Today 9 minutes ago | Pedro Temel
Attack on Odessa – Selenskij appreciates international sympathy
After the Russian attacks on the port city of Odessa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed words of gratitude to his own people and international allies. “I thank everyone who is with Odessa,” Zelensky said in his nightly video on Sunday night, acknowledging the efforts of volunteer first responders, doctors and local officials in the southern city.
“It’s very important to help each other and our city!” he added. Russia launched another massive attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odessa over the weekend. According to Ukrainian information, at least one person was killed on Sunday night and another 22 were injured. The old town, classified as a World Heritage Site, and the Orthodox Transfiguration Cathedral were also hit.
Today, 22h01 | Pedro Temel
Intense fighting in eastern Ukraine
According to the general staff, the Ukrainian army encountered strong Russian resistance in the east of the country during its counter-offensive. The staff’s evening situation report on Sunday spoke of ongoing Russian attacks between Donetsk in the east and Kupyansk in the northeast region of Kharkiv. Accordingly, 27 battles took place in the last 24 hours along a front of about 230 kilometers.
The Russian side used more artillery and air force, he said. More than 60 towns in the front section are said to have come under fire from Russian rockets and artillery. The information initially could not be independently verified.
Russia has been waging a war of aggression against the neighboring country for nearly 17 months. A Ukrainian counter-offensive is underway.
Today, 7:45 pm | Pedro Temel
UNESCO condemns Russian attack on Odessa
UNESCO strongly condemned the Russian airstrike on the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, which also hit the old town, which is a World Heritage Site. In a statement published in Paris on Sunday, the UN cultural organization was “deeply dismayed” by the bombing that hit “several cultural sites”. UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay described the attack as an “escalation of violence against Ukraine’s cultural heritage”.
According to Ukrainian sources, the bombing on Sunday night damaged, among other things, the Transfiguration Cathedral in the old town. At least two people died in the attack and more than 20 were injured. The Odessa regional administration said four children were among the wounded.
Today, 5:15 pm | Pedro Temel
A stir over the death of a Russian IT businessman
In Russia, the death of a well-known businessman causes a stir. Businessman Anton Cherepennikov, 40, died on Saturday, presumably of heart failure, state media reported over the weekend. Some pointed out that his IT group IKS Holding, which brings together about 30 technology companies and cooperates closely with the authorities, specializes in developing spy technology.
Cherepennikov’s death was also talked about in Ukraine, which Russia has been at war with for 17 months. “Another mysterious death of a top manager in Russia,” wrote President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s domestic policy adviser Anton Herashchenko on Twitter. He was alluding to the fact that businessmen and others have died multiple times in Russia from unexplained causes or that the official cause of death is in doubt.
Today, 1:41 pm | Johannes Arends
Putin calls counteroffensive ‘failed’
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian ally Alexander Lukashenko met in St. Petersburg on Sunday. In the greeting, Lukashenko said of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, according to Russian agencies: “There is no counteroffensive.” Putin replied: “There is, but it failed.” Lukashenko was angered by the assertion that Wagner mercenaries stationed in Belarus wanted to “march to Warsaw”.
According to Russian news agency Interfax, the Belarusian ruler said: “The Wagners are starting to stress us out. They say: ‘We want to go West, let’s go’. I ask why they want to go West. ‘Well, we want to take a trip to Poland, to Rzeszow’.” Lukashenko handed Putin a map on the relocation of parts of the Polish armed forces to the borders of the EU state.
Today, 7:13 am | Johannes Arends
Putin and Lukashenko are meeting today for a briefing
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will meet on Sunday, according to the Russian government. Lukashenko is on a working visit to Russia and will hold talks with Putin about developing the “strategic partnership” between the two countries, the Kremlin said.
Today, 7:12 am | Johannes Arends
Poland launches Leopard tank repair center near Ukrainian border
A repair center in Poland for Leopard tanks delivered to Ukraine, requested by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), has been completed and put into operation. The announcement was made by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak on Saturday night. “The repair center in Gliwice is operational! The first two Leopards have already arrived at the Bumar factory from Ukraine,” wrote the national-conservative minister on Twitter.
Already in April, Pistorius and Blaszczak had agreed on the construction of the repair center of the armament manufacturer Bumar-Labedy in Gliwice (in German Gleiwitz). The main Leopard main battle tanks from Germany and Poland, used by Ukraine in the fight against Russia, will be repaired there. However, during his visit to Poland in early July, Pistorius criticized the Polish team for being too slow to complete the center.
