13:52 Seehofer on no to Taurus deliveries for Ukraine: "I think Scholz's behavior is exactly right"
Former Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer justifies Chancellor Olaf Scholz's "No" for the delivery of Taurus-Missile systems to Ukraine. "I find Scholz's behavior exactly right - in the question of Taurus deliveries," said the CSU politician in an interview on the occasion of his 75th birthday in the "Augsburger Allgemeine." The Chancellor wanted to prevent escalation and work together with the Americans under all circumstances. "I have always considered that to be right, even though that is not seen that way in my party," said Seehofer on the stance of the SPD politician in the Taurus issue. "This stance rules out the chance that, when the Ukrainians consider it right, they might try to end this horrible and brutal war of the Russians," said the CSU politician and former Bavarian Minister-President.
13:23 More Russia and China? Economists warn against new foreign policy course of the AfDEconomists warn against the efforts of influential AfD politicians to distance themselves from the EU and the US and to orient more strongly towards Russia and China. "A departure from the US and EU, in order to cooperate more strongly with China, could contribute significantly to political and economic uncertainty and also entail long-term risks," said Oliver Holtemöller, Vice-President of the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research Halle, to the "Handelsblatt." The President of the German Institute for Economic Research, Marcel Fratzscher, told the newspaper that orienting more strongly towards Russia and China would be the "biggest mistake" that Germany could make politically and economically.
12:58 Russia reports taking control of settlement in the Donetsk regionThe Russian military has taken control of the Ukrainian settlement of Schumy in the Donetsk region, according to reports from Russian state media. According to the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti, which refers to the Russian Defense Ministry, the army has taken over the settlement near the city of Torezk. The announcement states that Ukrainian troops suffered 360 casualties. The claims cannot be independently verified.
12:38 Zelensky: Russian attacks have destroyed 80 percent of Ukraine's thermal energy and a third of its hydropowerAccording to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian attacks have destroyed 80 percent of Ukraine's thermal energy and a third of its hydropower. The British newspaper "Guardian" reports this. Russian attacks reportedly targeted energy facilities and other vital infrastructure. The attack in Dnipro the day before yesterday shows, according to the Ukrainian head of state, that Ukraine needs more air defense systems. "Only sufficient quantities of high-quality air defense systems, only sufficient determination from the whole world can stop Russian terror," said Zelensky.
12:25 Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba in Croatia for a Visit
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is in Croatia for a visit. He is participating in the 17. Dubrovnik Forum. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the focus of the meeting will be on restoring peace and security in Ukraine and Europe, as well as the results of the first peace summit. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and EU Foreign Policy Chief Joseph Borrell are among those attending the meeting.
11:51 Military Economist: The War Could Be Over by the End of 2025 - "Time is Running Against Russia"
According to military economist Marcus Keupp, Russia may not be able to sustain the war against Ukraine for years to come. In an interview with the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung," he states that the Russian supply chain is expected to collapse by mid-2027 at the latest, possibly even by the end of 2025. "That's the computational end, then the warehouses will be empty." Keupp bases his calculations on documented losses of the Russian army, which have been reported on open-source websites on the internet. According to his calculations, Russia has lost an average of four tanks per day since the start of the war. With only 300 to 500 new tanks built per year, Moscow cannot sustain this indefinitely, says the military economist. Satellite images already show that old Soviet military bases are emptying out at a rapid pace throughout Russia, according to Keupp. "Russia is living off its reserves. It's basically on the dead legs of the Soviet Union." Keupp's conclusion: "Time is running against Russia." In his opinion, Russia's method of waging war is not sustainable. "Putin has the same problem as Hitler. His resources are melting away, he's stuck in the mud of the Soviet Union."
11:33 Draft Evasion: Some Ukrainian Men Seek Help from Forgers
In Ukraine, a new recruitment drive is underway to mobilize more soldiers for the fight against Russia. Therefore, some Ukrainian men are turning to online dealers and forgers to avoid the horrors of military service, according to the British newspaper "Guardian." It is expected that attempts to flee the country will also increase. Ukraine recently passed far-reaching mobilization measures that allow the military to call up more soldiers and impose stricter penalties for military service evasion. In the past April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a controversial law lowering the draft age from 27 to 25. Anyone who refuses military service can lose their driver's license and access to their bank accounts. Property can also be confiscated.
11:04 Zelenskyy Releases Video of Reunions of War Prisoners with Their Families
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has released a video showing the moment when ten prisoners of war returned home from Russian captivity and were reunited with their families. He published the recording on his social media channels.
10:36 Ukrainian police car in Sumy attacked by Russian droneIn the Sumy Oblast in northeastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian police car was attacked by a Russian drone. This was reported by the Ukrainian newspaper "Kyiv Post" citing the Ukrainian National Police. The policemen were not in the vehicle at the time, but were nearby when they heard the explosion.
