“Tonight, a massive attack by Iranian drones took place,” the military administration of Kyiv announced via Telegram.

Iran-made Shahed explosives “entered the capital from different directions,” the report stated, adding that “about a dozen” were intercepted in the city’s airspace. Thursday, according to Kyiv, two cruise missiles and twenty Russian attack drones were destroyed.

Air force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat stated, “Our air defense operation is successful.” “Twenty Shaheds were annihilated; every flying Shahed was shot down. He added that two Kalibr cruise missiles were also annihilated.

Debris precipitates on districts

It was reported that drone detritus had fallen in five districts and that a 23-year-old man and 19-year-old woman were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.

Two persons were injured in Darnytsky district “as a result of falling debris,” wrote Sergiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, on Telegram. However, it was unclear whether the two hospitalized individuals mentioned were the same male and woman.

In the Solomyansky, Shevchenkivsky, Podilsky, and Darnytsky districts, emergency services responded to frantic calls following “explosions in the capital,” as stated by the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko.

“During firefighting in an apartment building in the Podilsky district, the body of a deceased person was discovered,” Klitschko wrote on Telegram.

Two persons were “hospitalized” in the Darnytsky district after falling debris damaged a residential building, according to Klitschko.

Klitschko stated that two others were treated at the site in the Shevchenkivsky district.

In the Shevchenkivsky district, an apartment building caught fire, and in the Podilsky district, a commercial building caught fire, he said, adding that emergency services rushed to the scene.

The military administration of Kiev posted a picture on Telegram depicting a room in a high-rise building with a wall that appears to have been blasted out, which was reportedly caused by falling debris in the Darnytsky district.

Ukraine’s Air Force issued a warning about the continued risk of Russian drone attacks on the city.

Ukraine’s advancement close to Bakhmut

Deputy Ukrainian Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported on Telegram from the front lines: “In the Bakhmut sector, we attacked today on the southern flank surrounding Bakhmut. There is progress. Our defenders are reinforcing their existing positions.”

Ukrainian forces, according to Maliar, repelled a Russian attempt to advance on cities in the west and north.

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In the direction of the Sea of Azov, they “pressed forward with offensive operations” in the southern direction.Our southern defenders have substantially weakened the enemy’s offensive and defensive capabilities over the past week.

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The two ministers, who convened on Thursday in Jakarta in conjunction with ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) events, also discussed bilateral economic issues.

The EAM posted on Twitter, “Met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Jakarta today.” In addition to bilateral economic issues, the Ukraine conflict was also discussed.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also tweeted about Jaishankar and Lavrov’s Thursday meeting.

“Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and External Affairs Minister of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar hold talks on the sidelines of #ASEAN events,” the Russian Foreign Ministry tweeted.

The External Affairs Minister (EAM) conferred with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Indonesia on Wednesday, proposing India-ASEAN dialogues in the financial, cyber, and maritime domains.

“My activities in Indonesia commenced with a meeting with ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn. We discussed the expansion of our comprehensive strategic alliance. EAM Jaishankar suggested India-ASEAN dialogues in the financial, cyber, and maritime domains on Wednesday.

According to the EAM, the relationship with ASEAN paves the path for the Indo-Pacific Vision. “India is therefore deeply committed to the principle of ASEAN centrality,” wrote Jaishankar.

Since July 12, EAM Jaishankar has been on a six-day visit to Indonesia and Thailand, which will conclude on July 18 due to his international obligations in these two countries.

In the first phase of his visit, the EAM will travel to Indonesia on July 13-14 to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, and then fly to Thailand for the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday.

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13-14 July, Jaishankar is in Jakarta for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meetings in the format of ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit, and ASEAN Regional Forum.

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What Actually Happened?

Several experts have suggested that the Kakhovka Dam collapse was caused by a deliberate explosion, while structural failure or an attack from outside the dam are conceivable but less plausible explanations. As they were able to detonate explosives from within, Ukraine officials deemed this to be a deliberate Russian move. Russia also placed responsibility on Ukraine, but offered few specifics.

ALL ABOUT THE KAKHOVKA DAM

The height of the Kakhovka Dam is 30 meters and its length is 3.2 kilometers. The dam was constructed under Soviet leader Josef Stalin and completed under Nikita Khrushchev. The dam is currently located in Russian-controlled territory that spans the Dnipro River, which forms the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the southern portion of Ukraine. The dam is of great importance because it helps provide electricity, irrigation, and potable water to the Crimean Peninsula and the southern region of Ukraine.

What’s At Stake

Wednesday, floodwaters from a collapsed dam continued to rise in southern Ukraine, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes in a major emergency operation that added a dramatic new dimension to the 16-month-old war with Russia. Officials in Ukraine estimated that 42,000 people were at risk due to the inundation.

Impact On Crimea

Due to the destruction of the dam, the water levels of the North Crimean Canal, constructed during the Soviet era, are at danger of falling. This will result in a water shortage in the region, as this canal provides 85 percent of Crimea’s water requirements.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Is At Risk Too

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power facility, the largest nuclear power facility in Europe, is also at risk because it draws cooling water from the reservoir. “Our current assessment indicates that there is no immediate threat to the plant’s safety,” said Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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However, Ukrainian officials asserted that the Russians intended to create a crisis at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which uses river water for cooling, in order to thwart an anticipated Ukrainian offensive.

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As one of the buildings exploded, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted, “Right now, residential areas where ordinary people and children live are under attack.”

