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Habeck accuses Russia of blackmail in the gas crisis – According to Kyiv: Two dead and 19 injured in Russian bombing raid on Kharkiv
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck
© Michael Kappeler / DPA
More multiple rocket launchers from the USA for Ukraine +++ Putin promises reconstruction of Donbass +++ Russian border region accuses Ukraine of deadly shelling +++ The news about Russia’s war in Ukraine in star-Live blog.
The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is entering its 148th day.
The United States has pledged more Himars multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine to support it in the war against Russia. The leadership in Kyiv was grateful, but also urgently demands the delivery of air defense systems. A victory for his country against the Russian attackers would protect all of Europe, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized in his video address on Thursday night.
Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin meanwhile announced the reconstruction of cities in the Donbass that were destroyed in the first place by the war he ordered. Moscow repeatedly presents itself as the protecting power of the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine and justifies the attack on the neighboring country with the alleged protection of the people living there, among other things.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has now confirmed that Russia is actually about much more than the Donbass: As expected, his threat to take other areas was met with great anger in Kyiv.
Day 148 in the Ukraine War
Chapter
Habeck accuses Russia of extortion in the gas crisis
Russian bombing raid in Kharkiv: two dead, 19 injured
CIA: An estimated 15,000 Russians died in Ukraine war
Zelenskyj: Russia uses Ukraine as a test field
Habeck accuses Russia of extortion in the gas crisis
Yannik Schuller
It is a distortion of the facts that the Kremlin presents itself as a guarantor of secure gas supplies, he says in Berlin. In fact, Russia is using its great power to blackmail Europe and Germany.
Despite the restart of gas deliveries from Russia via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, Habeck announced another energy security concept. According to the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, part of this is to increase the gas storage levels again.
This should be increased to 75 percent on September 1st, 85 percent on October 1st and 95 percent on November 1st.
Habeck says it is necessary to save more gas because not only the next winter, but also the one after that could be challenging. After the hard coal power plants, lignite reserves should now also be activated, among other things, in order to save and store gas when generating electricity.
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Yannik Schuller
Britain again supports Ukraine with arms. The Ministry of Defense announced in London that hundreds of drones, anti-tank weapons and artillery pieces would be delivered in the coming weeks.
These include more than 20 M109 self-propelled howitzers and 36 L119 guns, which Ukrainian soldiers are currently being trained on in Great Britain. There is also artillery reconnaissance radar and 50,000 rounds of ammunition for old Soviet-era artillery pieces.
“The scale and breadth of the equipment we are providing demonstrates the strength of our resolve,” Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace said in a statement. Britain is one of the largest arms suppliers to Ukraine.
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Yannik Schuller
In addition, six weapons depots were destroyed and a combat aircraft and a helicopter were shot down. This could not be verified independently.
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Yannik Schuller
It is in the national interest of the European states and in the interest of Europe to help Ukraine. Russia’s head of state Vladimir Putin is now waging a hybrid war against half of Europe. “We have to understand the conflict we are in,” explained Heger, who was a guest of the state group at the deliberations of the members of the Bundestag. In the long term, there will be great benefits if the conflict persists. The unity of the European states is what Putin fears most.
“We in Europe cannot afford to get tired of helping Ukraine “
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Eduard Heger
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Yannik Schuller
All “technical difficulties” with gas deliveries are due to “the restrictions that European countries have introduced themselves.” The sanctions would prevent “repairs to equipment,” particularly “turbines in compressor stations.” Peskov also reiterated President Vladimir Putin’s recent statement that Russia would “fulfill all of its commitments.”
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Russian bombing raid in Kharkiv: two dead, 19 injured
Yannik Schuller
according to Ukrainian data two people killed and 19 others injured been.
As the governor of the region Oleg Synegubov reports in the online service Telegram, four of the injured after the bombardment with multiple rocket launchers are in serious condition. A child is also injured.
Already yesterday were in Ukraine’s second largest city during bombing raids, according to local authorities killed at least three people been. Among the fatalities was a 13-year-old boy who was waiting at a bus stop.
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Yannik Schuller
in the von Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar in south-eastern Ukraine Officials issued Russian passports to residents. Vladimir Putin had previously signed a corresponding decree.
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Yannik Schuller
According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a complete halt to the supply of gas from Russia to the EU is nevertheless likely. “Russia is blackmailing us, Russia is using energy as a weapon,” she says.
The German newspapers take a very similar view. This is how the press commented on the gas crisis:
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Soften rune
The neighboring country already lost most of its sovereignty in 2014 when it came under the “direct control of the collective West,” claims Medvedev, who was president between 2008 and 2012. The 56-year-old is a close confidant of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and has been making threats and harsh statements against the leadership in Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February.
The head of the Russian parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, explicitly criticizes the USA for providing military support to the attacked Ukraine. He accuses US President Joe Biden of wanting to continue the war “to the last Ukrainian” out of his own interests and of preventing a peaceful settlement in the Donbass. “And Ukraine, meanwhile, has lost its sovereignty and is on the brink of self-dissolution”writes Volodin.
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Martin Thiel
The Berlin State Criminal Police Office is calling on witnesses of war crimes in Ukraine to report any information about these crimes to the police. According to the agency, they are particularly looking for witnesses or victims of war crimes such as torture, rape, mistreatment, looting, the killing of civilians and prisoners of war and the use of cluster bombs. You can therefore contact any police station in the capital.
This will receive initial information using a questionnaire, which is also available in Ukrainian, Russian and English, and will pass it on to the responsible authorities.
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Martin Thiel
According to British information, the Russian troops are primarily targeting strategically important targets in the war against Ukraine. “Russia gives priority to capturing critical national infrastructure such as power plants,” the Defense Ministry said, citing intelligence information. “Russian forces are probably approaching Ukraine’s second largest power plant in Wuhlehirsk, 50 kilometers northeast of Donetsk.”
The aim is probably also a breakthrough near Wuhlehirsk in order to get the pincer movement against the strategically important cities of Kramatorsk and Slowjansk going again from the south. Russian forces and separatist troops would continue to attempt small advances along the entire front in Donbass, sources in London said.
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Martin Thiel
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock describes Russia’s justification for possible further territorial gains in Ukraine as propaganda. On Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov threatened to capture more areas in Ukraine, citing Western arms deliveries to the country as the main reason. Baerbock points out that Russia has previously attacked targets outside of the currently occupied territories – such as Kyiv.
“Russia uses a different argument each time. This time they say it’s because of the military support.“
Annalena Bärbock
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Martin Thiel
New EU sanctions on Russia are scheduled to come into force today. The Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States launched the written decision-making process in Brussels on Wednesday. It is considered a formality as the procedure is usually only approved when all EU capitals have cleared their objections.
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