Miguel Medina | AFP | Getty Images Ukraine’s foreign minister expressed optimism that a deal to secure Ukraine’s grain exports is possible as he begins a meeting to break the deadlock over exports, helping to drive up global food prices. “We are two steps away from an agreement with Russia. We are in the final phase and now everything depends on Russia,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Spanish newspaper El Pais ahead of quadrilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and their officials UN. which started in Istanbul. More than 20 million tons of Ukrainian grain are stuck in silos at the Black Sea port of Odessa, according to Reuters estimates, and many cargo ships have been grounded by Russia’s blockade. Russia in turn blamed Ukraine for the export freeze, accusing Kyiv of mining in the Black Sea. Both Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of wheat, as well as other vital commodities such as fertilizers and sunflower oil, respectively. — Holly Elliott
The death toll from the rocket attack on an apartment building is 47
The rescue operation is underway after a missile strike, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, at a location referred to as Chasiv Yar, in Ukraine. Donetsk Regional Governor Pavlo Ky | Via Reuters The death toll from a Russian missile attack on an apartment building in the city of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine has risen to 47. Kirill Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said in a Telegram post earlier today that another body of a woman was recovered from the rubble of the apartment building that was hit on Saturday. “In total, since the start of rescue operations, the bodies of 47 dead people, including a child, have been found and removed from the scene. Nine people have been rescued from the rubble. Rescue operations are ongoing,” Tymoshenko said. Firefighters and members of a rescue team clear the scene after a building was partially destroyed after shelling, in Chasiv Yar, eastern Ukraine, on July 10, 2022. Miguel Medina | Afp | Getty Images Russian forces hit the five-story apartment building in Chasiv Yar. Ukraine said the disaster was caused by Russian Uragan missiles. Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilian targets despite the large number of cases in which civilian infrastructure has been targeted, causing death and further displacement of ordinary Ukrainians. — Holly Elliott
Ukraine says it repelled the attack near Sloviansk, a key Russian target
Ukraine says it has successfully repelled a Russian attack on the settlements of Dovhenke and Dolyna, near the city of Sloviansk, a key target for Russian forces trying to advance into eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said on Wednesday that Russian forces were shelling Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, and surrounding settlements, and also reported incessant artillery shelling in areas around Sloviansk further south in Donetsk. A car destroyed by Russian shelling at the entrance to the village of Dolyna in Donbas. Dolyna is located near the front line between the Russian and Ukrainian armies. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images “Ukrainian defenders successfully repelled an attack in the direction of Dovhenke and Dolyna. It is not excluded that the enemy will continue to conduct offensive operations to improve their tactical position and create favorable conditions for conducting an attack towards Izium – Sloviansk”, the spokesman of the general staff Oleksandr Shtupun said in the latest update of the armed forces on Facebook. Extensive shelling also occurred in the areas around the nearby city of Kramatorsk and Bakhmut, Ukraine said. Ahead of a meeting in Istanbul between Ukraine, Russia, the UN and Turkey on unblocking Ukraine’s grain exports, the armed forces said that in both the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, the Russian navy is “focusing its main efforts in interdiction of civilian shipping. Four warships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles are kept ready for missile strikes.” The armed forces of Ukraine added that “the morale and psychological state of the occupiers’ personnel remains low, there is systematic consumption of alcoholic beverages and desertion. The occupiers complain about the ineffectiveness of their attacks on Ukrainian positions.” CNBC was unable to verify the information in the report. — Holly Elliott
Russian advances will continue this week as anti-Russian sentiment rises, UK says
In Donbas, Russian forces will likely focus on capturing several small towns in the coming week, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday. Siversk and Dolyna are likely to be targets for Russian forces as they move closer to their biggest objective – capturing the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. A house hit by a missile on July 3, 2022, in Sloviansk, Ukraine. Scott Olson | Getty Images “Russia continues to seek to undermine the legitimacy of the Ukrainian state and establish its own governance and administrative control over the occupied parts of Ukraine,” the ministry said on Twitter. “Recently this has included an initiative to twin Russian and Ukrainian cities and regions to develop post-conflict administrations and a decree that will make it easier for Ukrainians to acquire Russian citizenship.” There is, however, a backlash in Ukraine, the ministry said, with anti-Russian sentiment in the occupied territories targeting Russian and pro-Russian officials. The Russian-appointed administration in Velykyy Burluk acknowledged that one of its mayors was killed on July 11 by a car bomb. “The targeting of officials is likely to escalate, exacerbating the already significant challenges facing the Russian occupiers and potentially increasing pressure on already reduced military and security formations,” the UK said. — Holly Elliott
A “really tough road lies ahead,” says Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that there is a “really difficult road” ahead for his country as Russian forces continue to make small, incremental advances in eastern Ukraine. In a Telegram post on Tuesday evening, Zelensky said “a really difficult road lies ahead. Everyone understands that. But it is also clear that what lies ahead is the success of our state.” “When millions of people work sincerely for this – each and every one at his own level – the result will be inevitable,” he added. A Russian soldier patrols a damaged residential area in the occupied Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk on July 12, 2022. Olga Malcheva | Afp | Getty Images Zelensky’s comments come as Russian forces make slow but steady progress in capturing the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces have already captured the Luhansk region of the Donbass and are now advancing on neighboring Donetsk. Images released on Tuesday showed Russian soldiers patrolling areas of Severodonetsk, a major city in Luhansk and one of the last Ukrainian-held enclaves to fall to Russia in recent weeks. — Holly Elliott
