Ukraine: WAR BULLETIN July 14, 6.00 pm EST
Embassy of Ukraine in the USA
WAR BULLETIN
July 14, 6.00 pm EST
WAR ROOM
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 14.07 were approximately:
personnel – about 37870 (+300),
tanks ‒ 1667 (+18),
APV ‒ 3852 (+20),
artillery systems – 840 (+1),
MLRS – 247 (+0),
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 109 (+0),
aircraft – 219 (+2),
helicopters – 188 (+0),
UAV operational-tactical level – 681 (+3),
cruise missiles – 155 (+0),
warships / boats – 15 (+0),
vehicles and fuel tanks – 2720 (+16),
special equipment – 67 (+0).
Russian enemy suffered the greatest losses (of the past day) at the Kramatorsk direction.
Data are being updated
The one hundred forty-first (141) day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a Russian military invasion continues.
Russian occupiers cynically continue to attack civilian objects on the territory of Ukraine. After today’s rocket attacks on the center of the city of Vinnytsia, the bodies of 22 dead people, including children, have been found so far. 39 people remain on the list of missing persons. In addition, about a hundred people suffered injuries of various degrees of severity.
There are no major changes in the Volyn, Polissya, and Siversky directions. On the last, enemy units shelled the settlements of Doroshivka and Hrabovske of the Sumy oblast.
In the Kharkiv direction, the enemy is trying to hold the previously occupied lines and positions. It carried out shelling from tanks, mortars, barrels and rocket artillery of the city of Kharkiv and the settlements of Protopopivka, Prudyanka, Svitlychne, Mykilske, Cherkaski Tyshky, Stary Saltiv, and Rubizhne. Airstrikes near Petrivka. Conducted aerial reconnaissance by operational-tactical Orlan-10 UAV near Vasylenko and Shevchenkove.
In the Slovyansk direction, the enemy is trying to improve the tactical position of its units. The districts of Dolyna, Ivanivka, Barvinkove, Bohorodychne, Kutuzivka, Velyka Komyshuvakha, Tetyanivka, Novomykolayivka, and Kostyantynivka were shelled with mortars, barrel and rocket artillery. Used aviation to strike the Mayakiv area.
Our soldiers successfully repulsed the enemy’s assault in the area of Kurulka settlement.
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy continues shelling units of the Defense Forces along the entire contact line. Uses attack and army aviation. Conducts reconnaissance in order to find weak points in the defense of our troops.
Fired at civilian infrastructure in the areas of Siversk, Verkhnyokamianske, Serebryanka, Spirne, New York, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Bilohorivka, Vyimka, Semihirya, Travneve, Pokrovske, and others. It carried out airstrikes in particular near New York, Nova Kamiyanka, Yakovlivka, Ivano-Daryivka, and Avdiivka.
The occupiers tried to improve the tactical position in the Verkhnokamyanske and Kamyanka districts and establish control over the Vuhlehirska TPP with offensive and assault actions. Ukrainian soldiers inflicted losses on the enemy with accurate fire and forced them to retreat.
The enemy did not conduct offensive and assault actions in the Novopavlivsk and Zaporizhzhia directions. It shelled our positions from artillery in the areas of Novoselivka Persha, Krasnohorivka, Maryinka, Vuhledar, Velyka Novosilka, Novoukrainka, Vremivka, Olhivske, Temyrivka, Bilohirya, Malynivka, Kamianske, Novoandriivka, Nevelske, Orihiv and others.
In the South Buh region, the enemy carried out systematic shelling of civilian and military infrastructure in the areas of Lymany, Posad-Pokrovske, Stepova Dolyna, Prybuzke, Oleksandrivka, Zorya, Kotlyareve, Lyubomirivka, Novomykolaivka, Myrne, Kyselivka, Blahodatne, Kobzartsy, Yakovlivka, Bereznehuvate, Bila Krynytsia, Olhyne, Knyazivka, Ivanivka, Chervonoy Yar and a number of other settlements. Used aviation for a strike near Tavriyske.
In the water areas of the Black and Azov Seas, the enemy’s naval group continues to block the northwestern part of the Black Sea and launch missile strikes on objects on the territory of Ukraine.
Russian occupiers continue to suffer losses on the territory of Ukraine, which leads to a further decrease in morale and psychological state.
Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine
Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor’s Office opened a pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings concerning the violations of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murders (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), related to the July 14 missile attack by the armed forces of the russian on the central part of the city of Vinnytsia.
https://www.gp.gov.ua/ua/posts/raketnii-obstril-centru-vinnici-rozpocato-rozsliduvannya
On the night of July 13-14, 2022, the military of the aggressor launched another missile attack on Kharkiv. As a result of the shelling, a facility in the city’s Osnoviyanskyi district and the premises of an underground depot hangar in the Saltivskyi district were damaged. There are no military facilities on these territories.
