Summary
Thank you for joining us for today’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
We will be pausing our live reporting overnight and returning in the morning.
In the meantime, you can read our comprehensive summary of the day’s events below.
- At least 23 people – including three children – were killed and up to 66 others wounded after Russian missiles struck civilian buildings and a cultural centre in the city of Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine. The attack on Vinnytsia, far from the war’s frontlines, occurred on Thursday mid-morning when the streets were full of people. Ukraine’s state emergency service says it is still searching for 39 people who are considered missing while 34 people remain in serious condition.
- Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, called the Russian attack in Vinnytsia “an open act of terrorism”. In a video address at The Hague conference, Zelenskiy urged European and International Criminal Court officials to open a “special tribunal” to investigate Russia’s invasion of his country.
- A top Ukrainian official said the missile attacks in Vinnytsia were an “approved military strategy” by Vladimir Putin. Mykhailo Podolyak, the head of Ukraine’s negotiating team and a key adviser to President Zelenskiy said Russian forces were attacking “peaceful” Ukrainian cities such as Vinnytsia, Kremenchuk, Chasiv Yar and Kharkiv in order to force Ukrainians to “peace at any price”, Podolyak wrote on Twitter. Russia’s attacks on peaceful Ukrainian cities are not a mistake, but an approved military strategy
- A Four-year-old girl was killed in the Vinnytsia strike with social media posts charting her life and death. Footage – which the Guardian is not publishing – showed Liza Dmitrieva lying dead in her overturned pushchair. “A girl is among the dead today in Vinnytsia, she was four years old, her name was Liza. The child was four years old! Her mother is in critical condition,” Zelenskiy added.
- The world’s largest security body has expressed “grave concern” about the alleged mistreatment of tens of thousands of Ukrainians in so-called filtration centres set up by Russia in Ukraine. Tens of thousands of civilians are taken to these centres in the self-proclaimed breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine, before being deported to Russia, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said.
- Russia has forcibly removed nearly 2 million people from Ukraine, including more than 200,000 children since its invasion in February, Zelenskiy said. “It is still being established how many children Russian forces abducted and took out of Ukraine... The preliminary figure is dreadful - about two hundred thousand children,” he told the Ukraine Accountability Conference in The Hague.
- The United States and more than 40 other countries have agreed to coordinate investigations into suspected war crimes in Ukraine. On Thursday, 45 countries including European Union states as well as Britain, the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia signed a political declaration to work together at a conference in The Hague. With some 23,000 war crimes investigations now open and different countries heading teams, evidence needs to be credible and organised, officials said.
- The US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, has said Russia’s war in Ukraine poses the greatest threat to the global economy. Representatives of Putin’s regime “have no place” at a meeting of the G20 countries in Bali, she said, adding that she will continue to press allies for a price cap on Russian oil, which she said would “deny Putin revenue his war machine needs”.
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Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, said Kyiv was “definitely a step closer” to reaching a deal to export grain through its Black Sea ports after talks with Russia, Turkey and the UN. Turkey earlier announced a deal with Ukraine, Russia and the UN aimed at resuming Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Russia.
- Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, signed into law tougher measures for individuals or entities considered “foreign agents” by Russia, as well as a new law equating defection with high treason. The new bill, which will come into force on 1 December, will broaden the definition of “foreign agents” to anyone deemed to have fallen “under foreign influence” or receiving support from abroad – not just foreign money.
- Russia has begun “volunteer mobilisations” to address its soldier shortage, according to the Institute for the Study of War. In a new report, the US-based think tank said that the Kremlin has “likely ordered Russian “federal subjects” (regions) to form volunteer battalions to participate in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, instead of declaring partial or full mobilisation in Russia.”
Updated
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he knows how the war could be “resolved” and will pitch his suggestions to Ukraine’s president Zelenskiy in a phone call next week.
Bolsonaro told reporters while on a visit to the northeastern state of Maranhao:
I’ll tell him my opinion, what I think. The solution to this. I know how it could be resolved. But I won’t tell anyone.
The solution to this case would be like how Argentina’s war with the UK ended in 1982,” he said, without providing further details.
Argentina and Britain fought a short conflict in 1982 over sovereignty of the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic, known in Argentina as the Malvinas. It began in April 1982 when Argentine troops landed on the British-controlled islands, and Britain sent a naval task force to retake them. The poorly-equipped Argentine troops stood little chance and Argentina surrendered two months later.
Bolsonaro has a phone call scheduled for July 18 with Zelenskiy.
The Brazilian president visited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow in February, a few days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has so far taken a neutral stand on the conflict.
The United States and more than 40 other countries have agreed to coordinate investigations into suspected war crimes in Ukraine.
On Thursday, 45 countries at the conference in The Hague - headquarters of the International Criminal Court (ICC) - signed a political declaration to work together on investigations into war crimes in Ukraine.
Those countries included European Union states as well as Britain, the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said:
The simple truth is that, as we speak, children, women and men, the young and the old, are living in terror,” ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said as he opened the Ukraine Accountability Conference in The Hague.
Khan said Thursday’s ministerial meeting addressed “a need of coordination, of coherence” and “the need of an overarching strategy” as different nations and courts work to investigate and prosecute crimes.
Watch: #ICC Prosecutor #KarimAAKhanQC opening statement at the Ukraine Accountability Conference: “Meaningful justice can only be achieved if we work together. Today we commit to set a new standard for cooperation, strengthening our efforts towards accountability globally.” pic.twitter.com/VxjJb6cJBJ
— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) July 14, 2022
Steps they will take include creating an umbrella group to avoid duplicating investigations, training Ukrainian prosecutors and expanding the number of forensic teams operating in Ukraine.
They also pledged €20m ($20m) to assist the ICC, as well as the prosecutor general’s office in Ukraine and United Nations support efforts.
With some 23,000 war crimes investigations now open and different countries heading teams, evidence needs to be credible and organised, officials said.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said governments were galvanised by images of “innocent civilians being butchered with their hands tied behind their back, women and men being raped and sometimes family members being forced to look at that.”
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has spoken more on the Russian missile attack in Vinnytsia which killed a four-year-old year girl during his latest national address.
A girl is among the dead today in Vinnytsia, she was four years old, her name was Liza. The child was four years old! Her mother is in critical condition...
Russia ended the girl’s life just at the time when a conference on Russian war crimes was taking place in the Netherlands, in The Hague. A conference where it was decided what should be done to ensure that every Russian military is punished.
Can you think of any other terrorist organisation that would allow itself such audacity? To kill just at the moment when its previous crimes are the subject of international discussion.
As a result of just one missile attack on our city of Vinnytsia, 23 people were killed. Three children under the age of ten. And this, unfortunately, is not yet the final number. Debris clearance is ongoing. Dozens of people are listed as missing. Heavily wounded are among those hospitalised.”
Most of the missing military 7,200 Ukrainian servicemen are in captivity and held by Russian forces, a top official has said.
Oleh Kotenko, the Commissioner on Persons Gone Missing under Special Circumstances, said those missing included servicemen from Ukraine’s armed forces, security services, national guards and border guards in an interview with Ukraine’s Suspilne TV channel.
Social media posts chart life and death of girl in Russian strike, writes the Guardian’s Peter Beaumont.
