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Civilian Toll In Russian Shelling Rises To Nine As Ukrainian Counteroffensive Reportedly Makes Gains

(Article text Copyright © 2023 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036. – rferl.org – July 9, 2023 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/ukraine-counteroffensive-south-gains/32495514.html)

The death toll of civilians killed by Russian shelling in the Donetsk region city of Lyman on July 8 has been raised to nine, Ukrainian officials said on July 9.

Twelve people were injured in the attack, which came as fighting continued in eastern and southern areas of the country and a Western think tank reported that Russia had failed to achieve any of the goals of its massive invasion after 500 days of fighting.

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War on July 8 issued an assessment that said "determined and skillful Ukrainian resistance" had prevented Moscow from achieving any of the goals of its original February 2022 invasion.

It noted that Kyiv had launched a counteroffensive "along most of the front line," adding that Russian forces were now "focused almost entirely on trying to hold on to the Ukrainian lands they still occupy."

July 8 marked the 500th day since Moscow's invasion, which came eight years after Russia occupied the Ukrainian region of Crimea and fomented separatist wars in eastern parts of the country.

In its daily briefing on July 9, the Ukrainian General Staff reported more than 30 combat clashes over the previous 24 hours, with intense fighting continuing around the Donetsk region cities of Bakhmut, Lyman, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka.

The General Staff said that in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhya and Kherson "the enemy is concentrating its main efforts on preventing the further advance of our troops."

Russian forces also reportedly shelled targets, including a shipyard, in the southern city of Kherson during the night of July 8-9. The region's military administration said hundreds of mortar shells and other munitions had struck the city over the past 24 hours.

The Russian Defense Ministry also reported fighting in the western part of the Donetsk region, saying that numerous Ukrainian attacks "were repelled."

Kremlin-installed Governor Sergei Aksyonov said Russian air-defense systems shot down four missiles on July 9, including one over the city of Kerch on the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014 but is internationally recognized as part of Ukraine.

The governors of Russia's Rostov and Bryansk regions also said Ukrainian missiles were shot down over their areas, causing slight damage but no casualties.

RFE/RL is not able to independently verify combat reports in areas of heavy fighting.

Kyiv generally does not comment on reported attacks inside Russia.

Speaking to the German dpa news agency on July 9, Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Oleksiy Makeyev said his government expected "a clear and unequivocal invitation and direction to join NATO" when the alliance holds it summit in Vilnius this week.

"The only way to put an end to Russian aggression against Europe is to send a strong signal from the 2023 NATO summit, which has every opportunity of going down in the history of cohesion," he said.

"Our membership does not mean escalation," he added, "but the path to peace."

However, in an interview on July 9, U.S. President Joe Biden told CNN that Ukraine would not be extended membership until the war with Russia was over.

"For example, if you did that, then, you know -- and I mean what I say -- we're determined to commit every inch of territory that is NATO territory. It's a commitment that we've all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we're all in war. We're at war with Russia, if that were the case."

With reporting by dpa and Reuters.

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Key Words: Ukraine, Russia, Russian Military, Russo-Ukrainian War, Counteroffensive, Civilian Casualties