Location overview
Selenskyj relies on drones, Lukashenko on German hostage
Authoritarian Belarus is the last country in Europe to still carry out the death penalty. Photo
© Alexander Kazakov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/dpa
Belarus’ ruler Lukashenko is visiting Russia – and on Belarusian television a German is asking for mercy and exchange. A gift from Lukashenko to the Kremlin chief?
The German government is doing nothing to save him, the man said. According to the authorities in Minsk, he had been convicted of terrorism on behalf of the Ukrainian secret service, among other things. “I plead guilty, definitely,” he said. Some of the German statements could be heard clearly between the Russian translation.
Authoritarian Belarus is the last country in Europe to still carry out the death penalty, namely by shooting someone in the back of the neck. The Foreign Office in Berlin has stated that the case is known. The man is receiving consular assistance. The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane form of punishment that Germany rejects under all circumstances, it said. However, the office did not comment on a negotiation offer made by Minsk.
Is Minsk interested in prisoner exchange?
Only his own family is still fighting for his life, and no one from the official side is standing up for him, the man said in the video. “I’m still alive, there’s still time to negotiate, it’s not too late,” he pleaded. “The government should fight for me.” In the video, which was obviously launched by the Belarusian leadership, the convicted man tearfully asked to be able to see his daughter, his girlfriend and his father again.
The Foreign Ministry in Minsk announced that it had made proposals to Berlin to resolve the situation. No details were provided.
There has been speculation that Belarus, an ally of Russia, might be interested in a prisoner exchange. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is interested in bringing back a Russian who was convicted in Germany of a murder in Berlin’s Kleiner Tiergarten on behalf of Russian authorities. Putin received Lukashenko on the monastery island of Valaam in Lake Ladoga near St. Petersburg.
Selenskyj praises own arms industry
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the progress made in the country’s defense industry. “It is very important that foreign funds are finally really and visibly working in defense production, and that is our great achievement,” said Zelensky in his daily video address. The sector is no longer only being supported by state investments, but is also attracting funds from partners. He cited the construction of missiles and long-range drones as examples.
Ukraine is preparing steps to extend the range of drones. Most recently, Ukrainian drones struck the Russian republic of Tatarstan, among other places. Tatarstan is about 1,000 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
Ukraine: Border guards prevent escape of more than 20 men
But despite individual successes by Ukraine with drones, the country is still under pressure at the front. The need for new recruits is high, but many young Ukrainians are trying to evade this: the Ukrainian border guards have now prevented more than two dozen men liable for military service from fleeing abroad. According to reports from the border guards, eleven men were picked up in the Vinnytsia region and another 15 in the Odessa region on the border with the Republic of Moldova. Some of the men were reportedly trying to get to the Transnistria region, which is controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
Russian tank runs over car in border region
Some Russian soldiers are apparently lacking discipline: According to media reports, a tank ran over a car in the Russian border region of Belgorod. According to information from the regional Internet portal “Pepel”, the driver of the car died at the scene of the accident. The tank apparently ignored the right of way at an intersection. According to the photos, it drove about 100 meters after the accident before stopping. “According to eyewitnesses, the tank crew was in an insane state and was… laughing,” it said. It remained unclear whether the soldiers were sober.
Russia has been waging a war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine for over two years. There are repeated reports of marauding Russian soldiers in the neighboring country.
According to the Russian government’s proposal, soldiers in war zones should be allowed to temporarily keep their driving licenses even after accidents or drunk driving. However, this lax attitude has also led to fatal incidents in their own country. At the beginning of July, drunk soldiers in the Belgorod region flattened a car and its driver. They then tried to flee. Criminal proceedings have now been initiated against the tank driver.
Speech by Zelensky (Ukr)