What happened during the week from July 13 to July 19. The main thing

The entire Government of Ukraine has resigned. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) attacked Wildberries warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, and also killed the chief engineer of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. At the same time, the Russian Army continued to launch group strikes against military installations on Ukrainian territory. VK and the messenger "Max" apps have been removed from the Google Play store. All the main events of the week are in the Izvestia digest.

Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes on Wildberries warehouses

On the night of July 18, Ukrainian drones attacked the Wildberries logistics center in Kotovsk, Tambov region. The fire in the warehouse was completely extinguished by 04:08 Moscow time, the regional government reported. Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov clarified that as a result of the attack, seven night shift workers were killed and 25 people were injured. The condition of seven of them was assessed as extremely serious. Pervyshov called the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attack on the Tambov region the largest.

Simultaneously with the attack on Kotovsk, Ukrainian drones attacked a logistics center in the Moscow region's Elektrostal. According to Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow Region, 61 people were injured and one died as a result of the UAV strike in the region. The main source of the fire at the warehouse in Elektrostal was localized on the afternoon of July 19. The Investigative Committee (IC) of Russia has opened criminal cases under the article on terrorist attacks on both attacks on Elektrostal and Kotovsk.

The head of the marketplace, Tatiana Kim, called the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attacks on the company's logistics centers terrible events. According to her, the families of the victims will receive 2 million rubles from Wildberries, and 1 million rubles for those in serious condition. The marketplace also launched additional mechanisms to support sellers: deferral of debt repayment for up to six months for small and medium-sized businesses, factoring conditions and preferential loans to make up for lost goods, cancellation of all fees for payments within Russia and accrual of interest on balances at an increased rate, as well as preferential terms for accelerated withdrawal of revenue from the site, including by providing overdraft limits.

The chief engineer of the nuclear power plant was killed in a UAV strike

On the afternoon of July 15, a Ukrainian UAV purposefully hit a Toyota Camry company car in which Alexander Yakovlev, chief engineer of the Nuclear power plant, and his driver Dmitry Filippov were traveling. As a result, both died. Yakovlev was responsible for the operation of the NPP, ensuring the nuclear safety of the region. The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case on a terrorist attack on the fact of an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The ZAES team will perpetuate the memory of its chief engineer, Yakovlev will be presented with a state award posthumously.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, condemned Yakovlev's murder, calling such an attack on the nuclear power plant unacceptable. The Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Rodion Miroshnik, added that the terrorist attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces leads to an escalation on the path of nuclear terror. The press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the murder of the chief engineer of the nuclear power plant is an attempt by Kiev to endanger the safe operation of the plant.

Massive strikes by the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine

The Russian army continued to conduct a special operation in Ukraine. During the week, the Russian Armed Forces carried out 19 group strikes against military infrastructure facilities in Ukraine. In particular, enterprises of the military-industrial complex, ammunition depots, logistics centers, UAV production sites, as well as fuel, energy and transport infrastructure facilities were affected.

So, on the night of July 19, the Russian Army launched a massive attack on enterprises of the military-industrial complex and logistics centers in Kiev and the Kiev region. In the capital of Ukraine, the Radionics electronic industry assembly and detail plant, the Spetsoboronmash and Artyom, Meridian, Oakline plants, the Novaya Pochta sorting center, and others were affected. In addition, the UKRTAC factory for the production of military equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine was completely destroyed in Kiev.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the attacks of the Russian Armed Forces on military installations in the Ukrainian capital on the night of July 19 were one of the most large-scale attacks. He also stressed that protection from ballistic missiles is currently a top priority for the Ukrainian authorities. The Russian Defense Ministry added that "today is definitely not the final day" and such large-scale attacks on military installations will continue.

The Government of Ukraine has resigned

On July 14, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine dismissed Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko and the entire Ukrainian government by a majority vote. The decision was supported by 258 deputies. In addition, the parliamentarians voted for a law extending the mobilization for 90 days. Later, on July 16, the Verkhovna Rada appointed the head of Naftogaz of Ukraine, Sergei Koretsky, as the new prime minister.

On the same day, the appointment of 16 ministers of the new government was approved. First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denis Shmygal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Tatiana Berezhnaya, Minister of Finance Sergei Marchenko, Minister of Youth and Sports Matvey Bedny, Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko, Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity Denis Ulyutin retained their posts. On July 17, former head of the Security Service of Ukraine Yevhen Khmara became acting head of the Ministry of Defense, while Andriy Sibiga retained the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Against the background of personnel changes in Ukraine, a scandal broke out in connection with the dismissal of Mikhail Fedorov from the post of Minister of Defense. Large-scale rallies were held in Lviv and Kiev in support of the ex-minister and with criticism of the current authorities. Following this, Pavel Yelizarov, Deputy Commander of the Air Forces of the Ukrainian Army, announced his retirement. Fedorov himself explained that the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Syrsky, was not ready to openly discuss existing problems in the army and instead "wove intrigues."

