Russia says West ‘responsible for death of Russian journalist’ in Ukraine

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9:52pm: Zelensky asked for NATO-Ukraine Council meeting over Black Sea grain issue

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday he had asked the head of NATO to convene a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council to discuss security in the Black Sea, particularly the operation of a corridor for Ukrainian grain exports.

Russia this week pulled out of the UN–backed grain corridor deal, saying Western countries had ignored its demands to ensure Moscow’s food and fertiliser exports.

Russia said ships heading to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports could be considered military targets.

8:45pm: Rail traffic in Crimea resumes after Ukrainian attack

Rail traffic has resumed in Crimea after having been suspended earlier Saturday following a Ukrainian attack on an ammunition depot, the pro-Russian authorities announced.

“Rail traffic… has resumed” in the district where the attack took place, the Moscow-installed governor of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov announced on Telegram.

6:23pm: West ‘responsible’ for death of Russian journalist in Ukraine, says Moscow

The death of a Russian journalist in Ukraine was “a heinous, premeditated crime” committed by Western powers and Kyiv, Russia’s foreign ministry said Saturday, vowing a “response” against those to blame.

Earlier the Russian military announced that Rostislav Zhuravlev, a war correspondent working for the state RIA Novosti news agency, had been killed in a Ukrainian strike in the southern Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday.

The agency also reported his death, saying he was killed near the frontline village of Pytikhatki.

3:25pm: Russian war correspondent killed in south Ukraine, says army

A Russian war correspondent working for the state RIA Novosti news agency, Rostislav Zhuravlev, was killed in a Ukrainian strike in the southern Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday, the military announced.  

“As a result of a strike by the Ukrainian army using cluster munitions, four journalists were wounded in various levels of severity,” the Russian army said in a statement. “During an evacuation, the RIA Novosti journalist Rostislav Zhuravlev died from his wounds that resulted from the cluster munitions exploding.”

The defence ministry did not provide evidence for its claim that Ukraine had used cluster munitions in the incident. FRANCE 24 has not been able to verify it independently.

3:20pm: Zelensky says discussed ‘unblocking’ grain corridor with NATO chief

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the “unblocking” of the Black Sea grain corridor with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday after Moscow exited a crucial deal to ensure the safe passage of ships. 

“We shared assessments of the current situation in the Black Sea and the risks it poses for global food security,” Zelensky said on Twitter after a phone call with Stoltenberg. “We also identified with Mr Stoltenberg the priority and future steps necessary for unblocking and sustainable operation of the Black Sea grain corridor.”

2:39pm: Poland summons Russian ambassador over Putin’s remarks

Poland‘s foreign ministry Saturday issued an “urgent” summons to the Russian ambassador to protest what Warsaw termed “provocative declarations” by President Vladimir Putin.

Putin had Friday accused Warsaw of harbouring territorial ambitions in western Ukraine, an oft-repeated Russian claim, as well as by Belarus, a close Moscow ally which Putin on Friday promised to protect from possible attack. 

Overseeing a national security council meeting, Putin also claimed that Polish western territories were a post-World War II “gift” from former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. 

Polish deputy foreign minister Pawel Jablonski said the Russian ambassador was summoned following “provocative declarations by Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as (following) threats and other inimical actions by the Russian Federation with regard to Poland and our allies”.

2:18pm: Ukraine shelling kills journalist, wounds three near front line

 A war correspondent for Russia‘s RIA news agency was killed and three other Russian journalists were wounded by shelling near the front line in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday, Russia’s defence ministry said.

The ministry said that Ukraine launched an artillery strike on the journalists using cluster munitions.

FRANCE 24 was not able to immediately verify the defence ministry’s account.

12:41pm: Bulgaria agrees to send heavy military equipment to Ukraine for first time since the invasion

Bulgaria has agreed to provide the Ukrainian army with some 100 armored personnel carriers, marking a turnaround in its policy on sending military equipment to the country to aid Kyiv’s battle against the Russian invasion.

The parliament in Sofia late Friday approved by 148 votes to 52 the government’s proposal to make the first shipment of heavy military equipment to Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

“This equipment is no longer necessary for the needs of Bulgaria, and it can be of serious support to Ukraine in its battle to preserve the country’s independence and territorial integrity after the unjustified and unprovoked Russian aggression,” the Parliament’s decision said.

