Live blog: Ukraine forces to recapture Kherson from Russia – official

Sunday, July 24, 2022

Ukraine forces to recapture Kherson from Russia: official

A Ukrainian official has said that the country's southern region of Kherson, which fell to Russian troops early in February, would be recaptured by Kiev forces by September.

"We can say that the Kherson region will definitely be liberated by September, and all the occupiers' plans will fail," Sergiy Khlan, an aide to the head of Kherson region, said in an interview with Ukrainian television.

"We can say that a turning point has occurred on the battlefield. We see that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are prevailing in their most recent military operations," Khlan said.

Lavrov offers reassurance over Russian grain supplies in Cairo visit

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has offered reassurances over Russian grain supplies to Egypt during a visit to Cairo.

"We reaffirmed the commitment of Russian grain exporters to meet all their commitments," Lavrov said in a press conference with Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

"We discussed specific parameters of cooperation in this area, agreed on further contacts between the relevant ministries, and we have a common understanding of the causes of the grain crisis."

Russian strike on Odessa hit Ukrainian 'military infrastructure'

Russian missiles have destroyed Ukrainian "military infrastructure" in a strike on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odessa, Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson said.

"Kalibr missiles destroyed military infrastructure in the port of Odessa, with a high-precision strike," Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.

Her statement comes in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who said dialogue with Moscow was becoming increasingly untenable after the attack.

Ukraine: Odessa strike shows it will not be easy to export grain via ports

Ukraine could export 60 million tonnes of grain in eight to nine months if its ports were not blockaded, but Russia's strike on the port of Odessa showed it will definitely not be that easy, an economic adviser to the Ukrainian president said.

Ukraine could earn $10 billion by selling 20 million tonnes of grain in silos and 40 million tonnes from its new harvest, adviser Oleh Ustenko said. The harvest totals 60 million tonnes, of which 20 million are for domestic consumption, he said.

"But with the way they are opening now and what Russia is doing in the Black Sea, yesterday's strike shows that it definitely won't work that way," he said.

Russia FM visits Egypt, part of Africa trip amid Ukraine crisis

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials as his country seeks to break diplomatic isolation and sanctions by the west over its attacks on Ukraine.

Lavrov landed in Cairo late on Saturday, the first leg of his Africa trip that will also include stops in Ethiopia, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Russia’s state-run RT.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry was holding talks with Lavrov on Sunday morning.

North Korea accuses US of biological warfare in Ukraine

North Korea has accused the United States of manufacturing biological weapons in Ukraine, echoing a Russian claim dismissed by the United Nations in March. 

Moscow ally Pyongyang in February said US policy was the "root cause of the Ukraine crisis", and this month formally recognised two self-proclaimed pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, prompting Kiev to cut diplomatic ties with North Korea.

Washington "set up many biological labs in tens of countries and regions, including Ukraine, in disregard of the international treaties", the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Sunday, citing what it said had been "detected" by Russia.

Ukraine's forces inching into Russia-held Kherson — Zelenskyy

Ukrainian forces are gradually moving into the eastern Kherson region, which was taken over by Russia at the start of the conflict, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address.

"The occupiers have been trying to establish a foothold there ... but how did it help them? The Ukrainian armed forces are moving into the region step by step," he said.

“Today's Russian missile attack on our port in Odessa. A cynical one. It also turned out to be a blow to Russia's own political positions. If anyone in the world could have said before that some kind of dialogue with Russia, some kind of agreements, would be necessary — look at what is happening. Today Russian 'Kalibrs' have destroyed the very possibility of such statements.''

Odessa attack casts doubt on Russia's commitments — US

The United States condemned a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa, saying it "casts serious doubt" on Moscow's commitment to a deal with Ukraine to unblock grain exports.

"This attack casts serious doubt on the credibility of Russia's commitment to yesterday's deal and undermines the work of the UN, Türkiye, and Ukraine to get critical food to world markets," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

For live updates from Saturday (July 23), click here