July 7, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to CNN Thursday as one of his top Western allies, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, announced he would be resigning. 

Speaking in Ukrainian via a translator, Zelensky said he was confident that Britain’s policy toward Ukraine “will not be changing” even if the country’s leadership is in tumult.

“What Johnson has been doing for Ukraine was helping us a great deal. I consider him a friend of Ukraine, but I think his society also supported Ukraine in Europe. That’s why I think the UK, it’s on the side of good, on the side of Ukraine,” Zelensky said during an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Thursday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN that he is grateful for the military support that Ukraine has received from the United States, which has provided weapons with greater capability as the war has dragged on, while urging the West to continue providing military support to help Ukraine keep up its fight.

“(The) United States are helping Ukraine, helping a lot, but it’s not enough in order to win. I hope my trust will speed up this help to Ukraine,” Zelensky said during an interview on CNN’s “The Situation Room” on Thursday.

Zelensky highlighted the US’s influence over European nations and how that can further be leveraged in support of Ukraine.

“And also, the US can influence the decisions of the European countries — this is also the political support. I have to be honest, some countries in Europe want a balance between Russia and Ukraine. But owing to the US help they started supporting us. So, when I talk about the volume and speed of the arms support, I’m not appealing only (to) the United States, I appeal to all the world leaders and saying that the faster help, the increment of help, will save the lives of Ukrainians and help us to regain territories occupied by Russia,” he explained.

Asked whether the war could be over before the end of the year, Zelensky said, “Our country will stay united and unified. If the powerful weaponry from our partners will be coming to us on-time, and if good luck and God will be on our side, we can achieve a lot of things before the end of the year and we can stop this war. We can stop the military part, at least, of this war.”

Zelensky also reiterated his call for US President Joe Biden to visit Kyiv, saying it would send a message to Russia and the world.

Zelensky added, “So, visits of the world leaders who are not just partners but real friends — they give a signal, a sign, that the United States support Ukraine because they believe in Ukrainian victory and are not afraid of Russia. They come despite the rockets flying in. They are not afraid of Putin because the world is much bigger than one leader of one country.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN that he was happy that Sweden and Finland were being accepted as NATO members, even though the Western military alliance has long resisted accepting Ukraine as a member.

“It’s not superficial, but deep understanding of the risks for these countries because of the aggressive attitude of Russia to sovereign countries,” Zelensky said during an exclusive interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Thursday.

He added, “That’s why we fully support their membership. The whole world is helping Ukraine, some doing humanitarian aid, some financial or military aid, both houses in the United States support us.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Thursday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Thursday that Ukraine is unwilling to cede any of its land to Russia, standing firm that a concession of Ukrainian territory won’t be part of any diplomatic negotiations to end the war.

“We always talk about that, and we are intending to prove it,” he added.

Russia’s war with Ukraine has now lasted for more than four months, with no sign of either side backing down soon. Ukraine’s early successes forced Russia to scale back its initial aims of toppling Kyiv, and Moscow’s forces have now focused on taking territory in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces have now occupied most of the Luhansk region, outside of a few pockets of resistance, and are pressing toward cities in Donetsk.

CNN reported last week that White House officials are losing confidence Ukraine will ever be able to take back all of the land it has lost to Russia since the war began, even with the aid of heavier and more sophisticated weaponry that the US and its allies plan to provide Kyiv.

Zelensky acknowledged that Russia controls “almost all the Luhansk region,” saying that his forces are now “fighting on the outskirts of this region.” He said that Kyiv retreated to avoid mass losses of troops.

“I don’t even understand what exactly they’re controlling there. They ruined towns, school. They are the occupiers of the rubble?” Zelensky said.

Read more from Zelensky’s interview here.

Firefighters walk by a partialy destroyed building after shelling of multiple launch rocket systems in Kharkiv on July 7. At least three civilians were killed and five injured.

At least three people have been killed and five others injured following shelling in one of Kharkiv’s districts in northeastern Ukraine, according to Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigation department of the National Police in the Kharkiv region.

Bolvinov said Russian troops carried out an attack on a residential quarter in the Nemyshliansky district of the city, “repeatedly shelling Kharkiv city” using Uragan multiple launch rocket systems and high-explosive shells.

