Summary of the day
Hello –
As night begins in Ukraine, here are all the key developments from Friday:
The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff said Russia is threatening civilian vessels in the Black Sea and urged the international community to condemn what he said were “the methods of terrorists”.
Poland and Lithuania are considering closing their respective borders with Belarus amid concerns over the presence there of the Wagner mercenary group, a Lithuanian deputy interior minister said on Friday.
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged Russia on Friday to revive the Black Sea grain deal. Sisi told the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg that it was “essential to reach agreement” on reviving the deal.
Vladimir Putin told African leaders on Friday that Moscow respected their peace proposal on Ukraine and was carefully studying it. Putin also said that Russia was increasing food supplies to Africa, including some free grain shipments, which he announced a day earlier, and was interested in developing military cooperation with the continent.
Qatar will provide Ukraine with $100m in humanitarian aid to support health, education and demining, the Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said on Friday after talks with his Qatari counterpart.
The head of Ukraine’s ground forces has said Russian forces are constantly attacking in the direction of Kupiansk and Lyman in Donetsk but that Ukraine’s defence line is holding firm. Oleksandr Syrskyi said the main task for Ukrainian troops at the moment was to knock out enemy artillery where possible, and he claimed small advances in the Bakhmut direction.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had posted a video on Thursday showing Ukrainian soldiers saying they have recaptured the village of Staromaiorske. In the video, Ukrainian fighters say they have “liberated the village”, located east of Zaporizhzhia city.
Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the Russian-imposed administration of the occupied Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, described the situation on the frontline there as “tense”, and on Friday claimed that Russian forces control the Vremivka direction, and that “The enemy suffers significant losses but is trying to hold out in the northwestern part of the village of Staromaiorske.”
Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force, said on television that despite a relatively quiet night, residents should stay vigilant as there is still “a high probability of missile attacks”. He said “The night was quiet. There was little activity of enemy aircraft. There are not many nights like this. Many Ukrainians had the opportunity to sleep at least. We hope this day will be calm.”
Russian air defences shot down a Ukrainian military drone before it could attack its targets near Moscow on Friday, the RIA news agency cited Russia’s defence ministry as saying. The ministry said the incident caused no casualties or damage to buildings.
Ukrainians are celebrating the day of Ukrainian statehood today, a new holiday created by Volodymyr Zelenskiy in 2021 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
Thanks for following today. We’re closing the blog for now, but will be back tomorrow to update you on all the key developments in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russia has not offered the UN World Food Programme (WFP) any free grain, deputy WFP chief Carl Skau told reporters on Friday.
“We have not been in talks about any free grain so far,” Skau said. “We have not been approached for any such discussion.”
His comments come nearly two weeks after Moscow quit a deal that allowed the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, which is a primary U. food aid source.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday told African leaders at a summit in St Petersburg that Moscow is able to replace Ukrainian grain exports to Africa and that he would gift tens of thousands of tons of grain to six countries within months.
Ukraine, along with Russia, is one of the world’s biggest exporters of grain and any interruption could drive up food prices around the globe.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday that a “handful of donations” won’t correct the dramatic impact of the end of the Black Sea grain deal.
Under the Black Sea export pact, the WFP purchased and shipped 725,000 tonnes of grain to Afghanistan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen over the past year. The pact has allowed WFP so far to procure 80% of its wheat grain purchases this year from Ukraine, up from 50% in 2021 and 2022.
Overall, nearly 33 million tonnes of grain were exported by Ukraine under the deal, which aimed to combat a global food crisis worsened by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“For our operations the impact will be that we have to look elsewhere, which potentially can be more costly and certainly will have longer lead ways,” Skau said. “One of the reasons why Ukraine has been such an important source for us is the proximity to many of our operations.”
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Here are the latest photos of Ukraine:
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The chair of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, said that proposals by Russian president Vladimir Putin to provide grain to Africa were not sufficient, and that a ceasefire in Ukraine was needed.
In a closing address to a Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, he also said Putin had shown readiness to negotiate with Ukraine, and that “the other side” now needed to be persuaded.
Putin had told the African leaders that Russia was ready to supply Africa with grain, some of it for free, after refusing last week to extend the Black Sea grain initiative, which had permitted Ukraine to export grain safely from its seaports despite the war.
That, and Russia’s subsequent bombing of Ukrainian grain export facilities and stores, has sent the global price of grain soaring.
