Russians struck  Zaporizhzhia

An explosion in the afternoon of July 12 in Zaporizhzhia has injured six people, including a child, Zaporizhzhia's First Deputy Mayor Oleksandr Vlasiuk reported.

According to Vlasiuk, three people were hospitalized for their injuries.

When specifying the sustained injuries, he noted that a woman had a leg wound and other victims were hit with shrapnel at various degrees of varying severity.

While the explosion's origin has not been officially confirmed, local media reported finding fallen debris from a Russian drone in one of the city's parks.

Later there was an update that at least 18 people, including six children, were injured in a Russian attack against Zaporizhzhia, Governor Yurii Malashko reported on July 12.

According to official sources, the city's residential area was hit around 1 p.m. with an unidentified Russian projectile. At the moment, nine women, three men, and six children are known to be among the injured.

Norway to transfer 2 NASAMS launchers to Ukraine

The Norwegian government announced on July 12 that it would provide Ukraine with a Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) air defense support package containing two launch units, two fire control centers, and spare parts.

"This (package) will ensure endurance, redundancy, and flexibility and thus increase the effect of the already donated air defense to Ukraine," Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram commented.

The U.S. delivered two NASAMS systems to Ukraine in November 2022, and Norway provided two more complete units in March.

Washington has also authorized the sale of a NASAMS air defense system and associated equipment worth $285 million to Kyiv in May, and most recently, on June 28, Lithuania informed that it purchased two NASAMS units for Ukraine.

Turkish president explains why he handed over Azovstal commanders to Ukraine despite Russia's stance

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan believes that the permission to take Azovstal defenders to Ukraine has finally "turned into a positive" in relations with Russia.

Erdoğan said that the agreement that the military commanders who defended the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol should remain in Türkiye was reached bilaterally between Ukraine and Russia. Türkiye provided them with asylum to fulfill the Russian-Ukrainian agreement.

"Initially, it resulted from a discussion between Ukraine and Russia, and by Friday, they were with us," he explained.

Erdoğan said he handed over the Azovstal defenders only because President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked him to. "When we received this request, we handed over these commanders," the Turkish president said.

However, he does not believe that this has affected relations with Russia. "At first, Russia was outraged, and then it turned into a positive thing," he said, predicting that the topic would be discussed at his meeting with Putin in September.

Russians hit house in Kherson, killing civilian

On 12 July, Russian forces once again deployed artillery to attack Kherson. A house came under Russian fire, and a man was killed.

According to the investigation, on 12 July 2023, at around 15:20, Russian servicemen launched another attack on the city of Kherson. As a result of a targeted strike on the house, a man was killed.

Reportedly, the man’s wife was injured; she was provided with medical assistance.

Residential buildings and farm buildings were also damaged in the shelling. The information on the number of victims is being clarified. A pre-trial investigation has been launched into violating the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder.