Russian invasion - War against Ukraine: this is the situation
At a Russian rocket strike on a high-rise building in the Ukrainian industrial city of Dnipro, at least one person has been killed and nine others injured. Among the injured were a seven-month-old baby, two women aged 27 and 30, and a 29-year-old man, according to Serhij Lyssak, the military governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, who announced this on his Telegram channel on Friday evening. Three of the injured were in critical condition. Additionally, two people were reportedly still missing under the rubble.
Images show a heavily damaged entrance of a nine-story building in a densely populated residential area. The upper four floors are completely destroyed. Dnipro has been hit by Russian rockets multiple times since the beginning of the Russian aggression war. During one of the most devastating attacks on civilian targets during the conflict, 45 people were killed and about 80 were injured when a rocket hit a residential building in the city in early 2023.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy once again called for the strengthening of air defense in the face of the latest rocket attack. Only the determination of the world can put a stop to Russian terror, he wrote in social media.
The air force in Kiev reported that Russia had sent drones towards Ukrainian territory at night.
Ten Ukrainian civilians have returned from Russian captivity, according to reports from Kiev. Among the released civilians was Nariman Djeljal, a leader of the Crimean Tatars, Zelenskyy wrote in social media. He thanked the Vatican for its role in the civilians' release.
Djeljal was arrested in Crimea in 2021, before the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, and later sentenced to 17 years in prison. He was accused of damaging a gas pipeline. Several other prisoners were reportedly imprisoned in Russia or Belarus before the war. Among the prisoners were also two priests of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
The border guards of the authoritarian ex-Soviet republic of Belarus (formerly White Russia) have reportedly deployed additional units at the border with Ukraine. Multiple rocket launchers with a range of 300 kilometers have been positioned there, according to a spokesperson for the border guards of the state news agency Belta in Minsk. The measure was justified by alleged espionage and sabotage preparations from Ukraine.
Belarus is the closest ally of Russia. The ruler Alexander Lukashenko is economically, financially, politically, and militarily dependent on the Kremlin. Although Minsk is not officially involved in the Russian aggression war against Ukraine, Russian troops used Belarusian territory for their advance on Ukraine at the beginning of the war.
German arms exports to Ukraine are increasing due to the Ukrainian conflict.
After a record export of weapons in the previous year, export authorizations in the first half of 2024 have significantly increased again due to further rising weapon deliveries to Ukraine. From January 1st to June 18th, the German government authorized the export of military goods worth at least 7.48 billion Euros abroad. This represents an increase of approximately 30% compared to the entire first half of 2023.
Approximately two-thirds of the exports (65% or 4.88 billion Euros) are destined for Ukraine, which Germany is supporting in its defense against Russia. This information comes from a response by the Economy Ministry to a query by Bundestag member Sevim Dagdelen of The Left Party (BSW), which was obtained by the German Press Agency.
- The Russian aggression war has impacted Dnipro significantly, with the city being hit by Russian rockets multiple times, including a recent strike on a high-rise building where a baby and two women were injured.
- Volodymyr Selenskyy, the Ukrainian President, has repeatedly called for the strengthening of air defense in response to these attacks.
- Among those injured in the recent Russian rocket strike was a seven-month-old baby, highlighting the devastating impact of the conflict on innocent civilians.
- In Kiev, the air force reported that Russia sent drones towards Ukrainian territory at night, adding another layer of tension to the conflict.
- The border guards of Belarus, a close ally of Russia, have deployed additional units and positioned multiple rocket launchers at the border with Ukraine, allegedly due to espionage and sabotage preparations from Ukraine.
- Ten Ukrainian civilians, including Nariman Djeljal, a leader of the Crimean Tatars, have recently returned from Russian captivity, thanks in part to the efforts of the Vatican.
- German arms exports to Ukraine are increasing dramatically due to the conflict, with over two-thirds of the exports in the first half of 2024 destined for Ukraine's defense against Russia.
