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The head of Myanmar’s junta visits Moscow
The head of Myanmar’s military junta visited Moscow for a one-on-one meeting with officials from Russia’s space and nuclear services. Min Aung Hlaing flew to Moscow on Tuesday for a “private” visit, the Russian embassy in Myanmar told the Interfax news agency. “He plans to participate in the opening of a Myanmar cultural center,” it said. Russia’s state media agency RIA Novosti reported that the military chief was due to meet with the head of Russia’s space agency as well as officials from the Rosatom nuclear agency. The announcement of the visit comes two days after Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken vowed to keep up pressure on Myanmar’s military regime as he met democracy activists on a visit to neighboring Thailand.
Chasiv Yar’s death toll stands at 48
The death toll from Saturday’s Russian missile attack on the town of Chasiv Yar has risen to 48, according to Ukraine’s emergency services. Ukraine’s state emergency services issued an update late Wednesday: As of 19:00, the body of 1 dead person was found in a five-story residential building in the city of Chasiv Yar. In total, the bodies of 48 dead people were found, including 1 child, and 9 people were rescued from the ruins.” Firefighters remove a body from the rubble of a building as search and rescue operations continue after Russian airstrikes hit residential areas in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk, Ukraine on July 11. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Zelensky added that debris removal was continuing in his afternoon speech on Wednesday. Debris removal continues after the Russian attack on the town of Chasiv Yar. So far, the death toll includes 48 people, including a child. Unfortunately, the number of survivors has not changed – 9 people. Rescuers will work at the scene 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.” According to military officials, Russia reportedly made another attempt to bomb Snake Island overnight. An update from Ukraine’s southern operational command says on July 13 that two Russian warplanes attempted to strike the strategic Black Sea island but failed as the bombs fell into the sea. Ukrainian President Anton Herashchenko added: “A pair of Su-27 fighters tried to bomb Snake Island, the bombs fell into the sea, near the island.” A satellite image shows an overview of Snake Island, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Photo: Maxar Technologies/Reuters Updated 06.08 BST
Turkey announces deal to resume Ukraine’s grain exports
Turkey announced a deal with Ukraine, Russia and the UN aimed at resuming Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Russia, raising the prospect of an end to a standoff that has put millions at risk of starvation. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Wednesday that the agreement will be signed when the parties meet again next week and will include joint checks on grain control at ports and Turkey that will ensure the safety of Ukrainian grain export routes in the Black Sea. Turkey will also establish a coordination center with Ukraine, Russia and the UN on grain exports, Akar said. Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak tweeted: “His task will be to carry out general monitoring and coordination of safe navigation in the Black Sea.” 🇺🇦 The security of the Black Sea is a priority in the matter of the resumption of Ukrainian agricultural exports. That is why 🇺🇦 proposed to form a basic navigation algorithm for the Black Sea. It will ensure the export of grain 🇺🇦 and guarantee food security for millions of people. — Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) July 13, 2022 In his daily speech, Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, said: “We are indeed making significant efforts to restore food supply to the world market. And I am grateful to the United Nations and Turkey for their respective efforts.” Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in February, earlier said a deal seemed “two steps away” as Turkey hosted the quadrilateral talks in Istanbul. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a “critical step forward” had been taken towards reviving Ukrainian grain exports, but warned that “more technical work will now be needed to implement today’s progress”. A ray of hope in a world darkened by crises. Today in Istanbul, we saw an important step forward in securing the export of Ukrainian food products through the Black Sea. I applaud the commitment of all those working to secure an agreement for our common humanity. — António Guterres (@antonioguterres) July 13, 2022 “Today is an important and essential step, a step on the way to a comprehensive agreement.” Ukraine and Russia had shown they could talk, but “for peace we still have a long way to go,” he told reporters in New York. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine or Russia, both among the world’s biggest grain exporters.
Russia bombs Mykolaiv – reports
The sound of explosions has been reported in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv this morning. City mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych reported explosions in the city just before 6 a.m. and urged residents to stay in shelters in a warning posted on his Telegram channel. Racists [Russian forces] again targeted a number of civilian objects in Mykolaiv. Rescuers and emergency teams are already working on the ground.” According to Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, an air alert was first announced at 4.25am. before powerful explosions ripped through the city about half an hour later. A firefighter works at the site of a residential building damaged by a Russian military strike in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, July 12. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Reuters
Russian forces are entering the city of Shiversk, a separatist official said
Russian and proxy forces have entered the city of Shiversk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to Russian media. State news agency Tass quoted Vitaly Kiselyov, an official in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, as saying the city could fall within days, but it was unclear what the basis for that claim was. Local residents collect their belongings from their homes damaged by shelling in a residential building in Donetsk region, Ukraine. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Ukraine’s armed forces said in their afternoon operational briefing that Russia had not launched any new offensive on the front line that includes Shiversk, but that the city had been shelled by artillery. The Guardian could not immediately verify the report. In its latest intelligence report, the UK Ministry of Defense predicted that Russian forces would likely focus on capturing several small towns over the coming week, including Siversk and Dolyna on the approaches to Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s rolling live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments for the next while. Reports are filtering in of loud explosions and rockets in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv early this morning. Meanwhile, a major deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports has been announced with the creation of a coordination and monitoring center in Istanbul. It’s 7.30am in Kyiv and here’s where things stand right now:
An agreement was announced to resume Ukrainian grain exports with the establishment of a coordination and monitoring center in Istanbul. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Ankara would ensure the security of shipments in transit and the two sides would jointly check grain cargoes at ports after officials from Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey met to talks in Istanbul on Wednesday. UN chief Antonio Guterres described the talks as a “critical step forward” but said more work was needed before an agreement could be signed next week.
A traffic jam of more than 130 cargo ships loaded with Ukrainian grain is waiting in the Black Sea to gain access through the Sulina and Bystre estuary canals to reach a number of ports and terminals in Romania from where the grain can be transported across the people
According to Russian media reports, Russian and proxy forces have entered the city of Shiversk in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. State news agency Tass quoted Vitaly Kiselyov, an official in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, as saying the city could fall within days, but it was unclear what the basis for that claim was.
Russia has forcibly removed nearly 2 million people from Ukraine, including several hundred thousand children, since its invasion of the country, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are being held in infiltration camps in the temporarily Russian-occupied territories, Zelensky said in a video conference at the Asian Leaders’ Summit in Seoul on Wednesday.
Russian forces will likely focus on capturing several small Donbas towns over the coming week, including Shiversk and Dolina on the approaches to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, according to the UK MoD. “The urban areas of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk likely remain the main targets for this phase of the operation,” the British intelligence report said.
A third US citizen is being held captive by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, according to reports. Suedi Murekezi, 35, was arrested last month in Kherson, a Russian-held port city in southern Ukraine, where he had lived for more than two years, his brother Sele Murekezi said.
Lithuania will allow sanctioned Russian goods to pass through its territory en route to Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, reversing its policy after new European…
