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Key updates on July 20-21:
- Around 20,000 Russians died in Kharkiv offensive, Zelensky says
- Front-line troops lack ammunition, drones, Zelensky says
- Zelensky on Trump's peace plan: No one can push Ukraine to give up territory for peace
- Most Ukrainian POWs haven't seen Red Cross while in Russian captivity, ombudsman says
- Satellite images show damage to Russian airfield after reported drone strike
- Ukraine's sanctions on Russia's Lukoil may result in fuel crisis in Hungary
- Ukraine increases defense spending by almost $12 billion in 2024
Around 20,000 Russian troops were killed during Russia's failed offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the BBC on July 18.
Russia launched its offensive on Kharkiv Oblast in May, pressing towards Ukraine's second-largest city, but the assault quickly stalled.
"We stopped this offensive, and their attack failed. This is a fact," Zelensky said.
"About 20,000 of their people died. These villages cost them."
The Kyiv Independent was unable to independently confirm the figure.
Front-line troops lack ammunition, drones, Zelensky says
Ukrainian troops on the front line lack key supplies, particularly ammunition and drones, Zelensky said on July 21.
Ammunition shortages have long been an ongoing issue in Ukraine, particularly in the first half of 2024. Over the winter months, Ukraine's Armed Forces suffered a critical shortage of artillery shells, in large part due to delays in U.S. military aid.
"What exactly is lacking ... Distribution of ammunition and a sufficient number of drones, above all," Zelensky said.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi visited front-line brigades and reported on the lack of military provisions, Zelensky said.
The report comes days after the Defense Ministry announced on July 16 that it would return "a significant amount" of ammunition previously designated as expired to the front lines.
Zelensky on Trump's peace plan: No one can push Ukraine to give up territory for peace
Zelensky said in a July 20 interview that no one can force Ukraine to give up territory in order to achieve peace.
Zelensky was responding to former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's comments that he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours.
As Trump's victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election becomes more likely, his proposal for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is coming under close scrutiny.
"If one person in the world, and this person is Donald Trump, can stop the war in 24 hours, the question is at what price, and who will pay?" Zelensky said in an interview with BBC.
Zelensky and Trump held a phone call on July 19, five years after a fateful 2019 phone call between the two led to Trump’s first impeachment.
President Zelensky announced on Twitter that the two discussed the "vital importance of bipartisan and bicameral" U.S. support for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader also noted that the leaders agreed to a future "personal" meeting to discuss peace with Russia.
"Ukraine will always be grateful to the United States for its help in strengthening our ability to resist Russian terror," Zelensky said
Most Ukrainian POWs haven’t seen Red Cross while in Russian captivity, ombudsman says
Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on July 20 that most Ukrainian prisoners of war who were released had never been visited by the Red Cross representatives while in Russian captivity.
His post on social media came in response to a recent interview of Boris Michel, the head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Russia, with the Russian state-controlled media RIA Novosti.
In the interview, Michel said that ICRC staff visited 3,100 prisoners of war in Russia and Ukraine, adding that these visits “are very important for the prisoners of war themselves and their relatives, as they await news about their loved ones.”
Lubinets said that Michel didn’t specify how many visits were paid to POWs separately in Russia and Ukraine because “almost all” the POWs who received the visits were Russian prisoners held by Ukraine in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
Satellite images show damage to Russian airfield after reported drone strike
The Millerovo military airfield in Russia's Rostov Oblast was damaged after a reported overnight drone strike, according to satellite data from July 20.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukraine attacked the region with 26 drones overnight on July 19-20. The Crimean Wind Telegram channel then reported that a fire broke out at the Millerovo airfield as a result of the strike.
The airfield's technical-operational unit and the fuel and lubricant warehouse were damaged in the attack, according to satellite imagery compiled by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
The data indicates that fires broke out at the warehouse, the technical-operational unit hangar, and an area of open field.
The photos also appear to substantiate Russian officials' claims that no aircraft were damaged in the strike.
Ukrainian forces regularly conduct drone strikes and sabotage acts on Russian territory, targeting military assets, oil refineries, and industrial facilities.
Ukraine's sanctions on Russia's Lukoil may result in fuel crisis in Hungary
Hungary is facing a fuel shortage following Ukraine's decision to ban Russian oil passing through its territory.
In June, Kyiv imposed sanctions blocking the transit of pipeline oil from Lukoil to Central Europe to cut off the Kremlin's source of income used to support its military. Yet, Ukraine's ban does not apply to other Russian oil exporters who still use the pipeline.
The restrictions have created supply shortages in Budapest, which depends on Russia for 70% of its oil supply, with Lukoil providing half of that volume, according to Politico.
Following Ukraine's move, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said this measure could threaten Hungary's long-term energy security.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico criticized Ukraine's sanctions against the Russian company Lukoil in a phone conversation with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on July 20, the Slovak news agency Tasr reported.
"Slovakia doesn't intend to be a hostage to Ukrainian-Russian relations," Fico reportedly told Shmyhal.
Ukraine increases defense spending by almost $12 billion in 2024
The government has increased defense spending by Hr 495.3 billion (nearly $12 billion), providing funds for all Ukraine's law enforcement agencies, the Defense Ministry announced on July 19.
"Financing the needs of Ukrainian forces is now a top priority. Additional funds for weapons, fortifications, and salaries for servicemen are a critical component of countering the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine," Deputy Defense Minister Yurii Dzhyhyr said.
According to the statement, Hr 373.7 billion (nearly $9 billion) will be allocated to the Defense Ministry, with 269.5 billion (nearly $6.5 billion) of this amount will be spent on military salaries and one-time financial assistance in the event of the soldiers' death or injury.
The government also allocated Hr 47 billion (nearly $ 1.1 billion) to purchase and modernize weapons, military equipment, and ammunition, and Hr 4.7 billion (nearly $113 million) will be spent on logistics.
More than Hr 40 billion (nearly $965 million) will be allocated for the construction of fortifications by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the State Security Service, while Hr 8.9 billion (nearly $215 million) will be transferred for the needs of the State Special Transport Service.
Ukraine finances the country's defense sector through taxes and military bonds.
The state budget expenditures for the security and defense sector amounted to Hr 732.8 billion (nearly $17.6 billion) from January to May 2024, or 58.3% of the total expenditures, the Finance Ministry reported in June.
