Fighting continues to the east around the city of Lysychansk, but one shopping center away from the frontline has been hit particularly hard. The G7 countries want to put pressure on the Kremlin with further sanctions, and the USA with arms deliveries. The EU continues to fight for its gas supplies.
Fierce fighting continues to rage around the city of Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine, but a shopping center in Kremenchuk, away from the front lines, was hit particularly hard that day. The G7 countries want to continue to put pressure on the Kremlin with further sanctions, and the USA with arms deliveries. The EU adopts specifications for the filling levels of its gas storage facilities. There are some denials from Russia today, but also an important commitment. The 123rd day of the war at a glance:
Lysychansk not yet encircled
According to their own statements, the Ukrainian military is repelling Russian attacks west of Lyssychansk, thus preventing the strategically important city in eastern Ukraine from being surrounded. “Near Verkhnyokamyanka, the defense forces inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and forced them to retreat,” the Ukrainian General Staff said. Verkhnyokamyanka is only a few kilometers west of Lysychansk on the last important supply road for the city. Russian units are already on the southern outskirts of Lysychansk. Several thousand Ukrainian soldiers are said to be stationed in the city. The Ukrainian authorities urged the civilians who remained in the city to leave the city. “The situation in the city is very difficult,” writes the governor of the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, Serhiy Hajday, on Telegram.
Ukraine reports 35,000 dead Russian soldiers
The Ukrainian army estimates Russian losses since the beginning of the war at 35,000 soldiers killed. Also, according to the report, 1,552 tanks and 217 aircraft were destroyed, as well as 14 ships and 2,575 other vehicles and fuel tanks. International observers and Western experts assess the figures for Russia as less dramatic. However, according to Great Britain, Russia is now primarily relying on reservists. The battalions would also be replenished with veterans who had served in the past five years. “Despite a continuing shortage of operational reservists for Ukraine, the Russian leadership is likely to remain reluctant to order a general mobilization,” it said.
Dozens dead in attack on Ukrainian shopping center
In the city of Kremenchuk, a busy shopping center was apparently hit by Russian rockets in the afternoon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Over a thousand people were in the building. According to the governor of the Poltava region, Dmytro Lunin, at least 10 people were killed and 40 injured. Russia did not comment on the charge of attacking the civilian target. However, the Kremlin denied being responsible for the shelling of the apartment building in Kyiv the day before. Allegedly, a Ukrainian missile system mistakenly shot down a missile launched by Ukraine, which then fell on the house. The information provided by the Kremlin cannot be verified.
But just a bluff with Schoigu?
Another claim by Russia, on the other hand, could be a duck. Russian media reported on Sunday that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had visited Russian troops in the occupied territories of Ukraine. A Ukrainian journalist, on the other hand, claims that Shoigu instead met with his generals in Belgorod, Russia, where they “received vivid reports of the conduct of combat operations.” This was reported by the Nexta news channel.
NATO wants to massively strengthen the rapid reaction force
In reaction to the Russian war of aggression, NATO wants to increase the number of its rapid reaction forces to more than 300,000. This was announced by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg before the summit meeting of the 30 member states in Madrid. So far, the NATO intervention force NRF has comprised around 40,000 soldiers.
Selenskyj wants the war to end by winter
According to a diplomat, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the G7 leaders for comprehensive help in the defensive war against Russia. In a conversation conducted via video link, Selenskyj asked the summit participants at Schloss Elmau to deliver air defense systems. In addition, the seven leading Western industrialized countries should ensure further sanctions against Russia, help Ukraine to export grain and provide the country with financial aid for reconstruction. In addition, it is Zelenskyj’s goal to end the war by winter. This was reported by two European diplomats.
G7 wants to cap oil prices, but is still struggling with the gold boycott
The day before, four of the seven countries – the USA, Canada, Japan and Great Britain – had already agreed on an import ban on Russian gold. Olaf Scholz said that this project still has to be debated within the EU. So far, the G7 have not yet reached a final agreement on this. On the other hand, the representatives of the seven major economies agree that Russia’s income from the sale of raw materials should be reduced. A price cap for oil could help. According to a US official, its adoption is imminent. In addition, the US government wants to adopt a bundle of national sanctions against both the Russian defense sector and companies worldwide that undermine existing Western sanctions against Russia. The White House announced that companies should also be listed that will no longer be allowed to buy US technology in the future.
Putin accepts invitation to G20 summit
Even if the G7 summit is still ongoing, the autumn G20 meeting in Indonesia is already casting its shadow. That’s because Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted the invitation and announced his coming. According to the state news agency Tass, his foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said: “Yes, we have confirmed that our participation is planned.” It is still unclear whether Putin will travel to the summit in person or be connected via video.
US wants to deliver air defense system to Ukraine
In terms of arms deliveries, there is positive news for Ukraine: Washington wants to supply Ukraine with a modern weapon system for air defense. “I can confirm that we are indeed in the process of finalizing a package that includes advanced air defense capabilities,” US President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on the sidelines of the G7 summit. CNN reported that it was a surface-to-air missile defense system from the defense contractors Kongsberg (Norway) and Raytheon (USA) called Nasams.
German self-propelled howitzers already in action
According to Ukrainian information, the long-awaited Panzerhaubitzen 2000 from Germany and the Netherlands are already in use in the east of the country. This was reported, among other things, by the news channel Nexta. So far Ukraine has received seven Panzerhaubitz 2000 from Germany and five of the weapon systems from the Netherlands. From Kyiv it had been stated that a complete Ukrainian artillery battalion could be equipped with a total of 18 howitzers – i.e. six additional models.
EU countries agree on specifications for gas storage
The energy ministers of the EU countries agree on a target for filling the gas storage facilities in the EU to 80 percent by next winter. This is to ensure “that the gas storage capacities in the EU are filled up before the winter despite the disruptions on the gas market,” the member states announced in Luxembourg. In mid-May, representatives of the states and the European Parliament had already informally agreed on this. According to the specification, the national gas storage facilities in the EU countries should be at least 80 percent full by November 1 as a precaution, and 90 percent in the following winters.
Russia denies default
The Russian government denies that it has defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time in more than a century. In a phone call to reporters, Presidential Office spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia has made the bond payments due in May. The fact that they were blocked by the clearing house Euroclear because of Western sanctions against Russia is “not our problem”. After the payment and grace period expired on Sunday evening, several Taiwanese investors complained that they had not yet received the agreed interest payments on their Russian government bonds, according to two people familiar with the matter.
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