A Ukraine flag waves amid smoke from Russian missile and drone strikes on Dnipro, July 3, 2024

Wednesday’s Coverage: US Defense Secretary — “A Bridge to NATO Membership” for Kyiv

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1450 GMT:

At least 10 civilians were killed and at least 99 wounded in Russian attacks across Ukraine on Wednesday.

Russia across 12 Ukrainian regions: Kyiv, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Luhansk, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, and Donetsk.

In addition to the six slain and 55 wounded in Dnipro city (see Original Entry), a man and a woman were killing by shelling of the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine; one person was killed in the Poltava region; and one perished in the Kherson region.

UPDATE 0649 GMT:

Russia has rejected the offer of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to mediate peace talks with Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said bluntly, “No, it is impossible.”

Erdoğan discussed Russia’s 28-month invasion with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan.

The Turkish President told Putin that he was ready to “lay the foundation” for a compromise to end the invasion, beginning with a ceasefire.

A Turkish draft includes referenda in all Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. Kyiv will have to provide guarantees of its non-aligned status until 2040, and Russia will have to abandon its objections to Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.

The proposal includes a mutual commitment by the US and Russia not to use nuclear weapons under any circumstances, as well as the renewal of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and the guarantee against unilateral withdrawal in the future.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last weekend that he is open to peace talks with Russia, but only through international mediators.

Zelenskiy added, in an interview with Bloomberg, that Putin may be invited to the second Global Peace Summit.

But he assessed that Putin is unlikely to attend, as he is “too scared” to sit down at the negotiating table. So the US and China should “put aside their differences” to act as mediators, with Beijing “putting pressure” on Russia to halt its invasion.

UPDATE 0632 GMT:

Two civilians were killed and one wounded in Russian assaults on the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine on Wednesday.

The Russians launched 391 attacks, including airstrikes and rocket barrages, on 10 settlements throughout the day.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: In its latest deadly attack on Dnipro in south-central Ukraine, Russia has killed at least six people and wounded 53 in missile and drone strikes on kindergartens, schools, hospitals, and a shopping mall.

Five civilians were slain immediately. A 60-year-old woman died in hospital on Thursday morning.

Commercial buildings were also damaged as fires were set throughout the city. A day of mourning has been declared for Thursday.

Olha, the manager of a cafe that was hit, said: “Inside, everything is damaged, outside everything is also damaged. I’ve got jitters on my body, my hands … it’s all very complicated and scary.”

In his nightly video address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said:

There is only one way to end this terror: by providing Ukraine with more air defense systems and by enabling longer-range strikes on Russian terrorist bases, particularly their airbases. We are working closely with partners on this on all levels.

Russia has persistently struck Dnipro’s civilians throughout the 28-month invasion. Last Friday, two people were killed and at least 12 were injured, including a 7-month-old baby.

See also Ukraine War, Day 857: Russia’s Latest Killing in Dnipro

In January 2023, more than 40 people were killed in devastation of an apartment block.