July 14, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Jessie Yeung, Jack Guy, Hafsa Khalil, Ed Upright, Aditi Sangal and Adrienne Vogt, CNN

Updated 3:14 a.m. ET, July 15, 2022

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2:47 a.m. ET, July 14, 2022

Ukraine severs diplomatic ties with North Korea over its recognition of breakaway regions

From CNN's Josh Pennington, Paula Hancocks and Alex Stambaugh

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un addresses a special workshop for officials of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released on July 7. (KCNA/Reuters)

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it "strongly condemns" the decision by North Korea to officially recognize the "so-called" independence of the Russian-occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions in Ukraine, according to a statement released Wednesday.

In response, Ukraine announced the severance of diplomatic relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea's official name.

"We consider this decision as an attempt by Pyongyang to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a gross violation of the Constitution of Ukraine, the UN Charter and the fundamental norms and principles of the international law," the ministry's statement said.

For almost eight years, the two breakaway enclaves of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine have been the site of a low-intensity war between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces, which has left more than 14,000 people dead.

War broke out in 2014 after Russian-backed rebels seized government buildings in towns and cities across eastern Ukraine. Intense fighting left portions of Luhansk and Donetsk, in the Donbas region, in the hands of Russian-backed separatists. Russia also annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 in a move that sparked global condemnation.

North Korea's move Wednesday makes it the only country other than Russia and Syria to recognize the two breakaway enclaves.

"Russia's appeal to the DPRK for support in legitimizing the forceful seizure of a part of the Ukrainian territory speaks more about Moscow's toxicity than Pyongyang's," Ukrainian Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said in the ministry's statement.
"Russia has no more allies in the world, except for countries that depend on it financially and politically, and the level of isolation of the Russian Federation will soon reach the level of isolation of the DPRK."

12:18 a.m. ET, July 14, 2022

Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv rocked by "powerful explosions," mayor says

From CNN's From Josh Pennington and Alex Stambaugh

The southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv was rocked by "powerful explosions" early Thursday morning, the city's mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych posted on his official Telegram account.

"Powerful explosions heard in Mykolaiv! The air alert is still in effect. I ask that everyone remain in their shelters," Sienkevych wrote.

The mayor later wrote that rescue and emergency teams are on the scene, however he did not say how many areas were impacted.

Villages along the border between Mykolaiv and the Kherson region have become the front lines of fighting recently as Ukrainian forces try to penetrate Russian defenses in occupied areas of southern Ukraine.

2:19 a.m. ET, July 14, 2022

Russian state energy giant Gazprom questions Nord Stream 1 operation

From CNN's Chris Stern in Berlin

Pipe systems and shut-off devices at the gas receiving station of the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline and the transfer station of the OPAL gas pipeline in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lubmin, Germany, on July 11. (Jens Büttner/picture alliance/Getty Images)

Russian state energy giant Gazprom is unable to give a forecast on the continued operation of the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline, according to a statement released by the company and posted on Twitter on Wednesday.

The reason is that there are doubts about the return of a Siemens turbine from Canada, Gazprom explained in the statement.

"Gazprom does not possess any documents that would enable Siemens (the company responsible for the installation) to get the gas turbine engine for Portovaya CS out of Canada, where that engine is currently undergoing repairs," the statement said.
"In these circumstances," Gazprom could not guarantee the future operation of the pipeline, it added.

The German government had previously stated that with the delivery of the turbine serviced in Canada, there was no longer any reason for Russia to throttle gas supplies through Nord Stream 1.

Canada now wants to hand over the turbine to Germany.

Throttled supply: Long-planned regular maintenance work began on the pipeline Monday and should take about 10 days. However, there are doubts as to whether gas will actually flow again after that.

Since mid-June, Gazprom had significantly reduced its gas supplies to Germany through the Baltic Sea pipeline, initially to 60% and later to 40% of the usual gas volume.

The group justified the step by citing the missing turbine. However, the German government described the throttling of gas exports as politically motivated. Russia said it would restart energy supplies if the repaired turbine returned.

