Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin’s military in state of ‘confusion’ in wake of Wagner mutiny, US general says

Russia’s leadership is suffering “friction and confusion” since the Wagner mercenary group’s mutiny last month, but the impact it is having on front lines in Ukraine is still uncertain, the United States’ top general said on Thursday.

General Mark Milley descibed “a lot of drama” at senior levels within the regime after Yevgeny Prigozhin led the mercenary group to capture Rostov-on-Don and then begin to drive to Moscow before the assault on the capital was defused in a deal ostensibly brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Mr Prigozhin has said the mutiny was not aimed at overthrowing the government but at “bringing to justice” the army and defense chiefs for their “blunders and unprofessional actions”.

“At the strategic level it is pretty clear that you have a significant amount of friction and confusion,” General Milley told a small group of reporters traveling with him in Asia.

Also on Thursday, a senior Russian general who was fighting in Ukraine said he was dismissed from his position after he accused the military’s leadership of betraying his troops with a lack of support.

Key Points

• Senior Russian general says he was fired after accusing defence ministry of treachery

• Senior Russian general killed in airstrike with British Storm Shadow missile

• Russian spy chief spoke to CIA boss about ‘what to do with Ukraine’

• ‘We’re not Amazon’: Ben Wallace cautions Kyiv over weapons demands

• Zelensky welcomes G7 security pledges: ‘For our children'

• Ukraine downs 20 drones, 2 missiles overnight

Putin offered Wagner the chance to keep fighting under ‘Grey Hair’ commander

09:03 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Vladimir Putin offered Wagner soldiers the chance to continue fighting, but under a different commander- known by his nom de guerre, ‘Sedoi’ or ‘Grey Hair’.

“Sedoi” is a highly decorated veteran of Russia‘s wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya. He is from St Petersburg, Putin’s home town, and has been pictured with the president.

The Russian president made the offer last month, according to Russian newspaper Kommersant, days after the attempted mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.

“All of them could have gathered in one place and continued to serve,” Kommersant quoted Putin as saying.

“And nothing would have changed for them. They would have been led by the same person who had been their real commander all that time.”

Putin said that many of the commanders had nodded their heads at his suggestion but Prigozhin, who was sitting at the front, did not see this, Kommersant said.

“‘No, the boys won’t agree with such a decision’,” Putin quoted Prigozhin as saying.

Kremlin says Wagner's legal status needs reviewing

11:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin said on Friday that the status of the private Wagner mercenary group needed to be “considered”, a day after President Vladimir Putin said the group had no legal basis.

Putin told a reporter from Kommersant newspaper on Thursday that Wagner, which staged a brief armed mutiny last month, “does not exist” in a legal sense because there is no law in Russia relating to private military companies.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the status of companies such as Wagner was “rather complicated” and needed to be studied.

Asked if new legislation was likely on the status of private military companies, he said: “This question will at least be under consideration.”

Wagner has waged the fiercest battles of the Ukraine war for Russia but uncertainty has surrounded its fate and that of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin since last month’s mutiny, when it seized control of a southern city and advanced towards Moscow.

The defence ministry said this week that Wagner was completing the transfer of its weapons to the regular army under the accord with the Kremlin that brought the mutiny to an end.

Putin told Kommersant

he had offered Wagner mercenaries the opportunity to keep fighting for Russia during a meeting held five days after the mutiny but suggested Prigozhin be moved aside in favour of a different commander.

Under the terms of the agreement ending the June 23-24 mutiny, Prigozhin was meant to go into exile in Belarus, a close ally of Russia. However, he has not been seen in public since June 24 and his current whereabouts are unknown

Poland will respond in kind if Russia closes consulate, PM says

10:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Poland will respond in kind if Russia closes down its diplomatic missions, the Polish prime minister said on Friday, after Moscow said it had decided to close Warsaw’s consulate in Smolensk.

The war in Ukraine has brought relations between Warsaw and Moscow to new lows. Poland accuses Russia of trying to destabilise the country with disinformation campaigns and espionage, while Moscow has hit out at what it sees as Warsaw’s hostile rhetoric.

“We regularly receive information about aggressive diplomatic actions from Russia,” Mateusz Morawiecki told a press conference. “If in the end it comes to it that Russia starts to liquidate our offices we will respond in kind.”

Interfax news agency said Russia took the decision to close the consulate due to what it called Poland’s “anti-Russian actions”.

The consulate in Smolensk holds a special significance for Poland as it is charged with looking after two sites of national rememberance - the cemetery complex in Katyn and the site of the 2010 Smolensk air disaster.

Polish officers were murdered by Soviet forces in the Katyn forest in western Russia in 1940.

In 2010, President Lech Kaczynski and 95 other people including top politicians and military officers were killed when their plane crashed in thick fog in Smolensk as they travelled to mark the anniversary of the Katyn killings.

Russia's Lavrov has no plans to contact U.S. side during Indonesia meeting, spokeswoman says

09:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has no plans for contacts with U.S. officials during his current visit to Indonesia, his spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken are both in Jakarta for the ASEAN Regional Forum, a security gathering.

