Military situation:
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian army is firing rockets at neighboring areas from the site of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. From there, the “Russian occupiers” attacked the neighboring Nikopol region, Petro Kotin, President of the Ukrainian atomic energy agency Energoatom, explained in the online service Telegram on Friday. The situation in the Zaporizhia power plant is “extremely tense”, and the situation is getting worse every day.
According to this, 500 Russian soldiers are currently controlling the plant. The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. It has been occupied since early March by Russian troops, who took control of it a few days after beginning their invasion of Ukraine. In 2021, the power plant contributed around a fifth to electricity production in Ukraine.
According to the Donetsk People’s Republic, Ukraine is attacking the settlement of Dolomitne in the Donbass. The Ukrainian armed forces opened fire twice during the night, the Russian state news agency RIA reports, citing the commanders of the separatist troops.
Ten grenades with a caliber of 155 millimeters were fired during the first attack, and 15 more grenades during the second attack. The caliber mentioned suggests that the attacks were carried out with M777 howitzers. The Ukrainian armed forces have received dozens of them from the USA, Australia and Canada.
Political situation:
Ukrainian pilots are being trained in the US to operate the F15 and F16 fighter jets. This was confirmed by Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.
The US House of Representatives has approved a corresponding change in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2023, he writes on Telegram. $100 million is earmarked for training.
Zelenskyj also sees Russian society as having been damaged for decades by the war against his country. Ukraine will preserve “humanity and civilization,” he said in his video speech on Saturday night.
Destroyed educational institutions would be rebuilt, he promised. “But Russian society with so many murderers and executioners will remain crippled for generations – and it’s their own fault.” In view of new attacks on several regions in the evening, Zelenskyy once again appealed to his compatriots not to ignore the air raid alarm.
In occupied parts of Ukraine, administrations set up by Russia are threatening residents with evictions to Ukrainian-controlled territory if they express criticism of the new leadership. This is intended to “maintain order”, according to decrees in the southern Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhia and Cherson.
After invading the neighboring country at the end of February, the Russian army occupied large parts of southern Ukraine. In the occupied areas, however, residents repeatedly protested against the new rulers.
Outlook: What will be important on Saturday
Ukraine expects new Russian offensives in the Donbass region. The General Staff in Kyiv recently announced that Russia’s armed forces were repositioning themselves in eastern Ukraine, including in the Kramatorsk area. The city of the same name is part of a conurbation with around 500,000 inhabitants, which Kyiv has expanded into the most important fortress in the Donbass.
Also read: Ukraine Update July 15 – Ukrainians Have Next Superweapon – Russians Provide Pretext for Attack Killing 23
