The Ukraine war is currently developing a new dynamic. The reason for this are Russian provocations on several fronts: The situation around the Black Sea in particular is a cause for concern.
- Wagner mercenaries in Belarus: Poland reacts to “provocation”
- battle for Bachmut: Russian forces ‘half surrounded’
- Height Russian losses: Ukraine publishes current figures
- The information processed here comes from international media and news agencies, but also from the warring parties Russia, Ukraine and their allies. In particular, the information on losses suffered by the armies involved in the Ukraine war cannot be independently verified.
Update from July 21, 11:05 am: According to the Guardians the air alert for eastern Ukraine was lifted again. It is still unclear whether the report of the launch of supersonic rockets was a false report. Meanwhile, the news agency reports AP, the Last night’s attack on Odessa was “minor compared to the attacks of the last few days”. AP but quotes Ukrainian military spokeswoman Natalia Humeniuk as saying: “The enemy is continuing the terror and it is undoubtedly related to the grain deal.”
Update from July 21, 10:45 am: The Ukrainian State Radio Supilne reports the launch of Russian Onyx supersonic missiles in the direction of Odessa, citing the Ukrainian Air Force. The statement cannot be independently verified.
Ukraine declares air alert over the entire eastern territory of the country
Update from July 21, 10:15 a.m.: An air alert has been declared in the Odessa region. It is not uncommon for Ukraine to have air alerts during the day. However, people in the Odessa region are particularly sensitive at the moment after Russia attacked the port city for four consecutive days this week. The air alert has since been extended to the entirety of eastern Ukraine.
High Russian losses: Ukraine publishes current figures
Update from July 21, 9:45 a.m.: Russia continues to suffer high losses in the Ukraine war. According to Ukraine, more than 240,000 Russian soldiers have been killed and around 4,100 tanks destroyed. This current information from the Ukrainian military leadership cannot be independently verified. Russia itself does not provide any information about its own losses in the Ukraine war.
- soldiers: 240,690 (+680 to the previous day)
- tank: 4133 (+4)
- Armored Combat Vehicles: 8080 (+15)
- artillery systems: 44610 (+18)
- Multiple rocket launcher systems: 692 (+0)
- vehicles and tankers: 7145 (+11)
- Combat and reconnaissance drones: 3933 (+15)
- Source: General Staff of Ukraine data as of July 21, 2023
- Note: According to calculations by independent Russian media, around 47,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the Ukraine war so far. This was the result of a data analysis based on the number of inheritance cases opened and the statistics on excess mortality in the past year, reported the Meduza Internet portal involved in the evaluation at the beginning of July. These figures differ greatly from those published by the Ukrainian side.
Because of Wagner mercenaries: Poland moves troops to the eastern border
Update from July 21, 9:20 a.m.: Poland is moving troops from the west to the east, where the country borders Belarus. The safety committee decided that, says its secretary, Zbigniew Hoffmann, according to the Polish news agency PAP. The decision was taken against the background that there could be a possible threat from Russian Wagner mercenaries who are in Belarus.
A video was published on Wednesday showing Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin welcoming his mercenaries in Belarus. A day later, the local Ministry of Defense announced that Wagner mercenaries had begun training special military units at a military base near the Polish border. “The training or joint exercise of the Belarusian army and the Wagner group is undoubtedly a provocation,” says Hoffmann. “The committee analyzed possible threats, such as the relocation of Wagner Group units. Therefore, the Minister of National Defense and Chairman of the Committee, Mariusz Blaszczak, decided to move our military formations from the west to the east of Poland.” Poland is a member of the EU and NATO.
Again air raids on the port city of Odessa
Update from July 21, 8:15 a.m.: Russia has again attacked grain terminals in the ports of southern Ukraine’s Odessa Oblast. Two people were injured in airstrikes, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. “Unfortunately, the grain terminals of an agricultural enterprise in the Odessa region were hit. The enemy destroyed 100 tons of peas and 20 tons of barley.”
Russian forces ‘half surrounded’ in Bakhmut
Update from July 21, 5:40 a.m.: The commander of Ukraine’s land forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, told the BBC that Russian forces were “semi-encircled” in Bakhmut and that Ukraine had set the stage for the city to be retaken. “At the moment, the deployment of Russian troops resembles an arc, concentrated in Bakhmut. And they are half circled,” Syrskyi said.
According to the commander, recapturing Bakhmut would be of significant strategic value as the town serves as a transport hub allowing Russian forces to advance further. Syrsky did not give a timeframe for Buchmut’s recapture, but assured that it would happen “as soon as possible”.
Update from July 21, 5:15 a.m.: The US government also warned again that Russia could expand its attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea after withdrawing from the international grain agreement and then blame them on Ukraine. “Our information indicates that Russia has continued to lay sea mines in the approaches to Ukrainian ports,” said National Security Council communications director John Kirby. “And yesterday we observed that Russia released video of the discovery and detonation of what they claimed was a Ukrainian sea mine.” It is possible that this video could be a “harbinger” of a false flag attack.
Waiting for access to roofs of Zaporizhia NPP
KIEV – Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency continue to wait for access to the roofs of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian troops. The specialists carried out further inspections of the facility earlier in the week, but so far have not discovered any visible signs of explosives or mines, said IAEA Director Rafael Grossi, according to a report by the agency on Thursday. According to Grossi, the IAEA continues to demand access to the roofs of the reactors and their turbine halls.
A week ago, the head of the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, had rejected allegations that Moscow was allegedly planning to blow up the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
Current figures from the Ukraine war: Kiev reports high Russian losses
Ukrainian culture minister resigns
The Ukrainian Minister of Culture, Olexander Tkachenko, has resigned after dissatisfaction with the way state funds are handled. There had been “a wave of misunderstandings about the importance of culture in times of war,” Tkachenko said on Telegram late Thursday evening as an explanation for his move. After that, he was surprised by a statement by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on this subject.
Zelenskyi said in his evening video address on Thursday that he had asked Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal to consider replacing Tkachenko.
Zelenskyj calls for limitations on non-military spending
Ukraine’s president is urging his government to limit spending in times of war. “In a time of war like this, the maximum amount of state attention and thus state resources should flow into defense,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his evening video address.
He urges to find alternative financing options for really necessary projects. “This applies to various areas, including culture. Museums, cultural centers, TV series are important, but we have other priorities”. (With agency material)