9 July 2023
War
Over the day, Russia carried out 27 air strikes and fired 37 times from multiple launch rocket systems at the positions of Ukrainian troops and populated areas, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
Russia is focusing its main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Maryinka sectors, where heavy fighting continues. There were 27 combat engagements over the day.
Ground Forces Commander 9 July Oleksandr Syrskyy said the Defence Forces had achieved some success in the Bakhmut area. "We have successes, the Defence Forces continue to advance, and the enemy is trapped in some places," he said.
Film director injured
A former Kremlin political prisoner, Ukrainian film director and soldier Oleh Sentsov got shell-shocked at the frontline on 8 July. According to his Facebook post, three soldiers were injured in a battle for an important edge for the counteroffensive, and are now in hospital.
NATO
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that after a series of foreign visits by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "Ukraine's path to NATO will definitely become shorter" after the alliance summit in Vilnius. "Several important decisions for Ukraine and NATO have already been agreed upon," he said on Threads.
During events in Lutsk, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Poland Andrzej Duda discussed the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius. Zelensky stated on Twitter that they had a brief but substantive conversation about the summit, and they agreed to work together to achieve the best possible outcome for Ukraine.
In Lutsk, Zelenskyy held a coordination meeting on the security and social situation in Volyn.
It focused on the situation along and across the border in Belarus, the strengthening of our Defence and Security Forces and the entire northern section of the border, in every region.
Drones
Russia has been producing drones under an Israeli licence since 2010. It is unknown whether it will be revoked, Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky said in an interview with Dzerkalo Tyzhnya. The drones are manufactured at the Ural Civil Aviation Plant in Yekaterinburg.
Assistance
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in an interview with RFI that her country would increase its military support for Ukraine and that Paris was already preparing new supplies.
Poland has recently sent Kyiv more than 10 Soviet-designed Mi-24 combat helicopters, The New York Times reported, quoting sources.
The budget committee of the German Bundestag has approved the purchase of additional ammunition for the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled gun, Leopard 2 main battle tank and Puma infantry fighting vehicle, the German Defence Ministry said, as quoted by Ukrinform.
Film
Foreign military attaches were invited to attend the presentation of the English version of the documentary film "Battle for Snake Island: Sea" from the trilogy "Military Intelligence of Ukraine: at Sea, in the Air, on Land", which took place at the National Military History Museum of the Defence Ministry. The event, supported by the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy in collaboration with the Main Intelligence Directorate, commemorated the first anniversary of the Ukrainian national flags being raised on Snake Island, which was liberated from Russian troops after a long-term operation by the Ukrainian Defence and Security Forces.