Four-year-old Liza Dmitrieva was killed in a Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia on Thursday.
A series of video and still images posted on social media appear to track the last hours of Liza, who turned four in March in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Her mother, Iryna, lost a leg in the strike, which was condemned by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as “an open act of terrorism”.
Liza’s mother had taken her daughter in a pink and black pram to an education centre in a city most believed was far from the frontlines, a four-hour drive west of the capital, Kyiv.
Liza never made it home. Just after 11am, three missiles of seven, reportedly fired from a Russian submarine in the Black Sea, smashed into the square, exploding near the cultural centre, blowing out windows in a multi-storey building and setting dozens of cars in a nearby car park on fire.
Amid the carnage, more footage – which the Guardian is not publishing – shows Liza lying dead in her overturned pushchair. Nearby is a severed foot. The arm of a soldier is visible in some shots reaching for the pushchair. Large fragments of metal litter the square. A column of dense smoke fills the sky.
Summary
It’s 1am in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:
- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Russia abducted over 200,000 children since Russia’s invasion in February. Speaking at the Ukraine Accountability Conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Zelenskiy said, “It is still being established how many children Russian forces abducted and took out of Ukraine... The preliminary figure is dreadful - about two hundred thousand children.”
- The European Union has condemned Russia’s attack on Vinnytsia on Thursday which left 23 people dead and over 100 injured. The EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said that Russia must cease its “barbaric behavior,” the Kyiv Independent reports.
- 44 localities in the Kherson region of Ukraine have been liberated, according to regional officials. “There are territories, populated localities that have been liberated. I rely exclusively on official data agreed with the General Staff. These are 44 localities,” Dmytro Butriy, acting head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, said.
- Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko has been awarded the Legion of Honor order, France’s highest award, on Thursday. The French ambassador to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins hosted the award ceremony at the French embassy in Ukraine on Thursday. In response to her award, Kostenko said, “The Legion of Honor is an order of knights and it is a great honor to receive it... I renounce all titles and political jewelry, but I accept this order with great gratitude and dedicate it to our soldiers as they are our most honorable Legion.”
- Russia has begun “volunteer mobilizations” to address its soldier shortage, according to the Institute for the Study of War. In a new report, the US-based think tank said that the Kremlin has “likely ordered Russian “federal subjects” (regions) to form volunteer battalions to participate in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, instead of declaring partial or full mobilization in Russia.”
- Russian occupiers restarting the Azot chemical plant in Ukraine’s Luhansk region can lead to a “catastrophe,” said Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai. According to Haidai, Russian occupiers have announced plans to resume operations at the Azot chemical plant in the Russian-occupied city of Sievierodonetsk.
- The liberation of Crimea, Kherson and occupied territories of southern Ukraine is inevitable, says major general Dmytro Marchenko of Ukraine’s armed forces. “We need to prepare very carefully for it, we need to conduct very good intelligence, we need to prepare artillery. It will not be quick, but it is an inevitable event, and sooner or later it will happen,” he said in an interview.
That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as I hand over the blog to my colleagues in Australia who will bring you the latest updates. Thank you.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Russia abducted over 200,000 children since Russia’s invasion in February.
Speaking at the Ukraine Accountability Conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Zelenskiy said, “It is still being established how many children Russian forces abducted and took out of Ukraine... The preliminary figure is dreadful - about two hundred thousand children.”
He went on to add that in addition to tens of thousands of Ukrainians being killed, tortured or maimed, millions more have been forcibly deported to Russia or displaced as a result of Russian hostilities.
The conference comes as part of Ukraine’s efforts to coordinate investigations into alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces.
Updated
The European Union has condemned Russia’s attack on Vinnytsia on Thursday which left 23 people dead and over 100 injured.
The EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said that Russia must cease its “barbaric behavior,” the Kyiv Independent reports.
Burrell went on to add that regular targeting of civilians by Russian troops is a war crime.
Their comments come as three Russian missiles struck a cultural center and a civilian building in Vinnytsia, a city just southwest of Kyiv with a population of around 370,000.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called the attack an “open act of terrorism.”
“Every day, Russia kills civilians, kills Ukrainian children, carries out missile attacks on the civilian facilities where there is no military target. What is this, if not an open act of terrorism?” Zelenskiy wrote on social media.
44 localities in the Kherson region of Ukraine have been liberated, according to regional officials.
“There are territories, populated localities that have been liberated. I rely exclusively on official data agreed with the General Staff. These are 44 localities,” Dmytro Butriy, acting head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, said.
According to Butriy, the localities belong to the territorial communities of Velyka Oleksandrivka, Kochubeyivka and Novovorontsovka.
He went on to add that the Ukrainian military currently on the frontlines of Kherson have been working “very efficiently and are incredibly motivated.”
Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko has been awarded the Legion of Honor order, France’s highest award, on Thursday.
The French ambassador to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins hosted the award ceremony at the French embassy in Ukraine on Thursday.
“It is a great honor for me to present the Legion of Honor order to outstanding Ukrainian poet and writer Lina Kostenko on July 14, the day of our national holiday,” de Poncins said.
He went on to add, “When I made an official proposal to the President of the Republic to present Madame Lina Kostenko with the high award, I could not have imagined that this ceremony would take place during the war. But in the context of Russian aggression, to which Ukraine fell a victim, the presentation of this award becomes even more significant.”
In response to her award, Kostenko, who has published over fifteen poetry collections and one novel, said, “The Legion of Honor is an order of knights and it is a great honor to receive it... I renounce all titles and political jewelry, but I accept this order with great gratitude and dedicate it to our soldiers as they are our most honorable Legion.”
Today at the🇷🇺Embassy @FranceenUkraine in Kyiv my grandma, Lina Kostenko, received the National Order of the Legion of Honour (the highest order of merit in 🇫🇷) for her literary achievements & her fight for universal values, artistic freedom & #Ukrainian identity. I’m so so proud pic.twitter.com/XRiwjE72Wt
— Jaroslava Barbieri (@jarabarbieri) July 14, 2022
Updated
Russia has begun “volunteer mobilizations” to address its soldier shortage, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
In a new report, the US-based think tank said that the Kremlin has “likely ordered Russian “federal subjects” (regions) to form volunteer battalions to participate in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, instead of declaring partial or full mobilization in Russia.”
According to the report, every region must generate at least one volunteer battalion.
“The term ‘volunteer mobilization’ likely implies that the Kremlin ordered the 85 ‘federal subjects’ (regions, including occupied Sevastopol and Crimea) to recruit and financially incentivize volunteers to form new battalions, rather than referring to literal mobilization relying on conscription or the compulsory activation of all reservists in Russia,” it added.
If each federal subject produces at least one military unit of 400 men, volunteer battalions could generate up to 34,000 new servicemen by the end of August. The soldiers will receive a month of training before deployment to Ukraine, according to Russian reports.
According to the reports, regional officials recruit servicemen up to 50 years old for six-month contracts and offer monthly salaries ranging from $3,750 to $6,000. Other regions offer immediate enlistment bonuses that average $3,400 and various social benefits for the soldiers and their families.
Updated
Russian occupiers restarting the Azot chemical plant in Ukraine’s Luhansk region can lead to a “catastrophe,” said Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai.
