Russia will fund children conceived from the very soldiers it already sent to die in Ukraine.
The State Duma passed a bill giving their widows fully state-funded IVF and artificial insemination, drawn from the biomaterial these men banked before they deployed — United24. 1/
A widow can claim the state benefit for five years after her husband dies, and she keeps it only if she does not remarry.
She also needs a notarized consent form for the storage and use of his biomaterial, one the soldier had to sign in person while he was still alive. 2/
Russia will deliver the procedures under its program of state guarantees for free medical care, and its Health Ministry will write the detailed rules.
The bill funds both IVF and artificial insemination for these widows, but it still draws the line at surrogate motherhood. 3/
Politico: The lesson from Ukraine is that drones do not replace armies.
Drones expose weak systems when they plug into a real force. If Europe turns drone success into an excuse to dodge ships, air defense and missiles, Russia benefits. 1/
Ukraine’s drone record is why the hype exists. Kyiv has hit Russian shadow vessels, refineries, Baltic oil terminals, military sites in Crimea and even an oil refinery in Siberia. 2/
On July 9 alone, Ukraine said it struck 14 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov. Its drone commander said 35 ships had been hit over 96 hours, alongside 45 military targets in Crimea and southern Ukraine. 3/
Italy's Defence Minister Crosetto asked Fedorov to be his advisor.
He called Fedorov the day after his dismissal: "When do you want to come to Rome and work with me as an adviser?"
Fedorov was "moved" and saw it as "a demonstration of esteem and friendship." — Reuters.
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Crosetto: Fedorov completely rewrote the rules of the game on the battlefield.
Helping Ukraine first resist Russia's invasion, then regain the initiative through new technologies. Fedorov's dismissal sparked rare wartime protests in Ukraine.
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Zelenskyy offered Fedorov alternative government roles.
Fedorov said he would not accept any position other than his former job.
Russia is choking Ukraine’s Black Sea export corridor, the sea route that keeps Ukrainian grain moving to world markets.
On Wednesday, for the first time since the corridor opened in 2023, zero ships entered Ukraine’s 3 Odesa ports, Politico. 1/
Sybiha [Ukraine’s FM]: “Russia is holding global food security hostage.”
At peak harvest, he called the shutdown deliberate economic and humanitarian terror that could mean higher prices and hunger for families in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. 2/
The shipping giant Maersk stopped operations at Chornomorsk Fishing Port and redirected cargo to Romania’s Constanta.
Ukraine: It can still provide security, but shipowners halted traffic because Russia is now hitting civilian cargo ships before they reach port. 3/
Ukraine will make Patriot interceptor missiles with Raytheon, the US producer of the Patriot system.
Patriots are crucial for stopping Russian ballistic and aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities, United24. 1/
Zelenskyy: “Ukraine will jointly produce one of the most important air defense assets — interceptors for Patriots — together with Raytheon.”
The talks followed earlier discussions with Trump in Ankara and focused on non-offensive military hardware. 2/
Ukraine needs more interceptors as Russian strikes intensify.
Lockheed Martin also unveiled ACE, a cheaper Patriot interceptor. US budget documents put PAC-3 MSE at over $4mn per round; ACE could cost less than half of that. 3X