Ukraine Conflict Sees 256 Combat Clashes on 5 July as Pokrovsk Front Remains Most Active
In the Ukraine conflict, Ukrainian and Russian forces continued intense fighting on multiple fronts in eastern Ukraine on 5 July, recording 256 combat clashes with the heaviest activity on the Pokrovsk, Sloviansk and Huliaipole sectors, while both sides disputed control of the key town of Kostyantynivka. [1]
Intense Combat Clashes Across Front Lines
Ukrainian soldiers faced Russian forces that launched assaults on several sectors of the line of contact on 5 July. [1] The heaviest fighting was recorded on the Sloviansk, Pokrovsk and Huliaipole fronts according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. [1] In total, 256 combat clashes were recorded over the past day. [1] The highest number of assaults was recorded on the Pokrovsk front, where Ukrainian defenders repelled 30 attacks. [1] Russian forces also launched 33 assaults on the Sloviansk front and attacked 21 times on the Huliaipole front. [1] Russian activity on the remaining fronts was significantly lower. [1]
Dispute Over Kostyantynivka Control
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv and Moscow's troops were still battling for the key eastern town of Kostyantynivka, which the Kremlin has claimed it has captured. [3] Moscow announced it had taken the outpost on the way to important hubs in the Donetsk region, but Kyiv has denied that as a lie, saying that it is defending the town. [3] Fighting is also continuing for Kostyantynivka, which Russian leader Vladimir Putin has already claimed as his own, but it is obvious that he will never dare to appear there, Zelensky said in his daily evening address. [3] Kostyantynivka had some 78,000 inhabitants before Russia invaded in 2022. [3] Russia’s Defence Ministry is accusing Ukraine of refusing to halt the shelling of the eastern city of Kostiantynivka to allow Moscow to hand over the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. [4] The ministry said it had proposed a six-hour ceasefire in and around Kostiantynivka on Monday to facilitate the handover and had given Kyiv until 0900 GMT on Sunday to respond. [4] Russia said on Friday that its forces had taken control of the city, a target Moscow has long sought in its advance through the Donetsk region. [4] Ukraine denied the city had fallen, saying its forces remained in control. [4] Of course, that is not true, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X about the claim that Russian forces now controlled the city. [4] It is just another Russian lie, an attempt to generate some kind of a news story, Zelenskyy added. [4] If Kostiantynivka were under Russian control, then perhaps Putin would have no problem meeting me there to find a diplomatic way to finally end this war, he added. [4]
Russian forces face fuel shortages amid escalated Ukrainian drone attacks across regions. — Source: cnn
Zelensky Warnings on Russian Strikes
Zelensky also warned Russia was preparing new large-scale attacks ahead of this week's NATO summit in Turkey, where he is expected to hold talks with US President Donald Trump on the war. [3] Intelligence once again has information the Russians are preparing a new massive strike, Zelensky said. [3] Earlier this week, Zelensky had issued a warning of an incoming Russian strike on Kyiv. [3] Hours later Moscow struck the Ukrainian capital, killing 30 people. [3] Zelensky also said that Ukrainian strikes on Russia, which have hit as far as the Urals in recent months, were every single day delivering results. [3] Kyiv's increased strikes on Russia, especially targeting Russian oil and fuel depots, have affected ordinary life in Russia. [3] Pressure must be put on Russia so that there is peace, Zelensky said, adding that Kyiv has put forward its proposals and that it expects in the coming months the conditions for a dignified peace will be brought closer either by force or by diplomacy. [3] Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's worst conflict since WWII, has dragged on for nearly 4.5 years. [3] At least four people were killed by Russian drone and missile strikes in Ukraine on Sunday. [3]
Russian Personnel Losses and Ukrainian Counter-Pressure
Russia has lost 1,420 soldiers killed and wounded over the past day, bringing its total number of personnel losses to 1,411,050. [1] Almost every Russian region hit by fuel crisis, as Ukraine escalates drone attacks. [2] Kyiv's increased strikes on Russia, especially targeting Russian oil and fuel depots, have affected ordinary life in Russia. [3]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference amid ongoing battles for Kostyantynivka. — Source: france24
Infrastructure Disruptions in Occupied Areas
Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of the occupied part of Kherson Oblast, has reported a power outage across the Russian-occupied part of the oblast. [5] All districts of Kherson Oblast have been left without electricity, either fully or partially, Saldo said on social media. [5] Energy workers and emergency services are already working on site and doing everything possible to bring power back to our homes as quickly as possible, he added. [5] At the end of June, Saldo complained that some areas in the occupied region had been left without electricity. [5] Power problems were also recorded in Crimea at the time. [5] In addition, attacks on crossings between occupied Crimea and Kherson Oblast have frequently complicated transport movement between the peninsula and Kherson Oblast. [5] Occupied Crimea is experiencing a fuel shortage. [5]
Diplomatic Context Ahead of NATO Summit
Elsewhere, one person was killed in a Ukrainian attack on Russian-occupied Crimea, Russian officials said in the early hours of Sunday. [4] Two others were injured in the attack, including one in a serious condition, the Kremlin-installed regional Governor Sergei Aksyonov wrote on Telegram without giving details. [4] The latest attacks came after Zelenskyy and Putin spoke with Donald Trump on ending the war, now in its fifth year. [4] The US president offered to help Putin find a solution to the war, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said. [4] Trump made the offer during a nearly 90-minute phone call on Saturday to discuss the war ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, Ushakov added. [4] Zelenskyy also spoke to Trump on Saturday and said they had discussed the war’s 1,200km front line. [4] There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning, he wrote on Telegram. [4] He said they agreed to continue talks at the NATO summit this week. [4] A senior US official confirmed that Trump would meet Zelenskyy on Wednesday to discuss how we can end the war. [4] The battlefield has clearly frozen over the last couple of months and neither side is making a lot of progress, the official said. [4] The president feels a real sense of urgency to try to bring this to a stop. [4] In the Ukraine conflict, Zelenskyy last month wrote to Putin seeking face-to-face talks as a step towards peace, but has long rejected any meeting in the Russian capital. [4]
What to watch next: Zelensky and Trump are set to meet at the NATO summit this week to discuss how to end the war, with the US president having offered assistance during recent calls with both Zelenskyy and Putin.
