Triple summit of Selenskyj, Guterres and Erdogan in Lviv. The Turkish President believes in an end to the war at the “negotiating table”. Meanwhile, Russia is said to be moving Kinzhal missiles to Kaliningrad. The news at a glance.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an end to the war at a meeting with the Presidents of Ukraine and Turkey, Volodymyr Zelenskyj and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Lviv. After the summit in the western part of the country invaded by Russia, the UN Secretary General said that the diplomatic success achieved with the grain agreement in July was “only the beginning” of a positive dynamic.
“People need peace,” Guterres said, according to the United Nations. The war brought countless deaths, massive destruction and displacement as well as dramatic violations of human rights.
Erdogan continues to rely on a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine. “I continue to believe that the war will eventually end at the negotiating table. In fact, Mr. Zelenskyj and Mr. Guterres also see it that way,” Erdogan said, according to the Turkish presidential palace. According to Erdogan, the results of the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin will be evaluated.
The meeting in Lviv is an opportunity for the United Nations and Turkey to sound out a negotiated solution with Ukraine almost six months after the Russian attack on Ukraine. UN circles believe that talks between the warring parties about a ceasefire are only possible if Russia and Ukraine can no longer gain ground and refrain from the goal of victory. However, the Ukraine wants to reconquer lost territories, also in order not to leave compatriots at the mercy of the Russian occupiers.
Russia is reportedly moving Kinzhal missiles to Kaliningrad
As a threatening gesture against the West, Russia says it has deployed fighter jets with the new hypersonic missiles Kinschal (Dagger) to its Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad. Three MiG-31 interceptors with the air-to-surface missiles were stationed at the Chkalovsk air base as an “additional measure for strategic deterrence”. This was announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow, according to the Interfax agency. Kaliningrad lies between the EU countries Poland and Lithuania around 500 kilometers from Berlin, but more than 1000 kilometers from Moscow.
According to Russian data, the cruise missiles Kinzhal fly up to ten times faster than sound, are still steerable and have a range of 2,000 kilometers. They can be equipped conventionally or nuclear. It is one of several cutting-edge weapons systems that President Vladimir Putin is particularly proud of. In March, Russia said it fired a Kinzhal missile at a military target in western Ukraine.
At least 13 dead after Russian missile strikes
According to official information, at least eleven people were killed in massive Russian rocket attacks on the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine on Thursday night. The Ukrainian military governor Oleh Synyehubov said in a telegram that these were exclusively civilians. Another 35 people were injured. There were also attacks in the city of Krasnohrad, around 80 kilometers to the south-west. According to the authorities, two people were killed and two others injured. The information could not initially be verified independently.
According to the authorities, at least three civilians were killed and another six injured in towns in the neighboring region of Donetsk, which are under Ukraine’s control. The pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk region also report deaths and injuries from rocket attacks on an almost daily basis.
The United Nations has registered more than 5,500 civilian deaths in the war, but assumes the number of victims to be far higher.
Guterres announces reconnaissance mission to bombed prison
After the attack on a camp with Ukrainian prisoners of war at the end of July, Guterres announced a reconnaissance mission. Brazilian General Carlos dos Santos Cruz is said to be in charge of the operation. “We will now continue to work to obtain the necessary assurances to ensure safe access to the site and all other relevant locations,” Guterres said.
After the death of around 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Olenivka prison near Donetsk at the end of July, Ukraine had requested access by independent international experts in order to clarify the case. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of being responsible for the deaths of the prisoners.
Russia reports new shots at Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
The tug-of-war over an expert visit to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant continues between the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Russia and Ukraine. Moscow diplomats said Russia supported the visit. However, the Russian side assumes that the IAEA experts will travel to Ukraine via Russia and Russian-controlled territory. A trip via Kyiv is too dangerous.
For reasons of international law, the IAEA and its director Rafael Grossi value the journey via Kyiv. They are supported in this by more than 40 western countries. The situation in Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian troops, has been worrying the international community for weeks. Projectiles kept falling on the power plant site, with the two warring factions blaming each other for the shelling. The Russian occupation administration reported twice about alleged Ukrainian shelling of the nuclear power plant.
Meanwhile, Russia has rejected United Nations proposals to demilitarize the zone around the occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. That is unacceptable because it makes the facility even more vulnerable to attacks, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said in Moscow. UN Secretary-General António Guterres continued to insist on the withdrawal of all troops. “The area needs to be demilitarized,” Guterres said.
The facility should not be used for military operations, Guterres said. “Instead, an agreement is urgently needed to restore Zaporozhye as a purely civilian infrastructure and to ensure the security of the area.” Any possible damage to the nuclear power plant is “suicide”.
The power apparatus in Moscow had repeatedly stated that the IAEA could convince itself that Russia was only responsible for the safety of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Most recently, the United Nations had rejected allegations by Moscow that the UN had prevented an IAEA mission.
London: Russians do not adequately protect tanks
According to British intelligence services, Russia has problems protecting its main battle tanks. The severe damage to many Russian vehicles in Ukraine is most likely related to the fact that the tanks are not well enough protected with so-called reactive armor, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defense in London on Thursday. According to the information, such protective covers can protect tanks from damage in the event of a fire.
The secret services therefore assume that many Russian troops are not sufficiently trained in handling such protective covers. That’s why they aren’t attached to the tanks at all – or at least not in such a way that they could deter explosive projectiles. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine at the end of February, the British government has regularly published intelligence information on its progress. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.
Estonia restricts entry for Russian citizens
Meanwhile, Estonia is trying to put more pressure on Russia. As of this Thursday, Russian citizens are no longer allowed to enter the Baltic EU and NATO country with a Schengen visa issued by Estonia.
In response to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, Estonia had already largely suspended issuing visas and residence permits to Russians. With a valid visa, however, it was still possible to enter the Schengen area via the Estonian border by bus or car. This is no longer possible in the future.
Russian citizens with visas issued by other EU members, which apply to the entire Schengen area with its 26 European countries, are also allowed to enter the country. Together with its neighboring countries Finland and Latvia, which also border Russia, Estonia is therefore campaigning for a fundamental ban on tourist visas. Germany and the EU Commission in Brussels reject this.