RAccording to British information, Russia is no longer able to keep up in the production of ammunition because of its actions in the war of aggression against Ukraine. “Russia’s defense industry is unlikely to be able to produce advanced munitions at the rate it is being used,” Britain’s Defense Ministry said in its Ukraine war intelligence update on Sunday.
The more than 80 rocket attacks on several Ukrainian cities earlier in the week meant a further deterioration in Russia’s long-range missile inventory, the British said. This is likely to limit Russia’s ability to hit that number of targets again in the future.
Around seven and a half months after the war began, Russia fired more than 80 rockets at Ukraine on Monday, including at the capital Kyiv. Around 20 people were killed and more than 100 injured. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Friday that attacks on missed targets would be “rescheduled”. At the same time, he emphasized that no further large-scale attacks are currently planned.
The current developments in the live ticker:
10:46 a.m. – Ukraine’s nuclear chief sees the situation in Zaporizhia deteriorating further
In the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian troops, the situation is getting worse every week, according to the head of the Ukrainian nuclear authorities. Among other things, the occupiers damaged the administration building, a training center and a block of the nuclear power plant, Petro Kotin told ZDF. They were storing equipment and trucks, creating a major fire hazard. “No one knows what’s in those trucks.”
At the same time, employees are under a lot of pressure. “Right now they are trying to pressure the staff to sign labor contracts with Russia,” Kotin said. “The staff has the choice of either signing this contract or being beaten or tortured.” About 100 people were arrested, and it was not known what happened to the others. People are forbidden to leave the area.
Artillery shells have repeatedly fallen on the terrain in and around the power plant, with both sides blaming each other for the shelling. In shuttle diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is attempting to set up a security zone around the nuclear power plant without fighting.
According to Kotin, a possible reactor accident is still close. “We’ve been in close proximity to this reactor accident three times,” Kotin said. This is because the nuclear power plant is dependent on the power supply. If the cooling is stopped, a kind of melting occurs. In the past few days, the plant’s own generators had had to step in twice because both the last remaining main line from the outside and the reserve line failed. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Friday that the nuclear power plant had been reconnected to a backup power line.
10:45 a.m. – The current situation in Ukraine
The current situation in Ukraine
Source: Infographic WORLD
08:30 – Attack on administration building in Donetsk
Russian-led separatists in eastern Ukraine have reported shelling of the city of Donetsk by the Ukrainian army. An administration building was severely damaged, Mayor Alexei Kulemsin said, according to the state news agency Tass. Among other things, windows shattered and cars caught fire, it said. “Miraculously, no one died,” Kulemsin was quoted as saying. The information could not be independently confirmed. The industrial city of Donetsk has been under the control of pro-Russian separatists since 2014.
Moscow-backed forces on Sunday blamed the Ukrainian army for 40 attacks on targets in the Russian-recognized “Donetsk People’s Republic” within 24 hours. One civilian was killed and four others injured.
06:00 – Eleven recruits dead – Moscow condemns ‘terrorist attack’ on military training ground
According to Russian sources, at least 11 volunteers fighting in Ukraine were killed and 15 others injured in an attack on a military base near the border with Ukraine. “Two citizens of a CIS country” carried out “a terrorist attack” on the training ground in the Belgorod region on Saturday, the Defense Ministry said in Moscow.
The perpetrators opened fire on the unit with automatic weapons during target practice by “volunteers for military special operations” in Ukraine, it said. The “terrorists” were shot. The ministry did not provide any further information on the identity of the attackers. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is an association of former Soviet republics.
Some independent Russian media reported that the actual number of victims was higher than the officially reported one. No civilians were killed, the governor of the Belgorod region said in a video on Telegram. According to the independent Russian news site Sota Vision, the attack took place in the small town of Zoloti, near the Ukrainian border and about 100 kilometers from Belgorod.
In the Belgorod border region, the situation has been tense for days. The authorities report Ukrainian attacks almost every day. According to the governor, a fuel depot near the regional capital of the same name, Belgorod, was shot at on Saturday. On Friday, after an attack on a power station, the power went out temporarily.
2:30 a.m. – Zelenskyy: The situation in Bakhmut is the most difficult
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, fighting in the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk on the border with Russia is particularly fierce at the moment. As he explained in his evening video address, the situation in the regions mentioned remains difficult. “The situation in the direction of Bachmut is most difficult. We are holding our positions,” said Zelenskyj. Russian forces have repeatedly tried to capture Bakhmut. Kyiv said on Friday that it expects the US and Germany to deliver advanced anti-aircraft systems later this month.
1:01 am – Musk wants to continue funding satellite internet for Ukraine after all
According to Elon Musk, he now wants to continue to cover the costs of operating his satellite Internet service Starlink for Ukraine. Musk said on Twitter on Saturday evening (local time): “To hell with it… Although Starlink is still losing money and other companies are receiving billions in taxpayers’ money, we will continue to support the Ukrainian government for free.” The entrepreneur initially said on Thursday, that SpaceX could not finance Starlink in Ukraine indefinitely and, according to US broadcaster CNN, asked the US Department of Defense to step in.
The tech billionaire had activated its satellite internet service in Ukraine since the start of the war and also supplied receiving equipment. Since then, Starlink has served as a central means of communication for the Ukrainian military and civilians, especially in areas with badly damaged infrastructure, by enabling access to mobile communications and the Internet.
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