The Kremlin has rejected accusations by US special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg that Russia is deliberately delaying the negotiation process: “On the contrary, no one here is dragging out the time. We are primarily interested in achieving our stated goals – the goals of the special military operation – through political and diplomatic means. That is why we have no interest in delaying anything,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The European political front of those who do not want Ukraine in NATO is growing: “Ukraine’s accession to NATO is not even worth discussing now,” said Polish President-elect Karol Nawrocki. “There is no chance that Ukraine will join NATO today. It is at war. That would be the reason why all NATO countries should participate in the war. So there is nothing to discuss about it,” Nawrocki added.
According to a statement from the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund has approved the ninth tranche of a loan for Ukraine under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, in the amount of $500 million. Quoting IMF Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath, the statement specifies Ukraine’s commitment to modernizing its customs and tax services. This also includes strengthening the fight against tax evasion, which will likely result in stricter controls by the State Tax Service and tougher sanctions.
In Russia, the series of arrests of Defense leaders that occurred months ago: Timur Ivanov, former deputy of Shoigu, was sentenced to 13 years in prison and a fine of 100 million rubles. His assets were seized and confiscated by the state and he was also stripped of all state honors. Ivanov was found guilty of embezzlement of 4 billion rubles.
The Russian closure to investments is softening: Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that loosens the rules for foreign investors, including those representing “hostile” countries. Now they will be able to invest in Russian securities without having to deposit money in blocked accounts, but they will be able to use accounts with the possibility of withdrawing capital abroad. The decree, however, applies only to new investments and does not unblock assets already frozen.
Germany will finance the production of 500 drones with a range of up to 1,200 km for Ukraine, according to the newspaper Welt. These drones can carry up to 50 kg of explosives and are specified that they will be ready for use in the coming months. Bloomberg, however, “scaries” Kiev: ”Moscow increased the production of combat drones by almost 17% in May.”
Kiev is becoming the most defenseless and dangerous city due to the lack of air defense, said Valery Borovik, founder of a drone manufacturing company. “There is a lack of means of destruction. The American president is redirecting resources that should have been allocated to Ukraine to Israel, which already has an oversaturation of air defense. And in Ukraine, even what was contracted during the Biden administration is unclear, although we pay with the help of European partners,” Borovik said.
Polish rearmament runs. The Remontowa Shipbuilding SA shipyard in Gdansk launched the ORP Jerzy Różycki (hull number 261) on July 1. This ship is the first of two SIGINT ships being built under the Dolfin program. It will be part of the Third Flotilla of the Polish Navy and will be based in Gdynia. The cost is approximately $670 million.
The new reconnaissance ship is named after Jerzy Różycki, a Polish mathematician and cryptographer who played a key role in deciphering Enigma. In the context of tensions in the Baltic region, the modernization of the Polish Navy is part of the Atlantic Alliance’s plan to further strengthen control over the Baltic.
In addition, Warsaw plans to increase its production of howitzer shells by a factor of five by 2026 in order to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers of ammunition, the Minister of State Goods, Jakub Jaworowski, said, the Financial Times reports, “Our short-term goal is to significantly increase domestic production of this type of weapon, become independent of foreign supplies and create a sustainable basis for the national economy. This is one of our priorities,” he later said.
To this end, the Polish authorities will allocate $663 million to the state-owned defense company PGZ to address the shortage of large-caliber artillery ammunition, including shells for 155 mm. Currently, PGZ produces about 30,000 large-caliber rounds per year. According to the FT, this figure is expected to increase to 150,000-180,000 over the next three years, thanks to new funding.
In terms of rearmament, Denmark has begun conscripting women into the army from the age of 18, alongside men, due to growing security threats from Russia. The new conscription rules came into force on July 1.
Tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan are at their highest: Baku has also arrested, and according to the Russians, the editor-in-chief of Sputnik Azerbaijan, Igor Kartavykh, hostage.
In the Russian social sphere, Azerbaijan is replenishing its potential exchange fund by taking hostages. On July 1, another 7 Russian citizens were arrested in Baku. Previously, a member of the editorial staff of Sputnik and a member of the Ruptly video agency were detained. According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs, the detainees are representatives of two organized criminal groups involved in online fraud and drug trafficking from Iran.
On July 1, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation R.S. Mustafayev was summoned to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation M.Yu. Galuzin, the Russian Deputy Minister expressed protests over the recent hostile actions of Baku and the deliberate actions taken by the Azerbaijani side to dismantle bilateral relations.