According to Haidai, Russian occupiers have announced plans to resume operations at the Azot chemical plant in the Russian-occupied city of Sievierodonetsk.
It is “extremely dangerous due to significant destruction on the territory of the plant and is impossible without the appropriate specialists,” Haidai said.
The liberation of Crimea, Kherson and occupied territories of southern Ukraine is inevitable, says major general Dmytro Marchenko of Ukraine’s armed forces.
“We need to prepare very carefully for it, we need to conduct very good intelligence, we need to prepare artillery. It will not be quick, but it is an inevitable event, and sooner or later it will happen,” he said in an interview.
Marchenko added that the destruction of the Crimean Bridge is a necessary step since Russian forces transport reserves, equipment and weapons to the peninsula via the bridge.
Summary of the day so far
It’s 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
- At least 23 people – including three children – were killed and up to 50 others wounded after Russian missiles struck civilian buildings and a cultural centre in the city of Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine. The attack on Vinnytsia, far from the war’s frontlines, occurred on Thursday mid-morning when the streets were full of people. Ukraine’s state emergency service says it is still searching for 46 people who are considered missing.
-
The head of Ukraine’s negotiating team, Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the missile attacks in Vinnytsia were an “approved military strategy” by Vladimir Putin. Russian forces were attacking “peaceful” Ukrainian cities such as Vinnytsia, Kremenchuk, Chasiv Yar and Kharkiv in order to force Ukrainians to “peace at any price”, Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
- The news of the attack in Vinnytsia emerged as EU foreign and justice ministers were meeting in The Hague for a conference on alleged Russian war crimes. In opening remarks at the conference, organised by the ICC and the European Commission, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said Russia should be held responsible for its actions in Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, called the Russian attack in Vinnytsia “an open act of terrorism”. In a video address at The Hague conference, Zelenskiy urged European and International Criminal Court officials to open a “special tribunal” to investigate Russia’s invasion of his country.
-
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has signed into law tougher measures for individuals or entities considered “foreign agents” by Russia, as well as a new law equating defection with high treason. The new bill, which will come into force on 1 December, will broaden the definition of “foreign agents” to anyone deemed to have fallen “under foreign influence” or receiving support from abroad – not just foreign money.
- Russian missiles struck the city of Mykolaiv on Thursday morning, damaging two educational institutions, a transport infrastructure facility and a hotel, according to the regional governor, Vitaly Kim. In a daily update, Kim also said four people died and two were injured on Wednesday in shelling on the settlement of Pervomaisk. One person was killed overnight by shelling on Bashtanka, he added.
- Russian forces achieved “no significant territorial advances” over the last 72 hours in Donbas, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. The latest British intelligence report said Russian forces “are in danger of losing any momentum built up following the capture of Lysychansk”.
- Turkey has announced a deal with Ukraine, Russia and the UN aimed at resuming Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Russia. Turkey’s defence minister, Hulusi Akar, said on Wednesday that the deal would be signed when the parties meet again next week. Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, said Kyiv was “definitely a step closer” to reaching a deal to export grain through its Black Sea ports after talks with Russia, Turkey and the UN.
- A top Russian official has said Ukraine must accept the “territorial realities” of the situation in order to resume peace negotiations with Moscow. Kyiv must provide a clear response to Moscow’s proposals that Ukraine accepts “non-aligned” and “non-nuclear” status, as well as recognise Russia’s control over Crimea and the status of the pro-Russian self-proclaimed “people’s republics” in Donetsk and Luhansk, in order to strike a peace deal, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Andrey Rudenko, was quoted as saying.
- A traffic jam of more than 130 cargo ships loaded with Ukrainian grain is waiting in the Black Sea to pass into the Danube. The ships are waiting to access exit routes through the Sulina and Bystre estuary canals to reach a series of ports and terminals in Romania from where the grain can be transported on around the world.
- Lithuania has said it will keep restrictions on Kaliningrad trade in place while it works out rules on how to resume the trade. The European Union executive said on Wednesday that Russian goods under sanctions could transit through the bloc’s territory by rail, after tensions between Moscow and EU member Lithuania escalated over trade with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
- The world’s largest security body has expressed “grave concern” about the alleged mistreatment of tens of thousands of Ukrainians in so-called filtration centres set up by Russia in Ukraine. Tens of thousands of civilians are taken to these centres in the self-proclaimed breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine, before being deported to Russia, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said.
- The US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, has said Russia’s war in Ukraine poses the greatest threat to the global economy. Representatives of Putin’s regime “have no place” at a meeting of the G20 countries in Bali, she said, adding that she will continue to press allies for a price cap on Russian oil, which she said would “deny Putin revenue his war machine needs”.
- The war in Ukraine has featured prominently in Bastille Day celebrations in France today, with thousands of French troops marching in a traditional military parade in the capital alongside allies from eastern Europe. The opening of this year’s Bastille Day parade was designed to show France’s commitment to Nato and to European allies touched most closely by the war in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
Updated
Zelenskiy calls for special war crimes tribunal into Russia's invasion
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has urged European and International Criminal Court officials to open a “special tribunal” to investigate Russia’s invasion of his country.
The Ukrainian leader’s remarks came after Russian missiles struck the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, killing at least 22 children including three children. A further 52 people, including four children, have been hospitalised, Ukraine’s state emergency service said; 34 are in serious condition.
The attack came as EU officials convened in The Hague to discuss war crimes in Ukraine. Zelenskiy led a moment of silence before addressing the conference via videolink, just hours after the deadly missile strike on Vinnytsia.
Zelenskiy said:
Existing judicial institutions cannot bring all the guilty parties to justice. Therefore, a special tribunal is needed to address the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
A tribunal would “ensure the fair and lawful punishment of those who started this series of disasters”, he said, adding:
There must be a mandatory and principled punishment for all Russian criminals.
Updated
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has signed into law tougher measures for individuals or entities considered “foreign agents” by Russia, as well as a new law equating defection with high treason.
The new bill, which will come into force on 1 December, will broaden the definition of “foreign agents” to anyone deemed to have fallen “under foreign influence” or receiving support from abroad – not just foreign money.
Putin also signed off on a bill introducing prison terms of up to seven years for calls to act against national security, as well as a law which expands criminal liability for defection to the side of an enemy during combat to high treason.
The Russian leader also signed a law allowing the government to introduce special economic measures to support the Russian armed forces during “counter-terrorism and other operations” outside the country.
At least 22 killed in Russian missile attack in Vinnytsia, says police chief
The death toll from a Russian missile attack in the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine has climbed to 22, including three children, according to the head of the national police in Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko.
Dozens of people are still unaccounted for, Ukraine’s state emergency service said. A further 52 people, including four children, have been hospitalised, it said. 34 are in serious condition.
Only six of the bodies have been identified so far, Klymenko said. The strikes damaged more than 50 buildings and more than 40 cars, he added.
The attack on Vinnytsia, far from the war’s frontlines, occurred in mid morning when the streets were full of people. A Russian submarine in the Black Sea fired Kalibr cruise missiles at the city, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said.
The head of Ukraine’s negotiating team, Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Russian missile attacks in the city of Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine, that killed at least 20 people were an “approved military strategy” by Vladimir Putin.
