Tag: Live updates: Russia's war in Ukraine

House Speaker Mike Johnson has the fate of a democracy and a people in his hands.

It’s not the United States, which will survive even if the coming general election results in another existential test for the constitutional system.

Johnson has the power to save Ukraine, two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded, decreeing that it didn’t have the right to exist.

Ukraine’s soldiers are running out of bullets. There are signs that Russia may be about to break a stalemate and tip the war its way.

Johnson, a backbencher who was the last-ditch choice to lead the mutinous House GOP majority last year, could relieve Ukraine’s agony and help ensure its survival as an independent nation in the coming days.

He could allow a vote on a bill that includes $60 billion in aid that the Pentagon says is needed for Kyiv to continue to fight effectively. It would likely pass with a comfortable bipartisan majority.

The Louisiana Republican’s reluctance to do so is a commentary on the growing power of GOP front-runner Donald Trump, the sharp turn of his party away from its globalist pro-democracy heritage, and perhaps even his own ambition since borrowing Democratic votes to finance Ukraine’s defense could cost him the speakership.

His predicament will be highlighted at a meeting of the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday called by President Joe Biden.

Read more on Johnson’s role in deciding Ukraine aid.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a warning Sunday about the need to supply more aid to Ukraine and vowed not to “abandon” the European ally.

Speaking after returning from a trip to Ukraine, Schumer said this year is a “crucial moment in the history of the world,” adding that a Ukrainian loss to Russia would also be “devastating in consequences for the US.”

Key areas of need: The Senate leader addressed some key areas where Ukraine needed more supplies, including artillery shells, more weapons to disrupt Russian supply networks, and more anti-aircraft weaponry.

Schumer provided a few examples of ways that Ukraine is struggling to wage its war, including that he met a Ukrainian drone operator who was able to identify Russian artillery, but no longer had the ammunition to destroy it.

Schumer also said Russian forces could fire their artillery much longer than Ukrainian artillery could fire back.

Remember: US House Speaker Mike Johnson is under increasing pressure to bring Ukraine aid up for a vote, after Schumer and the Senate passed a package that would provide over $60 billion in assistance. He has so far resisted calls to do so, however, at risk of a likely revolt from members of his own party.

A wave of Russian missile and drone attacks struck Ukraine overnight Saturday and early Sunday morning, military officials across the country said, though the number of casualties appears small.

The city of Kostiantynivka in the eastern region of Donetsk saw one person injured in a “massive” attack, regional police said. Residential buildings, a train station and educational facilities were hit.

The head of the Donetsk regional military administration said Russian forces had shelled the districts of Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk and Bakhmut in a social media post on Sunday, forcing 81 people to evacuate.

The Kyiv region was targeted by drones, but no residences or pieces of critical infrastructure were struck, the region’s military administration said in a statement. No casualties have been reported.

Ukraine’s Air Force Command said its forces destroyed 16 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia toward the regions of Kyiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

Slovakia’s two-time former prime minister Robert Fico, whose SMER party won parliamentary elections Saturday, said he will do everything he can to ensure peace talks between Russia and Ukraine start as soon as possible. 

Fico failed to secure enough votes to govern on his own but will have a chance to become prime minister again when coalition talks begin.

He’s known for his pro-Russia stance and his suggestion of peace talks is unlikely to be welcomed in Ukraine, which does not want to engage in any negotiations that would mean ceding territory to Russia.

Asked about his stance on Ukraine, Fico said: “I will constrain myself to one sentence: Slovakia and people in Slovakia have bigger problems than Ukraine.”

Some context: Slovakia, an eastern European nation of about 5.5 million people, was going to the polls to choose its fifth prime minister in four years after seeing a series of shaky coalition governments.

A SMER-led government could have serious consequences for the region. Slovakia is a member of both NATO and the European Union, was among the handful of European countries pushing for tough EU sanctions against Russia and has donated a large amount of military equipment to Ukraine.

But this will likely change under Fico, who has blamed “Ukrainian Nazis and fascists” for provoking Russia’s President Vladimir Putin into launching the invasion, repeating the false narrative Putin has used to justify his invasion.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is holding a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ottawa on Friday “to reiterate Canada’s ongoing military, economic, humanitarian, and development support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s brutal war of aggression.”

In a statement released by his office on Thursday ahead of Zelensky’s visit to Canada, Trudeau said his country “will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

“The two leaders will continue to work closely together to strengthen ties between our countries and help ensure the Ukrainian people can continue to defend themselves against Russia’s brutal and unjustifiable invasion,” the statement said.

Both leaders will participate in a signing ceremony “to continue strengthening economic ties between our two countries.”

