WAR IN UKRAINE: July 13, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 504
Soon after the NATO wrapped up its summit in Lithuania, Russia responded overnight with a heavy drone attack on Kyiv - triggering fires and falling debris in several districts and killing at least one person, officials said. The body of one resident was recovered when emergency services put out a fire in the capital's historic Podil district. Anti aircraft guns could be heard engaging with targets just after 1am here in Kyiv
The number of wounded in yesterday's attack on Zaporizhzhia rose to 20. Eight are children.
In a statement on Telegram, the Air Force said attack drones fired by Russian forces were destroyed mostly in the Kyiv region. Russia also fired two cruise missiles from the Black Sea and one ballistic missile from Crimea, it said. “Anti-aircraft missile units, fighter aircraft, mobile firing groups of the Air Force and air defense of other components of the Ukrainian Defense Forces were involved in repelling the enemy attack,” the statement added - CNN
A popular Russian state television program appeared to confirm the death of a Russian general in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials had claimed that Oleg Tsokov, the deputy commander of the Southern Military District, was among a number of Russians killed in a Ukrainian missile strike Tuesday. The attack was targeted on a Russian headquarters in the occupied city of Berdyansk, Ukrainian officials said. Independent analysts and CNN’s own tally indicate that Russia has lost about 10 generals in combat since the invasion began.
US President Joe Biden and G7 leaders unveiled a substantial show of support for Ukraine at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, offering a joint declaration of support for Kyiv aimed at bolstering the war-torn country’s military capability. However, there was still no invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance. In his nightly address after the summit, President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed optimism about Ukraine’s path to becoming a member of NATO - CNN
The Wagner Group is completing the transfer of over 2,000 pieces of military equipment to the Russian Defense Ministry according to the official statement from July 12. This includes hundreds of heavy weapons, such as T-90, T-80, and T72B3 tanks, Grad and Uragan multiple-launch rocket systems, and Pantsir anti-aircraft systems, the defense ministry wrote - Kyiv Independent
Ivan Popov, commander of the 58th Army of the Russian armed formations, currently in Zaporizhzhia, who was removed from his position earlier today says that Ukrainian artillery and missile strikes are causing significant casualties to the occupiers holding defence. Explaining in an audio message, Popov says he delivered a damning report about the state of Russian counter-battery fire directly to Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov which resulted in his immediate dismissal. In a four-minute audio message, Popov talks about betrayal from the most senior military leadership, echoing the sentiment expressed by Wagner mercenaries: “A difficult situation with the leadership emerged. It was a choice between remaining silent and afraid and saying what they wanted to hear, or calling things for what they are. In your name, in the name of all perished comrades-in-arms, I didn’t have the right to lie. Hence I named all the problems that exist today in the army regarding operations, supply. I pointed the attention to the most important tragedy of the modern war - the lack of counter-battery fire, lack of artillery reconnaissance stations, and mass casualties and injuries of our brothers from enemy artillery. I also raised a number of other issues, expressed them to the highest levels, did it openly and very brutally. Due to this, the seniors likely felt some danger in me and instantly, in one day, put together an order to the Minister of Defence and got rid of me. As many commanders of regiments and divisions said today, our army was not broken through the front, but our most senior commander hit us in the back, thus treacherously beheading the army in the most difficult period."
Russia's economic woes are worsening, with the latest blow coming in the form of a collapse in its current account. The nation posted a current-account surplus of $5.4 billion for the April-June quarter, which marks a 93% plunge from a record $76.7 billion in the same period of 2022, Russia's central bank data show. That's also the smallest excess since the third quarter of 2020. It shows the heavy blow that Western economic sanctions – imposed on Moscow in response to its war on Ukraine – have dealt to the country's economy, by squeezing its energy exports. The worsening trade dynamics are also reflected in the plunging fortunes of the ruble. The Russian currency tumbled to a 15-month low of around 94.48 per dollar earlier in July, hit hard by the country's weakening terms of trade - Business Insider