Poland will respond in kind if Russia closes consulates, says PM

09:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Poland will respond in kind if Russia closes down its diplomatic missions, the Polish prime minister said on Friday, in response to reports that Moscow had decided to close the Polish consulate in Smolensk.

“We regularly receive information about aggressive diplomatic actions from Russia“, Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference. “If in the end it comes to it that Russia starts to liquidate our offices we will respond in kind.”

Russia launches overnight drone attack on Ukrainian president's hometown

08:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A 56-year-old man was injured in an overnight Russian drone strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s hometown, the central city of Kryvyi Rih, the regional governor said on Friday.

The attack damaged a number of buildings in Kryvyi Rih but Ukraine‘s air force said 16 of the 17 Iranian-made Shahed attack drones launched by Russia overnight had been shot down in southern and eastern areas of the country.

Falling debris damaged a municipal enterprise, two residential buildings and a transport company in Kryvyi Rih, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said on the Telegram messaging app.

City mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said windows had been blown out in apartment blocks and private houses, hospitals and schools.

The drone launches were the latest in a series of attacks in which the capital Kyiv came under attack on three successive nights this week. Russia did not comment on the attacks, and denies deliberately targeting civilians.

Wagner’s attempted mutiny may have impacted Russia’s choices for Navy Day fleet review

08:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The UK ministry of defence said there is a “realistic possibility” Wagner’s attempted mutiny has impacted Russia’s decision to not include nuclear-powered submarines in their Navy Day fleet review.

The update said: “On 12 July 2023, Russian state media reported that nuclear-powered submarines of Russia’s Northern Fleet will not be taking part in the main Navy Day fleet review in St Petersburg on 30 July 2023.

“Since the current Navy Day format was established in 2017, this would be the first year that no nuclear-powered submarines have been involved. The change is likely primarily due to allow for maintenance and to retain availability for operations and training.

“There is also a realistic possibility that internal security concerns since Wagner Group’s attempted mutiny have contributed to the decision.”

Prigozhin 'disagreed' with offer for Wagner fighters to keep serving, Putin claims

07:20 , Namita Singh

Yevgeny Prigozhin disagreed with Vladimir Putin’s plan for giving fighters of the Wagner group the opportunity to remain serving together in Russia after their revolt, reported Russian daily Kommersant, citing the Russian president.

“Prigozhin ... said after listening: ‘No, the boys won’t agree with such a decision,” Kommersant quoted Mr Putin as saying.

Wagner fighters played a key role in the Russian army’s advance into eastern Ukraine and were the driving force in the capture in May of the city of Bakhmut after months of battles.

But Mr Prigozhin constantly accused the military of failing to back his men and Wagner fighters unhappy with the defence ministry’s conduct of the war took control of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don on 23 June and began moving towards Moscow.

They halted their advance the next day after being offered a deal under which they could resettle in Belarus, along with Mr Prigozhin. Any notion of pressing charges against Mr Prigozhin was dropped.

Mr Putin told the newspaper there was no possibility of Wagner remaining in its current form.

“Wagner does not exist,” Mr Putin told Kommersant. “There is no law on private military organisations. It just doesn’t exist.”

Wagner forces not engaged in Ukraine in any significant way – Pentagon

07:00 , Namita Singh

The Wagner mercenary group is not participating in military operations in Ukraine in any significant way, the Pentagon said on Thursday, more than two weeks after the group staged a brief armed mutiny in Russia.

“At this stage, we do not see Wagner forces participating in any significant capacity in support of combat operations in Ukraine,” said Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder.

Wagner fighters had waged some of the fiercest and bloodiest battles during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But in the wake of the 23-24 June revolt, fighters were given the option of going into exile, joining Russia’s regular forces or going home.

On Wednesday, Russia’s defense ministry said Wagner was completing its handover of weapons to Russia’s regular armed forces.

Russian deputy foreign minister discussed grain deal with Turkish UK officials

06:40 , Namita Singh

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Vershinin discussed a Black Sea grain deal with his Turkish counterpart Burak Akcapar in a phone call on Wednesday, the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

According to the ministry, the conversation was initiated by Turkey and “special attention was paid to the implementation of the ‘Black Sea initiative’ on the export of Ukrainian food”.

Also on Wednesday, Vershinin held a phone call with top UN trade official Rebeca Grynspan.

“The sides exchanged views on the implementation of the Istanbul Package Agreements of 22 July 2022 in the context of global food security challenges.”

Thousands of Ukraine civilians are being held in Russian prisons. Russia plans to build many more

06:20 , Namita Singh

The Ukrainian civilians woke long before dawn in the bitter cold, lined up for the single toilet and were loaded at gunpoint into the livestock trailer. They spent the next 12 hours or more digging trenches on the front lines for Russian soldiers.

Many were forced to wear overlarge Russian military uniforms that could make them a target, and a former city administrator trudged around in boots five sizes too big. By the end of the day, their hands curled into icy claws.

Nearby, in the occupied region of Zaporizhzhia, other Ukrainian civilians dug mass graves into the frozen ground for fellow prisoners who had not survived. One man who refused to dig was shot on the spot — yet another body for the grave.