Trudeau later posted a video on X of himself welcoming Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska as they disembarked in Canada.

Zelensky will also deliver an address to the Canadian Parliament on Friday and meet with the Canadian finance minister and business leaders in Toronto.

The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Canada will “apply more economic pressure on Putin’s regime until it respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, including in sectors that are strategically important for Russia, such as oil and gas.”

Since January 2022, Canada “has committed more than $8.9 billion [$6.62 billion USD] in multifaceted support to Ukraine, including $4.95 billion [$3.68 USD] in direct financial support and over $1.8 billion [$1.34 billion] in military aid ranging from Leopard 2 tanks and air defense and artillery systems to armored vehicles, ammunition, and more,” the statement said.

Cuban authorities arrested 17 people linked to a human trafficking network operating from Russia that is allegedly recruiting Cuban citizens to fight with Moscow’s military forces in Ukraine, Cuban state media reported Thursday, citing the Ministry of the Interior.

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the human trafficking network had been dismantled, according to Cuba Debate in Havana.

Colonel César Rodríguez, from the interior ministry’s General Directorate of Criminal Investigation, reportedly said the network’s traffickers were looking for people with criminal records. 

On Monday, the Cuban foreign ministry said it had uncovered the network, which was trafficking Cubans living in Russia and “even some in Cuba,” to be “incorporated into the military forces taking part in the war in Ukraine.”

At the time the ministry gave few details about the alleged trafficking operations, but said that authorities were working to “neutralize and dismantle” the network.

Cuba stressed in its statement earlier this week that it “is not part of the war in Ukraine.” The Kremlin has not commented on the allegations.

Some context: Cuba was a major ally of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and relations between Havana and Moscow have remained cozy since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Cuba has been a staunch defender of Russia’s war on the country, blaming the US and NATO for the conflict.

As Cuba grapples with its worse economic crisis in decades, Russia has supplied the communist-run island with badly needed food and shipments of crude oil. Since the war began the two nations have signed a flurry of agreements promising increased Russian foreign investment in Cuba.

Poland is set to hold its largest military parade in decades on Tuesday, in a flex of defensive muscle that comes as tensions rise on the border between the NATO nation and key Russian ally Belarus.

Poland’s Defense Ministry said the celebration of Polish Army Day on Tuesday would be marked by a showcase that includes 200 units of Polish and foreign military equipment, 92 aircraft and 2,000 service members.

The parade will include some of the latest technology Poland has in its arsenal, including US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks, South Korean K2 tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers, HIMARS rocket launchers, Krab self-propelled howitzers, as well as US-made Patriot missile batteries systems, which are part of the Polish “WISŁA” air defense system.

Poland has emerged as one of Europe’s leading military powers in recent years after pouring billions into new equipment following Russia’s decision to annex the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. Warsaw’s diplomatic clout has also grown in the wake of the instrumental role it has played in supporting Ukraine since Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

Last week, Poland announced the deployment of thousands of additional troops to its eastern border as concern mounts over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenary forces in Belarus.

Poland shares borders not just with Ukraine and Belarus, but also with Russia’s semi-exclave of Kaliningrad. By staging a massive showcase of power on Tuesday, Warsaw is sending a message Russia and Belarus are bound to understand, experts said.

Read the full story here.

Beaches have officially opened for swimming in Ukraine’s largest port city of Odesa for the first time since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022, local officials announced Saturday.

Bathing during air raid alerts, however, remains banned in the Black Sea city. 

Odesa has seen relentless waves of Russian attacks over the last 17 months, filling the waters with sea mines and leading officials to close the stretch of sandy beaches and holiday resorts once popular with Ukrainian and foreign vacationers.

However, despite officially banning swimming since the start of the war, some people have continued to do so. 

The city’s beaches were further tarnished in June when filthy waters from the collapse of the Russia-controlled Nova Kakhovka dam washed downstream, posing what the Odesa municipality described as a “genuine threat” to the health of residents.

The head of the Odesa region military administration, Oleh Kiper, said several “swimming and recreation areas” would open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time in a post on the Telegram messaging app on Saturday, adding that more beaches would open up as inspections were completed. 

Kiper said lifeboats and mesh fences to protect against explosive ordnance would be required in open swimming areas, adding divers would be sent to inspect the Black Sea waters if necessary. Daily coastal cleaning will also take place, he said.

In a Telegram post, Odesa’s municipality said air raid shelters were available near the reopened swimming spots, with shelter locations indicated on information boards at the beaches.

Multiple explosions have been reported on critical road bridges linking Crimea with parts of the Russian-occupied Kherson region in Ukraine, according to Russian-installed officials.

