WAR IN UKRAINE: July 2, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 494
An overnight Russian missile and drone attack targeted Odesa & Mykolaiv oblasts and Kyiv. Air defences shot down three ‘Kalibr’ missiles around Odesa and 8 drones over Kyiv. Drone fragments caused some property damage in Kyiv oblast - Ukrainian media
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrived in Kyiv early on July 1 to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky on the first day of Madrid's presidency at the EU Council. Sánchez told Ukraine's parliament, Verkhovna Rada, on July 1 that over 55-million Euros would be allocated through the World Bank to support businesses and equip schools with environment-friendly energy systems - Kyiv Independent
Russian and Ukrainian forces were battling throughout eastern and southern Ukraineas Kyiv asserted a possible shift in the strategic balance, while a U.S. report hinted at Ukrainian hopes for a possible endgame that could lead to peace talks in the 15-month-old full-scale Russian invasion - RFE/RL
In a growing public tide of unease over the pace of western military support, Zelensky expressed weariness over pilot's training courses' on F-16 jet fighters, hinting at Western partners' lack of will.
Debris from the explosion at the Kakhovka HPP continues to flow onto the beaches of the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa. The authorities have prohibited swimming in the Black Sea due to high levels of contamination as well as the threat of mines.
In a recent survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), the devastating toll of Russia’s war against Ukraine has come to light. The study found that an overwhelming 76 percent of respondents have close relatives and friends who have either lost their lives or suffered injuries as a direct consequence of Russian aggression. On average, each of the interviewees named seven such people. Furthermore, the survey revealed that 64 percent of Ukrainians have at least one close relative or friend who sustained injuries during the conflict, with an average of five wounded loved ones per respondent. Equally poignant is the revelation that 63 percent of participants have experienced the loss of at least one close relative or friend, amounting to an average of three deceased loved ones per respondent.