Russian forces conducted a limited series of missile and drone strikes against Ukraine on the night of July 10 to 11.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk stated on July 11 that Russian forces struck Sumy Oblast with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched from Kursk Oblast and that Russian forces also launched six Shahed-136/131 drones from Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai on the night of July 10 to 11.[58] Oleshchuk reported that Ukrainian forces downed all six Shahed drones over Mykolaiv, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts.
www.understandingwar.org/...
F-16 warplanes being sent to Ukraine is a victory for President Volodymyr Zelensky and will help protect against Russian strikes, but they are not a one-stop solution for gaps in the country's air defenses.
The United States, the Netherlands and Denmark announced Wednesday that the transfer of the planes had begun, saying Ukraine "will be flying operational F-16s this summer."
Zelensky had repeatedly pushed for the US-made warplanes to help counter Russia's invasion, with the United States eventually acceding last year after initially insisting that focusing on ground-based air defenses was a better use of resources.
"As a symbolic effort, it's tremendously important... This was really the last item that Zelensky had highlighted as important for Ukrainian defense," said Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
www.kyivpost.com/...
- Russian authorities reportedly attempted to assassinate leading figures in the European defense industrial base (DIB), likely as part of Russian efforts to disrupt and deter Western aid to Ukraine and Russia's wider efforts to destabilize NATO members.
- Finnish authorities reported an increase in GPS "malfunctions" in the past week and that most disruptions to aviation and maritime GPS and radar originate from within Russia
- Ukraine intends to hold a second meeting of the Global Peace Summit by the end of 2024 and reportedly plans to invite Russia to participate.
- European Union (EU) leadership is reportedly considering restricting Hungary's power as EU Council president following Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow and his efforts to present himself as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine.
- The Russian government continued efforts to root out critical voices and consolidate control over the Russian information space.
- The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed that it prevented a terrorist attack against an Orthodox church in Maykop, Republic of Adygea on July 11.
- Ukrainian forces advanced north of Kharkiv City; and Russian forces recently advanced south of Siversk, northwest of Avdiivka, and west of Donetsk City.
- Russian federal subjects (regions) continue to use monetary incentives as part of Russia's crypto-mobilization recruitment efforts.
Ukrainian forces recently marginally advanced north of Kharkiv City amid continued fighting in the Kharkiv direction on July 11. Geolocated footage published on July 11 shows that Ukrainian forces marginally advanced eastward in the northern outskirts of Hlyboke (north of Kharkiv City), and a Russian milblogger claimed that Ukrainian forces continue bypassing Hlyboke to counterattack north of the settlement.[23] Some Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces crossed the Vovcha River within central Vovchansk (northeast of Kharkiv City)...
What they're saying: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the U.S., Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium in a statement after the transfers were announced.
- "I am confident that they will assist us in better protecting Ukrainians from brutal Russian attacks, such as this week's strike on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv," he said.
- "F-16s bring just and lasting peace closer, demonstrating that terror must fail everywhere and at any time."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also announced the transfers during an interview at the NATO forum on Wednesday, saying the jets "will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression."
www.axios.com/...