A spokesperson for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said Saturday that it had observed groups of Wagner fighters crossing from Russia into Belarus, after the Belarusian defence ministry said it planned for the mercenaries and Minsk's own armed forces to conduct joint military drills. An independent Belarusian monitoring group said that at least 60 trucks, buses and other large vehicles had crossed into the eastern European country. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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5:57pm: Wagner mercenaries seen entering Belarus, Ukraine Border Guard says
A spokesperson for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said Saturday that the force had observed “some groups” of Wagner fighters crossing from Russia into Belarus. The spokesperson, Andriy Demchenko, made the remarks in an interview with the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper.
Separately, an independent monitoring group reported that a large convoy carrying fighters from the Wagner private army was spotted entering Belarus from Russia early Saturday, after the Belarusian defense ministry said it planned for the mercenaries and Minsk's own armed forces to conduct joint military drills.
The monitoring group Belaruski Hajun, which tracks the movements of armed forces in Belarus, said that at least 60 trucks, buses and other large vehicles crossed into the Eastern European country accompanied by Belarusian police.
The convoy headed toward a military base outside Osipovichi, a town 230 kilometres (142 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, Belaruski Hajun said. Satellite images analysed by AP this month showed rows of tent-like structures that appeared to have been built at the base between June 15 and June 30.
The Belarusian defense ministry said in an online statement late Friday that it had developed a “road map” with Wagner’s management for joint training exercises for the nation's military personnel and the private mercenaries.
5:10pm: S. Korea 'more than reluctant' to provide arms to Ukraine for fear of antagonizing Russia, FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert explains
South Korea is one of the world's largest arms exporters and has large stockpiles of ammunition. Seoul has sent millions of dollars of humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022, but Kyiv has been pleading with the US ally to send military aid.
FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert explains that South Korea is 'more than reluctant' to do so for two reasons: an economic relationship with Russia worth billions of dollars, and fears that sending arms to Ukraine could provoke Moscow to arm or otherwise aid North Korea.
4:44pm: Putin says grain deal goal 'not implemented' in call with S. Africa's Ramaphosa
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said the main objective of the deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports to resume has not been achieved, in a call with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa.
"The main goal of the deal, namely the supply of grain to countries in need, including on the African continent, has not been implemented," Putin said according to a Kremlin readout.
The deal that eased fears of a global food crisis sparked by Moscow's war in Ukraine is due to expire late Monday – unless Russia agrees to renew it.
A memorandum on unhindered Russian food and fertiliser exports had been signed in parallel to the grain deal. Russia says that obstacles to its own exports remain, and has threatenened to pull out of the deal over the issue.
4:43pm: Russia demands immediate release of Orthodox cleric detained in Ukraine
Russia on Saturday demanded the immediate release of a senior Orthodox cleric detained in Kyiv on suspicion of inflaming religious hatred and justifying Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A Kyiv court ordered pre-trial detention on Friday for Metropolitan Pavlo, a senior figure in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who had been under house arrest since April.
"We demand strict compliance by the Kyiv regime with its international legal obligations, the immediate release of Metropolitan Pavlo, who is suffering from a serious illness, and the provision of proper medical care for him," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Ukraine has been cracking down on the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church, claiming it is pro-Russian and collaborating with Moscow. The church denies that and says it cut all ties with Moscow last year, but many of its churches have been searched and dozens of clergy have faced charges.
2:42pm: Growing paranoia among Russian military as Putin 'weeds out' disloyal followers
FRANCE 24 international affairs commentator Douglas Herbert unpacks the growing paranoia among Russia's military as Putin weeds out those he deems potentially disloyal following the Wagner Group's abortive rebellion.
2:29pm: South Korea to 'expand scale' of aid to Ukraine, president says
South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged Saturday to "expand the scale" of his country's humanitarian and non-lethal military assistance to Ukraine, after a summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
Seoul "will expand the scale of supplies from last year, when we provided materials such as helmets and bullet-proof vests", he said, adding that humanitarian aid would be increased to $150 million in 2023 from $100 million last year.
