In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, … [+]
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 877.
Frontlines. Heavily outnumbered Ukrainian defenders have retreated from yet another eastern village as new American military supplies have been slow to arrive. Relentless attacks on the village of Urozhaine, which Russia overran in 2022 and Ukraine regained last year, have reduced it to rubble and led Ukrainian commanders to withdraw to stronger positions. Meanwhile, Ukrainian sea drones struck a Russian coast guard base in Crimea on July 17.
Assisted by mediators including the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Ukraine each sent the other 95 prisoners of war on July 17. Many returning Ukrainian soldiers, most of them held in Russia since 2022, suffer from severe wounds and chronic diseases that require long-term treatment. “I still can’t believe I’m home,” one Ukrainian serviceman rejoiced as he got off the evacuation bus. In 54 such POW exchanges between the belligerents, Ukraine so far has brought home 3,405 of its people from Russian captivity.
July 17 marks 10 years since Russia shot down flight MH17 over Donetsk, killing all 298 people on board. Passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a Buk TELAR installation from the Russian 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade from Kursk and was operated by Russian intelligence officers Dubinsky, Girkin, and Kharchenko.
Ukraine has signed security agreements with two additional European states. On July 18, Ukraine signed a new 10-year agreement with both the Czech Republic and Slovenia involving long-term production of armaments and military training. So far, 23 countries, including the United States, have reached such agreements with Ukraine.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is allocating some $200 million to support the operations of Naftogaz, Ukraine’s largest national oil and gas company. The funds are to be used for the establishment of strategic reserves of natural gas and maintenance of Ukraine’s energy security. “EBRD is a leader in supporting initiatives to ensure the stability of Ukraine’s energy sector,” Ukrainian Minister of Finance Serhii Marchenko said during a joint press conference on July 16. “Today’s signing is an important step towards strengthening Ukraine’s energy stability in times of war.” With EBRD’s guidance and oversight, Kyiv is now implementing 10 state-level projects valued in total at more than $2 billion. Moreover, EBRD has donated more than $4 billion to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion.
Belgium has approved more than $150 million for post-war reconstruction projects in Ukraine. The money will be used for restoring energy and social infrastructure in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions in northern Ukraine. In addition, the Belgian development agency Enabel has promised to establish an office in Ukraine. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal thanked Belgium for its “unwavering support of Ukraine in the fight for our freedom, independence and European future.”
Ukraine’s postal service Ukrposhta is releasing Olympic-inspired postage sets to celebrate Ukrainian athletes participating in the world competition. The sets comprise a block of “Olympic Team of Ukraine 2024” stamps (depicting some of the sports in which Ukraine’s athletes will compete), a “First Day” cover and a C6 art envelope and a card. The postage stamps are already available for pre-order at a price of about five dollars per set. “Today, the Ukrainian people are demonstrating to the world their strength of spirit, heroism, endurance and incredible thirst for victory – on all fronts and in all spheres of life. Let’s support our team together!” states the postal service announcement.
By Daria Dzysiuk, Alan Sacks
