Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 07-11-2024

The pilot forwarded documents to Ukraine related to the activities of his military unit as well as private photos of the command staff of the 22nd Heavy Bombing Aviation Division, HUR said.

Feeling that it was wrong for Russia to have undertaken a missile attack on the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv on Monday, a Russian pilot decided to pass on information about his fellows at Russia’s 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR), a source within Ukrainian intelligence told Kyiv Post Thursday evening.

According to HUR, the defector indicated that his division is constantly shelling Ukrainian cities with X-101 missiles.

Warsaw’s Defense Minister says Poles will not shoot down Russian missiles according to the Ukraine-Poland Security Cooperation Agreement without a NATO decision on the joint air defense protocols.

Poland will not shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine if they are flying in its direction until given permission by all NATO member states, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysh said on Polish Radio, explaining that Warsaw’s position is derived from White House policy, which fears “escalation of the conflict.”

According to him, Kyiv has long hoped for Poland’s participation in the defense of its airspace, but Warsaw won’t make the relevant decisions alone.

On July 8 Ukraine and Poland signed a security cooperation agreement which included a commitment to consider the use of Polish air defenses to intercept Russian missiles in Ukrainian airspace.

Ever since February 2022, when Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv has been calling for protection from Moscow’s missile, drone and bombing attacks.

These demands increased further following the interception of the April Iranian missile and UAV attack on Israel in which the US, UK and other allies acted to intercept the attack.

Following her husband's death, Navalnaya, 47, vowed to take up his work and has lobbied against Putin's government from abroad.

Russia on Thursday added opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya to its list of “terrorists” and “extremists,” two days after it issued an arrest warrant for the exiled dissident.

Navalnaya has vowed to continue the work of her husband Alexei Navalny, Russian leader Vladimir Putin's main opponent who died in an Arctic prison in unclear circumstances in February.

Now there is a terrible war in Europe and no excuse for hesitancy to fully help or reward Ukrainians for defending Europe’s eastern flank from being overrun by Kremlin cannon fodder.

Vladimir Putin upstaged NATO’s 75th-anniversary summit in Washington by bombing a children’s hospital in Kyiv, issuing an arrest warrant for Alexei Navalny’s widow, making a pact with Hungary’s treacherous Viktor Orban, and getting a big hug from India’s Prime Minister who swapped morality for cheap Russian oil.

Each loathsome act underscored the need, more than ever, for the military alliance to step up and strengthen its resilience and resolve going forward.

In the emotionally charged period of Polish-Ukrainian historical disputes, against the backdrop of Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine, events are taking place that build bridges between people.

Karolina Romanowska is the chairwoman of the Polish-Ukrainian Reconciliation Association. Kyiv Post met and spoke with her about a grassroots initiative that connects Poles and Ukrainians through activities such as organizing joint workshops in Ukraine.

Michał Kujawski: The "Volhynia Massacre," which is being commemorated in Poland on July 11,  has been the subject of Polish-Ukrainian disputes for years and is is a personal thing for you. Many of your relatives were murdered in 1943. When did you visit Volhynia for the first time?

Orlov, 71, appealed a two-and-a-half-year term he was handed after calling Russia a "fascist" state and criticising its Ukraine campaign.

A Moscow court on Thursday upheld a prison sentence against Nobel Prize-winning rights advocate Oleg Orlov, after the campaigner compared Russia's justice system to that of Nazi Germany.

Orlov, 71, appealed a two-and-a-half-year term he was handed after calling Russia a "fascist" state and criticising its Ukraine campaign.

Many in the Global South do not want to acknowledge that Russia was and is a colonial power whose war against Ukraine is an effort to rebuild its lost colonial empire.

There is something odd about how so many countries in the “Global South” – especially the many that were former colonies and protectorates of European colonial powers (the vast majority) – do not sympathize with Ukraine in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. Russia, after all, was also a European colonial power. Unlike the West European powers which acquired colonies overseas, Russia acquired its colonies over land. But colonies they were nonetheless. Just as European empires conquered and ruled non-European nations, the Russian empire conquered and ruled non-Russian ones – including Ukraine.

Like the European colonial powers did from the 1940s through the 1970s, Russia gave up most (though not all) of its colonies when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991 and 14 non-Russian republics became independent. For Russia to forcibly seize part of Ukraine in 2014 and then launch an attempt to conquer much more of it beginning in 2022 is the equivalent of Britain attempting to forcibly retake control over the Persian Gulf emirates or France trying to take back Algeria.

The Danish Ministry of Defense said delivery of the Ukrainian-made 155mm NATO-standard howitzers will take place in the coming months.

Denmark has funded the purchase of 18 Ukrainian-made 2S22 Bohdana howitzers for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), which are expected to arrive in the coming months.

