More than 100 Wagner fighters advancing towards border with Poland and Lithuania, says Poland’s PM
By Martin Goillandeau, Sharon Braithwaite and Oleg Racz
More than 100 Wagner Group mercenaries have moved into the Suwałki corridor, a small stretch of NATO territory that separates the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad from Belarus, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Saturday.

Morawiecki called it “a step towards a new hybrid attack on Polish territory.”

Poland’s government has used the term “hybrid attack” to describe attempts by the neighboring Belarusian regime to manipulate the flow of migrants through the area, lobbying the EU for sanctions against Minsk. Polish officials have said that their ally Russia is helping Belarus with this scheme.

“We have information that more than 100 mercenaries from the Wagner Group have moved towards the Suwałki corridor, not far from (the Belarusian city of) Grodno. Why did they do it? This is certainly a step towards a new hybrid attack on Polish territory,” Morawiecki said in a speech at a mechanical plant in southern Poland.
“For almost two years, there has been a permanent attack on the Polish border. This year alone there were 16,000 attempts to cross the border illegally by migrants brought there by (Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to bring them to Poland,” the Polish Prime Minister added. .

4 hours ago
Zelensky says that he visited soldiers in the Bakhmut area to honor the military holiday.
By Radina Gigova
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he traveled to the Bakhmut area to visit soldiers on Saturday, which marks the Day of Special Operations Forces in Ukraine.

“Today I am here to congratulate our warriors on their professional day, to honor their strength,” Zelensky said in a post on his official Twitter account on Saturday, accompanied by several images. “I heard a commander’s report, I talked to the warriors. Very powerful, very effective. Thank you!”

Zelensky said he couldn’t go into detail about the current mission of the Special Operations Forces, but that they were “truly heroic.”

Images and videos released by his office showed the president talking with soldiers at a local gas station, drinking coffee and taking photos with them. Zelensky referred to the meeting as a “traditional coffee chat.”

“Our Donetsk region,” Zelensky is quoted in a Telegram post. “Thank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine and who helps and supports!”

6 hours ago
At least 9 injured in Dnipro attack, says Ukrainian military official
By Svitlana Vlasova and Mariya Knight

A residential building was partially destroyed after a missile attack in Dnipro, Ukraine, on Friday, July 28, 2023. Vitalii Matokha/AFP/Getty Images

A Russian missile attack on an apartment block in central Dnipro has injured at least nine people, according to Serhii Lysak, head of the region’s military administration.

Two teenagers were among the injured. Doctors say the injured victims are in “satisfactory condition” and will be treated at home.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, confirmed that another of the buildings affected by the missile attacks was that of the Security Service, although the building was practically empty.

“Dnipro. Friday afternoon. A high-rise building and the building of the Security Service of Ukraine were hit. The terror of Russian missiles again.

Zelensky added on Telegram: “I immediately held talks with the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Emergency Service and the head of the military administration. All necessary services are on site.”

He concluded: “We will do everything possible to bring Russia to full punishment for aggression and terror against our people. These bastards will respond.”

Some context: Dnipro has seen several serious attacks. In May, at least two people were killed when a hospital and a veterinary clinic were attacked.

And in January, at least 40 people were killed in a strike at an apartment block.

6 hours ago
The Council of the EU imposes sanctions on the Russians for the “digital information manipulation campaign”
By Zahid Mahmood and Martin Goillandeau

The Council of the European Union said Friday that it has imposed sanctions on seven people and five Russian entities.

Those sanctioned are accused of carrying out a “digital information manipulation campaign” called ‘RRN’ (Recent Reliable News), aimed at distorting information and disseminating propaganda in support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” said the Council in a statement.

The communiqué says that the campaign in which “organizations