On Jul. 6, Russia carried out one of the most devastating attacks on Lviv's civilian infrastructure. Kalibr missiles hit a residential building, killing 10 people and injuring 42. 35 buildings were destroyed, including those protected by UNESCO.

In the military dimension, the Ukrainian side achieved a logistical success, using HIMARS systems to destroy a huge ammunition depot in occupied Makiivka. On that day, there was also an exchange of prisoners, in which 45 Ukrainian soldiers returned home, along with two children illegally deported to Russia. 

On Jul. 7, the Ukrainian Armed Forces took the operational initiative around Bakhmut, advancing more than a kilometre on its flanks and partially liberating the key locality of Klishchiivka. Amid the stalemate on the front, President Joe Biden approved a historic transfer of DPICM cluster munitions to Ukraine. At the same time, President Zelensky continued his diplomatic offensive in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, obtaining promises of deliveries of further attack helicopters and Zuzana 2 howitzers. 

On the 500th day of the invasion, Russian forces brutally shelled a residential area in Lyman, killing eight civilians. On the same day, President Zelensky visited the symbolic Snake Island and announced the return of five Azovstal defence commanders from Turkey, a move that met with fierce opposition from the Kremlin, which accused Ankara of violating diplomatic agreements. Ukrainian military intelligence warned against further minelaying at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, pointing to the deployment of remote-controlled mines in the facility's technical rooms.

On Jul. 9, the Russian Air Force committed a war crime in Orihiwa, dropping a guided aerial bomb on a school while civilians were receiving humanitarian aid. The attack claimed the lives of seven people. At the same time, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malar officially admitted for the first time that Ukraine had been behind the attack on the Crimean Bridge in October 2022, which was aimed at paralyzing Russian logistics. 

A landmark NATO summit began in Vilnius on Jul. 11, during which member states agreed to simplify Ukraine's accession path by waiving the requirement for a Membership Action Plan (MAP). On the same day, Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov signed a memorandum with a coalition of 11 countries regarding the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, and France declared the transfer of SCALP-EG long-range missiles. The G7 countries also adopted a joint declaration on long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. 

On the front, Ukrainian forces achieved partial successes towards Berdyansk and on the southern flank of Bakhmut, in the area of Andriivka and Kurdiumivka, while effectively weakening Russian logistics by destroying ammunition depots. 

On Jul. 14, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhny, in an interview for The Washington Post declared the country's determination to regain Crimea and emphasized Ukraine's right to attack targets in the aggressor's territory with its own weapons. In turn, a large convoy of the Wagner Group entered Belarus, which was confirmed by the Ukrainian border services. In Russia, following the Prigozhin mutiny, there were further detentions of senior officers, including General Surovikin, who, according to media reports, was repeatedly interrogated.

On Jul. 15, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, using the HIMARS system, destroyed a Russian S-400 anti-aircraft complex near Debaltseve, which was responsible for the tragic attack on a restaurant in Kramatorsk on Jun. 27. On the southern front, Ukrainian artillery carried out nearly 1,300 fire missions, eliminating over 200 enemy soldiers and destroying further ammunition depots. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Kyiv, pledging assistance in the country's mine clearance and support for the NATO Trust Fund. Meanwhile, an analysis by The New York Times indicated that after initial equipment losses of around 20%, the Ukrainian army successfully changed its tactics, which allowed it to limit losses and focus on destroying Russian defences with long-range fire. Illustrative photo/AI generated