ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
GSAFU Morning Report
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The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its Operational Information update at 22:00 on July 15 stated that day 873 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine was about to begin.
During the past day, 110 combat engagements took place. Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out missile strikes, 63 air strikes, 373 drone strikes and 3,101 artillery strikes across the positions of Ukrainian forces.
At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers continue to inflict losses in manpower and equipment on the occupying troops, exhausting the enemy along the entire front line and continue to disrupt the plans of Russian occupiers to advance deep into the territory of Ukraine.
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Air Force Daily Report
Over the previous day Eight reconnaissance UAVs were also shot down in the southern and eastern directions: 4 – Orlan-10, 2 – ZALA, 1 – Supercam and one – of an unknown type.
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The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Kharkiv axis: The enemy conducted 16 assault actions supported by aviation, in the vicinity of Vovchansk.
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Kupyansk axis: The enemy tried to advance 3 times against Ukrainian positions near Synkivka and Petropavlivka. The situation is under control.
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Lyman axis: The enemy tried to advance 5 times against Ukrainian positions near Nevske and Terny. The situation is under control.
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Siversk axis: Russian forces carried out 6 assaults in the vicinity of Bilhorivka, Verkhnokamianske, Sprine and Rozdolivka. The situation is under control.
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Kramatorsk axis: The enemy attacked 5 times near the settlements of Hyrhorivka, Chasiv Yar.
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Toretsk axis: The situation is tense in this sector. Russia attacked 12 times near Pivnichne and Nui-York.
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The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Pokrovsk axis: The highest intensity of combat remains in this sector. The enemy conducted 31 attacks against Ukrainian defences in this area over the last day in the vicinity of Novooleksandrívka, Prohes, Novoselivka Persha and Yasnobrodivka.
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Kurakhove axis: The enemy 14 times unsuccessfully attacked our positions near Krasnohorivka and Paraskovivka
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Vremivka axis: The Russians conducted 7 offensive actions near Kostiantynivka, Vodiane and Makarivka, 2 confrontations continue.
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Orikhiv axis: Russia unsuccessfully stormed Ukrainian positions, in the area of Novoandriivka and Small Tokmačka.
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The Odesa operational-strategic group
(Responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea.)
Prydniprovsk axis: In this direction, the situation has not changed significantly. The enemy conducted 3 unsuccessful assault actions on the left bank of the Dnieper.
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TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Nothing to report.
THE HOME FRONT
Apartment Building Struck in Kherson
Three people were rescued and others evacuated from an apartment building struck by artillery in the city of Kherson on the afternoon of July 16. Two apartments caught fire, State Emergency Services report.
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On the upper floors, people were begging for help. Emergency workers took three people out of the smoky room, and two more were evacuated. The injured were given first aid and an ambulance was called.
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The fire has been extinguished.
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Zelenskyy - Ukraine develops own long-range weapons amid Western approval hesitation to deep strike Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, During a press conference in Kyiv, indicated some positive developments in the country’s efforts to gain permission for long-range strikes on Russian territory using West-provided weapons. Euromaidan reports.
“We have begun to receive some positive signals on the use of long-range things: some,” Zelenskyy stated.
He emphasised the strategic importance of being able to retaliate against the source of Russian attacks.
“There is a point from which a rocket or a corresponding bomb flies out, and we understand where it’s coming from, and it’s unfair that we can’t respond to where it came from,” he explained.
Zelenskyy noted Ukraine has been developing its own deep-strike capabilities, including drones, in response to the delays and will use its own weapons if the allies do not grant full permission.
Head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, emphasised that lifting restrictions on weapon use within Russian territory could be a “game-changer” in the war.
Despite some progress, Zelenskyy acknowledged that “striking with long-range weapons in Russia is still an unpopular decision” among allies. He stressed the need for continued advocacy on this issue.
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RUSSIAN WORLD
The Sanctions Squeeze in Russia
On June 12, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed another round of sanctions against Russia, adding dozens of individuals and hundreds of legal entities to the SDN list. Among them were Russia’s largest stock exchange, the Moscow Exchange (MOEX), and its subsidiary, the National Clearing Center, which acts as an intermediary in foreign currency transactions on the Russian exchange market. Meduza reports.
The sanctions essentially blocked MOEX from dealing in dollars, and on the same day, the exchange announced it would halt trading in U.S. dollars and euros. Previously, Russia’s Central Bank used currency trading on the Moscow Exchange to determine the official exchange rate of the dollar and euro against the ruble (based on the weighted average rate, which includes the minimum and maximum values during the trading session, among other criteria). With dollars no longer traded on the exchange, the Central Bank has switched to using bank reports and information from other over-the-counter digital trading platforms to determine the exchange rate.
Since the end of last year, Russian businesses have reported increasing difficulties with payments through banks in China, India, and Turkey, which have become more cautious about the threat of secondary sanctions. This has led to fewer purchases abroad by Russian importers: SberCIB analysts estimated that deliveries of goods in May were about 30 percent lower than would be expected under normal payment infrastructure conditions.
