Oorlog in Oekraïne #996: Trump de vredesduif

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Explosions heard near oil depot in Tuapse, Russia
In the Russian city of Tuapse, approximately five explosions were heard early on July 22. The blasts reportedly originated from the local oil depot, according to Russian Telegram channels.

According to preliminary information from the Shot channel, the city’s air defense system was activated, and the drones may have targeted the local oil refinery.

Residents told the channel that the explosions from the oil depot started around 3:30 AM, with about five loud bangs heard. Before this, witnesses reported characteristic sounds of drone flights.

No official information is available at this time.

TASS Telegram channel, citing the head of the Tuapse district, reports that the air defense system reportedly struck eight drones in the Tuapse area of Krasnodar Krai, with no casualties reported.

On the morning of July 20, explosions were heard in the Rostov region near the Millerovo military airfield, and fires broke out as a result of a drone attack in the region. An oil depot was also hit.

Satellite images revealed damage to facilities at least at three locations on the airfield.

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Ukraine’s border guards thwart attempt to smuggle out batch of collectible coins

At the Krakivets checkpoint on the border with Poland, a collection of valuable coins, some dating back to the 18th century, was found in a bag of what a minibus driver heading to Czechia claimed was children’s clothes.
That’s according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

The report says the oldest coin in the batch was minted in 1748.

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Berlin’s Russian House Faces Scrutiny as Alleged Hub for Espionage and Propaganda
The Russian House in Berlin, located on Friedrichstrasse, has come under scrutiny amidst allegations of being a covert hub for espionage and propaganda, rather than merely a cultural center for Russian expatriates. Roderich Kiesewetter of Germany’s CDU party has labeled it an extension of Kremlin influence, citing concerns of it potentially circumventing EU sanctions and serving as a nexus for Russian intelligence activities.

Operated by Rossotrudnichestvo, an agency known for its ties to Russian expatriates and alleged agents, the Russian House offers amenities such as a Russian-language bookshop and a cinema screening Soviet-era comedies. Despite claims of being apolitical, the center has faced controversy, notably screening a film in 2022 that aligned with Vladimir Putin’s narrative on Ukraine, leading to accusations of spreading Kremlin propaganda.

While some European countries have closed similar Russian cultural centers, Germany has hesitated due to fears of reciprocal actions affecting institutions like the Goethe Institute in Moscow. The German government has sanctioned Rossotrudnichestvo, freezing its assets in the EU since July 2022, yet critics argue that more decisive action is needed.

German intelligence officials have highlighted the country’s susceptibility to Russian espionage, citing recent incidents of sabotage plots and espionage attempts linked to Russian interests.

The debate surrounding the Russian House reflects broader concerns over the intersection of cultural diplomacy and geopolitical strategy, raising questions about the balance between cultural exchange and national security in Europe’s political landscape.

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Patriot from Germany arrives in Ukraine – Zelenskyy
Obtaining the system is "far from guaranteed protection, but more power for Ukraine," the president noted

The Patriot air defense system from Germany has arrived in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in his evening address.

The head of state heard a report of the commander of the Air Force, Mykola Oleschuk: on the work of mobile fire groups in shooting down Shahed drones and on countering Russian missiles.

"We can already say: there is a strengthening of our air defense. The German Patriot has arrived in Ukraine, I want to thank Germany and the United States for this step. We will be able to do more in the sky," Zelenskyy said.

The head of state admitted that there is still a lot of work ahead, and receiving Patriot is "far from guaranteed protection, but more power for Ukraine."

On June 11, the Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany will deliver the third Patriot to the Ukrainian Defense Forces "in the coming weeks and months."

On July 5 , the German ambassador announced that Ukraine received the third Patriot from Germany.

On July 10, the US president announced that the state would provide Ukraine with an additional Patriot, and European allies would strengthen Ukrainian air defense with four more systems.

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Russia gathering forces in Kharkiv Oblast for fresh attacks, military says
Russia has deployed additional assault units near the village of Hlyboke in Kharkiv Oblast to prepare for offensive operations, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, told Interfax Ukraine on July 21.

The village of Hlyboke is located in the north of the Kharkiv Oblast, 7 kilometers (4.6 miles) from the border with Russia and 39 kilometers (24 miles) from the regional center, the city of Kharkiv.

Russia launched its offensive in Kharkiv Oblast on May 10, but the assault quickly stalled. Around 20,000 Russian troops were killed during the failed push in the northeastern region, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia is currently massing new troops near the village of Hlyboke, including assault groups of the 155th Separate Marine Brigade of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the 18th Motorized Rifle Division of the 11th Army Corps, according to Voloshyn.

Russian troops use drones for remote mining of the area, the spokesperson added.

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Russia systemically abuses its soldiers in Ukraine to 'maintain order,' The Insider reports
Russia uses a systematic program of "gulag-style" abuse directed at its soldiers in Ukraine in order to "maintain order" and punish perceived offenders, according to an investigation by the Insider published on July 22.

The abuse of Russian soldiers by their commanders and fellow troops since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine has been previously documented. Problems with military hazing and mistreatment of subordinates by their superiors date back to the Soviet era and were also widely reported in Russia's wars in Chechnya.

According to the Insider, the patterns of abuse of Russian soldiers in Ukraine "borrow heavily from Soviet labor camp traditions."

Russian units have employed "punishment squads" that seek out soldiers who are abusing alcohol, refuse orders, or are simply disliked, and then subject them to a variety of abuse, including beatings and "confinement pits."

One of the issues, the Insider found, is that typical verbal reprimands often work to discipline regular soldiers but not the tens of thousands of convicts who have been recruited to fill the gaps created by massive personnel losses.

"(Former) inmates are impossible to control," one officer told the Insider.

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Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to Visit China
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, will visit China from July 23 to 25 at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi.

This was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China.

"During meetings and negotiations, the parties will exchange views on the current state and prospects of bilateral relations. The main topic of discussion will be finding ways to end Russian aggression and exploring China's potential role in achieving sustainable and just peace," the foreign policy department stated.

In February 2024, Kuleba met with Wang Yi to discuss bilateral relations and trade, and briefed him on the Summit on Peace for Ukraine in Switzerland. "No matter how the international situation changes, China hopes that China-Ukraine relations will develop normally and continue to benefit the two peoples. We will continue to play a constructive role in bringing an early end to the war and re-establishing peace,” Wang Yi said.

China did not participate in the Summit on Peace for Ukraine.

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Georgia puts 300 members of the Georgian Legion on the wanted list

^{Soldiers of the Georgian National Legion}

The special services of Georgia, following the Russian authorities, put Georgian volunteers who fought on the side of Ukraine on the wanted list.

Mamuka Mamulashvili, a commander of the Georgian National Legion fighting for Ukraine, told The Insider.

According to him, about 300 people from the combat unit he led were put on the wanted list in Georgia. Most of them are now in Ukraine.

“I foresaw this development after Russia started putting us on the wanted list. This was done so that the Georgian government would have grounds to arrest us. Russian and Georgian Special Services are working in sync today. Many of our guys who were returning to Georgia were advised by the Georgian special services to leave. They were told: “There are a lot of Russians here, we will not be able to protect you anymore, we ask you to leave,” Mamulashvili says.

In June, a Russian court recognized the Georgian Legion as a terrorist organization. Russia’s Investigative Committee brought more than 70 members of the Legion to justice in absentia and put Mamuka Mamulashvili on the wanted list.

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Neutral Russian athletes accused of breaching rules on Ukraine war ahead of Paris Olympics
A report from a human rights group claims Russian and Belarusian athletes have broken strict Ukraine War-related rules regarding their neutral appearance at the Olympics

Russian and Belarusian athletes will continue to be banned from representing their countries at the Paris 2024 Olympics due to the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but some will be allowed to continue under a neutral banner.

However, those given the exemption are under strict conditions, which a human rights group claims they have breached. Athletes were first banned for the 2022 Commonwealth Games due to the invasion, and that ban is still in place for this summer's Games.

Those wishing to still compete must do so under a neutral flag, and cannot show any support for Vladimir Putin's invasion or offer pro-Russia views on the Ukraine war. However, according to human rights group Global Rights Compliance, ten out of the 15 Russian athletes have broken those rules.

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https://newsukraine.rbc.u(...)s-of-1721630568.html
Russia-Ukraine war: Frontline update as of July 22
Over the past day, July 21, 117 combat engagements were registered in the frontline. Nearly Russian 40 offensive and assault attacks were repelled in the Pokrovsk sector, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Over the past day, 117 combat engagements were recorded.

“Yesterday, the aviation, missile forces, and artillery of the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit a Russian control center, an ammunition depot, four artillery systems, two air defense systems, a radar station, and 15 areas of concentration of Russian personnel and military equipment,” Ukraine's General Staff writes.

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OPFOR Battalion defeats Russian armored group in the Donetsk region

^{Destruction of Russian armored vehicles in the Donetsk region. July, 2024. Footage from the OPFOR Battalion video}

In the Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers defeated a Russian armored group that was trying to break through the defense in the Kurakhove sector.

The video of the destruction of the invaders was published by the press service of the 214th ‘OPFOR’ Separate Special Battalion.

The Russian command sent several armored vehicles with infantry to break through the Ukrainian defense near the village of Kostiantynivka.

The movement of the Russian armored group along a field road was detected by Ukrainian reconnaissance drones.

Then Ukrainian gunners of the 31st Brigade’s self-propelled artillery battalion began to fire at the enemy column.

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Anti-war candidates barred from running in St. Petersburg local elections
All 83 candidates from Yabloko, the only registered party in Russia openly opposed to the war, were barred from running in the St. Petersburg municipal elections, independent news outlet Bumaga reported on Monday.

Yabloko’s spokesman Dmitry Anisimov told journalists that the party would appeal the authorities’ decision in court. Bumaga reported last week that Yabloko candidates had received rejection notices as the party had failed to give them their official endorsement, which its officials said was not true.

A number of candidates from pro-war parties have also been barred from running. A source from Russia’s Communist Party told Bumaga that 244 out of its 427 candidates were blocked from registering in the elections. The Communist Party believes an additional 50 candidates will be denied registration, though a decision has not yet been made.

Other candidates said they had failed to submit their documents in time because of overly long lines at the election committee office, which the nationalist political group Society.Future claimed were full of “fake candidates”.

Opposition candidates running in Russian elections are often forced to drop out, barred from running or face imprisonment. Yabloko, founded in 1993 and currently campaigning under the slogan “For Peace and Freedom”, is a registered liberal political party that hasn’t been represented in the lower house of Russia’s parliament, the State Duma, since 2007 and only has 11 seats in regional parliaments as of 2024.

St. Petersburg residents are due to go to the polls on 6–8 September to elect the city’s next governor and municipal deputies. The election campaign has been marred by controversy, with an 82-year-old anti-war candidate being forced to drop out of the race earlier in July after failing to collect 76,000 signatures required to register her candidacy — an election rule that her supporters said was “drawn up in such a way as to not allow a single independent candidate”.

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Mysterious Russia-Linked Companies Purchase Dozens of Vessels for Russia’s "Shadow Fleet"
Over the past year, little-known companies have bought dozens of vessels capable of transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG), probably for the Russian "shadow fleet", the Financial Times writes.

Industry insiders in the shipping sector report that a group of newly emerged companies, predominantly registered in the United Arab Emirates, have been buying LNG vessels during the last year. This surge in acquisitions has notably increased market prices, particularly affecting the value of older ships.

Kpler, an analytical firm that tracks shipping, has observed that several of the recently acquired tankers are now operating on routes traditionally used for transporting Russian gas.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, LNG has become increasingly vital to Russia's wartime economy. In June, the EU enacted restrictions banning the transfer of Russian LNG from large icebreaking ships to smaller vessels at EU ports. This move substantially restricts Russia's ability to distribute its gas worldwide.

Sergey Vakulenko, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, emphasized that it was a clear strategic move for Russia to expand its LNG dark fleets, especially under increasing pressure on Russian LNG.

In July 2024, the UK imposed sanctions on 11 oil tankers involved in aiding Russia's export of supplies to customers, including some linked to the “shadow fleet”.

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A rare Russian “Zemledeliye” complex has been destroyed

The Ukrainian military has destroyed a Russian engineering system for remote mining.

An artillery reconnaissance unit has discovered a rare Russian “Zemledeliye” complex.

“Zemledelie” is designed to promptly create minefields at a distance of 5 to 15 km.

The system fires rockets that ensure that mines are placed in a specified area.

The system completes minefields of any complexity, including ready-made passages for its troops.

With one salvo, this installation can replace an area equal to several soccer fields.

Thanks to Ukrainian defenders, the system went up in flames along with its ammunition and crew.

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Ukrainian cadets start practice on the ORP Wodnik ship of the Polish Navy

^{Polish training vessel ORP Wodnik (251). Photo credits: Armed Forces of Poland}

The cadets of the National University “Odesa Maritime Academy” have started an internship on the training vessel ORP Wodnik of the Polish Navy.

The press service of the university reported on this.

Ukrainians undergo maritime practice together with their Polish colleagues.

During the internship, they learn navigation, astronavigation, hydrometeorology and maneuvering skills, and get acquainted with the organization of the ship’s service.

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