Ukraine reports progress, Russia repels 60 attacks in Lugansk

VSU attacked the village of Berkhovka, riots in France are said to have spread to Switzerland, Israel launched an operation in Jenin... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Smoke rises from buildings in Jenin following an attack by the IDF and supporting forces on July 3. (Source: AP)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

* Russia: VSU launches attack on Berkhovka village: On July 2, the battlefield correspondent of the website “Russian Spring” reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) launched an attack on Berkhovka - a strategically important village located on the flank of Bakhmut. A group of armored vehicles from the 57th Brigade of the Ukrainian army suddenly broke through the first line of defense and entered the village.

However, the Russian army immediately counterattacked. Fierce fighting is currently taking place on the outskirts of this village. According to reporters, artillery from both sides is actively operating. Tensions in the area near Bakhmut continue to increase.

The website said that the VSU is trying to break through the defense lines on the flanks of Bakhmut, especially Kleshcheevka and Berkhovka. These are strategic positions, allowing Ukraine to control the situation in the vicinity of this particularly important city. In addition, the VSU is also trying to raid Kurdyumovka. (TTXVN)

* Russia repels nearly 60 Ukrainian attacks in Lugansk : On July 3, retired lieutenant colonel of the People's Police of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), Andrey Marochko, said: "Over the past week, the Russian Armed Forces (VS RF) repelled about 56 attacks in the Lugansk tactical direction."

According to him, statistics show that the VS RF eliminated about 3,000 VSU soldiers and foreign mercenaries from combat, and prevented the actions of 14 Ukrainian reconnaissance-sabotage groups in the Lugansk region. He added: “Almost 75 cars, 45 armored vehicles of various types, 10 tanks, including foreign-made ones, were destroyed. In addition, 40 other self-propelled artillery systems and tractors were also hit.” (TASS)

* Ukraine says counteroffensive “progressing”: On July 3, writing on Telegram , President Volodymyr Zelensky stated: “Last week, the Ukrainian army really had difficulties at the front line. But we are making progress. We are moving forward, step by step!”.

A day earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on social media that the VSU was “partially successful” on the southern flank of Bakhmut, as well as near Berdyansk and Melitopol in southern Ukraine. However, she also noted: “Fierce fighting is taking place everywhere… The situation is quite complicated… The opponents are advancing towards the Avdiivka, Mariinka, Lyman areas. They are also advancing towards the Svatove area.”

According to her, Ukrainian forces are facing “fierce resistance, remote bombing, deployment of Russian reserves” and are only making “slow” progress. “They are constantly and relentlessly trying to advance as quickly as possible,” the deputy minister said.

* Ukrainian commander says French armour is “impractical”: The battalion commander of Ukraine’s 37th Marine Brigade said the “thin armour” of the French-donated AMX-10 RC infantry fighting vehicles meant they could provide fire support, but were not useful in direct attacks.

“Unfortunately, there was a case where the crew (four people) died in this vehicle,” the major said, as a shell exploded near the vehicle, fragments penetrated the armor, and the ammunition box exploded. “The guns were in good condition, the observation equipment was also very good. However, unfortunately the armor was thin and using this batch of vehicles for offensive operations was impractical… There were many similar cases where a 152mm shell exploded nearby and shrapnel penetrated the vehicle,” he said.

In addition, a Ukrainian official revealed that French AMX-10 combat vehicles also had problems with faulty gearboxes, possibly because they were used on dirt roads.

Oryx, an open-source intelligence website that compiles equipment damage statistics based on battlefield imagery, noted that Ukraine lost three AMX-10 RC vehicles. (AFP)

* Belarus is ready to contribute to resolving the Ukraine conflict : On July 3, in an interview with STV (Belarus), Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Yury Ambrazevich emphasized: “Everyone knows our potential and we will play our role if necessary…and we guarantee results.” The diplomat noted that if progress is made, Minsk will be “the first party” to join efforts to restore peace.

At the same time, the official also made it clear that Belarus wants to join these efforts to “ensure its own security… The main priority is that our skies are peaceful. The main task is that our territory will never be bombed. And that our people can develop fully.” ( Teller Report )

* VSU losses “seriously impact” the West : Accordingly, in an article on July 3, the Berliner Zeitung (Germany) said that the West placed “great hope” on the military equipment transferred to Kiev to “gain important territories”. However, three weeks after the counterattack, the Russian army destroyed “several” VSU Leopard-2 tanks, thereby “awakening” the West.

Ukraine’s rapid and massive losses “have cost Western countries both human lives and money.” In particular, Germany’s military aid to Ukraine has “almost doubled since 2022” and will reach 5.4 billion euros this year. This is a “significant increase in Western investment” in Ukraine. (Berliner Zeitung)

Southeast Asia

* Cambodia affirms the constitutionality of the draft amended Election Law : On July 3, a press release from the Cambodian Constitutional Council (CCC) on the same day announced that the draft amended Election Law is in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

According to a CCC press release, the decision was made after a CCC plenary session to assess the constitutionality of the draft amended Election Law, which took place in the morning under the chairmanship of CCC Chairman Im Chhun Lim.