The FSB prevented a terrorist attack involving a Kyivstoner

On July 14, the FSB of Russia reported on the prevention of a series of sabotage and terrorist attacks using UAVs at military infrastructure facilities, an enterprise of the military-industrial complex of the Moscow region and against military personnel of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It was planned to use 35 FPV drones with Canadian-made control systems to carry out the sabotage. The FSB managed to trace the UAV's delivery route to Russia through Bratislava, Siedlce, Brest and the Moscow Region.

It was noted that two Moldovan citizens were involved in preparing the premises for the launch of drones, who, according to the agency, underwent special training, prepared the premises and left the territory of Russia. In addition, according to the FSB, the Ukrainian rapper Kyivstoner (Albert Vasiliev, listed as a terrorist and extremist by Rosfinmonitoring) was involved in the organization of the terrorist attack and the leadership of the accomplices. At the same time, the rapper denied his involvement in the preparation of the terrorist attack and noted that he did not understand "why he received such attention."

VK and Max apps have been removed from Google Play

The Maks messenger and VK apps disappeared from the Google Play store on July 16. The Russian company explained that users of Max and other VK products on Android devices will continue to receive push notifications about messages, events and calls. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, in an interview with Izvestia, called the removal of Russian applications a classic of Western censorship.

Against this background, VK recommended switching from the .com domain to .ru on the VKontakte social network due to "technical nuances." The company clarified that the transition will not affect the functionality of the service. Users will have access to all the usual features of the social network, and the changes relate only to the website address. Later, VKontakte added that it was finally completing the transition to the domain. vk.ru .

The EU has failed to agree on the 21st package of anti-Russian sanctions

The head of the European Diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, announced on July 13 that the member states of the European Union (EU) have not yet agreed on the 21st package of sanctions against Russia. According to her, instead, EU foreign ministers can expand the sanctions list and add 250 individuals and legal entities to it. As Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budris noted, European countries cannot agree on a ban on maritime transportation and stricter restrictions on Russian liquefied natural gas.

The next day, the EU ambassadors again failed to agree on the restrictions. According to a diplomatic source from the Reuters news agency, the European diplomats decided to keep the ceiling on Russian oil prices unchanged until July 23, when there will be a new discussion of sanctions. Currently, the price ceiling is at $44.1 per barrel. The coordination of restrictions is still ongoing. At the same time, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on several individuals, including two Russian citizens, and one Russian company. Russians Vadim Druzhbin and Maria Selina have added to the list. Avratek company also got there.

Blogger Ilya Craft was arrested

Blogger Ilya Craft, who was discharged from a psychiatric hospital, was detained on July 17. The investigative actions took place right in the blogger's apartment in St. Petersburg, the craft was placed face down on the floor. He was transferred from St. Petersburg to Moscow for interrogation. Later, he was Falsely charged under clause "d" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Public dissemination of deliberately false information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation").

The Basmanny District Court of Moscow arrested the blogger for two months. Craft pleaded not guilty, and the defense intends to appeal the court's decision. The maximum penalty under the article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, incriminated to the blogger, is 10 years in prison. A fine of 3 million to 5 million rubles, forced labor, or a ban on certain actions and positions for three to five years may also be imposed.

The new leader of the Labor Party

British politician Andy Burnham was announced as the new leader of the British Labour Party on July 17. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation, is expected to officially step down on July 20. After that, Burnham will form a new government on behalf of King Charles III. On July 9, the politician announced his candidacy for the post of party leader. At the same time, former British Deputy Defense Minister Alistair Carnes announced his support for Burnham's candidacy.

The Sunday Times newspaper reported on July 19 that Burnham may appoint Energy Minister Ed Miliband as head of the British Foreign Ministry. Personnel changes are expected next week. At the same time, the fate of the current head of the Royal Foreign Ministry, Yvette Cooper, is not yet known.

The Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft was launched

On July 14, a rocket carrying the Soyuz MS-29 manned spacecraft launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome and headed for the International Space Station. The expedition will last 261 days. During this time, the specialists will conduct 38 scientific experiments and go into outer space twice. In particular, during one of the spacewalks, Russian cosmonauts will install a Teledroid robotic system on the outer surface of the station. Later, the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft, carrying Roscosmos cosmonauts Peter Dubrov and Anna Kikina, as well as NASA astronaut Anil Menon, docked at the station.