Oleh Syniehubov, head of Kharkiv region military administration, said on Telegram that rescue officers are on location and investigators are on the ground are establishing more details. 

Syniehubov urged residents to “be as careful as possible, do not stay on the streets of the city without an urgent need.”

“The enemy strikes insidiously, striking residential areas and civilian infrastructure,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting on June 30 in Moscow, Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday issued a warning to the West and Ukraine, saying the war might drag on until the “last Ukrainian is left standing.”

“Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. Well, what can I say? Let them try,” Putin said during a meeting with the heads of the State Duma party factions that aired on state media television Russia-24. 

Putin has also blamed the West for “encouraging and justifying genocide against people in Donbas.” 

“We are not refusing peace negotiations. But those who do refuse should know that the further [the conflict continues], the more difficult it will be for them to negotiate with us,” Putin said. 

The eastern Donbas region has became the key centerpiece of Putin’s military ambition in Ukraine after his troops failed to take over Kyiv earlier this year.

Phoenix Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard looks on during a WNBA game on July 2, in Chicago, Illinois.

Vanessa Nygaard, the head coach of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, spoke to CNN following Brittney Griner pleading guilty to drug charges in a Russian court near Moscow on Thursday.

Nygaard said she couldn’t comment on any legal matters or strategy, but she said the US government needs to “continue doing what they’re doing and exhaust every measure possible to help bring BG home.”

Asked if the White House was doing enough, Nygaard said she was happy with the administration’s response to Griner’s handwritten letter to US President Joe Biden and noted Biden’s phone call to Griner’s wife, Cherelle. However, she called the coverage of women sports and its athletes a “concern.”

Nygaard said she is still concerned for Griner’s safety in Russia.

The Women’s National Basketball Players Association also issued a statement on Thursday. 

“The US State Department determined that Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained for a reason and will continue negotiating for her release regardless of the legal process. We’ll leave it at that,” it partly read.

 CNN’s Homero De La Fuente contributed reporting to this post.

US Sens. Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal are greeted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine on July 7.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed US Sens. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, in Kyiv on Thursday, recognizing the support for Ukraine from both parties of the United States.

Zelensky urged them to back the campaign to supply Ukraine with modern air defense systems, adding “we must ensure a level of safety so that our people are not afraid to live in Ukraine.”

“The number one task for us today is for women with children to be able to return to Ukraine by September, so that children can go to school, so that students can go to universities,” Zelensky told the senators.

Graham and Blumenthal informed Zelensky about their campaign in the Senate to ramp up the sanctions and brand Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

Blumenthal and Graham visit an exhibition of destroyed Russian vehicles and weapons in Kyiv on July 7.

Brittney Griner is escorted to a court hearing in Khimki, Russia on July 7.

US basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on the second day of trial on accusations of alleged drug smuggling, Griner’s lawyers confirmed to CNN on Thursday.

While Griner pleaded guilty, she said she had no intent to commit a crime, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported Thursday.

The hearing in the Khimki court of the Moscow region has ended. Griner left the courtroom without giving any comment to the press.

The next hearing is to take place on July 14. Griner faces up to 10 years in prison under the charge.

According to RIA Novosti, Griner told the court through her interpreter that she had no intent to carry luggage with hash oil but this was a result of her “packing up in a hurry.”

“Ms. Griner says she pleads guilty. She had no intent to carry drugs, no intent to commit a crime, as she was packing up [her luggage] in a hurry,” her interpreter said in court, RIA Novosti reported. 

According to a source close to Griner, the decision to plead guilty was made by her alone. But in recent weeks, Griner, her family, lawyers and experts discussed this decision extensively. 

Given the 99% reported conviction rate in Russian criminal cases, Griner was urged to weigh all the factors, including a plea that could ultimately result in a shorter sentence.

The 31-year-old Griner, who has played in Russia during the Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) offseason, was arrested Feb. 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone Wednesday with Brittney Griner’s wife, Cherelle. Griner wrote in a letter delivered to Biden on Monday that she is afraid that she could be detained in Russia indefinitely.

Brittney and Cherelle Griner have been exchanging letters but have not had a phone call since the basketball star’s arrest. A call was scheduled for the couple’s anniversary late in June but did not happen due to a “mistake” later admitted by the US embassy. 

