Day 519 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Putin to African leaders: I will give you free grain despite the hypocritical West
• Ukraine is considering not boycotting the Olympics, even if athletes from Russia and Belarus compete
• Investigation: Prigozhin kept a harem in St. Petersburg
• NATO condemned Russia's "dangerous" behavior in the Black Sea, which affects Bulgarian territorial waters
• Port infrastructure in Odesa was hit by a Russian missile attack
• Kim Jong-un showed Shoigu new drones and ballistic missiles
• Putin is meeting with African leaders in an attempt to restore his image
• Russia has lost nearly 250,000 troops since the start of its invasion, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
• "New York Times": A new stage of the Ukrainian counteroffensive begins
• Belarusian journalist sentenced to 6 years in prison for covering the opposition

Putin to African leaders: I will give you free grain despite the hypocritical West

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told African leaders he will provide them with tens of thousands of tons of grain within a few months despite Western sanctions that he says are making it difficult for Moscow to export grain and fertilizer, Reuters reported.

Speaking at a summit in St. Petersburg dedicated to Russian-African ties, Putin said Russia expects a record grain harvest this year and is ready to replace Ukrainian grain exports to Africa both on a commercial and aid basis, and to fulfill what he says is "Moscow's critical role in global food security".

"We will be ready to provide Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Eritrea with 25,000 to 50,000 tons of free grain each in the next 3-4 months," Putin said at the summit, which drew applause. "Furthermore, we will provide free delivery of these products to consumers," he added.

The event, where various agreements are expected to be signed, follows the first Russia-Africa summit in Moscow in 2019 and is part of a concerted bid for influence and business on the continent, where mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group remain active despite the failed rebellion in Russia last month.

Responding to Western criticism of Russia's decision to abandon the Black Sea grain deal last week, a deal that allowed Ukraine to safely export its grain, Putin reiterated that Moscow had left because none of its promises to facilitate its own exports of grain and fertilizers were not complied with.

Some Western politicians said Russia's withdrawal from the deal was irresponsible and would lead to the suffering of millions of people in poor countries.

But Putin said at the summit that more than 70% of Ukrainian grain exported thanks to the now-expired deal went to high-income or upper-middle-income countries, including the European Union, and that poor countries such as Sudan had been "played " and received less than 3% of shipments. He said Western sanctions imposed over Russia's war in Ukraine, which it calls a "special military operation," have even prevented Russia from delivering free fertilizer to poor countries.

"A paradoxical picture emerges. On the one hand, Western countries prevent the supply of our grain and fertilizers (through sanctions), and on the other, they hypocritically blame us for the current crisis situation on the world food market," Putin stressed.

Russia says 49 of the continent's 54 countries are represented at the St Petersburg summit, including 17 of their heads of state and four of their heads of government.

That's less than half the number of leaders who attended the last such event in 2019 - a drop the Kremlin blamed in part on what it called "brazen" efforts by the United States, France and other countries to dissuade leaders from attending.

The meeting program includes a series of panel discussions on topics ranging from security, nuclear energy and artificial intelligence to education and sports.

Visiting dignitaries are also invited to visit Russian imperial palaces or watch a match between Russian and African "football legends".

Ukraine is considering not boycotting the Olympics, even if athletes from Russia and Belarus compete

Ukraine may abandon its boycott of next year's Olympic Games in Paris if athletes from Russia and Belarus compete under a neutral flag, Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Gutzeit said, quoted by Reuters.

No decision has yet been made on the matter, but Kyiv is willing to participate if Russian and Belarusian athletes do not compete on behalf of their countries, Gutzeit hinted.

In April, Ukraine banned all its athletes from participating in Olympic, Para-Olympic and other sports competitions, if they include representatives of Russia and Belarus.

Investigation: Prigozhin kept a harem in St. Petersburg

The organizer of the attempted coup against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, maintained a paid harem of underage women in a hotel in St. Petersburg before being deported to Belarus, Russian independent website "The Insider" reported.

