July 26, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Kathleen Magramo, Adrienne Vogt, Mike Hayes and Maureen Chowdhury, CNN

Updated 3:05 a.m. ET, July 27, 2022
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4:48 a.m. ET, July 26, 2022

EU energy chief says Russia’s Gazprom’s gas flow reduction is "politically motivated"

From CNN’s Alex Hardie in London

European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson speaks as she arrives for an emergency meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels, Belgium, on July 26.
European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson speaks as she arrives for an emergency meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels, Belgium, on July 26. (Virginia Mayo/AP)

Gazprom’s latest announcement to further reduce flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is a "politically motivated step," European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting with EU energy ministers in Brussels.

"There is no technical reason to do so. This is a politically motivated step, and we have to be ready for that," Simson said.
"And exactly for that reason, the pre-emptive reduction of our gas demand is a wise strategy."

Some context: On Monday, the Russian state-owned energy company said it will further reduce gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Wednesday, as it halts another turbine for repairs. The pipeline is a vital artery linking Russia's vast gas reserves to Europe via Germany.

The daily capacity from "7:00 am (Moscow time) July 27 will be up to 33 million cubic meters," the company said in a statement. Nord Stream 1 has a capacity of around 160 million cubic meters per day.

Simson said that Gazprom’s announcement "underlined once again that we have to be ready for the possible supply cuts from Russia at any moment."

"We have to take care of our preparedness; we have to tackle this crisis right now and together. And by doing so, we will reduce our demand pre-emptively," she continued.

Simson added that she expects EU ministers to have "a political agreement" by the end of Tuesday.

Last week, the European Commission laid out its plan to reduce gas use in Europe by 15% until next spring.

4:33 a.m. ET, July 26, 2022

Oil depot fire rages for hours in eastern city held by Russia-backed separatists

From CNN's Tim Lister and Josh Pennington  

Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze at an oil depot in the Budennovsky district of Donetsk, Ukraine, in this handout image from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's emergencies ministry, on July 26.
Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze at an oil depot in the Budennovsky district of Donetsk, Ukraine, in this handout image from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's emergencies ministry, on July 26. (Emergencies Ministry of Donetsk People's Republic/Reuters)

Social media video shows that a large fire broke out Monday night in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which is controlled by the pro-Russian separatists of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

Russian state news agency TASS reported that the fire broke out at an oil depot in the Budennovsky district. It said the plant had come under fire from Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military rarely comments on attacks against infrastructure in Donetsk, but several fuel and munitions depots in DPR-held territory have come under attack this month.

Ukrainian officials have said that with the acquisition of long-range artillery and howitzers from the West, the military is focused on attacking Russian logistics and command positions. 

A TASS reporter in Donetsk said the blaze could be seen in several areas of the city, "with the flames reaching a couple of dozen meters in height."

TASS said tanks of fuel and lubricants were burning. Video early Tuesday showed that smoke was still rising from the location, several hours after the fire began.

4:17 a.m. ET, July 26, 2022

"Entire territory" of Donetsk under fire as Russians push toward Bakhmut, says Ukrainian official

From CNN's Tim Lister

Two plumes of smoke above Soledar, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on July 25.
Two plumes of smoke above Soledar, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on July 25. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Many settlements close to the front lines in Donetsk have come under fire in the past 24 hours as Russian forces try to break down Ukrainian defenses, according to the head of the region's military administration,

"There is not a single settlement in Donetsk region that has not been shelled," Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Ukrainian television. "The entire territory is under fire. The enemy is destroying civilian infrastructure."

He added that "the front is approaching the city of Bakhmut, where there were systematic artillery fire and air strikes" on Monday. 

Bakhmut is a key objective of Russian forces as a gateway to the remainder of the region still in Ukrainian hands. Russian forces are estimated to be about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) southeast of the town. 

In its latest assessment Monday, the US-based Institute for the Study of War said Russian forces "made marginal gains south of Bakhmut but are unlikely to be able to effectively leverage these advances to take full control of Bakhmut itself."