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being detained across Russia and the Ukrainian territories it occupies, in centers ranging from brand-new wings in Russian prisons to clammy basements. Most have no status under Russian law.

And Russia is planning to hold possibly thousands more. A Russian government document obtained by The Associated Press dating to January outlined plans to create 25 new prison colonies and six other detention centers in occupied Ukraine by 2026.

In addition, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a decree in May allowing Russia to send people from territories with martial law, which includes all of occupied Ukraine, to those without, such as Russia.

This makes it easier to deport Ukrainians who resist Russian occupation deep into Russia indefinitely, which has happened in multiple cases documented by the AP.

Putin tells newspaper he offered Wagner fighters chance to keep serving

06:00 , Namita Singh

Russian president Vladimir Putin offered mercenary fighters with the Wagner group the opportunity to remain serving together in Russia after their revolt, he said in an interview published late on Thursday.

Mr Putin, interviewed by the Russian daily Kommersant, said this was one of several offers he made at a meeting with around three dozen fighters and their founder Yevgeny Prigozhin late last month, five days after Wagner staged the abortive revolt against Russia’s military hierarchy.

Under the offer, the fighters would stay under their current commander, who the newspaper identified only by his call sign of “Grey Hair.”

Mr Putin also said it was up to Russia’s government and parliament to work out a legal framework for private military formations.Kommersant said Mr Putin spoke of meeting 35 Wagner fighters and Mr Prigozhin in the Kremlin and offering them options for the future, including remaining under their commander of 16 months.

“All of them could have gathered in one place and continued their service,” Kommersant quoted the president as saying. “And nothing would have changed. They would have been led by the same person who had been their real commander all that time.”

As Mr Putin is the army’s commander-in-chief, he seemed to be implying that they would remain within the Russian military, although he did not say that explicitly.

“Many of then nodded when I said this,” Kommersant quoted Mr Putin as saying.

Ukraine receives cluster munitions, pledges limited use

05:40 , Namita Singh

Ukraine has received cluster bombs from the United States, munitions banned in more than 100 countries, but has pledged to only use them to dislodge concentrations of enemy soldiers.

Valeryi Shershen, a spokesperson for the Tavria, or southern, military district on Thursday confirmed an announcement by his commander that the weapons had arrived a week after the United States said it would send them as part of an $800m security package.

The Pentagon also announced their arrival.

Moscow has denounced their shipment. Defence minister Sergei Shoigu warned on Thursday that Russia could resort to deploying similar weaponry if faced with their use.

Cluster munitions typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that fail to explode pose a danger for decades.

Each side has accused the other of using cluster bombs in the conflict launched by Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Human Rights Watch says both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster munitions. Russia, Ukraine and the US have not signed up to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans production, stockpiling, use and transfer of the weapons.

Evan Gershkovich fell in love with Russia. He now faces 20 years in prison for espionage

05:20 , Namita Singh

Diplomatic efforts to free the detained Wall Street Journal reporter are intensifying, Bevan Hurley reports.

Evan Gershkovich fell in love with Russia. He faces 20 years in prison for espionage

UK accuses Russia of ‘cynical brinkmanship’ over Ukraine grain deal threat

05:00 , Namita Singh

The UK has accused Russia of “cynical brinkmanship” over threats to collapse a deal that allows Ukraine grain to be exported to countries at risk of famine.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative is a deal negotiated with Kyiv and Moscow by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022 to ease a global food crisis, allowing agricultural produce from the wartorn nation’s southern ports to be shipped out without fear of attack.

It came with a separate agreement with Russia to facilitate shipments of its food and fertiliser, which have been exempted from Western sanctions regimes applied since the invasion started more than 500 days ago.

Report:

UK accuses Russia of ‘cynical brinkmanship’ over Ukraine grain deal threat

What to know about the harrowing Ukraine war doc ‘20 Days in Mariupol’

04:40 , Namita Singh

Theatregoers in select cities will soon be able to watch “20 Days in Mariupol,” the visceral documentary on Russia‘s early assault on the Ukrainian city.

The 94-minute film is a joint production by hte Associated Press and PBS “Frontline” and has been met with critical acclaim and an audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov directed the movie from 30 hours of footage he and other AP journalists shot in Mariupol in the opening days of the war.

Chernov and AP colleagues Evgeniy Maloletka, a photographer, and producer Vasilisa Stepanenko were the last international journalists in the city before escaping.

Report:

What to know about the harrowing Ukraine war doc '20 Days in Mariupol'

Zelensky tweet on Nato so infuriated US officials they reconsidered policy, report says

04:20 , Namita Singh

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s obvious impatience over Nato’s slow-moving decision-making process has reportedly irritated US officials enough that they reconsidered Ukraine’s invitation to join the alliance.

For months, Mr Zelensky has appealed to Nato leaders hoping they would accept his country’s application to join the alliance as they fight off Russian troops.

But Nato countries have been reluctant – not wanting to rock the boat too much with Russia during the middle of the war.

Then, after Nato countries failed to deliver a specific timeline to Mr Zelensky on Nato membership before the summit this week, Mr Zelensky’s frustration resulted in a more aggressive approach in the form of a tweet.

