China’s foreign minister told his U.S. counterpart that China denies accusations that it is supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Laotian capital Vientiane on Saturday. Blinken discussed Chinese support for Russia’s defence industrial base and warned of further US action if China does not scale back its support, according to a senior State Department official. “The Chinese side has not made any commitment to take action,” the official told Reuters.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had taken control of the Ukrainian settlement of Rozvatke in the Donetsk region, the Interfax news agency reported. As Russian forces advance towards the city of Pokrovsk, Ukrainian forces advance towards the city of Pokrovsk. The Ukrainian General Staff did not mention the settlement in its report, but noted that the surrounding area has seen heavy fighting. Unofficial military bloggers report that at least two other areas in the district have been lost. Russian forces are slowly advancing through the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
A Ukrainian attack drone damaged a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber at a military airfield in northern Russia, a military source told Reuters on Saturday.According to intelligence sources, a long-range supersonic bomber TU-22M3 was shot down at the Olenya military airfield in Olenya, northern Russia, about 1,800 km from the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainianska Pravda reported that military airfields in the city of Engels in Saratov Oblast and Diaghilevo in Ryazan Oblast were also attacked in further attacks on Russia. Drones also struck an oil refinery in Ryazan. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
Ukrainian authorities said Russian artillery fire killed at least five civilians in several parts of Ukraine on Saturday. In the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, authorities said three people were killed, while in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, a Ukrainian prosecutor’s office said a rocket attack on the small town of Khurkhiv killed a 14-year-old boy and wounded 12 others. The attack on the town, near the Russian border, occurred just after midday and hit apartments, homes, educational institutions, shops and vehicles. Six of the injured were children. In the Kharkiv region, Governor Oleh Shniekhbov said one person was killed in an attack on a residential house near the city of Chuhyv.
In Russia’s southern Belgorod region, the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said one person had been killed in Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks.Two people were injured and homes and other buildings were damaged. The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses destroyed two drones over the area late Saturday. Both statements could not be independently confirmed. Ukraine has denied attacking civilian targets on Russian soil.
Ukraine’s maritime corridor transported 60 million tons of cargo over the past 11 months, mainly from the Great Port of Odessa.Of this total, 40.6 million tons were grain exports shipped to 46 countries, Ukrainian Ports Authorities announced, despite attacks on port infrastructure.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to visit Kyiv in August, his first visit to the country. Russia’s military involvement in Ukraine has increased since it launched a full-scale invasion two years ago.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia has increased the number of “ballistic” attacks in the past few months.This will force the Ukrainian military to think more about “passive defense” tactics such as camouflage and the use of “fake positions.”
Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Bryansk region in southern Russia, reported a “large-scale” drone attack in the area.No casualties were reported. “22 unmanned aerial vehicle type aircraft were intercepted and destroyed,” Bogomaz wrote on Telegram.
