Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
WEKU
WEKU
NPR Staff

Russia-Ukraine war: A weekly recap and look ahead (July 18)

Ukrainian servicemen lay flowers at the site of a Russian shelling in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, on Friday. Russian missiles struck the city on Thursday, killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 100 others, Ukrainian officials said. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

As the week begins, here's a roundup of key developments from the past week and a look ahead.

What to watch this week

On Monday, European Union foreign ministers meet in Brussels to discuss continued financial and military support for Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit Iran on Tuesday. He's expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well as Iran's leaders.

A subcommittee hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee will focus Wednesday on "accountability for atrocity crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine."

What happened last week

July 11: On the same day that Russian forces attacked Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-biggest city, Russian President Vladimir Putin expanded fast-track Russian citizenship to all Ukrainians.

July 12: The Ukrainian military reported that it destroyed a Russian ammunition depot in southern Ukraine in a rocket strike. Russia said the massive blast occurred when a mineral fertilizer storage facility exploded.

July 13: Officials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations met in Istanbul to try and hammer out an agreement to resume Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea.

July 14: Russian missiles struck Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine, killing more than 20 people and wounding more than 100. On the same day, at a meeting at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, 45 countries pledged to cooperate in investigating possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

July 15: A separatist official announced the death of British citizen Paul Urey, detained in April by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine who accused him of being a mercenary. Urey died on July 10, the Donetsk official said. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Urey was "undertaking humanitarian work."

July 16: Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the Russian military to "further intensify the actions of units in all operational areas," the defense ministry said.

July 17: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired two senior officials, the state security chief and prosecutor general, alleging collaboration with Russian forces and treason by their employees.

In-depth

Ukrainian villagers flee Russian-occupied Kherson on foot, bike and wheelchair.

Ukraine's first war rape case is underway — but prosecutions are rare.

Members of Brittney Griner's Russian team defend her character, on and off the court.

A Russian strike on a humanitarian hub is part of a pattern, Ukrainian officials say.

How Russia's current war in Ukraine echoes its Crimean War of the 1850s.

A new reality reverberates through Russia's music scene.

Russian missiles are blasting civilians in Ukraine.

Garbage collectors in Kharkiv dodge mortars to pick up the trash.

Special report

Russia's war in Ukraine is changing the world: See its ripple effects in all corners of the globe.

Earlier developments

You can read past recaps here. For context and more in-depth stories, you can find more of NPR's coverage here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR's State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.

Loading...

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.