Border incident
Two employees of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have been detained on suspicion of attacking border guards in Sumy Region, the SBU press centre has said. It noted that it was the SBU that had tracked down the suspects and handed them over to investigators.
In the early hours of 18 July, unknown individuals attacked Ukrainian border guards at the Russian border in Sumy Region and seized their weapons which they later returned.
The State Border Service said that the attacked border guards were in satisfactory condition. It described the incident as an intimidation attempt.
MH17
On 17 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commemorated the Malaysia Airlines MH17 Flight shot down by from a Russian Buk missile system in 2014. However, his Facebook and Twitter posts on the occasion carry no mention of Russia, which prompted widespread criticism among social media commentators.
The president's press service responded by saying that social networks have certain limitations and are not the main tools of communications. It further added that the key source to check is the website of the president's office.
The relevant post there does mention that the plane was shot down from the Buk air defence system of the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Russian Air Defence Troops based in Kursk.
USA
Zelenskyy and Joe Biden are expected to meet in the last days of July or in early August, presidential spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov has told Suspilne. The initial dates were moved due to logistic and protocol reasons. He denied allegations that Zelenskyy got in hot water due to the change of management at the country's national oil and gas company Naftogaz.
Crime
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has summoned Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to be served a notice of suspicion in a criminal case over control of illegal paramilitary groups. He is to report to investigator Taras Butenko in Mariupol at 9 a.m. on 20 July.
Donbas
From midnight to 6 p.m., the Russian occupying troops violated the ceasefire twice, firing 120-mm mortars near Pisky and flying an Orlan-10-type drone across the line of contact.
On 17 July, they committed 13 violations, firing banned heavy weapons near Vodyane, Shyrokyne, Pavlopil, Starohnativka and Novozvanivka. Two Ukrainian servicemen were wounded.
Coronavirus
UNICEF has delivered 2,000,040 doses of the US Moderna vaccine to Ukraine, the Health Ministry has said. This batch is provided by the US government as part of the COVAX facility.
Romania has provided Ukraine with 100,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine as part of its humanitarian assistance efforts.
Incidents
Two people got killed when a Mi-2 helicopter of a private agricultural company crashed down near the village of Zayve in Mykolayiv Region on 17 July.
A 21-year-old patient of a mental facility in Kryvyy Rih killed a male nurse and ran away, the National Police have said. Search is underway.
At least 23 passengers of a Kyiv-Wroclaw bus service got injured as their bus skidded to the side of the road and tipped over in Rivne Region.