Assoumani said:
The President of Russia demonstrated that he is ready help us in the field of grain supply. Yes, this is important, but it may not be quite enough. We need to achieve a ceasefire.
President Putin has shown us that he is ready to engage in dialogue and find a solution. Now we need to convince the other side.
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Summary of the day so far …
The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff said Russia is threatening civilian vessels in the Black Sea and urged the international community to condemn what he said were “the methods of terrorists”.
Poland and Lithuania are considering closing their respective borders with Belarus amid concerns over the presence there of the Wagner mercenary group, a Lithuanian deputy interior minister said on Friday.
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged Russia on Friday to revive the Black Sea grain deal. Sisi told the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg that it was “essential to reach agreement” on reviving the deal.
Vladimir Putin told African leaders on Friday that Moscow respected their peace proposal on Ukraine and was carefully studying it. Putin also saidthat Russia was increasing food supplies to Africa, including some free grain shipments, which he announced a day earlier, and was interested in developing military cooperation with the continent.
The head of Ukraine’s ground forces has said Russian forces are constantly attacking in the direction of Kupiansk and Lyman in Donetsk but that Ukraine’s defence line is holding firm. Oleksandr Syrskyi said the main task for Ukrainian troops at the moment was to knock out enemy artillery where possible, and he claimed small advances in the Bakhmut direction.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had posted a video on Thursday showing Ukrainian soldiers saying they have recaptured the village of Staromaiorske. In the video, Ukrainian fighters say they have “liberated the village”, located east of Zaporizhzhia city.
Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the Russian-imposed administration of the occupied Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, described the situation on the frontline there as “tense”, and on Friday claimed that Russian forces control the Vremivka direction, and that “The enemy suffers significant losses but is trying to hold out in the northwestern part of the village of Staromaiorske.”
Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force, said on television that despite a relatively quiet night, residents should stay vigilant as there is still “a high probability of missile attacks”. He said “The night was quiet. There was little activity of enemy aircraft. There are not many nights like this. Many Ukrainians had the opportunity to sleep at least. We hope this day will be calm.”
Russian air defences downed a Ukrainian military drone before it could attack its targets near Moscow on Friday, the RIA news agency cited Russia’s defence ministry as saying. The ministry said the incident caused no casualties or damage to buildings.
Poland and Lithuania are considering closing their respective borders with Belarus amid concerns over the presence there of the Wagner mercenary group, a Lithuanian deputy interior minister said on Friday.
“The considerations are real. The possibility of closing the border exists,” Arnoldas Abramavičius told reporters.
Belarus has been hosting Wagner fighters after their short-lived rebellion against Russia’s top military brass.
Lithuania repeatedly warned its western allies that Wagner mercenaries could disguise themselves as asylum seekers trying to cross Belarus’s borders with EU member states, or stage provocations involving refugees.
Ukraine has moved its official Christmas holiday to 25 December in a break with the Russian Orthodox church, which celebrates it on 7 January.
The bill signed by president Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday highlights the deepening rift between churches in Kyiv and Moscow since Russia’s invasion of its pro-western neighbour.
“The relentless and successful struggle for their identity contributes to … the desire of every Ukrainian to live their own life with their own traditions and holidays,” reads an explanatory note to the bill on the parliament’s website.
The church has traditionally observed Christmas on 7 January, at the same time as the Moscow patriarchy, which has given its blessing to Putin’s attack on Ukraine. Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox church, is a prominent Putin supporter and has said Russian soldiers who are killed will be cleansed of all their sins. Last year, the Orthodox church of Ukraine allowed worshippers to celebrate Christmas on 25 December.
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Egypt’s leader, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, has urged Vladimir Putin to return to the Black Sea grain deal during a Russia-Africa summit marked by concerns about the global economic fallout of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, writes the Guardian’s Moscow correspondent, Andrew Roth.
In a speech during a plenary session of African delegations attended by the Russian president, al-Sisi said it was “essential to reach agreement” on reviving the deal, which had allowed 33m tons of Ukrainian grain to reach markets, many in developing countries in Africa.
Moscow said it quit the deal because its own agricultural exports were still being blocked. But a number of African countries, including Kenya and Egypt, a key importer of Russian grain enduring an acute food crisis, have struck out angrily at Russia as the Kremlin seeks them as allies in its standoff with the west.
Kenya’s leading diplomatic official had called Russia’s exit from the deal a “stab in the back”.
