“Russia will not be attacked by F-16s”

8:30 Zelensky: “Peace only when the invaders leave our land” “Our world is vast, but we are all in it together. And this is our common cause – peace. Ukraine has proposed its own formula for peace to the world. As long as the Russian invaders remain on our land, no one will sit on negotiating table with Russia. The colonizer must get out. And the world has enough power to force Russia to restore peace step by step.” This was written by the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, today the protagonist of the final day of the G7 in Hiroshima. 8:50 Moscow: “Full control of Bakhmut taken” “The operation to establish control over Artyomovsk (the Russian name of Bakhmut ed) has been completed”. This was stated by the Russian Defense Ministry. “The liberation of the city of Artyomovsk was completed following the offensive operations of the assault teams of the Wagner group supported by artillery and aircraft of the forces of the South”, the Russian ministry said. 9:07 Chinese special envoy to visit Moscow Chinese Special Representative Li Hui is expected to visit Moscow next week. An informed source said so. “We are expecting a visit next week,” the source told reporters. Li, who was in Kiev earlier this week, is expected to travel to Poland and then to France, Germany and Russia in the coming days. 10:20 Spokesperson, Zelensky denied Bakhmut’s downfall Volodymyr Zelensky’s spokesman Serhii Nykyforov said the Ukrainian president’s statements about Bakhmut were intended to indicate that the city had not fallen to the Russians. “As for the answers of the President of Ukraine to questions about Bakhmut. Journalist’s question: – The Russians say they took Bakhmut. Answer of the chairman: – I think not. Thus the president denied the capture of Bakhmut,” Nykyforov wrote in a message on Facebook. 10:40 Kiev: “Moscow increases missiles in the Mer Sea, could attack” Russia has increased the number of missiles in the Black Sea and may attack. This was stated by Natalya Humenyuk, spokeswoman for the Southern forces, quoted by RBC Ukraine. “Last night the enemy increased its presence in the Black Sea. There were two submarines and two ships, that is 8 Kalibr missiles,” Humeniuk said adding that the Russians are trying to escalate tensions against the background of the G7 summit in Japan . 11:38 Kiev: “Our troops have semi-surrounded Bakhmut” Ukrainian forces “semi-surrounded” Bakhmut, whom Russia yesterday claimed to have captured. This is supported by the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar. “The advance of our troops into the suburbs along the flanks, which is still going on, makes it very difficult for the enemy to stay in Bakhmut. Our troops have taken the city in semi-encirclement, which gives us the opportunity to destroy them. Therefore, the enemy must defend himself in the part of the city he controls. Our defenders maintain control over industrial and infrastructure facilities and the private sector in the Litak area,” she said. 12:18 Kiev: “Headquarters of Russian units in Berdiansk hit” The Ukrainian armed forces have attacked the headquarters of a Russian army unit in Berdiansk, in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia. The Directorate of Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports it on Telegram. “Following a night attack, the defense forces successfully hit the headquarters of one of the units of the occupiers in the city of Berdiansk. The losses of the enemy are being verified,” the Directorate of Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. 12:46 Zelensky: “Without courage, the Russian genocide would win” “If we weren’t so brave, the Russian genocide against us might be successful. Ukrainians are infinitely brave and freedom-loving.” The Ukrainian president said so at the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, quoted by Sky News. Zelensky added that “even if the enemies do not use nuclear weapons, the ruins of our cities destroyed by Russian bombs and artillery are similar to what I have just seen here.” 12:55 Biden: “Zelensky has assured that Russia will not be attacked with F-16s” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave “a clear reassurance” that the F-16s “will not be used to go deep into Russian territory”. This was stated by US President Joe Biden, answering a question at a press conference if he had fears that supplying Ukraine with advanced military jets could lead to an escalation of the situation. 13:00 Ukrainian president: “Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation” “To date Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation: there are not two or three interpretations of these words”: said the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky answering a question during his speech at the final G7 press conference. 13:15 The Kiev army does not rule out a withdrawal from Bakhmut The Ukrainian military does not rule out that the armed forces may withdraw from Bakhmut. Rbc-Ukraine writes it quoting the spokesman of the eastern group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Serhiy Cherevaty. “The withdrawal from the city or its defense will be decided only taking into account the expediency and preserving our forces and means. Various options are possible, but this remains only to the assessment of the command, which for more than one year of the war has shown that it always makes the right decisions,” Cherevaty said, adding that the Ukrainian army has a sure way out for a possible withdrawal from Bakhmut. 18:43 Kiev army: “Our soldiers control parts of Bakhmut” “Our soldiers maintain fortifications and a number of areas in the southwest part of the city.” This was stated by the spokesman of the Ukrainian army, Serhiy Cherevaty, reiterating that Bakhmut would not have fallen completely into the hands of the Russians, as announced by Vladimir Putin. Admitting that the situation is critical, the spokesman then explained that heavy fighting continues. Regarding the words pronounced today in Hiroshima by Volodymyr Zelensky on the destruction of Bakhmut, which had been interpreted as an admission of his fall, Cherevaty: “the president said correctly: the city has actually been razed to the ground”. Even in the event of a conquest, this would not bring any military or political advantage to the Russians, the spokesman added, stating that instead “they are behaving as if they had conquered Dnipro”, referring to the most important city for war industry production in southeastern Ukraine. 19:22 Moscow indicts Italian judge Salvatore Aitala In response to the arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Russian Investigative Committee announced that it had indicted in absentia the CPI prosecutor Karim Khan and the Italian judge of the Salvatore Aitala Court itself. Aitala was among the judges who issued the arrest warrant against Putin.