A bridge connecting the Arabat Spit, which is located on Crimea’s east coast, and the Ukrainian city of Henichesk was among the reported targets. Explosions have been heard in the city, according to an unofficial Telegram channel, RIA Melitopol.

Strikes also hit the Chonhar bridge, which links the Kherson region and Crimea, said Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian-installed government in Zaporizhzhia.

The Russian-appointed leader of occupied Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, said Ukraine fired 12 missiles at the Chonhar bridge and nine had been shot down.

Saldo claimed Kyiv used advanced British Storm Shadow missiles in the attack. He also said the strikes hit a village school, and that one civilian who was on the bridge at the time of the attack was wounded.

Saldo said officials were still sorting through details of the attack and the extent of the damage to the bridge, a gas pipeline and nearby towns.

The Russian-appointed head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, also acknowledged the attack, saying on Telegram that a bridge for cars and trucks was damaged, and “repair work is already beginning.”

CNN cannot independently verify the Russian officials’ claims, and Ukraine has not immediately commented on the attack.

Key context: Russia annexed the peninsula of Crimea in 2014, in a move condemned by Ukraine and its allies as illegal under international law. Kyiv has vowed to retake Crimea along with the territory occupied by Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Key bridges connect the peninsula to mainland Russia and to areas of Ukraine occupied by Moscow’s troops, which are now controlled by Russia-installed leaders.

Crimean bridges have emerged as key targets in Ukrainian drone and missile attacks, especially as Ukraine vows to ramp up its assault on Russian targets in and around the Black Sea, and as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv’s troops are working “to bring the war back where it came from.”

In the wake of attacks by Ukrainian sea drones on two Russian ships in the Black Sea within 24 hours, the Ukrainian State Hydrological Service has issued a coastal warning to shipping services using several Russian ports.

It issued a coastal warning naming the ports of Anapa, Novorossiysk, Gelendzhyk, Tuapse, Sochi and Taman as within a “War risk area.”

A Russian naval ship sitting off Novorossiysk was struck by a sea drone early Friday, and then one of the country’s biggest oil tankers was attacked by another of the unpiloted watercraft just before midnight, according to a Ukraine Security Service source.

A Ukrainian advantage: Kyiv’s maritime drones are proving very difficult to defend against and can travel hundreds of miles to their target. In using them, Ukraine is opening up a new front — and may be trying to boost morale amid slow progress in its counteroffensive.

Danilov said August was particularly successful for Ukrainian “hunters.”

“The next step is to expand the scale, range of combat operations, and the level and severity of Russian losses,” he added.

The potential disruption to Russian shipping from sea drones was further demonstrated Saturday when the appointed governor of Russian-occupied Sevastopol issued a warning to maritime traffic that one had been spotted by the Russian navy.

“The Navy has detected a surface drone, which is currently continuing its movement. All necessary measures are being taken to destroy it,” Mikhail Razvozhaev announced. Russia-backed officials limited maritime travel in some areas as a result.

More background: The Ukrainian maritime drone operations appear to have escalated since Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain initiative last month.

On July 20, the Ukrainian defense ministry responded to Russia’s move by saying “the Kremlin has turned the Black Sea into a danger zone, primarily for Russian ships and ships sailing in the Black Sea towards Russian seaports and Ukrainian seaports located on the territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia. Responsibility for all risks lies entirely with the Russian leadership.”

Russia, meanwhile, has stepped up its air assault on Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure, particularly in the city of Odesa.

Nearly half of Ukrainians held in detention centers in Kherson by Russian forces were subjected to widespread torture including sexual violence, according to a new report published Wednesday.

The report, compiled by the Mobile Justice Team, part of the UK, EU and US-sponsored Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA), and was set up by international human rights law firm and foundation, Global Rights Compliance, in April 2022, and is led by world-renowned British Barrister, Wayne Jordash KC. The team’s work is primarily funded by the EU.

The new report reveals analysis of an initial pool of 320 cases of detention in Kherson, across more than 35 identified detention centers. 

Involvement of Russian military: Of those victims, both male and female, at least 43% explicitly mentioned practices of torture in the detention centers, citing sexual violence as a common tactic imposed on them by Russian guards, with preliminary results showing military personnel were most likely to experience torture.

One of the authors of the report says those with families in the military were also targeted.

Torture and sexual violence by Russian forces: At least 36 victims from the pool analyzed mentioned the use of electrocution during interrogations, often genital electrocution by Russian guards. Other victims mentioned threats of genital mutilation, and at least one victim was forced to witness the rape of another detainee by a foreign object covered in a condom. 