Investigative media spoke to a Russian woman who sold her virginity to Prigozhin when she was just 18 years old. The Russian woman's name has been changed to protect her identity. Her claims about Prigozhin, also known as "Putin's chef", have been confirmed by a representative of the trade union of sex workers in Russia.

According to Masha's testimony, Yevgeny Prigozhin had an attraction to younger girls, as well as an obsession with "swapping bodily fluids with girls." According to her, Prigozhin believed that sex with virgin partners prolonged his youth. Before being exiled to Belarus, Prigozhin maintained a "rotating" harem of very young (according to Masha - a little over 18) girls in rented rooms at the Solo Sokos Hotel in St. Petersburg.

"He had sex without a condom because he believed that this was how he exchanged energy, fluids. It was as if he received a charge of vital energy from them," a representative of the sex workers' union told "The Insider". She claims that Prigozhin implanted metal spheres on his penis which he believed "enhanced his sexual potency and the pleasure of his female partners". "Actually, women think the balls are painful during intercourse," adds the source.

Masha says that she sold her virginity to Prigozhin in the fall of 2019, when she was living in St. Petersburg and suffering from severe depression:

"I had to go to the hospital. At that time I met another girl, about my age - and she was kicked out of her home and badly needed money. She asked me if I would like to sell my virginity for 40,000 rubles. She was going to get a commission. I said: 'Okay, I will do it', although I didn't need the money that much myself."

After this arrangement, Masha met Prigozhin's pimp - a woman around 30 with long dark hair - in a cafe on Nevsky Prospekt, the main boulevard of St. Petersburg. Prigozhin's pimp told Masha that she needed to go to the Sogaz clinic, where she would be checked if she really is a virgin. "At the reception, you had to say one password: 'women's sport' to show that you were checking your hymen for Prigozhin," the girl stated.

After Masha's virginity was confirmed, she was sent to the Solo Sokos Hotel on Vasilyevsky Island in the western part of the city. Masha says that the hotel always had rooms specially reserved for Prigozhin, as well as people who supervised the girls. Not all of them were virgins - Prigozhin paid them only 5,000 rubles for sex.

Eventually, Prigozhin arrived at Masha's hotel room and the two had sex. After that, he left 100,000 rubles on a chair - Masha had to take 40,000 for herself, and the rest were for the dark-haired pimp. Before leaving the room, Prigozhin told the girl, "Be nicer," because of the stern expression on her face, Masha recalled.

"Even with my crazy personality, selling my virginity to Prigozhin was too much. Anyway, I felt really depressed. I remember that day I was thinking about not being late for the appointment with the doctor at the psychiatric hospital," she adds.

Masha was one of the many women Prigozhin visited at the hotel in St. Petersburg. She says that Prigozhin had a special nickname for virgin girls: "shampoo" - because of the little shampoos that are found in hotel bathrooms. "You open them and then throw them away," explains Masha.

NATO condemned Russia's "dangerous" behavior in the Black Sea, which affects Bulgarian territorial waters

NATO condemned Russia's "dangerous" behavior in the Black Sea and its attempts to block the export of Ukrainian grain, stressing that the new Russian "warning zone" affects the territorial waters of Bulgaria, which is a member of the Alliance, reported AFP and DPA.

The new maritime "zone of increased military threat" created by Russia covers the waters in the exclusive zone of NATO member Bulgaria, which "gives rise to new risks of misunderstandings and escalation", the Alliance also warned.

Last week, Russia reneged on a key UN-backed deal that would have allowed Ukraine to export its grain via the Black Sea from the summer of 2022. It then began shelling the port areas of the city of Odesa, and after that shelled the Ukrainian port of Reni, notes AFP.

"The allies and Ukraine strongly condemned Russia's decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Agreement and its deliberate attempts to stop agricultural exports from Ukraine, on which hundreds of millions of people around the world depend," said a NATO statement released after a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.

The allies also condemned Russia's "recent missile attacks on Odesa, Mykolaiv and other (Ukrainian) port cities, including Moscow's cynical drone attack on grain storage facilities in Reni," a port close to the Romanian border, the text continued.

