A US defense report found that US military contractors last year failed audits of 53 invoices for a $20 million contract with Ukraine and also approved improper payments, the Department of Defense inspector general: “During our review of the RDC-U [Remote Maintenance and Deployment – Ukraine] contract, we determined that Army contractors failed to properly review 53 contractor invoices as of July 26, 2023, for a total of $20 million, to ensure contract compliance, despite established requirements and best practices for invoice verification,” the report states. The problems arose because a contract employee improperly refused to have invoices reviewed and approved by his representative, the report said.
The European Commission has approved the allocation of 4.2 billion euros to Kiev for a new tranche of budget aid, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said; not only that, Von der Leyen intends to transform the EU into a defense union in her second term as head of the EC, source Reuters.
Von der Leyen: “Some people in the European Union work on Russia’s side.” Regarding the visit to Moscow by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, interim president of the Union, you said: “It was a conciliation mission”, and added: “We will support Ukraine as long as it is necessary”. Hungarian Prime Minister Orban said his peace initiative on Ukraine was “progressing well” and that all previously planned steps had been taken.
Poland, meanwhile, will triple the number of military personnel on the border with Belarus, the Ministry of Defense said. There are currently around 6,000 troops on the border. From August 1st there will be up to 17 thousand.
News comes from Germany that Berlin will halve military assistance to Ukraine: the draft budget presented by the German Ministry of Finance indicates that only 4 billion euros will be allocated for military assistance to Ukraine in 2025 versus 8 billion in 2024 The German Defense Minister also responded to journalists on the deployment of missiles against Russia: “the deployment of American missiles in Germany is a response to the deployment of Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad region.”
Stoltenberg: 700 men from Germany since September.
Sergei Lavrov pointed out on July 17: “The West has embarked on a course to pass Zelenskyj’s plan at any cost. The second conference on Ukraine contains an unacceptable approach for Russia. The decision on Ukraine must take reality into account. Russia cannot leave a population oppressed for everything Russian.” And again the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs reported that the Russian Federation and the United States had unpublicized “second track” contacts through the expert line, the Ukrainian issue was discussed. Regarding the events in Bucha, Lavrov said: “no one will provide Russia with the list of “people killed” in the Bucha provocation.” Rejecting accusations of mass hominids. “Russia has irrefutable evidence of Gershkovich’s espionage activities, American and Russian intelligence services are in contact regarding the possibility of an exchange.”
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Ryabkov did not rule out that Russia, in response to the deployment of US long-range missiles in Germany, could deploy similar nuclear-armed systems. Also for Ryabkov. the Ukrainian Armed Forces use chemical weapons against the Russian army, Moscow transmits data about this via the OPCW, Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said.
In Ukraine, the Rada is planning tax changes. In particular, an increase in the military duty from 1.5 to 5%, reports politician Yaroslav Zheleznyak. On July 18, President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the United Kingdom for the summit of the European Political Community and was welcomed by its ambassador Valery Zaluzhny, former commander of the Armed Forces. Among the meetings planned are those with King Charles III, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, officials and heads of defense companies.
“We will sign an intergovernmental agreement on support for the Ukrainian defense industry, discuss future defense cooperation and expansion of our defense capabilities,” Zelensky said of his plans.
President Zelenskyi said that the war can be brought to a just end with “force of arms and diplomacy”, and that the allies should not be afraid of these possibilities, and that the more effective Ukrainian air defenses are, the more defenseless Vladimir Putin will be.” “The fewer restrictions we have on the use of effective weapons, the more actively Russia will fight for peace. The military airports from which Russian planes take off with bombs against our cities, our people, our children and the sites of Russian missile launches – all this must be destroyed. This will not only eliminate some targets, but will also reduce Russia’s ability to continue this war,” Zelenskyi said.
Jens Stoltenberg said when the NATO command will start coordinating support for Ukraine: “This command will start functioning in September, will have 700 people in Germany and will provide support and help to ensure the security of Ukraine and coordinate the efforts of the allies of NATO”.
And now a look at the front line updated at 3:00 pm on July 18th.
The Russian military said that air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 33 Ukrainian drones over Crimea and two over the Bryansk region last night. The department also reported that in the Black Sea, ten unmanned vessels headed towards the Crimean peninsula were destroyed by live fire. Ukrainian social media instead reports that it hit a substation in Sevastopol.