Thus, the Draft Amendment to the Election Law was passed by the National Assembly and the Senate of Cambodia on June 23 and 29, respectively. After being reviewed and declared constitutional by the CCC, the draft amendment to the Election Law will be submitted to King Norodom Sihamoni for his signature to promulgate the law and officially take effect. (VNA)

South Pacific

* Australia appoints special envoy for the Pacific region : On July 2, the Australian government appointed senior diplomat Ewen McDonald as Special Envoy for Regional and Pacific Affairs. In addition, he was also appointed as the new High Commissioner to the Republic of Fiji. Previously, this senior diplomat was in charge of the Pacific Office for 4 years and had served overseas as Australia's High Commissioner to New Zealand.

Speaking on July 2, Mr. McDonald expressed his desire to actively support the region's priorities in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

In a joint statement, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and International Development Minister Pat Conroy said the new role reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to the region. They also believe the move will strengthen Canberra’s ability to respond to collective challenges and enhance its engagement in regional organisations, including as a member of the Pacific Islands Forum. (ABC)

Europe

* Mr. Medvedev proposed negotiations to reduce Russia-West tensions : On July 3, in an article for the Russian government's Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that tensions between Russia and the West are "much worse" than the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 when the world was on the brink of a nuclear conflict. According to Mr. Medvedev, the only way to reduce Russia-West tensions is through negotiations.

The politician also affirmed that Moscow remains committed to preventing Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): “Our goal is simple - to eliminate the threat of Ukraine's membership in NATO. And we will achieve it. One way or another.” (Reuters)

* Kremlin : Mr. Putin will attend the SCO Conference : On July 3, TASS (Russia) quoted the Russian government as saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend an online meeting of the heads of states in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on July 4. Previously, Beijing confirmed that Chinese President Xi Jinping will also attend the event in a similar format.

Established in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, the SCO is a political and security alliance of countries spanning much of Eurasia, including China, India and Russia. (Reuters)

* Riots in France: Unrest spreads to neighboring areas, what does the German Chancellor say? On July 2, speaking to the press in L'Hay-les-Roses after the fifth night of riots, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne criticized the attack on the house of Vincent Jeanbrun - Mayor of L'Hay-les-Roses, a suburb of Paris. She emphasized: "The situation has calmed down a lot. But the actions, as we saw here this morning, are extremely shocking. We will not allow violence to happen." The French Prime Minister also demanded "the most severe punishment" for the perpetrators.

France also arrested hundreds more people on the fifth night of rioting. According to preliminary statistics, police arrested 719 more people, after arresting about 1,300 people the night before. At the same time, the country's Interior Ministry said that so far, about 45 police officers have been injured, 577 vehicles have been burned, 74 buildings have been set on fire and 871 fires have been set on streets and other public areas.

Meanwhile, riots in France are said to have spread to Switzerland . The Swiss newspaper 20Minutes quoted police as confirming that seven people were detained during the night riots in the city of Lausanne. Notably, six of them were minors, inspired by the events in the French capital Paris.

For his part, in an interview with ARD (Germany), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that France is a “friendly neighbor”. At the same time, Paris, together with Berlin, “ensures that the European Union (EU), which is very important for the common future of the two countries, functions well”.

“That is why we are following (the riots) with concern. I am very hopeful and confident that the French President will find a way to ensure that the situation improves quickly,” he stressed. (AFP, Reuters, Sputnik)

* Poland wants to maintain Germany's Patriot until the end of the year : On July 3, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that the country wants to maintain Germany's Patriot air defense systems on its territory at least until the end of 2023. In April, Mr. Mariusz Blaszczak himself expressed his desire to maintain this system, citing the complicated developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Germany deployed three Patriot air defense units in Poland near the Ukrainian border in January, after a missile believed to have come from Ukraine fell on a Polish village in November 2022, killing two people. (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

* Israel launches attack on Jenin city: Early on the morning of July 3 (local time), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a large-scale military attack in the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank. According to Palestinian witnesses, IDF soldiers and dozens of armored vehicles, supported by helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), attacked Jenin and the refugee camp there.

Clashes broke out and lasted for hours between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen. Air strikes were carried out while the two sides fought.

In a statement, the IDF said it had attacked a command center of the Jenin Brigade, an armed unit made up of fighters from various groups. However, the force did not specify whether it used UAVs in the recent attack.

Earlier, on the evening of July 2, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting with security leaders. For his part, speaking on July 3 in Jerusalem about the goal of this campaign, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen affirmed: “Our goal is to focus on Jenin and only focus on terrorism and their cells.”

On the same day, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry criticized Netanyahu's policy of encouraging Israeli settlers to commit crimes against Palestinians. Meanwhile, the country's Health Ministry said at least three people were killed in Jenin. Another man died after being shot in the head at a checkpoint in Ramallah.

In a statement on the same day, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry protested Israel's continued airstrikes and attacks on Palestinian cities, which have resulted in civilian deaths. The ministry described Israel's attacks and the excessive and indiscriminate use of force as "violating international law and norms."

Egypt warned of the grave impact of the Jewish state’s continued escalation of tensions against the Palestinians, saying it would make life even more difficult for the Palestinians and undermine Cairo, regional and international efforts to ease tensions. “Egypt calls on the international community to intervene to end the violations and protect the Palestinian people,” the statement said. (Xinhua/VNA)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-37-ukraine-neu-tien-trien-nga-day-lui-60-dot-tan-cong-o-lugansk-233273.html