Ukraine-Russia battle newest: Putin ‘will be seeing things happen’, warns Trump after Kharkiv maternity ward hit

Russian officials have revealed that Colonel Sergei Yuryevich Ilyin, a top commander of the Russian military, has been killed, as the Kremlin awaits US president Donald Trump’s “major statement”.

Local authorities from the Chuvashia district, east of Moscow, confirmed the commander of the 155th Separate Guards Kursk Orders of Zhukov and Suvorov Marine Brigade died “during a special military operation.”

“This is a tragic loss for our district, Chuvashia, and the entire country,” they said. Reports from Ukrainian media have suggested Ilyin was among Russian military personnel killed when Ukraine’s forces attacked the 155th Brigade’s command post in the Kursk region earlier this month.

“Sergei Yuryevich carried out combat missions with honor and courage, demonstrating exceptional courage and heroism. He performed an immortal feat, giving his life for our Motherland. Giving one’s life for one’s country is the highest patriotic act that will forever remain in people’s memory. His courage and selflessness serve as an example for future generations.

“Sergei Yuryevich died defending the freedom and independence of the country he loved so much.

“We express our sincere condolences to his family, all relatives and friends. In this difficult hour, we share your pain and the bitterness of loss. Eternal memory to the Russian soldier and eternal glory to him. His feat will never be forgotten.”

President Zelensky offered to host the President of Ghana after the two exchanged conversation.

He said: “We share a mutual interest in developing bilateral cooperation. We discussed areas where we can already deepen our partnership, first and foremost in the agro-industrial sector and the creation of a food logistics hub in Ghana. We agreed to organize a ministerial-level meeting, and a Ukrainian delegation will travel to Ghana in the near future.

“Ghana is also interested in our technologies, the production of various types of drones, and the experience Ukraine has gained during this war. Ghana is ready to finance our production, and we are ready to help our partners secure their borders.”

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 forced almost 10 million people to flee their homes, with about 3.8 million displaced within the country and 5.6 million abroad, the UN refugee agency’s representative for Ukraine has said.

The war between Russia and Ukraine is continuing with “increased intensity” so international support funding a humanitarian response is crucial, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative Karolina Lindholm Billing said on Friday.

“At the moment, most who are newly displaced remain within the country and that’s what most people prefer to do as well: to stay as close as possible to their home regions,” Ms Lindholm Billing said.

The UNHCR representative stressed that every day the organisation and its local partners help people who are victims of aerial attacks, including recent strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv.

“People evacuating from front line areas need support. But at the same time, we have to continue helping Ukraine’s immediate recovery, so that people who want to stay in Ukraine can actually do that,” Ms Lindholm Billing said.

A woman and 13-year-old girl, led by Russian special services, set fire to an evacuation military vehicle and a Ukrainian railway facility in exchange for the promise of a financial reward, according to Odesa Police and the SBU (Ukraine security services).

The 13-year-old girl from Odesa was recruited over messenger and offered money to set fire to relay cabinets of the regional branch of Odesa Railway and cars of military personnel from the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Territorial Centres for Recruitment and Social Support.

She was told to coordinate the facilities with the messenger and send them video reports afterwards.

Police established in early July that she doused herself in flammable liquid and set fire to a relay cabinet; fortunately the fire went out quickly and the device didn’t malfunction. She was then told to set alight a servicewoman’s car which was used to transport wounded from the frontline.

The teenager asked her 58-year-old mother to get involved and they set fire to the vehicle that night, which burnt down completely.

The woman was detained and she may face up to eight years in prison, while the 13-year-old was transferred to guardianship and trusteeship, where she may be subject to compulsory educational measures.

NATO will need more long-range missiles in its arsenal to deter Russia from attacking Europe because Moscow is expected to increase production of long-range weapons, a U.S. Army general told Reuters.

Russia’s effective use of long-range missiles in its war in Ukraine has convinced Western military officials of their importance for destroying command posts, transportation hubs and missile launchers far behind enemy lines.

“The Russian army is bigger today than it was when they started the war in Ukraine,” Major General John Rafferty said in an interview at a U.S. military base in Wiesbaden, Germany.

“And we know that they’re going to continue to invest in long-range rockets and missiles and sophisticated air defences. So more alliance capability is really, really important.”

Russian authorities have confiscated assets worth some $50 billion (£37 billion) over the past three years, in an attempt to develop a “fortress Russia” economic model during the war in Ukraine.

When Russia began it’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine, a number of Western companies fled the Russian market, while others’ assets were expropriated and some major Russian businesses saw their assets seized by the state.

In response to what Russia declared “illegal actions” by the West, Putin signed decrees over the past three years to seize Western assets. Germany’s Uniper and Danish brewer Carlsberg have been entangled in this.

Moscow law firm NSP (Nektorov, Saveliev & Partners) said that the scale of what it called the “nationalisation” amounted to 3.9 billion roubles over three years, and it listed the companies involved.

The research was first reported by Russian newspaper Kommersant.