Exiled mayor: Ukrainian resistance blows up car with pro-Russian Chechen fighters near Melitopol

In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur breaks down a recent string of mysterious deaths and arrests among Russia’s elite, as well as and explains the implications Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could have for a future conflict between China and Taiwan. Also in this episode: The U.S. resumes some military aid to Ukraine after an abrupt halt by the Defense Department last week.

Over 1,200 glide bombs and 83 missiles of various types were also launched on Ukraine in the past week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 13.

The alleged Russian agents were killed during a shootout in an SBU special operation on July 13 in Kyiv Oblast, according to the agency.

The report estimated that North Korea could have provided Russia with around 28,000 containers containing weapons and artillery shells to date.

Deadly attacks on civilians were reported in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Kherson oblasts, according to regional authorities.

The number includes 1,240 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

"We send greetings to the kadyrovtsy," the group wrote, referring to the notoriously ruthless troops named for Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.

Kim told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that his country stands "ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis."

The funds could come from the $3.85 billion remaining in Presidential Drawdown Authority from the Biden administration or from frozen Russian assets, current and former U.S. officials said.

A day earlier, the U.N. announced that the three-year agreement would end on July 22. The deal "will not be renewed" because of disagreements, a source close to the discussions told the AFP.

Filmed in an undisclosed location at an unspecified time, the video published on July 12 shows Ukrainian soldiers shooting down multiple Russian targets with a German-made Skynex air defense system.

The head of the French army, General Thierry Burkhard, attributed Russia's view of Paris as a primary adversary largely to France's unwavering support for Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the U.S., South Korea, and Japan of military buildups around North Korea. "We warn against exploiting these ties to build alliances directed against anyone, including North Korea and, of course, Russia."