Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (R) and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (File)

Friday’s Coverage: 13+ Senior Russian Officers Detained, 15 Fired or Suspended After Wagner Group Rebellion — Sources

Map: Institute for Study of War

UPDATE 1406 GMT:

In a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Vladimir Putin has maintained his opposition to renewal of the July 2022 deal lifting the Russian blockade on Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

Putin claimed commitments to remove obstacles to Russian food and fertilizer exports had not yet been fulfilled, putting the agreement in jeopardy when it expires on Monday.

The Kremlin did not refer to Ramaphosa’s request that Putin not attend August’s BRICS summit in South Africa in person, because of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for the Russian leader (see 0643 GMT).

UPDATE 1400 GMT:

Ukraine President Voldoymyr Zelenskiy has commented on the visit of South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol (see 1033 GMT).

UPDATE 1033 GMT:

South Korean President Yun Seok-yol has made his first visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.

The President has met Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy and visited the Kyiv suburbs of Irpin and Bucha, including the memorial to the victims of the Russian mass killing of civilians in March 2022.

UPDATE 0853 GMT:

The US is still holding up training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, “according to US and European officials involved in the discussions”.

At this week’s NATO Summit, 11 European countries announced the launch of the training in August, with centers in Denmark and Romania.

But the US State Department has yet to approve the request to transfer instruction manuals, flight simulators, and other materials.

The formal request “is still being reviewed,” said Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Garron Garn. He referred further questions to the State Department, where a spokesperson declined to comment.

UPDATE 0840 GMT:

Citing the recent dismissal of a top Russian general, UK military intelligence says:

Direct criticism from subordinates is likely to become an increasing problem for Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff General Gerasimov.

The head of Russia’s 58th Combined Arms Army, Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov, was fired after he told superiors of the mass casualties among his frontline troops from Ukraine’s artillery.

The 58th Army is trying to hold back the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine.

The UK analysts note that Russian commanders have been reguarly fired during Vladimir Putin’s invasion, but Popov “was apparently dismissed for voicing concerns rather than for any alleged poor performance”.

In the audio statement to his troops, Popov said he was removed because he “called a spade a spade” in his report to superiors, “toughly” identifying problems in the Russian army “in combat work and support”. He cited the “mass death and injury” of troops because of “lack of counter-battery combat and artillery reconnaissance stations”.

The general said the order for his dismissal was “concocted in one light day” by “senior commanders sensed danger in him” and signed by Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu.

Popov also reportedly called for the rotation of units who have been on the frontline for an extended time and suffered significant losses. The overall commander of the Russian invasion, Maj. Gen. Valery Gerasimov, accused Popov of panicking and blackmailing senior leadership.

UPDATE 0643 GMT:

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has requested that Vladimir Putin not attend August’s BRICS [Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa] Summit in person.

Ramaphosa asked Moscow to send Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov instead to the meeting in Johannesburg.

Russia has rejected the request.

If Putin comes to the summit, South Africa faces the obligation of enforcing March’s arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for the Russian leader.

Putin and Moscow’s “children rights commissioner” Maria Lvova-Belova are wanted over the deportation of more than 19,000 Ukrainian children to Russia.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said he expected Pretoria’s compliance with arrest warrant, “South Africa has experienced a crime against humanity for decades, the crime of apartheid, I don’t think it needs my teachings.”

South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile responded, “We understand we are bound by the Rome Statute [of the ICC], but we can’t invite someone, and then arrest him. We would be happy if he [Putin] doesn’t come.”

The Government also suggested that Putin could participate in the summit on-line or that China could host the event. India and Brazil rejected the latter possibility.

UPDATE 0620 GMT:

Oilfield services company SLB is immediately stopping all shipments of its products and technology into Russia.

SLB, previously known as Schlumberger, is the world’s largest offshore drilling company. During Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, it had only restricted shipments of its products into Russia from the US, UK, Canada, and the European Union.

The $28 billion firm was criticized as an “international sponsor of war”, as it continued to operate in Russia while other oil giants left the country.

SLB said in its announcement that it is joining “the international community in condemning and calling for an end to the war in Ukraine”.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: There is confusion this morning over whether Vladimir Putin has agreed to extend the July 2022 deal lifting Russia’s blockade on three Ukrainian port on the Black Sea.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters on Friday afternoon that Moscow had again stepped back from ending the agreement, brokered by Turkey and the UN, which renewed Ukraine’s exports of grain, foodstuffs, and other goods by ship.

“We are preparing to welcome Putin in August and we agree on the extension of the Black Sea grain corridor,” the President said.

The latest two-month extension expires on Monday. Russia, as with previous deadlines, has issued a series of demands for renewal.

Erdoğan referred to a letter sent by UN Secretary General António Guterres to Putin this week, proposing a resolution with steps removing obstacles to Russia exporting its fertilizers.

[I hope] that with this letter we will ensure the extension of the grain corridor with our joint efforts and those of Russia.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia has not made any statement about a renewal. He has also knocked back Erdoğan’s claim that Putin is visiting Turkey in August.

On Thursday, Putin said that “not one” of Moscow’s conditions had been met: “I want to emphasize that nothing was done, nothing at all. It’s all one-sided. We will think about what to do, we have a few more days.”