live Ukraine war
“We are facing the biggest crisis the country has ever had”
With very clear words, Employer President Rainer Dulger is worried about prosperity in Germany. In the event of a gas supply stop, in particular, this will initially be lost, he fears – and demands: “We have to be honest”. More in the live ticker.
AEmployer President Rainer Dulger is very concerned about the German economy. “It looks as if Russia is severely running out of gas or isn’t supplying anything at all in the long run,” Dulger said.Süddeutsche Zeitung” (Thursday). “We are facing the biggest crisis the country has ever had.” A gas supply stop would pose serious problems for the German economy. This is not limited to industry, but affects everyone. “We have to be honest and say: We’re going to lose the prosperity that we’ve had for years,” said Dulger.
Since Monday, Russia has stopped supplying gas through the important Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline due to maintenance work. The work is expected to last until July 21. It is unclear whether gas will flow again afterwards.
All developments in the live ticker:
07:20 – Russian-installed administration in Mariupol: Water supply restored in July
In the southern Ukrainian port of Mariupol, which is occupied by Russian troops, the water supply is expected to function again this month. According to the TASS news agency, Mayor Konstantin Ivashenko, appointed by Russia, announced this. Authorities also plan to reopen the city’s passenger port, which connects to Rostov-on-Don and other Russian cities, Ivashenko said. Ukraine does not recognize his appointment as mayor.
06:13 – Kremlin wants to mobilize around 35,000 volunteers from all over Russia
Noisy several Russian reports The Kremlin is apparently trying to recruit so-called volunteer battalions from all 85 regions of Russia (including Sevastopol in Crimea). Accordingly, each Russian region should put together at least one such battalion – regardless of already registered army reservists. Volunteers should receive between 4,000 and 6,000 euros a month as wages for this. This mobilization could add around 35,000 more fighters to the Russian armed forces in Ukraine by the end of August.
21:56 – Fighting on the outskirts of Soledar in eastern Ukraine
In the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, the separatists, supported by the Russian army, have claimed territory in the small town of Soledar. Separatist representative Vitaly Kiselev spoke to the Russian state-run TASS on Wednesday about “good news”. Russian troops entered the city limits of Soledar and forced the Ukrainian army to retreat. Kiselyov said he was expecting a conquest within the next two days.
The small town’s chief of military administration, Serhiy Hoshko, has contradicted the account. “There was an attempt by the Russian army to enter Yakovlivka, which Ukrainian soldiers successfully repelled,” he told Ukrainian public television. Three houses were destroyed in the village northeast of Soledar. Four houses were also destroyed in the nearby village of Bachmutske, southeast of Soledar. Rosdoliwka to the north had also been shelled.
The General Staff report in Kyiv also mentioned fighting for Yakovlivka. Accordingly, the Russian attacks there have been fended off. About half of the 10,000 residents who once lived in Soledar are said to be still holding out.
9:35 p.m. – Czech Republic: EU prepares 7th package of sanctions against Moscow
According to Czech information, the European Union (EU) is currently preparing a seventh package of sanctions against Moscow. However, it is already clear that there will be no embargo on Russian gas because too many member countries cannot switch their supplies quickly enough, says Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. On the other hand, a gold embargo should be included. The EU Commission should present the measures in the coming days.
9:19 p.m. – Kyiv wants US longer-range missiles for artillery
In the war against Russia, Ukraine is hoping for longer-range missiles from the United States. “At all levels, our state is holding talks with US officials about providing longer-range missiles for the HIMARS missile launchers,” Fedir Venislavsky, a member of the parliament’s Defense Committee, told Ukrainian television on Wednesday. The army currently only has projectiles with a range of around 70 kilometers for this type of rocket launcher. However, there are also missiles for targets a good 300 and 500 kilometers away.
In the past few days, the Ukrainian military had allegedly successfully attacked more than a dozen objects in what are believed to be HIMARS rocket launchers in the rear of the Russian troops, some of which were far away. Kyiv also deploys the less precise Soviet-made Tochka-U missiles at ranges of up to 120 kilometers.
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