What followed next? Ariana Baio reports:

Zelensky’s Nato tweet infuriated US officials so much they reconsidered, report says

Biden signs executive order adding 3,000 reservists to US presence in Europe amid Russian invasion of Ukraine

04:00 , Namita Singh

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Thursday allowing the Pentagon to tap an additional 3,000 military reservists to support the US mission in Europe to bolster Nato amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The additional troops will join the estimated 100,000 US service members already on the European continent.

“These authorities will enable the department to better support and sustain its enhanced presence and level of operations,” Lt Gen Douglas Sims told Military.com of the move.

More in this report:

Biden signs order adding 3,000 reservists to presence in Europe amid Ukraine war

Ukraine’s greatest weapon isn’t on the battlefield

03:00 , Eleanor Noyce

In welcoming fresh pledges of more weapons, ammunition and the long-term security commitments made by members of the G7, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared – at least publicly – a happier figure on the second day of Nato’s summit in Lithuania than he did on the first.

On Tuesday, he had angrily denounced the “absurd” delays to his nation being given a timetable for the Nato membership it craves and then was left frustrated when the communique from the alliance said that Kyiv could join “when allies agree and conditions are met” – without laying out what those conditions were.

A flash of anger over delays to Nato membership gave way to a more conciliatory tone from Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit in Lithuania, writes Chris Stevenson. But don’t expect him to back down on pushing Western allies for more help – his nation’s survival depends on it:

Ukraine’s greatest weapon isn’t on the battlefield

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

02:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has been raging for one year now as the conflict continues to record devastating casualties and force the mass displacement of millions of blameless Ukrainians.

Vladimir Putin began the war by claiming Russia’s neighbour needed to be “demilitarised and de-Nazified”, a baseless pretext on which to launch a landgrab against an independent state that happens to have a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine has fought back courageously against Mr Putin’s warped bid to restore territory lost to Moscow with the collapse of the Soviet Union and has continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid.

Read more:

Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine

How significant are the reported territorial advances made by Ukrainian forces so far?

01:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine has reported regaining further ground from invading Russian forces along the eastern and southern fronts in early July as its counteroffensive continues, following on from the liberation of a number of frontline villages in June.

Offering an update from the frontlines on Monday 10 July, the Ukrainian military said its troops have so far retaken more than 65 square miles on the southern front and 9.26 square miles around the eastern city of Bakhmut since the counteroffensive effort commenced.

Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said that heavy fighting raged in two areas of the southeast.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

How significant are the reported territorial advances made by Ukraine so far?

Starmer tells Sunak Labour’s support for Nato ‘unshakeable’ during Commons clash

Friday 14 July 2023 00:01 , Eleanor Noyce

Sir Keir Starmer insisted Labour’s commitment to Nato is “unshakeable” as he clashed with Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons.

The Labour leader described the alliance as a “cornerstone of British security” in a week that saw Conservative MPs posting social media attacks on his party’s defence policy.

Prime Minister Mr Sunak was heckled by Opposition MPs as he claimed Sir Keir’s statement showed a “newfound affection” for Nato, with Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle repeatedly having to intervene to calm tempers.

Richard Wheeler has the full story:

Starmer tells Sunak Labour’s support for Nato ‘unshakeable’ during Commons clash

Tanaiste dismisses idea of Irish stop-off for US cluster bombs for Ukraine

Thursday 13 July 2023 23:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ireland’s deputy premier has said the issue of an Irish airport being used as a stop-off to transport cluster bombs from the US to Ukraine “doesn’t arise”.

Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister Micheal Martin said that Ireland remains opposed to cluster munitions, pointing out that it was a lead nation in the establishment of a global 2008 convention banning the weapons.

His comments come after the controversial decision by the US to provide Kyiv with cluster munitions; US president Joe Biden has defended the “difficult” decision to send the weapons to Ukraine to help in battling against an invasion by Russia.

Read the full story:

Tanaiste dismisses idea of Irish stop-off for US cluster bombs for Ukraine

France's parliament approves big boost in military spending, spurred by Ukraine war

Thursday 13 July 2023 22:00 , Eleanor Noyce

France’s parliament on Thursday approved a multi-billion-euro boost to military spending through the rest of this decade, spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine and fast-growing global threats.

President Emmanuel Macron pushed for the bigger budget, which would spend 413 billion euros ($450 billion), the most significant spending hike in half a century. The money would modernize France’s nuclear arsenal, augment intelligence spending and develop more remote-controlled weapons.

He has argued the boost was needed to ensure “our freedom, our security, our prosperity, our place in the world.” The defense minister has compared it to France’s push in the 1960s to develop nuclear weapons, making the country one of the world’s bigger military powers.

Read more:

France's parliament approves big boost in military spending, spurred by Ukraine war

The Nato summit was not the triumph that Zelensky hoped it would be

Thursday 13 July 2023 21:00 , Eleanor Noyce

When they met for their summit in Vilnius this week, Nato leaders appeared to have just one item left on their agenda – how, when, and even whether to admit Ukraine.