The European Council has decided to impose sanctions on seven Russian individuals and five entities over a “digital information manipulation” campaign.
A statement said:
Today the council decided to impose restrictive measures against seven Russian individuals and five entities responsible for conducting a digital information manipulation campaign called “RRN” (Recent Reliable News), aimed at distorting information and disseminating propaganda in support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
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Ukrainians are “de-Russifying” their statues and streets, including in cities with close historical and cultural links to Russia, writes the Guardian’s central and eastern Europe correspondent Shaun Walker.
In Odesa, the city’s authorities have removed a Catherine the Great monument from its fine arts gallery and have debated whether to rename Pushkin Street.
The full story is here:
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Statehood Day is being celebrated in Ukraine today because it is considered the anniversary of the baptism of Kyiv, as Christianity began to be adopted in the region.
A ceremony has been taking place in the capital to commemorate this pivotal moment in the history of the Kyivan Rus’.
Next year Statehood Day is due to fall on 15 July rather than 28 July, as the church in Ukraine is adopting the revised Julian calendar, in a further breach between the Ukrainian and Russian churches.
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Reuters reports that WTA Prague Open organisers said Czech police stopped a Russian tennis player from entering the country for the tournament after a new government resolution banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing.
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Ukraine ground forces chief: Russian attacks repelled in direction of Kupiansk and Lyman
The head of Ukraine’s ground forces has said Russian forces are constantly attacking in the direction of Kupiansk and Lyman in Donetsk but that Ukraine’s defence line is holding firm.
Oleksandr Syrskyi said the main task for Ukrainian troops at the moment was to knock out enemy artillery where possible, and he claimed small advances in the Bakhmut direction.
Ukrinform quotes Syrskyi as saying:
The enemy is constantly attacking in the Kupiansk and Lyman directions using its most professional units. Every day we repel numerous attacks in these areas. None of our positions have been lost.
The situation in the Bakhmut direction is very tense but we are gradually advancing and liberating our lands. The enemy is clinging to every inch, conducting intense artillery and mortar attacks.
In these conditions, it is very important to make timely management decisions based on the current situation and take measures to manoeuvre forces and resources, redeploy units and subdivisions to areas where success has been achieved or withdraw them from enemy fire.
Counter-battery combat is now at the forefront of our actions.
Reliable information from the frontline of the battlefield has been difficult to obtain, with Ukraine and Russian authorities making claims and counter-claims about advances.
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Qatar grants Ukraine $100m in humanitarian aid
Qatar will provide Ukraine with $100m in humanitarian aid to support health, education and demining, the Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said on Friday after talks with his Qatari counterpart.
Qatar had announced earlier on Friday that its prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, was visiting Ukraine.
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Ukraine says Russia threatening civilian boats in the Black Sea
The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff has said Russia is threatening civilian vessels in the Black Sea and urged the international community to condemn what he said were “the methods of terrorists”.
Andriy Yermak wrote on the Telegram messaging app:
Russian warships are threatening civilians in the Black Sea, violating all norms of international maritime law.
Russia last week quit a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey allowing Ukraine to safely export grain via the Black Sea and warned that ships heading to Ukrainian seaports could be considered military targets.
In a separate statement, Ukraine’s border guard service said it had intercepted a warning communicated by a Russian warship to a civilian vessel near a Ukrainian port on Thursday. It did not identify the name of the ship or the port.
The statement quoted the Russian party as saying:
I am warning you about the ban on movement to the ports of Ukraine.
Also, the transport of any cargo to Ukraine is considered by the Russian side to be the potential transportation of military cargo.
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Ukrainians are celebrating the day of Ukrainian statehood today, a new holiday created by Volodymyr Zelenskiy in 2021 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
The day of 28 July had previously been celebrated in Ukraine to commemorate the day of the Christianisation of the country in the baptism of Kyiv in 988.
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Germany’s industrial group Rheinmetall is setting up a repair centre in Ukraine for Leopard tanks and other war equipment supplied by Berlin, potentially from as early as late summer, according to the chief executive, Armin Papperger.
“We are currently already training Ukrainians in Germany for this job,” Papperger told Spiegel magazine, adding that Rheinmetall wanted to begin operations of the repair centre after the summer break.
Berlin has supplied about 20 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Kyiv.
A repair hub in Ukraine would reduce the distances the tanks have to be transported, though it would also bring security concerns after a close ally of Vladimir Putin said earlier this year that Moscow would hit any facility that Rheinmetall sets up in Ukraine.
