Here are the key events on day 1,243 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Here is how things stand on Monday, July 21:
Fighting
- The Ministry of Defence in Moscow announced that Russian forces have captured the village of Bila Hora, situated in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, as reported by the state RIA Novosti news agency.
- In Ukraine’s Sumy region, a Russian attack on the village of Sveska resulted in the death of a 78-year-old woman, according to Governor Oleh Hryhorov.
- Multiple fatalities were reported in Russian attacks on Synelnykove and Pavlohrad areas in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as in Kostiantynivka, Pokrovsk, and Raiske in the Donetsk region, according to local governors.
- Governor Ivan Fedorov stated that another Russian attack in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia and Vasylivka districts wounded three women, with Russia launching a total of 457 attacks on 18 settlements in the region on Sunday.
- Ukraine’s Air Force intercepted and destroyed 18 out of 57 Russian drones during the night into Sunday.
- In Russia, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin posted eight separate updates over 24 hours on Telegram, stating that several Ukrainian drones flying towards Moscow had been downed. He emphasized that emergency services are actively working at the debris fall sites in each instance.
- Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed that Russian forces managed to shoot down 216 Ukrainian drones within the 24-hour period up to 11:20 PM Moscow time (20:20 GMT) on Sunday.
Politics and diplomacy
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to move towards a peace settlement for Ukraine, emphasizing that Moscow’s primary objective is to accomplish its goals. These remarks came following United States President Donald Trump’s issuance of a 50-day deadline for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire or face stricter sanctions.
- Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged an Italian concert venue to cancel a show featuring Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, claiming it was part of Russia’s efforts to utilize “culture as a tool of propaganda”.
- Ukraine imposed sanctions on exiled Russian journalist Yulia Latynina, Ukrainian blogger Andrii Serebrianskyi, and former Ukrainian lawmakers Natalia Korolevska and Hennadiy Balashov, among others, accusing them of aiding in the dissemination of Russian propaganda, as per the Kyiv Independent.
- Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil producer, strongly condemned European Union sanctions imposed on India’s Nayara Energy refinery, labeling them as unjustified and illegal, asserting that the restrictions directly threaten India’s energy security.