Russian forces were attacking “peaceful” Ukrainian cities such as Vinnytsia, Kremenchuk, Chasiv Yar and Kharkiv in order to force Ukrainians to “peace at any price”, Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
Podolyak said:
Russia cannot defeat the Ukrainian armed forces in battle, so it resorts to barbarism: terrorist attacks, infrastructure destruction and civilians massacre.
Kremlin lives by the manuals of conducting wars of the Middle Ages: believe that brutal crimes can break Ukrainians’ will and force them to "peace at any price." But it does not work: each terrorist attack unites society and brings RF’s defeat closer. Reckoning time will come.2/2
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) July 14, 2022
Updated
Summary of the day so far
It’s 6pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
- At least 20 people – including three children – were killed and up to 50 others wounded after Russian missiles struck civilian buildings and a cultural centre in the city of Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine. The attack on Vinnytsia, far from the war’s frontlines, occurred on Thursday mid-morning when the streets were full of people. Ukraine’s state emergency service says it is still searching for 46 people who are considered missing.
- The news of the attack in Vinnytsia emerged as EU foreign and justice ministers were meeting in The Hague for a conference on alleged Russian war crimes. In opening remarks at the conference, organised by the ICC and the European Commission, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said Russia should be held responsible for its actions in Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, called the Russian attack in Vinnytsia “an open act of terrorism”. In a video address at The Hague conference, Zelenskiy said: “Every day Russia destroys civilian population, kills Ukrainian children and directs rockets at civilian targets where there is nothing military. What is this if not an open act of terrorism? It is a killer state. A terrorist state.”
- Russian missiles struck the city of Mykolaiv on Thursday morning, damaging two educational institutions, a transport infrastructure facility and a hotel, according to the regional governor, Vitaly Kim. In a daily update, Kim also said four people died and two were injured on Wednesday in shelling on the settlement of Pervomaisk. One person was killed overnight by shelling on Bashtanka, he added.
- Russian forces achieved “no significant territorial advances” over the last 72 hours in Donbas, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. The latest British intelligence report said Russian forces “are in danger of losing any momentum built up following the capture of Lysychansk”.
- Turkey has announced a deal with Ukraine, Russia and the UN aimed at resuming Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Russia. Turkey’s defence minister, Hulusi Akar, said on Wednesday that the deal would be signed when the parties meet again next week. Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, said Kyiv was “definitely a step closer” to reaching a deal to export grain through its Black Sea ports after talks with Russia, Turkey and the UN.
- A top Russian official has said Ukraine must accept the “territorial realities” of the situation in order to resume peace negotiations with Moscow. Kyiv must provide a clear response to Moscow’s proposals that Ukraine accepts “non-aligned” and “non-nuclear” status, as well as recognise Russia’s control over Crimea and the status of the pro-Russian self-proclaimed “people’s republics” in Donetsk and Luhansk, in order to strike a peace deal, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Andrey Rudenko, was quoted as saying.
- A traffic jam of more than 130 cargo ships loaded with Ukrainian grain is waiting in the Black Sea to pass into the Danube. The ships are waiting to access exit routes through the Sulina and Bystre estuary canals to reach a series of ports and terminals in Romania from where the grain can be transported on around the world.
- Lithuania has said it will keep restrictions on Kaliningrad trade in place while it works out rules on how to resume the trade. The European Union executive said on Wednesday that Russian goods under sanctions could transit through the bloc’s territory by rail, after tensions between Moscow and EU member Lithuania escalated over trade with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
- The world’s largest security body has expressed “grave concern” about the alleged mistreatment of tens of thousands of Ukrainians in so-called filtration centres set up by Russia in Ukraine. Tens of thousands of civilians are taken to these centres in the self-proclaimed breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine, before being deported to Russia, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said.
- The US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, has said Russia’s war in Ukraine poses the greatest threat to the global economy. Representatives of Putin’s regime “have no place” at a meeting of the G20 countries in Bali, she said, adding that she will continue to press allies for a price cap on Russian oil, which she said would “deny Putin revenue his war machine needs”.
-
The war in Ukraine has featured prominently in Bastille Day celebrations in France today, with thousands of French troops marching in a traditional military parade in the capital alongside allies from eastern Europe. The opening of this year’s Bastille Day parade was designed to show France’s commitment to Nato and to European allies touched most closely by the war in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
Hello all, it’s Léonie Chao-Fong still with you today with all the latest news from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I’m on Twitter or you can email me.
Updated
The US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, has said Russia’s war in Ukraine poses the greatest threat to the global economy and that Vladimir Putin’s representatives had no place at a meeting of the G20 countries.
Yellen was speaking to reporters in Bali ahead of a meeting between finance ministers from the world’s top economies and central bank governors on Friday and Saturday.
Yellen said:
We are seeing negative spillover effects from that war in every corner of the world, particularly with respect to higher energy prices, and rising food insecurity.
Representatives of Putin’s regime “have no place at this forum”, she added.
Yellen said she would continue to press allies for a price cap on Russian oil, which she said would “deny Putin revenue his war machine needs”.
She expressed hope that India and China would join such a cap, saying it “would serve their own interests” to put downward pressure on prices for consumers globally.
Updated
Ukraine’s state emergency service says it is still searching for 46 people who are considered missing after this morning’s Russian strike on Vinnytsia in central Ukraine.
The service has issued updated casualty figures on Telegram. It says 20 people were killed, including three children. 52 people were injured, including three children. Of those, 34 were considered to be in a serious condition. 55 buildings and 40 cars were damaged as a result of the strike. The figures have not been independently verified.
The Guardian’s economics editor Larry Elliot writes for us today about warnings over the economic impact of the war:
Europe’s economy faces the twin blows of slower growth and higher inflation as it struggles to deal with the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission has warned.
In its summer forecast, the governing body in Brussels said the “protracted war” was sending shockwaves through the eurozone and the wider EU, leading to a marked slowdown in activity next year.
The commission said growth in the 19 countries that use the euro was on course to be 2.6% this year – a downward revision from its previous 2.7% forecast in May – and it has pencilled in expansion of just 1.4% in 2023, down from 2.3%.
Many European countries, including Germany and Italy, are heavily dependent on Russian gas, and dearer energy prices have intensified cost-of-living pressures since May.
Read more of Larry Elliot’s report here: Russian war slowing growth and hiking inflation, European Commission warns
These are some of the latest images that have been sent to us from the site of the Russian missile strike in Vinnytsia.
Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kyiv, has posted a response to this morning’s missile strike on Vinnytsia. He said on Telegram:
Russian terrorists are furiously continuing to commit genocide against peaceful Ukrainians. Today’s disturbing footage from Vinnytsia is proof that Russia will not stop in its barbarism.
Only devastating sanctions against the aggressor, no appeasement! Only modern and powerful weapons for Ukraine. And the unity of the position of the civilised world, which does not want to be destroyed by savages.
Britain will provide a further £2.5m support package to Ukrainian prosecutors investigating alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces, the Foreign Office has announced.
The package will include the deployment of mobile justice teams to the scene of potential war crimes, the training of up to 90 judges and forensic evidence gathering and support from British experts in sexual violence in conflict.
