- 13:54: ➤ US Institute: Wagner Group is setting up three camps in Belarus
- 1:15 pm: Zelenskyy’s new sanctions also hit Georgian airlines
- 10:23 London: Fighting for the Ukrainian Bridge in Kherson
- 8:46 am: US official: CIA chief traveled to Ukraine for clandestine talks
- 1:32 am: Kuleba: Ukraine’s NATO membership is “the path to peace”
- 12:31 pm: IAEA: So far no mines have been sighted at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
➤ US Institute: Wagner Group establishes three camps in Belarus
According to US experts, the Wagner mercenary group is building three military camps in Belarus, an ally of Moscow, after its failed uprising in Russia. “New high-resolution satellite images taken on June 30 show at least 303 tents capable of accommodating 20 to 50 people in a former military base in Belarus,” wrote the Institute for War Studies (ISW), based in in Washington on Friday (local time). . ) in your daily status report.
The tents appeared in the last week. There are also reports of plans for two more fields in western Belarus.
Last week, several independent Russian and Belarusian media already reported the construction of at least one military camp in Belarus to house Wagner mercenaries.
These reports have yet to be officially confirmed. Satellite images of Wagner’s alleged camp near the town of Assipowitschy were also published by Western media such as the Washington Post.
Last Saturday, Wagner’s troop chief Yevgeny Prigozhin occupied the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and sent a military column to Moscow. After the negotiations, in which the ruler of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, acted as a mediator, Prigozhin recalled his troops. In return, according to the Kremlin, he received amnesty and emigration to Belarus. (dpa)
Read too: Uprising in Russia: what’s next for Wagner?
Updated on 6/28/2023 12:21 PM
Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko played the role of mediator in the Wagner uprising. At a ceremony in Minsk, he said he had advised Russian President Vladimir Putin not to “kill” Wagner’s boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin. (Image: AFP/Natalia Kolesnikova)
The situation at a glance
Since February 24, 2022, Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine from the air and from the ground. Shortly before, President Vladimir Putin questioned Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent state and recognized the so-called People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
Since then, the Ukrainian army has been fighting the invaders as best it could. There are reports of thousands dead on both sides. How many soldiers and civilians have died, however, cannot be independently verified. The fact is: the humanitarian situation in Ukraine is getting worse by the day.
The UNHCR refugee agency has already registered more than 5.9 million Ukrainian refugees in Europe (as of June 26). Refugees are mainly women and children, as in most cases men aged between 18 and 60 cannot leave the country.
The EU and US reacted with sanctions. They are also supplying arms to Ukraine, and Germany is also supporting Ukraine with arms deliveries. Ukraine also received Gepard tanks from Germany. (dpa)
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Russian attack on Ukraine (including Russian defenses/fortifications)
© dpa infographic GmbH
More news about war in Ukraine from July 1
Zelenskyy’s new sanctions also hit Georgian airlines
According to official information, Ukraine has expanded its sanctions list by around 190 people and 290 companies, including the airline Georgian Airways. Internet portal “Ukrajinska Pravda” reported on Saturday, citing decrees by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The sanctions are aimed at punishing those involved for their involvement in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. At least for Russian companies, the Ukrainian sanctions are only of symbolic importance.
Georgian Airways was blacklisted for resuming flights with Russia amid the war. In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin surprisingly announced the end of the ban on flights from Moscow to Georgia and the lifting of visa requirements in Russia for residents of the Caucasus state. Despite strong protests in Tbilisi, bilateral air traffic has resumed – also with aircraft from Georgian Airways. (dpa)
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London: Fighting for the Ukrainian Bridge in Kherson
According to British estimates, the Ukrainian military created a beachhead on the east bank of the Dnipro in southern Ukraine. For about a week, the Ukrainians have been bringing troops close to the destroyed Antonivka Bridge, near Kherson, to the east bank, the British Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday. “Fighting for the beachhead will almost certainly be complicated by flooding, destruction and mud debris following the destruction of Kachowka Dam on 6 June 2023,” the London statement said.
Among the Russian troops are units of the 7th Guards Air Assault Division, which belongs to Army Group Dnipro. “In recent weeks, Russia has probably moved parts of the Dnipro Army Group defending the banks of the Dnipro to reinforce the Zaporizhia front,” he said.
