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Morning Headlines
Reuters: Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine had attacked Moscow with at least five drones that were all either shot down or jammed, though one of the capital's main airports had to reroute flights for several hours. Four Ukrainian drones were shot down by Moscow air defences while a fifth was jammed and crashed into the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region, the Russian defence ministry said. No one was injured.
ISW: The overall anxious milblogger response to recent Ukrainian activity across the Dnipro River suggests that many Russian milbloggers fear Ukraine’s ability to cross the river and believe that the current command of the “Dnepr” grouping has not sufficiently prepared its troops for that potentiality.
UK Ministry of Defence: In recent weeks, Russia has prioritised and refined tactics aimed at slowing Ukrainian armoured counter-offensive operations in southern Ukraine. The core of this approach has been Russia’s very heavy use of anti-tank mines. Although Russia has achieved some success with the approach in the early stages of Ukraine’s counter-offensive, its forces continue to suffer from key weaknesses, especially overstretched units and a shortage of artillery munitions.
More News
CNN: Russia has deployed over 180,000 troops to the two major eastern battlefronts, according to Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the eastern grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Kyiv Independent: As Russia largely exhausted its military potential on the battlefield, the Kremlin continued its silent warfare in occupied territories to convert millions of Ukrainians into Russian citizens.
GOV.UA: The general fund of the State Budget of Ukraine received the second tranche in the amount of USD 890 million from the International Monetary Fund.
AFP: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday asked the Georgian ambassador to Kyiv to return home and try to "save" jailed ex-leader Mikheil Saakashvili -- a Ukrainian citizen -- after footage showed him looking emaciated.
Newsweek: Medvedev, a former president of Russia, on Sunday said that a nuclear "apocalypse" involving Russia and Western nations is not just possible, but also "quite probable."
CNN: At least two people were killed in a Russian drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, the regional military administration reported in an update on Monday.
CNN: Zaporizhzhia power plant, which is the largest in Europe, "reconnected to its only available back-up power line four months after it was lost, but the site’s power situation remains extremely fragile during the ongoing military conflict and is not sustainable," Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a statement.
The Guardian: While other countries such as Romania and Bulgaria took 11 years to become members of the EU, joining in 2007, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, hinted the future of the new accession candidates (Ukraine and Moldova) will be swiftly decided.
POLITICO: After the Kakhovka dam destruction last month, Kyiv fears the Kremlin plans to organize an explosion at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — the largest in Europe — located in the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian workers have been told to leave the power station by July 5.
SwissInfo: Switzerland is providing around CHF5.5 million ($6.1 million) for the renovation and furnishing of some 30 Ukrainian schools.
The Guardian: Unilever has been named as an international sponsor of war by the Ukrainian government after the Marmite, Dove and Domestos owner became subject to a law in Russia obliging all large companies operating in the country to contribute directly to its war effort.
POLITICO: NATO is crafting its new military plans assuming Moscow will make a comeback. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of the NATO military committee, said that although the bulk of Russia’s land forces are fighting in Ukraine, he believes the Kremlin’s forces are still a threat.
Bloomberg: A Russian general who’s been questioned over the failed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries was conspicuously absent at a meeting of top army chiefs where Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu denounced the rebellion.
Reuters: Russia's top election official said on Monday that if the situation worsened in four Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, local elections scheduled there for September would be cancelled.
AFP: Ukraine's counteroffensive against formidable Russian defences is an extremely difficult operation and it is "not a surprise" that it is not progressing at speed, a top NATO commander said Monday. "The counteroffensive, it is difficult. People should never think that this is an easy walkover," Admiral Rob Bauer, the chair of NATO's Military Committee, told journalists.
AFP: An international office to probe Russia for the war crime of aggression opened in The Hague on Monday in what Ukraine called a "truly historic" first step towards a tribunal for Moscow's leadership.
NY Times: Russia is incubating a cottage industry of powerful new digital surveillance tools to suppress domestic opposition to the war in Ukraine. The tech may also be sold overseas.
CNN Exclusive: Putin’s response to the armed Wagner rebellion was “weak” and the Russian President is losing control of his own people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN in an exclusive interview.
AFP: China's defence minister said on Monday he hoped to expand naval cooperation with Russia, in the highest-level public talks between military officials from the two countries since a failed mutiny in Russia last month.
AP News: Prize-winning Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina was among those killed by a deadly Russian missile attack on a popular restaurant frequented by journalists and aid workers in eastern Ukraine, PEN America announced in a statement.
worth mentioning
Sweden will not get Turkey's nod for NATO bid unless it stops sheltering 'terrorists'
Russians and Belarusians back at Wimbledon as war in Ukraine continues
Prigozhin releases first public statement since purportedly leaving Russia
Russia cuts LNG exports in January-June by 9.4%, flows to Europe steady
Russia Pledges to Reduce Oil Exports in August After Saudi Extends Voluntary Cut
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