Advance discussions had ensured that before anyone even arrived in Lithuania, the US had agreed to supply F-16 warplanes to Turkey, Turkey had lifted its block on Sweden’s membership, and everyone had agreed to keep the current secretary general for another year. Ukraine would be front and central, and President Zelensky was there in person, with his wife, to claim the honours.

The Ukraine president found his efforts to join the bloc frustrated, writes Mary Dejevsky. But the event did have its uses:

The Nato summit was not the triumph that Zelensky hoped it would be | Mary Dejevsky

Russian deputy foreign minister discussed grain deal with Turkish, U.N. officials

Thursday 13 July 2023 20:57 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin discussed a Black Sea grain deal with his Turkish counterpart Burak Akcapar in a phone call on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

According to the ministry, the conversation was initiated by Turkey and “special attention was paid to the implementation of the ‘Black Sea initiative’ on the export of Ukrainian food”.

Also on Wednesday, Vershinin held a phone call with top U.N. trade official Rebeca Grynspan.

“The sides exchanged views on the implementation of the Istanbul Package Agreements of 22 July 2022 in the context of global food security challenges.”

Wagner forces not engaged in Ukraine in any significant way - Pentagon

Thursday 13 July 2023 20:48 , Eleanor Noyce

The Wagner mercenary group is not participating in military operations in Ukraine in any significant way, the Pentagon said on Thursday, more than two weeks after the group staged a brief armed mutiny in Russia.

“At this stage, we do not see Wagner forces participating in any significant capacity in support of combat operations in Ukraine,” said Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder.

Wagner fighters had waged some of the fiercest and bloodiest battles during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But in the wake of the 23-24 June revolt, fighters were given the option of going into exile, joining Russia’s regular forces or going home. On Wednesday, Russia’s defense ministry said Wagner was completing its handover of weapons to Russia’s regular armed forces.

What we know about the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia

Thursday 13 July 2023 20:30 , Eleanor Noyce

American journalist Evan Gershkovich, a 31-year-old reporter for The Wall Street Journal, has been arrested and detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The son of Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union who grew up speaking Russian at home in Princeton, New Jersey, Gershkovich graduated from the prestigious Bowdoin College in Maine before embarking on a career in the media, firstly at The New York Times, then The Moscow Times and then Agence France-Presse before joining WSJ, where he began covering Russian affairs just a month before the invasion of Ukraine last year.

The Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia’s top security agency and successor organisation to the KGB, claimed that Gershkovich had been caught collecting information on “the activities of one of the enterprises of the military defence complex”.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

What we know about arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia

EU's von der Leyen urges Putin to prolong grain deal

Thursday 13 July 2023 20:05 , Eleanor Noyce

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to prolong a deal allowing the Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, saying the consequence of not doing so would be global food insecurity.

The ball was now in Russia’s court with the whole world watching, von der Leyen told a press conference.

Round-up: Stories from Thursday

Thursday 13 July 2023 20:00 , William Mata

Here is your 8pm round-up of today’s events from Ukraine and Russia

Russian general says he has been fired for telling truth about dire situation on Ukraine frontlines

A voice message from Major General Ivan Popov – a commander in southern Ukraine – exposes the rising tension in the military in the aftermath of the Wagner mutiny.

Jailed Alexei Navalny ‘forced to listen to Putin speech for 100 days in a row’

Kremlin critic says he was told he has to listen to the speech for ‘education reasons’

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘dead or in prison’ after Putin meeting

Kremlin claims warlord Prigozhin met with president after failed rebellion but Robert Abrams, a retired US general, is doubtful we’ll ever see proof of talks

Ukraine now has US-supplied cluster munitions, Pentagon says

Thursday 13 July 2023 19:58 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine has received U.S. cluster munitions, a senior Pentagon official said on Thursday.

The U.S. announced on 7 July it would send Kyiv cluster munitions as part of an $800-million security package intended to ensure Russian forces that invaded Ukraine nearly 17 months ago cannot halt a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Zelenksy Nato tweet ‘roiled’ White House, The Washington Post reports

Thursday 13 July 2023 19:56 , Eleanor Noyce

Earlier this week, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said it is “absurd” that no timeframe has been set for Ukraine to join Nato following confirmation the UK is pushing for long-term military support to be pledged for Kyiv.

Now, The Washington Post has revealed that the challenge he issued to Nato leaders “roiled” the White House to such an extent that U.S officials tasked with the process “considered scaling back the invitation” for Ukraine to join.

The Ukrainian president said “uncertainty is weakness” as he criticised Nato leaders for failing to agree a pathway for his war-torn country to accede to the defensive alliance.

Mr Zelensky said the delay was providing Russia with the “motivation to continue its terror.”

Top US sanctions architect to lead Treasury’s financial crimes team - Yellen

Thursday 13 July 2023 19:30 , William Mata

Andrea Gacki, a veteran US Treasury official who helped design Washington’s Russia sanctions strategy, has been appointed director of the department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday.

Gacki, who has headed the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) since 2019, “guided the office through major world events, including most recently, its role countering Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war against Ukraine,” Yellen said in a statement.

