Update 20: Russia's war with Ukraine

12 July 2022

Russia’s military campaign to control the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine has continued. After declaring victory in the province of Luhansk following the capture of the city of Lysychansk on 4 July, Russian forces continue to face stiff resistance elsewhere. The next key contests are the battles for Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the two main cities in Donetsk still held by Ukraine. The war in the south is also expected to intensify, with Ukraine warning residents in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to evacuate as it prepares to launch a counteroffensive with a “million-strong” fighting force equipped with western weapons. However, overall, Russian forces now occupy more than a fifth of Ukraine.

Read more in the attached pdf on: the stalled diplomacy; decisions taken at the G7 and NATO summits and G20 meeting; Western military assistance to Ukraine; the support for Russia from Belarus, China and Iran; the humanitarian consequences of the armed conflict; the investigation of war crimes; sanctions against Russia; European energy security; the blockade on Ukrainian grain exports and international food security; and developments within NATO.