10:08 Kremlin remains silent on Trump's remarks about ending the warThe Kremlin declined to comment on Donald Trump's remarks that if he were re-elected in November, he would end the war against Ukraine. This was reported by the British newspaper "Guardian." Trump made these remarks during the US Presidential debate with incumbent Joe Biden on the previous Thursday. "As for Russia and Ukraine: If we had a real president, a president who respected Putin, he wouldn't have gone into Ukraine," Trump said.
09:26 Zelenskyy thanks Coe at meeting for exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the President of the World Athletics Championships, Sebastian Coe. This was announced by the Ukrainian head of state on his Facebook page. "We welcome the decisions made by World Athletics at the beginning of March 2022 to ban representatives of Russia and Belarus from participating in international athletics competitions," Zelenskyy wrote. He also thanked Coe for supporting Ukrainian athletes.
09:01 Four dead, ten wounded in Russian attacks in the Kherson regionRussian forces have shelled numerous towns and villages in the Kherson region, resulting in the deaths of four people and the wounding of ten others. This was reported by Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the military administration of the region, on Telegram. "Four people were killed by Russian aggression in Sadove, Tiahynka, Novotiahynka, Olhivka, and Cherson," Prokudin said. He added that Russian military forces attacked residential areas in the region and damaged several private houses. According to him, businesses and a gas pipeline were also hit.
08:34 Governor of Kursk: Five dead in Ukrainian drone attack on border villageAccording to Russian reports, five people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on a border village. The governor of the western Russian region of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, made the announcement on Telegram. "Two small children were among the dead," Smirnov said. He added that two other family members were in critical condition. According to him, the drone had crashed into a house in the small village of Gorodischtsche. Since the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, both sides have been regularly targeting each other with drones, some of which have ranges of several hundred kilometers. The Ukrainian army has expanded its drone attacks on Russian territory this year, targeting not only Russian energy infrastructure but also border towns and villages.
08:02 Kiev: Over 1000 Russian soldiers "eliminated"
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's daily reports, 1070 Russian soldiers have died or are unable to continue fighting in the war as of one day ago. Since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022, a total of 541,560 Russian soldiers have reportedly been "eliminated." The Defense Ministry has announced that the enemy has also lost seven more tanks (8073). Since the start of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has counted over 15,500 armored vehicles and around 11,500 drones that are no longer in the possession of the Russian military or have been destroyed.
07:28 After Russian attack: Fire department in Dnipro rescues man from buried car
Once again, Russian rockets have struck a Ukrainian residential area. The latest attack on the city of Dnipro resulted in at least one fatality, among the injured was a seven-month-old baby. A man was buried under the rubble in his car.
07:06 Ukrainian military positions spied on: SBU arrests suspected Russian agent
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has arrested another Russian agent. The man is accused of preparing a Russian breakthrough in the Donetsk region and of spying on Ukrainian defense forces. According to the SBU press office, the man is a resident of Myrnohrad who works for a private security company. Russia reportedly became interested in the man due to his use of pro-Russian Telegram channels, where he allegedly published anti-Ukrainian comments.
06:34 Ukrainian Air Force: Ten Russian drones shot down at night
The Ukrainian air defense forces have shot down all ten drones launched by Russia at night. According to the Ukrainian Air Force.
05:43 General Staff in Kiev: 102 battles at the front
The Ukrainian General Staff reports 102 battles at the front within the past 24 hours. The enemy has increased the tempo of its offensive actions since Friday morning, according to the situation report of the Ukrainian General Staff on Facebook. The most battles are reported near Pokrovsk. The Russian troops attempted to dislodge Ukrainian units from their positions 28 times. The Ukrainian army repelled 21 attacks. Seven battles are still ongoing, according to the announcement.
04:59 Czech Republic prepares security agreements with Kiev
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on X that the Czech Republic will sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine during the EU summit in London on July 18. Fiala wrote that he had agreed with President Zelenskyy the day before to "finalize the negotiations on the text of the Czech-Ukrainian security agreement before the NATO summit in Washington." The next NATO summit is scheduled for July 9-11. The Czech Republic will thus join 19 other countries, including the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and France, as well as the European Union, which have already signed similar bilateral agreements.
03:59 USA to deliver HAWK missiles to KievThe US government is set to provide weapons and ammunition worth $150 million to Ukraine, including HAWK air defense missiles and 155-millimeter artillery ammunition. Two unnamed US officials announced that the weapons aid package is expected to be presented on Monday. The Biden administration is responding to Ukraine's desperate pleas for support in air defense, following Russian air attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in recent weeks.
