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Cluster munitions arrive in Ukraine, while Putin suggests a new Wagner commander. Catch up on the latest
From CNN staff
The much-anticipated and controversial American-made cluster munitions are now in Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian general and the Pentagon.
“We just got them, we haven’t used them yet, but it can radically change (the battlefield),” Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavsky told CNN at an interview in central Ukraine on Thursday morning.
Here are the latest developments:
- Ukrainian citizen charged with murder of Russian commander: Sergei Denisenko, a Ukrainian citizen, has been charged with the "premeditated murder" of Stanislav Rzhitsky and illegal arms trafficking, the Russian Investigative Committee said Friday. Denisenko was detained earlier this week in connection with the murder of Rzhitsky, a former submarine commander in Russia's Black Sea fleet. Rzhitsky was killed early Monday morning as he was running through a park in Krasnodar.
- Alleged Russian saboteur gets 10-year prison sentence: The Security Service of Ukraine said an alleged Russian saboteur has been given a 10-year prison sentence for a foiled plot to blow up transportation infrastructure in the western Ukrainian region of Rivne. Ukrainian investigators identified him as a former militant who fought against Ukraine’s Anti-Terrorist Operation in eastern Ukraine before Russia's full-scale invasion began.
- Putin proposes new Wagner commander: Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to Wagner fighters that a senior mercenary named Andrey Troshev command the private military group, according to comments the Russian leader made to the Kommersant newspaper published Friday. Going by the call sign "Sedoy," meaning "Gray Hair," Troshev is a retired Russian colonel and a founding member and executive director of the Wagner Group, according to sanctions documents published by the European Union and France. He has also been sanctioned by Ukraine.
- Belarus and the Russian military: Ukraine recorded around 2,000 Russian military personnel stationed at Belarusian training grounds until recently, but at the moment "almost all Russian troops have been withdrawn from the territory of Belarus," said Andrii Demchenko, a spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Earlier, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced that Wagner private mercenary group fighters are training Belarusian fighters near the town of Osipovichi, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of the capital Minsk.
US is “very close” to a decision on providing guided missiles to Ukraine, Zelensky aide says
From CNN's Andrew Carey
One of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s most senior aides has expressed optimism Kyiv might soon be adding Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMs) to its arsenal of weapons. The US-manufactured guided missile has a range of up to 300 kilometers (about 186 miles).
Andriy Yermak told journalists in Kyiv he believed the Biden administration was “very close” to making a decision on approving the transfer of the missiles to Ukraine, though he stressed that a final decision had not yet been made.
Ukrainian leaders have had ATACMs close to the top of their wish list since the early months of the war. The missiles’ longer range would bring more Russian targets into view, including some in occupied Crimea, as well as in Russia itself, a fact that has worried the US.
Key among the Russian targets Ukraine is looking to hit are ammunition dumps and fuel depots, as well as buildings housing Russian soldiers far behind the frontlines.
In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up these strikes in what are described as shaping operations, aimed at disrupting and degrading enemy supply lines ahead of ground offensives. Reports suggest Ukraine has begun to make effective use of Storm Shadow missiles, which were donated by the UK in May and have a range of about 250 kilometers (155 miles).
Yermak’s comments follow a report in The New York Times that described a “quiet debate” inside the Biden administration over whether to send the missiles to Ukraine, thereby reversing the US position that Ukraine does not need them.
Russia “investing everything” to stop Ukrainian forces in the south and east, Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is applying its maximum efforts to stop Ukraine’s advancements in the southern and eastern parts of the country.
“The Russian forces on our southern and eastern lands are investing everything they can to stop our warriors. And every thousand meters of advance, every success of each of our combat brigades deserves gratitude,” Zelensky said in his nightly address on Friday.
"Our full focus is on the frontline,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky also said there will be further negotiations with international partners after returning from the NATO summit in Vilnius.
“We will not reduce our international activity for a single day, in particular with regard to the Peace Formula, security guarantees for Ukraine on its way to NATO, and agreements with partners on weapons for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia,” he said.
Russia charges Ukrainian citizen with murder of Russian commander
From CNN's Josh Pennington
Sergei Denisenko has been charged with the "premeditated murder" of Stanislav Rzhitsky and illegal arms trafficking, the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement Friday.
Denisenko, a Ukrainian citizen, was detained earlier this week in connection with the murder of Rzhitsky, a former submarine commander in Russia's Black Sea fleet. Rzhitsky was killed early Monday morning as he was running through a park in Krasnodar.
Russia's Investigative Committee previously posted a video showing the suspect, who they have now named as Denisenko, being walked through the scene of the murder. It is not clear whether Denisenko was under duress as he spoke at the scene, in a Krasnodar park.
South Africa should follow international law if Putin visits, ICC's chief prosecutor says
From CNN's Radina Gigova in London
South Africa should do "the right thing" and follow international law if Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the BRICS bloc summit in Johannesburg next month in person, International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan told CNN on Friday.
The term BRIC was coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill in 2001 to describe the rise of Brazil, Russia, India and China. The BRIC bloc had its first summit in 2009 in Russia, and South Africa joined in 2010.
Some background: ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Russia’s children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova in March over the war crime of unlawful deportation of children. Russia – like the US, Ukraine and China – is not a member of the ICC.