Today, 7:11 am | Johannes Arends
Ukrainian authorities report several dead after Russian bombing
Good morning with sadly unpleasant news from the war in Ukraine: in Odessa one man and in the east of the country two people were reportedly killed in Russian air strikes.
More about it:
07/22/2023, 21:57 | Veronica Dienersberger
Zelensky: NATO-Ukraine Council to discuss grain dispute
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the newly created NATO-Ukraine Council is expected to discuss the situation in the Black Sea in the coming days. In particular, the establishment of a corridor for Ukrainian grain exports should be discussed, Zelensky said in his evening video address.
He spoke about this with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Initially, there was no NATO statement. Stoltenberg had previously criticized Russia’s withdrawal from the international agreement on grain exports in the Black Sea. “We condemn Moscow’s attempt to use food as a weapon in the strongest possible terms,” Stoltenberg said after a phone call with Zelensky. Allies would support Ukraine for as long as necessary.
7/22/2023, 8:45 pm | Mirad Odobasic
Ukraine confirms attack on military facilities in Crimea
Ukraine confirmed an attack it led on Saturday on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula. The attack targeted “military installations” and was carried out by the Ukrainian armed forces, a Ukrainian army source told AFP on Saturday. No other details about the attack were given by this source. Crimea Governor Sergey Aksyonov, appointed by Moscow, had previously announced that an ammunition depot had exploded as a result of a Ukrainian drone strike. After that, in the Krasnogvardeyskoye region of Crimea, it was decided to evacuate within a radius of five kilometers from the camp.
No one was injured in the drone attack, Aksjonov told online service Telegram. However, just in case, it was decided to stop rail traffic. Two trains running between Moscow and Simferopol, Crimea’s largest city, were stopped. Later on Saturday, however, rail services resumed in Crimea, Aksyonov said. In early June, the Ukrainian army launched a counter-offensive to recapture Russian-occupied areas — aiming, among other things, to regain control of Crimea, which Russia had annexed in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reiterated the goal of recapturing “all of Crimea” in a video link to a security forum in the US city of Aspen on Friday.
7/22/2023, 2:19 pm | Daniela Wahl
Russian media representative killed in Ukraine
According to official information from Moscow, a Russian military correspondent died in the combat zone in southern Ukraine. “Four journalists suffered injuries of varying severity as a result of cluster munitions fired at them by the Ukrainian armed forces,” Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on Saturday. State news agency RIA Novosti correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlyov succumbed to his injuries on the way to the field hospital.
The Russian agency RIA Novosti confirmed his death. A photo correspondent for RIA Novosti and two employees of the Kremlin-affiliated daily Izvestia were also hit.
7/22/2023, 2:18 pm | Daniela Wahl
After Putin’s remarks, Poland recalls Russian ambassador
Poland summoned the Russian ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw on Saturday. The recall of the Russian ambassador followed “provocative statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as threats and other hostile actions by the Russian Federation towards Poland and our allies”, said Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski.
The borders between the countries are “absolutely untouchable and Poland is against any revision” of these borders. On Friday, Putin accused Poland of having “revanchist plans” and wanting to recapture areas in western Ukraine – an allegation repeatedly made by Russian authorities. During a session of the National Security Council, Putin also claimed that the western regions of present-day Poland were “Stalin’s gift” to Poles after World War II.
On Friday night, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki responded to Putin on Twitter that “Stalin was a war criminal responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Poles” during and after World War II.
07/22/2023, 12:51 pm | Daniela Wahl
Unesco: Several museums damaged after attack on Odessa
According to information from Unesco, several museums within the World Heritage Site were damaged during Russian attacks on the Ukrainian port city of Odessa. According to a statement from the United Nations organization for culture, science and education in Paris, the Archaeological Museum, the Naval Museum and the Museum of Literature would be particularly affected.
As a result of the Russian war in January 2023, the historic center of Odessa was included on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger. According to UNESCO, which strongly condemns the attacks, damage to 270 Ukrainian cultural sites has been reported since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
In recent days, the city on the Black Sea coast has been hit by several rockets.
07/22/2023, 11:25 am | Daniela Wahl
Russian governor reports cluster munition attacks
The governor of the Russian border region of Belgorod has accused Ukraine of using cluster munitions on Russian territory. On Friday, the Ukrainian army fired “21 artillery shells and three rounds of cluster munitions in the town of Zhuravlevka, close to the border,” regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Saturday on the Telegram online service. Ammunition was fired from a multiple rocket launcher.
