2:35 p.m .: Green boss – use frozen Russian assets as leverage
The Greens advocate using Russian assets frozen in the European Union (EU) as leverage to hold Russia accountable for the massive demolitions in Ukraine. “We have currently frozen 17 billion euros in the private assets of Russian oligarchs in the EU, and there are 300 billion frozen Russian foreign exchange reserves,” said Green Party leader Omid Nouripour in Berlin. “We believe that this has to be a bargaining chip to get the Russian side to pay for these crimes and for the massive destruction they are causing.”
2:29 p.m .: Russia wants to talk to India about new energy projects
Russia wants to talk to India about future energy projects in the Arctic and in its own Far East. According to the Russian government, this will be one of the most important topics of discussion at the foreign ministers’ meeting of both sides on Tuesday in Moscow. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will also discuss a range of other issues with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, ranging from trade, investment to the use of national currencies in mutual settlements. Russia is trying to expand relations with large emerging countries such as India, to absorb the consequences of western sanctions because of the Ukraine war.
2:22 p.m .: Ukraine receives further air defense systems from Norway, Spain and the USA
According to Ukraine, it has received additional air defense systems from Western countries. The Nasam and Aspide air defense systems would “significantly strengthen the Ukrainian army and make our airspace safer,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told online networks on Monday. He thanked “our partners – Norway, Spain and the USA”.
2:02 p.m .: Russia denies reports of high losses in eastern Ukraine
The Russian Defense Ministry, in a rare and unusual move, has denied reports by Russian military bloggers that a marine infantry unit has reportedly lost hundreds of soldiers in an unsuccessful offensive in eastern Ukraine. The state news agency RIA quoted the ministry as saying that the bloggers’ claims that the 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet had suffered “heavy, senseless losses of people and materiel” are not correct. Rather, within ten days, the unit had penetrated five kilometers deep into Ukrainian defense lines southwest of Donetsk. The ministry also denied allegations that the brigade commanders had proved incompetent. Thanks to the commanders, the losses amounted to no more than one percent of the combat strength and seven percent wounded, a large part of which had already returned to service. The rare mention of casualties suggests the reports may have hit a sore spot. Russian military bloggers have increasingly criticized the generals’ oversights since Ukraine retook large parts of the north-east.
1:59 p.m .: Putin confidant Prigozhin admits “interference” in US elections
The Russian businessman and Kremlin confidante Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted “meddling” in US elections. “We got involved, we are doing it and we will continue to do it,” Prigozhin was quoted as saying in the online network of his company Concord. The statement came a day before midterm congressional elections in the United States, which have accused Moscow of electoral interference for years and have imposed sanctions on Prigozhin.
1:33 p.m .: Federal government welcomes deletion of disinformation list
The German government welcomes the fact that the Ukrainian government has removed from the Internet a list of people allegedly spreading disinformation about the Russian attack on the country. “The federal government is very pleased that this list no longer exists,” says government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann. SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich was also on the list. This in turn triggered a debate because he complained that he was on a “terrorist list”.
1:27 p.m .: Human rights activists warn of famine in Ukraine
Human rights activists warn that many Ukrainians are starving to death as Russia continues to launch rocket attacks on infrastructure. “Once temperatures drop below zero, many people will die if help is not forthcoming,” said the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR).
1:02 p.m .: Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking power lines
The Russian-appointed deputy governor of the Ukrainian region of Kherson has accused Ukraine of terrorist attacks on the city’s energy supply. Three power lines were destroyed. The water supply was also out. The authorities are in the process of restoring parts of the power supply in the regional capital of Kherson. Russian state media reported Ukrainian attacks damaged the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station on the Dnipro. The Ukrainian government has not commented on these allegations.
12:41 p.m .: Ukraine exported a third less grain
Because of the war, Ukraine has so far exported almost a third less grain in the 2022/23 delivery season. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the export volume fell within a year by 30.7 percent to around 14.3 million tons from 20.6 million tons at this point in the previous season. According to this, in the season running from July 2022 to June 2023, 5.4 million tons of wheat, 7.7 million tons of corn and 1.2 million tons of barley have been exported so far. The government expects Ukraine to harvest 50-52 million tons of grain this year. Last year there was a record value of 86 million tons.
12.35 p.m .: Federal government: Ukraine decides on talks with Russia
According to the German government, only Ukraine can decide when it wants to conduct peace negotiations with Russia. According to a government spokeswoman in Berlin, it is solely up to the leadership in Kyiv to decide when and under what conditions they consider the time appropriate. She is responding to media reports that the US government is urging Ukraine to start talks with Moscow.
12:32 p.m .: Russian unit is said to have lost 300 soldiers in four days
A unit of Russian marines is said to have lost 300 men in fighting in the Donetsk region within four days. This emerges from a letter of complaint from members of the 155th Marine Brigade of the Russian Pacific Fleet, which was reported by the independent portal “The Insider”. The Telegram channel “Grey Zone”, which is said to have connections to the Wagner mercenary group, published the letter addressed to the governor of Primorsky Krai Oleg Koshemyako. The soldiers were dead, wounded or missing, it said.
Koshemjako admitted heavy fighting and casualties in the 155th Brigade. However, these are “not nearly as high” as stated, he said in a video message published on his official Telegram channel. The commanders at the front would have assured him of that. The military prosecutor’s office had been called in to investigate the matter.
11.41 a.m .: Attack on refugee accommodation in Thuringia
Unknown people attacked a refugee shelter in Sülzhayn, Thuringia. A window pane was smashed, said the Nordhausen State Police Inspectorate. In addition, the perpetrators smeared the facade of the building with anti-constitutional symbols. According to the information, Ukrainian war refugees are housed in the facility. The on-site security guard immediately informed the police. Immediately after the fact became known, extensive search measures were initiated. The search for the perpetrators, who, according to eyewitnesses, fled the scene of the crime in a vehicle, continues.
11.36 a.m .: Rocket fire in Zaporizhia makes relief operations more difficult
In the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia, heavy rocket fire is currently affecting the relief efforts of the Albertine Brothers and other church institutions. The superior general of the congregation, which originated in Poland, announced that there had been several heavy detonations in the immediate vicinity of the order’s facilities. The Albertine Brothers run a soup kitchen, a bakery and a shelter for the homeless in Zaporizhia.
10:55 a.m .: The Kremlin does not comment on the report on talks with the USA
The Kremlin declined to comment on a Wall Street Journal report that US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held behind-the-scenes talks with top Russian officials about avoiding a further escalation in the war with Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov only explains that Russia remains open to talks. However, negotiations cannot be negotiated with the Ukrainian government because Kyiv refuses to hold talks with Moscow.