06.07.2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 00:28 BSI boss: Number of cyber attacks from Russia is increasing +++
The new head of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), Claudia Plattner, warns of a growing danger for Germany from Russian cyber attacks. “The number of attacks from Russia is increasing,” Plattner told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Overall, the threat situation in the network is “bigger than ever”. Germany, as a European power and supporter of Ukraine, is an “attractive target” for hacker groups controlled by Moscow. “The goals are: espionage, destabilization and influence,” says Plattner. An increase in the number of attacks can also be observed from China and Iran. The German security authorities are concerned that pro-Russian activists, cybercriminals and hacker groups from the Russian secret services are forming an alliance to attack Western systems.
+++ 23:18 Pistorius: defense budget must grow significantly +++
With regard to the draft budget, the Federal Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the funds for national defense must continue to increase in the long term. From the debt-financed special fund for the Bundeswehr totaling 100 billion euros, around 19.2 billion euros are to be spent next year. Germany will thus meet NATO’s goal of investing two percent of economic output in defense. “After the special fund has been exhausted, however, we will urgently need a significant jump in the regular defense budget,” said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
+++ 22:16 Biden promises Sweden support for NATO membership +++
US President Joe Biden assures Sweden of the fullest US support for its envisaged membership in NATO. “Sweden will make our alliance stronger,” said Biden in the White House in the presence of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Biden makes it clear that the US cannot wait for accession after the stalemate of recent months. Sweden is a “capable and committed partner” who shares NATO’s values. Kristersson replies that his country wants protection from the military alliance.
+++ 21:43 British Embassy in Moscow advises to leave Russia +++
The British Embassy in Moscow is asking its own citizens to leave Russia. “The invasion (in Ukraine) means that the situation here in Russia is unpredictable,” said Ambassador Deborah Bronnert in a video message published on the diplomatic mission’s Telegram channel in the evening. If staying in Russia is not mandatory, she advises leaving the country. Relations between Russia and the West are very strained against the background of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Earlier this year, Russian intelligence arrested Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich on alleged espionage charges. Shortly after the outbreak of war, the US government had asked its own citizens to leave Russia. The federal government, on the other hand, has so far only advised against traveling to the country with the largest area.
+++ 21:18 Atomic Energy Agency calls for better access to nuclear power plants – for testing for explosives and mines +++
In view of warnings of possible acts of sabotage in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is demanding extended access for its observers stationed there. In the past few days and weeks, the IAEA experts have inspected parts of the plant – including sections of the large cooling basin – and also carried out regular tours, according to an IAEA statement. So far, no evidence of mines or explosive devices has been found, says IAEA Director Rafael Mariano Grossi. The experts had now requested additional access to confirm that neither mines nor explosives were laid out on the site. “With military tensions and activities increasing in the region surrounding Europe’s largest nuclear facility, we must be able to verify the facts on the ground,” Grossi said.
+++ 20:57 Roth: include parts of Ukraine in NATO “as soon as possible” +++
Ahead of next week’s NATO summit, the chairman of the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael Roth, is calling for the treaty bases for Ukraine’s NATO membership to be expanded somewhat further. “That means I wouldn’t make a perfect peace a condition of admission,” the SPD politician told the weekly Die Zeit. He suggests saying something like: “Those parts of Ukraine that are under the reliable control of the democratic Kiev government should belong to NATO territory as soon as possible.” The obligation to provide assistance under Article 5 then also applies to them, Roth continues. This duty of assistance would not yet apply to other areas of Ukraine, but Ukraine would be included as a whole country.
You can read all previous developments here.