Developed and manufactured domestically in Ukraine, the Bohdana 2S22 self-propelled artillery system fires NATO-standard 155mm projectiles. The estimated cost of each vehicle is $2.5 million. Details of the technical specifications and development can be seen in the Kyiv Post analysis here.

The Russian military in the Zaporizhzhia region systematically execute captured Ukrainians, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

A video circulating on social media allegedly shows Russian troops shooting a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia sector last month.

Volunteer and activist Serhii Sternenko wrote on Telegram that, according to preliminary data, the shooting was carried out by soldiers from Russia’s 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment.

The Hungarian PM relayed messages from Beijing and Moscow, suggesting that the EU “launch a European initiative” peace settlement in Ukraine without US participation.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reportedly called on the EU to “launch a European initiative” to start peace talks in Ukraine excluding US involvement and including China.

Orban also reportedly claimed that China and Russia assumed peace talks on Ukraine would commence before the end of 2024.

All the evidence shows Russia executed a complex missile strike operation to avoid Kyiv’s best air defenses and precisely hit its intended targets, one of which was the kids’ hospital.

Russia’s deadly July 8 multiple missile strike on Kyiv was the result of sophisticated planning and imaginative tactics that defeated one of the densest air defense networks in the world, and probably hit the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital as the Kremlin intended, a Kyiv Post review of available open source evidence found.

The Russian attack began with a “bait-and-switch” move probably intended to draw the attention of Ukrainian air defenses in one direction and give Russian planners real time information about where Ukraine’s usually mobile air defense units were located.

Earlier NATO leaders said in a declaration at their summit in Washington that China had "become a decisive enabler of Russia's war against Ukraine."

China on Thursday warned NATO against "provoking confrontation" over its ties with Russia, after the alliance accused Beijing of playing a key role in helping Moscow's assault on Ukraine.

NATO leaders said in a declaration at their summit in Washington on Wednesday that China had "become a decisive enabler of Russia's war against Ukraine."

President Zelensky says that defining what constitutes victory is central to building a war-winning strategy but acknowledges that others may understand victory differently from him.

Defining victory is crucial to establishing a war-winning strategy. Ukraine has outlined what victory looks like. President Volodymyr Zelensky stresses, however, that Ukraine’s Victory depends on the West.

When asked whether he believed President Biden wanted Ukraine to achieve victory, Zelensky answered “Yes”. He said it’s important for both the US and Europe but we understand victory differently.  “The West wanted to deny Putin the opportunity to fully occupy Ukraine and to put the aggressor in his place. I think for them it is victory already,” Zelensky said.

The Security Services of Ukraine said in a separate statement that it had detained the ship's captain, accusing him of violating rules on entering occupied territory.

Kyiv said Thursday that it had seized a foreign cargo ship and detained its captain, alleging that the vessel had illegally exported Ukrainian grain from the annexed Crimean peninsula.

Since Russia's capture of swathes of agricultural land in Ukraine in early 2022, Kyiv has accused Moscow of illegally harvesting and shipping grain produced on occupied territory to third countries.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

After decades of viewing China as a distant threat, NATO on Wednesday accused Beijing of becoming “a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” and demanded that it halt shipments of “weapons components” and other technology critical to the rebuilding of the Russian military. The statement is contained in a declaration approved by the 32 leaders of the alliance, shortly before they headed to a dinner at the White House on Wednesday night. It is a major departure for NATO, which until 2019 never officially mentioned China as a concern, and then only in the blandest of language. Now, for the first time, the alliance has joined in Washington’s denunciations of China’s military support for Russia. But the declaration contains an implicit threat that China’s growing support for Russia will come at a cost. China “cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation,” the declaration said, particularly calling out “its large-scale support for Russia’s defense industrial base.” - NYT

Nato members have pledged their support for an "irreversible path" to future membership for Ukraine, as well as more aid. While a formal timeline for it to join the military alliance was not agreed at a summit in Washington DC, the military alliance's 32 members said they had "unwavering" support for Ukraine's war effort. Nato has also announced further integration with Ukraine's military and members have committed €40bn ($43.3bn, £33.7bn) in aid in the next year, including F-16 fighter jets and air defence support. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed US-built F-16 jets are in the process of being transferred to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands. It will be the first time Ukraine has received the advanced aircraft, something which Kyiv has long called for. Mr Blinken told the summit the jets will be in use "this summer" - BBC

Kyiv decided that adopting and integrating two different Western airframes simultaneously would be too difficult for Ukraine to handle, but Sweden left open future options to get the nimble fighter.

Ukraine declined Sweden’s offer to supply Gripen fighter feeling that integrating these aircraft along with the F-16s would be too much to handle at the same time.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström revealed these details during an interview with Voice of America on July 10.

The commentaries in Europe's opinion sections range from historical tributes to reflections on Ukraine and its prospects for NATO membership.

