Buildings destroyed by Russian shelling of Slovyansk in eastern Ukraine, July 5, 2022


The Kremlin Widens Its Net of Arrests Over Putin’s Invasion

Tuesday’s Coverage: Donetsk Residents Urged to Evacuate as Ukrainians Prepare for Russian Assault


Source: Institute for the Study of War


UPDATE 1258 GMT:

Footage of the aftermath of a Russian missile attack on Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine on Tuesday, hitting homes and the highway connecting Russian-occupied Kherson region with Ukraine-controlled Odesa to the west:


UPDATE 0941 GMT:

The Russian Government has ordered the Jewish Agency to cease all operations inside the country.

The Russian Justice Ministry issued the order in a letter earlier this week. The Jewish Agency is considering its response in consultation with the Israelli Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office. A “senior diplomatic official” said on Tuesday:

Russia is saying the Jewish Agency illegally collected info about Russian citizens… We will bring up the Jewish Agency and address it in an organized way. It will be taken care of at the embassy level. We don’t totally understand the reasoning.

A “senior source” in Russia said, “People from the Jewish community have been feeling the Iron Curtain setting on them and they fear they won’t be able to escape the country.”

Closure of the Agency could further hinder Jewish emigration from Russia. Thousands have finished their paperwork and have been waiting for flights to Israel; however, sanctions on Russia have caused most international airlines to halt flights.


UPDATE 0748 GMT:

Yum Brands says it is “in advanced talks” to sell its Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Russia.

The US company intends to leave Russia completely after the sale. It suspended business in March, and sold its Pizza Hut restaurants to Russian company Noi-M in a $4.92 million deal in June.


UPDATE 0722 GMT:

Satellite images appear to show the movement of a Russian battalion tactical group, which had been on Russia’s border with Finland, to Ukraine.


UPDATE 0719 GMT:

As Russia pursues the de facto annexation of occupied areas of southern Ukraine, Russian teachers have arrived in the Polohy district of the Zaporizhizhia region.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says children will have to study a Russian curriculum in kindergartens and schools. It claims:

In case of parental disagreement, the occupation administration threatens to remove children from their families and send them to boarding schools. The parents themselves are promised to be punished by administrative measures — men will be sent to the “army of the DPR [Donetsk People’s Republic]”, women will be sent to communal work related to cleaning the city.


UPDATE 0710 GMT:

Canada is the first of NATO’s 30 members to ratify the accession of Finland and Sweden.

Canada completed the process a day after the accession protocols were approved by all NATO countries, who now need to complete ratification.

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly used an administrative process after ensuring opposition lawmakers were in agreement.

“We wanted to be the first country to ratify,” said Joly’s spokesman.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added, “Canada has full confidence in Finland and Sweden’s ability to integrate quickly and effectively into NATO and contribute to the alliance’s collective defence.”


UPDATE 0706 GMT:

Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin has arrived in Kyiv for meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian officials.

Martin said:

The people of Ireland stand with Ukraine and its people in the face of Russia’s immoral and unprovoked war of terror. The bombardment and attacks on civilians are nothing short of war crimes and I will use my visit to express Ireland’s support for moves to hold those behind these attacks fully accountable.

The spirit and resolve of the Ukrainian people has inspired us all and Ireland will provide every support for Ukraine’s path to full EU membership, and continue to welcome and support civilians fleeing this war.


UPDATE 0625 GMT:

Ukrainian officials have asked Turkey to hold three more Russian ships transporting stolen grain from southern Ukraine.

The request was made on June 13 by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General to the Turkish Justice Ministry. The Prosecutor General said the ships left ports in Russian-occupied Crimea in April and May.

Last Sunday, Turkish authorities detained the first Russian cargo ship taking grain, about 700,000 tons, from the occupied port of Berdyansk.

Russian occupation official Yevgeny Balitsky, who had announced the shipment, then said grain will be taken to Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.


ORIGINAL ENTRY: Residents of Ukraine-controlled areas in the Donetsk region have been urged to evacuate, as Ukrainian forces prepare for a Russian attempt to overrun the eastern territory.

Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told an estimated 350,000 civilians, “The destiny of the whole country will be decided by the Donetsk region. Once there are less people, we will be able to concentrate more on our enemy and perform our main tasks.”

Ukrainian forces have taken up new defensive lines after a 3 1/2-month Russian offensive finally seized all of the neighboring Luhansk region, including the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychank, last weekend.

Eight people have been killed and 27 killed in the 48 hours by Russian shelling of Slovyansk, 43 miles to the west of Lysychansk. Two others were slain in Avdiivka, one in Krasnohorivka, and one in Kurakhovo.

Kyrolenko said, “Once again the Russians are intentionally targeting places where civilians assemble. This is terrorism pure and simple.”

Slovyansk Mayor Vadim Lyakh said 40 houses were damaged on Tuesday, as the Russians caused casualties with an attack on a market. He added that 144 people, including 20 children, were evacuated.

UK military intelligence assessed that advance Russia forces are 16 km (10 miles) north of Slovyansk.

Slovyansk had a pre-invasion population of 107,000. Kramatorsk, the de facto capital of the Donetsk region after Russian proxy forces seized Donetsk city in 2014, had 210,000.