"Russia bears full responsibility for its dangerous actions and for the escalation in the Black Sea region," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"Russia's actions also pose a significant risk to stability in the Black Sea, which is of strategic importance to NATO. The allies are increasing their support for Ukraine and increasing their vigilance," he added.

"We remain ready to defend every centimeter of allied territory from any aggression," Stoltenberg stressed.

NATO added that it is stepping up its surveillance measures in the Black Sea, "in particular with the help of maritime patrol aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles".

The second meeting of the new NATO-Ukraine Council, inaugurated by President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Alliance summit in Vilnius in early July, took place today, with the aim of strengthening political ties between the Allies and Kyiv on matters of mutual interest. In Vilnius, Ukraine was offered long-term military support, but without the prospect of short-term integration into the Alliance, AFP recalls.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the NATO-Ukraine Council's "clear and unequivocal condemnation" of Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal. "Established only two weeks ago in Vilnius, the Council has already proven to be an effective crisis consultation mechanism," Zelensky wrote in English on Twitter.

Ukraine "will continue to fulfill its obligations to ensure global food security. We remain united with the Alliance as we move towards our NATO membership," Zelensky added.

Putin is meeting with African leaders in an attempt to restore his image

At the second Russia-Africa summit scheduled for today and tomorrow, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to try to reassure his African partners, some of whom are worried about the consequences of the war in Ukraine, writes "Le Monde".

The idea of the meeting is to positively affect the damaged image of the Russian president and to dispel the impression that Russia is in international isolation. The Russia-Africa summit to be held in St. Petersburg is set to show a Putin in a strong position, as this is linked to the Russian president's attempts to restore his image to African leaders, whose continent is placed in a standby position due to the turbulence accompanying the invasion of Ukraine.

Putin and the leaders of the African countries are expected to take a family photo, which will become the embodiment of the idea of a "multipolar world" - this will be of key importance in the implementation of the task of diplomatic rehabilitation. However, "Le Monde" points to the fact that the number of African leaders who will take part in the meeting will be much smaller than in October 2019, when the first such forum took place. The French publication claims that only 21 African leaders will participate in this week's meeting, pointing out that in 2019 there were 43.

Western countries actively urged their African partners not to participate in the meeting in Russia. Amid these calls, some African leaders, such as the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, pulled out at the last minute. However, a source from the DR Congo presidency emphasized that the president's decision was not due to "pressure from the West" but to "a problem with the schedule of the president, who must first go through Kyiv and then go to St. Petersburg". The source admitted that there had been pressures, but that they were "nothing too bad or new since the beginning of the war in Ukraine".

The invasion of Ukraine changed the disposition of forces in Africa. Four years ago, at the meeting in Sochi, a conquering Russia was visible, after a quarter of a century of absence from Africa following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it re-established a presence on that continent. The pattern of presence was unprecedented - through the private military company Wagner, tasked with plundering African resources, and through influence operations in cyberspace. Today, the stagnation of the Russian army on the fronts in Ukraine, questions related to the perceived vulnerability of the Russian authorities, as well as the adverse economic impact of the war on Africa (in the form of inflation and lack of food security) are causing doubts in some African governments, Le Monde summed up.

The British "Times" also draws attention to the fact that the number of African leaders who will participate in the summit this week will be smaller than in 2019. The "Times" writes that this will be the next "humiliation for President Putin that will further undermine his efforts to show that the invasion of Ukraine and international sanctions have failed to isolate him." According to the British daily, it is telling that the leaders of major African countries such as Nigeria and DR Congo will not be present at the meeting.

Russia has lost nearly 250,000 troops since the start of its invasion, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Russia has already lost around 244,270 military personnel in Ukraine, with 590 Russian soldiers killed in the last 24 hours. This was stated by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, Ukrinform reported.

From February 24, 2022 to today, Russia's total combat losses also include 4,186 tanks (+9 for the last 24 hours), 8,147 armored fighting vehicles (+11), 4,745 artillery systems (+18), 698 rocket launchers, 457 air defense systems, 315 aircraft, 311 helicopters, 7,229 motor vehicles and fuel tanks (+18), 18 warships, 3,996 unmanned aerial vehicles (+3), 708 units of special equipment. A total of 1,347 enemy cruise missiles (+40) were shot down, the Ukrainian military added.

