According to the military, Ukraine is withdrawing from the eastern district of Chasiv Yar

July 4, 2024

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Important developments on July 4th:

According to the military, Ukraine is withdrawing from the eastern district of Chasiv Yar
Media: Orban meets Putin in Moscow after Kyiv visit
14 brigades under-armed, help arrives too slowly, Selenskyj comments on the situation on the battlefield
Russia attacks port facilities near Odessa, one dead and seven injured
97 percent of Russian missiles, drones and bombs hit civilian infrastructure, says diplomat

Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the Kanal district of the contested city of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, Nazar Voloshin, spokesman for the Khortytsia force, said on state television on July 4.

The decision was made because defensive positions in the neighborhood were destroyed and the commanders agreed to withdraw better protected positionssaid Voloshin.

After Taking Avdiivka in February, Russian forces shifted their focus to Chasiv Yara high-altitude town that potentially paves the way for Russia’s further advances into Donetsk Oblast.

Voloshyn said in late June that Russian troops had been repelled from the Canal District, but that they not given up their intention to achieve a breakthrough in the Chasiv Yar area.

Russian forces have intensified their offensive in Donetsk Oblast, concentrating primarily on Chasiv Yar.

The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on July 2 that the fighting in recent weeks had been particularly fierce in order to City of Toretsklocated about 25 kilometers south of Chasiv Yar.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will visit Moscow on July 5 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported on July 4, citing an unnamed source in the Hungarian government.

Orban’s trip could take place a few days after the first visit to Ukraine since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion. The Hungarian prime minister urged a Ceasefire proposalwhich was rejected by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to the Point of sale Source, Orban is accompanied by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who has visited Russia at least five times since the beginning of total war.

Budapest and Moscow have not yet made any announcements about the visit.

According to the Point of sale Source, Orban is accompanied by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who has visited Russia at least five times since the beginning of total war.

Budapest and Moscow have not yet made any announcements about the visit.

The visit may come five days into Hungary’s rotating EU Council presidency. Amid reports, EU Council President Charles Michel said the rotating EU presidency “has no mandate to negotiate with Russia on behalf of the EU.”

“The European Council is clear about this: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. There can be no discussion about Ukraine without taking Ukraine into account,” Michel said. wrote on July 4th on X.

Budapest has repeatedly against it Ukraine’s accession to NATO and the EU, sanctions against Russia, undermined Western aid efforts for Ukraine and kept close relationships with Moscow throughout the war.

Orban and Putin held talks at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in October 2023. The Hungarian Prime Minister was the only head of state of the European Union to attend the summit.

Ukraine is grateful to its Western partners for their support, but the promised aid is arriving too slowly, which is complicating the situation at the front, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Bloomberg published on July 4.

“We have 14 brigades that do not have the necessary weapons, which have already been approved and discussed,” Selensky said.

Washington, Kyiv’s main military donor, approved a long-awaited 61 billion dollar aid package after months of delay.

Nevertheless, Russia has continued to put pressure on Ukraine at the front and launched a new offensive in Kharkiv Oblast and is steadily advancing into a key city, Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast.

“The (aid) packages should arrive, but they are coming slowly,” the president said, adding: “We are grateful to Congress for its support.”

Nevertheless, the situation cannot be described as a stalemate, said Zelensky, referring to foreign military aid. The current difficulties can be resolved with appropriate instruments.

The head of state said that at the moment it was not appropriate to talk about a Ukrainian counteroffensive, as Kyiv must focus on protecting what it has. Any counterattack against Russian forces will be possible once sufficient weapons arrive, he added.

The Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2023 has only minimal resultswhile the subsequent Russian advance took advantage of the lull in US aid and led to the capture of the important frontline city Avdiivka.

Ukraine managed to stop the Russian advance into the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast, but the situation in the east remains difficult. On July 4, the military announced its withdrawal from the eastern Kanal district of Chasiv Yar.

`Russia attacks port facilities near Odesa, killing 1, injuring 7`

Russian troops attacked Odessa Oblast with a ballistic missile on July 4, killing one civilian and wounding at least seven others, said Governor Oleh Kiper.

Explosions were reported in the southern Ukrainian port city. Odessa after an air raid warning was sounded in the region while the missile was being fired towards the nearby town of Chornomorsk, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

The port infrastructure was affected by Russia’s strike, Kiper saidPort facilities and administrative buildings were damaged in the attack, he added.

Odessa Oblast and other southern regions of Ukraine are regular targets of Russian missile and drone attacks.

On May 1, Russia fired ballistic missiles at Odessa, hitting a postal depot of Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s largest private postal operator.

The attack 14 people injured and destroyed 15.5 tonnes of shipments worth nearly Hr 3 million ($76,000).

`97% of Russian missiles, drones, bombs hit civilian infrastructure, diplomat says`

Only three percent of Russian missiles, drones and guided bombs hit military targets in Ukraine, while 97 percent hit civilian infrastructure, Danylo Kubai, Ukraine’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna, said on July 3, according to Ukrinform.

“In recent months, Russia has launched numerous attacks on Ukraine using missiles, drones and artillery, killing dozens of civilians across the country,” Kubai said during a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Ukrinform reported.

“Russia’s massive air strikes have destroyed private and commercial buildings, hotels, schools, churches, hospitals and numerous infrastructure facilities.”

Kyiv called on its partners additional air defense while Russia intensifies its attacks on cities and energy infrastructure.

Russia consumed more than 800 guided aerial bombs According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, attacks targeting civilian infrastructure were carried out against Ukraine in the past week alone.

“In the late 1980s, the loss of 15,000 soldiers in Afghanistan forced the Soviet leadership to admit defeat and withdraw its troops from the country, ending the 10-year war,” Kubai said.

“For comparison, in June last year alone, Russian forces lost more than 33,000 soldiers in Ukraine. However, the Kremlin regime, which is considered the heir to the Soviet leaders, remains convinced that the war must continue.”

Kubai stressed that Ukraine remains determined to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders.

“Unfortunately, Russia’s only response to all peace initiatives is to continue the war,” the diplomat added.

Kubai also described Russia’s methods of warfare as “resembling the darkest pages of world history, which the civilized world hoped would never be repeated.”