Russo-Ukrainian War, Day 863: Orban meets Putin in Moscow after proposing ceasefire in Kyiv

Exclusive

Military

Russian guided bombs hit Selidove, Donetsk Oblast: 5 deadAlthough the bombs mainly hit industrial areas, residential areas were also affected.

Front report: Russians suffer heavy losses in troops and equipment near Chasiv Yar, unable to advanceThe current assault force on Khasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast can last only a few months before it is exhausted and withdrawn from the fight. This is due to poorly prepared infantry – some have only a week and a half of training – and heavy losses of tanks and armored vehicles due to successful Ukrainian drone attacks.

Forbes: Russia lost up to 100,000 soldiers in capturing a single district in Chasiv YarThe Russian military has reportedly lost 99,000 soldiers since the start of the Khasiv Yar campaign in April.

Ukrainian commander says Russian forces adapt tactics to deplete Ukrainian air defensesIn June, Ukraine managed to intercept 94% of enemy drones and 64% of incoming missiles. Despite the high interception rate, the missiles that hit their targets caused significant damage.

Drone attack in Russia’s Rostov Oblast in Krasnodar region injured six peopleAccording to Russian Telegram channels, six people were injured in the attack, including two children. Infrastructure was damaged.

ISW: Putin demands a de facto surrender of Ukraine before any ceasefireRussian President Vladimir Putin has rejected serious ceasefire talks with Ukraine, calling instead for “irreversible” demilitarisation of the country, according to a new report by the Institute for the Study of War.

Away 05 July 2024the approximate losses of weapons and military equipment of the Russian armed forces from the beginning of the invasion to the present day:

• • • Staff: 548580 (+1110)
    • Tanks: 8142 (+10)
    • APV: 15611 (+11)
    • Artillery systems: 14831 (+54)
    • MLRS: 1115
    • Air defence systems: 878
    • Airplanes: 360
    • Helicopters: 326
    • UAVs: 11751 (+57)
    • Cruise missiles: 2342
    • Warships/Boats: 28
    • Submarines: 1
    • Vehicles and fuel tanks: 19977 (+54)

Intelligence and technology

Ukrainian government approves procurement of drones via ProzorroMinister Fedorov assured that confidential information related to drone procurement was safe.

Latvia hands over 2,500 drones worth 4 million euros to Ukraine in JulySeven Latvian companies will produce more than 2,500 drones for Ukraine. Deliveries are scheduled for July, according to a recent announcement by the Latvian Ministry of Defense.

Germany strengthens Ukrainian air defense against Russian missiles with third Patriot system. As Russia continues to bomb Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure in several oblasts, the German ambassador to Ukraine announced that Germany had delivered a third Patriot air defense system to Ukraine and that Ukrainian military personnel had completed their training to operate the system in Germany.

The Insider: Leaked documents reveal Kremlin disinformation campaigns in the WestAccording to leaked documents, Russia’s foreign intelligence agency Project Kylo aims to exploit fear and uncertainty to turn Western audiences against their governments and away from supporting Ukraine.

International

Hungarian Prime Minister Orban officially arrives in MoscowThe European Union has explicitly stated that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will not represent the bloc during his visit to Moscow.

Ukraine criticizes Orban’s Moscow visit: “No agreements without us”Orban’s trip to Moscow followed his meeting with Zelensky in Kyiv, where he proposed a ceasefire and negotiations with Putin.

Orban meets Putin: Positions of Ukraine and Russia “very far apart”Before arriving in Moscow, Orban visited Kyiv and proposed a ceasefire and subsequent peace talks.

European Commission and Baltic Prime Ministers question Hungary’s role as EU Council President after meeting in MoscowThe Baltic heads of state and government have sharply criticised the visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Moscow, describing it as a blow to EU unity and confidence in the Hungarian EU Council Presidency.

“No Minsk 3”: Stoltenberg rejects further land-for-peace agreements between Ukraine and RussiaThe Minsk-1 and Minsk-2 agreements signed in 2014 and 2015 failed to stop Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg: Help for Ukraine at upcoming NATO summit “most urgent”However, Kyiv’s goal is to receive a formal invitation to join the alliance.

Stoltenberg hopes Ukraine will join NATO in the next ten yearsNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expresses hope that Ukraine will join the alliance within ten years and at the same time calls for increased military support for Kyiv.

Zelenskyj presents plans for “unprecedented 100-year pact” with Great BritainOn January 12, Ukraine and the United Kingdom signed a ten-year bilateral security agreement.

British Labour Party continues to support Ukraine in the war against Russia and on the road to NATO. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, personally visited Ukraine in 2023, witnessed the destruction caused by the Russian invasion in the liberated areas of Kyiv Oblast and stressed Britain’s staunch support for Ukraine.

Zelensky thanks Sunak and welcomes Starmer as new British Prime MinisterUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has congratulated Keir Starmer on the Labour Party’s election victory and stressed further cooperation between Great Britain and Ukraine.

Scholz: Putin must not expect EU solidarity with Ukraine to diminishHe reiterated the EU’s clear stance condemning Russia’s imperialist war.

Humanitarian and social impacts

Hunger, beatings, torn-out nails: Russia systematically tortures Ukrainian prisoners of war to death . Death certificates of Ukrainian defenders whose bodies were returned from Russian captivity usually list tuberculosis or a heart attack as the cause of death. However, their bodies show visible signs of torture and starvation, and testimonies of cellmates who survived Russian captivity attest to inhuman treatment and humiliation.

Ukrainian surgeons perform unique heart surgery on wounded soldier A Ukrainian soldier suffered a severe chest injury near Bakhmut, which left a hole in his coronary artery. However, a team of specialists from the Amosov Institute repaired the injury without opening the chest, using an endovascular approach and intracoronary ultrasound control.

Political and legal developments

YouTube blocks channels of pro-Russian artists sanctioned by the EUSeveral Russian singers and artists sanctioned by the EU for undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty used YouTube to spread Russian propaganda, prompting the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission to demand the deletion of their official accounts.

Ukrainian court sentences woman to life imprisonment for aiding Russian missile attacks. A woman from Cherkasy was sentenced to life imprisonment for revealing the exact coordinates of military targets to the Russian secret service (FSB), which led to deadly missile attacks in the oblast. At the same time, according to the Cherkasy Oblast prosecutor’s office, she justified the Russian invasion of Ukraine and glorified Russian armed forces, in particular the “Wagner” group.

Read our previous daily review Here.