Asked by reporters outside the court if Griner can contact her wife, Griner’s lawyer Maria Blagovolina said, “This can be done in the form of a call. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Brittney now goes to the court, it is logistically difficult to arrange.”

Because Griner is either traveling to the court from her detention center north of Moscow or she is kept at the detention center in Khimki by the court, Blagovolina added that “we have not yet been able to organize it technically.” 

Griner has been held in custody in Russia since February, her detention was extended for six months pending trial last week.

What US officials are saying: The top diplomat at the US Embassy in Russia shared a letter from Biden to Griner at her trial on Thursday.

US Charge D’Affaires Elizabeth Rood and members of the US Embassy in Moscow’s consular team attended the trial, and Rood shared with Griner the letter from Biden, which the President discussed on the call with Griner’s wife.

“Again, I was able to speak with Ms. Griner in the courtroom. She said that she is eating well. She’s able to read books and under the circumstances, she’s doing well,” Rood said.

“Most important, I was able to share with Ms. Griner a letter from President Biden, and Mr. Griner was able to read that letter,” Rood said. 

Griner appreciated the letter from Biden, Griner’s lawyer Alexander Boykov said Thursday.

“She appreciated it like every citizen of every country would appreciate a personal letter from the President,” Boykov told reporters.

In a tweet following Griner’s guilty plea, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “We will not relent until Brittney, Paul Whelan, and all other wrongfully detained Americans are reunited with their loved ones.”

The charge d’affaires emphasized “the commitment of the United States government at the very highest levels to bring home safely Ms. Griner and all U.S. citizens wrongfully detained, as well as the commitment of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to care for and protect the interests of all U.S. citizens detained or imprisoned in Russia.”

CNN’s Betsy Klein, Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood and Abby Phillip contributed reporting to this post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson meet in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 17.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called British Prime Minister Boris Johnson “a true friend of Ukraine,” adding that he is confident that the UK’s policy toward Ukraine won’t be changing any time soon despite Johnson’s resignation.

Ukraine gained a lot from their relationship with the prime minister, including first and foremost military support, Zelensky told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview on Thursday when asked about his comments on Johnson’s resignation.

Johnson resigned following a revolt within his Conservative Party, saying in an address to the nation that the process of choosing a new prime minister “should begin now.” Johnson is not planning to leave office immediately, however. He will stay until a new leader is in place, he said, in a televised speech outside 10 Downing Street.

In his resignation speech, Johnson addressed Britain’s role in supporting Ukraine in its war and said the UK will fight for freedom as long as it takes.

“Let me say now to the people of Ukraine. I know that we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes,” he said.

The two leaders spoke on the phone later on Thursday, and Johnson assured Zelensky of the UK’s continued support and called the Ukrainian president a “hero.”

Johnson called Zelensky a “hero,” and said “everybody loves you,”according to an official read out of the call. 

Zelensky’s office said he thanked Johnson for his “decisive” action on Ukraine and told the outgoing prime minister that news of his resignation was received “with sadness” by him and the “entire Ukrainian society.”

“We have no doubt that Great Britain’s support will be preserved, but your personal leadership and charisma made it special,” Zelensky added.

Johnson reportedly pledged to continue to work “at pace” towards “ending the grain blockade in the coming weeks.”

Ukrainian soldiers run after a strike hit a residential area in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on Thursday, July 7.

A missile has struck the center of Kramatorsk in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, according to a regional official.

“There are victims” after the attack on the city, according to the mayor of Kramatorsk.

“We are investigating the consequences, rescue services are working,” Oleksandr Honcharenko said on Telegram.

Firefighters hose down a burning car in Kramatorsk on July 7.

Some background: As the battle for control in the east intensifies and Russian forces prepare for a renewed assault in Donetsk, hundreds and thousands of people have been urged by Ukrainian officials to evacuate the region.

“Russia has turned the entire Donetsk region into a hot spot where it is dangerous to remain for civilians,” the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko said, commenting on a missile strike in Toretsk on Wednesday.

“I call on everyone to evacuate. Evacuation saves lives,” he added.

CNN’s Olga Voitovich, Yulia Kesaieva and Vasco Cotovio contributed reporting to this post.