1:58pm: Putin talks peace plan with South Africa's Ramaphosa
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in which the two leaders discussed the Black Sea grain deal and an African peace initiative on Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
On the grain deal, which expires on Monday, Putin reiterated to Ramaphosa that commitments to remove obstacles to Russian food and fertiliser exports had not yet been fulfilled, the Kremlin said.
1:21pm: 'We are discussing everything that is important'
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday tweeted a picture of himself with his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol during the head of state's first visit to Ukraine.
"The return of deported adults and children, the implementation of the #PeaceFormula and the preparation of the Global Peace Summit, food and energy security and economic cooperation … I am sure together we will give more strength to our nations and the global positions of Ukraine and the Republic of Korea," Zelensky wrote.
Today, President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol @President_KR and First Lady Kim Keon Hee are in Ukraine.
During this visit, the first in the history of our relations, we are discussing everything that is important for the normal and safe life of people, for the… pic.twitter.com/0zYvzQnDsW
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 15, 2023
10:08am: South Korea's Yoon visits Bucha massacre site ahead of Zelensky meeting
South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the town of Bucha Saturday morning ahead of a summit with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Hundreds of prisoners of war and civilians are suspected to have been killed in the small town north of Kyiv during its occupation by Russian forces following Moscow's invasion in February 2022.
"The president first toured the Bucha city massacre site near the capital Kyiv and the city of Irpin, where missile attacks were concentrated on civilian residential areas," his office said, adding he would meet Zelensky later in the day.
9:14am: South Korean president makes first visit to Ukraine
South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol was visiting Ukraine for the first time on Saturday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Yonhap news agency said, citing the South Korean presidential office.
The surprise trip came after Yoon attended a NATO summit in Lithuania and visited Poland this week, where he expressed solidarity with Ukraine and explored ways to support its fight against Russia's invasion.
A US ally and rising arms exporter, South Korea has faced renewed pressure to provide weapons to Ukraine, which Yoon's administration has resisted in favour of humanitarian and financial aid, wary of Russia's influence over North Korea.
8:42am: Beijing 'committed to promoting peace talks', says top diplomat
China's top diplomat Wang Yi said that Beijing was "committed to promoting peace talks" during a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, according to a statement released by China's foreign ministry on Saturday.
"China supports the establishment of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture," he said.
2:24am: Ukraine's counteroffensive encountering heavy resistance on southern and eastern fronts
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Ukrainians that Russia was throwing all its resources into a campaign to stop Kyiv's troops from pressing their counteroffensive.
"We must all understand very clearly, as clearly as possible, that Russian forces in our southern and eastern lands are doing everything they can in order to stop our soldiers," Zelensky said in his nightly video address after chairing a meeting with top commanders on Friday.
"And every thousand metres we advance, every success of every combat brigade deserves our gratitude."
General Oleksander Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukrainian forces in the south, said after the meeting that his troops were "systematically moving the enemy out of their positions".
Enemy losses over the past 24 hours were equivalent to at least 200, he wrote on Telegram.
Russia's defence ministry in its daily report said its forces had repelled 16 Ukrainian attacks on the eastern front, including near the long-contested town of Maryinka and in the strategic village of Klishchiivka, on Bakhmut's southern fringe.
Neither side's battlefield reports could be independently verified.
2:04am: Macron bestows Legion of Honour award on French journalist killed in Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron gave a posthumous Legion of Honour award to French journalist Arman Soldin in this year's Bastille Day celebrations on Friday. Soldin was killed in Ukraine earlier this year while reporting for French news agency AFP.
Key developments from Friday, July 14:
Mercenary fighters from Russia's Wagner Group are training Belarusian soldiers in Belarus, the Belarusian defence ministry said on Friday.
"(Wagner) fighters acted as instructors in a number of military disciplines," the ministry said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he offered the Wagner private military company the option of continuing to serve as a single unit under their same commander after their short-lived rebellion that posed the most serious threat to Putin’s 23-year rule.
Earlier that day, the Russian president had said that the Wagner private military company “simply doesn't exist” as a legal entity.
Read yesterday’s liveblog to see how all the day’s events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
Artmotion S.Africa