The Soviet-made armored vehicles were delivered in the 1980s to Bulgaria – then an ally of the Soviet Union in the Warsaw Pact.

Bulgaria, which joined NATO in 2004, still maintains stocks of Soviet-designed weapons and has numerous factories making ammunition for them.

12:40pm: French diplomat says China delivering ‘kind of military equipment’ to Russia

French President Emmanuel Macron‘s diplomatic adviser said China was delivering items to Russia that could be used as military equipment that in turn could be used in its war in Ukraine. 

“There are indications that they are doing things we would prefer them not to do,” said Emmanuel Bonne during a rare public address Thursday at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, which is being broadcast. 

When asked what he was referring to, he said it was the delivery of “kind of military equipment”. 

“As far as we know, they are not delivering massively military capacities to Russia,” he added. 

A French diplomatic source told AFP that the adviser referred to the “possible deliveries of dual-use technologies”, both civilian and military. 

The West has urged Beijing not to deliver arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine. 

While they have regularly said there is no evidence to that effect, they are concerned about the possibility of Chinese firms delivering technology that could be used by Russians on the battlefield in Ukraine. 

Claiming to be neutral in the conflict, China has called for respect for sovereign states, including Ukraine, but has never publicly condemned the military operation carried out in Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

11:59am: Ukraine drone attack on Crimea caused ‘detonation of ammo depot’, say local authorities

A Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow-annexed Crimea caused the “detonation” of an ammunition depot Saturday, the Moscow-installed leader of the peninsula said, ordering the evacuation of people living within five kilometres of the attack and halting rail traffic. 

The attack came five days after the only bridge linking annexed Crimea to Russia was hit, killing two people. 

Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, has been targeted throughout Russia’s Ukraine offensive but has come under increasing attack in recent weeks. 

“As a result of an enemy drone on the Krasnogvardeisky district, there was a detonation at an ammunition depot,” official Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram. He did not specify which location was hit, saying only it was in the Krasnogvardeisky district, which lies inland at the centre of the Black Sea peninsula. 

Aksyonov also said train traffic will be stopped on the peninsula. 

11:12am: Russian governor says Kyiv used cluster munitions on border village

Ukraine has hit the Russian border village of Zhuravlevka in the western Belgorod region with cluster munitions on Friday, the Belgorod governor said Saturday. 

“In the Belgorod region, 21 artillery shells and three cluster munitions from a multiple rocket launcher were fired (by the Ukrainian army) at the village of Zhuravlevka,” governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram, referring to attacks the previous day.  

10:41am: Crimean bridge traffic resumes after brief closure, say local authorities

Road traffic on the bridge linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula has resumed after being briefly suspended on Saturday, an official Telegram channel said.

It did not state the reason for the road closure.

10:22am: Ukraine launched attempted drone attack on Crimea, official says

Ukraine launched attempted drone attack Ukraine attempted to launch a drone attack on the Crimean peninsula on Saturday, the region’s Russian-installed governor, Sergei Aksyonov, said.

He said the attack targeted infrastructure in the district of Krasnohvardiiske, near the centre of the peninsula, without providing detail.

“Emergency workers are on the spot to eliminate possible consequences,” he said.

9:43am: Traffic on Crimean Bridge ‘temporarily blocked’, authorities say

Road traffic on the bridge linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula has been temporarily blocked, an official Telegram channel said on Saturday.

“Those on the bridge and in the inspection area are asked to remain calm and follow the instructions of transportation security officers,” it said.

No reason for the halting of traffic was stated.

Explosions on the Crimean Bridge on Monday killed two civilians and put part of the road bridge out of service, which had only recently returned to full operation after being severely damaged in a similar attack in October

Key developments from Friday, July 21:

The United States plans to announce as soon as Tuesday a new military aid package for Ukraine worth up to $400 million, primarily comprised of artillery, air defence missiles and ground vehicles as Ukraine’s counteroffensive grinds on, three US officials said on Friday.

A prominent Russian hardliner who accused President Vladimir Putin of weakness and indecision in Ukraine was detained Friday on charges of extremism, a signal the Kremlin has toughened its approach with hawkish critics after last month’s abortive rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group.

Russia‘s attacks on Ukrainian Black Sea ports risk “having far-reaching impacts on global food security, in particular, in developing countries”, the United Nations political affairs chief told the Security Council on Friday.

Read yesterday’s liveblog to see how the day’s events unfolded.

 

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)