On July 14, 2022, russian servicemen once again carried out a massive rocket attack on Mykolaiv. One civilian is known to have been injured so far. Educational institutions, public transport, transport infrastructure and private businesses, and a hotel were damaged or destroyed. In addition, the shockwave damaged apartment buildings and cars of citizens.
POLICY
President of Ukraine
Address by President Zelenskyy to Ukrainians
Today I am addressing not Ukrainian men and women, as usual, but our partners. Democratic world. This day once again proved that Russia must be officially recognized as a terrorist state. No other state in the world poses such a terrorist threat as Russia. No other state in the world allows itself to destroy peaceful cities and ordinary human life with cruise missiles and rocket artillery every day.
As a result of just one missile attack on our city of Vinnytsia, 23 people were killed. Three children under the age of ten. And this, unfortunately, is not yet the final number. Debris clearance is ongoing. Dozens of people are listed as missing. Heavily wounded are among those hospitalized.
One of the missiles destroyed the Neuromed medical center. There were people inside. Nataliya, she is 40 years old. Tetiana, she is 32 years old. Volodymyr, he is 61 years old. Vira, she is 55 years old. I saw them among the missing. You see, it was not even known what happened to the people who simply went to the medical center…
And if someone launched a missile attack on a medical center in Dallas or Dresden, God forbid, what would it be called? Wouldn’t it be called terrorism?
A girl is among the dead today in Vinnytsia, she was four years old, her name was Liza. The child was four years old! Her mother is in critical condition…
Russia ended the girl’s life just at the time when a conference on Russian war crimes was taking place in the Netherlands, in The Hague. A conference where it was decided what should be done to ensure that every Russian military is punished.
Can you think of any other terrorist organization that would allow itself such audacity? To kill just at the moment when its previous crimes are the subject of international discussion.
Russia has thus shown its attitude to international law, to Europe, and to the entire civilized world. After that, no one can have any doubt that a Special Tribunal on Russian aggression against Ukraine is needed as soon as possible. Also, a special compensation mechanism must be implemented as soon as possible, with the help of which all Russian assets and funds in all countries of the world must be confiscated and aimed at compensations for the victims of Russian terror.
It is absolutely necessary to implement as soon as possible such restrictions against Russian energy exports, which will not allow terrorists to cover their costs at the expense of the international community.
And I want to emphasize: all this is needed not only by Ukraine, not only by our citizens, whose lives are under threat of Russian terror. This is needed by all of you, everyone in the world who values human life at least a little.
Terror is a virus. And if one of the terrorists goes unpunished, it only encourages others.
The ceremony of awarding our defenders upon whom the title of Hero of Ukraine was conferred took place this morning in Kyiv. I presented the Gold Star Orders to our warriors, as well as to the relatives of those warriors who were awarded the title of Hero posthumously.
In total, during the full-scale war since February 24, the title of Hero has been awarded to 157 Ukrainians, 75 – posthumously. More than 23,000 of our defenders have been awarded state awards, more than 3,500 – posthumously.
Hundreds of thousands of our warriors hold back the Russian onslaught every day and every night. Ukrainians make one of the most significant contributions in history to the the fight against terrorism. And we are grateful to everyone who helps us. To every state, international structures, public associations around the world, conscientious business, every person who cares.
But the time has come for the democratic world to enshrine all this in proper legal instruments. The status of a terrorist state for Russia. The special tribunal on Russian aggression. The special compensation mechanism that will direct the funds of the terrorist state to those whom it wanted to destroy. And, of course, new sanctions for terror. New sanctions are needed as soon as possible.
And finally. I want the crew of the vessel, which fired the Kalibrs on Vinnytsia today, to know for sure that prison is the best thing they may face.
President’s speech at the International Conference in The Hague on holding Russia accountable for crimes in Ukraine
In a few days, on July 17, it will already be 8 years since one of the most terrible air disasters in history – shooting down of MH17 flight. Then, Russian criminals killed 298 people in the sky over the Ukrainian Donbas. The world, seeing that crime, realized what is happening in Ukraine. Realized what aggression Russia came with to our country.
The shooting down of MH17 attracted global attention. All the world’s media, politicians and societies felt the pain of the families who lost their loved ones in that disaster. 80 children died, including three babies.
Time passes by, that tragedy is talked about less and less. But justice does its job. Ukraine, the Netherlands, all our partners, experts and investigators managed to establish a complete picture of what happened to MH17. And I have no doubt that everyone who committed that terrible crime will receive a fair punishment.
However, we must remember why that crime became possible. We must remember that it is neither the only one nor random. That catastrophe became just one of many catastrophes and tragedies caused by the primary Russian crime – armed aggression against Ukraine. It all started in 2014. And it continues to this day. Taking the lives of our people every day.
