Explosion at a military base in Melitopol. Moscow threatens an incident in Zaporizhia during the NATO summit

9:47 Azov commanders: We will return to the front Denis Prokopenko, commander of the Azov battalion, who had just returned to Ukraine from Turkey with four other senior Ukrainian officers, whom President Zelensky took in violation of agreements with Moscow, promised that they and his freed comrades would do “everything possible” to end the war. 11:03 Kyiv: We are advancing to Bakhmut And the commander of the ground forces, Alexander Sersky, wrote in Telegram that the Ukrainian armed forces are advancing in the direction of Bakhmut, and confirm that they have made progress. The Ukrainian officer published a video showing the work of a Ukrainian sniper from the “Ghosts” group of brigade hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky. “The direction of Bakhmut. We are making progress, the defense forces are continuing to advance, and the enemy is surrounded in some places,” he added. 11:11 NATO Summit, Vilnius Fort Vilnius, in view of the NATO summit, has become a fortress defended by advanced weapons. In fact, it is only 32 kilometers from the border fence between Lithuania and Belarus, Moscow’s only official ally in the war against Ukraine. Biden and other coalition leaders will be defended on July 11th and 12th, with a total of about a thousand troops, and advanced air defense systems. 11:32 Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Spain against cluster bombs US allies Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Spain have expressed their opposition to Washington sending cluster bombs to Ukraine. Cluster bombs are banned in 123 countries because of the danger they pose to civilians. He also criticizes Amnesty International. 12:08 Russian forces: a Ukrainian cruise missile was shot down near Kerch Russia’s air defense forces said they shot down a cruise missile near Kerch in Crimea. Sergei Aksenov, the local governor, wrote on his Telegram channel: “In the Kerch region, the air defense forces shot down a cruise missile, there were no damages or casualties.” 12:32 Missiles hit the Crimea, the Kerch bridge was closed According to various Telegram channels, traffic has stopped on the Crimean Bridge. Russian governor Aksyonov said a cruise missile was shot down near Kerch, close to the link between the mainland and the peninsula annexed by Moscow. According to Radio Liberty, the Russian authorities said that air defense operations are underway in the Rostov region. 1.25 p.m Zelensky met surprisingly with Polish President Duda Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met today with his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, in Lutsk, a city in northwestern Ukraine, the capital of the Volhynia region, where the two visited the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. The meeting between the two presidents in Lutsk was not announced. 2.50 p.m Biden in London before the NATO summit Tomorrow, the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, will receive the President of the United States, Joe Biden, who will stop in London before heading to the NATO summit in Lithuania. And at the center of the meeting in Downing Street – the fifth Monday in five months – there will certainly be an issue, the issue of cluster bombs in Ukraine, which is one of the first major issues dividing the two leaders. 3:46 p.m The Russians drop a missile targeting Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev said that Russian air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian missile in the Rostov region. There were no injuries. Shrapnel from the rocket damaged several buildings, he said. The attack returns to the middle of the day today. 4:24 p.m Conversation between the Turkish Foreign Minister and Lavrov Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the Black Sea wheat deal and the latest developments in Ukraine with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a phone call today, according to what the Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed to RIA Novosti. The ministry said, “Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had a phone call today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which they discussed recent developments in Ukraine and the situation with regard to the Istanbul agreement on ‘grains.'” 5.50 m Biden: Ukraine joining NATO? Only after the war is over. Ukraine’s accession to NATO can be evaluated after the end of the war with

Russia. This was stated by the President of the United States, Joe Biden, in an interview with CNN. “I don’t think there’s a consensus in NATO about letting Ukraine in right now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” Biden said. “I think we have to follow a rational path – added the American president – so that Ukraine can qualify for membership in NATO.”

7:11 p.m Ukraine: “We hit the Kerch Bridge” Ukraine admitted for the first time that it had struck and severely damaged the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia to Crimea, last October after denying it for 8 months in the face of Moscow’s allegations. Meanwhile, he also claimed again the sinking of the missile cruiser Moskva in the Black Sea in April 2022, in the early stages of the war, which Russia has always refused to admit was the work of the Kiev army. The Kerch Bridge was severely damaged by a truck bomb explosion that killed some motorists, and the bridge was closed for months before being repaired, except for one lane that was reopened after about ten days. 7.35pm Lavrov: “Devastating arms supply to Ukraine” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, that the path toward continued arms supplies to Kiev is devastating, the Russian Foreign Ministry said after their phone conversation. “Ankara’s attention was drawn to the devastating impact of the course towards continued arms supplies to the Kiev regime. It was emphasized that such steps would only lead to negative consequences,” the ministry said. 7:57 p.m Ukrainian missiles shot down by the Russians in Bytosh Two Ukrainian missiles were intercepted and destroyed when they attacked the village of Bytosh in the Bryansk region of Russia. The wreckage of one had destroyed a sawmill, causing no casualties. District Governor Aleksandar Bogomez claims this on Telegram. 21:55 “Explosion at a military base in Melitopol” A massive explosion was recorded near the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhia region. Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of Melitopol, wrote in Telegram. He claimed that the explosion occurred in an aircraft hangar turned into a Russian military base. Melitopol is an important railway hub that allows the Russians to transport military equipment to southern Ukraine. “Residents of Melitopol in the north of the city reported the sound of a strong explosion. As it became known, something happened in the hangar located in Zarechen, which turned out to be an enemy base.” 10:20 p.m A phone call between Biden and Erdogan: discussing Sweden’s candidacy for NATO Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed Sweden’s bid for NATO in a phone call with US President Joe Biden ahead of the alliance’s summit this week. The two leaders also discussed Ukraine’s position in NATO, the delivery of F-16 fighter jets and Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union, according to a statement from Erdogan’s office.