The Ukrainian military said Tuesday that the Russians were "creating conditions for an offensive on Siversk and Soledar" — two towns in the pocket of eastern Donetsk still being defended by Ukrainian forces.

"Enemy units replenish stocks of ammunition and fuel," the military's General Staff said.

Russian assaults in the area around the town of Spirne had been repelled, it added. Similarly, the General Staff said a Russian effort to break through north of Sloviansk had been rebuffed in the Sviati Hory area.

5:13 a.m. ET, July 26, 2022

Brittney Griner in court as defense team will present evidence in trial

From CNN's Tara John

US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner gets handcuffs taken off before a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow, Russia, on July 26.
US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner gets handcuffs taken off before a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow, Russia, on July 26. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AFP/Getty Images)

WNBA star Brittney Griner is in court outside Moscow as her defense team prepares to present evidence in her trial on Tuesday.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, pleaded guilty to drug charges earlier this month but the US State Department says she is wrongfully detained. She faces up to 10 years in prison.

Griner's supporters have called for her release over fears she is being used as a political pawn amid Russia's war on Ukraine.

Some background: The Phoenix Mercury basketball star, 31, was arrested in February at a Moscow airport with less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner, who plays in Russia during the WNBA's offseason, has been held since then on drug smuggling charges. Her trial began in early July.

A prosecutor at the start of her trial in Moscow accused Griner of intentionally smuggling the drugs into Russia.

Griner told a court that she had not intended to commit a crime and that it was the result of her packing in a hurry, state news agency RIA Novosti reported. Her defense team told Russian judges that she was prescribed medical cannabis for "severe chronic pain."

Read more here.

4:00 a.m. ET, July 26, 2022

Missiles and rockets strike southern city of Mykolaiv, Ukrainian officials say

From CNN's Tim Lister and Alex Stambaugh

Russian forces attacked the southern city of Mykolayiv with missiles and rockets early on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said.

The city, which is close to the front lines in neighboring Kherson, has been struck almost every night for the past month.

Vitaliy Kim, head of the Mykolaiv regional military administration, said critical infrastructure and a vehicle business were damaged but so far there was no word on casualties.

Kim said villages near the front lines along the Mykolaiv-Kherson border had sustained more incoming fire from Russian forces over the past 24 hours.

The mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, said port infrastructure was attacked in the strike.

"A massive missile strike, including using aviation means, was launched on the south of Ukraine from the direction of the Black Sea. The infrastructure of the port was attacked," Sienkevych said, citing the Ukrainian military's Operational Command South.  

The Mykolaiv region was also struck by an S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile from the direction of the Russian-occupied Kherson region, he added.

4:07 a.m. ET, July 26, 2022

UK intelligence says "no indication" Russia hit military targets in Odesa port attack 

From CNN's Alex Stambaugh, Irene Nasser and Anna Chernova

Firefighters work at a site of a Russian missile strike in the port of Odesa, Ukraine, on July 23.
Firefighters work at a site of a Russian missile strike in the port of Odesa, Ukraine, on July 23. (Joint Forces of the South Defence/Reuters)

There is "no indication" that Russia hit a Ukrainian warship and military targets in missile strikes on the port of Odesa at the weekend, according to a British intelligence report.

"The Russian MoD claimed to have hit a Ukrainian warship and a stockpile of anti-ship missiles. There is no indication that such targets were at the location the missiles hit," the UK Ministry of Defence said Tuesday. 

It said Russia perceives anti-ship missiles as a "key threat" and claims Moscow will continue to prioritize its efforts to destroy Ukraine's anti-ship capability, but that its "targeting processes are highly likely routinely undermined by dated intelligence, poor planning and a top-down approach to operations."

The attack on Odesa on Saturday came just a day after Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement to allow grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, leading to anger and concern over the future of a deal aimed at easing the global food crisis sparked by war.

Russia's denial: Moscow has claimed it struck military targets, including a naval ship and an ammunition depot, in the "high precision strikes" on Odesa and that it did not impact grain exports from the harbor. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Moscow's defense of the strikes while he was in the Republic of Congo on Monday.

“As for the targets of those high-precision strikes, they are located in a separate part of the Odesa port, in the so-called military part of the Odesa port,” he said.
“These targets were the combat boat of the naval forces of Ukraine and the ammunition depot, where the Harpoon anti-ship missiles were recently delivered. They were brought there to pose a threat to the Russian Black Sea Fleet.”
5:32 a.m. ET, July 26, 2022

Another Russian missile strike hits Odesa region

From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych

Firefighters work at site of a residential area damaged by a Russia missile strike in the settlement of Zatoka, Odesa region, Ukraine, on July 26.
Firefighters work at site of a residential area damaged by a Russia missile strike in the settlement of Zatoka, Odesa region, Ukraine, on July 26. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Reuters)

There's been another Russian missile strike on the Odesa region, according to Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman for the Odesa regional administration.

Bratchuk said that at around 5 a.m. local time, air launched missiles had struck a civilian area and set off fires.

It took place at the coastal village of Zatoka, where Russian forces have previously targeted a bridge with missiles.

President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video of the missile attack.

"An ordinary village of Zatoka. People rested and lived. Just lived," Zelensky posted on Instagram.
"There are no bases, no troops. It's just that terrorists from the Russian Federation WANTED TO SHOOT. They will be responsible for everything."

There are no details on casualties in the attack, but video shows a number of properties on fire.

3:40 a.m. ET, July 26, 2022

Ukraine says Russia increased gas pipeline pressure without notice

From CNN's Alex Stambaugh, Josh Pennington and Clare Sebastian 

Ukrainian authorities say they recorded a "sharp increase" in pressure on a main pipeline that supplies Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine without prior notice —warning that such incidents can lead to emergency situations. 

The Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (Gas TSOU) said in a statement Monday it had reported the increase on the "Urengoi-Pomari-Uzhhorod" pipeline at the Russia-Ukraine border to Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom.

The report "informed Gazprom that negligence in sharing information in a timely manner about switching and changing regimes [of flow] can create emergency situations," the statement said.

Sharp changes in pressure in pipelines can lead to mechanical damage, including pipeline rupture. 

Gas TSOU said such actions must be coordinated between operators in advance and called on Gazprom to provide a reason for the change.  

"Such actions can be especially dangerous for Europe, given how Gazprom once again reduced transit through Nord Stream 1 to 33 million cubic meters per day," said Serhiy Makohon, the company's general director. 

CNN has reached out to Gazprom, but has not yet received a response.

Some context: Gazprom said Monday it will further reduce gas flow through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Wednesday as it halts another turbine for repairs just days after it resumed shipments through the vital artery linking Russia's vast gas reserves to Europe via Germany. The pipeline had been shut 10 days for scheduled maintenance, and many had feared Russia would not resume deliveries once the work was done.

9:31 p.m. ET, July 25, 2022

Ukraine grain shipments are expected to resume within the next few days, UN says

From CNN's Richard Roth

The first shipment of Ukrainian grain under the Black Sea deal brokered by the United Nations is expected to move within a few days, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary General said Monday.

Parties to the agreement have reaffirmed their commitment as of Sunday, Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said, despite Russian strikes in the Ukrainian port of Odesa just a day after the accord was signed.

"On the Black Sea Initiative, we can tell you that since the signing of the agreement, parties to the initiative, and the UN, have been in frequent contact, including yesterday. All parties have reconfirmed their commitment to the Initiative," Haq said Monday.

The Russian attack on Saturday cast doubt on the future of the agreement, which aims to ease the global food crisis sparked by war and Moscow's months-long blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports.

As part of the deal, grain ships would navigate through a safe corridor in the Black Sea under the direction of Ukrainian pilots, and then pass through the Bosporus strait — an important shipping corridor in northwest Turkey — in order to reach global markets.

Haq said officials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN would have a presence at a Joint Coordination Center in Turkey by Tuesday.

"We expect that the first ship may move within a few days," he said. "The Joint Coordination Center will be liaising with the shipping industry and publishing detailed procedures for ships in the very near future."