5 July 2023
Explosions in court
Ihor Humenyuk, a former serviceman of the Sich battalion who was suspected of a terrorist act outside the Ukrainian parliament in 2015, managed to sneak in explosives into Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyy district court, where his case was heard. Tentatively, he detonated an explosive in a lavatory while trying to escape. When he locked himself in the sentry room, an assault team tried to storm it. According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, Humenyuk died in an explosion and two KORD members were wounded.
Pro-presidential MP's assistant under investigation
The National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office exposed an assistant to a current member of the Ukrainian parliament from the Servant of the People party on receiving a bribe for illegally issuing border crossing permits. Both the assistant and the MP, who was identified on social media as Lyudmyla Marchenko, are being searched.
Belarus
All police patrols and counter-intelligence units on the border with Belarus have been put on high alert, Joint Forces Commander Lt-Genl Serhiy Nayev said. In particular, the number of on-foot and mobile patrol groups has been increased.
Russia
The Russian Federation is currently forming new military units as part of the 25th Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District and the 40th Army Corps of the Southern Military District, Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov, deputy chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told Ukrinform. According to the general, they are expected to be ready no earlier than the beginning of next year.
Russia is actively deploying equipment and personnel to the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhya and Donetsk regions to repel the offensive of the Ukrainian Defence Forces. After the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam was blown up and coastal areas were flooded, Russia was able to reinforce troop groups in threatened areas by deploying troops from the occupied part of Kherson Region.
According to Hromov, the Russian defence industry is capable of producing about 100 missiles per month, including over 10 Iskanders, up to 30 Kalibrs and up to 60 air-launched cruise missiles, including Kinzhals.
War
Last night, the Russians struck with five Iranian Shahed strike UAVs. Two of the kamikaze drones were destroyed by Ukrainian air defences, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its evening update.
During the day, Russia carried out 48 air strikes and fired 54 times from multiple launch rocket systems at the positions of Ukrainian troops and populated areas. The likelihood of missile and air strikes throughout Ukraine remains high.
Russian troops continue to focus their main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Maryinka sectors, with about 30 combat engagements taking place over the last day.
The commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyy, announced successes on the northern outskirts of Bakhmut. "Assault units of the 10th Edelweiss Brigade are storming Russian positions on the northern outskirts of Bakhmut. A number of territories have been recaptured and a significant amount of enemy manpower has been destroyed," he said.
The Ukrainian military is systematically driving the Russian occupiers out of their positions in the Tavriya sector, Operational Group Commander Oleksandr Tarnavskyy said. He noted that Ukrainian soldiers are making progress.
Last night Ukrainian troops hit a Russian warehouse in occupied Makiyivka, causing strong detonations, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Strategic Communications Centre said.
A kamikaze drone strike destroyed a Diabazol electronic warfare system based on the Ural vehicle in Bryansk Region (Russia), the State Border Service of Ukraine said. It was done by "unknown Bryansk partisans".
Shelling of Kherson Region
One person was killed and at least three more were wounded during the Russian shelling of the Bilozerka community in Kherson Region, the Prosecutor-General's Office said.
Security
Zelenskyy held a regular meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff to discuss the protection of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the situation at the front and domestic arms production.
Commenting on the possibility of a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhya NPP by Russia, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine Hanna Malyar said that Russia is capable of any act. Even the most reckless ones.
Economy
The Ukrainian government does not plan to raise taxes until the end of the war, except to return them to pre-war levels, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told the telethon. He noted that the return to the pre-war level of taxes took place on 1 July.
Shmyhal promised Ukrainians that water and sewerage tariffs would not be raised until the end of the war, despite the regulator's decision to revise them.
In the first half of the year, the State Property Fund sold 210 objects and raised over UAH 1.8 billion to the state budget. All proceeds from privatisation go towards supporting the Defence Forces.
Energy
Repairs at yet another nuclear power unit were finished ahead of schedule, the Energy Ministry said. "Repairs were finished at yet another power unit of one of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants, which is part of the largest repair campaign at energy facilities in the history of the country, four days earlier than planned. It will add 1000 MW of capacity to the system," it said.
Sanctions
Zelenskyy enacted the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine of 5 July "On the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions)" against 18 foreign companies, including seven registered in Russia, nine in Cyprus, one in Luxembourg and one in the British Virgin Islands.