As of this Monday, Russian citizens will no longer benefit from the simplified issuing of visas for trips to Germany and other countries in the Schengen area. The agreement concluded between the EU and Russia to facilitate the issuing of visas has now been completely suspended for Russian citizens following a decision by the EU states last week. The number of new visas for Russians should drop significantly. The Schengen area includes 22 EU countries and 4 other European countries. The application fee for a visa is now 80 instead of 35 euros. In addition, more paperwork will be required, processing time will increase and the issuance of multiple-entry visas will be restricted.
+++ 00:39 200 days of war: Selenskyj thanks Ukrainians for defending the country +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanks his compatriots for defending their homeland in view of the war that has now been going on for 200 days. “We have achieved a lot in these 200 days, but the most important and therefore the most difficult thing is still ahead of us,” says Zelenskyj in a video speech. Among other things, he thanks the Ukrainian ground forces, the air force, the naval forces – and everyone who wrote “the history of independence, the history of victory, the history of Ukraine” these days.
+++ 23:35 Selenskyj: Counter-offensive is a possible breakthrough in the war +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describes the counter-offensive from the Kharkiv area as a possible breakthrough in the months-long war with Russia. In the winter, the Ukrainian armed forces could gain more ground if Kyiv receives more powerful weapons, says Zelensky. The Ukrainian army will continue to make progress. “We will not stand still,” he said in an interview with CNN broadcaster recorded on Friday.
+++ 22:49 Russia is probably attacking the energy infrastructure of Dnipropetrovsk +++
The governor of the Dnepropetrovsk region accuses the Russian armed forces of attacking energy infrastructure. With the attack, the Russian army wants to take revenge for its defeat on the battlefield, writes Valentin Reznichenko on Telegram. There were power outages in a number of towns in the region. We want to repair the damage as soon as possible.
+++ 22:26 Ukrainian secret service: Russia is planning another attack on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant +++
According to the Ukrainian secret service and the Ministry of Defense, Russian troops are planning another attack on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. Accordingly, the Russian armed forces were asked to prepare in the afternoon.
+++ 21:52 regional council in Mykolaiv: Two people injured in Russian attack +++
According to the head of the regional council in Mykolaiv, Hanna Zamazieieva, Russian troops have attacked the civilian infrastructure of the small town of Voznesensk. Two people were injured in the process.
+++ 20:44 Kyiv blames Moscow for power outages in Kharkiv +++
Ukrainian authorities blame Russia for the power outages in the city of Kharkiv and in the Donetsk and Sumy regions. The governor of the Kharkiv region says Russian attacks on “important infrastructure” cut off electricity and water supplies. The governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region accused Russian troops of attacking “energy infrastructure” to avenge their “defeat on the battlefield”.
+++ 8:08 p.m. Large-scale power failure in many areas of Ukraine +++
There are power cuts in large parts of eastern Ukraine. Representatives of the Ukrainian authorities in the city of Kharkiv and in the regions of Donetsk and Sumy publish corresponding messages in online networks, AFP reporters report power outages in the city of Kramatorsk. Similar reports are also coming from the areas of Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Zaporizhia and Odessa. In the early morning, the last reactor of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was taken off the grid, so that the power plant no longer generates electricity.
+++ 19:52 Kyiv: Russians leave the city of Luhansk +++
According to Ukrainian sources, Russian troops are withdrawing from the city of Svatove in Luhansk along with 20 multi-purpose GAZ-2975 “Tigr” SUVs. Accordingly, the armed forces have withdrawn in the direction of the city of Luhansk.
+++ 19:19 successes for the Kremlin party in regional elections +++
As expected, the regional elections in Russia in the evening saw a broad victory for the Kremlin party United Russia. In the Republic of Buryatia on Lake Baikal, for example, or in Sverdlovsk in the Urals, where governors were elected, the previous incumbents are ahead after the first votes have been counted, according to data from the central election commission. In the Siberian region of Tomsk, the candidate of United Russia also leads in the evening. The elections in more than 80 Russian regions are the first since the war against Ukraine began at the end of February – and they are overshadowed by massive allegations of manipulation.
Read more about this here.
+++ 18:43 Putin confidante Kadyrov calls for changed warfare +++
The head of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, criticizes Russian officials for military failures in Ukraine. “If changes are not made today or tomorrow in the conduct of the military special operation, I will be forced to go to the state leadership to explain the situation on the ground,” Kadyrov said on Telegram. Kadyrov, who rules Chechnya with an iron fist on behalf of the Russian government, is one of President Vladimir Putin’s key supporters, for example in his actions in Ukraine.
Read more about this here.
+++ 18:17 Ukraine reports Russian withdrawal from parts of Cherson +++
According to information from Kyiv, after their defeat in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkov, Russian troops are also withdrawing from parts of the southern region of Cherson. In some places, the occupiers have already left their positions, the Ukrainian general staff announced in the evening. In the city of Nowa Kachowka, the Russian soldiers had cleared a hospital in order to hole themselves up in it, it was said. There was initially no confirmation from the Russian side.
+++ 17:53 Russians only control a small part in eastern Kharkiv +++
A map of the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv published by Moscow shows that Russian troops are largely withdrawing from the area. The map presented by the Russian Defense Ministry at its daily briefings shows that the Russian army now controls only a small part in the eastern part of the region east of the Oskol River. At the briefing the day before, the map had indicated a much larger area as being under Russian control.
+++ 17:29 Klingbeil advocates Gerhard Schröder’s whereabouts in the SPD +++
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil is in favor of former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who is controversial because of his commitment to Russia, remaining in the SPD. It was determined in a legal process by the SPD that Schröder would not be excluded, says Klingbeil in the ARD “summer interview”. “The result is clear. I can live with this result.” The arbitration commission of the SPD sub-district Hanover has decided that Schröder can remain a member of the SPD despite his involvement in Russia.
+++ 17:03 Kremlin: Putin and Macron speak to the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia +++
According to information from Moscow, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron are on the phone about the critical situation at the Russian-occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia. According to a Kremlin statement, Putin has called for international action on Ukraine to stop its attacks on the facility. Kyiv, on the other hand, repeatedly accuses the Russian troops of shelling the nuclear power plant, which has been under their control since March. Shortly before it became known that the largest nuclear power plant in Europe had to be shut down completely.
+++ 16:34 Ukrainian Defense Minister fears a Russian counterattack +++
After the advances of the Ukrainian army, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov warns of possible counterattacks by the Russian side. Ukraine must secure the recaptured areas, Resnikov told the Financial Times. The Ukrainian troops are exhausted after their offensive, but morale is good.
+++ 16:00 Prime Minister: Ukraine wants to become a member of the EU in two years +++
At the Yalta European Strategy conference, Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal said that Ukraine wants to meet all the requirements of the European Commission for joining the EU by the end of this year. After that, Ukraine wants to start negotiations for EU membership. The aim is to make accession possible in two years’ time.
+++ 15:29 CDU expert: “Germany could immediately deliver martens and leopards” +++
Union foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter calls on the federal government to support Ukraine’s military successes with the immediate delivery of battle tanks and armored personnel carriers. “In order for the counter-offensive to be successful in the long term and for Ukraine to keep its state territory, all possible military support is needed now,” Kiesewetter told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “Germany could immediately deliver martens and leopards, foxes and dingos, and the industry quickly instruct them to continue producing.” Without these armored vehicles, the Ukrainian soldiers are often defenseless when advancing. “The refusal inevitably leads to higher casualties on the part of Ukraine, which could be prevented by German deliveries.”
You can read earlier developments relating to the Ukraine war here.