NBC News could not immediately verify the Russian claim. Ukrainian officials have denied the claim, saying they did not carry out the missile attack. The officials said Russia was trying to cover up the “torture and murder” of Ukrainian prisoners, according to Reuters. “The armed forces of the Russian Federation carried out targeted artillery shelling of a prison facility in the Olenivka settlement, Donetsk region, where Ukrainian prisoners were also held,” the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement. news agency. Russia has repeatedly denied committing war crimes. —Matt Clints
Russian forces launch a missile attack in the Kiev region
For the first time in weeks, Russian forces launched a missile attack in the Kiev region on Thursday as Ukrainian troops massed in the southern part of the country. Ukrainian officials said Russia had also attacked the northern region of Chernihiv, northeast of Kiev and near the border with Belarus. Kyiv regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram, according to Reuters, that 15 people were injured by rockets that hit military installations in the Vyshhorod region, on the outskirts of Kyiv. — Matt Clints
Wagner Group has taken over front-line duties from Moscow, UK says
Notorious Russian private military contractor Wagner Group has taken over responsibility for specific areas on the front line in Ukraine, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defence. “This is a significant change from the group’s previous employment since 2015, when it typically undertook missions other than open, large-scale tactical Russian military activity,” the ministry said in a tweet. “Wagner’s role has probably changed because the Russian Foreign Ministry is very short of combat infantry.” The Wagner Group has long been involved in conflicts in volatile countries around the world, including Mali, Libya, Syria, Mozambique and the Central African Republic. Human rights groups accuse their mercenaries of massacres of civilians and other human rights abuses. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any connection to Wagner. Although its structure and even existence are disputed, Wagner is believed to have first emerged during Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. The name has since become an umbrella term for an opaque and sprawling network of businesses and entities. — Elliott Smith and Matt Clints
Hacktivist group Anonymous ’embarrassing and demoralizing’ Kremlin, says cyber security expert
Major data leaks carried out in the name of hacktivist group Anonymous expose Russia’s cyber defenses as weaker than previously thought, cybersecurity experts say.
Although Russia remains strong in its offensive capabilities, leaks of data from the Central Bank of Russia, the Roscosmos space agency, several of Russia’s largest oil and gas companies and other Russian companies have “freaked out” the cyber community, said Shmuel Gihon, security officer. researcher at threat intelligence firm Cyberint.
“We expected to see more power from the Russian government,” Gihon said, “at least when it comes to their strategic assets, like banks and TV channels, and especially government entities.”
Anonymous claimed responsibility for the breach of more than 2,500 Russian and Belarusian sites, said Jeremiah Fowler, co-founder of cybersecurity firm Security Discovery.
The data leaked online is so large that it will take years to review, he said.
The decentralized group of hackers has pulled back the veil on Russia’s cybersecurity practices, Fowler said, which is “embarrassing and disheartening for the Kremlin.”
— Monica Pitrelli
White House refuses to provide update on US offer to Russia to release Griner and Whelan
U.S. WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner stands inside a dock before a hearing at Khimki court outside Moscow on July 26, 2022. Alexander Zemlianichenko AFP | Getty Images The White House declined to comment on talks with Russia over a US bid for the immediate release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan. “I can’t really go into more detail just about the privacy and security of the process. We share that we have put a substantial offer on the table,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said during a daily news briefing. Earlier in the day, the Kremlin said there were so far “no agreements” on a US request to release Griner and Whelan from Russian custody. The Kremlin said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would request a phone call from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken when he has time, according to an Interfax report. — Amanda Macias
47 million more people could face acute food insecurity if war in Russia continues, UN says
Wheat grain is poured from a machine into a storage silo Monday, July 8, 2013. Temporary silos will be built along the border with Ukraine to help export more grain to deal with a growing global food crisis, U.S. President Joe Biden said , according to Reuters. Vincent Mundy | Bloomberg | Getty Images The UN’s World Food Program estimates that up to 47 million more people could face acute food insecurity this year if Russia’s war in Ukraine continues. Last week, representatives of the UN, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement to open three Ukrainian ports, an apparent breakthrough as the Kremlin’s war on its former Soviet neighbor enters its fifth month. The deal follows a months-long blockade of dozens of Ukrainian ports along the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. However, less than 24 hours after the deal was signed, Russian missiles rained down on Odessa, Ukraine’s largest port. The UN Secretary-General has previously warned that the armed conflict in Ukraine threatens to unleash “an unprecedented wave of hunger and destitution, leaving in its wake social and economic chaos.” — Amanda Macias
