Combat operations continue in Ukraine. During the night of Thursday to Friday, Russia “attacked Ukraine with 17 Iranian-made Shahed 136/131 combat drones from the southeast”the Ukrainian military said on Telegram on Friday, July 14. These drones, manufactured by Iran, caused heavy damage since the beginning of the Russian invasion. kyiv assured to have destroyed 16. Franceinfo summarizes what to remember from the day on the side of the conflict in Ukraine.
Kyiv’s counter-offensive ‘not moving so fast’
A military spokesman reported that the Ukrainian army had advanced 1.7 kilometers in a week towards Melitopol, in the southern area of the front. Ukrainian Armed Forces “continue to carry out offensive operations” in the direction of this important Ukrainian city under the control of Russia, specified during a briefing colonel Mykola Ourchalovitch.
However, the kyiv counter-offensive, faced with resistance from Russian forces, “don’t go so fast”admitted the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration Andriï Yermak. “If we see that something is not right, we will say so. Nobody is going to embellish”, he added. Ukraine will not negotiate with Russia as long as Moscow’s troops are on Ukrainian territory, Andriï Yermak also argued. “Our position is very clear. Even thinking about these negotiations is only possible after Russian troops leave our territory”the official said.
Erdogan says he is confident about a renewal of the cereals agreement
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his confidence on Friday on the future of Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea. “We are preparing to welcome Mr. Putin in August. Putin and I agree on the extension of the grain corridor in the Black Sea”, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the press, who was waiting for him in front of the mosque in Istanbul. The Turkish president said he had exchanged with the head of the Kremlin without saying when this call took place.
The agreement which sealed the birth of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed in July 2022 in Istanbul, already renewed twice, expires Monday evening. Over the past year, it has enabled nearly 33 million tonnes of cereals, mainly wheat and corn, to be taken out of Ukrainian ports despite the war.
Wagner fighters are “instructors” in Belarus
The fighters of the paramilitary group Wagner began to work as “instructors” for the territorial defense forces of Belarus, Minsk announced on Friday, three weeks after their abortive rebellion in Russia. “Training sessions with units of territorial troops are taking place near Asipovichy”in the east of the country, reported the Belarusian Ministry of Defense, adding that these conscripts learn, among other things, “the techniques of movement on the battlefield and tactical shooting”. “Wagner’s fighters act as instructors in a number of military disciplines”adds the Belarusian ministry.
Berlin pledges long-term military support to Kyiv
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday promised Ukraine military support worth around 17 billion euros until 2027 to help it repel the Russian invasion. After the United States, Germany is the second largest contributor in terms of military aid for Ukraine, recalled the German leader, during his traditional summer press conference in Berlin. “We have calculated that from the beginning of the war until 2027, we will probably spend 17 billion euros on arms deliveries to Ukraine from Germany or financed by Germany”said Mr. Scholz.
In a German government document published on its website on Wednesday, military aid to Ukraine breaks down as follows: 2 billion euros in 2022, around 5.4 billion euros this year and around 10.5 billion euros until 2027. This support comes from German army stocks but also from equipment delivered by manufacturers, sometimes in cooperation with other partners.