Kiev: So far seven places have been liberated – the Kremlin wants to talk to Scholz

war in Ukraine

Russia put up fierce resistance to the advancing Ukrainian troops. Nevertheless, Kiev continues to report certain successes. Moscow and the Wagner mercenaries are approaching an important moment. According to the Kremlin, it would welcome a conversation with Olaf Scholz.

More news about the war in Ukraine

According to their own statements, the Ukrainian troops have so far liberated seven towns from Russian occupation during their counter-offensive. In the Zaporizhia region, the Russians have been pushed back by three to seven kilometers in two sections since last week, said General Staff representative Oleksiy Hromov at a press conference in Kiev on Thursday. According to NATO estimates, the Ukrainian armed forces currently primarily need ammunition and spare parts for the existing weapon systems. Meanwhile, Russia has fired at Ukraine in fresh airstrikes with drones and cruise missiles.

Russians offer fierce resistance

According to information from Kiev, control over 100 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory was restored in the course of the counter-offensive. That corresponds roughly to the size of Mainz. In eastern Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian units would attack further south and north of the Russian-controlled city of Bakhmut, Hromov added. At the same time, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar emphasized that the enemy was putting up “violent resistance”. Dense minefields, heavy artillery fire and so-called kamikaze drones are hampering the Ukrainian advances. “The enemy doesn’t just give up their positions,” Maljar said.

In the video: Russia signs treaty with Chechen private army Akhmad

New drone attacks on Ukraine

According to Ukrainian sources, industrial facilities in the Dnepropetrovsk region were hit by three cruise missiles in new Russian attacks on Thursday. In the city of Kryvyi Rih in the area, a 38-year-old man was injured, it said. The city has been the target of Russian attacks in the past. Twelve people died in an attack on Tuesday. In the new air alert on Thursday, the air defense shot down most of the objects, including another 20 drones, according to Kiev. In Odessa on the Black Sea alone, 13 drones were destroyed.

Kremlin: Scholz could “throw off blinkers” during phone call with Putin

According to the Kremlin, this is from the Chancellor Olaf Scholz The prospect of a phone call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is unlikely, but welcome. “Perhaps that would allow Berlin to throw off the blinders that prevent it from assessing the situation soberly, at least for a second,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Russian state television on Thursday. However, there is currently no movement in this regard. Scholz’s statement about a possible phone call was “probably about hypothetical intentions”.

According to Peskow, however, such talks are necessary. It is actually completely normal for heads of state to talk to each other even in the most difficult times. “And it might not be bad if such a discussion took place so that they could at least get our position first-hand,” said Peskov. Relations between Berlin and Moscow deteriorated massively after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Germany supports Ukraine in its defense and demands the withdrawal of Russian troops from the neighboring country.

Scholz said at the end of May that he wanted to resume talks with Putin. “It’s been some time since my last phone call. But I intend to talk to Putin again in due course,” he said in a newspaper interview. However, he did not give a date for the resumption of talks.

NATO: Ukraine needs a lot of help

Ukraine needs many different types of support, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the sidelines of a meeting of the international contact group for the coordination of military aid to Ukraine in Brussels. One focus is to ensure that existing capabilities can be used throughout the offensive. Regarding the course of the offensive so far, Stoltenberg said: “What we are seeing are heavy fighting.” It is still early days, but one can see that Ukraine is making profits and can liberate occupied countries. “It’s because of the courage, the bravery, the skills of the Ukrainian soldiers,” he said. The support that the NATO countries have been providing to Ukraine for many months is making a difference on the battlefield.

Zelenskyj proposes “global peace summit”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a “global peace summit” in Switzerland. He presented his proposal on Thursday in a video address to the two chambers of the Swiss Parliament in Bern. He did not give details or a date. In the speech, Selenskyj referred to his own “peace formula” that he presented last year after the start of the Russian war of aggression against his country. “You can take the lead where you can best use your national expertise to implement this peace formula,” said Zelenskyj in front of the MPs.

London sees important moment in Moscow’s cooperation with Wagner

According to British military experts, a decisive moment may be imminent in the rivalry between the Russian military and the Wagner mercenary group. July 1 is the deadline for mercenary troops in Russia to contractually subordinate themselves to the Russian Defense Ministry, according to a Defense Ministry intelligence report in London. However, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin made it clear that his fighters would not sign the contracts. That, although the demand expressly from President Vladimir Putin had been supported. So far, Prigozhin has made “corrosive criticism” of the Russian Defense Ministry, but has bowed to Putin’s authority. Now the rhetoric of the Wagner boss is developing towards “disregard for broad sections of the Russian establishment”.

So far 28 fatalities after the destruction of the Kachowka dam

After the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, the authorities in the Cherson flood plain have so far recorded a total of 28 fatalities. The Russian-controlled dam in the war zone collapsed last Tuesday. The water from the reservoir flooded dozens of towns. The flood waters continued to recede, according to Ukraine’s flood clearance staff. Nevertheless, according to the military administration of Kherson, 44 villages were still flooded. Ukraine accuses Russian troops of having mined and blown up the dam. On the other hand, Russia claims that the dam was destroyed by Ukrainian shelling.

Also read: Ukraine responsible for Nord Stream sabotage, according to CIA report

IAEA chief arrived at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant for an inspection visit

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has arrived after a delay at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. This was announced by the Ukrainian nuclear energy company Enerhoatom on Telegram on Thursday. With six blocks and a gross output of 6,000 megawatts, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has been under Moscow control since the start of the Russian war of aggression a good 16 months ago. Due to the destruction of the dam in the city of Nowa Kachowka more than a week ago, cooling the decommissioned reactors with water is now at risk. Grossi and his team want to get an idea of ​​the situation on site. (br/dpa)