The war in Ukraine has featured prominently in Bastille Day celebrations in France today, with thousands of French troops marching in a traditional military parade in the capital alongside allies from eastern Europe.
The parade on the Champs-Elysees opened with the presentation of the flags of nine guest countries, most of them neighbours of Ukraine or Russia: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.
The opening of this year’s Bastille Day parade was designed to show France’s commitment to Nato and to European allies touched most closely by the war in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
An official in President Emmanuel Macron’s office said:
The parade is marked by, and takes account of, the strategic context.
The idea is to “highlight the strategic solidarity with our allies”, the official said.
The parade also featured warplanes, military vehicles and a drone in a performance demonstrating France’s might and its efforts to support Ukraine.
Updated
A top Russian official has said Ukraine must accept the “territorial realities” of the situation in order to resume peace negotiations with Moscow, Reuters reports.
Kyiv must provide a clear response to Moscow’s proposals that Ukraine accepts “non-aligned” and “non-nuclear” status in order to strike a peace deal, Russian deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko was cited by Interfax news agency as saying.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, must also recognise Russia’s control over Crimea and the status of the pro-Russian self-proclaimed “people’s republics” in Donetsk and Luhansk, Interfax reported.
Updated
Zelenskiy: 20 people killed in ‘act of Russian terror’ in Vinnytsia
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said 20 people were killed and many more wounded after Russian missiles hit the “ordinary, peaceful” city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine this morning.
In a video address to an international conference aimed at prosecuting war crimes in Ukraine, Zelenskiy said:
Today in the morning, Russian missiles hit our city of Vinnytsia, an ordinary, peaceful city. Cruise missiles hit two community facilities, houses were destroyed, a medical centre was destroyed, the cars and trams were on fire.
This is the act of Russian terror ... 20 people died as of now.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, also said at least 20 people died in the attack.
The attack was carried out with Russian Kalibr cruise missiles launched from submarines stationed in the Black Sea, Tymoshenko added.
Updated
The world’s largest security body has expressed “grave concern” about the alleged mistreatment of tens of thousands of Ukrainians in so-called filtration centres set up by Russia in Ukraine.
Tens of thousands of civilians are taken to these centres in the self-proclaimed breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine, before being deported to Russia, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said.
There are around 20 such facilities on Russian-occupied territories, according to Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk, Ukraine’s ambassador to the OSCE.
A new report by the OSCE said reports indicate that people are subject to “harsh interrogations and humiliating body searches” in these centres.
Those found to have collaborated with Kyiv “often simply disappear” with some being allegedly transferred to Russian-controlled territories, where they are detained or even murdered, the report said.
Experts also found “grave breaches of international humanitarian law”, particularly in the towns of Bucha and Irpin, where they saw “signs of torture and ill-treatment on the corpses of killed civilians” that showed a “disregard of the principle of humanity”.
Targeted killing, rape, abductions and massive deportations of civilians had been repeatedly documented during the conflict, it said.
Death toll from Russian missile attack in Vinnytsia climbs to 17
The death toll from a Russian missile attack in the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine has climbed to 17, including two children, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office.
Dozens are wounded, it said, while residential buildings, and administrative and office premises suffered “significant damage and destruction” after Russian missiles hit the heart of the central Ukrainian city on Thursday morning.
About 90 people required medical attention and around 50 of them were in serious condition following the attack, which also destroyed a medical centre, police said.
Updated
Ukraine says grain deal ‘definitely closer’ after talks in Turkey
Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, said Kyiv is “definitely a step closer” to reaching a deal to export grain through its Black Sea ports after talks with Russia, Turkey and the UN, Reuters reports.
Wednesday’s talks in Istanbul were “substantive”, said Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova.
Zakharova told reporters:
It was possible to formulate some elements of a possible agreement which Russia, Ukraine and Turkey are now discussing in their capitals through their military departments.
On Wednesday, Turkey’s defence minister, Hulusi Akar, announced a deal with Ukraine, Russia and the UN aimed at resuming Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Russia, raising prospects for an end to a standoff that has exposed millions to the risk of starvation.
The deal would be signed when the parties meet again next week and would include joint controls for checking grains in ports and Turkey ensuring the safety of Black Sea export routes for Ukrainian grain, Akar said.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has pledged to put Russian “war criminals” on trial “for every drop of Ukrainian blood and tears” after a Russian missile attack killed at least 12 people in the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine.
The attack on Vinnytsia took place as Ukraine’s top war crimes prosecutor and judicial authorities from across Europe gathered in The Hague to coordinate investigations into atrocities since Russia’s invasion.
The Ukraine Accountability Conference kickstarted as Russia “commits another war crime”, Kuleba tweeted.
Kuleba said:
At least one child killed, among other victims of a missile strike on Vinnytsia. We will put Russian war criminals on trial for every drop of Ukrainian blood and tears.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest from the war in Ukraine. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
Updated
Summary of the day so far …
- Russian missiles have struck civilian buildings and a cultural centre in the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, killing at least 12 people – reportedly including a child – and wounding up to 50 others, medics have said. The attack on Vinnytsia, far from the war’s frontlines, occurred in mid morning when the streets were full of people. It appeared to have hit a business centre, setting cars on fire and sending plumes of thick black smoke over the city. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said of the strike, “What is this, if not an open act of terrorism?”
- Two educational institutions, a transport infrastructure facility and a hotel have been damaged by Russian missiles in the city of Mykolaiv Thursday morning, according to regional governor Vitaly Kim. Kim says that so far it is known that one person was injured after “nine missiles from the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system were fired at the regional centre.”
- Russian forces achieved “no significant territorial advances” over the last 72 hours in Donbas, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. The latest British intelligence report reads: “In the Donbas, Russian forces continue to conduct artillery strikes across a broad front followed by, in some areas, probing assaults by small company and platoon-sized units. However, they have achieved no significant territorial advances over the last 72 hours and are in danger of losing any momentum built up following the capture of Lysychansk.”
- A deal to resume exporting Ukrainian grain has been announced with the establishment of a coordination and monitoring centre in Istanbul. Turkey’s defence minister Hulusi Akar said Ankara will ensure the safety of shipments in transit and the parties will jointly check grain cargoes in ports after officials from Ukraine, Russia, United Nations and Turkey met for talks in Istanbul on Wednesday. UN chief António Guterres described the talks as a “critical step forward” but said more work was needed before a deal is set to be signed next week.
- A traffic jam of more than 130 cargo ships loaded with Ukrainian grain is waiting in the Black Sea to pass into the Danube. The ships are waiting to access exit routes through the Sulina and Bystre estuary canals to reach a series of ports and terminals in Romania from where the grain can be transported on around the world.
- Ukraine’s top war crimes prosecutor and European judicial authorities met to coordinate investigations into atrocities during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, warning that a failure to do so would embolden autocrats.
- Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, has given a press briefing saying Nato was waging “hybrid warfare” on Russia by providing arms to Ukraine. Zakharova also criticised Britain’s decision to bring Ukrainian service personnel to the UK for weapons training.