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Vladimir Putin has repeated Russia’s position that it is ready for negotiations with Ukraine but that Kyiv is refusing to join them.
Putin was responding to comments from the African Union Commission chair, Moussa Faki Mahamat, who told a Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg that the AU attached great value to the integrity and sovereignty of states and the peaceful settlement of crises through compromise.
Kyiv has said it is not prepared to enter into negotiations with Moscow while Russia holds a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Russia has repeatedly said any talks must take account of “new realities”.
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The Czech Republic has weaned itself off Russian gas supplies, with gas stores from other countries now rising to 90% of capacity, the industry ministry has said.
This means the country has hit EU obligations ahead of its November target. Half of its supplies came via Norway in the first half of 2023 and the rest was split between LNG deliveries from Belgium and the Netherlands.
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Japan is stepping up its sanctions against Moscow by extending an export ban on luxury cars to Russia from next month so that it will cover all new and used vehicles over 1900cc, the government said on Friday.
The wider ban will become effective from 9 August and is likely to curb Japan’s second-hand car exports to Russia, which have surged since the start of the conflict due to high demand for reliable and durable vehicles.
The Japanese cabinet decided to revise an export control order that bans the exports of goods to Russia that strengthen the country’s industrial base, the minister for the economy, trade and industry, Yasutoshi Nishimura, told reporters.
Japan’s wider export ban on cars puts it in line with the EU, which announced its own ban on 1900cc vehicles on 23 June.
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South Africa hopes that “constructive engagement and negotiation” can bring about an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Cyril Ramaphosa has said.
The president added that African leaders looked forward to discussing further with Vladimir Putin proposals they had made to bring about an end to the conflict at the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg on Friday.
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Summary of the day so far …
Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, urged Russia on Friday to revive the Black Sea grain deal, under which it had allowed Ukraine to export grain from its seaports despite the war. Sisi told the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg that it was “essential to reach agreement” on reviving the deal, which Russia withdrew from last week.
Russian air defences downed a Ukrainian military drone before it could attack its targets near Moscow on Friday, the RIA news agency cited Russia’s defence ministry as saying. The ministry said the incident caused no casualties or damage to buildings.
Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the Russian-imposed administration of the occupied Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, described the situation on the frontline there as “tense”. He said: “The enemy suffers significant losses but is trying to hold out in the northwestern part of the village of Staromaiorske.”
Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force, said that despite a relatively quiet night, residents should stay vigilant as there was still “a high probability of missile attacks”. He said: “The night was quiet. There was little activity of enemy aircraft. There are not many nights like this. Many Ukrainians had the opportunity to sleep at least. We hope this day will be calm.”
Vladimir Putin told African leaders on Friday that Moscow respected their peace proposal on Ukraine and was carefully studying it. Putin also said Russia was increasing food supplies to Africa, including some free grain shipments, and was interested in developing military cooperation with the continent.
The Russian state-owned media outlet Tass reported that a Ukrainian drone had attacked an oil facility in occupied Shakhtarsk, in Donetsk region. It quoted the Russian-imposed occupying mayor of the city, Alexander Shatov, as saying: “At the site of the fire, fragments from a drone were found. In all likelihood, they hit it with a drone.” He said a fire at the site was extinguished.
Emergency services in occupied Kherson that three civilians were injured on the left bank of the Dnipro River by Ukrainian shelling from the north.
Three residential buildings and a garage were damaged overnight by Russian shelling in Seredyna-Buda, in Sumy region.
Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, is on a visit to Ukraine. He will meet Ukraine’s prime minister and foreign minister.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been taking part in a ceremony in Kyiv this morning to mark Ukraine’s Statehood Day, giving out passports to people eligible to hold them for the first time.
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Egyptian president calls on Russia to resume grain deal while in St Petersburg
The Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has urged Russia to revive the Black Sea grain deal, under which it had allowed Ukraine to export grain from its seaports.
Sisi told an Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg that it was “essential to reach agreement” on reviving the deal.
Russia withdrew from the deal last week because it said the west would not remove sanctions barriers that Russia claims were hampering its own agricultural exports.
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Reuters has a quick snap that the Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, is on a visit to Ukraine. He will meet Ukraine’s prime minister and foreign minister.
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Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been in Kyiv this morning, taking part in a ceremony to mark Ukraine’s Statehood Day, giving out passports to people eligible to hold them for the first time.