At the end of May, Central Bank analysts warned that if Russian importers continue to face issues with cross-border payments, imports will remain low, thereby supporting the ruble’s exchange rate.
This situation is somewhat reminiscent of the summer of 2022, when the Russian currency also strengthened. However, Central Bank economists noted that back then, there was a shift towards importing goods from Asian countries, which are generally cheaper than European imports. Now, due to ongoing payment and logistics problems, imports will become more expensive in foreign currency terms. This, in turn, will drive up inflation, which is already high. By the end of June, inflation had risen to 8.6 percent year-on-year, up from 8.3 percent at the end of May.
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NEWS WORLDWIDE
Europeans alarmed by Trump VP pick Vance's opposition to Ukraine aid
In February, Europe's political and foreign policy elite heard directly from Senator J.D. Vance on his opposition to military aid for Ukraine and his blunt warning that Europe will have to rely less on the United States to defend the continent. Reuters reports.
If those comments at the annual Munich Security Conference were a first wake-up call, alarm bells are now ringing loudly across the continent after Republican Donald Trump picked Vance as his vice presidential candidate for November's U.S. election.
The pick stoked fears in Europe that if Trump returns to the White House, he will drop, or curb, U.S. support for Kyiv and push Ukraine into peace negotiations to end the war that would give Moscow a substantial slice of Ukraine and embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin to pursue further military adventures.
At the Munich conference, Vance said Putin did not pose an existential threat to Europe, and Americans and Europeans could not provide enough munitions to defeat Russia in Ukraine. He also suggested the United States' strategic priorities lay more in Asia and the Middle East.
That stance is in stark contrast with the view of most European leaders, who argue the West should continue to support Ukraine massively with military aid and say they see no sign of Putin being willing to engage in serious negotiations.
Nils Schmid, the foreign policy spokesperson of Scholz's Social Democrat party - said he had observed Vance in Munich and concluded the senator saw himself as Trump's mouthpiece.
"He takes an even more radical stance on Ukraine than Trump and wants to end military support. In terms of foreign policy, he is more isolationist than Trump," Schmid told Reuters.
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Orbán’s “peace mission” backfires, prompting calls for Hungary’s EU voting rights suspension
In a letter to top EU officials, 63 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) criticised Viktor Orbán’s diplomatic outreach to Russia and China and called for the suspension of Hungary’s voting rights in the Council, as “mere verbal condemnations have no effect.” Euromaidan reports.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are calling for Hungary’s EU voting rights to be suspended following Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s controversial diplomatic visits to Russia and China, Politico reports.
This follows Orbán’s proposal for Ukraine to cease fire and start negotiations with Russia, which Zelenskyy rejected, especially as Hungary had been opposing military aid to Ukraine for the past two years of the full-scale invasion.
“The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union has barely started, and Prime Minister Orbán has already caused significant damage by exploiting and abusing the role of the Council Presidency,” the letter states.
They argue that the Hungarian Prime Minister abuses the role of the Council Presidency and misrepresents his authority, claiming to represent the EU without proper authorization during these visits.
“In his so-called “peace mission” Prime Minister Orbán deliberately left the impression that he was acting on behalf of the entire European Union, whereas in reality he has no authority to represent the EU or any other EU Member States apart from his own,” they wrote.
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MILITARY & TECH
Azov Brigade armed with FV432 armoured personnel carriers
The Azov One NGO, with the support of the Prytula Foundation, has transferred a batch of armoured vehicles to the 12th “Azov” Special Forces Brigade. Militarnyi reports
The donors transferred 15 FV432 armoured personnel carriers and 2 FV434 armoured repair and recovery vehicles worth UAH 77 million to the soldiers.
The funds were raised by the rear service and fundraising department of the Azov One. With the support of Prytula Foundation’s specialists, they were purchased and brought from the UK to Ukraine.
“Azov One” turned to us for help because we have expertise in purchasing armoured vehicles. Together with volunteers, we found the necessary equipment in warehouses in the UK, obtained an export licence, and brought it to Ukraine,” Prytula said.
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The FV432 was developed in the UK in the 1960s and is broadly similar in its capabilities the US M113 armoured personnel carrier
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Czech company to produce Colt ammunition and assault rifles in Ukraine
Ukraine and Czechia signed two agreements in the defence industry. The agreements concern the production of ammunition and Colt assault rifles, stated Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a press conference with his Czech counterpart Petr Fiala. RBC Ukraine reports.
According to Shmyhal, during the meeting with Fiala, they discussed supplying new types of weapons for the Ukrainian military, training and rehabilitation of soldiers, and new joint projects. Additionally, two agreements were signed in the defence industry sector.
"Today, among other agreements in the defence industry sector, we have signed two important agreements. A new ammunition factory will be built in Ukraine - an agreement signed between Sellier & Bellot and Ukroboronservice," Shmyhal said.
The second signed agreement is for the production of Colt CZ Group assault rifles in Ukraine. This agreement is between Ceska Zbrojovka and a corresponding Ukrainian enterprise. Shmyhal did not specify which one, citing security concerns.
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