands nearby, mounted with a gun, the only defence against the deadly unmanned aerial devices. Three days a week, Mondrayev serves with a territorial defence unit. The other days he works his fields. His farm, he says, has not yet been struck by a drone, but even at more than 30km (19 miles) from the frontline, he feels 'uncomfortable' that it could be a target. 'The Russians aren't just hitting military objects. They're hitting farms as well. Farming is at the heart of Ukraine culture, and that's what they are trying to destroy,' he says. On the steppes beyond Sumy, a rural way of life is under threat from the complex set of challenges that war has brought. A quarter of the country's farmland is under Russian occupation. Fields are contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance. Farmers and workers have extra duties now as soldiers. The impact of the war is underlined by the fact that before Russia's full-scale invasion, agriculture was one of the fastest-growing sectors in Ukraine, contributing 10.9% of GDP and providing 17% of domestic employment in 2021. A military restriction zone forbids farmers in the immediate vicinity of the frontline from working on their land, and further back others have seen fields taken for fortifications. Then there are less visible issues. Even before the war, rural depopulation was depleting the pool of agricultural labour, a problem that has been exacerbated by conscription, with smaller farms, which are not eligible for exemptions, hardest hit. 'The three years of war have been brutal,' says Oleh Khomenko, director general of Ukrainian Agribusiness Club. 'According to the World Bank, the loss has been in the order of $100bn (£74bn), including loss of key infrastructure such as elevators, the loss of farming land and plant and production facilities on top of the loss on the human side, for example labour. 'While we have some exemptions for key agricultural workers, we're seeing a labour shortfall of 30% in comparison with 10% before the war. We talk to farmers, everyone tells us the same story: a lack of tractor drivers and workers in agricultural production plants. 'That's on top of the 25% of land that is under occupation. Farmers who have lost their land lose their business because they can't just relocate elsewhere.' In regions such as Kharkiv and Sumy, close to the frontlines, the business of farming has become ever more complex, with larger farms requiring security escorts with drone jammers to go into the fields with workers. The risks involved in farming 30km from the frontline were dramatically brought home to Mykola Panasenko last year when his barn and office in Sumy were hit in two drone strikes a week apart. As well as growing rye, oats and sunflowers, Panasenko raises sheep, although in reduced numbers since the war began. 'It was nearing the lambing season and the drones landed near the flock and the lambs were stillborn.' While he has found workers to put a new roof on his grain store, his office is gutted, its walls destroyed. He hides his tractor now, when it is not in use, out of sight of the drones under the cover of a thicket. 'There are no workers for the farms,' he says. 'Almost everyone has been conscripted either to the army or the territorial units. No one cares.' The impact is cumulative, and goes beyond what it means for his business. 'It has a knock-on effect. Small farmers like us supply the domestic market as well as for export. The local mill buys from us. We support villagers who buy livestock and seeds [for smallholdings]. We hire workers from the local communities. Without the farmers whole villages will die.' Andriy Sema, 52, tells a similar story. Like Panasenko, he is classed as a small farmer, with 150 hectares (370 acres). He opens his phone to show a picture of a Russian drone shot down on his land in Sumy this spring. 'Some of these surveillance drones are booby-trapped. So farmers are scared to move them. And we hear drones almost every day. Every day it's getting worse and worse. Every day you hear about one farm or another being hit. 'But the biggest issue since the war began is that there is no stability. We don't know what will happen tomorrow, or even what will happen today. I don't know if I want to carry on farming.' Like many other farms close to the fighting, Sema's is carved up by the deep zigzags of freshly dug trenches, punctuated with blockhouses, built against Russia's threat of a fresh offensive targeting the Sumy region. 'Before the full-scale invasion, I had 150 pigs. I sold piglets to the local villagers. Now, I have only a few chickens, ducks and turkey. The poultry is more seasonal, while the pigs brought in more money. I've lost around a third of my income. We are surviving for now growing rye and sunflowers, which we're selling to the state. 'I don't have any workers now. I'm alone on the farm managing with the help of my son. Before, I employed five people.' Farmers have also seen some grain traders take advantage of the situation, says Sema. 