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The all-clear has sounded in Kyiv.
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An air alert has been declared in Kyiv.
Reuters reports that the president of the Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, called for an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict at the Russia-Africa conference, saying a peace plan put forward by African leaders deserved attention.
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The UK’s Ministry of Defence has issued this map of how it assesses the situation on the ground in Ukraine.
The illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is continuing.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 28, 2023
The map below is the latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 28 July 2023
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/bzTD2uTc2E#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/fNrcNOsrGx
Vladimir Putin told African leaders on Friday that Moscow respected their peace proposal on Ukraine and was carefully studying it.
Reuters reports Putin also said at the Russia-Africa summit that Russia was increasing food supplies to Africa, including some free grain shipments, which he announced a day earlier, and was interested in developing military cooperation with the continent.
In June, a delegation led by South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, visited Kyiv to meet Zelenskiy, and then travelled on to Russia to meet Putin. Representatives of Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Uganda, the Republic of the Congo and Comoros were among the party. Their peace proposals were:
It is necessary for a mediator to listen carefully to Ukraine and Russia.
Peace must be achieved through diplomatic means.
It is necessary to de-escalate the conflict.
The sovereignty of states must be respected.
Security must be guaranteed for all countries.
It is necessary to ensure the movement of grain and fertilisers.
It is necessary to provide humanitarian aid to victims of war.
It is necessary to exchange prisoners of war.
It is necessary to rebuild Ukraine after the war.
It is necessary to build better relations between Ukraine and African countries.
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The press service of Ukraine’s president has issued photos of Volodymyr Zelenskiy visiting the damaged Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa yesterday.
Overnight, Zelenskiy had posted a video of himself visiting the church, saying:
Architecture experts are currently working to assess the possibility of restoring the church. I am grateful to our partners in Europe for their willingness to join the reconstruction. Most importantly, the Kasperov Icon of the Mother of God has been saved, and the heart of the church is alive.
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Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the Russian-imposed administration of the occupied Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, has described the situation on the frontline there as “tense”.
Very little reliable detail is emerging from the active combat zones. Balitsky claims that Russian forces control the Vremivka direction, which is just over the regional border from Zaporizhzhia into Donetsk.
He said: “The enemy suffers significant losses but is trying to hold out in the northwestern part of the village of Staromaiorske.” Yesterday Ukrainian forces claimed to have recaptured the village.
Balitsky said a woman was killed yesterday in Tokmok as a result of one of three rocket attacks on the city. He claimed the second rocket was shot down by air defence and the third did not explode when it landed, and was destroyed in a controlled explosion. Balitsky said there was some damage to gas pipes and that supplies had been temporarily disrupted.
The claims have not been independently verified.
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Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force, has said on television in Ukraine that despite a relatively quiet night, residents should stay vigilant as there is still “a high probability of missile attacks”.
Ukrinform quotes Ihnat as saying:
The night was quiet. There was little activity of enemy aircraft. There are not many nights like this. Many Ukrainians had the opportunity to sleep at least. We hope this day will be calm, but according to the general staff there is still a high probability of missile attacks. Therefore, we all need to be vigilant and respond to the messages we receive about air threats every time.
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The Russian state-owned media outlet Tass is reporting the consequences of two attacks ascribed to Ukrainian forces.
It says a drone attacked an oil facility in occupied Shakhtarsk, in Donetsk region. It quotes the Russian-imposed occupying mayor of the city, Alexander Shatov, as saying: “At the site of the fire, fragments from a drone were found. In all likelihood, they hit it with a drone.” He said a fire at the site was extinguished.
In a separate report, it carries claims from emergency services in occupied Kherson that three civilians were injured on the left bank of the Dnipro River by Ukrainian shelling from the north.
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Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, reports that three residential buildings and a garage were damaged overnight by Russian shelling in Seredyna-Buda, in Sumy region.
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The UK’s Ministry of Defence has issued its daily intelligence briefing on the war, and today the focus is on grain. It notes that “the impact of the war in Ukraine will almost certainly compound food insecurity across Africa for at least the next two years”.
The ministry adds that the number of African heads of state attending the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg is 17, “down from 43 at the last iteration”.
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can contact me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.
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North Korea has carried out demonstration flights of new military drones, state media reported, as Kim Jong-un shared centre stage with senior delegates from Russia and China in a show of unity at a parade in the capital.