Yellen did not say when Gacki would assume her new role as FinCEN director.

FinCEN is responsible for cracking down on cybercrime, moneylaundering and sanctions evasion, among other areas.

NATO summit results in brief: Mixed news for Ukraine, hope for Sweden and a response to Russia

Thursday 13 July 2023 19:00 , William Mata

US President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts wrapped up a two-day summit Wednesday with pledges of long-term support for Ukraine but no offer of the country’s protection under the alliance’s security umbrella.

Results from the meeting in Lithuania, a nation on NATO’s eastern flank that borders Russia, were mixed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky was grateful for the pledges of more arms and ammunition but disappointed that his country has no clear time frame for joining the world’s biggest security alliance.

Here is the full story.

Putin: foreign-made tanks are 'priority target' for Russian forces in Ukraine

Thursday 13 July 2023 18:50 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Western supplies of weapons to Ukraine would change nothing on the battlefield but only further escalate the conflict, adding that foreign-made tanks were a “priority target” for Moscow’s forces.

Putin, in comments to state television made after a NATO summit in which Ukraine won a promise of eventual membership, also reaffirmed his stance that such a move would threaten Russia’s own security and escalate global tensions further.

“The supply of new weapons will only aggravate the situation... and will further fuel the conflict,” Putin said.

Asked about France’s decision to supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles which can travel 250 km (155 miles), Putin said: “Yes, they cause damage, but nothing critical happens in the war zone with their use.”

Putin added that foreign-made tanks were “a priority target for our guys”.

Western countries have supplied billions of dollars worth of arms to Ukraine since Russian forces invaded the country on Feb. 24, 2022, in what Putin calls a “special military operation” to “denazify” the country.

At a summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius this week, NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine should be able to join the military alliance at some point in the future but stopped short of offering Kyiv an immediate invitation.

G7 countries also unveiled an international framework for the long-term security of Ukraine to boost its defences against Russia and deter Moscow from future aggression.

In his first public response to the moves, Putin reiterated Moscow’s strong opposition to Ukraine ever joining NATO, saying this would threaten Russia’s own strategic interests.

“This will not increase the security of Ukraine itself. And in general it will make the world much more vulnerable,” he said.

Any country has the right to improve its security, he added, but not at another country’s expense.

EU bank unveils new fund worth 400 million euros to help rebuild Ukraine

Thursday 13 July 2023 18:40 , Eleanor Noyce

The European Union’s lending arm on Thursday unveiled a new fund worth 400 million euros ($447 mln) to spend on rebuilding Ukraine before the bloc’s longer-term reconstruction plan kicks in.

Sixteen of the EU’s 27 countries said they would chip in to the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) Ukraine Trust Fund, which will provide grants and loans, as well as offering guarantees to Ukrainian banks and businesses.

France and Italy led with contributions worth 100 million euros each to the fund, which a deputy head of the EIB said could go towards repairing large infrastructure, providing financing to small and medium enterprises or public services.

“As the EU, we are financing the resilience of Ukraine,” said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwinska. “We provide financing to build the resilience of the society and the economy.”

Czerwinska, who is in the running to next head the EIB, said the bank last year disbursed 1.7 billion euros in Ukraine including on schools, hospitals, social housing and kindergartens, as well as urban transport.

She added the bank would top up the new fund with an additional 100 million euros for technical assistance to help Ukraine use the money effectively - something more developed and richer EU countries struggle with in peacetime.

Biden sarcastically swipes at reporter questioning Zelensky on Ukraine joining Nato

Thursday 13 July 2023 18:30 , William Mata

Joe Biden took a sarcastic swipe at journalists on Wednesday (12 July), when Volodymyr Zelensky was asked “how soon after the war” he would like Ukraine to join Nato.

“An hour and 20 minutes,” the US president said, jumping in to answer the question.

“You guys ask really insightful questions,” he then added, taking a swipe at the press.

Mr Biden’s response drew a smile from Mr Zelensky, who was sitting next to him as the pair attended the Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The incident came amid claims that the president is known to privately lose his temper and launch into expletive-filled rants toward his staffers.

ICYMI: Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to Ben Wallace after he said Ukraine should show more “gratitude” for Western support

Thursday 13 July 2023 18:00 , William Mata

Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to Ben Wallace after he said Ukraine should show more “gratitude” for Western support.

Speaking at the Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, the Ukrainian president said that Kyiv has always been “grateful” to the United Kingdom, its prime ministers and the British public.

“The people in the United Kingdom have always supported Ukraine, we are grateful for this,” Mr Zelensky said.

“I don’t know how else we should be grateful... how else should I express my words of gratitude?”

Mr Zelensky also said that the UK and Ukraine have “wonderful relations”.

Kremlin says no final decision on withdrawing from grain deal - RIA

Thursday 13 July 2023 17:58 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia has not decided whether it will withdraw from a deal allowing safe passage of Ukrainian grain and fertiliser through the Black sea, RIA Novosti news agency quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia could withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal until other sides fulfil their promises.

