WAR IN UKRAINE: July 15, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 507
Russian shelling targeted border areas in Sumy Province in Ukraine's northeast, causing multiple explosions, local officials said on July 15, as Kyiv claimed its troops were advancing against the invading forces in the country's south - RFE/RL
President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee are in Ukraine. It’s the first visit of a S. Korean president to the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted: “We are discussing everything that is important for the normal and safe life of people, for the rules-based international order. The return of deported adults and children, the implementation of the #PeaceFormula and the preparation of the Global Peace Summit, food and energy security and economic cooperation... I am sure together we will give more strength to our nations and the global positions of Ukraine and the Republic of Korea.”
The Wagner Group is not taking part in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, the Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said on July 14, as cited by the Voice of America. "At this stage, we do not see Wagner forces taking any significant role in supporting combat operations in Ukraine," Ryder commented. The Pentagon spokesperson also said that the Ukrainian military already received cluster munitions from the U.S. but did not specify whether it has been deployed in battle yet - Kyiv Independent
France has posthumously awarded its highest honour to an AFP video journalist killed in Ukraine. Arman Soldin, 32, who died in a rocket attack close to Bakhmut in May, was made a knight of the Legion of Honour. French President Emmanuel Macron hailed Soldin's "bravery" in a letter sent to the Agence France-Presse news agency. Soldin is one of at least 17 journalists killed in Ukraine since Russia's invasion, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists - BBC
In a war in which the United Nations has fumbled its response since day one, the organisation has buckled big time. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is offering Moscow relief from sanctions if Russian President Putin agrees to extend a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of grain from Ukraine. Moscow was demanding reconnection of the Russian agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT international payment network. My take: it’s a very regrettable decision and illustrates the desperation on the part of the UNSG - who staked his reputation on the deal - to preserve his legacy. It also rewards the blackmailer - Russia - for weaponising food and will encourage the Kremlin to press for further sanctions relief
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had earlier called for the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative as he invited South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to join what he called a humanitarian initiative to export Ukrainian grain - RFE/RL
Ukraine will have to attract additional 4.5 million employees to the labor market over the next 10 years for a successful recovery, the Economy Ministry said on July 14. The country faced a labor shortage even before the start of the full-scale war, and after the invasion, more than 6 million Ukrainians were forced abroad, the ministry commented. “Recovery of the labor market is not a consequence of victory, it is a path to victory," said Deputy Economy Minister Tetiana Berezhna. According to the World Bank's assessment from March, Ukraine will need at least $411 billion for recovery and reconstruction. This figure equals 2.6 times Ukraine's projected gross domestic product in 2022 - Kyiv Independent
Prigozhin leaves a massive hole of influence difficult to fill, writes analyst Theresa Fallon
“Russia’s internet censor has banned Prigozhin websites and some troll accounts pivoted to criticise the warlord. But the media enterprise still stands in post-mutiny limbo. Prigozhin appears so central to the Kremlin’s subterranean life — from covert military escapades to troll farms — that extracting him has proven difficult, according to Russian elites, people familiar with the media business, and western officials.”