- Lithuania has said it will keep restrictions on Kaliningrad trade in place while it works out rules on how to resume the trade. The European Union executive said Wedensday that sanctioned Russian goods could transit through the bloc’s territory by rail, after tensions between Moscow and EU member Lithuania escalated over trade with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
- US treasury secretary Janet Yellen said representatives of President Vladimir Putin had no place at a meeting of the Group of 20 major economies, warning that the war in Ukraine was causing a negative spillover around the world.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later on. Léonie Chao-Fong will be with you shortly to continue coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian missiles kill at least 12 in Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia
Peter Beaumont is in Kyiv for us:
Russian missiles have struck civilian buildings and a cultural centre in the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, killing at least 12 people – reportedly including a child and its mother - and wounding up to 50 others, medics have said.
The attack on Vinnytsia, far from the war’s frontlines, occurred in mid morning when the streets were full of people. It appeared to have hit a business centre, setting cars on fire and sending plumes of thick black smoke over the city.
Initial reports put the death toll at two but that was updated to 12 by the state emergency service.
The regional governor, Serhiy Borzov, said: “We have an airstrike in Vinnytsia. There are dead and wounded. The number is being assessed,” adding that several other missiles had been shot down.
According to some reports, seven cruise missiles launched from the Black Sea landed in the city with four intercepted by Ukrainian air defences.
The area hit appeared to be the “House of Officers” building in Premehoy Square, a concert hall dating back to the Soviet era which residents say was used for cultural and social events.
Video footage posted on social media showed the roof blown off the House of Officers and a scorched multistorey building opposite – identified as the Yuvileny Business Centre – with restaurants and other businesses on the ground floor also badly damaged.
Read more of Peter Beaumont’s report from Kyiv here: Russian missiles kill at least 12 in Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia
Ukraine’s emergency services have issued some images of the aftermath of the strike on Vinnytsia, including one of an overturned child buggy with blood on the floor around it. They included the message:
We appeal to the whole world! Immediately recognise Russia as a terrorist country with all the political consequences of such a decision!
The monument seen in the background is the “Monument in honour of the Air Forces of Ukraine”, which is located at Peremohy Square.
Ukraine’s top war crimes prosecutor and European judicial authorities met this morning to coordinate investigations into atrocities during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, warning that a failure to do so would embolden autocrats.
With more than 20,000 war crimes investigations open and different countries heading teams, evidence needs to be credible and organised, officials said.
“Just like a climate strategy and a Covid strategy, we need an accountability strategy,” Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told a meeting in The Hague, Reuters reports. Hoekstra adding that raw emotion emanating from stories of rape and murder were not enough to prosecute suspects.
“As this meeting takes place, Russian forces continue to commit atrocities in Ukraine with harrowing intensity,” said US envoy Uzra Zeya, who attended the meeting.
“With each day the war crimes mount: rape, torture, extrajudicial executions, disappearances, forced deportations, attacks on schools, hospitals, playgrounds, apartment buildings, grain silos, water and gas facilities.”
Russia denies involvement in war crimes. There have also been reports of Ukrainians mistreating Russian prisoners, though the vast majority of accusations documented by bodies such as the United Nations are of alleged atrocities committed by Russian invaders and their proxies.
Ukraine’s defence ministry has confirmed the Russian missile strike on Vinnytsia, tweeting:
Three Russian missiles hit a business centre in the city of Vinnytsia. Casualties among civilians are reported. Ukraine has already suffered almost 3,000 missile strikes. The supply of sufficient amount of the Western anti-missile systems is long overdue.
Three russian missiles hit a business centre in the city of Vinnytsia. Casualties among civilians are reported.
— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 14, 2022
Ukraine has already suffered almost 3,000 missile strikes. The supply of sufficient amount of the Western anti-missile systems is long overdue. pic.twitter.com/JghxLuewvO
There is a quick snap on Reuters that the Ukrainian president’s office has put the death toll from Russia’s missile strike on Vinnytsia at eight.
Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, has given a press briefing this morning. In it, she said Nato was waging “hybrid warfare” on Russia by providing arms to Ukraine.
Reuters reports she noted that US-supplied Himars rockets, which have a longer range and are more precise than other artillery weapons, were being used “widely” by Ukrainian forces.
Zakharova also criticised Britain’s decision to bring Ukrainian service personnel to the UK for weapons training.
Updated
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted about the strike on Vinnytsia on Telegram. He writes:
Vinnytsia. Rocket strikes in the city centre. There are wounded and dead, among them a small child.
Every day, Russia destroys the civilian population, kills Ukrainian children, directs rockets at civilian objects. Where there is nothing military. What is this, if not an open act of terrorism?
Inhumans.
A killer country. A terrorist country.
Zelenskiy’s message is accompanied by a video clip purporting to show the aftermath of the strike. Smoke can be seen rising from buildings as debris litters the roads, and emergency services rush to the scene.
President @ZelenskyyUa published a video of the #Russian airstrike on #Vinnytsia. pic.twitter.com/gPUnNvwv4i
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 14, 2022
Updated
Police confirm fatalities after missile strike on Vinnytsia
Russian missiles struck the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia on Thursday morning, killing at least two civilians, police said.
“There are dead and wounded,” Serhiy Borzov, governor of the Vinnytsia region, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Reuters reports police later put the initial toll at two dead and six wounded and said about 50 vehicles were on fire.
Lithuania has said it will keep restrictions on Kaliningrad trade in place while it works out rules on how to resume the trade, Reuters reports.
The European Union executive said yesterday that sanctioned Russian goods could transit through the bloc’s territory by rail, after tensions between Moscow and EU member Lithuania escalated over trade with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
Last night, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chairman of the Lithuanian parliament’s Committee on National Security and Defence, said: “Of course, [the decision] is different from what it would have been if it had been made by Lithuania on its own. Of course, the commission’s decision can be viewed as a step back.”
Updated
Civilian authorities in Vinnytsia have posted to Telegram say “As a result of the shelling of Vinnytsia, there are dead and wounded, four rockets over the region were shot down by air defence forces.”
US treasury secretary Janet Yellen said representatives of President Vladimir Putin had no place at a meeting of the Group of 20 major economies, warning that the war in Ukraine was causing a negative spillover around the world.
Reuters reports Yellen was speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of a G20 meeting of finance leaders on the Indonesian island of Bali, which Russia is also attending.
Peter Beaumont is in Ukraine for us, and he has just tweeted that there are reports of a strike on Vinnytsia in central Ukraine. The city is to the south-west of Kyiv, and to the north of the border with Moldova.
Missile strike reported in Vinnytsia in central Ukraine
— petersbeaumont (@petersbeaumont1) July 14, 2022
Ukraine’s state emergency services have issued these photos which they say show a school damaged by Russian shelling in the city of Mikolaiv.
Updated
Ukrainian forces claim to have hit two military checkpoints and a landing pad on Thursday in the second strike this week on a Russian-held area in southern Ukraine, Reuters reports.
The new attack on Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region killed 13 “occupiers” according to Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa regional administration. The claims have not been independently verified.
Here are some pictures we have been sent of events yesterday after a Russian airstrike hit some areas of Sloviansk city in the Kramatorsk district of Donetsk.
