MAccording to local authorities, several cities in southern Ukraine were fired at by Russian troops with artillery and rockets on Sunday night. A civil infrastructure building in Zaporizhia was destroyed, an employee of the city council said without further details. A person had been killed. Neighboring buildings were also damaged. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army was hit in Zaporizhia.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, shells from barrel artillery and multiple rocket launchers hit the city of Nikopol and the towns of Myrove and Marhanets. A nine-year-old girl was injured in Myrowe, the chairman of the regional parliament, Mykola Lukaschuk, wrote on Telegram.
The places hit are on the northern bank of the Dnipro River. Russian troops have occupied the south bank and can shoot from there, among other things, from the protection of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
All developments in the live ticker:
2:50 p.m. – Steinmeier – Ukraine decides on possible negotiations
In the opinion of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Ukraine must have a free hand in deciding on the ceasefire negotiations. One cannot decide instead of Ukraine, Steinmeier confirms in the “Report from Berlin” of the ARD according to the interview text that was distributed in advance. “Ukraine has to say when it wants such negotiations and thinks they are promising.”
According to the Washington Post, the United States has asked Ukraine behind the scenes to signal an openness to negotiations with Russia. This is not intended to force Ukraine to the negotiating table, but to secure continued support from other countries.
12:26 p.m. – Russia reports damage to the Kakhovka Dam in Kherson
According to Russian sources, the Kakhovka dam in the Cherson region in southern Ukraine, which is occupied by Moscow, was damaged in a Ukrainian attack. At 10 a.m. (9 a.m. CET) there was an attack with “six Himars missiles”, Russian news agencies quoted local rescue services as saying. A rocket hit a lock on the Kachowka dam, it said.
The dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station is located on the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, which is currently controlled by Russian troops and annexed by Moscow.
Ukraine had accused Russia of wanting to destroy the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. Accordingly, Russian forces mined the dam to stop a Ukrainian counter-offensive in Cherson with a tidal wave.
10:07 a.m. – London: The Russian leadership wants to distract from its own failure
According to British intelligence experts, Russia is trying to shift the responsibility for the poor performance of its invading troops in Ukraine onto commanders. Reports about the renewed replacement of a high-ranking Russian officer speak for this. “If confirmed, this joins a series of sackings of top Russian commanders since the invasion began in February 2022,” said the UK Defense Ministry’s daily Ukraine War Intelligence Update. “This may be partly an attempt to shield Russian leaders at home and deflect blame,” the statement continued.
The British Ministry of Defense has published daily information on the course of the war since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The government wants to counter the Russian portrayal and keep allies in line. Moscow accuses London of a disinformation campaign.
8:28 a.m. – Klitschko does not rule out a blackout in Kyiv
Due to the damage to the energy system, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko does not rule out a collapse in the electricity, heat and water supply in the Ukrainian capital. The citizens should stock up for such a case and also consider temporarily staying outside of the city. Klitschko said so on Saturday night on Ukrainian television.
This is the worst possible scenario. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure it doesn’t come to that,” he said. “But we want to be frank: Our enemies are doing everything to ensure that this city is without heating, without electricity, without water supply – in general: that we all die.”
About three million people are currently living in Kyiv, including 350,000 internally displaced persons from other parts of Ukraine, Klitschko said. If the district heating system collapses, the city is preparing to set up 1,000 warming rooms. The ex-boxing world champion accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of wanting to destroy the Ukrainians as a people. “Putin doesn’t need us Ukrainians. He needs the territory, needs a Ukraine without us.”
06:35 a.m. – Alice Schwarzer does not see herself as a Putin understander
Alice Schwarzer has denied the accusation that she understands Putin. “At least if it is meant in the sense that I would betray the cause of the Ukrainians,” said the women’s rights activist to the dpa news agency. However, if that means trying to understand Russian President Vladimir Putin’s motives, “then it’s actually true.” “You always have to try to understand the motives of your opponents. Otherwise you cannot defend yourself effectively. It can’t be just banging away.”
At the end of April, Schwarzer initiated an open letter from 28 celebrities to Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In it, they appealed to the SPD politician not to deliver more heavy weapons to Ukraine. The letter has now been signed by almost half a million people, said Schwarzer. “I consider the letter to be an important initiative because it closes the really dramatic contrast between the published opinion in the German media and the opinion of the people as reflected in surveys.”
The situation has only escalated since the letter was published. It is imperative that the US government now launch a diplomatic initiative to achieve a ceasefire with Russia. The only solution is a compromise: “That the eastern areas remain with Ukraine, but have relative autonomy – as decided in the Kiev Agreement in 2015, but unfortunately was not complied with.”
She doesn’t understand the argument that Putin has to be defeated, otherwise he might feel vindicated and might attack the Baltic States next. “He learned his lesson a long time ago,” said Schwarzer. “The West has reacted much harder and more united than it obviously expected. He totally miscalculated it. Now he has to get out of it somehow, and the West has to offer serious negotiations. Not to do Putin a favor, but to protect us – especially the people of Ukraine.”
4:15 a.m. – Strack-Zimmermann wants to check Swiss ammunition deliveries
The chair of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, calls for a review of the supply chains because of the Swiss veto on the delivery of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine. Germany can no longer make itself dependent – as in the case of Swiss ammunition for the anti-aircraft gun tank Gepard – said the FDP politician to the German Press Agency in Berlin. She also pointed out that ammunition purchases of 20 billion euros or more would be necessary in the coming years. Switzerland had blocked the transfer of cheetah ammunition for the second time on Thursday and referred to its own neutrality “in the relationship between Russia and Ukraine”.
“Of course we have, even if it is difficult to accept as friendly neighbors, if Switzerland, due to its neutrality status, does not want to pass on ammunition that is used in crisis areas,” said Strack-Zimmermann. For the defense politician, however, security policy issues are pressing. “What actually happens if Germany or one of the NATO countries is attacked and the ammunition manufactured in Switzerland is not delivered due to this “neutrality”?”
Strack-Zimmermann pointed out that the Bundeswehr also obtains ammunition from Switzerland for its Mantis anti-aircraft weapon system, ammunition for the main armament of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle and for the Tornado and Eurofighter combat aircraft. “In terms of security policy, the world has changed since February 24, and Germany must immediately check the relevant delivery routes when ordering ammunition, and change or adjust them if necessary,” she said, referring to the day of the Russian attack on Ukraine. She demanded: “Reliability in this situation is essential.”
1:02 am – Ukraine Ambassador stresses importance of nuclear warnings to Putin
The new Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, has stressed the importance of warnings to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin about the use of nuclear weapons. “Putin needs to be told further that the use of nuclear weapons is not an option,” Makeiev told the Funke media group newspapers. “The answer from the whole world would be very clear – and force Putin to withdraw,” he surmised.
Despite the threatening gestures, one must approach Russia “from a position of strength,” Makeiev warned. “Otherwise Moscow will go further and further. After annexing Crimea, Germany was also afraid to provoke Russia. Ukraine was left alone. We see the result now.”
During Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s controversial visit to Beijing, Chinese head of state Xi Jinping echoed Western warnings of a nuclear escalation in the Ukraine war. “The use of nuclear weapons or the threat of using them must be rejected,” Xi said. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, Beijing has mostly backed its strategic partner Russia and blamed the United States and NATO for the conflict.
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