As the court does not conduct trials in absentia, Putin would either have to be handed over by Moscow or arrested outside of Russia. Most countries on Earth – 123 of them – are parties to the treaty, and the ICC statute states that all state parties have the legal obligation to cooperate with the court. It means that they’re obliged to execute arrest warrants.
However, South Africa — the host for this year's BRICS summit — has issued diplomatic immunity to all officials attending a summit in August, meaning Putin might be able to travel to the country despite the ICC warrant for his arrest.
South African officials insist that this is standard protocol and it may not override the ICC arrest warrant. South Africa has not received any confirmation as to whether Putin would attend the summit, according to Naledi Pandor, South Africa's Minister for International Relations.
"South Africa has felt a crime against humanity for decades, the crime of apartheid, I don't think they need lessons from me," he said. "They are voluntarily a state party to the ICC, they know what the law is, and I think they would do the right thing. And we will assess what actually happens at the BRICS summit and respond accordingly," Khan, the ICC prosecutor, told CNN.
"I am a prosecutor, I need to be prudent and prepared for different scenarios with the tools I have available," he added. "South Africa, and I've said it before, and I mean it, is a respective state party. Whenever I look at South Africa, I recall the greatness of the great Mandela. And I think all South Africans will look to him, not to me, about what would the great Nelson Mandela do."
Putin has proposed a potential new Wagner commander. Here's what we know
Lauren Kent, Pierre Bairin and Uliana Pavlova
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed to Wagner fighters that a senior mercenary named Andrey Troshev now command the private military group, according to comments the Russian leader made to the Kommersant newspaper that were published Friday.
Putin appears to have created a split between senior fighters from the mercenary group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin — whose whereabouts are currently publicly unknown — at least in terms of the narrative emerging from his comments to Kommersant. The paper was reporting on a meeting held by the Russian president five days after Wagner's short-lived rebellion collapsed at the end of June – a meeting also attended by Prigozhin and several dozen senior Wagner combatants.
Responding to a question from Kommersant, Putin said Wagner "does not exist" under Russian law, adding that the Russian government needs to determine how to handle the organization legally.
According to the paper, Putin outlined a number of options for the future of Wagner mercenaries, including continuing to fight under their direct commander, a man going by the call sign "Sedoy," meaning "Gray Hair."
So who is "Gray Hair"? Sedoy is the call sign of Andrey Troshev, a retired Russian colonel and a founding member and executive director of the Wagner Group, according to sanctions documents published by the European Union and France. He has also been sanctioned by Ukraine.
Troshev served as the group's chief of staff for its previous operations in Syria, according to EU sanctions from December 2021.
"He was particularly involved in the area of Deir ez-Zor," sanctions documents state, referring to an eastern city where Wagner fighters have had direct encounters with the US military during the Syrian civil war. "As such, he provides a crucial contribution to (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad’s war effort and therefore supports and benefits from the Syrian regime."
United Kingdom sanctions from June 2022 also identify Troshev as a chief executive with the private military group who "has repressed the civilian population in Syria."
Troshev is associated with top Wagner Group leaders, including founder Dmitriy Utkin, a former Russian GRU military intelligence officer, according to EU sanctions.
"Gray Hair" is a veteran of the wars in Chechnya and Afghanistan, for which he was awarded several medals, according to Russian media.
Troshev was among those invited to a reception at the Kremlin in December 2016. A photograph, believed to be from that 2016 reception, emerged in Russian media and shows Putin alongside Troshev and Utkin, who are both wearing several medals.
Troshev was born in April 1953 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in the former Soviet Union, according to sanctions documents.
CNN's Andrew Carey and Josh Pennington contributed reporting to this post.
Russia has increased intensity of shelling on Ukraine's northern border, Ukrainian border guard says
From Yulia Kesaieva
Russia has greatly increased the intensity of shelling of Ukraine's northern border, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said on Friday.
The intensity of shelling near the Chernihiv-Sumy region "tripled" in June compared to May, according to Andrii Demchenko, a spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
"Since the beginning of this year, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions have been shelled by the enemy more than 1,000 times," Demchenko said, adding that Russia continues shelling the border areas on a daily basis.
"The Sumy and Kharkiv regions have been the most frequently shelled," he added.
Some background: The Ukrainian military had earlier advised residents of the northern Sumy region's border area to leave their homes in light of increased Russian shelling. Serhiy Naiev, commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, encouraged residents to evacuate, saying, "The Sumy direction remains the most dangerous in the Northern operational zone."
Number of Russian military personnel in Belarus has decreased, Ukraine says
From Yulia Kesaieva and Lauren Kent
The number of Russian military personnel in Belarus has greatly decreased, according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine on Friday.
Ukraine recorded around 2,000 Russian military personnel stationed at Belarusian training grounds until recently, but at the moment "almost all Russian troops have been withdrawn from the territory of Belarus," said spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Andrii Demchenko.
"However, we cannot rule out the possibility that in some time, as part of the rotation, regular units may be brought back to the territory of Belarus," Demchenko noted in a media briefing while emphasizing that the situation on the border with Belarus "remains fully under control."
Ukraine's Border Guard Service also said they have not observed "the organized deployment of Russian mercenaries" in the territory of Belarus.
However, that comment follows the Belarusian Defense Ministry announcing on Friday that Wagner private mercenary group fighters are training Belarusian fighters near the town of Osipovichi, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of the capital Minsk.
Alleged Russian saboteur gets 10-year prison sentence for foiled plot to blow up Ukrainian infrastructure
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy and Olga Voitovych
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said an alleged Russian saboteur has been given a 10-year prison sentence for a foiled plot to blow up transportation infrastructure in the western Ukrainian region of Rivne, according to a statement on Friday.
The SBU said a Ukrainian court found the person guilty of “committing crimes against the state security of Ukraine.”
According to the SBU, the unnamed saboteur was preparing to blow up two transport infrastructure facilities in the Rivne region when he was detained by security service officers carrying out a “multistage operation” in February.
“The aggressor hoped to disrupt the supply of foreign weapons and ammunition to the defense forces on the eastern and southern fronts,” the statement said. The man conducted reconnaissance missions around the infrastructure facilities, hoping to plant explosives in the “most vulnerable” locations along transportation routes before his plan was foiled, it added.
Ukrainian investigators identified him as a former militant who fought against Ukraine’s Anti-Terrorist Operation in eastern Ukraine before Russia's full-scale invasion began.
The saboteur was a member of "terrorist groups" and the Russian military intelligence apparatus before the war, according to the SBU statement.
After the war broke out, the saboteur allegedly took an “active part” in fighting against Ukrainian troops in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson before receiving “an assignment from a Russian GRU to covertly arrive in Rivne region to commit sabotage at transport infrastructure facilities.”
Ukraine’s parliament moves to legalize medical cannabis to treat wounded fighters
From CNN's Olga Voitovych and Andrew Carey in Kyiv
Cannabis might soon be a legal form of treatment for wounded Ukrainian soldiers, as well as other people with serious illnesses, after a bill to legalize its use for medical purposes passed its first hurdle in Ukraine’s parliament.
Previous efforts to legalize cannabis in Ukraine have failed.
“Exactly two years ago, the vote on a similar initiative unfortunately failed. Today, the war dictates new realities and the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament), by a majority vote, is responding to them appropriately,” senior lawmaker David Arakhamia wrote on Telegram.
Myhalo Bakalyuk, a member of Ukraine’s 47th Brigade, is one of the soldiers who has appealed for a change in the law. He posted a written appeal on Facebook explaining how he had been seriously injured by an anti-personnel mine on the southern front, which resulted in him having his left leg amputated.
The painkillers he received were only able to dampen the physical pain, he wrote, but could not relieve it. They also had an adverse effect on his cardiovascular system, central nervous system and internal organs, he said.
“I ask you to consider the possibility of urgent … adoption of a law on medical cannabis. Medical use of such a drug as a painkiller will significantly reduce the pain and the impact on the body compared to existing chemicals,” he wrote.
Medical cannabis would also be used to treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Olha Stefanishyna, a lawmaker who sits on the parliament’s health committee. Altogether, some 6 million people in Ukraine would benefit from the treatment, she said on Ukrainian television.
The bill needs one more vote in favor of it in parliament before becoming law.
If passed, it could also play a role in the country’s post-war regeneration, supporters say. Crimean officials in exile say cultivation of the cannabis plant on the peninsula — which has the warmest climate in Ukraine — could be part of the territory’s economic recovery in the event of its liberation from Russian occupation.
US secretary of state: NATO's long-term commitments show Putin that he can't outlast Ukraine
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
The long-term commitments made at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, this week might be the most effective way to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin that he cannot win his war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday.
The NATO pledges “may be the best way to disabuse Vladimir Putin of the idea that he could somehow outlast Ukraine, and outlast the dozens of countries that are supporting Ukraine,” Blinken said at a news conference in Jakarta, Indonesia.
"That's the quickest way, probably, to bring this war to an end," Blinken said. The top US diplomat predicted Putin will try to drag out the war "indefinitely," despite the "horrific costs that he's incurred on Russia itself."
“As long as he continues to believe that somehow he will prevail, he's likely to continue. He needs to be disabused of that notion. These long-term commitments to Ukraine’s security, but also to its economic well-being, as well as humanitarian assistance, are probably the best way to do that,” Blinken said.
“The question now is exactly where and how this ends. Fundamentally, these decisions need to be up to Ukraine, because it's about its future,” Blinken said, repeating a common US refrain about leaving it up to Kyiv how and when to handle any peace negotiations with Russia.
“We haven't seen any signs from Russia that it's actually willing to engage in meaningful diplomacy and end the war that it started,” he added.
What NATO countries pledged to give Kyiv: While Ukraine, as expected, did not leave the Vilnius summit as a member of the military alliance, leading NATO nations gave Kyiv security guarantees and assurances that its future is in the alliance.
A joint declaration agreement from G7 countries committed to long-term investments in Ukraine's fighting forces, both to fend off Russia now and deter attacks in the future. The agreement also vowed to invest in Ukraine's economy and to provide immediate "technical and financial support" for pressing needs brought on by the war.
That came alongside assurances — in writing and in engagements with news media — from leading countries that Ukraine will eventually join NATO.
Remember: The Group of Seven, or G7, is an organization of leaders from some of the world’s largest economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Russian foreign minister showed no signs of compromise on Ukraine at meetings with Asian leaders, Blinken says
From CNN's Michael Conte
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s position in meetings with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, saying that the minister remained immovable in regard to his country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, Blinken said nothing he heard from Lavrov “suggested any change in direction when it comes to what Russia is doing in Ukraine.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that the overwhelming majority of global opinion, including in southeast Asia, stands strongly for … principles that are being violated every single day by Russia in its aggression against Ukraine,” Blinken said.
