WAR IN UKRAINE: July 29, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 156
The center of Kharkiv was struck twice in the early hours of Friday, according to the northeastern city's Mayor Ihor Terekhov. In a Telegram post, Terekhov said there were strikes around 4:09 a.m. at a two-story building and an educational institution - CNN
Russia has carried out deadly strikes across Ukraine yesterday, as Kyiv stepped up its efforts to retake the occupied southern Kherson region. In the bloodiest attack, five people were killed and 25 injured when missiles struck the central city of Kropyvnytskyi, local officials said. Near Kyiv, 15 people were hurt at a military base. Ukraine's northern and southern regions were also hit - BBC
A key bridge into the city of Kherson is now out of action after Ukrainian forces earlier struck it again with long-range rockets supplied by the US. This makes it impossible for Russia to send deployments and weaponry over the Antonivsky Bridge. UK defence officials say the only Ukrainian regional capital seized since the start of the Russian invasion on 24 February is now "virtually cut off from other occupied territories" - BBC
Ukrainian officials have condemned Turkish football fans who chanted Russian leader Vladimir Putin's name at a Champions League clash in Istanbul. Thousands of Fenerbahce supporters joined in the chant after their team conceded a goal to Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kyiv. Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said the incident had "saddened" him deeply. Dynamo Kyiv won the match 2-1, having drawn 0-0 in the first leg played in Poland because of Russia's invasion - BBC
Russia captured Chornobyl with the help of long-embedded secret agents. A Reuters investigation discovered that Russia sent its agents to Ukraine long before the invasion to establish contacts with officials and prepare the ground for a takeover.
Since March, Russian private military company (PMC) Wagner Group has operated in eastern Ukraine in coordination with the Russian military, according to British military intelligence. Wagner has likely been allocated responsibility for specific sectors of the front line, in a similar manner to normal army units. This is a significant change from the previous employment of the group since 2015, when it typically undertook missions distinct from overt, large-scale regular Russian military activity. This new level of integration further undermines the Russian authorities’ long-standing policy of denying links between PMCs and the Russian state. Wagner’s role has probably changed because the Russian MoD has a major shortage of combat infantry, however Wagner forces are highly unlikely to be sufficient to make a significant difference in the trajectory of the war.
Russian soldiers rounded up and detained Ukrainian civilians who aren’t suspected of any specific crimes have been held for days or weeks while authorities check their backgrounds and credentials in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Read the Globe and Mail report here
With every passing day, it is becoming clearer that Russia is committing the gravest crime imaginable in Ukraine: genocide. Russian forces have ravaged many parts of the country, massacring, raping, torturing, deporting, and terrorizing a vulnerable civilian population. A chilling logic lies behind these acts of violence, one that seeks to extinguish Ukrainian national identity, wiping out modern Ukraine as an independent country through the killing and the Russification of its residents. Read the full Foreign Affairs article by Kristina Hook here
CNN Opinion: Odesa Used to be Known for two Things: the Port and Raucous Hedonism
In years gone by, Odesa was Ukraine's "Pearl of the Black Sea," where you would normally at this time of year see locals and holidaymakers jostling for space on its tempting sands. As day turned into evening, fashionable couples would be seen strolling its famed Deribasovskaya Street and youngsters flocking to its clubs that pulsated well into the night.
Now, more than five months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, this historic holiday destination -- which many famous poets, writers, architects and musicians have called home -- has been transformed into ground zero of the global food crisis.
Read my full CNN Opinion OpEd here