Russia’s war against Ukraine, Day 143, Update 1

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

– Russian strike death toll rises to 24 –

The death toll of a Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia on Thursday rises to 24, after a woman dies in hospital of her burn wounds, a Ukrainian official says.

Russia claims the strikes — hundreds of kilometres from the front lines — had targeted a meeting of Ukrainian military officials and foreign arms suppliers. Kyiv has denied these claims and says the attack killed three children.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he was “appalled” by the attack, while the EU has slammed it as an “atrocity”.

– Nuclear plant turned ammo depot? –

Russia is using Europe’s largest nuclear power plant as a base to store weapons including “missile systems” and shell the surrounding areas of Ukraine, the head of Ukrainian nuclear agency Energoatom says.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been under Russian control since the early weeks of Moscow’s invasion, though it is still being operated by Ukrainian staff.

– Briton reported dead in detention –

Paul Urey, a British man captured by pro-Russian forces in Ukraine, died in detention on July 10, Moscow-backed separatists say, claiming he died of diabetes.

Non-governmental organisations describe Urey as a humanitarian who worked as an aid volunteer in Ukraine, while the separatists say he was a “professional” soldier fighting for Ukraine.

Other Topics of Interest

Kyiv Rejects ‘NATO Surrogates’, Calls for Full Membership as Security Guarantee

The timing of the statement aligns with the NATO ministerial meeting and coincides with discussions around Ukraine’s potential NATO membership.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says Russia bears “full responsibility” over the reported death.

– Russia under fire at G20 –

Western finance ministers on the island of Bali for two-day G20 talks condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, accusing Russian officials of complicity in atrocities committed during the war.

“Russia is solely responsible for negative spillovers to the global economy,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen tells the Russian delegation in the opening session.

She is joined by Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who tells Russia’s delegation they are responsible for “war crimes” in Ukraine because of their support for the invasion.

– Next target: Siversk –

Moscow-backed troops in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine say they are closing in on their next target, after wresting control of sister cities Lysychansk and Severodonetsk.

“Siversk is under our operational control, which means that the enemy can be hit by our aimed fire all over the area,” a pro-Moscow rebel official is cited as saying by Russian state-run news agency TASS.

– Russia sees grain deal ‘soon’ –

Russia’s defence ministry says that a “final document” designed to unblock grain exports from Ukrainian ports will be ready “soon”, following negotiations with Kyiv in Istanbul this week.

Russia’s invasion has disrupted the export of grain from Ukraine, which is one of the world’s largest wheat producers, worsening a food crisis around the world.

– Germany to ramp up ‘Berlin train lift’ –

German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn pledges to accelerate efforts to transport grain out of Ukraine by land, with sea exports still stalled by the country’s war with Russia.

“We believe we will be able to considerably ramp up the system in the next few weeks” to bring out as much grain as possible, the head of its freight transport division says.

– EU targets Russian gold –

The European Union executive proposes to target Russian gold exports in an update to its sanctions packages that will also tighten the screws on previous measures against Moscow.

The move on gold, fulfilling a decision by the Group of Seven most industrialised nations in late June, will be discussed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday.

– US to resume flights to ISS –

The United States says it will resume flights to the International Space Station with Russia, despite its attempts to isolate Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.

“To ensure continued safe operations of the International Space Station, protect the lives of astronauts and ensure continuous US presence in space, NASA will resume integrated crews on US crew spacecraft and the Russian Soyuz,” US space agency NASA says in a statement.