Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. We publish your messages every day because we are certain that we need to keep talking about war. Share with us your thoughts about war. What emotions are you feeling? How does war affect your life and your attitude to the world? If you have a war story, tell it. The feedback form is at the end of this article. You can read the previous day’s review here.
Ukraine
Yesterday, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in Ankara.
In Kyiv, the meeting between Trump and Zelensky was positive. “This was one of the best meetings, if not the best,” said Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Sergei Kislitsa. Trump promised to call Russian President Vladimir Putin after it was completed, but he never did.
The main outcome of the meeting was Trump’s statement that he would grant Ukraine a license to produce missiles for Patriot systems. These are important missiles for the Ukrainian air defense system. Kyiv constantly complains of its shortage.
The situation became especially acute after the start of the war in Iran – within a few weeks, the United States and its allies in the Middle East used hundreds of Patriot missiles, which exhausted the Americans’ reserves and reduced the ability to supply Ukraine.
how Notes The Wall Street Journal reported that Lockheed Martin produced a total of 600 Patriot missiles last year. Meanwhile, according to Ukrainian intelligence estimates, Russia now produces between 60 and 65 Iskander ballistic missiles per month.
Trump’s announcement granting Ukraine a license to produce its own missiles appears to have been spontaneous. He writes New York Times. The US President himself admitted that the White House had not yet notified any American company involved in the production of Patriot. It is also unclear whether officials at the State Department, the agency responsible for issuing licenses, knew about Trump’s idea.
However, as the New York Times points out, issuing a permit is only the first step, and then “the hard part begins.” Patriot missiles consist of multiple components, often manufactured by subcontractors, and appropriate supply chains must be established to assemble them in Ukraine.
Many of these components are very complex to manufacture, such as the fuel mixture for the engines, the nozzles and igniters, and the guidance systems that guide the missile to its target. In the United States itself, many major defense contractors rely on the same subcontractors to produce missile components, and launching Patriot production in Ukraine could create competition for scarce parts.
According to experts interviewed by The New York Times, the transition from approval to mass production will likely take several years. Trump’s statement should now be viewed primarily as a political signal of US support for Ukraine, and not as a guarantee that additional military assistance will be received quickly.
So far, the United States has issued official licenses for Patriot production only to Germany and Japan. Berlin obtained such permission in 2024 – yet not a single missile has arrived at the disposal of the German military. The first delivery is expected only in 2027.
War in pictures. Vishnev, Kyiv region
The image below shows the city of Vyshnvoye in the Kyiv region in satellite images taken on July 8. Two days ago, the city was attacked by the Russian army, killing nine people. After the collision, the city experienced a “re-detonation” and massive fire, damaging or destroying more than 300 homes on five streets, authorities said. Hundreds of people were evacuated.
It is unclear what exactly exploded; President Vladimir Zelensky ordered the special services to reveal the circumstances of the accident. There are no official conclusions yet. In the General Staff of the Armed Forces only maleHe added that the facility where the repeated explosions began “does not belong to the scope of control and does not belong to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” The military referred to the current order of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine prohibiting the placement of ammunition depots near civilian buildings.
War through the eyes of Medusa readers
Medusa’s readers live in different countries and have different attitudes toward war. We publish your messages to see this event through your eyes. Our editors try to represent all viewpoints, even if they do not match the editorial position. However, in accordance with the Medusa Law, we do not publish messages that contain “hate speech,” justify the killing of civilians, or express direct support for an aggressive war.
Anna (Moscow). The more difficult it was for my mother – a patriotic chauvinist with a higher television education – to find gasoline to go to work by car, and not by bus; Often there will be explosions under its window at night due to air defenses or drone attacks; The more terrible the winter, in the event of successful attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector, the more Ukraine will hate Ukraine.
Then Putin, looking at her from the calendar hanging on the wall in the bedroom, will be healthier, wiser and more far-sighted.
You will not wait for deposits to freeze; She herself will go and donate her modest savings to the needs of the army, because she believes it is the right thing to do. She will not wait for mobilization, and will personally send my young brother to serve under contract, because she believes it is the right thing to do, and he has not yet developed critical thinking.
I am afraid of escalation, and I see no hope that the people or Putin will change their minds. This locomotive is already rushing. Then the second locomotive stops in front of him, and they both start to increase speed more fiercely, but they have no shoulders, and it is impossible to dodge them. They will crash into the fires of hell if they don’t slow down now. I dream that one of the drivers will have the courage to pull the stop valve.