Brittney Griner is escorted to a court hearing in Khimki, Russia on July 7.

A Russian government official said Thursday it is “difficult” to hold substantive negotiations with the United States on a possible prisoner exchange of WNBA star Brittney Griner.

“The tenacity with which the US administration … call those who got sentenced by us under serious articles, and those who are waiting for the completion of the investigation, ‘detainees,’ reflects Washington’s unwillingness to perceive the world around us adequately,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to the state news agency TASS.

Washington is trying to make it seem “as if the legal system functions only in the United States” while deliberately denying the result of a “normal judicial process” in other countries, Ryabkov added.

“Against this background, it is quite difficult to engage in a substantive discussion of various kinds of exchanges,” Ryabkov said when asked about possible exchange for Russia’s Viktor Bout, who is currently detained in a US prison.

Some background: Earlier this month, Griner wrote in a handwritten letter to US President Joe Biden that she is “terrified” she will be detained in Russia “forever.” She pleaded him not to forget about her and other American detainees.

In response Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone Wednesday with Cherelle Griner, Griner’s wife, according to the White House. The President also wrote a letter in response to Griner’s letter, which he shared with her wife during his call.

The 31-year-old Griner, who has played in Russia during the WNBA’s offseason, was arrested February 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison. She went on trial in a court near Moscow on Friday on drug smuggling charges.

Griner’s supporters and US officials say she has been wrongfully detained and have called for her release as fears mount that she is being used as a political pawn amid rising tensions between Russia and the US.

A court in the Moscow region will continue considering Griner’s case Thursday.

CNN’s Rosa Flores, Jacqueline Rose, Alexa Miranda, Betsy Klein and Jennifer Hansler contributed reporting to this post.

A tanker drifting in the Black Sea has been hit by a Russian cruise missile, according to the Ukrainian military.

Two KH-31 missiles were fired and one hit the Moldovan-flagged “Millennial Spirit,” which was first struck soon after the Russian invasion began in waters off Odesa several months ago, according to the Operational Command South.

Since then the ship has been drifting without a crew and with the remnants of diesel fuel on board.

It is unclear whether the ship sunk after the latest missile strike. 

A second missile self-destructed over the sea, the Command added.

The Russian-flagged cargo ship "Zhibek Zholy" lies anchored off the Black Sea coast, Turkey, on July 5.

The release of a Russian ship allegedly carrying stolen Ukrainian grain from Turkish waters is “unacceptable,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

Turkey ignored a request to arrest the vessel and cargo and the ship was released on July 6, according to a ministry statement on Thursday.

It expressed “deep disappointment and appeals to the Turkish side with an urgent request to conduct an investigation … and provide a full response to the requests of the relevant authorities of Ukraine.”

The Russian merchant ship, Zhibek Zholy, had carried the grain from the occupied port of Berdiansk to the Turkish port of Karasu.

“In relation to the unacceptable situation, the ambassador of Turkey in Kyiv was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the ministry added.

CNN has reached out to the Turkish government for comment. 

The Russian news agency TASS said Thursday that the Zhibek Zholy, “which is anchored in Turkey, plans to leave due to idle time and ship grain to a storage vessel.”

“It is planned to go to the accumulative (storage) vessel and trans-ship,” TASS said, citing one of the ship’s crew members. “Then, when the large vessel is loaded, (it) goes to ports and unloads.”

Shipping monitoring data Thursday shows the transponder of the Zhibek Zholy no longer active at its recent anchorage outside Karasu.  

Satellite imagery shows that Russian ships frequently offload their cargoes to other vessels in the Black Sea.

Ukraine’s Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar previously told CNN the Zhibek Zholy was at anchor near Karasu as “it was in fact detained by Turkish customs authorities and it is not allowed to enter the port.”

“Now we are waiting for the decision of the relevant authorities of Turkey regarding the actions that the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine insist on,” he added.

Some background: For months, Ukraine and allied countries have been trying to mitigate a growing food crisis caused by Russia’s months-long blockade of Ukrainian ports, with Moscow being accused of using food as a weapon of war.

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said up to 60 million tons of grain could be stuck in the country by the fall if it continues to face blocked exports.

The UN has said Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports has already raised global food prices and threatens to cause a catastrophic food shortage in some parts of the world. 