“This cannot become another ordinary day in Ukraine or anywhere else in the globe. “The world needs greater unity and resolve to defeat Russian terrorism and save lives more quickly,” he wrote.A nearby playground and parking lot were littered with broken glass, detritus, and wrecked vehicles. Reuters reported that emergency personnel carried out the injured and escorted those who could walk.

After a drone struck two college dormitories in Rzhyshchiv, a riverside town south of the capital Kyiv, at least four people were murdered, 20 were injured, and four are still missing.During the night, drones swarmed the Ukrainian capital and large portions of the north. According to the Ukrainian military, 16 of 21 Iranian suicide drones were brought down.

All of this occurred as Putin was tendering farewell to his “dear friend” Xi Jinping, who was in Moscow on a state visit.Zelenskyy wrote, ostensibly in reference to Xi Jinping’s visit to the Russian capital, “Every time someone tries to hear the word ‘peace’ in Moscow, another order for such criminal strikes is issued.”

Vladimir Putin’s hosting of Xi Jinping in Moscow this week was his most significant diplomatic move since he launched the conflict more than a year ago. The two men referred to one another as “dear friend,” vowed economic cooperation, condemned the West, and described the state of their relationship as the best it had ever been. The conflict in Ukraine was not mentioned in Xi Jinping’s statement.

HOW LONG WILL THE WAR LAST?

Ukraine has maintained that peace is impossible without Russia’s withdrawal from occupied territory. Moscow asserts that Kyiv must acknowledge territorial “reality,” referring to Russia’s claim that it has annexed nearly one-fifth of Ukraine.

After Ukraine recaptured territory, including Kherson, in the latter part of 2022, Russia launched a massive winter offensive utilising hundreds of thousands of newly activated reservists and mercenaries recruited from prison.Despite the most intense fighting of the conflict, the front line has hardly shifted in the past four months.

Russia’s only notable gains have been near Bakhmut, but Kyiv has decided not to withdraw there in recent weeks, claiming that its defenders are inflicting sufficient losses on the Russian assailants to justify holding out.

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Once additional Western weapons, such as battle tanks, arrive in Kiev, the Ukrainian military command is likely to commence a spring counteroffensive. In essence, there is no apparent conclusion.

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These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are also known as “Alibaba drones” due to the fact that they can be purchased for up to $15,000 on the Chinese e-commerce websites Alibaba and Taobao.The manufacturer of the drone, Mugin Limited, verified to CNN that it was their airframe and described the incident as “extremely unfortunate.” Mugin Limited confirmed that the aircraft discovered in eastern Ukraine near the city of Sloviansk was one of its own.

The drone contained a bomb weighing approximately 20 kilograms, which Ukrainian soldiers detonated later.Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, this is the most recent instance of a civilian drone being retrofitted and armed, a sign of the swiftly shifting patterns of warfare.

Saturday night, around 2:00 a.m., the 111th Brigade of the Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces heard a drone overhead and saw a blinking light.Maksim, a 35-year-old territorial defense fighter, told “The UAV was flying at such a low altitude that it was close enough for hand-held weapons to bring it down.”

The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the incident.Additionally, Poland will be the first NATO nation to deploy fighter jets to Ukraine.The weaponized commercial drone lacked a camera, so it could not be used for surveillance. Chris Lincoln-Jones, an expert on drone warfare, stated that experts believed it could have been employed as a “dumb bomb.”

Chris Lincoln-Jones, a retired British Army officer, stated that this particular drone would be significantly more effective if it contained a competent camera.He added, “This appears to be an extremely crude, unsophisticated, and not very technologically advanced method of conducting operations.”

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a military invasion of Ukraine, both Russia and Ukraine have employed drones in the conflict. Drones are used for surveillance, to locate hostile targets, and to guide artillery fire in their direction.

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NR Jenzen-Jones, an arms and munitions intelligence specialist, explains, “Both Russia and Ukraine have utilized commercially available Chinese platforms like this during the conflict, including in combat roles.”In January, officials in the Russian-held eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk claimed in a Telegram message that they had shot down a Ukrainian Mugin-5.

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After Vladimir Putin’s private army claimed to have taken Soledar in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv said its troops were still defending the strategic town.

As battles raged in the centre, the Wagner Group claimed control of the salt-mining town late on Tuesday night.

Ukrainian military officials said Soledar was one of several Donetsk regions being shelled and that their soldiers were still fighting despite heavy fighting. “Wagner units took control of the entire territory of Soledar,” said Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

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“Urban fighting has created a city centre cauldron.” He stressed that only private mercenaries, not the Russian military, were “storming” the town. But Eastern Group spokesman Serhiy Cherevaty denied it. “Russians say [the town] is under their control, it is not true.”

The Kremlin would benefit militarily and commercially from capturing Soledar’s salt mines.

After four days of advances, the UK Ministry of Defence said Russian troops and Wagner fighters likely controlled most of the area.

British volunteers Andrew Bagshaw, 48, and Christopher Perry, 28, disappeared in Ukraine on Friday while heading to Soledar.

They assisted with civilian evacuation and humanitarian aid in war-torn Donetsk. Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his “free world” allies in a video message at the 80th Golden Globes. Sean Penn presented the Ukrainian President.

“The war in Ukraine is not over yet, but the tide is turning, and it is already clear who will win,” he told the crowd. “There are still battles and tears ahead, but now I can tell you who was the best last year—you in the free world, who united around support of free Ukrainian people.”Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova confirmed an exchange of 40 prisoners of war with Ukraine today.

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