A “really tough road lies ahead,” says Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that there is a “really difficult road” ahead for his country as Russian forces continue to make small, incremental advances in eastern Ukraine. In a Telegram post on Tuesday evening, Zelensky said “a really difficult road lies ahead. Everyone understands that. But it is also clear that what lies ahead is the success of our state.” “When millions of people work sincerely for this – each and every one at his own level – the result will be inevitable,” he added. A Russian soldier patrols a damaged residential area in the occupied Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk on July 12, 2022. Olga Malcheva | Afp | Getty Images Zelensky’s comments come as Russian forces make slow but steady progress in capturing the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces have already captured the Luhansk region of the Donbass and are now advancing on neighboring Donetsk. Images released on Tuesday showed Russian soldiers patrolling areas of Severodonetsk, a major city in Luhansk and one of the last Ukrainian-held enclaves to fall to Russia in recent weeks. — Holly Elliott
The Ukrainian ministry says the ships are passing through the newly opened Danube River
A shipyard worker watches as barley grains are mechanically poured into a 40,000-tonne ship at a Ukrainian agricultural exporter’s shipping terminal in the southern Ukrainian city of Nikolaev. Vincent Mundy | Reuters Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry said in a statement that 16 ships had passed through the newly opened Bystre River on the Danube in the past four days and that the opening of the Bystre was an important step towards speeding up grain exports. — Reuters
Ukraine, UN, Russia and Turkey to discuss sea corridors for grain exports
A farm implement harvests grain in the field as the Russian-Ukrainian war continues in Odesa, Ukraine on July 4, 2022. Methane Acta | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it will participate in a quadrilateral meeting with the United Nations, Turkey and Russia on efforts to restart Ukrainian grain exports. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday in Istanbul. Andriy Yermak from the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel that the parties will discuss sea corridors for the export of grain, along with security issues. For months, Russian warships have blockaded Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. — Amanda Macias
The death toll from the Russian attack on an apartment building stands at 41
Firefighters and members of a rescue team clear the scene after a building was partially destroyed following shelling, in Chasiv Yar, eastern Ukraine, on July 10, 2022. Miguel Medina | Afp | Getty Images The death toll from a Russian rocket attack that hit a five-story apartment building in the eastern city of Chasiv Yar…
title: “Latest News From Russia And The War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-20” author: “Hollis Brandon”
National police chief Ihor Klymenko said on Facebook that three rockets hit an office block, a parking lot, destroying at least 25 cars and damaged nearby residential buildings. Ukrainian emergency services said 90 rescuers were at the scene. “There are dead and wounded,” Serhiy Borzov, governor of the Vinnytsia region, wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Thursday when reports of the attack first emerged. Ukrainian President Zelensky said rockets hit the city center and that a small child was among the dead and wounded. “Every day, Russia destroys the civilian population, kills Ukrainian children, directs rockets at civilian objects. Where there is nothing military. What is this, if not an open act of terrorism?” Zelensky said. — Holly Elliott
Russians ‘destroy everything in front of them’ as they try to advance, says Ukrainian official
Russian forces are reportedly trying to enter Shiversk – a city located between Luhansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine – in order to open a road to nearby Bakhmut in Donetsk, a Ukrainian official said. The head of the Luhansk Regional Military Command, Serhiy Haidai, said on Telegram on Thursday that “the Russians are trying to break through Siversk and open the way to Bakhmut” through small settlements, and that in order to advance “they are destroying everything in front of them their. “ “Now they are conducting the attack in the direction of Verkhniokamianske [near Siversk]. The battles are ongoing,” Haidai noted. A Ukrainian sniper wears a balaclava in a cellar in Shiversk, Ukraine, July 08, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Haidai said Russian troops launched 12 missile and airstrikes on settlements on the border of neighboring Luhansk and Donetsk regions, the epicenter of the war at the moment and the site of fierce fighting for months. “They are continuing the massive artillery and mortar shelling and using multiple missile launcher systems,” said Haidai, who regularly updates the military situation in his region. The capture of Bakhmut is a strategic goal for Russia as its forces seek to advance on Donetsk after capturing Luhansk several weeks ago, while Ukrainian forces seek to stall and impede their opponents’ advance as much as possible. — Holly Elliott
Russian forces continue to attack Donetsk, but risk losing momentum