Nato's 32 member states are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic alliance. At the same time the alliance is pondering how to proceed in the face of "the most dangerous security situation since the Cold War". The commentaries in Europe's opinion sections range from historical tributes to reflections on Ukraine and its prospects for NATO membership.

An ever broader base

Ukraine, in recent weeks, has resorted to consumption restrictions and rolling blackouts after Russian forces stepped up attacks on the country's power stations and transmission lines.

With Russian attacks on energy infrastructure causing power cuts, Ukraine is depending on its central and eastern European neighbours to keep the lights on.

Ukraine in recent weeks has resorted to consumption restrictions and rolling blackouts after Russian forces stepped up attacks on the country's power stations and transmission lines.

The United States, the Netherlands and Denmark announced Wednesday that the transfer of the planes had begun, saying Ukraine "will be flying operational F-16s this summer."

F-16 warplanes being sent to Ukraine is a victory for President Volodymyr Zelensky and will help protect against Russian strikes, but they are not a one-stop solution for gaps in the country's air defenses.

The United States, the Netherlands and Denmark announced Wednesday that the transfer of the planes had begun, saying Ukraine "will be flying operational F-16s this summer."

The former army chief called Russia, Iran and China the “new Axis powers” and cautioned that the current British forces lack capability in the face of a new war.

General Sir Patrick Sanders, who served until June as the UK’s chief of the general staff, has likened the current geopolitical situation to 1939 and hinted that British forces lack the capability to handle a major conflict.

Sanders called Russia, Iran and China “the new Axis powers” and said they are more “interdependent and more aligned” than the Axis powers in WWII. He also told The Times that the third world war could break out in “five to 10 years” if unprepared, an estimation that echoed that made by the German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

The joint "antiterrorist" exercises on Russian ally Belarus's soil near the Polish border come as NATO leaders gather for a summit in Washington, with the war in nearby Ukraine high on their agenda.

China is staging army drills with Belarus this week at NATO's eastern border, in a sign of escalating tensions between Beijing and the US-led defence alliance.

The joint "antiterrorist" exercises on Russian ally Belarus's soil near the Polish border come as NATO leaders gather for a summit in Washington, with the war in nearby Ukraine high on their agenda.

A NATO official said Russia is suffering heavy losses in Ukraine and does not possess the troops and weapons required to launch a major offensive.

A NATO official said Russia lacks the weapons and personnel to carry out a major offensive in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters before the three-day NATO summit commenced on Tuesday, an unnamed NATO official told Reuters that Russia is suffering “very high” losses and the alliance believes Russia would need more supplies and fresh troops to launch a major operation.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Ukrainian First Deputy Defense Minister Lieutenant General Ivan Havrylyuk stressed that robust Western security assistance will be crucial for Ukraine's ability to contest and seize the battlefield initiative. Havrylyuk also challenged the notion that Russian forces will be able to indefinitely sustain the consistent gradual creeping advances that support Russian President Vladimir Putin's theory of victory for winning a war of attrition in Ukraine.
• Ukrainian forces are already attempting to contest the battlefield initiative in limited and localized counterattacks at the tactical level — emphasizing that the current state of grinding positional warfare along the frontline is not an indefinitely stable one.
• Havrylyuk assessed that Russia will face medium- to long-term economic and equipment challenges that will impede the Russian military's ability to indefinitely retain the theater-wide initiative, sustain consistent offensive pressure that results in gradual creeping advances, and win a war of attrition.
• Putin's articulated theory of a slow, grinding victory in Ukraine is notably premised on accepting continuously high casualty rates, as exemplified by reported Russian losses accrued during two recent offensive efforts.
• NATO allies reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine and announced new security assistance packages for the Ukrainian war effort at the NATO summit in Washington, DC on July 9 and 10.
• Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev reaffirmed that Russia would not accept or uphold any negotiated peace settlements with Kyiv short of Ukrainian capitulation, the destruction of the entire Ukrainian state, and the full occupation of Ukraine.
• Servicemembers of a Russian motorized rifle regiment that was previously implicated in the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) in late May 2024 reportedly executed two Ukrainian POWs in the same area in western Zaporizhia Oblast in June 2024.
• Select US military bases in Europe have instituted increased alert levels in response to intensified Russian sabotage and hybrid operations against NATO allies over the past several months.
• Russian forces recently advanced in Vovchansk, near Kreminna, and near Toretsk.
• The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed on July 10 that the Russian military trained the first batch of Moscow Military District (MMD) counter-drone instructors at the Alabino training ground in Moscow Oblast.

MAGURA V5 drones hit 14 Russian ships, and destroyed eight in the Russo-Ukrainian war, marking a global first in ship destruction by unmanned vehicles.

A study by Polish scientists has concluded that the Ukrainian MAGURA V5 drone destroyed the highest number of Russian ships among naval drones in the Russo-Ukrainian War.

The Polish scientific journal “Political Science and Security Studies Journal” published the study on the most effective naval drones used in the war.