04:53 Kiev's demining corps: 30,000 square kilometers have been cleared
Specialists of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry have cleared 30,000 square kilometers of Ukraine from mines in the past two years - an area comparable to the size of Belgium or Moldova. This is reported by "Kyiv Independent" with reference to Colonel Ruslan Berehulia, Head of the Environmental Safety and Mine Clearance Department. Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, approximately 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian soil have been contaminated with explosives. In April 2022, Ukraine established the Mine Clearance Corps. Units of the Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian Armed Forces joined by 5000 specialists are currently active in the regions of Mykolajiw, Cherson and Kharkiw.
03:53 Ifo-Survey: Nearly Half of Personnel Managers Use "Jobturbo"Nearly half of personnel managers in Germany find "Job-Turbo" and the Skilled Workers Immigration Act unhelpful for businesses. This is according to a survey by the Munich Ifo Institute among 627 personnel managers of companies. The initiative aims to integrate Ukrainian refugees more quickly into the labor market. Some other respondents acknowledge positive effects: Nearly every fourth company reports that the new regulations have made more skilled labor available. In addition, they mention that due to mandatory language courses before job placement, language barriers have been reduced. Nearly 18% of personnel managers praise shorter hiring procedures and simpler recognition of diplomas. The respondents were allowed to give multiple answers. Almost half of them find that the bureaucracy in hiring foreign labor is still too high, although 17% also observe a bureaucracy reduction.
02:37 Governor: Russian Region Kursk Shelled All DayAccording to local governor Alexei Smirnov, Ukraine continued to shell the Russian border region of Kursk all day on Saturday. Smirnov writes on Telegram that Ukrainian troops shelled eight border villages repeatedly. Two people were injured in the shelling. A video Smirnov posted in his Telegram channel shows a destroyed house and debris. Previously, Smirnov reported the deaths of five people due to a Ukrainian drone attack early on Saturday morning.
01:29 "Putin loves Farage": Activists Mock FarageThe British campaign group Led by Donkeys pranked Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, during a campaign appearance. After Farage recently drew attention with the claim that the West and not Russian President Vladimir Putin had provoked the war in Ukraine, the activists lowered a banner with Putin's image behind Farage. Farage was not amused, write the activists laconically.
00:32: Emergency services in Vilniansk working through the debrisEmergency services are clearing the debris of a Russian attack on the city Vilniansk in the Oblast Saporischschja. After the completion of search and rescue operations, it is confirmed: Seven people were killed, among them two children, and 31 people were injured, among them eight children. "The fire was extinguished simultaneously at two locations: in a two-story building and near parked cars on a surface of 300 square meters as well as in two one-story buildings on a surface of 150 square meters. The search and rescue operations are completed", the Ukrainian state emergency service shares.
21:24: Seehofer: No shelter for young Ukrainian menApproximately 1.2 million Ukrainians have found refuge in Germany from the war in their homeland. CSU state group leader Alexander Dobrindt recently called for the expulsion of Ukrainians who do not work. "The proposal can be misunderstood", says CSU honorary chairman Horst Seehofer to the "Augsburger Allgemeine". Mothers and children from the war-torn land found it difficult to work; be it due to lacking language skills or a lack of kindergarten places. "It belongs to a humane state to provide protection." Young men, who evade military service in Germany, should, however, not be granted asylum, he means.
20:51: Man lights grenade in Luzk city centerA resident of the city Chmelnyzkyj lights a grenade in the city center of Luzk and is arrested. There are no injuries reported. This is reported by the Ukrainian domestic intelligence service SBU. The motive of the 23-year-old is still unclear.
You can read about previous developments here.
- Despite the efforts of Ukraine's Defense Ministry in clearing mines, the Russian invasion in February 2022 has led to the contamination of 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian soil with explosives.
- The ongoing Ukraine conflict has resulted in the establishment of Ukraine's Mine Clearance Corps in April 2022, with units from the Ministry of Defense and Ukrainian Armed Forces working alongside 5000 specialists in regions such as Mykolajiw, Cherson, and Kharkiw.
- The Russian region of Kursk has been subjected to repeated shelling by Ukrainian troops, as reported by local governor Alexei Smirnov, with two people injured and a destroyed house in one of the eight border villages targeted.
- The British campaign group Led by Donkeys pranked Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK party, during a campaign appearance due to his recent claims that the West, not Russian President Vladimir Putin, had provoked the war in Ukraine.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held talks regarding Ukraine's membership in Nato, following reports of a cyberwarfare attack on Ukrainian infrastructure by Russian state-sponsored hackers, highlighting the intertwined nature of politics and military operations in the Ukraine conflict.
