Russian invasion
War against Ukraine: That’s the situation
Two firefighters clear debris after a Russian missile attack on a school in Kharkiv. Photo: Ukraine War Site
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The pressure on Russia is not enough, says Volodymyr Zelenskyj. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin sees his war as planned – but experts suspect high losses. The developments at a glance.
Despite Western arms deliveries, the situation of Ukrainian troops in the heavily contested areas in the east of the country remains extremely difficult, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“We are doing everything we can to equip our military with modern artillery systems and to respond appropriately to the occupiers,” said Zelenskyj in his daily video speech on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin threatened countermeasures after Finland and Sweden joined NATO – and again claimed that the Russian “special operation” in Ukraine was going according to plan.
Zelenskyj: The pressure that has been put on Russia so far is not enough
The Russian military is relying on massive artillery fire in the Donbass industrial area to weaken Ukrainian positions. Ukrainian artillery is outnumbered despite some modern guns arriving from the west. Fighting is currently going on for the city of Lysychansk, and Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from neighboring Sievjerodonetsk.
The previous pressure on Russia is not enough, said Zelenskyj, pointing out that ten Russian rockets were fired at the Ukrainian city of Mikolajiv on Wednesday alone. “And all were aimed at civilian targets,” he said.
Russia’s military withdraw troops from Snake Island
According to their own account, Russian troops are voluntarily withdrawing from the previously conquered Snake Island in the Black Sea during the war in Ukraine. With this, Russia wants to show that it does not hinder the export of grain and agricultural products from Ukraine, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in Moscow on Thursday. “On June 30, as a show of goodwill, Russian forces completed their assigned tasks on Snake Island.” Previously, Ukraine had reported an attack on the island.
After the Russian invasion at the end of February, the island not far from the Danube Delta was conquered by the Russian Navy on the second day of the war. Since then, Ukrainian forces have launched repeated drone and aircraft attacks and sank the cruiser Moskva (Moscow) with missiles.
Ukrainians and Russians exchange almost 300 prisoners
According to their own statements, the Ukrainian army and the Russian side exchanged a total of almost 300 prisoners. 144 people returned to Ukraine, said Zelenskyy. The oldest is 65 years old and the youngest 19. Among the released Ukrainian soldiers are 95 fighters who, until a few weeks ago, were defending the hard-fought Azovstal steelworks in the port city of Mariupol, which has since been conquered by the Russians.
According to Ukrainian sources, it was the largest exchange of prisoners since the beginning of the war. The separatist leader Denis Puschilin, on the other hand, spoke of 144 pro-Russian and Russian fighters who had been released from Ukrainian captivity.
Putin: “Special operation” in Ukraine is going according to plan
More than four months after Russia’s war of aggression began, Putin again claimed that hostilities were going according to plan. “The work is quiet, rhythmic, the troops are moving and reaching the lines that were given to them as milestones,” he told journalists in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat. “Everything is going as planned.” The war is officially referred to by Russia as a “special operation”.
On February 24, Russian troops invaded Ukraine from several directions. Having failed to reach the capital, Kyiv, they are concentrating on the Donbass industrial area in eastern Ukraine. According to Western experts, the Russian military is advancing, but is suffering high casualties and is using up its artillery ammunition at a rapid pace.
Amnesty: Attack on theater was a war crime
Amnesty International has classified the air strike on the Mariupol theater in March as a war crime by Russian forces. The human rights organization collected evidence for a good three months and has now presented a report on it.
“The attack on the theater in Mariupol is a war crime by Russian troops,” said Julia Duchrow of Amnesty International Germany. Most likely, two 500-kilo bombs were dropped. Residents of the embattled Ukrainian port city had sought shelter in the theater.
Governor: 40 tons of grain destroyed in attack
According to the authorities, large quantities of grain were destroyed in an attack in eastern Ukraine. A fire broke out in the affected warehouse in the city of Zelenodolsk, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Valentyn Resnichenko, wrote on Thursday in the Telegram news service. 40 tons of grain were destroyed. The governor blamed Russia for this. Information from the war zone can only be verified with difficulty or not at all independently.
Along with Russia, the Ukraine is the most important supplier of grain and fertilizers for a number of poor countries, especially in Africa. However, because Russia is blocking Ukrainian ports, a lot of grain cannot be exported. In some areas of the world there is therefore a risk of the hunger crisis escalating further.
That will be important on Thursday
The war in eastern Ukraine, where fighting for the city of Lysychansk is continuing, will remain a central topic.
At the end of its summit in Madrid, NATO will deal, among other things, with the food crisis triggered by Russia’s war and the influence of Russia and China on countries in Africa.
Oil cartel Opec+ meets to set production strategy for August at online conference. The more than 20 countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia are expected to keep turning on the oil tap.