Blinken also criticized Russia for threatening the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday Russia could quit if his country's demands are not met. If the initiative is allowed to expire on Monday, it would affect food prices across the globe, Blinken said.
“The fact that Russia is now once again using that as a weapon and threatening to end it is targeting not just Ukraine but targeting people throughout this region and around the world,” said Blinken.
Blinken said Lavrov's engagements were “not constructive or productive on any issue.”
“He focused, unlike the United States and unlike many other countries, on a totally negative presentation, an agenda in which he effectively described every problem in the world to the United States,” said Blinken.
Turkish president says he hopes Black Sea grain deal will be extended
From CNN's Hande Atay Alam
Turkey is preparing to host Russian President Vladimir Putin in August and both countries agree the Black Sea grain deal should be extended, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a press conference in Istanbul on Friday, despite Russia's threats that it may quit the deal.
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres “sent a letter to Mr. Putin. I hope that with this letter and the joint effort by us and Russia, the grain corridor will be extended," Erdogan added.
Remember: The deal is due to expire Monday. Putin said Thursday that Russia may quit the Black Sea grain deal if its demands are not met. A key Russian demand has been to allow access to international payments mechanisms currently out of bounds to Russian banks as part of an international sanctions regime.
Wagner is training Belarusian fighters, country's defense ministry says
From Uliana Pavlova
Russian private military group Wagner's fighters are training Belarusian fighters near the town of Osipovichi, about 90 kilometers (or about 56 miles) south of the capital Minsk, according to the Defense Ministry of Belarus.
"Conscripts learn the skills of moving on the battlefield and tactical shooting, gaining knowledge in engineering training and tactical medicine," the ministry said Friday, adding that Wagner fighters "acted as instructors in a number of military disciplines"
Following the Wagner group’s failed mutiny, the mercenary fighters were given the option to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense, go to Belarus or return home.
US official on timing of cluster munitions' use in Ukraine: Russia will be "the first to know"
From CNN's Alex Marquardt
US-supplied cluster munitions got into Ukraine so quickly because they were already prepositioned in Europe, a US official told CNN.
Now that the munitions are in Ukraine, when will they be used? “We’ve made a decision to let the Russians be the first to know,” the official said.
The Pentagon confirmed Thursday the weapons were in Ukraine, after a Ukrainian commander told CNN in an earlier interview that they had been received and could "radically change" the battlefield situation.
The controversial cluster munitions are banned by over 100 countries around the globe.
Joint Staff Director for Operations Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims said Thursday during a press conference that the Ukrainians don’t have “any interest in using the cluster munitions anywhere near the civilian population, unlike the Russians.”
No threat of invasion from Belarus, Zelensky says in meeting with military leaders
From CNN's Olga Voitovych and Lauren Kent
There is "no threat" of invasion from Belarus, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a meeting Friday with military leaders, according to a report given by Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov.
The remark comes as Belarus' defense ministry this week said it was expecting the arrival of the next Russian military units as well as fighters from the Wagner mercenary group, who will take part in joint training with Belarusian forces. The country's leader Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, late last month claimed to play a key role in stopping the Wagner march toward Moscow and also said tactical nuclear weapons that Russia plans to station in Belarus had arrived.
In a Telegram post Friday, Zelensky also said that the protection of nuclear power plants and Ukraine's northern border were discussed in the staff meeting.
Ukraine is steadily sealing off and fortifying its northern border with Belarus and Russia, also encouraging civilians in some regions who still live close to the border to leave for safer places. On Thursday, Commander of the Joint Forces Lt. Gen. Serhii Naiev said Ukraine continues to "create engineering barriers directly along the state border; we dig anti-tank ditches and mine the area," adding that the goal is to make that area "impassable."
What else they spoke about: The leaders also discussed the situation on the front lines, new defense aid after this week's NATO summit, the current offensive and improving the Ukrainian military's supply logistics.
Ukraine's Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin gave a report on increasing domestic production of certain weapons, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and ramping up the volume of equipment repairs. Kyiv was a target of three consecutive overnight airstrikes this week, and there was a drone strike in the city of Kryvyi Rih this morning.
It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
A Russian drone strike showered over the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, as cross-border attacks between Moscow and Kyiv ramped up overnight.
Here are the latest developments:
- Shelling in Kryvyi Rih: Key infrastructure, including two residential buildings, was destroyed and a 56-year-old man was injured in Kryvyi Rik in Dnipropetrovsk, a regional official said. Elsewhere in the region, a warehouse and a power line in the village of Velykomykhailivka were damaged in artillery shelling.
- Fighting along the border: Russian governors in charge of regions close to Ukraine said a drone crashed in the town of Kurchatov in Kursk oblast, causing partial damage to an apartment building. Three drones were also intercepted Thursday over the neighboring Voronezh region. Officials reported no injuries.
- Arman Soldin: France posthumously awarded its most prestigious honor, the Legion d’Honneur (Legion of Honor), to Arman Soldin, a French journalist killed covering the war in Ukraine. The Agence France-Presse video coordinator died in May near the eastern city of Bakhmut. Soldin was awarded the order of Knight.
- Weapons in Ukraine: The much-anticipated and controversial American-made cluster munitions that the United States agreed to supply to Kyiv are now in Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian general and the Pentagon. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces shot down 23 drones overnight into Friday, the country's air force said.
- "Wagner does not exist": Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Wagner, the mercenary group which led a failed insurrection against Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, was never a legal entity and its legal status needs further consideration. “Such a legal entity as PMC Wagner does not exist and never existed," Peskov said on Friday.
- Kremlin-Wagner tensions: Meanwhile, Putin suggested he's created a split between senior Wagner fighters and the group's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin following their meeting in June, the Kommersant newspaper reported. The story suggests a fresh attempt by Putin to weaken Prigozhin.
EU and WHO announce commitment to strengthen medical evacuation operations in Ukraine
From CNN's Lauren Kent in London
The European Union and World Health Organization are working to further bolster medevac operations in Ukraine to ensure the country's people get timely medical care, according to an EU statement released Friday.
“Medical evacuations are an essential part of the European Union’s emergency support to Ukraine. Russia’s full-scale invasion leaves military and civilians heavily wounded while also ruining healthcare infrastructure," said Peter M. Wagner, the head of the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments.
In coordination with the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, our new project will further help alleviate the pressure on Ukraine’s healthcare system, helping evacuated patients to return and integrate into national rehabilitation schemes, while also supporting provision of the best possible care for patients," Wagner added.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, more than 2,350 Ukrainian patients have been transferred to hospitals in 21 European countries to receive treatment for "severe war wounds or conditions that cannot currently be easily treated inside Ukraine, such as specialized cancer treatments and rehabilitation support," according to the EU.
More than 370 patients have requested and been supported to return to Ukraine following their treatment.
"The project will help the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to further develop and formalize the procedures of their dedicated Medevac Coordination Unit, particularly the new efforts being made to ensure the safe return of patients who have finalized their acute treatment abroad and wish to continue their rehabilitation in their home country," the EU statement said.
WHO European Region Emergency Director Dr. Gerald Rockenschaub added: “Safe transfer of patients across borders requires all partners to work together effectively and efficiently to ensure that people can get the life-saving treatment they desperately need. We welcome this opportunity to build on our relationship with our partners, both in the European Union and other institutions."
Kremlin says Wagner private mercenary group was never a legal entity
From CNN's Uliana Pavlova
The Kremlin has said that the Wagner private mercenary group, which led a failed insurrection against Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, was never a legal entity and its legal status needs further consideration.
“Such a legal entity as PMC Wagner does not exist and never existed. This is a legal issue that needs to be explored,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
Peskov refused to disclose any further details on the meeting between Wagner head Yengeny Prigozhin and Putin, which reportedly took place several days after the aborted rebellion, in late June.
Separately, Peskov also refused to comment on Russian general Ivan Popov, who said this week that he was suddenly fired after accusing Moscow's defense ministry leadership of betraying its soldiers by providing insufficient support.
Peskov said Popov's dismissal is a "military topic" for the Ministry of Defense to comment on.
CNN's Tim Lister and Anna Chernova contributed reporting.
Russia’s Duma votes for law to ban gender reassignment surgery as crackdown on LGBTQ rights continues amid war
From CNN's Anna Chernova and Uliana Pavlova
The Russian State Duma, or lower house of parliament, has voted in favor of a new law banning nearly all medical help for transgender people, including gender reassignment surgery, as Moscow clamps down on free speech and human rights amid the war in Ukraine.
The bill, which had its third and final reading on Friday, prohibits doctors from conducting gender reassignment surgeries, except in cases related to treating congenital physiological anomalies in children. It also restricts registry offices from amending official documents based on medical certificates of gender change.
The law must still be approved by the Federation Council and signed by President Vladimir Putin before it comes into force.
Russia’s first transgender politician, Yulia Alyoshina, told CNN the bill was "a real genocide of transgender people."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that criticism over the new law was "excessive," adding "all these appeals were worked out by experts in the Duma, and these questions were answered."
Putin has toughened anti-LGBTQ legislation in recent months, in measures that seem to be closely intertwined with the ongoing dissent on the political and human rights activity in Russia.
Notably, on the eve of the final reading, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced it had detained a transgender activist on suspicion of treason.
The FSB alleged that the activist, a Russian citizen from the Oryol region, supported the Armed Forces of Ukraine by providing financial assistance through a donation to the independent human rights monitoring group OVD-Info.
The Russian state labeled OVD-Info a foreign agent in 2021 under a law that critics say suppresses dissent. The group has continued to document alleged rights abuses inside Russia and expanded its mandate to help anti-war protesters following Russia���s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Read the full story:
Russian newspaper describes Putin attempt to divide Prigozhin from his Wagner fighters
From CNN's Andrew Carey, Josh Pennington and Uliana Pavlova
Vladimir Putin has suggested that he's created a split between senior Wagner fighters and the leader of the mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to a report in the Kommersant newspaper.
The paper was reporting on a meeting held by the Russian leader five days after the Wagner rebellion collapsed at the end of June -- a meeting attended by Prigozhin and several dozen senior Wagner combatants.
Putin told the mercenaries that among the choices before them was continuing to fight under their direct commander, a man going by the call sign, "Sedoy," meaning "Grey hair," according to Kommersant.
"Nothing would have changed for them. They would be led by the same person who has been their real commander all along,” Putin had told the group, Kommersant reported.
"And what happened then?" the Kommersant reporter says he asked the Russian leader.
“Many people nodded [affirmatively] when I said that," Putin replied.
Prigozhin, however -- who was sitting in front of the group and had not seen the men apparently nodding their approval -- took a different tack, Kommersant says the Russian president told them.
"No, the guys do not agree with this decision," the Wagner leader said, according to Putin.
The paper does not say how the Kremlin meeting progressed immediately beyond that point, but the reporting suggests a fresh attempt by Putin to weaken Prigozhin without undermining the achievements of the Wagner fighters carrying out Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
France posthumously awards journalist killed in Ukraine with highest honor
From CNN’s Niamh Kennedy
France has posthumously awarded its most prestigious honor, the Legion d’Honneur (Legion of Honor), to Arman Soldin, a French journalist killed covering the war in Ukraine earlier this year.
In a presidential decree dated Thursday, Soldin was awarded the order of Knight.
The Legion d’Honneur is regarded as France’s highest national distinction and is awarded in recognition of both military and civilian merit.
Soldin was working as a video coordinator for international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) when he was killed by rocket fire near the epicenter of fighting at the time, the eastern city of Bakhmut.
Born in Sarajevo, Soldin and his family fled to France in 1992 as the Bosnian war took hold, telling AFP in an interview later in life that “stories about refugees affect me.”
The death of the 32-year-old journalist in May prompted an outpouring of grief and condolences from many including AFP colleagues, fellow journalists, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
In a tweet at the time, Macron paid tribute to the “courage” shown by Soldin during his time covering the conflict in Ukraine.
“From the first hours of the conflict he was at the front to establish the facts. To inform us. We share the pain of his loved ones and all his colleagues,” Macron added.
AFP CEO, Fabrice Fries, said the whole agency was “devastated by the loss of Arman,” calling his death a “terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists on a daily basis when covering the conflict in Ukraine.”
Colleagues who worked with Soldin in Ukraine described him as a “brave and tenacious journalist” who was “full of enthusiasm for life” in comments posted on Twitter.
CNN's Helen Regan contributed reporting.
Russian drone strike hits utility and transport buildings in Kryvyi Rih, regional official says
From CNN's Andrew Carey and Olga Voitovych
A Russian drone strike on the Kryvyi Rih Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih Friday destroyed buildings belonging utility and transport companies, according to a regional official.
Two residential buildings were also damaged in the attack and a 56-year-old man was injured, the official said.
Elsewhere in the Dnipropetrovsk region, a warehouse and a power line in the village of Velykomykhailivka were damaged in artillery shelling, regional council head Mykola Lukashuk said on Telegram.
Russian governors report fresh cross-border drone attacks by Ukraine
From CNN's Andrew Carey, Olga Voitovych and Victoria Butenko
Russian governors in charge of regions close to Ukraine are reporting further cross-border drone attacks by Ukrainian forces.
A drone crashed in the town of Kurchatov in Kursk oblast, Gov. Roman Starovoit wrote on Telegram, causing partial damage to an apartment building. No one was injured, he said.
Three drones were also intercepted Thursday over the neighboring Voronezh region, according to Gov. Alexsandr Gusev, who reported no injuries and no damage.
CCTV videos posted on local unofficial Telegram channels showed what appeared to be one of the explosions happening at just before 11 p.m. local time. A loud bang can be heard followed by the sound of alarms.
Ukraine downs 23 drones overnight, air force says
From CNN's Olga Voitovich
Ukrainian forces shot down 23 drones overnight into Friday, including 16 Iranian-made Shahed drones, the Ukrainian air force said Friday.
In a Telegram post, the air force said Russia "attacked Ukraine with 17 Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 attack drones from the southeast,” and "as a result of combat operations in the southern and eastern regions, 16 Shaheds were destroyed.”
Ukrainian air defenses destroyed one reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and six operational and tactical level drones Thursday, according to the air force.
Controversial US cluster munitions are now in Ukraine, say Ukrainian general and Pentagon
From CNN's Sebastian Shukla, Alex Marquardt and Dasha Tarasova-Markin
The much-anticipated and controversial American-made cluster munitions that the United States agreed to supply to Kyiv are now in Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian general and the Pentagon.
“We just got them, we haven’t used them yet, but it can radically change (the battlefield),” Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavsky told CNN at an interview in central Ukraine on Thursday morning.
On Thursday afternoon the Pentagon confirmed the presence of the munitions in country, saying “There are cluster munitions in Ukraine at this time.”
Tarnavsky is commander of the “Tavria” Joint Forces Operation, which is operating on a large section of the southern Ukraine front.
Tarnavsky added: “The enemy also understands that with getting this ammunition, we will have an advantage… the Russians think that we will use it on all areas of the front. This is very wrong. But they are very worried.”
Eyebrows were raised at the US delivery of these cluster munitions, which are banned in over 100 countries. Ukrainian forces, battling for every inch of territory taken by Russian forces over the past 504 days, are grateful amid low supplies of the 155mm standard artillery round.
High-ranking officials have sought to assuage concern. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Thursday that the Ukrainians will only use cluster munitions in “appropriate places.”
Putin says Wagner Group "simply does not exist." Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
Russian President Vladimir Putin told a Russian newspaper Thursday that the private mercenary Wagner Group "simply does not exist" as a legal entity.
His comments follow a Kremlin event — attended by 35 Wagner commanders, including the group's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin — just days after Wagner fighters launched a short-lived mutiny against Moscow.
At that meeting, Putin said he gave the fighters "an assessment of what they had done on the battlefield" and "showed them possible options for their further service, including the use of their combat experience."
Here are some of the other key developments from the war:
- Kyiv reports battlefield gains: Ukraine's grinding counteroffensive continues along the southern and eastern front lines this week, with Kyiv claiming some progress Thursday in the country's south. Ukraine's troops have taken back territory in the south including three reclaimed villages outside the town of Orikhiv, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said. Troops are also on the offensive around the cities of Melitopol and Berdiansk.
- Biden trip ends: US President Joe Biden wrapped up a trip to Europe by asserting that Putin has "already lost" the war. Biden said he doesn't think the war will continue for years because Russia cannot maintain its resources for that long, and Putin will likely eventually "decide it's not in interest for Russia, economically, politically or otherwise." He said he hopes Ukraine makes progress in its counteroffensive to spur a negotiated settlement.
- Cluster munitions arrive: US-supplied cluster munitions have been delivered to Ukraine, a military official said Thursday. US and Ukrainian officials have said that cluster munitions could prove vital to breaking through Russia's stubborn defenses. But the weapons are also controversial for their potential risk to civilians. The US official reiterated a vow that Ukraine will use the cluster munitions to defend and reclaim their own soil, and in a way that will pose less danger to civilians.
- More support for Ukraine: The European Investment Bank and the European Union will provide another round of assistance worth about $450 million to help the reconstruction of Ukraine, the country's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has published a full list of the weapons and other military hardware pledged at this week's NATO summit, saying it amounts to more than $1.5 billion worth of equipment. And President Biden authorized the Pentagon to send up to 3,000 reserve forces to Europe as the war continues, adding to the more than 100,000 service members already in Europe.
- Grain deal deadline looms: Putin said Thursday that Russia may quit the Black Sea grain deal if its demands are not met, again imperiling an agreement that it has put in doubt as previous deadlines approached. The deal is due to expire Monday. It was brokered by Turkey and the UN to allow Ukrainian wheat and other crops to be shipped to international markets through secure corridors. While global supplies are not as tight as they were last year, traders say prices would rise if the deal is not renewed. Among other demands, Russia wants access to international payments mechanisms currently out of bounds to its banks due to sanctions.
Putin says Wagner Group "simply does not exist"
From CNN's Jonny Hallam
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday described for the first time what was discussed at a Kremlin event attended by 35 Wagner commanders, including the group's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The meeting was held on June 29, just days after Wagner fighters launched a short-lived mutiny against Moscow.
"On the one hand, at the meeting I gave an assessment of what they had done on the battlefield (in Ukraine), and on the other hand, of what they had done during the events of June 24. Thirdly, I showed them possible options for their further service, including the use of their combat experience. That was it."
Putin, who was being interviewed by Russian newspaper Kommersant, was asked if Wagner would be retained as a fighting unit.
"Well, Wagner PMC does not exist!" Putin exclaimed. "We do not have a law for private military organizations! It simply does not exist!"
"There is no such legal entity," Putin explained.
"The group exists, but legally it does not exist!" Putin repeated in the interview. "This is a separate issue related to actual legalization. But this is a question that should be discussed in the State Duma, in the government. It's not an easy question."
Putin said he offered the 35 Wagner commanders multiple employment options, including one under the leadership of their direct commander, who goes by the call sign Sedoy [Grey hair] – a man under whom Wagner fighters had fought for the past 16 months.
"They could have all gathered in one place and continued to serve," Putin said, "and nothing would have changed for them. They would be led by the same person who has been their real commander all along."
Biden authorizes Pentagon to send up to 3,000 reserve forces to Europe amid the war in Ukraine
From CNN's Oren Liebermann and Haley Britzky
US President Joe Biden authorized the Pentagon on Thursday to send up to 3,000 reserve forces to Europe as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.
The US has more than 100,000 service members in Europe, a number that has grown since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022.
Under the new authorization, the reservists would be part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, the ongoing rotational deployments that bolster NATO and its eastern flank. The newly signed executive order designates Operation Atlantic Resolve as a contingency operation, which gives reservists the same benefits as active-duty service members.
No US troops are directly involved in the war in Ukraine as Kyiv is not a member of the NATO alliance.
“This new designation benefits troops and families with increases in authorities, entitlements, and access to the Reserve component forces and personnel,” said Joint Staff Director of Operations Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims at a press briefing.
The move gives the Defense Department another option to send more capabilities to assist US European Command. But a defense official said it would likely take approximately six months to send these reservists to the theater because of the advance notice required.
The added troops would likely work in logistics and sustainment, or medical fields like dentistry and health care — roles that the reserves typically have more of than the active-duty force.
Since 2014, US forces have deployed to Europe under Atlantic Resolve to work with allies and partners in the region. Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder added that the new designation will enable the Defense Department to “provide better system support and sustain our forces.”
“(T)his includes things like increased contracting responsiveness, personnel-related entitlements that give activated reservists the same benefits as active component personnel,” he said. “It also, as a secretary-level operation, enhances our ability to track spending directly associated with this contingency.”
The executive order approving the mobilization of more forces gives officials the ability to call on troops “to come support Atlantic Resolve, and as I just highlighted, be entitled to the same kind of benefits as their active-duty counterparts.”
Ukraine says its troops are consolidating gains in the south
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva
Ukraine's troops have taken back territory in the country's south, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Thursday.
Kyiv's forces have captured several settlements south of the town of Orikhiv, including the villages of Novodanylivka, Mala Tokmachka and Novopokrovka, according to the deputy defense minister.
CNN cannot independently verify battlefield reports from either side of the conflict.
Ukraine also remains on the offensive south of Orikhiv in areas surrounding the cities of Melitopol and Berdiansk, Maliar said.
"The enemy is now redeploying units and using all available reserves. Due to the fact that our soldiers destroy enemy equipment depots on a daily basis, the number of enemy attacks has slightly decreased," Maliar said.
In eastern Ukraine: Maliar said Ukrainian units are advancing south of the city of Bakhmut but are meeting strong Russian resistance. Troops are also engaged in heavy fighting around the cities of Kupyansk, Lyman, Avdiivka and Marinka, she said.
Pentagon confirms US cluster munitions have arrived in Ukraine
From CNN's Haley Britzky
US-supplied cluster munitions have been delivered to Ukraine, a military official said Thursday.
The acknowledgment confirmed reporting from CNN regarding the delivery of the weapons to Ukraine.
“There are cluster munitions in Ukraine at this time,” Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, the Joint Staff director for operations, said during a news conference.
Key context: While US and Ukrainian officials have said cluster munitions could be a game-changer on the battlefield, helping break through Russia's stubborn defenses in the Ukrainian counteroffensive, the weapons are also controversial.
More than 100 countries, including key US allies, have banned cluster munitions because of their potential threat to civilians. The bombs work by scattering smaller "bomblets" across a wide area. If any of the bomblets fail to explode, they can pose a long-term risk to anyone who encounters them, similar to landmines.
Sims said Ukraine does not have “any interest in using the cluster munitions anywhere near the civilian population, unlike the Russians.”
“Russians have employed these weapons against civilians in civilian communities, which is a significant difference from what the Ukrainians intend to do,” Sims said. “The Ukrainians intend to use cluster munitions in the tactical environment, against Russians, not against civilians.”
Ukrainian official says up to 200 Russian soldiers killed in recent strike in south
From CNN's Tim Lister and Yulia Kesaieva
As many as 200 Russian soldiers and the commandant of the occupied southern town of Tokmak were killed in a recent strike on a Russian base, a Ukrainian official said.
"Our defense forces have successfully worked on the occupiers' positions in Tokmak," Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol, said on Telegram.
Fedorov is in Ukrainian-held territory and his claims cannot be confirmed, but he claimed that intelligence reports said a Russian base at a forging plant in the town had been hit.
There is no way to confirm the claims and no visual evidence currently exists of an attack on the plant. However, a pro-Russian social media outlet said on Tuesday that the "AFU massively shell Tokmak. Preliminary, 6 strikes were recorded.”
A Russian-appointed official in occupied Zaporizhzhia, Vladimir Rogov, also spoke of a series of explosions in the town on the same day, posting a video of fires in an open area that could not be geolocated.
Tokmak, in the Zaporizhzhia region, is an important hub for Russian defenses and is regularly targeted by Ukrainian forces.
Putin says Russia may quit grain deal if demands are not met
From Tim Lister and Uliana Pavlova
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia may quit the Black Sea grain deal if its demands are not met. The deal is due to expire Monday.
“As one of the options, let’s not start with the extension and then the fulfillment of promises, but first the fulfillment of promises and then our participation," he told journalist Pavel Zarubin.
“What I mean is, we can suspend our participation in this deal and if everyone once again says that all the promises made to us will be fulfilled, well, let them fulfill these promises and we will immediately join this deal again.”
A key Russian demand has been to allow access to international payments mechanisms currently out of bounds to Russian banks as part of an international sanctions regime.
“Not a single point related to the fact that there are interests of the Russian Federation have not been fulfilled. Despite this, we voluntarily extended this deal many times. Well, listen, that's enough in the end,” Putin said.
Extension proposals: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to Putin this week outlining a proposal to keep the deal alive.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters the objective of that proposal is to "remove hurdles affecting financial transactions through the Russian agricultural bank, a major concern expressed by the Russian Federation, and simultaneously allow for the continuing flow of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea."
The Russian Foreign Ministry has previously rejected one formula that would create a subsidiary of one Russian bank that might then be allowed to connect with the international financial system.
What to know about the deal: The Black Sea grain deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations allows Ukrainian wheat and other crops to be shipped to international markets through secure corridors. While global supplies are not as tight as they were last year, traders say prices would rise if the deal is not renewed.
There are alternative routes for Ukrainian grain and oilseed exports by rail through Eastern Europe, but they can't readily cope with the volume that Ukraine wants to export.
Romania has refurbished rail links and storage facilities but its main port is already clogged with waiting ships.
Putin has "already lost" the war in Ukraine, Biden says
From CNN's Betsy Klein in Helsinki, Finland
US President Joe Biden said he doesn't think the war in Ukraine will drag on for years to come, declaring that Russian President Vladimir Putin has "already lost."
"There is no possibility of him winning the war in Ukraine. He has already lost that war," Biden said at a news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Helsinki when asked if Ukraine not immediately being admitted to join NATO could embolden Putin.
The US president said he doesn't think the war will continue for years because Russia cannot maintain its resources for that long, and Putin will likely eventually "decide its not in interest for Russia, economically, politically or otherwise."