A massive explosion rocked a munitions depot in Russia-annexed Crimea on Saturday, forcing nearby homes to be evacuated, news outlets reported.
Ukrainian military claimed the attack, allegedly carried out by a drone, destroyed an oil depot and Russian military camps in Oktyabrske in Crimea’s Krasnohvardiiske region.
Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said in a Telegram post that there were no immediate reports of casualties, but authorities were evacuating civilians within a five-kilometer (3-mile) radius.
Two blasts occurred Monday on the Kerch Bridge, which is about 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of the attack, killing two people and damaging a section of road.
Monday’s strike was the second major attack on the bridge since the war began.
Russia captured and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, eight years before launching its all-out invasion of the country.
The Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia and Crimea, is a prominent symbol of Moscow’s claims to the peninsula.
The 19-kilometer (nearly 12-mile) bridge is the longest in Europe and is vital to Russia’s military operations in southern Ukraine.
Here are some of the other developments from Russia’s war in Ukraine on Saturday July 22nd.
Poland opens repair center for war-damaged tanks
Poland said that a repair center for tanks damaged in Ukraine has started operations in the southern Polish city of Gliwice.
“The maintenance center in Gliwice has started operations! The first two Leopards have already arrived at the Bumar plant from Ukraine,” Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak wrote on Twitter.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s strongest allies since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion and is negotiating with Germany over a joint initiative for Leopard tanks.
However, no common position has been announced in this regard.
At least 4 dead in Russian attack near Donetsk
According to the prosecutor, at least four people were killed in the recent Russian attacks on a village near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
According to the bureau, Moscow forces dropped Fab-250 bombs on the village of Nyu-York on Friday evening.
Three civilians were injured and taken to the hospital, the office reported.
The death toll was expected to increase.
Prosecutors opened a war crimes investigation.
Dnipropetrovsk regional authorities reported that three people were injured by Russian artillery fire in Nikopol, a Russian-held town on the bank of the Dnipro River across from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
Russia blames the West for the death of a Russian journalist in Ukraine
A Russian war reporter was killed and three others injured in a Ukrainian attack with cluster munitions in Ukraine on Saturday.
Rostislav Zhuravlev, a war correspondent for the state news agency RIA, and three other colleagues came under fire in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhia region, the ministry said.
It described the death as “a heinous, premeditated crime” committed by Western powers and Kiev, and announced a “reaction” against those responsible.
Cluster bombs are in the spotlight after Ukraine received supplies from the US this month.
Many countries ban them because they can rain shrapnel over a large area and pose a danger to civilians.
Some bomblets do not usually detonate immediately and may detonate years later.
DW cameraman injured in Russian attack
A DW cameraman was injured by shrapnel during a Russian attack on a Ukrainian army training ground in Donbass, about 23 kilometers from the front line, on Saturday, the German broadcaster said in a statement.
DW’s Ievgen Shylko was part of a team reporting from the training ground near the town of Druzhkivka when they came under Russian artillery fire.
“We were filming the Ukrainian army during gunnery training when we suddenly heard several explosions,” said DW correspondent Mathias Bölinger.
“We lay down, more explosions followed, we saw people getting hurt,” he added.
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and several others injured in the attack.
NATO’s Zelenskyy and Stoltenberg discuss the Black Sea grain deal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed “unblocking” the Black Sea Grain Corridor with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg after Moscow this week secured a crucial deal to ensure the safe passage of ships.
“We exchanged assessments of the current situation in the Black Sea and the associated risks for global food security,” said Zelenskyy on Twitter after a phone call with Stoltenberg.
“We have also established with Mr. Stoltenberg the priority and future steps required for the unblocking and sustainable operation of the Black Sea Grain Corridor.”
Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter: “We strongly condemn Moscow’s attempt to weaponize food. Allies stand by Ukraine as long as it takes, and after the NATO summit, Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever.”
The grain deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, was signed last July to help export Ukrainian grain, which has been blocked by Russian naval ships since the invasion began.
The deal allowed Kiev to sell some 33 million tons of grain and other foodstuffs abroad, despite the ongoing war.
Since Russia pulled out of the deal, Moscow forces have attacked grain storage facilities in the key Ukrainian port city of Odessa.
China demands resumption of Ukrainian grain exports
China has urged both Russia and Ukraine to resume grain exports immediately.
Geng Shuang said he hoped both parties would work with the United Nations to find a solution. Credit: ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images
Geng Shuang, China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, appealed to the two countries during a meeting at the UN Security Council in New York.
According to a report by Chinese state television, Geng stressed the importance of both countries resuming grain and fertilizer exports soon.
He expressed hope that all parties involved would work with UN bodies to find a solution. The main goal behind it, according to Geng, was to ensure international food security.
Moscow linked the extension of the agreement to the lifting of specific sanctions by the West, in particular the ban on its banks from using the international payment method SWIFT.
The European Union clarified that Russian grain and fertilizers are exempt from the sanctions and many banks remain connected to SWIFT.
Putin critic Girkin is accused of inciting extremism
Prominent Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, was arrested on Saturday and charged with inciting extremism. A Moscow court sentenced him to pre-trial detention until September 18.
The charges reportedly revolve around two outbreaks he posted on the messaging app Telegram. According to the Interfax news agency, however, he firmly rejected all allegations and refused to cooperate with the investigators.
If found guilty, he faces up to five years in prison.
Girkin, a former FSB officer and battlefield commander, is best known for his involvement in Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and his role in organizing pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine.
He has been accused of war crimes by Ukrainian officials and Western human rights groups, which he vehemently denies.
In 2022, a Dutch court sentenced Girkin to life in absentia for his alleged involvement in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, in which 298 passengers and crew were lost. Despite the court’s decision, he denied any wrongdoing.
In May, Girkin announced the formation of the Angry Patriots Club, a group dedicated to protecting Russia from the dangers of systemic unrest, particularly those related to military failures in Ukraine and possible power struggles within the Russian elite.
Poland slams Russian ambassador for ‘provocative’ statements by Putin
Poland summoned the Russian ambassador on Saturday to protest against what Warsaw called “provocative” statements by President Vladimir Putin.
Putin on Friday accused Warsaw of harboring territorial ambitions in western Ukraine, an oft-repeated allegation by Russia and Belarus, a close Moscow ally.
While chairing a session of the National Security Council, Putin also claimed that Poland’s western territories were a “gift” from former Soviet leader Josef Stalin after World War II.
“The borders between the countries are absolutely inviolable and Poland is against any kind of revision,” said Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski.
He added that the meeting with the ambassador was “very brief”.
The post-war settlement after 1945 caused modern-day Poland to shift some 300 kilometers (185 miles) west of its pre-conflict borders.
Through this settlement, the Soviet Union retained parts of the former parts of Poland that Moscow annexed in 1939, while Poland gained lands that once belonged to Germany.
More on the Ukraine War
This week, DW reported on why Russia’s canceled grain deal with Ukraine is so important.
Click here to follow our updates on Friday’s war events.
Zelenskyy demands that the grain agreement with Ukraine must be continued
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mm, los/jcg (AP, Portal, AFP, dpa)