State media said on Friday that Kim rolled out his most powerful, nuclear-capable missiles during the Victory Day parade in Pyongyang to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice that stopped fighting in the Korean war.
Joining Kim were the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the Chinese ruling party official Li Hongzhong. Earlier, Shoigu gave Kim a “warm and good letter” signed by Vladimir Putin that noted Pyongyang’s support for Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, adding that the Korean war had laid the foundation for good relations in confronting the west.
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More now on that US intelligence report, via AFP: China has boosted energy imports from Russia and provided tankers and insurance coverage to move crude oil.
The two sides have also “increased the share of bilateral trade settled in yuan” as well as “expanding their use of domestic payment systems”, which will help “Russian entities to conduct financial transactions unfettered of western interdiction.”
The report says Beijing has probably supplied Moscow with dual-use civilian-military equipment employed in Ukraine, but notes that it is “difficult to ascertain the extent to which [China] has helped Russia evade and circumvent sanctions and export controls”.
Russia failed in its attempt to take Kyiv and decapitate the country’s government in the early days of the war, but seized swathes of other territory that Ukrainian troops are fighting to retake.
Beijing says it is a neutral party in the conflict but has been criticised by western countries for refusing to condemn Moscow and for its continued ties with Russia.
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Russia says drone downed over Moscow
Russian air defences downed a Ukrainian military drone before it could attack its targets near Moscow on Friday, the RIA news agency cited Russia’s defence ministry as saying.
The ministry said the incident caused no casualties or damage to buildings.
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China’s economic support for Putin growing
China’s economic ties with Russia have helped limit the effect of punishing western sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a US intelligence report said on Thursday.
AFP reports that according to the intelligence, China “has become an even more critical economic partner for Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022”. The unclassified report was released by Democratic lawmakers.
“Beijing is pursuing a variety of economic support mechanisms for Russia that mitigate both the impact of western sanctions and export controls,” it says.
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Opening summary
Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. This is Helen Sullivan with the latest.
Our top stories this morning:
Russian air defences downed a Ukrainian military drone before it could attack its targets near Moscow on Friday, the RIA news agency cited Russia’s defence ministry as saying.
The ministry said the incident caused no casualties or damage to buildings.
And China’s economic ties with Russia have helped limit the effect of punishing western sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a US intelligence report said on Thursday.
Elsewhere:
Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted a video showing Ukrainian soldiers saying they had recaptured the village of Staromaiorske. In the video, the fighters say they have “liberated the village”, located east of Zaporizhzhia city.
Vladimir Putin said Ukrainian attacks had intensified in recent days, primarily on the frontline running through Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. Speaking to Russian TV on the margins of the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, Putin said Ukraine had not had success on any part of the front.
Putin used the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg to announce that Russia could replace Ukraine as a supplier of grain to African nations. Having pulled out of the Black Sea grain initiative and accused by Ukraine of blocking ships reaching Ukrainian ports, Putin said Moscow would be ready to start supplying grain for free to six African countries within three to four months. He named Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic and Eritrea as recipients.
Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to be among the attenders at the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg. Late on Wednesday, a close ally of Prigozhin posted a picture purportedly showing the Wagner group leader meeting African officials. In the unverified photograph, Prigozhin is seen standing next to a senior official from Central African Republic (CAR), which has welcomed thousands of Wagner mercenaries over the last few years.
The British government has allowed Russian oligarchs under sanctions to spend hundreds of thousands on perks such as private chefs, chauffeurs and housekeepers thanks to numerous sanction exemptions, according to a New York Times report.
The European Commission has no money to help Ukraine with extra transport costs after the Black Sea deal collapse, reports suggest. Sources told Reuters that the commission had no immediate money in the budget and no clear way to help finance the extra transport costs that Ukrainian grain exports will face with the end of the Black Sea deal.
Russia has granted debt relief on more than $684m owed by Somalia in a deal finalised on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit, Somali officials have said. “This step will play a big role in the completion of the country’s debt forgiveness process,” the Somali finance minister, Bihi Egeh, said of the deal with Moscow in a post on the ministry’s Facebook page.
Evgeny Lebedev, the Russian-born British newspaper owner, has claimed he was a victim of “Russophobia” in the UK amid the war in Ukraine. In an article in the Evening Standard newspaper – of which he is the owner – Lebedev said the UK was “long overdue” a reckoning with “corporate hypocrisy”.
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