Vladimir Putin and Dmitri Medvedev (File)
Tuesday’s Coverage: Zelenskiy — “Not Afraid” of A Trump Presidency
Map: Institute for the Study of War
UPDATE 1508 GMT:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has marked the 10th anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, killing 298 people including 80 children, by a Russian missile fired by Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s accountability for this atrocity is inevitable. Everyone guilty of this and other Russian war crimes will undoubtedly hear the verdicts they deserve.
Eternal memory to all victims of Russian aggression.
UPDATE 1501 GMT:
Ukraine and Russia have exchanged 95 POWs from each side.
Those released include service members of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the Border Guard.
“Our thanks to our exchange team and the United Arab Emirates for mediating their release,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted. “No matter how difficult it may be, we are searching for everyone who may still be in captivity.”
We continue to bring our people home. Another 95 defenders have been freed from Russian captivity. These are warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the border guards.
I am grateful to our team responsible for the exchanges and to the United Arab… pic.twitter.com/ozVW5wQ1Ie
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 17, 2024
UPDATE 0812 GMT:
At least one civilian was killed and 14 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine on Tuesday.
In the Donetsk region in the east, one person was killed and seven injured. In the Kherson region in the south, seven were wounded, as a kindergarten, a shop, a cell tower, high-rise buildings, houses, and other civilian property were hit.
Attacks were also reported on the Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
UPDATE 0526 GMT:
The Baltic States have notified Russia and Belarus that they are disconnecting from the Moscow-controlled power grid from February 2025.
Lithuania’s energy provider Litgrid, Latvia’s AST, and Estonia’s Elering said they will not extend the BRELL agreement, which connects the Integrated Power System/United Power System.
The Baltic States plan to join the Continental Europe Synchronous Area on February 9, 2025.
All three countries halted the purchase of Russian gas and electricity after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: In his latest threat to Ukraine and the international community, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has declared that Kyiv’s membership of NATO would mean war.
Now the Deputy Secretary of the State Security Council, Medvedev told a weekly newspaper that only “prudence” by NATO will prevent catastrophic consequences for the planet.
From the very beginning, we have made it clear to NATO that Ukraine’s accession is not just a direct threat to Russia’s national interests. It is, in fact, a declaration of war, albeit with a delay.
At the NATO Summit last week, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the bloc’s 32 members supported a “path to membership” for Ukraine, without setting a timeframe for accession.
A moderate when he was Russia’s President from 2008 to 2012, Medvedev has become increasingly hardline, strident, and even unstable since being succeeded by Vladimir Putin. During Russia’s 28 1/2-month invasion, he has maintained the demand for conquest of Ukraine, denying its right to exist. As Kyiv with international support has fought back, he has warned of nuclear conflict.
“The actions that Russia’s opponents have been taking against us for years, expanding the alliance … take NATO to the point of no return,” he told the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty.