“Superheroes”according to Volodymyr Zelensky. The Kremlin castigated on Saturday July 8 the repatriation by the Ukrainian president of several Ukrainian commanders who were to remain in Turkey until the end of the conflict, thanks to an agreement between Moscow and Kiev. Part of the Azov regiment, formed on the basis of the ultranationalist battalion of the same name, had been captured by Russian forces after the fall of Mariupol in May 2022. Celebrated as heroes in Ukraine for their tenacious resistance within the Azovstal factory , these fighters are hated in Russia for their links with Ukrainian ultranationalist circles. Follow our live.
Eight dead in a Russian bombardment. Thirteen others were injured on Saturday in a Russian bombardment of the town of Lyman, in eastern Ukraine, on the 500th day of the war. No impact crater is visible, and according to soldiers interviewed, these are cluster bombs whose shrapnel killed and injured the victims.
The Ukrainian counter-offensive continues. Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister reported on July 7 that Ukrainian forces had advanced more than a kilometer on the southern flank of Bakhmout, the Institute for the study of war quotes. Russian sources further claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted offensive operations in western Donetsk and western Zaporizhia oblasts.
Moscow criticizes delivery of cluster munitions. Russia considered the delivery of cluster bombs to Ukraine decided by the United States to be a “admission of weakness” that will make Washington “partner in crime” civilian deaths caused by this controversial weapon. Russian diplomacy has denounced a “cynical attempt to prolong the agony of the current Ukrainian authorities without concern for civilian casualties.”