Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,235
Fighting
Ukrainian officials said Russian air attacks overnight on Saturday killed at least two people in the western city of Chernivtsi and wounded 38 others across Ukraine.
The raids also damaged civilian infrastructure from Kharkiv and Sumy in the northeast to Lviv, Lutsk and Chernivtsi in the west.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said it attacked companies in Ukraine's military-industrial complex in Lviv, Kharkiv and Lutsk, as well as a military aerodrome.
The United Nations Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine said that June saw the highest monthly civilian casualties in three years, with 232 people killed and 1,343 injured.
In Russia, a man was killed in the Belgorod region after a shell struck a private house, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Politics and diplomacy
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told visiting Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov that his country was ready to 'unconditionally support' all actions taken by Moscow in Ukraine.
Earlier, Lavrov held talks with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui, in Wonsan, and they issued a joint statement pledging support to safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other's countries, according to North Korean state media.
Lavrov also warned the United States, South Korea and Japan against forming 'alliances directed against anyone, including North Korea and, of course, Russia'.
Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, said his government hoped to reach an agreement with the European Union and its partners on guarantees that Slovakia would not suffer from the end of Russian gas supplies by Tuesday. Slovakia has been blocking the EU's 18th sanctions package on Russia over its disagreement with a proposal to end all imports of Russian gas from 2028. Slovakia, which gets the majority of its gas from Russian supplier Gazprom under a long-term deal valid until 2034, argues the move could cause shortages, a rise in prices and transit fees, and lead to damage claims.
Russia blamed Western sanctions for the collapse of its agreement with the UN to facilitate exports of Russian food and fertilisers. The three-year agreement was signed in 2022 in a bid to rein in global food prices.
Weapons
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was 'close to reaching a multilevel agreement' with the US 'on new Patriot systems and missiles for them'. Ukraine was stepping up production of its own interceptor systems, he added.
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Al Jazeera
26 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,238
Here is how things stand on Wednesday, July 16: Fighting A Russian attack on the Kupiansk district in Ukraine's Kharkiv region killed two people in their late 60s and injured two others, the regional prosecutor's office said on social media. A Russian artillery attack on the outskirts of the Velykopysarivska community in Ukraine's Sumy region killed a 50-year-old resident, regional authorities said. The Russian Ministry of Defence said its troops had occupied the villages of Voskresenka and Petrivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. A Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's western city of Voronezh wounded 27 people, local officials said. The city's mayor, Sergei Petrin, said a kindergarten was damaged and children were being temporarily transferred to neighbouring facilities. Russian air defence units destroyed 12 Ukrainian drones over the Voronezh region, Governor Alexander Gusev said on Telegram. A drone crashed in an industrial zone in Russia's Yelets city in the Lipetsk region, injuring one person, regional Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. The governor of Russia's Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, said a woman was injured in a drone attack on the village of Sluchevsk. The Russian Defence Ministry said on Telegram that its air defence units destroyed 55 Ukrainian drones overnight across five Russian regions and the Black Sea. Politics and diplomacy United States President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that Ukraine 'shouldn't target' the Russian capital Moscow, and that he was 'on nobody's side…I want to stop the killing'. Senior Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev dismissed what he described as Trump's 'theatrical' 50-day 'ultimatum' for the Kremlin to end its war on Ukraine after the US president announced a deal to supply more weapons to Kyiv via NATO, and threatened tariffs on Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Trump's remarks on Monday were 'very serious', adding that 'some of them are addressed personally to President Putin'. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that the US president's 'change of posture' towards Russia was 'obviously welcome'. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced his resignation a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was offering the job to Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. Shmyhal is expected to become Ukraine's defence minister. The European Union did not approve a new round of sanctions on Russia after Slovakia requested a delay in the vote. The European Council has imposed sanctions on an additional five individuals 'responsible for serious violations or abuses of human rights and for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition in Russia'. US citizen Daniel Martindale, who lived in Ukraine and passed information to pro-Russian forces that helped to target Ukrainian troops, has received a Russian passport in Moscow. Weapons Several countries, including Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, said they would take part in the US scheme for NATO member states to buy US weapons for use by Ukraine. Prime Minister Petr Fiala has said the Czech Republic would not participate in the NATO weapons purchase plan, adding that his country is focused 'on other projects and paths' to help Ukraine, including 'through the ammunition initiative'.
