As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 140th day, we take a look at the main developments.
Here are the key events so far on Wednesday, July 13.
Get the latest updates here.
Fighting
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not commented on a Russian-backed official’s claim that a Ukrainian strike on Nova Kakhovka, in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, killed at least seven people, including civilians, and wounded dozens more.
- Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported a significant buildup of Russian troops, particularly in the Bakhmut and Siversk areas, and close to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, as the region braces for a powerful offensive.
- The death toll from a collapsed apartment block in the Donetsk town of Chasiv Yar climbed to 45.
- The United Nations human rights office said more than 5,000 civilians had been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24, adding that the real death toll was probably much higher.
Diplomacy
- Military delegations from Ukraine, Russia and Turkey will meet UN officials in Istanbul on Wednesday to discuss a deal to export Ukraine’s grain from the Black Sea port of Odesa as a global food crisis worsens.
- Ukraine is getting an additional $1.7bn in assistance from the United States government and the World Bank to pay the salaries of its beleaguered healthcare workers and provide other essential services.
- The self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) opened an embassy in Russia, one of only two countries to recognise the separatist “statelet” in eastern Ukraine, and defended its right to impose capital punishment.
Economy
- G20 finance leaders will meet in Bali this week for talks that are due to include issues like global food security and soaring inflation, as host Indonesia tries to ensure frictions over the war in Ukraine do not blow discussions off course.
- The Polish cabinet backed legislation loosening gas trading rules, extending tariff protection for consumers, and contingency planning for grid operators to allow for a swift reaction if the energy crisis deteriorates.
- The European Union has so far frozen 13.8 billion euros ($13.83bn) worth of assets held by Russian oligarchs, other individuals and entities sanctioned for Russia’s war against Ukraine, the bloc’s top justice official said.
- Brazil’s Foreign Minister Carlos França said his country wants to buy as much diesel as it can from Russia following a deal with Moscow.