The British Ministry of Defense published daily information on the course of the war since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression 16 months ago. Moscow accuses London of disinformation. (dpa)
Updated on 7/1/2023 at 11:37 am
Many fighters of the Wagner mercenary group would be exiled in Belarus. This obviously worries Ukraine; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered troop reinforcements on the border with the neighboring country.
US official: CIA chief traveled to Ukraine for clandestine talks
According to a US official, the head of the US foreign intelligence service, CIA, William Burns, recently traveled to Ukraine. There he met with secret service officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a US official told the AFP news agency. During his trip, Burns said he would share intelligence “to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression”.
According to the Washington Post, Ukrainian authorities have announced plans to retake Russian-controlled territory and begin negotiations for a ceasefire by the end of the year. Ukraine is currently conducting a counter-offensive in the east and south of the country to reclaim areas occupied by Moscow.
The CIA chief’s visit took place in June, reported the paper, which reported for the first time on Burns’ trip to Ukraine. According to the US official, the visit took place before the 24-hour revolt by the Russian mercenary group Wagner a week ago.
After the uprising, the United States stressed that it had played no role in the rebellion. US media reported on Friday that after the uprising, Burns called the head of the Russian foreign intelligence agency SVR, Sergey Naryshkin, to assure him that the US was not involved in the rebellion. US President Joe Biden has previously denied any Western involvement in Monday’s uprising. (AFP)
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Kuleba: Ukraine’s entry into NATO is “the path to peace”
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Kiev is grappling with long-standing prejudices and misunderstandings about the consequences of its country joining NATO. NATO membership will not lead to another or major war with Russia, Kuleba said in an interview with “Bild”, “Welt” and “Politico” in Kiev late on Friday. Rather, joining NATO is “the way to peace” – because Russia would not dare to attack NATO member Ukraine again.
Kuleba promised that Ukraine would relieve Germany and other Western NATO states in defending the eastern flank: “We will carry this burden on our shoulders.”
According to Kuleba, Ukraine does not expect to join NATO during the war. “But after the war it would be suicide for Europe not to accept Ukraine as a NATO member.” A Ukraine outside NATO would mean that war is still an option. The only way to close the door on Russian aggression against Europe and the wider Euro-Atlantic region is for Ukraine to join NATO, he said.
With a view to the next NATO summit in Lithuania in about two weeks, he warned the German government not to stand in the way of his country’s path to the alliance. He urged Berlin not to repeat the mistake that “Chancellor Merkel made in Bucharest in 2008 when she vigorously opposed any progress towards Ukraine’s membership of NATO”. This decision opened the door for Putin’s invasion of Georgia and, eventually, the illegal annexation of Crimea.
At the 2008 summit, NATO states pledged Ukraine’s membership, but later withdrew in consideration of Russia. Angela Merkel and then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy blocked calls from other NATO partners for quick accession. (dpa)
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IAEA: So far no mine sighted in Zaporizhia NPP
International observers at the Ukrainian Zaporizhia nuclear power plant have so far seen no signs of mines being used by the Russian occupiers. Staff from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is permanently stationed at the nuclear power plant, have yet to gain access to some areas of the plant, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said late on Friday in Vienna. Parts of the turbine rooms and cooling system still need to be inspected, his report said.
Last week, Ukraine’s SBU military intelligence service said Russia had mined the nuclear power plant and was planning a terrorist attack there. Moscow rejects such allegations. “We take all these reports very seriously,” said Grossi. It is “known” by the IAEA that mines used to be placed in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant and at certain points of the plant. Grossi did not explain what information the IAEA has on Friday.
Shortly after the start of the war 16 months ago, Russian troops quickly occupied large parts of southern Ukraine, including important infrastructure objects such as the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The situation around the nuclear power plant, which is close to the front and has been the target of several attacks, has repeatedly raised concerns about a nuclear catastrophe. (dpa)
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With material from dpa and AFP
Last days tickers to read:
Updated on 06/27/2023 at 1:51 pm
Russian President Vladimir Putin has again pledged impunity to Wagner’s fighters. These could sign a contract with the Russian army or go to Belarus, Putin said.