A verbal note was presented to the head of the Azerbaijani diplomatic mission demanding the immediate release of the detainees.
The tension was sparked by a police operation in Yekaterinburg.
According to Russian authorities, Baku’s attempts to accuse Russian law enforcement agencies of exceeding their powers constitute interference in Russia’s internal affairs.
In the midst of tension, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and thanked him for his support for Ukraine.
Zelensky “expressed clear support from Ukraine in a situation where Russia is mocking the citizens of Azerbaijan and threatening the Republic of Azerbaijan. He expressed our condolences to Azerbaijan in connection with the murder of the Safarov brothers on Russian soil,” Ukrainian social media sources reported.
Things are no better for the Russians in Armenia, where they want to close Russian TV channels. According to Armenian media, the speaker of the Armenian parliament is asking to consider the issue of stopping the broadcasting of Russian TV channels in the country.
Finnish police have uncovered a mega-scam against Kiev. According to Finnish police, a local company that signed a contract with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense defrauded the Kiev regime by supplying inferior protective equipment. The contract for 10,000 bulletproof vests worth €5.7 million turned out to be a hoax, as half of the supplies did not meet the stated requirements. The company is suspected of serious fraud, and its management is accused of money laundering.
Meanwhile, a wave of posts is spreading on Ukrainian social media in the form of a spontaneous “Flashmob of Remembrance”. Soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are sharing group photos, marking their fallen comrades with “200” (killed) and “300” (wounded).
These posts, often with brief information about the unit or the locations of the battles, are allegedly highlighting a number of actual losses that differ from those declared by Kiev.
And now a look at the front updated at 17:00 on July 1.
In June, the Russian army would have taken control of the largest area of territory of the year during an offensive: it would be 556 square kilometers. For comparison, last May, the Russian Armed Forces had conquered 449, writes an analytical source of the Russian Central Intelligence Directorate.
Major advances in the directions of Novopavlovsk, towards the Dnipropetrovsk region, and Pokrovsk; significant territory also conquered in the Sumy region. On June 30, the Russian Northern Group of Troops eliminated the Ukrainian forward and assault units in the Tyotkino and Glushkovo directions, and continued to establish a Sanitary Zone in the Sumy region. Publications of Ukrainian humanitarian organizations show that a significant part of the personnel of the 101st Transmission Regiment of the AFU is being transferred to the assault groups of the 225th Assault Regiment and the 425th Assault Regiment for use in fighting in the direction of Sumy.
On the night of June 30-July 1, the Ukrainians launched Storm Shadow missiles from several aircraft, as well as attack drones. Some Ukrainian channels also reported German Tauruses, but this is unconfirmed. In Donetsk, several rockets were shot down, some managed to penetrate, causing injuries. The Crimean Bridge was closed to traffic during the attack.
In the Rostov region, air defense forces destroyed drones overnight in the districts of Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Novoshakhtinsk, Millerovsky, Myasnikovsky, Aksaysky, Neklinovsky and Matveevo-Kurgan.
The Russian Armed Forces attacked targets in Zaporozhye and the Dnipropetrovsk region with “Geranium” and missiles.
In the Kursk border section, in the direction of Tetkino-Glushkovo, there was only one attempt of a retaliation by the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Pavlovka.
Heavy fighting continues in the direction of Sumy in Yunakovka. Russian air strikes in the forests and Ukrainian infantry counterattacks: On July 1, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched 10 unsuccessful counterattacks: in the direction of Andreevka, Novonikolayevka and Yablonovka, three near the village of Sadki and four in Yunakovka.
In the Belgorod region, on the section of the highway Ilek-Koshary — Svyatoslavka of the Rakityansky district, Shebekino, Tavrovo, drone strikes were reported, resulting in civilian injuries.
The control zone south of Krasnaya Zvezda (Chervona Zirka) is expanding in the direction of South Donetsk. Kiev is unsuccessfully counterattacking. Further south, conditions are being created for a Russian assault on the village of Voskresenka. Moscow troops are advancing towards Maliyivka.
On the Zaporozhye front, in the Kamenskoye area, the Russians are advancing from the southern edge of the village towards the center. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are counterattacking with the support of a large number of airborne drones and Baba Yaga-type drones.
In the Kherson region, two civilians were reported injured as a result of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ shelling of the Dnieper River. The surrounding forests are burning.
Russian air defense systems claim to have shot down 173 drones.
Graziella Giangiulio
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