Ukraine war live updates: Missing Russian general reportedly detained; ‘massive’ overnight strikes by Iranian drones hit Kyiv

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi stressed the need for more coordination and communication between his country and Russia, further expressing confidence in the bilateral friendship while speaking with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Wang Yi said that China aimed to work with Russia in supporting the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), being “vigilant against external forces,” and helping East Asian cooperation move in the “correct direction,” according to Reuters quoting the Chinese foreign ministry.

— Natasha Turak

A Russian general is believed to be heard saying in a voice recording to a Russian lawmaker that he was dismissed from his post for telling the truth to top military brass about the situation on the ground in Ukraine. Two Russian lawmakers have attributed the voice recording to Gen. Ivan Popov, who served as commander for the 58th Combined Arms Army.

“In your name and in the name of all of our fallen brothers in arms, I had no right to lie, therefore, I’ve outlined all the troubling issues that exist today in the army in terms of combat work and support,” Popov is heard saying in the voice note, according to an NBC translation.

“I called things by their proper name, focused on the most important thing — the tragedy of the modern war. This is the absence of counter-battery combat, reconnaissance, and the massive injuries of our brothers from enemy artillery,” he said.

The general went on to accuse Russia’s defense ministry of betrayal, saying, “We were hit from the rear by our senior commander, treacherously and villainously beheading the army in the most difficult and tense moment.”

CNBC could not independently verify the details of the recording and has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.

— Natasha Turak

Ukrainian women took part in the testing of samples of the new women’s field uniform of the social initiative ”Arm Women Now”.

It’s the first social initiative in Ukraine that raised the issue of gender support in the army and achieved the adoption at the level of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine of technical documentation for sewing underwear for military women based on own developments.

A press show and a testing of samples of the women’s field military uniform of the “Arm Women Now” social initiative, which is in the final stage of approval by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and will be introduced for military women, took place near Kyiv. More than 4,500 military women received uniforms for free, organizers said. 

— Getty Images

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is trying to extend the crucial Black Sea grain deal, under which Russian forces blockading Ukraine’s Black Sea ports allow vessels to safely export Ukrainian grain to the rest of the world.

The deal is four days away from expiring unless Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees to an extension. Guterres proposed that in exchange for an extension of the deal, a subsidiary of Russia’s agricultural bank could be reconnected to the SWIFT international payments system.

Reuters, citing unnamed sources, reported that the EU is considering the proposal. The European Commission did not immediately respond to a comment request from CNBC.

The EU severed Russia’s agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank from the SWIFT system in June 2022 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia could potentially ditch the Black Sea grain deal as its demands to restart exports of its own produce and fertilizer have not been met. Wednesday marked the fourth consecutive day that no ships sailed under the deal.

— Natasha Turak

A Russian general who has not been seen publicly since the attempted mutiny by the Wagner Group is “resting” and “not available,” a defense official told local media.

Sergei Surovikin had been serving as commander-in-chief of Russia’s Aerospace Forces and was previously the country’s top commander in Ukraine.

Dubbed by some as “General Armageddon” for his brutal battlefield tactics, he was known to have close ties with Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Wagner, a Russian private mercenary force. There are unconfirmed reports that Surovikin knew in advance about the uprising attempt by Prigozhin and his forces against the Russian government.

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation, reports that Surovikin, along with several other high-ranking military officers, were detained following the short-lived mutiny. NBC has not been able to independently confirm this.

When Russian media outlet “Shot” asked retired general Andrei Kartapolov, a member of the country’s lower house of parliament, if he had seen Surovikin, he replied, “No. He is resting now. Not available,” before quickly walking away from the camera. The exchange was posted by the outlet to Telegram.

— Natasha Turak

Ukrainian parliament member Oleksiy Goncharenko on Twitter thanked British Defense Minister Ben Wallace, a day after the U.K. politician urged Kyiv to show more gratitude to invite further donations from Western politicians.

“I want to say that we are really grateful to @BWallaceMP for everything he has done for Ukraine. The United Kingdom has always supported us, they are one of our most important allies. They helped us with weapons (a lot of weapons) and provided humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, such words were said yesterday. But Ben Wallace did a lot for our country,” Goncharenko said.

The U.K. has been a steadfast supporter and aid supplier for Kyiv since Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine last year.

“Whether we like it or not, people want to see gratitude,” Reuters reported Wallace as saying on July 12, at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. His comments came against the backdrop of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s criticism that the U.S.-led military alliance had yet to extend Kyiv a membership invitation.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed what he called a “good result” from this week’s NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, pointing to security guarantees from the G7 countries and news weapons packages.

“For the first time since independence, we have formed a security foundation for Ukraine on its way to NATO,” Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter. “These are concrete security guarantees that are confirmed by the top 7 democracies in the world. Never before have we had such a security foundation, and this is the level of the G7. On this foundation, we will build a new, legally binding architecture of bilateral security treaties with the most powerful countries.”

The Ukrainian leader’s positive tone was a significant change from Tuesday, when he lashed out at NATO for not providing a timeline for Ukraine to join the alliance, calling it “absurd.” Leaders of NATO member states made clear that Ukraine has a future place in NATO, but that no action could be taken on this front while the country is still at war.

Zelenskyy on Wednesday accepted this, calling it “understandable” and expressing confidence that Ukraine would join the alliance when the war is over.

“Never before have the words “you are equal among equals” for Ukraine from other NATO members sounded truly meaningful,” his post read.

— Natasha Turak

Russia launched airstrikes against the Ukrainian capital Kyiv for the third consecutive night, Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said in Google-translated comments on Telegram. Roughly a dozen Russian targets were destroyed.

“Tonight, a massive attack by Iranian drones took place,” a post by Popko said.

The offensive led to falling debris in five districts. One person was found dead at one of the affected regions, Podilsky, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said on Thursday on Telegram, according to a Google translation. Popko separately reported a 19-year-old girl and a 23-year-old man were injured.

Russian troops deployed 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones in attacks from the northeastern and southeastern directions of Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said on Telegram, according to a Google translation.

“All 20 attack drones were destroyed, mainly in the Kyiv region,” it reported.

Moscow resumed attacks against Kyiv at the start of the week, coinciding with the beginning of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, which focused on aid for Ukraine.

CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The Kremlin slammed developments from the NATO leader summit held in Lithuania’s capital saying the alliance has returned to “Cold War schemes.”

“Taking into account the identified challenges and threats to the security and interests of Russia, we will respond in a timely and appropriate manner using all means and methods at our disposal,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement, according to a Google translation.

“In addition to the decisions already taken, we will continue to strengthen the military organization and the country’s defense system,” the statement added.

— Amanda Macias

President Joe Biden reaffirmed U.S. commitment to NATO and Ukraine following a two-day summit of the alliance’s leaders in Lithuania’s capital.

Biden, who faces re-election next year and has committed the lion’s share of security assistance for Ukraine, described support for Kyiv’s democracy as “the calling of our lifetime.”

The U.S. has secured a war chest worth more than $41 billion for Kyiv since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion last year.

“We did what we always do. The United States stepped up, NATO stepped up and our partners in the Indo-Pacific stepped up,” Biden said in an address in Vilnius. “We will not waver,” he said.

Read the full story here.

— Amanda Macias