This morning, Russian missiles hit our city of Vinnytsia. Cruise missiles hit two public buildings. Residential buildings were destroyed, the medical center was on fire. Cars and trams were on fire. This is an audacious act of Russian terror. Eight missiles, two of which hit downtown. As of this moment, 20 people died, among them three children, a large number of wounded…
Due to Russian aggression, tens of thousands of Ukrainians were killed, tortured and maimed. Millions were deported to Russia or made homeless by hostilities. It is still being established how many children Russian forces abducted and took out of Ukraine. The preliminary figure is dreadful – about 200.000 children.
The world saw what happened in Mariupol and Bucha. The world sees Russian missile terror. Literally live, everyone can see Russian artillery burning down cities in Donbas and destroying civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv and in the south of our country. Only since the start of the full-scale invasion on February 24, the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine have registered 34.039 crimes related to Russian aggression. And imagine how many crimes the Russian occupiers have committed since 2014…
For this initial crime of armed aggression, there must be mandatory and principled punishment for all Russian criminals.
Ukrainian justice will do the part of the work that the national jurisdiction allows. I believe that the International Criminal Court will inevitably ensure the liability of those guilty of crimes under its jurisdiction: war crimes, crimes against humanity, the crime of genocide. I am grateful to all our partners who support us along the way.
By the way, to help the investigation – both Ukrainian and international – we launched the “Book of Torturers of the Ukrainian People” project. This project allows you to collect evidence of war crimes and data about those who committed them on an online platform. In today’s world, this and similar digital and communication tools significantly accelerate the work of the investigation.
But the existing judicial institutions for jurisdictional reasons cannot bring to justice all those guilty of the primary crime of aggression. That is why we need a Special Tribunal regarding this crime – Russian aggression against Ukraine. A Tribunal that will ensure the fair and lawful punishment of those who started this history of disasters and tragedies, which has become the biggest war in Europe since World War II.
Our efforts will be enough to record the crimes of the Russian occupiers; to gather all the evidence so that it is absolutely admissible in the courts; to establish each of the guilty. However, those people whose decisions led to this array of crimes must not hide behind the so-called immunity of officials. The principle of inevitability of punishment must also apply to these people. This can only be ensured by the Special Tribunal on Aggression against Ukraine.
In addition to such a Tribunal, an instrument for compensation for all damages caused by aggression is also needed.
Time is merciless and plays into the hands of Russia. People can’t wait long for justice. If justice is delayed, people feel as if there is no justice.
Today, the world no longer recalls the terrible Russian crimes that were committed back in 2014 and 2015. Now the feelings in the world about Mariupol, “Azovstal” and Bucha are much less intense.
Of course, people have not changed their assessment of these and other crimes. However, to ensure a feeling that justice is being restored, it is necessary not only to punish the guilty. It is necessary to give the victims of crimes full assistance and to rebuild everything destroyed by this aggression. The aggressor must lose both on the battlefield and at the level of meanings, so that the war becomes a heavy loss, first of all, for the aggressor, not for the victims.
The same group of people is behind all the thousands of crimes committed during Russia’s war against Ukraine. Those who give criminal orders. Those who have been thinking for nine years already how to make it worse and more painful for everyone around them, how to cause more losses to other states and nations.
The life and wealth of this group of people is ensured by other individuals and legal entities. By the assets registered on them. By the property they own openly or secretly. By the money they hid in different jurisdictions and in different forms – private, state or quasi-state.
Therefore, Ukraine proposed to create a special compensation mechanism. We believe that compensation for the damage caused by Russian aggression can be ensured at the expense of Russian assets and funds located outside the borders of Russia – in other jurisdictions. We must understand that the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine is an extremely complex project that can become successful with the help of partners. And the sooner the compensation mechanism starts working, the more effectively the assets of the terrorist state will be converted into compensation, and the less financial burden our partners will bear.
I would like to thank Canada and other countries that are working to make their legislation allow for this kind of reimbursement process. We have to make it global – so that no one in the world will think again that aggression against a sovereign state contrary to international law can be tolerable for the aggressor. We need just such a global legal path, which will reflect one of our common values – the rule of law.
The power of the law, its supremacy is ensured only when there are effective and stable institutions capable of implementing the law in any conditions.
We know what institutions we need. We can create them. And they will definitely work.
This will be a contribution to the protection of the world order, the world legal order, that can be compared only to the Nuremberg trials. This is our joint task.
Yermak-McFaul International Expert Group became a key platform for the formation of the sanctions policy of the allies on the aggressor country
Another meeting of the International Expert Group on Sanctions against Russia was held in the format of a video conference under the chairmanship of Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and former US National Security Advisor, Ambassador Michael McFaul.
Andriy Yermak noted that the group’s experts prepared four large-scale documents and a number of statements, and also actively informed the public about the need for sanctions against Russia.
The Head of the President’s Office emphasized that more than 50% of the steps of the group’s action plan have been completed so far.
