The day of the war at a glance: Ukraine advances further in the east – Berlusconi sees Putin as a victim of those around him

The day of the war at a glance
Ukraine is advancing further in the east – Berlusconi sees Putin as a victim of those around him

In the occupied territories, time is ticking against the Russian troops. As Moscow hastily holds referendums to prepare for the annexation, the Ukrainian army is making headway in Donbass. US media reports that the Russian president directs his generals himself, but his friend Berlusconi sees him as a victim. The 212th day of the war at a glance.

Ukraine reports progress in Donetsk

The Ukrainian army has announced further territorial gains. The senior military representative Oleksiy Gromov said that the Ukrainian troops had recaptured the village of Yatskivka in the Donetsk region. In addition, control of positions south of the city of Bakhmut, also in Donetsk, had been regained.

London: Moscow’s core goals under threat

According to British intelligence experts, Ukrainian troops are now putting pressure on the Russian occupiers in areas that Moscow considers crucial to its war goals. This emerges from the daily intelligence update from the Ministry of Defense in London. The defensive line to which the Russians had retreated after recent territorial losses in the north-east is already crumbling.

The British take the fact that the Ukrainians have already established bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Oskil River in Kharkiv Oblast as an indication of this. The Russians actually wanted to integrate the river into a fortified line of defense. A little further south, in Donetsk Oblast, according to the British, fighting continued during Ukrainian attacks on the town of Lyman on the east bank of the Seversky Donets River. Russia’s invading troops captured the city in May.

Insider: Putin himself gives orders to generals

According to one CNN report it is Russian President Vladimir Putin himself who gives the instructions to his generals at the front. The broadcaster names two sources who are familiar with American and other Western intelligence information. According to them, this points to a “dysfunctional command structure”.

Berlusconi: “Putin has slipped into a dramatic situation”

Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi caused a stir with a theory to the contrary shortly before the parliamentary elections. The 85-year-old claimed in a TV interview that the head of the Kremlin had been pressured into invading Ukraine. “Putin was urged by the Russian people, by his party, by his ministers to come up with this special operation,” Berlusconi told Rai. Berlusconi is a friend of the Russian president and was reluctant to condemn the invasion after the war broke out. Now he said: “Putin has slipped into a really difficult and dramatic situation.”

Referendums in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia

In spite of sharp international protests, mock referendums on the annexation by Russia have started in four Russian-controlled areas in Ukraine since the morning. Voting took place in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass and in the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia. According to reports from Russian news agencies, the “referendums” are not held by electronic votes because of the short preparation time, but with paper ballot papers. According to the information, pro-Russian officials will go from door to door in the first few days to collect votes. Polling stations will only open on Tuesday, the last day.

Kremlin expects yes

In the sham referendums in the occupied Ukrainian territories, the Kremlin is assuming a yes for accession to Russia and has announced rapid annexation of the territories. According to Russian news agencies, the procedure for including the regions can be quick. At the same time, he stressed that attempts by Ukraine to take back the areas would then be interpreted as an attack on the Russian Federation. Putin had also threatened to use nuclear weapons.

Bearbock sees new method of war

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the “referendums” as a new form of the Russian President’s war method. “It’s a different war strategy now. If he’s not successful with weapons, he makes mock referendums,” said Baerbock on the “RTL Aktuell” program.

Ukraine reports signs of torture in Izyum

The Ukrainian authorities announced in the afternoon that a total of 436 bodies had been exhumed near the recaptured eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum, where hundreds of graves were discovered in a forest about a week ago. According to the governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Synegubov, 30 of them showed signs of torture. Bodies were found with ropes around their necks, hands tied, broken limbs and gunshot wounds, the governor said. Several men had their genitals amputated. The Kremlin had dismissed the Ukrainian allegations about the hundreds of graves as “lies”.

Russians evade mobilization

More and more Russians are fleeing abroad for fear of partial mobilization. Now the neighboring ex-Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan has also informed about increased migration from Russia. The number of people entering by car is increasing at various crossings, according to the border guard. The situation is under “special control”. The ex-Soviet republics of Armenia and Georgia had previously reported mass arrivals. Flights are fully booked for days.

Aeroflot expects conscription for half of the staff

In view of the partial mobilization, Russian aviation faced personnel problems. Up to 80 percent of employees could be drafted, reports the Russian newspaper Kommersant, citing insiders. Within a day, employees from at least five airlines and more than ten airports had received their draft notices. The largest Russian airline Aeroflot therefore expects that more than half of its staff could be drafted. Aeroflot declined to comment. The background is that Russian pilots were mostly trained in the military departments of flight schools or have completed their military service.

Moscow complains of “hysteria”

After the order for partial mobilization, the leadership in Moscow complained about “hysteria” in the country. At the same time, it excluded reservists with certain professions from forced recruitment. For example, IT specialists, experts for securing the financial system or employees of the state media who belong to the “system-preserving” professions would not be drafted, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced.

More texts on the Ukraine war:

You can read all further developments in our live ticker.

source site-34