Russian and Chinese naval forces have begun joint military exercises at a port in southern China, despite growing criticism from Nato that Beijing is acting as a “decisive enabler” of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The opening ceremony of the drills was held in Zhanjiang city, with the two countries’ forces expected to carry out various battle simulation and tactical coordination exercises.
It comes after China staged joint drills close to the border of Nato member Poland with Belarus, a close Russia ally that helped enable Putin’s invasion. China’s defence ministry claims its drills have nothing to do with the wider international security landscape.
It comes as British military intelligence said Russia lost more than 70,000 troops in the past two months in its bid to capture Kharkiv.
Average daily Russian casualties (killed and wounded) in Ukraine, throughout May and June 2024 increased to conflict highs of 1,262 and 1,163 respectively, the British MoD said on Friday.
On the war’s frontline, Russian officials claimed to have captured the eastern Ukrainian village of Urozhaine in Donetsk, though there was no immediate confirmation from Kyiv.
Key Points
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Sino-Russian naval drills begin today despite Nato backlash
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Putin lost more than 70,000 troops in just 60 days, says British intelligence
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Russian forces say they control Ukraine’s Urozhaine village in Donetsk
Ukraine starts new PR drive to bring in more recruits for army
07:10 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine has launched a new drive to boost recruitment to its armed forces, unveiling a set of billboards telling potential soldiers it offers an opportunity to “be yourself”.
One of the billboards reads, “Summer, UAV,” showing a soldier operating a drone from a beach chair as his boots rest on the sand. Another from the Khartia Brigade promises: “We guarantee 60 days of preparation,” reported The Guardian.
Manpower has long been an issue for Kyiv’s military as it fights a much larger and better-equipped foe. The problem has grown more acute in recent months, prompting authorities to introduce stricter measures for draft evaders.
In May this year, president Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law allowing some convicts to join the armed forces as it battles to hold the line against Russian offensives in Ukraine’s northeast, east and south.
Ukraine has already lowered the draft mobilisation age from 27 to 25. The upper limit is 60.
Ukrainian military says ‘hottest situation’ around Pokrovsk
06:30 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine has said its forces are facing the “hottest situation” along the frontline in the Pokrovsk area in eastern Donetsk region.
Intense Russian attacks have surged in the area, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
“The enemy has already attacked our positions 35 times today in the areas of Novooleksandrivka, Vozdvizhenka, Progress, Lozuvatskyi, Novoselivka Pershoya and Yasnobrodivka … The situation remains tense near Novooleksandrivka, Novoselivka Persha and Progress, where six clashes are still ongoing. Our defenders restrain the enemy,” it said.
Russian forces continued offensive operations near Chasiv Yar yesterday but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline, said The Institute for the Study of War.
Putin’s aide says Kremlin ‘not surprised’ by attempt on Trump’s life
06:21 , Arpan Rai
The Kremlin says it is “not surprised” by the assassination attempt on US presidential candidate Donald Trump and said it was “obvious” that his life was in danger.
“After numerous attempts to remove candidate Trump from the political arena – using first legal tools, trials, prosecutors, attempts to politically discredit him – it was obvious to all outside observers that his life was in danger,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, reported Russian news agency TASS.
Peskov also pointed to the “atmosphere that has been created” around Mr Trump.
Trump’s campaign said the presumptive Republican nominee was doing “fine” after being whisked off the stage though the shooting pierced the upper part of his right ear.
Scientists, a journalist and even a bakery worker are among those convicted of treason in Russia
05:46 , Arpan Rai
Over the past decade, Russia has seen a sharp increase in treason and espionage cases.
Lawyers and experts say prosecutions for these high crimes started to grow after 2014 – the year when Russia illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula. That’s also when Moscow backed a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
The number of these cases in Russia spiked significantly after the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, urged the security services to “harshly suppress the actions of foreign intelligence services [and] promptly identify traitors, spies and saboteurs”. The crackdown has ensnared scientists and journalists, as well as ordinary citizens.
The following are some treason cases prosecuted in Russia in recent years:
A bakery worker is among those convicted of treason in Russia
Russian forces say they control Ukraine’s Urozhaine village in Donetsk
05:33 , Arpan Rai
Russian forces claim they have taken control of Urozhaine village in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region even as Ukraine’s military said fighting was still underway.
“As a result of successful actions, the ‘east’ group of forces has taken control of the locality of Urozhaine in Donetsk region…and are carrying out mopping-up and demining operations,” the Russian defence ministry said on its official Telegram channel.
According to the Ukrainian bloggers, Kyiv’s forces had relinquished control of the village, southwest of the Russian-held city of Donetsk. Ukraine‘s military said fighting was still going on in the area.
The General Staff of Ukraine‘s armed forces, in yesterday morning’s report, said only that Russia had launched 18 attacks on Urozhaine and other nearby localities. It made no mention of the village in a late afternoon report.
The village came under Russian control early in the February 2022 invasion, but Ukraine retook the settlement near the Mokri Yaly river in July 2023.
Putin lost more than 70,000 troops in just 60 days, says British intelligence
05:01 , Arpan Rai
Russia lost more than 70,000 troops in the past two months in its bid to capture Kharkiv, according to the latest estimates from the MoD.
British intelligence suggests average daily Russian casualties (killed and wounded) in Ukraine throughout May and June 2024 increased to conflict highs of 1,262 and 1,163 respectively, the MoD said on Friday.
“In total, Russia likely lost (killed and wounded) in excess of 70,000 personnel over the past two months,” the MoD said. The losses for Vladimir Putin’s troops coincide with Russian attempts to open up a new front along the battlefield in the Kharkiv region.
It added that Russia’s casualty rate will likely continue to average above 1,000 a day over the next two months as Russia continues to try to overmatch Ukrainian positions with mass.
“The uptick in losses reflects Russia’s opening of the new front in the Kharkiv region, while maintaining the same rate of offensive operations along the remainder of the front,” the MoD said in its assessment.
Volodymyr Zelensky said last month that the ratio of losses in Kharkiv has been one Ukrainian soldier to six Russians.
Sino-Russian naval drills begin today despite Nato backlash
04:37 , Arpan Rai
The naval forces of China and Russia have begun joint military exercises at a port in southern China despite mounting criticism of Beijing from Nato, which accused the Asian giant of acting as a “decisive enabler” of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The opening ceremony of the drills was held in Zhanjiang city, with the two countries’ forces expected to carry out various battle simulation and tactical coordination exercises.
They are aimed at demonstrating the capabilities of the navies in addressing security threats and preserving peace and stability globally and regionally, state broadcaster CCTV reported Saturday, adding it would include anti-missile exercises, sea strikes and air defence.
China’s defence ministry claims its drills have nothing to do with the wider international security landscape.
The ministry added that the two naval forces recently jointly patrolled the western and northern Pacific Ocean. The drills come after China staged joint drills close to the border of Nato member Poland with Belarus, a close Russia ally that helped enable Putin’s invasion.
04:12 , Arpan Rai
Good morning, welcome to our coverage of the Ukraine war on Monday, 15 July.
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