To avoid a gas shortage in winter, Germany is currently trying to fill its gas storage facilities as quickly as possible. The facilities are only 64.6% full, the Federal Network Agency reported earlier this month.

2:12 a.m. ET, July 14, 2022

At least 1 killed in Russian shelling of residential area in eastern Ukraine

From CNN's Mariya Knight

A resident stands next to his home that was shelled in Bakhmut, Ukraine on July 13. (Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images)

At least one person was killed and five others were injured when Russia shelled a residential area in Bakhmut on Wednesday, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk region military administration.

"Shells of an Uragan multi-launch rocket system had damaged about eight residential buildings," Kyrylenko wrote in a post on Telegram.

Kyrylenko called on Donetsk residents to evacuate the area to save their lives.

9:32 p.m. ET, July 13, 2022

Ukrainian forces hit Russian military depots in eastern Ukraine

From CNN's Mariya Knight

The Ukrainian military has shelled Russian military depots in the city of Horlivka in eastern Ukraine, Serhii Bratchuk, Odesa regional administration spokesman, wrote in a post on Telegram on Wednesday.

Social media video showed multiple detonations and a series of large plumes of dark smoke rising from the area.

Ivan Prihodko, Pro-Russian Head of Horlivka City Administration, claimed in a Telegram post on Wednesday that the Ukrainian military had carried out “a direct hit’’ on residential buildings on Plotinna street in Shyroka Balka, a settlement in Horlivka.

There were no casualties, Prihodko said

9:30 p.m. ET, July 13, 2022

North Korea officially recognizes independence of Luhansk and Donetsk enclaves in Ukraine

From CNN's Larry Register, Aliza Kassim and Mohammed Tawfeeq

North Korea has officially recognized the independence of the two breakaway enclaves of Luhansk and Donetsk in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday.

The North Korean government "decided to recognize the independence" of the so-called People's Republic of Donetsk and the People's Republic of Luhansk, KCNA reported, citing a letter from the country's foreign minister.

The letter also "expressed the will to develop the state-to-state relations with those countries in the idea of independence, peace, and friendship." KCNA said in its report.

North Korea joins Russia and Syria as the only countries to recognize the two breakaway enclaves.

Some background: For almost eight years, the two breakaway enclaves of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine have been the site of a low-intensity war between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces, which has left more than 14,000 people dead.

9:19 p.m. ET, July 13, 2022

Another attack reported in Russian-occupied Kherson

From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko and Tim Lister

Witnesses in the town of Nova Kakhovka in Russian-occupied Kherson reported another strike Wednesday, the second this week.

Serhiy Khlan, a member of the Kherson regional council, said the target was a Russian munitions depot in the Sokil district.

"Thank you to HIMARS and our boys and girls in the Armed Forces of Ukraine!" Khlan said.

High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is the long-range US artillery system recently supplied to Ukraine by the United States and is renowned for its accuracy. It's not clear that the HIMARS system caused the explosion Wednesday.

On Monday night, a warehouse in Nova Kakhovka was struck, causing multiple detonations. Ukrainian officials said it was an ammunition and weaponry store while the pro-Russian administration in Kherson said a store of fertilizer had blown up.

1:42 a.m. ET, July 14, 2022

Zelensky welcomes progress toward agreement on grain exports

From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during his evening video address on July 13. (Office of President of Ukraine)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed signs of progress in talks mediated by the United Nations and Turkey to guarantee safe passage of merchant shipping in and out of Ukrainian ports.

In his nightly address, Zelensky said, "We are indeed making significant efforts to restore food supply to the world market. And I am grateful to the United Nations and Turkey for their respective efforts.
"The success of this story is needed not only by our state but also, without exaggeration, by the whole world. If it is possible to remove the Russian threat to shipping in the Black Sea, it will remove the severity of the global food crisis."

He added that the Ukrainian delegation has informed him "there has been some progress."

"We will agree on the details with the UN Secretary General in the coming days," Zelensky said.

Ukrainian officials say more than 20 million tons of grain remain stuck in Ukraine due to Moscow's blockade of Black Sea ports.