Russian missiles hit apartment block and Ukrainian security service building in Dnipro
War is “gradually returning to Russia’s territory”, Volodymyr Zelensky said, as Russia blames Ukraine for drone attacks on Moscow.
A security guard was injured and Vnukovo airport on the southern outskirts of the capital was forced to close, according to Russia’s state news agency, while one of the buildings damaged was home to three government ministries as well as residential apartments, local media reported.
The Russian Ministry of Defence referred to the incident as an “attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime” and said three drones targeted the city.
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials, who rarely if ever take responsibility for attacks on Russian soil.
Kyiv does not typically claim responsibility for incidents on Russian soil and did not admit involvement in the attacks, but Mr Zelensky said such strikes were “inevitable” in war.
It is the third attempt on the capital this week, fuelling concerns about Moscow’s vulnerability to attacks.
It comes after the head of Ukraine’s intelligence directorate told Ukrainian news site TSN that Kyiv’s forces are set to enter Crimea “soon”.
Key Points
Show latest update
Why is Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin back in Russia after leading a 24-hour mutiny against Vladimir Putin?
A month on from the Wagner Group’s extraordinary attempted mutiny against Russia’s military establishment – the mercenary group’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, appears to be back in his homeland.
Under the terms of the truce brokered between Mr Prigozhin and Vladimir Putin by Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko on 24 June, the former was said to have agreed to resettle in Belarus while his troops were ordered to report to camps in that country before either rejoining the Russian military or stepping away altogether without fear of prosecution.
It subsequently emerged that Mr Prigozhin – a former felon who emerged from prison to build up a lucrative catering business and was nicknamed “Putin’s chef” before he formed Wagner – had attended a face-to-face meeting with Mr Putin at the Kremlin five days after the aborted coup, deepening the mystery surrounding the affair.
Read more from Joe Sommerlad here:
Jonathan Kanengoni 31 July 2023 03:30
Russian anti-war activists hold protest over residence problems in Serbia
Pro-democracy Russians in Serbia protested on Sunday after two prominent anti-war activists and critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin said they faced problems with entry and residence permits in the Balkan country.
Several dozen activists held banners reading “We came to live in peace” and ”I love Serbia and I want safe and happy life here,” as they gathered at a central square in Belgrade, the Serbian capital.
The rally came days after Serbian police refused to extend a residency permit for Vladimir Volokhonski and weeks after another prominent activist, Peter Nikitin, spent more than one day at the Belgrade airport because of an entry ban, according to the two activists.
Natalie Crockett31 July 2023 02:30
ICYMI: Face to face with a mercenary: Inside Wagner and its blood-soaked role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Amid the ravages of war, Sergey, a seasoned Wagner mercenary, found himself grappling with the relentless violence that has become a way of life and death on the front line. The savage conflict, the sense of betrayal from the Kremlin, and rumours of plots, all combined to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and dread.
At the end he decided to abandon the Wagner group and the savage, meat-grinding combat of Donbas where corpses piled up, and towns and cities were razed.
With the future of the mercenary group in the balance after Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed march on Moscow and fear of future retribution, Sergey cannot forget the terrible things he witnessed in the months of bloody conflict.
Read more from Kim Sengupta here:
Jonathan Kanengoni31 July 2023 01:30
I have a frozen embryo in Russia called Tallulah – the war in Ukraine means it’s trapped there
I know it sounds over the top to actually call a frozen embryo by a name.
I don’t want another child, but it doesn’t stop me from worrying about my frozen embryo or fantasising about Tallulah.
With a ban on flying to Russia from the UK and the EU, and absolutely no word from the private fertility clinic regarding storage fees for a while, now, I started to wonder: what the hell is going on?
Read more from Charlotte Cripps here:
Jonathan Kanengoni 31 July 2023 00:30
Trump returns to first impeachment roots by saying Ukraine aid should be linked to Biden probes
Donald Trump returned to the roots of his first impeachment when he suggested that aid to Ukraine should be conditioned on congressional investigations of President Joe Biden.
The Saturday night tirade at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania echoed the conduct that led to Mr Trump’s first of his two impeachments when he used military aid to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to open an investigation into then-candidate Biden in 2019.
Read more from Gustaf Kilander here:
Natalie Crockett30 July 2023 23:30
Russian people ‘seeing consequences’ off war in Ukraine
A Ukrainian air force spokesman said Russian people were seeing the consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine after drone attacks targeted the capital. “All of the people who think the war ‘doesn’t concern them’ — it’s already touching them,” spokesperson Yurii Ihnat told journalists on Sunday. “There’s already a certain mood in Russia: that something is flying in, and loudly,” he said. “There’s no discussion of peace or calm in the Russian interior any more. They got what they wanted.”
Moscow was targeted for a third time this week by drones
(The Associated Press)
Jonathan Kanengoni 30 July 2023 22:40
Russia ‘thwarts drone attack’ on Black Sea peninsula
Russia’s defence ministry claims it successfully thwarted an overnight attack on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.
It said 25 Ukrainian drones were either shot down or forced to crash. Nobody was hurt and no damage was caused.
Russia annexed the region from Ukraine in 2014 but Ukraine has recently been pushing ahead with a counter-offensive, Ukraine’s intelligence directorate telling Ukrainian news site TSN on Saturday that Kyiv’s forces were set to enter Crimea “soon”.
Jonathan Kanengoni30 July 2023 21:50
Watch: Moscow buildings damaged by overnight drone attack
Video footage captures the moment drones hit buildings in central Moscow.
Russia has accused Ukraine of being behind the attacks on Sunday but Kyiv has not claimed responsibility, as is its typical policy.
It is the third attempt on the Russian capital this week.
Moscow buildings damaged by overnight drone attack, Ukraine denies involvement
Jonathan Kanengoni 30 July 2023 21:00
Drone explosion ‘like a wave, everyone jumped’
A young woman who gave her name as Liya told Reuters news agency she was in an apartment she had rented with friends when Sunday’s drone strike hit.
“At some point, we heard an explosion and it was like a wave, everyone jumped,” she said. “And then there was a lot of smoke and you couldn’t see anything. From above, you could see fire.”
Pictures showed glass panels blown out in one high-rise building and glass, debris and office documents littering part of the pavement below.
Flights to and from Moscow’s Vnukovo airport were briefly suspended due to the incident, the TASS news agency reported.
Two buildings were damaged in the latest strikes
(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Natalie Crockett30 July 2023 20:25
Ukraine will begin talks with the United States this week on providing security guarantees while it waits to join Nato, a senior Ukrainian official said on Sunday.
The talks, announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, come after pledges made by the G7 group at this month’s Nato summit in Lithuania.
Andriy Yermak wrote on the Telegram messaging app: “Security guarantees for Ukraine will be concrete, long-term obligations ensuring Ukraine’s capacity to defeat and restrain Russian aggression in the future. These will be clearly drafted formats and mechanisms of support.”
Yermak said the guarantees “will be in effect until Ukraine secures Nato membership.”
The Western Alliance’s summit offered support to Ukraine in countering Russia’s invasion, with individual countries pledging weapons support. But no date for Ukrainian membership was set as long as the war continues.
Joe Biden speaks to announce the G7 nations’ joint declaration for the support of Ukraine
(Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Natalie Crockett30 July 2023 19:59