Qatar Tribune
3 hours ago
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UN reports surge in settler violence against Palestinians in West Bank
dpa Geneva The UN Human Rights Office has raised the alarm over a sharp rise in attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. According to the office in Geneva, 96 Palestinians were injured in June alone - the highest monthly figure in over two decades. Hundreds of homes were also destroyed. Since the beginning of this year, the UN has documented 757 settler attacks that resulted in Palestinian casualties or property damage - a 13% increase compared to the same period in 2024, a spokesman said on Tuesday. These actions, the spokesman added, are contributing to the ongoing consolidation of Israel's annexation of parts of the West Bank, a practice deemed illegal under international law. The forced displacement of civilians in occupied territories may constitute a crime against humanity, the office warned. Child killed by gunshot to the head Israeli security forces have used force against unarmed individuals in the West Bank, the UN office said. The spokesman cited the case of a 2-year-old Palestinian child who was shot in the head and killed in January, and a 61-year-old man who was fatally shot while riding a bicycle in July. Since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed 964 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to UN figures. Nearly 3,000 homes have been demolished, often on the grounds that they lacked building permits, even though such permits are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain, the spokesman said. In the same period, 35 Israelis in the West Bank and 18 more inside Israel have been killed in Palestinian attacks or clashes. UN criticizes Israeli plans for displacement camp in Gaza The UN Human Rights Office also condemned Israeli government plans for a designated zone in southern Gaza meant to house displaced Palestinians. Israel has referred to the site as a 'humanitarian city,' but the UN says the project could amount to forced relocation, which is prohibited under international law. Palestinians ordered to move there would be at risk of arbitrary detention, and the proposed relocation could not be described as voluntary, the spokesman said, noting that with basic infrastructure destroyed, people would have no real choice in their movements.
Al Jazeera
8 hours ago
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Russia says it needs time to ‘analyse' Trump's Ukraine announcements
The Kremlin has said that US President Donald Trump's recent statements, including a threat to impose sanctions on Russia's trading partners, are serious and require time to assess. Amid growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump on Monday announced new deliveries of weapons, including Patriot missile systems, to Ukraine and said that buyers of Russian exports could face severe tariffs if Moscow fails to agree to a peace deal within 50 days, signalling a major policy shift in Washington. 'The US president's statements are very serious. Some of them are addressed personally to President Putin,' Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday. 'We certainly need time to analyse what was said in Washington. And if and when President Putin deems it necessary, he will definitely comment.' Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev mocked Trump's announcement, calling it a 'theatrical ultimatum' and saying that 'Russia didn't care'. Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, has frequently issued strident remarks throughout the war. Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev was similarly dismissive. Writing on Telegram, he said Trump's announcement would have no impact on public sentiment in Russia and claimed the United States was setting a trap for Europe — forcing NATO states to pay for weapons that would primarily benefit the US arms industry. 'Only the American military-industrial complex will profit from this,' Kosachev said. Europeans promise to support weapons shipments Several European countries pledged to support Trump's proposal to send more weapons to Ukraine. Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Copenhagen would 'do its part' to finance Patriot systems for Ukraine, though he gave no specifics. 'It seems the US is finally on the right side,' Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels. The Netherlands and Sweden also said they were exploring ways to support the initiative. Sweden's Defence Minister Pal Jonson welcomed Trump's pressure on Russia and confirmed Stockholm would contribute to the delivery of weapons, though details remained unclear. Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said the announcements showed that 'leadership is once again coming from the US.' Sanctions package stalls But in a sign that European unity remains fragile, the European Union's planned 18th sanctions package stalled on Tuesday after Slovakia requested a delay in the vote. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who visited the Kremlin last year, said the move reflected domestic political concerns over gas supplies amid a looming ban on Russian imports from 2028. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas voiced frustration at the setback. 'I'm really sad the sanctions didn't get approved,' she said. 'But I hope they will be passed tomorrow.' Kallas added that the EU welcomes Trump's commitment to defending Ukraine but said Washington must also 'share the burden'. In a separate move, the European Council imposed asset freezes on five Russian judicial officials accused of persecuting opposition figure Alexei Gorinov, citing human rights violations.