Ukraine’s governor of Luhansk, Serhai Haidai, has posted to Telegram to say:
Enemies launched 12 rocket and air strikes on populated areas on the border of Luhansk region and Donetsk region. Massive artillery and mortar attacks continue, and volley fire systems are used. Through small settlements, the Russians are trying to break through to Siversk and open the way to Bakhmut, which is why they are destroying everything in front of them. Now they are on the offensive in the direction of Verkhnokamyansky, hostilities continue.
Siversk and Bakhmut are both settlements along the way if you are heading westwards for Slovyansk and Kramatorsk from the direction of Sievierodonetsk and the Luhansk region.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Two educational institutions, a transport infrastructure facility and a hotel have been damaged by Russian missiles in the city of Mykolaiv this morning, according to the latest update from the regional governor.
Vitaly Kim says that so far it is known that one person was injured after “nine missiles from the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system were fired at the regional centre.”
In the rest of his daily update on Telegram, Kim says that four people died and two were injured yesterday in shelling on the settlement of Pervomaisk. He also says one person was killed overnight by shelling on Bashtanka.
The claims have not been independently verified.
- This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can reach me at martin.belam@theguardian.com
Updated
Russia achieved 'no significant territorial advances' over last 72 hours in Donbas: UK MoD
Russian forces achieved “no significant territorial advances” over the last 72 hours in Donbas, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The latest British intelligence report reads:
In the Donbas, Russian forces continue to conduct artillery strikes across a broad front followed by, in some areas, probing assaults by small company and platoon-sized units.
However, they have achieved no significant territorial advances over the last 72 hours and are in danger of losing any momentum built up following the capture of Lysychansk.
The ageing vehicles, weapons, and Soviet-era tactics used by Russian forces do not lend themselves to quickly regaining or building momentum unless used in overwhelming mass – which Russia is currently unable to bring to bear.
Despite 13 July 2022 talks between delegations from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the UN on grain exports and recent successfully negotiated prisoner exchanges, the prospects for wider talks to end the conflict remain low.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 14 July 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 14, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/ooeYS0oJa7
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/3TkIw6XCNU
Summary so far
Before I hand you over to my colleague, Martin Belam, here is a quick rundown of the latest developments from the past few hours.
- Russia has targeted civilian structures in Mykolaiv during the early hours of Thursday morning, the city’s mayor said. Oleksandr Sienkevych reported that explosions were heard in the southern Ukrainian city just before 6am and urged residents to stay in shelters. “Racists [Russian forces] again targeted a number of civilian objects in Mykolaiv. Rescuers and emergency teams are already working on the ground,” he said.
- The death toll from Saturday’s Russian missile attack on the town of Chasiv Yar has climbed to 48, according to Ukrainian emergency services. “Debris clearance continues after the Russian attack on the city of Chasiv Yar. As of this time, the list of the dead includes 48 people, including one child,” President Zelenskiy said in his latest evening address.
- Russia reportedly made another attempt to bomb Snake Island overnight, according to military officials. An update from Ukraine’s operational command south reports on 13 July that two Russian fighter jets attempted to strike the strategic island on the Black Sea but failed as the bombs landed in the sea.
- Water supplies will resume this month in the Russian-held Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to Russian media reports. Russian state news agency Tass cited the Russian-designated mayor, Konstantin Ivaschenko, as saying authorities plan to resume operation of the city’s passenger port that links to Russia’s Rostov-on-Don and Black Sea cities.
-
The head of Myanmar’s military junta visited Moscow in a private meeting with officials from Russian space and nuclear agencies and signed a memorandum of understanding on nuclear energy cooperation according to local media reports. During the visit, Myanmar and Rosatom State Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding on nuclear energy cooperation according to the ministry of information and as reported by Bloomberg.
- Russian and proxy forces have reportedly entered the town of Siversk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to Russian media reports. State news agency Tass quoted Vitaly Kiselyov, an official from the self-appointed Luhansk People’s Republic, as saying the town could fall within a couple of days, but it was not clear what that claim was based on.
- Turkey announced a deal with Ukraine, Russia and the UN aimed at resuming Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Russia. Turkey’s defence minister Hulusi Akar said Ankara will ensure the safety of shipments in transit and the parties will jointly check grain cargoes in ports. UN chief António Guterres described the talks as a “critical step forward” but said more work was needed before a deal is set to be signed next week.
- The global economic outlook has “darkened significantly” following the consequences of the war in Ukraine, according to the head of the International Monetary Fund. Kristalina Georgieva said the global outlook remains “extremely uncertain” with an increased risk of recession. “The human tragedy of the war in Ukraine has worsened. So, too, has its economic impact … and it’s only getting worse,” she said.
Images of Ukrainian territorial defence troops having dinner outside the town of Bucha, near Kyiv, have dropped over the wires this morning.
Hot meals were served to servicemen after a combat tactic training exercise.
War has 'darkened significantly' global economic outlook: IMF
As G20 ministers and central bank governors gather in Bali this week, they face a global economic outlook that has “darkened significantly”, the head of the International Monetary Fund has said.
Kristalina Georgieva hinted the IMF will downgrade its expectations for global economic growth this month, saying the outlook remains “extremely uncertain” and blaming the war in Ukraine, higher than expected inflation, and the ongoing Covid pandemic.
In a statement, she said:
It is going to be a tough 2022—and possibly an even tougher 2023, with increased risk of recession.
The human tragedy of the war in Ukraine has worsened. So, too, has its economic impact especially through commodity price shocks that are slowing growth and exacerbating a cost-of-living crisis that affects hundreds of millions of people—and especially poor people who cannot afford to feed their families. And it’s only getting worse.
G20 finance ministers and central bank governors are preparing to meet in Bali where they will discuss the global economy, including food security, and the impact of the war in Ukraine.
Georgieva called for “decisive action and strong international cooperation, led by the G20”.
Indonesia’s central bank governor Perry Warjiyo is cautious about the prospect of reaching an agreement over the way forward, saying: “We hope for the best, but of course prepare for the worst”.
Georgieva said that inflation has “broadened beyond food and energy prices” in that has led many central banks to increase the cost of borrowing, something she said will “need to continue”.
Water supplies will resume this month in the Russian-held Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to Russian media reports.
Russian state news agency Tass cited the Russian-designated mayor, Konstantin Ivaschenko, as saying authorities plan to resume operation of the city’s passenger port that links to Russia’s Rostov-on-Don and Black Sea cities.
Myanmar junta chief visits Moscow, signs nuclear energy cooperation memorandum
The head of Myanmar’s military junta visited Moscow in a private meeting with officials from Russian space and nuclear agencies and signed a memorandum of understanding on nuclear energy cooperation according to the ministry of information.
Min Aung Hlaing flew into Moscow on Tuesday on a “private” visit, Russia’s embassy in Myanmar told the Interfax news agency.
“He plans to take part in the opening of a Myanmar cultural centre,” it said.
It is such shame for Russia and others that Genocide and War criminal Min Aung Hlaing visiting #Kazan, as #Tatarstan & its biz deepen ties w/ #Myanmar junta. pic.twitter.com/4p7MJ7lWEN
— Aung Kyaw Moe (@akmoe2) July 14, 2022
Russian state media agency RIA Novosti reported the military chief was due to meet the head of Russia’s space agency as well as officials at the Rosatom nuclear agency.
During the visit, Myanmar and Rosatom State Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding on nuclear energy cooperation according to the ministry of information and as reported by Bloomberg.
The announcement of the visit comes two days after secretary of state, Antony Blinken, vowed to keep pressuring Myanmar’s military regime as he met democracy activists on a visit to neighbouring Thailand.
Updated
Chasiv Yar death toll climbs to 48
The death toll from Saturday’s Russian missile attack on the town of Chasiv Yar has climbed to 48, according to Ukrainian emergency services.
Ukraine’s state emergency services issued an update late on Wednesday:
As of 7pm, 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 rubble.”
Zelenskiy added that the clearance of debris continues in his evening address on Wednesday.
Debris clearance continues after the Russian attack on the city of Chasiv Yar. As of this time, the list of the dead includes 48 people, including one child. Unfortunately, the number of those rescued has not changed - 9 people. Rescuers will work on site until all debris is cleared.
It was one of the most brutal Russian strikes during the entire war - so many victims... My condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims.”
Russia reportedly made another attempt to bomb Snake Island overnight, according to military officials.
An update from Ukraine’s operational command south reports on 13 July that two Russian fighter jets attempted to strike the strategic island on the Black Sea but failed as the bombs landed in the sea.
Ukrainian presidential advisor, Anton Herashchenko, added: “A pair of Su-27 fighters tried to bomb Snake Island, the bombs fell into the sea, near the island.”
Updated
Turkey announces deal to resume Ukraine's grain exports
Turkey has announced a deal with Ukraine, Russia and the UN aimed at resuming Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Russia, raising prospects for an end to a standoff that has exposed millions to the risk of starvation.
Turkey’s defence minister, Hulusi Akar, said on Wednesday that the deal would be signed when the parties meet again next week and would include joint controls for checking grains in ports and Turkey ensuring the safety of Black Sea export routes for Ukrainian grain.
Turkey would also set up a coordination centre with Ukraine, Russia and the UN for grain exports, Akar said. Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote on Twitter: “Its task will be to carry out general monitoring and coordination of safe navigation in the Black Sea.”
🇺🇦 Black Sea security is a priority in the issue of resuming of Ukrainian agricultural export.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) July 13, 2022
That is why 🇺🇦 has proposed to form a basic navigation algorithm for the Black sea. It will ensure the 🇺🇦 grain export and guarantee food security for millions of people.
In his daily address, Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president, said: “We are indeed making significant efforts to restore the supply of food 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, had said earlier that a deal appeared “two steps away” as Turkey hosted the four-way talks in Istanbul.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, said a “critical step forward” had been made toward reviving Ukrainian grain exports but cautioned that “more technical work will now be needed to materialise today’s progress”.
A ray of hope in a world darkened by crises.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) July 13, 2022
Today in Istanbul, we have seen a major step forward to ensure the export of Ukrainian food products through the Black Sea.
I salute the commitment of all those working to secure an agreement for our common humanity.
“Today is an important and substantive 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 largest grain exporters.
Russia shells Mykolaiv - reports
The sound of explosions have been reported in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv this morning.
City mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych reported that explosions were heard in the city just before 6am and urged residents to stay in shelters in an alert posted to 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 outlet Ukrinform, an air alert was first announced at 4.25 am before powerful explosions rang out in the city about half an hour later.
Russian forces enter town of Siversk, separatist official says
Russian and proxy forces have entered the town of Siversk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to Russian media reports.
State news agency Tass quoted Vitaly Kiselyov, an official from the self-appointed Luhansk People’s Republic, as saying the town could fall within a couple of days, but it was not clear what that claim was based on.
Ukraine’s armed forces said in their evening operational update that Russia had not conducted any new assaults on the frontline that includes Siversk, but that the town had been fired upon by artillery.
The Guardian has not been able to immediately verify the report.
In its latest intelligence report, the UK Ministry of Defence predicted that Russian forces will likely focus on taking several small towns during 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 will be bringing you all the latest developments for the next short while.
Reports are filtering in of loud explosions and missile fire in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv early this morning.
Meanwhile, a breakthrough deal to resume exporting Ukrainian grain has been announced with the establishment of a coordination and monitoring centre in Istanbul.
It is 7.30am in Kyiv and here is where things currently stand:
- A deal to resume exporting Ukrainian grain has been announced with the establishment of a coordination and monitoring centre in Istanbul. Turkey’s defence minister Hulusi Akar said Ankara will ensure the safety of shipments in transit and the parties will jointly check grain cargoes in ports after officials from Ukraine, Russia, United Nations and Turkey met for talks in Istanbul on Wednesday. UN chief António Guterres described the talks as a “critical step forward” but said more work was needed before a deal is set to 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 series of ports and terminals in Romania from where the grain can be transported on around the world
- Russian and proxy forces have reportedly entered the town of Siversk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to Russian media reports. State news agency Tass quoted Vitaly Kiselyov, an official from the self-appointed Luhansk People’s Republic, as saying the town could fall within a couple of days, but it was not clear what that claim was based on.
- Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has ruled out ceding territory to Russia as part of any ceasefire deal. In a briefing, Kuleba said no peace talks were under way between Moscow and Kyiv “because of Russia’s position and its continued aggression against our country”.
- 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 Ukrainian are being held in filtration camps in the temporarily Russian-occupied territories, Zelenskiy said in a video address to the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul on Wednesday.
- The death toll from a weekend Russian missile attack on a residential apartment block in Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine has risen to at least 47. According to Kyiv, the residential building was hit by Russian rockets fired from truck-borne systems late on Saturday evening. The Ukrainian emergency services initially gave a death toll of 10, but as rescue teams continued to comb through the debris that number rose.
- Russian forces will probably focus on taking several small Donbas towns during the coming week, including Siversk and Dolyna on the approaches to Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. “The urban areas of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk likely remain the principal objectives for this phase of the operation,” the British intelligence report said.
- North Korea has officially recognised the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, the pro-Russian occupied territories in the east of Ukraine. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) becomes only the third UN member state to recognise them as legitimate authorities, after Russia and Syria. In response, Ukraine’s foreign ministry announced it has cut ties with North Korea.
- The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, called for an immediate halt to Russian deportations of Ukrainian citizens. Blinken accused Russia of “deliberately separating Ukrainian children from their parents and abducting others from orphanages before putting them up for adoption inside Russia”.
- A third American national is being held captive by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, according to reports. Suedi Murekezi, 35, was arrested last month in Kherson, a Russian-occupied port city in southern Ukraine where he had been living for more than two years, his brother Sele Murekezi said.
- A Moscow court has ordered one of the last prominent opposition figures still in Russia, Ilya Yashin, to be detained for two months pending an investigation into the spreading of “fake information” about Russia’s army. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison for spreading “false information” about Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
- Lithuania will allow sanctioned Russian goods to transit its territory on their way to Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, reversing its policy after new European Commission guidelines.
- The global economic outlook has “darkened significantly” following the consequences of the war in Ukraine, according to the head of the International Monetary Fund. Kristalina Georgieva said the global outlook remains “extremely uncertain” with an increased risk of recession. “The human tragedy of the war in Ukraine has worsened. So, too, has its economic impact … and it’s only getting worse,” she said. G20 finance ministers and central bank governors are preparing to meet in Bali this week.
