Day 1,239: Kremlin officials dismiss Trump’s demand, restate Russia’s commitment to its war aims, ISW says

Russian attacks with a missile and drones damage industrial sites in Vinnytsya, Kryvyi Rih and Kharkiv. Kremlin officials dismiss Trump’s demand, restate Russia’s commitment to its war aims, ISW says. Russia increasingly using chemical weapons in Ukraine, the EU foreign policy chief says.

Russian attacks with missile and drones damage industrial sites in Vinnytsya, Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv

Russia unleashed 400 drones and an Iskander-M ballistic missile on Ukraine overnight on Wednesday, primarily targeting the cities of Vinnytsya, Kryvyi Rih and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s Air Force said.

A Russian attack on Vinnytsya damaged facilities of civilian industrial infrastructure, injuring eight people, deputy head of the regional military administration, Natalya Zabolotna said.

Polish Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, said on X that Russian drones had hit a factory of the Polish wood flooring producer Barlinek Group in Vinnytsia, causing injuries.

“The plant manager told me just now that it [the attack] was deliberate, from three directions. There are injured, including two people who were severely burnt. Ukrainian response services are working on the site, and representatives of our consulate are also there. Putin’s criminal war is getting closer to our borders,” Sikorski said.

The city of Kryvyi Rih faced the largest attack since the beginning of the war, according to the southern group of Ukraine’s defense forces. Russia used a ballistic missile and 28 Shahed drones in the strike that destroyed an industrial facility and left parts of the city without electricity, head of the city’s defense council, Oleksandr Vilkul, said. A 17-year-old boy was severely injured and was fighting for his life in hospital, he added.

In Kharkiv, at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack that hit a civilian industrial site and injured three people, head of the regional military administration, Oleh Synehubov said. Most of the drones hit an enterprise in the Kyivskyi district, causing a large fire, he added.

Ukraine’s air defenses shot down 198 drones, while other 145 decoys disappeared off radar or were disabled by electronic warfare systems, the Air Force said. A missile and 57 drones hit target in 12 locations, and debris from missiles and drones fell in two sites, it added.   

Reacting to Russia’s overnight attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said one of the targets was energy infrastructure.

Kremlin officials dismiss Trump’s demand, restate Russia’s commitment to its war aims, ISW says

Kremlin officials dismissed US President Donald Trump’s demand that Russia agree to a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine within 50 days while promoting claims that Russia can withstand economic pressure and remains committed to achieving its war aims, the Institute for the Study of War said in an update on July 15. The paragraphs below are quoted from the report.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Kremlin newswire TASS on July 15 that Russia views any attempt to make demands of Russia, “especially ultimatums,” as “unacceptable.”

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov echoed Ryabkov’s statements, claiming that Russia is ready to participate in a third round of Ukraine-Russia bilateral negotiations but blamed Ukraine for the lack of progress towards the next round of talks.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev posted on his English-language X (formerly Twitter) account, claiming that “Russia didn’t care” about Trump’s “ultimatum.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed confidence that Russia will be able to cope with US tariffs, as Russia is already “coping” with prior sanctions.

A Just Russia Party Leader and Duma Deputy, Sergei Mironov, claimed that potential tariffs will not affect the course or goals of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Russia increasingly using chemical weapons in Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief says

Russia is increasingly using chemical weapons in Ukraine in an effort to subdue the country by causing as much pain and suffering as possible, Europe’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said Tuesday, according to Politico. The paragraphs below are quoted from the article. 

Speaking to reporters after a gathering of foreign affairs ministers in Brussels, the Estonian politician cited German and Dutch intelligence reports showing that Moscow has used chemical weapons at least 9,000 times since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — and was now ramping up their use.

“As the intelligence services are saying this is intensifying, I think it’s [Russia’s use of chemical weapons] of great, great concern,” Kallas said. “It shows that Russia wants to cause as much pain and suffering so that Ukraine would surrender. And, you know, it’s really … unbearable.”

Kallas’ comments add to a growing sense of alarm in EU capitals that Russia is escalating its campaign to subdue Ukraine, unleashing larger and larger nightly attacks by missiles.