Russia-Ukraine War: List of main events, day 876 | Russia-Ukraine war news

As the war enters its 876th day, these are the key developments.

This is where the war is on Saturday, July 20, 2024:

Fighting

• A Russian missile hit a children’s playground in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, killing a child and two adults and injuring five other people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram. Vitaliy Kim, the regional governor, praised residents who rushed to the scene to help before medics arrived and said another missile had landed elsewhere in the region.

• Russian strikes killed two people in the right-bank Kherson region of southern Ukraine, a day after Ukraine acknowledged that its left-bank position was virtually destroyed. In the town of Bilozerka, about 5km inland from the Dnipro River, “massive Russian rocket artillery strikes” left two dead, Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
• At least five other people in Kherson were injured, including a paramedic who was struck by a drone while helping the injured, Prokudin added.

• Russian drones launched in a night attack on Ukraine hit energy infrastructure facilities in two regions in the north of the country, Reuters news agency reported, citing Ukrainian regional officials. One of the Shahed drones hit an energy facility in the Sumy region, while another hit a site in the Chernihiv region. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

• Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 13 of 17 Russian drones in five regions in the east, north and center of the country, the Air Force said.

• Russian forces have captured the village of Yurivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The claim could not be independently verified.
• Russia shot down 26 Ukrainian drones overnight in the southern Rostov region, several hundred kilometers from the front line, Vasily Golubev said, the regional governor said, but there were no casualties. Last week, an oil depot in the Rostov region caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack.

Politics and diplomacy

• Ukraine is on track to be able to “stand on its feet” militarily, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, noting that more than 20 other countries have committed to maintaining their own military and financial aid to the country even if The United States would withdraw support under a different president. Blinken, for the first time, directly addressed the possibility of former US President Donald Trump winning the November elections and backing down on his commitments to Ukraine.

• US Republican presidential candidate Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he had a “very good call” with Zelenskyy and promised to end the war.
• Zelenskyy also recounted his conversation with Trump and thanked him for US military assistance. But he made no reference in a post on social media platform X to efforts to end the 28-month conflict. He also congratulated him on securing the presidential nomination, condemned the assassination attempt against him and agreed to arrange a meeting in person.

• The US has imposed sanctions on two leaders of the Russian hacktivist group Cyber ​​Army of Russia Reborn, citing their role in attacking critical US infrastructure, the Treasury Department said. Yuliya Vladimirovna Pankratova and Denis Olegovich Degtyarenko are the group’s leaders and main hackers, the Treasury said in a statement.

Weapons

• Zelenskyy said Poland had made a decision that would speed up deliveries of much-needed F-16 jets to his country, but did not say what it was. Poland, which borders Ukraine and has been a close ally during the war, is not among the countries that have committed to supplying Ukraine with the jets. There was no immediate announcement from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s office regarding the comment.

Sport

• Two-thirds of Russian athletes approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete in the Paris Olympics as neutrals have expressed support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or have ties to the military, according to a report by Global Rights Compliance, a foundation based in Hague. The IOC and hosts France said proper verification rules were followed. Fifteen Russians and 16 Belarusians have accepted invitations to compete under a neutral flag at the games, which begin on July 26, according to the IOC.

Crime

• A gunman shot and killed a nationalist former member of Ukraine’s parliament known for vociferous campaigns to defend the Ukrainian language, authorities said. Police said they were still looking for a suspect who killed Iryna Farion, 60, on a street in the western city of Lviv. Writing on Telegram, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said investigators were currently linking the shooting to Farion’s political activity or a personal motive.