06/21/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 02:49 Due to calculation errors: USA have additional money left over for Ukraine aid +++
Because of miscalculated costs of military aid to Ukraine, the US government is providing more than 6 billion dollars in additional support to Kiev. “In a significant number of cases, services were based on replacement cost rather than net book value, overestimating the value of equipment removed from US inventories and shipped to Ukraine,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. As a result, Washington now has an additional 6.2 billion dollars (around 5.7 billion euros) at its disposal. The Ministry of Defense has said it has the authority to use the money for military aid and stresses that there will be no impact on further aid packages.
+++ 01:12 Ukraine: Russia has mined the cooling basin of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant +++
According to the Ukrainian military intelligence service (GUR), the cooling pool for the reactors of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has been mined by Russia. The six-reactor complex, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has been occupied since shortly after Russia invaded in February last year. “The most frightening thing is that the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was also mined during this time – namely the cooling basin,” says GUR boss Kyrylo Budanov, without presenting any evidence. The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
+++ 00:17 Lambsdorff becomes German ambassador in Moscow +++
The FDP politician Alexander Graf Lambsdorff will be the new German ambassador to Russia. A spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin confirmed that the Russian government had given its approval, the so-called agrément, for the personnel. The appointment is scheduled for this summer. Lambsdorff is to succeed Géza Andreas von Geyr, who is currently ambassador to Moscow. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the post has been considered particularly difficult.
Lambsdorff sits in the Bundestag for the FDP. He used to work in the foreign service.
(Photo: IMAGO/Sven Simon)
+++ 23:28 Selenskyj: Reconstruction of Ukraine protects against “Russian terror” +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hopes that the reconstruction conference, which begins tomorrow, will give his country new strength. “A rebuilt Ukraine, a transformed Ukraine, a stronger Ukraine is (…) a guarantee of security, a protection against any form of Russian terror,” says Zelenskyj in his evening video address.” Talks have already been held in Germany, in Switzerland, in France and Italy for reconstruction aid. It is not just about construction projects, but also about protection for Ukraine, says the President. He himself wants to present his philosophy of a Ukrainian transformation, and at the end of the month it should be in the Country itself will be presented with the “complete vision”.
+++ 22:17 UN Secretary General: Food exports from Ukraine have fallen massively +++
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is “disappointed” with the current state of implementation of the grain agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Among other things, the ships are now being inspected more slowly, so that overall fewer ships reach and leave Ukrainian ports and therefore less grain arrives at the recipients, says Guterres, according to a spokesman in New York. Overall, the food exports made possible by the agreement fell by around three quarters in May compared to last October. The UN Secretary-General called on all parties involved to accelerate implementation and ensure further implementation of the agreement.
+++ 21:43 Moscow court sentences Telegram to a fine +++
According to media reports, the operators of the messaging apps Telegram and Viber have been fined by a Moscow court for reporting news about the war. The Russian news agency Interfax reports that they failed to delete content that Russia considers illegal. This is also information about the Ukraine war. The Dubai-based company Telegram is sentenced to pay four million rubles, around 43,500 euros, and the Japanese company behind Viber to one million rubles, around 11,000 euros. According to the Tass news agency, Telegram has refused to remove 32 accounts that Moscow says publish false information about the war.
+++ 21:00 Kiev: hold defensive positions in the east +++
According to Ukrainian information, the Russian armed forces have not yet succeeded in advancing further east. “If for us the main offensive in the south takes place in several directions, then the enemy determines the east as the main direction of his attack and his main offensive continues there,” said Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar on Ukrainian television. Although the Russians are on the defensive in the south, Moscow is not giving up on its plans to reach the borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Kremlin also used airborne troops for the attacks. So far, however, he has not made a breakthrough, says Maliar.
+++ 20:16 Blinken announces new aid package for Ukraine +++
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces a new aid package for Ukraine. Details are to be announced on Wednesday, says the Democrat. The aid package is intended to encourage companies to invest in Ukraine’s reconstruction, reports Angur Reuters. Blinken is attending a Ukraine Recovery Conference tomorrow, which will be held in London this year. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is also expected to attend.
All events from the previous day can be found here.