Nato could have sent a stronger signal on Ukraine’s future – Iain Duncan Smith

Thursday 13 July 2023 17:42 , Eleanor Noyce

Nato allies could have “been more positive” about Ukraine’s future within the alliance, a Conservative former minister has said.

Tory former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told the Commons he was “slightly sorry” Nato was not able to send Ukraine “a stronger signal about its future with regards to Nato”.

Sir Iain was speaking as MPs debated the Government’s action on the war in Ukraine.

David Lunch reports:

Nato could have sent a stronger signal on Ukraine’s future – Iain Duncan Smith

Putin says new arms to Ukraine will change nothing on battlefield

Thursday 13 July 2023 17:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that supplies of new weapons to Ukraine would change nothing on the battlefield but would only further escalate the conflict there.

Putin, speaking on state television, also said tanks provided by Western powers to Ukraine would be a “priority target” for Russian forces fighting there.

He reiterated his opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, saying this would threaten Russia’s own security.

Putin says Russia may quit Black Sea grain deal if demands not met

Thursday 13 July 2023 17:24 , Eleanor Noyce

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia could withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal until other sides fulfil their promises.

The deal, which allows for the safe export of Ukrainian grain and fertiliser from Black Sea ports, is due to expire next Monday. Moscow has repeatedly threatened to block its extension over aspects of its implementation affecting Russia’s own exports.

Putin, speaking on state television, said Russia was in contact with the United Nations on the matter but said he had not seen a message addressed to him from the U.N. Secretary General suggesting a compromise to salvage the deal.

Biden makes pledge 'despite Republican demands’

Thursday 13 July 2023 17:00 , William Mata

President Joe Biden on Thursday gave his assurance that the United States would stay committed to NATO despite “extreme elements” of the Republican party, during a visit to Finland to welcome it as the alliance’s latest member.

“I absolutely guarantee it,” Mr Biden said at a news conference when asked about the U.S. commitment to NATO given the political instability in the United States. Mr Biden’s predecessor, Republican former President Donald Trump, threatened to take the United States out of the alliance.

“No one can guarantee the future, but this is the best bet anyone could make,” Biden said. Biden, a Democrat, is running again for president in 2024 and is likely to face Trump as an opponent.

Biden was in Helsinki to participate in a summit with the leaders of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway. He came directly from this week’s NATO summit held in Vilnius, Lithuania, where he said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had only made the alliance stronger.

“A stronger NATO makes the entire world stronger,” Mr Biden said.

Ukraine won military aid pledges worth 1.5 billion Euros this week - minister

Thursday 13 July 2023 16:21 , Reuters

Ukraine‘s foreign partners pledged over 1.5 billion Euros in military aid for Kyiv while attending a NATO summit this week, defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Thursday.

“Meetings in Vilnius were very productive,” Mr Reznikov wrote on Twitter following the summit on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Lithuanian capital.

“Ukraine will receive over 1.5 billion in military aid from its international partners,” he said. “Stay tuned.”

Mr Reznikov’s tweet mentioned seven countries that had offered military aid packages in Vilnius, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had a series of meetings with foreign leaders.

Among them was a 700-million-euro aid package from Germany which he said included 25 Leopard 1A5 tanks. He also hailed aid packages from France, Britain, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway and from non-NATO member Australia, whose prime minister met Zelenskiy in Vilnius.

Biden proclaims NATO alliance 'more united than ever' as he celebrates new member Finland

Thursday 13 July 2023 16:12 , William Mata

President Joe Biden said he and other NATO leaders showed the world that the military alliance remains “more united than ever,” as he on Thursday capped off a trip in Europe meant to demonstrate the force of the international coalition against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The allies “understand that this fight is not only a fight for the future of Ukraine,” Mr Biden said, noting that it's also about sovereignty and security.

“At this critical moment in history, this inflection point, the world watching to see, will we do the hard work that matters to forge a better future? Will we stand together, will we stand with one another? Will we stay committed to our course?” Mr Biden said. He said the answer was a “resounding yes”.

Earlier Thursday, Mr Biden met with the leaders of other Nordic nations including Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. Sweden is poised to be admitted as NATO's 32nd member country after it pledged more cooperation with Turkey on counterterrorism efforts while backing Ankara's bid to join the European Union. Finland gained NATO membership earlier this year.

EU helping UN, Turkey in bid to extend Black Sea grain deal

Thursday 13 July 2023 15:58 , Reuters

The European Commission is helping the United Nations and Turkey try to extend a deal allowing the Black Sea export of Ukraine grain - that could expire on Monday - and is open to “explore all solutions,” a European Union spokesperson said on Thursday.

The EU is considering connecting a subsidiary of the Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the international payment network SWIFT to allow for grain and fertilizer transactions, sources familiar with discussions told Reuters on Wednesday.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres proposed in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that Moscow allow the Black Sea grain deal to continue for several months to give the EU time to connect a Rosselkhozbank subsidiary to SWIFT, two of those sources familiar with discussions told Reuters.

The European Commission’s priority is to ensure that Ukrainian grain can reach the world market and it calls on all parties to extend the Black Sea deal, a European Union spokesperson in Brussels said on Thursday.