'There are three classes of grain. We produce grain that is usually used for baking but the big traders will only pay the lower feed rate of grain saying, 'Look how close to the frontline. We're scared to go there. You need to sell at the lowest price.'' While bigger farming businesses have tended to fare better during the war, they have also struggled. 'About 20% of our land is in the military restricted zone,' says Serhiy Bondarenko, chief executive of Victoria, which grows wheat, sunflowers and rapeseed on about 45,000 hectares (111,000 acres) of land and employs more than 500 people, but has seen its productivity reduced by 10-15%. Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion 'In our area it's worse than it was last year. One of the grain elevators has been damaged, while a second one in Bilopillia is not working because it is so close to the frontline. From the roof you can see the nearest Russian village. 'On top of that, 10% of our workers have been conscripted even though we have the status of critical infrastructure. If not for that, all of our workers would be conscripted. 'Shelling is the biggest problem, because we choose when we need to be in the fields. We have to sow at a certain time. And almost every day there's shelling but we try to have a couple of hours when our workers can go out. Right now we are sowing soy, and it is always under shelling. 'That puts a big psych pressure on the workers who have families to think about. 'It's like we have our own combat zone in fields but if we stopped, the company would not exist. 'We have our own security team. They go to the fields to check the location and stay in touch with the military. They have anti-drone guns and after they check the sector where we want to sow, we tell workers when we think is a safe time to start, and then the security team stays with the workers to reassure them.' Most difficult to assess, however, is the impact on a wider rural way of life centred on about 250,000 odnoosibnyky – Ukraine's rural families. Ranging from small commercial family farmers to as subsistence-oriented food producers who use their small holdings to supplement earnings from other sources, odnoosibnyky are a key pillar of Ukrainian rural life. The social and cultural patrimony of odnoosibnyky is visible whenever you venture out of Ukraine's cities. In villages, cows, goats and sheep can be seen grazing on the broad grass verges, overhung by fruit trees in gardens, with ducks and chickens behind the fences. On the outskirts of these small communities, families work plots of land, planted with kale and vegetables, or tend to their beehives. For those closest to the frontlines, there is the dilemma of whether to stay or relocate, especially for the oldest generation. Despite the small scale of their output, these ubiquitous rural households account for more than a third of domestically consumed agricultural output, producing fruit and vegetables, including the vast majority (95%) of potatoes produced in Ukraine. 'A lot of the focus on Ukrainian agriculture has been on large and medium-sized enterprises,' says Rein Paulsen, director of emergencies at the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation. 'Our focus has been on vulnerable households, often on a really small level of production, where people have very small plots of land to grow food for their own consumption, with some selling produce in local markets. 'In frontline communities they're not registered on databases because they are not considered farming enterprises in the bigger sense. 'One of our priorities is supporting vulnerable people close to the frontlines who want to stay. I was reading about one family that wouldn't leave their cow behind and needed volunteers to come and help them move it. 'Obviously, one of the major challenges has to do with the physical risk of unexploded ordnance and soil contamination, and that is a very significant issue for a large number of farming families. And the situation is getting worse. 'We estimate 138,000 sq km are contaminated with unexploded munitions, and water is also at risk. Another challenge is the war has accelerated the shifting demographics, with an increasing proportion of elderly heads of households and now female heads of households.' And even far from the frontlines, the conflict is affecting the smallest farmers. 'We came across someone in the Lviv area in the far west country far from the frontlines who told us how she was struggling with the doubling of the cost of woodchips,' says Paulsen. 'The longer the war goes on, the greater the accumulation of impacts. 'They have been seen as a less visible priority,' he says, referring to the huge international efforts to maintain the flow of Ukrainian grain to countries heavily reliant on it, in the global south in particular. 'But we are talking about the fabric of Ukrainian society, the country's invisible rural life.'
