Here are the key events on day 1,246 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Here is how things stand on Thursday, July 24:
Fighting
- A Russian drone strike on an energy facility in Ukraine’s northern region of Sumy caused power cuts for 220,000 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that the supply had been restored to most of those affected.
- Russia’s air defence systems destroyed 33 Ukrainian drones overnight in six regions, the Russian Ministry of Defence said.
Ceasefire
- Ukraine has brought home a new group of prisoners of war from Russia, Zelenskyy said, adding that the release means that more than 1,000 captive soldiers have now returned as a result of talks with Moscow in Turkiye. It is unclear how many Russian soldiers were returned in exchange for the Ukrainian prisoners.
- Russia and Ukraine discussed further prisoner swaps at a brief session of peace talks in Istanbul, but the sides remain far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders. “We have progress on the humanitarian track, with no progress on a cessation of hostilities,” Ukraine’s chief delegate, Rustem Umerov, said after the 40-minute talks.
- Umerov said Ukraine had proposed a meeting before the end of August between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Moscow’s chief delegate, Vladimir Medinsky, said Russia had agreed at the talks with Ukraine to exchange more prisoners of war, including more than 3,000 bodies of dead soldiers.
Military aid
- The US Department of State said it approved $322m in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine to enhance its air defence capabilities and provide armoured combat vehicles. The potential sales include $150m for the supply, maintenance, repair and overhaul of US armoured vehicles in Ukraine, and $172m for surface-to-air missile systems.
- US President Donald Trump touted a recent deal between the United States and NATO, whereby European allies would buy weapons and send them to Ukraine. “They’re going to pay the United States of America 100 percent of the cost of all military equipment, and much of it will go to Ukraine,” Trump said in Washington, DC.
- Chinese-made engines are being covertly shipped via front companies to a state-owned drone manufacturer in Russia, labelled as “industrial refrigeration units” to avoid Western sanctions, according to three European security officials and documents reviewed by the Reuters news agency.
- Zelenskyy said he discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defences with Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar in Kyiv on Wednesday.
Politics
- Zelenskyy has bowed to pressure from Ukraine’s first wartime street protests, which took place over two days in cities across the country, demanding the reversal of a law curbing the independence of anticorruption agencies.
- In his evening address to the nation, Zelenskyy said he would submit a new bill to ensure the rule of law and retain the independence of the anticorruption agencies.
Regional developments
- Russian Tu-95MS nuclear-capable strategic bombers completed a routine patrol flight over international waters in the Bering Sea, the Russian Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry.
- Russia also began major navy drills involving more than 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic oceans, and in the Baltic and Caspian seas, the Defence Ministry said.
- The so-called “July Storm” exercise from July 23 to July 27 will test the readiness of the Russian fleet for non-standard operations, the use of long-range weapons and other advanced technology, including unmanned systems.