“We are assisting the talks led by the U.N. and Turkey as required,” the EU spokesperson said. “We are of course open to explore all solutions that contribute to our objective, whilst continuing to ensure that Russia’s ability to wage war in Ukraine is hampered as much as possible.”

A key demand by Moscow is the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT. It was cut off by the European Union in June 2022 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

No decision on Russia and Belarus’s participation in 2024 Olympic Games

Thursday 13 July 2023 15:24 , William Mata

The International Olympic Committee is reportedly no nearer resolution on Russia and Ukraine participation at Paris 2024.

On Thursday it said it was confronted with the "irreconcilable positions" of Russia and Ukraine regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at next year's Paris Olympics.

The IOC in March issued a first set of recommendations for international sports federations to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return since they were banned in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year.

In an updated version of these recommendations published on Thursday, the IOC said: "We are still confronted with two irreconcilable positions. The Russian side wants the IOC to ignore the war. The Ukrainian side wants the IOC to totally isolate anyone with a Russian and Belarusian passport."

Russian lawmakers move to further restrict transgender rights in new legislation

Thursday 13 July 2023 15:09 , William Mata

Russian lawmakers on Thursday approved a toughened version of a bill that outlaws gender transitioning procedures, with added clauses that annul marriages in which one person has “changed gender” and bar transgender people from becoming foster or adoptive parents.

The bill received swift, unanimous approval of Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, in its key second reading, and lawmakers scheduled the third and final reading for Friday. There is little doubt that the bill, a crippling blow to Russia’s oppressed LGBTQ+ community, will be adopted amid the Kremlin’s crusade to protect what it views as the country’s “traditional values.”

The bill bans any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person,” as well as changing one’s gender in official documents and public records.

New clauses added to the bill also amend Russia’s Family Code by listing gender change as a reason to annul a marriage and adding those “who had changed gender” to a list of people who can’t become foster or adoptive parents.

Lawmakers portray the measure as protecting Russia from “the Western anti-family ideology,” with some describing gender transitioning as “pure satanism.”

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina brings hope at Wimbledon

Thursday 13 July 2023 14:44 , William Mata

Elina Svitolina is playing in a Wimbledon quarter final this afternoon - bringing hope to Ukrainian tennis fans.

Ukrainian Maria Granovska, 21, who has family in and around Kyiv, watched Svitolina play from the Hill.

When asked about Svitolina’s Wimbledon campaign, Ms Granovska said: “I think it is one of the only times where you can feel so optimistic about the future and proud.

“It is definitely something that people are celebrating and it is giving everyone so much hope and empowerment seeing someone Ukrainian succeed at such a level.

“It’s really incredible.

“I’ve heard great things from all my relatives and friends in Ukraine.”

Update: Russian general says he has been fired for telling truth about dire situation on Ukraine frontlines

Thursday 13 July 2023 14:31 , William Mata

A Russian general says he has been dismissed as a commander after telling the military leadership about the dire situation on the frontline in Ukraine – a sign of mounting tensions in the country’s military in the wake of the Wagner mercenary group’s mutiny.

Major General Ivan Popov, the commander of the 58th Army fighting in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, which is a focal point in the Ukrainian counteroffensive, said in an audio statement to his troops that he was dismissed after a meeting with the top military brass in what he described as a “treacherous” stab in the back to the Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.

See the full story here.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘dead or in prison’ after Putin meeting

Thursday 13 July 2023 14:28 , William Mata

Russia’s top mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin has probably been murdered after leading a failed rebellion against the Kremlin regime, a former senior US military leader has suggested.

Prigozhin, the Wagner Group chief, ordered his soldiers to march on Moscow last month amid an ongoing feud with Russia’s top military brass about its strategy in the Ukraine war.

“I personally don’t think he is, and if he is, he’s in a prison somewhere,” Robert Abrams, a retired general, told ABC News when asked if he thought the warlord was alive.

The Kremlin claimed that president Vladimir Putin met with Prigozhin five days after the latter stood down his troops.

See the full article here.

France approves spending on army

Thursday 13 July 2023 14:24 , William Mata

France’s parliament has approved a multibillion-euro boost to military spending through the rest of this decade, spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine and fast-growing global threats.

President Emmanuel Macron pushed for the bigger budget, which would spend 413 billion euros (£353 billion), the most significant spending hike in half a century.

The money would modernise France’s nuclear arsenal, augment intelligence spending and develop more remote-controlled weapons.

Mr Macron has argued the boost was needed to ensure “our freedom, our security, our prosperity, our place in the world”.

The defence minister has compared it to France’s push in the 1960s to develop nuclear weapons, making the country one of the world’s bigger military powers.

Russian senior officer reportedly killed in Ukrainian missile strike

Thursday 13 July 2023 14:12 , AP

A senior officer leading Russian forces against Kyiv's recent counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov, was reportedly killed by a Ukrainian missile strike.

Lt Gen Tsokov died when the Ukrainian military struck the city of Berdyansk on Tuesday with UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, according to retired general Andrei Gurulev, who commanded the 58th Army in the past and currently serves as a legislator.

Russia's Defence Ministry has not reported Lt Gen Tsokov's death.