As Andriy Yermak noted, the International Expert Group has become a key platform for the formation of sanctions on the aggressor country, and almost all world leaders refer to the results of its work.
“Now we see how the EU sanctions coordinators are developing the seventh package based on the materials of our group. We see the reflection of our ideas in the sanctions of Great Britain, the USA and other states of the sanctions coalition. Overall, the group made a very important impact. And I would like us to support this success,” he said.
The Head of the President’s Office noted that Russia continues the war against our country, therefore it is very important to expand the sanctions package against the aggressor country.
“Further energy and financial sanctions, expansion of individual sanctions. We say to the world: there is no time to get tired of sanctions, and therefore we should continue our work,” he said.
The meeting participants agreed on the importance of strengthening sanctions against Russia, in particular recognizing the aggressor as a state sponsor of terrorism, expanding personal sanctions, further sectoral sanctions in the financial and energy spheres, and wider trade and technological restrictions. The aggressor country must suffer as much damage as possible, experts emphasized.
They also proposed to analyze the impact of sanctions on certain sectors of the Russian economy in order to develop recommendations for increasing their effectiveness.
With regard to additional formats of the group’s work, Andriy Yermak suggested holding regular video conference briefings with colleagues from other countries who work directly on sanctions policy. Representatives of the International Expert Group, the Ukrainian Parliament and the parliaments of partner countries, the European Commission, the US Department of State and other structures participating in the work on sanctions will be able to join them.
Andriy Yermak thanked the participants of the International Expert Group for their important work and urged them to make new proposals and generate ideas to achieve results.
“Keep generating ideas and persuading. Our work changes the rules of the game. And it is invaluable, it saves the lives of Ukrainians and brings our victory closer,” said the Head of the President’s Office.
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The key task of the seventh package of sanctions against Russia should be the introduction of so-called secondary sanctions, which eliminate ways of circumventing previous restrictions. The Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal emphasized during a live broadcast of the UARazom information telethon.
“The Yermak-McFaul Group is constantly working on the development of new sanctions against the Russian federation. More efficient. We work very closely with our partners. And indeed we expect the adoption of the seventh package. Some of the first packages lose their effectiveness over time because Russia is looking for ways to adapt and circumvent these sanctions,” the head of the Government noted.
The Prime Minister accentuated, Ukraine also calls for Russia to be given the status of a sponsor of terrorism. According to him, both the United States and the European Union should adopt this position.
“This will accordingly impose additional restrictions on cooperation with this aggressor country. We expect more personal sanctions to be imposed on Russian officials, functionaries, and oligarchs. We expect the expansion of sectoral economic sanctions, the continuation and strengthening of sanctions on the export of Russian oil and gas. The first step has already been taken by our partners,” Denys Shmyhal emphasized.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
MFA of Ukraine underlines the importance of the OSCE’s experts Report, which documents numerous violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed by the Russian Federation and its armed forces during the ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.
The Report stresses, in particular, that the magnitude and frequency of the indiscriminate attacks carried out against civilians and civilian objects, including in sites where no military facility was identified, is credible evidence that hostilities were conducted by Russian armed forces disregarding their fundamental obligation to comply with the basic principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution that constitute the fundamental basis of international humanitarian law. As a result, the considerable number of civilians have been killed or injured, and civilian objects have been damaged or destroyed in numerous towns and villages.
Mission confirmed that the Russian military is using incendiary and cluster munitions, phosphorus bombs and thermobaric weapons. Experts identified, that Russian armed forces have used at least six types of cluster munitions in attacks that have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties and damage to civilian objects, including homes, hospitals, and schools, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
According to the report, the international human rights law has been extensively violated by the Russian occupation troops. Some of the most serious violations include:
- targeted killing of civilians, including journalists, human rights defenders, or local mayors;
- the illegal practice of establishment and use of so-called filtration centres by the Russian armed forces;
- large-scale deportations of Ukrainian civilians to Russia;
- various forms of ill-treatment, including torture, inflicted on detained civilians and prisoners of war;
- unlawful detentions, abductions and enforced disappearances;
- the imposition of the death penalty.
The events concerning the towns of Bucha and Irpin, which that were visited by the Mission, are described in the document as emblematic examples of the grave breaches by the Russian armed forces of international humanitarian law under the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, which constitute war crimes.
Mission also identified that such actions as the export by Russian occupation forces of the Ukrainian grain from the country reveal signs of an organized activity and these acts amount to violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and must be properly investigated, those responsible for them brought to justice and those having suffered compensated for.
MFA of Ukraine takes the view that the Report of the second OSCE Moscow Mechanism Mission of experts constitutes an important contribution to the international community’s efforts on documenting crimes of the aggressor-state, ensuring justice and holding accountable all masterminds and perpetrators of the crimes of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