Russia has repeatedly denied it is blocking the ports or stealing grain.

A Russian aircraft attacked Snake Island Thursday, according to both the Russian Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian armed forces.

“At dawn, during an aerial overflight and reconnaissance of Zmiiny (Snake) island, it was attacked by 2 air-launched missiles. The dock was significantly damaged,” the Ukrainian military said.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated, according to the state news agency RIA Novosti: “Against the backdrop of military failures and a massive retreat of Ukrainian troops in the Donbas, the Kyiv regime made an attempt to symbolically deliver the flag to Snake Island tonight.

“A Russian Air Forces aircraft immediately launched a missile attack on the island, as a result, some of the Ukrainian military personnel were destroyed, the rest fled.”

The Ukrainian military made no mention of casualties.

Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman of the Odesa military administration, said earlier that the Ukrainian flag had been installed on Snake Island.

Russian forces left the island last week after occupying it since the beginning of the invasion in February. Russian positions had sustained repeated strikes by Ukrainian forces in the previous weeks. 

A well-known Ukrainian paramedic who was held prisoner by Russian and separatist forces for three months after being captured in the southeastern city of Mariupol has accused her guards of psychological and physical torture during her time in captivity.

Yulia Paievska, 53, widely known in Ukraine by her nickname Taira, has reached folk hero notoriety. She said the abuse started immediately after she was recognized at a checkpoint near Mariupol and taken prisoner, along with her driver, on March 16.

From mid-March until mid-June, the pair were held in occupied territory in the Donetsk pre-trial detention center by a combination of forces from Russia and the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, she said.

Read the full story here.

Firefighters battle a blaze following a missile strike on a building in Mykolaiv, Ukraine on July 5.

Fighting has spiked in several areas of southern Ukraine, with Russian forces shelling Ukrainian positions to defend their current lines.

Russian forces shelled areas along the border of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, Ukrainian officials said. There was also an attempt to penetrate Ukrainian lines that the military said had been repelled. 

“There was shelling of villages along the contact line in the Bereznehuvate community,” the regional military administration said. Bereznehuvate, in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region, has been shelled frequently by Russian forces for more than a month. 

The two coastal communities of Ochakiv and Kutsurub also came under fire, according to the administration. Russian targets in recent days have included several towns and villages around the estuary of the Dnipro river. 

The fighting has set off fires in multiple areas, burning fields of crops as they are ready for harvest. Video shows combine harvesters trying to collect grain as fields around them burn.

Shelling in the Pervomaisk community on Wednesday set grain fields on fire and residential buildings were damaged, according to Ukrainian authorities. In the Kherson region there were “fires in forests, fields and villages,” they added.

A village on the Dnipro river in Mykolaiv was also bombarded, damaging several buildings. 

Separately, there was an air battle over Odesa region on Wednesday and a Russian Su-35 combat plane had been forced to leave Ukraine’s “air zone,” the military’s Operational Command South said.

The Ukrainians said they had shelled Russian positions in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, taking out ammunition depots and military equipment. 

The Command also said that Russian Black Sea fleet had increased its strike force. “Now it is 5 missile ships and 2 submarines, carrying a total of 48 Calibers (cruise missiles).”

The Ukrainian flag is hoisted on Snake Island on July 4 following the withdrawal of Russian troops last week.

The Ukrainian flag is flying again on Snake Island in the Black Sea, days after Russian troops left, according to Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman of the Odesa military administration.

The text on the flag says: “Remember the Russian warship … Zmiiny [Snake] Island — this is Ukraine!”

It was signed by the head of Odesa Military Administration Maksym Marchenko, Bratchuk said. 

Russian forces left Snake Island last week after it was heavily bombarded and its air defenses destroyed. 

Some context: Known as Zmiinyi Ostriv in Ukrainian, the small but strategic territory was the scene of one of the opening salvos of the war in Ukraine, with demands from a Russian warship calling for the Ukrainian defenders to surrender, who boldly replied with “Russian warship, go f*** yourself.”

As Russian forces consolidate their hold on the Luhansk region, they are also stepping up artillery and other forms of bombardment in neighboring Donetsk, with the area around Sloviansk a major target.

Here’s a summary of the fighting around Ukraine: