LIVE – War in Ukraine: Russian region of Belgorod hit by dozens of artillery strikes

bombing

The Russian region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, has come under dozens of artillery fire in the past 24 hours, the region’s governor said on Friday, rocked by armed incursions earlier in the week.

In a telegram, Vyacheslav Klatkov noted that the village of Kozynka in Kraivoron district, where the incursion took place, was hit by 132 bombs by two Russian armed groups fighting for Kiev. Several buildings were damaged in the area, again according to the governor, there were no casualties.

DNIPRO

A Russian missile hit a clinic in Dnipro, Ukraine, local officials said on Friday. “A missile attack was launched against a clinic in the city of Dnipro. One person was killed and fifteen others were injured,” Volodymyr Zelensky condemned. In a video accompanying the message from the Ukrainian president, buildings can be seen badly damaged and billowing with black smoke.

Detention

US Wall Street Journal reporter Ivan Gershkovich, who was arrested in March on espionage charges in Russia that he denies, has appealed to extend his pretrial detention, according to court filings released Friday.

According to the website of the Moscow City Court, the journalist’s defense appealed the judge’s decision on Tuesday to extend the pre-trial detention until August 30, pending the trial.

Reconstruction

Large 3D printers are being used in Ukraine to help with reconstruction. LCI teams monitored one of these sites and within days a school emerged from the ground.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan on Friday ruled out the possibility of consolidating a closer union on the model between Russia and Belarus. “Kazakhstan has no intention of creating a union of states, whatever it may be,” insists President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s spokesman.

Update on the situation

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that Russia has begun transferring nuclear weapons to his country. For its part, Moscow has not eased the pressure and continues nightly bombings in Kiev. Here are the highlights from the last 24 hours.

Jean Francois Colosimo

“Over 50 Years? A Century? “The Crucifixion of Ukraine”, in LCI.

Russian nuclear weapons transferred to Belarus

“The Ukrainian counteroffensive is clearly not knowing its boundaries. It’s a threat again!”, assessed this Friday Jean-Francois Colosimo, historian, “Crusade of Ukraine” on LCI. And add: “This is not a military threat, but a political one. He is trying to sanctify his political power.”

Jean Francois Colosimo

“The more this war spreads, the less Putin is really involved in what’s going on in this war,” historian Jean-Francois Colosimo, author of “The Crucifixion of Ukraine” at LCI, assessed this Friday. And to emphasize: “Putin is not crazy, but he is missing reality.”

Imported from Ukraine

The European Union agreed on Thursday to suspend restrictions on imports from Ukraine for another year, The Guardian reported. A decision welcomed by Volodymyr Zelensky promised to respect the EU’s standards to get 27 members.

As a reminder, in June 2022, the EU eliminated customs duties and other restrictions for 12 months.

Bombing of Kiev

Russian forces bombarded Kyiv overnight from Thursday into Friday, and the city’s civil-military administration said all missiles had been intercepted and destroyed. “Another airstrike in Kyiv, 13th in a row since early May! Always, at night,” the administration blasted on its Telegram account. According to him, the cruise missiles were launched from the Caspian Sea by Tu-95MS strategic bombers. “According to preliminary information, all enemy targets in Kyiv airspace have been identified and destroyed,” he added.

New restrictions in Japan

Tokyo said on Friday it had imposed additional sanctions on Russia, in line with a commitment by G7 nations at a summit in Hiroshima (western Japan) last weekend. The Land of the Rising Sun will freeze the assets of 17 Russian nationals and 78 organizations and ban the export of goods and services to 80 Russian companies, government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno announced.

Scholes-Putin

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday he was ready to reconnect with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine “when the time comes”, with whom he has not spoken since December. “It’s been a while since my last phone conversation. But when the time comes, I’d like to talk to Putin again,” the leader said.

Nevertheless, he warns, “Russia must understand that reaching some kind of cold peace will turn the current front line into a new border between Russia and Ukraine, which will only legitimize the itinerant Putin.”

An unlikely Russian military victory

Russia will not win the war in Ukraine by military alone, US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Mille has reiterated, warning that Kiev may not be able to quickly withdraw all Russian forces from its territory.

Russia’s initial intentions, especially to overthrow the Ukrainian government, “cannot be achieved by military means, it will not work”, the highest-ranking American ruled. On the other hand, there are currently hundreds of thousands of Russian troops in Ukraine, which makes the Ukrainian goal of retaking all of its territory “in the short term” impossible, he continued.

Live

Hello and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to events in Ukraine.