Victorious news of 523rd day of war: Ukrainian athletes become European champions, Ukraine increases ammo production tenfold

Ukraine will export grain via Croatia’s ports

On July 31, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held talks with Croatian Foreign and European Minister Gordan Grlić Radman during his visit to Ukraine.

"We agreed on the possibility of using Croatian ports on the Danube and the Adriatic Sea to transport Ukrainian grain. Now we will work to build the most efficient routes to these ports and make the most of this opportunity. Every contribution to unblocking exports, every open door is a real, effective contribution to the world's food security. I am grateful to Croatia for its constructive assistance," emphasized Dmytro Kuleba.

Domestic ammunition production increased tenfold

From January to July 2023, the Ukrainian defense industry produced ten times more ammunition than in 2022. This was stated by Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin.

"From January to July, we produced ten times more than in 2022. We are talking about mortars, cannon shells and ammunition," he said, adding that the level of ammunition production is still insufficient to meet the army's needs. 

Kamyshin noted that Ukraine is constantly looking for partners to strengthen its weapons production capacity and join forces to ensure that the army receives the necessary resources faster.

The minister added that Ukraine could become the arsenal of the free world, as it can offer international arms and ammunition manufacturers the best conditions for cooperation. This way, they will be able to produce and test their products in a real war.

Ukrainian women win two golds at the European Championships

Ukrainian athletes Maria Mandziuk and Nadiia Rebryk won two gold medals at the European Boxing Championships. Nadiia Rebryk is a former student of the killed defender of Ukraine and world kickboxing champion Vitaliy Merinov.

Photo: Svitlana Onyshchuk/ facebook

Maria Mandziuk, a student of Ivano-Frankivsk Children and Youth Sports School, won the championship in the 54 kg weight category. She is coached by Vasyl Kondrat and Anton Kosse.

Nadiia Rebryk won in the 80 kg weight category. Her mentor is Oleh Koropetskyi, and her first coach was the fallen defender Vitaliy Merinov. She dedicated her victory to Vitaliy Merinov.

Service center to be opened in Ukraine to repair drones

Ukraine's Defense Ministry and Turkish BAYKAR MAKINA have signed an agreement to open a service center for the repair and maintenance of drones in Ukraine. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Defense.

"Ukraine will have a service center for the repair and maintenance of unmanned aerial vehicles. The document on its construction was signed today between the Ministry of Defense and the Turkish company BAYKAR MAKINA. This was done in the development of the Framework Agreement between Ukraine and Turkey on cooperation in the field of high technology, aviation and space industries," the statement says.

The State Secretary of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Kostiantyn Vashchenko, clarified that the center will be opened in the near future.

"We are moving forward and it is important for us to create our own base in Ukraine to service drones. This joint project will lay the foundation for our systematic work. Special thanks to BAYKAR for its contribution to building up the capacity of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the fight against Russian aggression," Vashchenko said.

Ukraine receives a $1.25 bln grant from the US

Ukraine's state budget has received an USD 1.25 billion grant from the United States through the World Bank's Multi-Donor Trust Fund, the Finance Ministry reports.

The grant was provided as part of the fifth additional financing under the Public Expenditure Support for Enhanced Accountability and Sustainable Governance in Ukraine project (PEACE in Ukraine). The aim of the project is to partially compensate for state budget expenditures, including social and humanitarian expenditures not related to security and defense.

The grant funding will be used to reimburse state budget expenditures, in particular, to pay salaries to government employees and payments under certain state social assistance programs (IDPs, people with disabilities, low-income families, housing and utility subsidies) and other social benefits.

"The non-repayable financial assistance from the United States is an extremely important element in supporting the State Budget of Ukraine in its efforts to resist the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation. Another grant will help the Government of Ukraine to reimburse priority social and humanitarian expenditures. We are extremely grateful to the Government and taxpayers of the United States of America for their solidarity and unprecedented support of Ukraine in this crucial period for our country," said Minister of Finance Serhii Marchenko.