Donbas
Commenting on the Zaytseve ambush, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "All of this proves once again that the war is underway… Ukraine must give a tough response to militants' treacherous actions." The Russian occupying troops opened fire on three Ukrainian servicemen who were evacuating the body of another soldier who died on 13 July after tripping wire near Zaytseve. As a result, an army medic was killed, one serviceman was wounded and one injured.
Separatists reported that they had snatched the body of the first Ukrainian serviceman who was killed near Zaytseve.
The wake for Taras Matviyiv, a Ukrainian serviceman and Maidan activist killed in Donbas, was held in Kyiv's Independence Square this morning.
Coronavirus
Ukraine has registered 638 new coronavirus cases, bringing their total number to 54,771, according to the Health Ministry. The daily infection rate has been stable for three days in a row.
France
President Zelenskyy has congratulated France on Bastille Day. "Wish the French people the strength to withstand all the challenges of 2020. @EmmanuelMacron I appreciate France's support for #Ukraine during the pandemic #COVID19 and hope for further fruitful cooperation between Ukraine and France in the #N4 Format," he tweeted.
Armenia-Azerbaijan shootout
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry "expressed deep concern" over the aggravation of the situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border and called on the parties to the conflict to "make every effort to de-escalate the situation and continue looking for peaceful solutions to the conflict based on generally accepted principles and norms of international law". It added: "The Ukrainian side supports a political settlement of the situation on the basis of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders."
Azerbaijan's ambassador to Ukraine, Elmira Akhundova, has thanked Ukraine for supporting her country's sovereignty and territorial integrity in a column she wrote for LB.ua. She described Ukraine as a "reliable friend and important strategic partner".
Armenia, however, has summoned Ukrainian ambassador Ivan Kuleba over the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's statement. The Armenian Foreign Ministry accused Azerbaijan of "aggressive actions".
Israel
The Security Service of Israel and the explosives service of the National Police of Ukraine have held a joint tactical training on neutralizing the explosives in Kyiv.
Iran air crash
"It is too early to say that the plane was shot down as a result of human error. It is wrong to impose interpretations. The downing of a civilian plane is an illegal act, and Iran will be held accountable under international law," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said with regard to the downing of the Ukraine International Airlines passenger plane above Tehran on 8 January 2020.
Reforms
Ukrainians are most aware of land and health reforms, a survey carried out by Gorshenin Institute in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Ukraine has learnt. Ukrainians also want the reforms launched under ex-President Petro Poroshenko to continue.
Gambling bill
Parliament has passed the bill on gambling, which has been officially banned in Ukraine for 11 years. The opposition called the bill controversial and untimely, while the president's Servant of the Peopleparty insisted on its adoption.
NABU
There is no support in parliament for the dismissal of the chief of the National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), Artem Sytnyk, LB.ua has learnt from sources in the pro-presidential Servant of the People party.
Deputy PM
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has nominated the former head of the State Space Agency, Oleh Uruskyy, for deputy prime minister in charge of defence industry
Elections
If local elections were held these days, Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko would get 36% of votes among all the respondents or 44% of those who are ready to go to the polls and made up their mind on who to support, a survey by the Razumkov Centre has found out. He is followed by businessman Andriy Palchevskyy (9% and 11%) and Deputy Health Minister Viktor Lyashko (8% and 6%).
Crime
The Security Service of Ukraine has detained two people who offered a businessman their help in "settling" some property recovery problems thank to connections in law enforcement for 100,000 dollars. One of the detained is a likely author of the so-called "Yermak tapes" allegedly implicating the brother of the presidential chief of staff in corruption.
The State Tax Service estimates the amount of mishandled VAT at 40bn hryvnyas a year, according to its head Oleksiy Lyubchenko. He thus confirmed former Finance Minister Ihor Umanskyy's allegations.
A plaque looking like a tombstone was pinned on the wall of the house in Kotsyubinske where the editor in chief of the Rukh Chesno website, Iryna Fedoriv, resides. Chesno described the incident as "yet another attempt to intimidate the activist" who protested against the development in a local national park.
Music
The Spotify music streaming service will become available in Ukraine as of 15 July.