02:58 Report: Russian agents in Vienna implicated in Kusminow's murderRussian agents based in Vienna are under suspicion for their involvement in the recruitment and financing of Russian operations, such as the assassination of the Russian military helicopter pilot Maxim Kusminow. He had defected to Ukraine and was living in Spain when he was found by the hit squad. The Wall Street Journal reports this with references to Western security sources. The killers, who shot him five times and then ran him over with a SUV, were criminals paid in cash by Russian officials in Vienna, according to the article. "We are now becoming a burden to our neighbors, as Russia uses us as an operational base," a high-ranking Austrian intelligence officer told the newspaper. According to Austrian intelligence sources, the number of active Russian diplomats in Austria has increased from around 400 to over 500 in the past two years. About half of them are diplomats and managers, while the other half act as spies.
01:58 Russia captures town north of Bachmut - Ukraine deniesAccording to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian forces have taken control of the town of Rosdoliwka in eastern Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian military claims that fierce fighting is taking place in the areas surrounding the settlement. Rosdoliwka is located in the Donetsk region, the epicenter of Russia's advance in eastern Ukraine. It is located north of Bachmut and Soledar, two towns that were taken by Russian forces last year.
00:58 US Army awards Lockheed Martin $4.5 billion contractIn the US, the US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a multi-year contract worth $4.5 billion for the Patriot air defense system. The Pentagon announced this. The contract includes 870 PAC-3 MSE missiles and the associated hardware. Lockheed manufactures the latest version of the missile defense system, known as PAC-3 MSE, which equips the Patriot system. The Patriot system is part of a series of advanced air defense systems provided by the West to Ukraine.
23:58 More Olympic Starting Places for Russians - Judokas rejectedThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) continues to invite more athletes from Russia and Belarus to the Summer Games in Paris. According to the IOC's announcement in the evening, 50 athletes from the two countries have been invited so far to compete under a neutral flag at the Olympics. However, not all of these invitations have been accepted, some have already declined. Some Judokas were rejected due to their affiliation with Army sports clubs. Out of the twelve quotas for Russian Judokas, only two will be allocated to men and women each - it remains to be seen if the four will accept the invitation.
22:59 Ten Ukrainians Return from Russian CaptivityTen Ukrainian civilians have returned home from Russian captivity, according to reports from Kiev. Among the released prisoners is Nariman Djeljal, a leader of the Crimean Tatars, writes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in social media on Friday. He thanks the Vatican for its role in the release of the civilians. Djeljal was arrested in 2021, before the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in the annexed Crimea, and later sentenced to 17 years in prison.
22:30 Lithuanian Foreign Minister: Kallas Nomination Honors Stance on RussiaLithuania has welcomed the nomination of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the new EU Foreign Policy Chief. Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis speaks of recognition of the views of the Baltic States and other countries on the NATO eastern flank, which have taken a firm stance against Russia and supported Ukraine until its victory. "She has never hidden her position, she has clearly and openly expressed her views on issues that are important to us," Landsbergis told the BNS agency in Vilnius about Kallas. Kallas was appointed as the EU representative for external and security policy at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. The 47-year-old liberal has been Estonia's first female prime minister since 2021 and is known as a champion of a resolute Western stance towards Moscow.
22:00 Baerbock: Support for Ukraine is the Best Protection for Peaceful SleepingAccording to the belief of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the ongoing support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion forces is also a guarantee of peace and security in Germany. "If Ukraine can no longer defend our peace, our freedom because we no longer support it, then the question is how far Putin's troops will advance," Baerbock said in a talk with RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), NDR and "Hannoverscher Allgemeine Zeitung". "That's why the support efforts for Ukraine are the best protection for our own peace and our own security." Baerbock referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Naturally, one can discuss whether the billions in aid for Ukraine should be used differently, Baerbock says. But in this case, she has to admit: "I don't know how long we can continue sleeping peacefully here in Brandenburg, right at the border with Poland." Everywhere along the EU border and the NATO outer border, there are "light tests" from Russia. "Every reasonable person in the world, in Europe and in Ukraine" wishes nothing more ardently than peace in Ukraine. But that lies with Putin. "For that reason, Putin must withdraw his troops and finally put an end to this killing." Instead, his answer is "always more violence and terror."
You can read about previous developments here.
- Seehofer supports Scholz's decision to not supply Taurus-Missiles to Ukraine, stating that it could prevent escalation and military operations.
- The Ukrainian settlement of Schumy in the Donetsk region has reportedly been taken over by Russian forces, according to Russian state media.
- Zelensky has stated that Russian attacks have destroyed 80% of Ukraine's thermal energy and a third of its hydropower, targeting energy facilities and other vital infrastructure.
- Amidst increasing efforts from influential AfD politicians to distance themselves from the EU and the US and to orient towards Russia and China, economists warn against the political and economic risks associated with such a move.
- In the wake of intense military operations and the need for more air defense systems, Cyberwar is a concern for Ukraine as it battles against Russian attacks on its digital infrastructure.