"New York Times": A new stage of the Ukrainian counteroffensive begins

A new stage of the Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun, the main thrust of which is concentrated in the southeast, where the fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are gradually advancing through minefields and under the strikes of Russian aviation. This was reported by the New York Times, citing two Pentagon officials.

According to unnamed Ukrainian officials, Ukrainian units, reinforced with modern military equipment and trained in the West, will try to move south towards Tokmak and, if successful, towards Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

"Their goal is to sever the so-called land bridge between Russian-occupied Ukraine and Crimea, or at least advance far enough to put the strategically important peninsula within range of Ukrainian artillery," the New York Times wrote.

If all goes according to plan, the new operation could take one to three weeks, Ukrainian officials told the newspaper.

On July 25, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that the army was preventing the Russians from regaining lost positions northeast of the village of Robotino, 20 km from Tokmak.

According to the Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar, the Ukrainian military continues its advance in the direction of Berdiansk and Melitopol. Also, Ukraine's armed forces are conducting offensive operations near Bakhmut, trying to encircle the Russians in the key city.

Since the beginning of the counteroffensive, the Ukrainians have liberated over 192 sq. km in the southern part of the country and about 35 sq. km in the east.

Port infrastructure in Odesa was hit by a Russian missile attack

Russia hit port infrastructure in Ukraine's Odesa Oblast in a missile attack overnight, killing a security guard and damaging a cargo terminal, the region's governor said, according to Reuters.

Odesa's ports have been regular targets of Russian attacks since Moscow last week pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal, the deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations that allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported from there for nearly a year.

Odesa Oblast Governor Oleg Kiper said Russia had fired Kalibr missiles at an unspecified port from a submarine in the Black Sea. He said a security building was destroyed and two cars were damaged.

Ukraine's air force said it had failed to shoot down the Kalibr missiles, but added that it had shot down eight drones overnight in other regions of Ukraine.

Nataliya Gumenyuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's Southern Military Command, said an overnight thunderstorm aided Russia in the attack.

"The enemy took advantage of the weather conditions and launched the missiles during thunder and wind and at an extremely low altitude to make them more difficult to spot."

Kim Jong-un showed Shoigu new drones and ballistic missiles

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who is visiting Pyongyang.

The reason for the visit of the Russian delegation is the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, as the other country that sent its representatives is China and a member of the Politburo has arrived from Beijing.

The foreign guests are expected to attend a military parade in the North Korean capital. According to local media, during his meeting with the North Korean Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu stated "North Korea has the strongest army in the world".

Belarusian journalist sentenced to 6 years in prison for covering the opposition

A Belarusian journalist was sentenced to six years in prison for "allowing" himself to cover the political opposition, the Associated Press and BTA reported. The court in Belarus, ruled by Vladimir Putin's ally in the war against Ukraine, Alexander Lukashenko, took this otherwise routine journalistic work as "complicity in extremist activity".

The court in the western Belarusian city of Grodno pronounced the sentence against 45-year-old Pavel Mozheyko.

He was accused of working for media outlets such as Belsat TV, which broadcasts in Belarusian from neighboring Poland. The Belarusian authorities declared Belsat an "extremist" organization.

Lawyer Yulia Yurgilevich was sentenced in the same case, also to six years in prison, after being accused of passing information on Belarusian political prisoners to Mozheyko, in particular Ales Pushkin, who died in a Belarusian prison earlier this month.

In February last year, 42-year-old Yurgilevich, who has been practicing law for almost 18 years and has defended human rights defenders, was disbarred from practicing her profession.

The verdicts are another step in years of repression against opposition figures, independent journalists and human rights defenders, notes the Associated Press.

Novinite is still the only Bulgarian media that publishes a summary of events and highlights related to the conflict, every single day. Our coverage began on day one - 24.02.2022 and will not stop until the war has concluded. Despite the pressure, our independent media will continue to provide its readers with accurate and up-to-date information. Thank you for your support! #stayinformed

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