During his visit to the troops in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Minister Shoigu demands that the attacks be expanded. Meanwhile, Kremlin-backed occupiers are exporting grain on a grand scale. And there is a new twist in the dispute over the gas turbine for Nord Stream 1. The 142nd day of the war at a glance.
Schoigu gives the order to attack "in all directions"
During an inspection of the troops involved in the war, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered an expansion of the attacks on the neighboring country. "After hearing (the situation report), the head of the Russian Defense Ministry gave the necessary instructions to expand the activities of the army groups in all directions of attack in order to deprive the Kiev regime of the possibility of further massive artillery and rocket attacks on infrastructure and civilians in the Donbass and in other regions," said the ministry. It is Shoigu's second inspection of Russian forces in Ukraine. The first took place at the end of June.
Dispute over gas turbine: Gazprom demands return of Siemens group
Meanwhile, Gazprom is asking the Siemens group to return the turbine repaired in Canada so that the Nord Stream 1 pipeline can continue to operate. Gazprom submitted an official request for return on July 15, the Russian company said.
A Siemens spokesman said no information on the condition of the turbine or its current location is being released at this time. Because of the Western sanctions, it was initially unclear whether it would be possible to return the repaired turbine from Canada. Last weekend, Ottawa gave the green light for the export to Germany. The Siemens group then declared that it wanted to install the turbine quickly.
After operational break: Russia continues fighting in Donbass
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian armed forces, after regrouping their forces, have stepped up attacks in the east of the country. In the past 24 hours, Ukraine has fended off Russian assault attempts in the direction of Bakhmut and in front of Donetsk, the general staff in Kyiv said. "After a regrouping, the enemy has resumed the attack on the Wuhlehirsk thermal power plant, the fighting is continuing," it said. The information cannot be verified independently.
However, military experts from the Institute for the Study of the War (ISW) have also observed that Russian troops are ending the breather they had after capturing the Sievarodonetsk/Lysychansk conurbation. At the moment it is still a matter of minor skirmishes. "If the operational break is actually over, the Russians will probably continue and intensify their attacks in the next 72 hours," said the analysis of the ISW.
Russian occupiers brag about stealing grain
The Russian-backed separatist administration in the Zaporizhia region in south-eastern Ukraine says it exports grain on a large scale. "More than 100 wagons have already been dispatched, and another contract for 150,000 tons has been signed with a grain dealer," said the head of the Russian military administration in Zaporizhia, Yevgeny Belitzki, on his Telegram channel.
Belitzki does not provide any information on where the grain is to be taken. However, the grain can only be transported by rail to Russia or to the Crimea peninsula, which Russia has annexed since 2014. According to Ukrainian sources, around 70 tons of grain can be transported in a typical local railway wagon.
Ukrainian Army: Russia fires missiles from Caspian Sea
According to information from Kyiv, Russia launched rocket fire at Ukraine from the Caspian Sea region. Four out of a total of six missiles were intercepted over the Dnipro areas in the east and Zaporizhia in the south, the Ukrainian air force said. Two more struck an agricultural area in the central Ukrainian region of Cherkasy. The damage is still being investigated.
In addition to Russia, the South Caucasus Republic of Azerbaijan and Central Asian Kazakhstan also border the Caspian Sea. According to the Ukrainian account, long-range bombers of the Tupolev Tu-95 type were used in the shelling.
Moscow confirms rocket attack on Dnipro city
According to the Defense Ministry, Russia has destroyed the factory of an armaments supplier in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Parts for ballistic missiles of the Totschka-U type were produced there. In addition, Russian forces shot down three planes and two helicopters from Ukraine, the ministry said.
British intelligence accuses Moscow of making false statements
According to British intelligence experts, Russia has repeatedly made false statements about alleged successes in its invasion of Ukraine. The scope and scale of Russian advances remain limited, the Defense Ministry's daily intelligence update said in London. The statement made by the Russians a few days ago that they had advanced into the city of Siwersk was not true. "Russia has previously made hasty and false claims of success," it said. The reason for this is probably at least in part the desire to demonstrate successes to the population at home and to strengthen the morale of their own troops.
Kharkiv governor: Three dead in Russian attack
Three people were killed in a Russian airstrike on the city of Chuuiv in the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine, according to the local governor. Among them was a 70-year-old woman, Governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram. In addition, three people were injured. A residential building, a school and a shop were damaged. Rescue workers searched the rubble for other possible victims, Synehubov wrote.
The G20 ministers cannot agree on Ukraine
The meeting of G20 finance ministers in Indonesia ended without a joint final declaration. At their two-day meeting on the island of Bali, the representatives of the 20 leading industrial and emerging countries could not agree whether a statement on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine should be included, said Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
However, all participants agreed that the global food crisis must be addressed. "We all agreed that food supply insecurity requires attention, action and appropriate policies, and that is why we discussed how to address supply disruptions," said the minister. Your country holds the presidency of the G20 this year and is therefore the host of all meetings.
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