07/22/2023, 11:04 am | Daniela Wahl
UK: Girkin arrest likely to enrage military bloggers
According to British estimates, the arrest of Russian war advocate Igor Girkin is likely to spark anger among other military bloggers as well as parts of the Russian military. The former intelligence officer is widely regarded in these spheres as an astute military analyst and patriot, the Defense Ministry’s intelligence update on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine said in London on Saturday.
Girkin’s arrest may therefore be due primarily to his direct criticism of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin: Girkin has long been a wartime critic of the Russian Defense Ministry, the British wrote. In recent days, however, comments from him have turned into direct criticism of Putin and his time in power.
While Girkin is not an ally of the Wagner troupe, he may be prepared to push the boundaries of public criticism related to Wagner’s boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s unsuccessful mutiny, sources say. The taboo on undisguised criticism of Putin’s leadership has been significantly weakened.
07/22/2023, 10:50 am | Daniela Wahl
Russian war of aggression overshadows G20 energy ministers meeting
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has overshadowed the meeting of G20 energy ministers in India. Due to a blockade by Russia, among others, the G20 of leading industrialized and emerging countries failed to reach a consensus on Saturday in Goa, India, on accelerating the expansion of renewable energies. There was no joint final statement. According to information from delegation circles, the German Minister of Economy and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck (Greens), stated in his speech at the meeting that renewable energies are much more than a matter of climate protection. They are a matter of energy security.
Habeck strongly condemned Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, he said. In his statement, in line with statements from delegation circles, he said that in a war of aggression it must be clearly stated who is the perpetrator and who is the victim. This is his clear appeal to all states. Russia is clearly to blame.
The German minister criticized in New Delhi on Thursday that India had not yet condemned the war in a clear and forceful manner. China also did not condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had urged China to exert more influence over Russia to end the war of aggression.
7/22/2023, 9:19 am | Daniela Wahl
China urges Russia, Ukraine to resolve grain dispute
After Russia pulled out of the grain deal with Ukraine, China urged both sides to quickly resume exports. China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, called on Friday (local time) at the UN Security Council for an early resumption of grain and fertilizer exports from Russia and Ukraine.
Beijing hopes that those affected will work with the relevant UN bodies to find a balanced solution to the legitimate concerns of all parties, Geng said at the meeting in New York, according to a report on Chinese state television. This is necessary to ensure international food security.
07/22/2023, 06:40 am | Daniela Wahl
Crimean bridge to Zelensky legitimate military target
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that the bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula to Russia would bring “war, not peace” and was therefore a military target. “This is the route used to supply munitions for war and it’s happening every day. It’s militarizing the Crimean Peninsula,” Zelensky said via video link at the Aspen US Security Conference.
07/22/2023, 06:39 am | Daniela Wahl
Kremlin funding: SPÖ and FPÖ agreed on a comparison
The SPÖ can no longer claim that the Freedom Party received money from Russia for motions in Parliament. After an action by the FPÖ, both parties reached a settlement before the Commercial Court in Vienna, which is at the disposal of the APA. A corresponding revocation must be published within 14 days. The SPÖ must also pay the FPÖ €2,788.96.
On February 3, the SPÖ federal manager, Christian Deutsch, who has since been replaced, conveyed that the FPÖ had accepted money from Kremlin propagandists for requests to the National Council for the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions. Furthermore, the Freedom Party is funded by the Kremlin. “We revoke this claim as false,” reads the settlement, which expired on June 27.
07/22/2023, 06:39 am | Daniela Wahl
South Africa wants to serve Putin’s arrest warrant at the entrance
The South African government would arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he entered the country. This is what a statement by the Ministry of Justice reveals, which the opposition party Alliance Democrática published on Friday. However, South Africa and Russia announced on Thursday that Putin would not travel to South Africa for a BRICS summit of economically stronger emerging countries in August.
The Democratic Alliance, together with Amnesty International, filed a lawsuit in the Pretoria High Court to force the government to arrest Putin if he entered the country. Amnesty International’s Executive Director for South Africa, Shenilla Mohamed, called the statement a “victory for the rule of law and international justice, but most importantly for victims in Ukraine”.
In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. As South Africa signed the ICC statutes, the country is actually obliged to arrest Putin on entry.