Ukrainian forces make ‘tactically significant’ gains in Bakhmut, says US thinktank
Ukraine’s counteroffensive has made “tactically significant” gains in the Bakhmut area and continued operations in at least three other sectors of the frontline, according to a US thinktank.
The Institue for the Study of War said geopolitical footage showed Ukrainian forces made substantial ground near villages north and south Bakhmut, regaining control over previously lost positions in the area. Military officials confirmed continued offensive operations in western Zaporizhia and along the border between Zaporizhia and Donetsk oblasts.
The Russian Ministry of Defence and other Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted offensive operations in the Kreminna direction along the Kharkiv-Luhansk border.
Key events
Here are the some of the latest images coming out of Ukraine:
US president Joe Biden has been condemned by human rights groups after he approved sending widely banned cluster munitions to Ukraine, with one fellow Democrat branding the decision “unnecessary and a terrible mistake”.
The Pentagon announced a new $800m military aid package to Ukraine that includes cluster munitions. National security adviser, Jake Sullivan said: “We recognise that cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance.”
The White House defended the “very difficult” decision, saying that Ukrainian forces were running out of artillery.
Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries and typically scatter numerous smaller bomblets over a wide area, sometimes as big as a football pitch, and can kill indiscriminately. Those that fail to explode threaten civilians, especially children, for decades after a conflict ends.
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Nato leaders will meet at a key summit in Vilnius, Lithuania next week to discuss how to bring Ukraine closer its goal of joining the military alliance.
However, US president Joe Biden says he does not think there is “unanimity in Nato” to speed up the membership process in the middle of Russia’s invasion.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that while Biden and Nato leaders will demonstrate “unity and resolve” for the war-torn country, “Ukraine will not be joining Nato coming out of this summit”.
Pressure is building from Kyiv as president Zelenskiy said this week he wanted a membership invitation “now” and that Biden is Nato’s “decision-maker”.
Fighting in Bakhmut over the last seven days has been some of the most intense along the front as Ukraine continues its counteroffensive in the Russian-held city, according to the UK Ministry of Defence’s latest intelligence report.
Ukrainian forces have made steady gains to both the north and south of the Russian-held town. Russian defenders are highly likely struggling with poor morale, a mix of disparate units and a limited ability to find and strike Ukrainian artillery.
The Russian leadership almost certainly see it as politically unacceptable to concede Bakhmut, which has a symbolic weight as one of the few Russian gains in the last 12 months. However, there are highly likely few additional reserves to commit to the sector.
UN condemns civilian toll on 500th day of Ukraine war
The United Nations has condemned the civilian cost inflicted as the war passes the 500th day mark.
“Today we mark another grim milestone in the war that continues to exact a horrific toll on Ukraine’s civilians,” said Noel Calhoun, deputy head of the UN’s Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
More than 9,000 civilians, including over 500 children, have been killed since Russia’s invasion, though experts have previously warned the real count is likely far higher.
While this year the casualty numbers have been lower on average than in 2022, the figure began to climb again in May and June, the monitoring mission said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has secured Turkey’s crucial backing for Ukraine’s Nato aspirations after meeting with president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul.
Erdoğan said “there is no doubt that Ukraine deserves membership of Nato”, but also reaffirmed his longstanding call for peace negotiations.
Turkey has been a key mediator in the war and talks with Zelenskiy were being watched closely by the Kremlin. Erdoğan said he would personally brief Vladimir Putin on the latest negotiations when the Russian president visits Turkey next month, his first trip there since the invasion.
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Ukrainian forces make ‘tactically significant’ gains in Bakhmut, says US thinktank
Ukraine’s counteroffensive has made “tactically significant” gains in the Bakhmut area and continued operations in at least three other sectors of the frontline, according to a US thinktank.
The Institue for the Study of War said geopolitical footage showed Ukrainian forces made substantial ground near villages north and south Bakhmut, regaining control over previously lost positions in the area. Military officials confirmed continued offensive operations in western Zaporizhia and along the border between Zaporizhia and Donetsk oblasts.
The Russian Ministry of Defence and other Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted offensive operations in the Kreminna direction along the Kharkiv-Luhansk border.
Opening summary
Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the war in Ukraine, I’m Yang Tian bringing you the latest news, as the conflict enters its 500th day.
Ukraine made “tactically significant gains” on Friday in Bakhmut and in its counteroffensive more broadly, the US thinktank the Institute for the Study of War has said. It comes as president Volodymyr Zelenskiy also secured Turkey’s crucial backing for its pledge to join Nato during a meeting with president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul.
More details shortly, in other key developments:
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US president Joe Biden has been condemned by human rights groups after agreeing to send widely banned cluster munitions to Ukraine, with one fellow Democrat labelling the decision “unnecessary and a terrible mistake”. Washington said it has received assurances from Kyiv that it would minimise risk to civilians, including by not using the munitions in populated areas. Biden said the decision was “very difficult”, but that Ukrainian forces were “running out of ammunition”.
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The UN’s nuclear watchdog chief said it was “making progress” on inspecting several areas of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, after Ukraine claimed that “external objects similar to explosive devices” had been placed on rooftops at the site. UN officials said they had “not seen any indications of explosives or mines” while touring the cooling ponds and other areas, but have yet to visit the facility’s rooftops.
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Nato leaders will publicly recommit to Ukraine becoming a member of the military alliance when they meet in Vilnius on Tuesday, according to the organisation’s secretary general. US president Joe Biden said he does not think there is “unanimity in Nato” to bring Ukraine into the military alliance. Zelenskiy has also criticised Nato over a lack of “unity” which he says explains the failure to provide a guarantee for Ukraine’s membership.
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If Russia does not agree to extend a deal allowing the safe export of grain and fertiliser from Ukrainian ports, it is unlikely western states will continue cooperating with UN officials helping Moscow with its exports, the UN aid chief said. Russia has threatened to quit the deal, which expires on 17 July, because several demands to dispatch its own grain and fertiliser have not been met. The last three ships traveling under the deal are loading cargoes at the Ukrainian port of Odesa and are likely to depart on Monday.
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More than 9,000 Ukrainian civilians, including in excess of 500 children, are confirmed to have died since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, according to the latest United Nations data. However, the true figures are likely much higher.
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A report by the Kyiv School of Economics and B4Ukraine, a coalition of NGOs which lobbies international businesses to leave Russia, said that 56% of foreign companies were still operating in the country last year despite the exodus of a significant minority. However, Russia’s earnings from oil and gas sales have fallen by half.
