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What did 27 July 2023 signal beyond Ukraine?
Summary
A look back at a day when missile strikes, Western aid and a Pyongyang ceremony pointed to wider alignments around the war.
What did 27 July 2023 reveal about the wider shape of the war in Ukraine? Events in the days around it suggest the conflict was being felt well beyond the front line.
On 26 July 2023, Russia launched cruise missiles at Kyiv Oblast, Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Kirovohrad Oblast. Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk said 36 targets had been shot down, including three Kalibr missiles and 33 Kh-101 and Kh-55 cruise missiles.
On 25 July 2023, the United States announced a $400 million military aid package for Ukraine. It included anti-tank and air defence missiles, 32 Stryker armored fighting vehicles, Hydra 70 rockets and Black Hornet Nano surveillance drones, among other equipment.
Then, on 27 July 2023, attention moved to Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and a Chinese delegation met to mark the 70th anniversary of the cessation of hostilities in the Korean War. Kim and Shoigu also attended an exhibition of North Korean ballistic missiles. Those missiles are prohibited by multiple United Nations resolutions that China and Russia had endorsed.
Three scenes, one day's context
Taken together, the reports describe air defences intercepting a large salvo over Ukraine, Washington supplying armour and air defence, and Russia's defence minister appearing alongside Kim Jong-un at a display of banned weapons. Each is a separate event, but all of them belong to the same period of the war.