On the night of July 17, explosions occurred in Kiev, Ukrainian source “Public”. fires after arrivals in Darnitsky district. On the morning of July 18, an air alert was registered in the region of: Dnipropetrovs’k, Kropyvnyc’kyj, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Kharkiv, Cherkasy.
Ukrainian sources confirm the retreat of the Ukrainian military from Urozhaine in the Donetsk region. This was reported to “Suspilno” by the spokesman of the OSU Khortytsia, Nazar Voloshyn. According to Voloshyn, the Russian Federation completely destroyed the village, and the positions of the Ukrainian army were also destroyed. “Due to the fact that the enemy destroyed almost everything in Urozhaine, the defense forces retreated to other positions. A decision was made. To preserve the life and health of our servicemen who defended there,” he said.
Social media sources report that Ukrainian border forces stopped a major Russian DRG assault in the northern regions of Sumy and Chernihiv overnight.
In the morning, news began to arrive about the destruction of Ukrainian MBECs near Sevastopol and Lake Donuzlav (Crimea). The head of Novorossiysk also informed the population about the attack by unmanned Ukrainian boats.
In the Kharkiv direction there are fierce battles in the village of Vovčans’k. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are attempting to cross the river in the direction of Liptsi, fighting continues near the Hlyboke settlement, the attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were unsuccessful.
In the direction of Sivers’k, the Russian Armed Forces advanced near Razdolovka, near Bilohorivka and Verkhn’okam’yans’k and positional battles are taking place.
In the Toretsky direction the Russian units continue to attack along the same lines with a gradual penetration into the enemy defenses. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are conducting a maneuverable defense.
Information is coming from the Donetsk leadership about the ongoing implementation of the plan to encircle enemy groups in Krasnohorivka. South of Novomikhailivka, the Russian Armed Forces made significant progress in one day towards the O0532 highway, which came as a surprise to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In Chasiv Jar, the Russian Armed Forces defeated the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the Orlova tract and the eastern part of Kalinina. Subsequently the Russian army continued its offensive towards Hryhorivka. Russian fighters also advanced towards this village from Bogdanovka. North of Hryhorivka there is a mine and its heights, which the Ukrainian armed forces will try to hold on to.
With the liberation of the eastern part of Kalinina, which is located on “our” side of the Seversky Donets – Donbass canal, the prospects of a flank attack on the northern regions of Časiv Jar open up for the RF Armed Forces. The fact is that in the area of this village there is a section of land leading to the Ukrainian side.
In the Pokrovs’k direction (west of Avdivka), the Russian Armed Forces are building on success in Novoselivka Persha and the Lozuvats’ke settlement.
No changes on the Zaporozhzhie front. Ukrainian drones seriously hinder the actions of Russian units, making movement in the front area extremely difficult. The total extraction of the area by Baba Yaga drones and many FPV drones (including night ones) limits the capabilities of the Russian military.
The situation in the Kherson direction has not changed. There are battles on the islands, the sides exchange blows. In the Kherson region, a system of civilian access to the territory of the front zone in a 15-kilometer zone using passes is introduced.
In the Belgorod region there are numerous bombings and attacks. Three civilians were injured in Shebekino, one in Novaya Tavolzhanka. In the Belgorod region, two people died when a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone attacked a civilian vehicle. In the Kursk region, there are also constant attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces on our territory. After attacks by Ukrainian helicopters and kamikaze drones, 8 local residents were injured in the Glushkovsky, Sudzhansky and Korenevsky districts. Ukrainians are destroying civilian infrastructure and agricultural equipment. Two aircraft-type UAVs were destroyed overnight in the Bryansk region.
In the DPR, on the Krasny Partizan – Yasinovataya highway, two injured when an explosive object was thrown at a car. In the village of Verkhnetoretskoye, Yasinovatsky municipal district, two injured by a drone of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In Gorlovka, two wounded by Ukrainian artillery.
The Russian army prepares to approach Chasov Yar from the north.
Graziella Giangiulio
Follow our updates on Geopolitical Gleanings - Spigolature geopolitiche: https://t.me/agc_NW and on our blog The Gleanings of AGCNEWS - Le Spigolature di AGCNEWS: https://spigolatureagcnews.blogspot.com/