Russian forces continue to attack areas around the towns of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Bakhmut in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, Ukraine’s armed forces said Thursday morning. The cities are believed to be key targets for Russia as its forces try to advance into the Donetsk region, having already captured all of neighboring Luhansk in recent weeks. The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said on Facebook on Thursday morning that Russian forces were shelling various settlements around Sloviansk, near Kramatorsk and Bakhmut, with tanks and pipe and rocket artillery. Ukrainian forces repelled some of the attacks south of Bakhmut, General Staff spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun said. CNBC was unable to verify the information in the report. Ukrainian soldiers board a tank from the battlefield near Shiversk in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on July 8, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Britain’s Ministry of Defense, in its latest intelligence briefing on Thursday, said Russian forces “continue to carry out artillery strikes on a wide front [in the Donbas]followed by, in some areas, probing attacks by small companies and platoon-sized units.’ However, they have not made any significant territorial advances in the past 72 hours and risk losing any momentum built up after the capture of Lysychansk, the last town Russian forces captured in Luhansk before trying to advance on Donetsk. “The aging Soviet-era vehicles, weapons and tactics used by Russian forces do not lend themselves to rapid recovery or momentum building unless deployed in overwhelming mass – which Russia is currently unable to accomplish ». — Holly Elliott
Ukraine makes big efforts to unblock global food supplies, says Zelensky
Officials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations met on Wednesday in Istanbul to try to reach a deal that would allow exports of vital products such as grain and sunflower oil from Ukraine to resume. Miguel Medina | AFP | Getty Images Officials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations met on Wednesday in Istanbul to try to reach a deal that would allow exports of vital products such as grain and sunflower oil from Ukraine to resume. The latter three said there had been progress in the talks, with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar saying the deal would be signed next week, but UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said more work was needed before the deal could be finalized. The deal will see a joint coordination center set up to oversee the safe export of products, with Ankara saying it will inspect cargo and ensure the safety of ships passing through. A deal would ease a global food crisis caused in part by a blockade on exports from Ukraine, one of the world’s biggest exporters of wheat and sunflower oil. Zelensky noted that the Ukrainian delegation informed him that there was some progress in the talks yesterday. “We will agree on the details with the UN Secretary General in the coming days,” he added. — Holly Elliott
The Chasiv Yar death toll rises again
The death toll from a Russian missile attack on a block of flats in the Donetsk city of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine has risen, with 48 civilians now said to have been killed in the attack, including a child. Ukraine’s emergency services reported on Telegram that the number of people rescued from the rubble remained at nine. Firefighters and rescue workers clear the scene after a building was partially destroyed by shelling, in Chasiv Yar, eastern Ukraine, on July 10, 2022. Miguel Medina | Afp | Getty Images Russian forces hit the five-story apartment building in Chasiv Yar last Saturday. Ukraine said Russian Uragan missiles caused severe damage to the building. Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilian targets despite the large number of cases in which civilian infrastructure has been targeted, causing death and further displacement of ordinary Ukrainians. President Zelenskiy noted the tragedy on Wednesday night, saying the debris removal will continue until all the debris is cleared. “It was one of the most brutal Russian strikes during the entire war – so many casualties… My condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims,” he said. — Holly Elliott
More than 5.8 million refugees have fled Ukraine, according to the UN
A displaced Ukrainian man and a child board a bus to travel to a temporary refugee center set up in an abandoned Tesco building in Przemysl, Poland, Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Angelos Garcia | Bloomberg | Getty Images More than 5.8 million people have fled Ukraine’s borders to other locations in Europe since Russia’s invasion in February, according to the latest figures compiled by the United Nations. Of this total, more than 3.6 million people have registered for temporary refugee protection or similar safeguards in Europe. “The escalation of the conflict in Ukraine has caused civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, forcing people to flee their homes in search of safety, protection and assistance,” UN researchers wrote in a report. “Millions of refugees from Ukraine have crossed borders into neighboring countries, and many more have been forced to move within the country,” the report added. Here’s a look at where Ukrainian refugees have taken refuge: Zoom Icon Arrows pointing out
Ukraine, UN, Russia and Turkey to discuss sea corridors for grain exports next week after talks
Wheat grain is poured from a machine into a storage silo Monday, July 8, 2013. Temporary silos will be built along the border with Ukraine to help export more grain to deal with a growing global food crisis, said U.S. President Joe Biden, according to Reuters. Vincent Mundy | Bloomberg | Getty Images Russia and Ukraine are set to meet again in Turkey next week after talks aimed at freeing grain exports, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a statement. Delegations from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations met earlier in Istanbul. “We will try to reach a conclusion by doing this in coordination with the UN. In this sense, it was agreed that the Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet again in Turkey next week,” Akar said in a statement. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a press conference that the meeting was a “critical step forward” for the safe and secure export of Ukrainian food products through the Black Sea. For months, Russian warships have blockaded Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. — Amanda Macias
The US welcomes the EU’s decision to impose sanctions on Russian missions in Kaliningrad
A disused border crossing point to Russia is seen on April 15, 2022, in Nida, Lithuania. Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave on the Baltic Sea coast lies between NATO members Lithuania and Poland and is the Baltic coast’s most strategic port for transportation and trade. Paulius Peleckis | News Getty Images | Getty Images The Biden administration welcomed the European Union’s decision to impose economic sanctions on Russia and its shipments to and from Kaliningrad. Kaliningrad, located between Lithuania and Poland, depends on Lithuania and Belarus for transit traffic between the enclave and mainland Russia. “We welcome the member states of the European Union, including Lithuania, for imposing sanctions…
