Liveblog: ++ IAEA concerned about the water level of the reservoir ++

The Atomic Energy Agency IAEA has expressed concern about the water level of the reservoir at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. A list of sanctions was expanded by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. All developments in the live blog.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the first private army has been contracted against the background of the ongoing dispute with the Wagner mercenary group. The document was signed between the ministry and the special unit “Achmat”, according to a press release from the authority. “Achmat” is the combat unit of Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov.

Over the weekend, the Ministry of Defense announced that it wanted to take command of all private armies fighting on the Moscow side by July 1. This was preceded by months of disputes over jurisdiction with the Wagner mercenary group of the oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, which was active for Moscow in the area of ​​the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. However, Prigozhin has already resisted this order. He justified the step by saying that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was hardly in a position to lead the regular troops properly.

According to British assessments, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is increasingly portraying himself as a central figure in the war of aggression against Ukraine – including with exaggerated claims of losses on the Ukrainian side. The British Defense Ministry said in its daily report that President Vladimir Putin’s confidante apparently wants to appear as the leading strategist in the light of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. “Shoigu is probably aware of the need to maintain a positive image in the face of increasingly blatant criticism from some compatriots,” the agency wrote on Twitter.

Most recently, the minister has commented several times on Russian defense operations, including “almost certainly greatly exaggerated claims about Ukrainian losses.” He also publicly called on the Russian defense industry to redouble its efforts and criticized officials for not sending reserve armored vehicles to the front quickly enough. The public appearances contrasted with other key moments in the war, when Shoigu was not seen, the British Ministry of Defense said.

North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong Un wants to expand cooperation with Russia. The friendship between the two countries has existed for centuries and represents a “valuable strategic asset” for both sides, Kim wrote in a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on today’s Russian national holiday. Kim was quoted as saying by the state-controlled North Korean media that he was ready, in agreement with Putin, to shape the “strategic cooperation between the People’s Republic and Russia” even more closely.

Against the background of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Kim spoke of “full support and solidarity” that his compatriots would send. “Justice will surely prevail and the Russian people will continue to praise the history of victory.” North Korea promised Moscow its support after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Last year, for example, the leadership in Pyongyang also recognized the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states after Russia and Syria. As a result, Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with North Korea.

Today the NATO exercise “Air Defender 2023” starts in European airspace. According to its own statements, the Air Force wants to show strength with the maneuver together with the NATO partners involved, but avoid an escalation with a view to Russia. “We’re doing everything we can to ensure that it doesn’t escalate,” said Air Force Inspector Ingo Gerhartz RBB info radio. For example, no flights would be made towards Kaliningrad. The exercise should underline the defense readiness of the military alliance, said Gerhartz in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin”. “The essential signal is that we are able to defend ourselves.”

The “Air Defender 2023” maneuver is the largest air force exercise in NATO’s history. Until June 23, 25 nations and NATO will take part in the exercise under German leadership. According to the Bundeswehr, around 10,000 soldiers and 250 aircraft are involved. “The fact that this is of course now also at a very special time in view of the war in Ukraine – I mean, that’s also obvious,” said Gerhartz RBB. The air maneuvers had been planned before the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.

According to the government in Moscow, Russian troops have destroyed at least seven German Leopard 2 tanks and five US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. A column of armored vehicles was hit in the Zaporizhia region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Russian state television showed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu awarding medals to soldiers who, according to Russian sources, destroyed German and US tanks while repelling a Ukrainian counterattack. Shoigu presented the soldiers with the gold star “Hero of Russia” – the country’s highest military award. A video showed Russian drones hitting Ukrainian-manned tanks in the Zaporizhia region. The location of the recording could be confirmed, but not the date.

In view of the destruction of tanks supplied by Western allies in Russian attacks, calls for stronger support, especially from Germany, are once again being heard in Ukraine. “The Ukrainian army urgently needs a lot more Western battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other armored vehicles,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk of the Berlin “Tagesspiegel”. “Each ‘Leopard 2’ is literally worth its weight in gold for the decisive offensive,” added the former Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin.

From his point of view, the Bundeswehr is able to provide more than the 18 units already delivered from its stock of more than 300, said Melnyk. The current number could be “tripled without endangering Germany’s ability to defend itself”. Melnyk also asked for “another 60 Marder infantry fighting vehicles” to be handed over to the Ukrainian army.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has put another 178 people on a sanctions list who “serve the evil that the Russian state has become”. He announced this in a video message. It’s about those responsible for destroying freedoms and playing a key role in repressions in the occupied territories of Ukraine and in Russia itself. Every “accomplice of the Russian dictatorship” will be held accountable, he promised.

At the same time Zelenskyi pointed to successes in the war against Russia. Once again, 95 Ukrainian fighters were released from Russian captivity through negotiations. He also praised the offensive actions of the Ukrainian armed forces against the Russian occupiers.

After the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, the Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is pushing for wider access to the area surrounding the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The water level of the dam was stable for about a day at the weekend, explained IAEA boss Rafael Grossi. “However, at other points in the huge reservoir, the level continues to drop, resulting in a possible difference of around two meters.”

The height of the water level is an important parameter for the continued functionality of the water pumps. According to the IAEA, the water from the reservoir is used to cool the plant’s six reactors and to store spent fuel elements.

A lifeboat was shot at while evacuating civilians from the flooded area near Cherson. There were at least three dead. Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners again.