Plan to plan to extinguish Ukrainian identity: The report adds that suffocation, waterboarding, severe beatings and threats of rape were other techniques commonly used against victims by Russian guards in the Kherson torture chambers, according to the specialist unit. Mykytenko says these patterns of rape and torture point to a Russian intent to eradicate Ukrainian identity. 

Barrister Wayne Jordash, managing partner and co-founder of Global Rights Compliance, shared a similar view, saying the sexual violence tactics being uncovered underscore Putin’s plan to extinguish Ukrainian identity and include a range of crimes evocative of genocide.

Mykytenko does believe some of the patterns seen in Kherson could eventually be considered genocidal, though she acknowledges it is difficult to prove.

Russia has repeatedly denied accusations of torture and human rights abuses in Ukraine despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, investigated, compiled and shared by international human rights and news organizations.

Russian officials have not yet commented on the report.

Ukrainian authorities on Monday morning reported modest territorial gains around the frontlines of the city of Bakhmut, as well as repelling Russian attacks elsewhere. 

The Ukrainian Defense Forces freed two square kilometers (0.7 square miles) of territory in the Bakhmut sector over the past week, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said during a live broadcast Monday. That brings the total liberated area in eastern Ukraine to 37 kilometers 914 square miles).

She added Ukrainian troops are conducting successful offensives in areas south of the city of Bakhmut.

Maliar also said Russia “continues to focus its main efforts on the Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mariinka directions, and heavy fighting continues,” reporting “more than 170 battles” in those areas.

Along the eastern frontlines: Russia failed an attempt to push Ukrainian troops out of the Serebryansky forest in the Lyman sector, while Ukrainian defense forces were “holding back enemy troops effectively” in the Kupyansk sector, Maliar added.

Russian forces focused their main efforts on attacks in the Avdiivka and Mariinka directions within the Donetsk region but were also unsuccessful, she said.

She said Ukrainian Defense Forces liberated Staromaiorske, in the Donetsk region, “under heavy fire from aviation and artillery.”

In the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian forces have been “successful and are consolidating their positions” in the areas of Mala Tokmachka and Robotyne.

Since the beginning of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, 204.7 square kilometers (79 square miles) have been liberated, of which 12.6 square kilometers (5 square miles) were retaken over the past week.

More than 100 Wagner Group mercenaries have moved toward the Suwałki corridor, a small stretch of NATO territory separating the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad from Belarus, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Saturday.

Morawiecki called it “a step toward a further hybrid attack on Polish territory.”

Poland’s government has used the term “hybrid attack” to describe attempts by the neighboring Belarusian regime to manipulate the flow of migrants through the area, putting pressure on the EU over sanctions against Minsk. Polish officials have said that its ally Russia helps Belarus with this scheme.

So far this year, there have been about 16,000 attempts by migrants to cross the border illegally, “pushed to Poland” by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mateusz said. 

The prime minister warned, according to the Polish Press Agency, that Wagner mercenaries may try to pose as migrants in order to cross from Belarus into Poland.

Rising tensions: This is the latest example of regional tensions inflamed by Lukashenko welcoming Wagner troops into his country following their short-lived rebellion against Moscow.

Belarus announced earlier in July that its forces will hold joint exercises with Wagner fighters near the border with Poland. Putin also made a series of unsubstantiated allegations last week, accusing Poland of harboring plans to “directly intervene” in the war and “tear off” parts of Ukraine for itself, also claiming Warsaw has aspirations to annex parts of Belarus.

Germany has pledged NATO would defend alliance member Poland in case of an attack.

More on the Suwałki corridor: This thin strip of land, also known as the Suwałki gap, is the only overland link between the Baltic states — NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — and the rest of the European Union. The corridor separates the Russian standalone region of Kaliningrad from Belarus and connects Polish and Lithuanian territory.

Kaliningrad was captured by Soviet troops from Nazi Germany in April 1945 and then became part of Soviet territory as a result of the Potsdam Agreement. It was renamed from the German Königsberg in 1946.

In 2002, the EU and Moscow reached an agreement on travel between Russia and Kaliningrad, ahead of Poland and Lithuania joining the European Union in 2004. When those countries joined, the exclave became surrounded on three sides by EU territory.

Russia says the 2002 agreement has now been violated, with Lithuania banning the flow of sanctioned goods across its territory. But the government in Vilnius says it is merely upholding EU sanctions introduced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has not acknowledged that it has nuclear weapons based in Kaliningrad, but in 2018 the Federation of American Scientists concluded that Russia had significantly modernized a nuclear weapons storage bunker in the region, based on analysis of satellite imagery.

CNN’s Tim Lister and Rob Picheta contributed reporting to this post.