En the day after the agreement was reached on resuming blocked grain deliveries, the Ukrainian port of Odesa According to Ukrainian reports, it was hit by Russian rockets. “The enemy attacked the port of Odessa with Kalibr cruise missiles. Two missiles hit the infrastructure of the port,” Serhiy Brachuk, a representative of the Odessa region, said online on Saturday.
Two more missiles were shot down by anti-aircraft defenses, Bratschuk added. In doing so, Russian President Vladimir Putin “spit in the face” of the UN and Turkey, according to the Ukrainian side. The UN and Turkey mediated between Kyiv and Moscow.
foreign minister Annalena Bärbock (Greens) has strongly condemned the attack and questioned the credibility of Russian commitments. “The cowardly rocket attacks on the port of Odessa show that the signature of the Russian leadership currently counts for little,” Baerbock told the Reuters news agency on Saturday.
The millions of people around the world who associate Russia with its “Grain War” hit hard, hoped that Russia would keep its own promises and allow the grain to be transported across the Black Sea. “But the attack also shows us that we must continue to work flat out on alternatives,” added the Green politician, alluding to the export of Ukrainian grain via ports in Romania, for example.
Only on Friday did both sides sign an agreement in Istanbul that secured transit routes in the Black Sea for the grain deliveries provides. The regulations reached in weeks of negotiations provide for corridors for grain exports from three Ukrainian ports in the Odessa area. The warring parties agreed not to attack ships on these routes.
The current situation in Ukraine
Source: Infographic WORLD
Among other things, the regulations were intended to allow the export of the estimated 20 to 25 million tons of wheat stuck in Ukrainian silos as a result of the war. Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s largest grain producers. Before the Russian invasion began, they together provided about 30 percent of the world’s traded wheat.
Russian soldiers surrounded in the south
At the battle for the south have Ukrainian armed forces according to their own statements more than 1000 Russian soldiers surrounded. Not far from the settlement Vysokopillja the Russians are in a “tactical encirclement” adviser to President Selenskyj, Oleksiy Arestovych, said on Friday evening. Arestovych’s statements could not be checked independently. There was initially no confirmation from the Russian side.
The Ukrainian army had last several counter-offensives on the Cherson area started, which Russian soldiers had largely brought under their control after the start of the war against the neighboring country that began at the end of February. In Cherson, the population has repeatedly protested against the Russian occupiers in recent months. There were also attacks against pro-Russian administrators installed by Moscow.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s task force, which is responsible for the south, reported that the Russian army mines roads and riverbanks in the region. This indicates that Russia is preparing for a Ukrainian counter-offensive in these areas. At the same time, the authority announced that the Ukrainian army had destroyed five Russian logistics bases and two ammunition depots in the Kherson region.
Selenksyj urgently asks for the delivery of defensive weapons
Germany has repeatedly promised Ukraine weapons for months, which are then only very hesitantly delivered. Now the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urgently for the supply of defensive weapons asked to protect the country’s cities against Russian missile fire.
Such systems are promised by Germany and the USAbut has not yet been delivered, Zelenskyj said in an interview with the “Wall Street Journal” (WSJ). As WORLD ON SUNDAY reported that Ukraine wants to buy eleven Iris-T SLM air defense systems from the German manufacturer Diehl Defence.
Three weeks ago, Kyiv submitted an export application to the federal government for these systems. However, the Chancellery has not yet answered this request or a request for financial support for the purchase of the Iris systems. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had already promised the short-term delivery of at least one iris system at the beginning of June for “the coming weeks”. In the meantime, the federal government is only promising this by the end of the year, as WELT AM SONNTAG learned from Ukrainian government circles. The Iris-T SLM system is considered one of the most modern and expensive air defense systems ever.
Zelenskyi told the “WSJ” that the delivery of air defense systems for the United States and Europe is significantly cheaper than supporting the devastated Ukrainian economy with financial means. His reasoning: So far, more than six million people have fled Ukraine, most of them to Europe. “Why isn’t our economy working? Because the people are abroad, women and children,” Zelenskyj said. “A woman who comes back with her child while her husband is struggling will go to work. But everyone is still afraid to send their children to school because of the missiles.”
At the same time, Zelenskyy said that the Western supply of multiple rocket launchers is currently too small to bring about a turnaround in the war against Russia. On Friday night, the US released additional military aid to Ukraine, including the delivery of four more Himars missile launchers. In total, the package is worth $270 million (265 million euros) and also includes up to 580 Phoenix Ghosts drones and 36,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, according to the US Department of Defense.
The number of Himars rocket launchers sent to Ukraine increases to 20. Ukraine describes the multiple rocket launchers, capable of firing at targets up to 80 kilometers away, as crucial to the war. Drones also play an important role. The Phoenix Ghosts drones are small, portable and detonate at their destination.
While the USA is always sending new deliveries to Ukraine, only comparatively few heavy weapons have actually arrived from Germany so far. This applies to both direct delivery and ring exchange projects in which Eastern European countries are supplied, which in turn hand over arms to Ukraine. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) well she said do not rule out a failure of the armored ring exchange agreed with Poland. “If this path wasn’t right, then we have to reflect on that and see how we can get active elsewhere,” said Baerbock on Friday evening to “Bild”. In wartime situations, you don’t always know what the perfect way is.
In the ring exchange procedure, eastern allies of Ukraine are to provide easy-to-operate Soviet-design tanks. In return, Germany promised the NATO partners modern equipment as a replacement. However, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has repeatedly accused Berlin of not keeping promises.
The minister rejected the Polish government’s allegations of breach of word and deception in the context of the tank ring exchange: “In a situation like this, nobody deceives their European neighbors.” be able to replace every single tank overnight with a snap of your fingers.”
Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) had defended the tank ring exchange against criticism on Thursday. It is very important to the federal government to fill in the gaps; but that cannot happen overnight. In addition to Poland, the federal government has also agreed ring exchange deals with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Greece.
the Ukraine wants the weapons supplied by the West not only to defend positions in eastern Ukraine against Russian attacks – but with it also liberate areas occupied by Russia. Zelenskyy announced about ten days ago that the Ukrainian army would launch a counter-offensive in the south of the country. Russia has occupied around a fifth of Ukraine. This includes a large part of the southern coast, which is vital for Kyiv because it is where the major Ukrainian Black Sea ports are located.
In his interview with the Wall Street Journal, Zelenskyy renewed the announcement that Ukraine would launch counter-offensives. At the same time, he said he would not commit himself to whether these should take place in the south. He fundamentally refused calls to negotiate or to freeze the conflict as it stands. “Russia is a whale that swallowed two regions and is now saying: freeze the conflict,” said Zelenskyy. “Then the whale will take a break and in two years it will go for two more regions. And so it goes on. Until it’s one hundred percent.”