WAR IN UKRAINE: July 18, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 510
At night, Odessa was attacked by six Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea, all of them were shot down by anti-aircraft defense, officials said. Port infrastructure facilities and several private homes were damaged by fragments of downed missiles and the blast wave from the impact. An elderly man was injured in his own home and was taken to the hospital. Also, 21 Shahed-136 drones were shot down over Odesa Oblast - Suspilne
Ninety percent of businesses in Mykolaiv are closed due to Russia’s full-scale invasion. Almost all large enterprises have stopped working, and only the service sector and trade remain. "That is, small and micro businesses are working," said Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych. The port city hasn’t had running drinking water since early last year.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said damage caused to a major rail and road bridge linking Russia with the Crimean Peninsula will be completely repaired by November 1, while President Vladimir Putin vowed "a response" to the attack, which killed two people. However another official said the damage was irreparable
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia's decision to halt participation in a deal to allow Ukraine to export grain by ship over the Black Sea was "unconscionable” - RFE/RL
Wheat and corn prices on global commodities markets jumped Monday after Russia pulled out. The collapse of the pact threatens to push up food prices for consumers worldwide. In addition to wheat exports, Ukraine is among the world’s top three exporters of barley, maize and rapeseed oil, according to agricultural data firm Gro Intelligence. It is also by far the biggest exporter of sunflower oil, according to the UN - CNN
Britain has sanctioned 14 Russian officials, including two government ministers, for what it says is their role in Russia's forced relocation of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children since the start of Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February last year. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of being responsible for the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine, which constitutes a war crime. The Ukrainian government says it has identified almost 20,000 children who have been deported or separated from their parents or guardians during the war - RFE/RL