Sunday, July 7

Russia’s war against Ukraine

On July 6, 2024, people gathered at Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, for the funeral of British volunteer and combat medic Peter Fouche. Arriving in March 2022, Fouche helped establish a field hospital in Brovary near Kyiv. He officially joined the Armed Forces as a combat medic in January 2024 and was mortally wounded on the eastern front in late June. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

White House: Biden may hold bilateral meeting with Zelensky during NATO summit. “And while the president will have quite a busy schedule given his commitment as the host of the summit, we’re working to set up several bilats and meetings with various world leaders on the margins of the summit, including President Zelensky, again, as I mentioned earlier,” the official said. ’And we’ll have more information on those to share in the coming days.“

Russia hit mock-ups during recent attacks on airfield, Patriot launchers, Ukraine’s Air Force says. Russian forces hit mock-ups of warplanes and Patriot air defense launchers during recent missile attacks that Russian sources claimed had destroyed a Mig-29 aircraft and two Patriot batteries, Ukraine’s Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on July 6.

Ukraine working on new maritime strategy, Zelensky says. The Ukrainian government is working on a new maritime strategy that will be soon approved by the National Security and Defense Council, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 6.

Poll: More and more Russians think a nuclear strike on Ukraine is justified. In polling released on July 4, 10% of respondents said they believed such an attack could “definitely” be justified, while 24% said “probably.”

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

Ukraine calls for ban on Russian athletes at Olympics due to evidence of non-neutrality. Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) and Sports Ministry called on July 5 for Russian athletes to be barred from participating in the upcoming Olympics in Paris due to evidence of their support for the Russian military, violating neutrality rules.

Russian milblogger video captures alleged Ukrainian drone strike on oil depot. “Romanov” appears to have been at the scene of an earlier drone strike and was filming rescue services in the area.

Read our exclusives

French far-right surge threatens the country’s commitment to Ukraine

France is gearing up for its second round of legislative elections scheduled for July 7, which could provide the far-right National Rally (RN) with a historic victory and their first-ever chance to appoint a prime minister.

Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev / Sputnik / AFP via Getty Images

Old guard pushback continues to haunt Ukraine’s arms procurement cleanup

Transforming the previous leadership’s bad business practices is a monumental task for a warring country reliant on Western weaponry, and foreign companies make matters worse by upping prices for Ukraine.  

Photo: Danylo Pavlov / The Kyiv Independent

Human cost of war

Mediazona confirms identities of over 58,200 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine. Through open-source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 58,207 Russian soldiers who had been killed since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Military: Russia has lost up to 5,000 soldiers fighting for one district of Chasiv Yar. Russia has lost up to 5,000 service members in the fighting over one district of the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces, said on July 6.

International response

Allies fear Biden may struggle to defeat Trump, express concern about Ukraine, Politico reports. Diplomats and world leaders, preparing for next week’s NATO summit, are privately voicing significant concerns about U.S. President Joe Biden’s age, health, and his ability to secure victory in the 2024 presidential election.

Estonia delivers Mistral air defense systems to Ukraine – here’s what they can do. “Let’s keep supporting Ukrainian freedom fighters. Together, we can stop Russian aggression,” it said in a post on social media.

Le Pen against France providing long-range missiles, troops to Ukraine. French far-right politician Marine Le Pen said in an interview with CNN on July 5 that her party is against continuing to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles and the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine.

Turkey proposes ‘peace platform’ to end war in Ukraine. “A peace platform that will prevent deepening polarization, has high participation and representation, and prioritizes diplomacy should be established,” he said.

Stoltenberg: NATO summit will discuss cooperation between Ukraine, South Korea. Though Stoltenberg didn’t refer to it, Seoul said it would consider supplying Ukraine with weapons in response to Moscow’s recently announced security agreement with North Korea.

Japan, Cambodia collaborate to share demining expertise with Ukraine, other countries. Japan’s foreign minister announced a collaborative initiative with Cambodia on July 6 to share land mine removal knowledge and technology with countries worldwide, including Ukraine.

In other news

14 killed, 1 injured in road accident in Rivne Oblast, Interior Minister says. A bus collided with a truck in Rivne Oblast, killing 14 people, including a 6-year-old child, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported on July 6.

Chinese military personnel arrive in Belarus for joint exercises. The exercises aim to “exchange experience, coordinate Belarusian and Chinese units, and create a foundation for the further development of Belarusian-Chinese relations in the field of joint training of troops,” according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Olga Rudenko, Elsa Court, Oleg Sukhov, Chris York, Dinara Khalilova, and Olena Goncharova.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program. Start supporting independent journalism today.