07.08.2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 04:45 Selenskyj complains about the deteriorated situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and taunts Amnesty +++
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy, the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has recently deteriorated significantly. Russia uses the largest nuclear facility in Europe for terrorist purposes, says the head of state in his nightly video message. “We will make the world aware and insist on new sanctions against Russia for creating such a global threat.” He continues: “And although the Russian shelling of the nuclear power plant is one of the most dangerous crimes against Ukrainians and all Europeans, against everyone’s right to life, for some reason there is no report or even a simple communication from Amnesty International about it .” Selenskyj sharply criticized a report by the organization a few days ago that criticized the tactics of the Ukrainian army. In his current video message, he accuses Amnesty of “manipulative selectivity” in relation to the nuclear power plant, which has not been mentioned.
+++ 02:56 Member of the government: More than 20 Ukrainian farmers died in fields from mines +++
According to government information from Kyiv, around 20 million tons of wheat are expected to be harvested in the Ukraine this year, which is around two-thirds of the previous year’s yield. Revenue from grain exports will fall by about 20 percent year-on-year, Ukraine’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi told the Funke media group’s newspapers. At the same time, farmers in Ukraine are under enormous economic pressure because producer prices have fallen dramatically despite higher world market prices for wheat. The ordering of the fields is also made more difficult by the war. “So far at least 20 farmers have died at work because they drove over mines,” Vysotskyi said.
+++ 01:01 Ukrainian government warns Greens: Leave nuclear power plants online +++
The Ukrainian government is appealing to the Greens in Germany to let the last three nuclear power plants continue to operate beyond the end of the year. “This winter is a pivotal one,” says President Volodymyr Zelensky’s closest adviser, Mykhailo Podoljak, in an interview with the “Tagesspiegel”. When asked whether it would make sense to shut down the three plants in December given the cutbacks in Russian gas supplies and the threat of solidarity with Ukraine crumbling, Podoliak replied: “No.” And emphasizes: “We absolutely have to use everything we have to create a new energy map in Europe as quickly as possible and to stop financing Russia’s war.”
+++ 23:41 Foreign freighter for grain export arrived in Ukraine +++
After the agreement on the resumption of grain exports by sea, a foreign cargo ship has arrived in Ukraine for the first time. The Fulmar S, flying the Barbadian flag, has docked in the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk and is to be loaded with grain, Infrastructure Minister Olexander Kubrakov said. It is the first foreign-flagged cargo ship since Russia attacked Ukraine in February.
+++ 22:54 Selenskyj is happy about the “strong results” of his army +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praises his armed forces for successful counterattacks – and emphasizes the role of Western weapons. In the past week, the Ukrainian army has achieved “strong results” in destroying Russian wartime logistics, Zelenskyy says in his video address. “Any attack on the enemy’s ammunition depots, on their command posts and on accumulations of Russian technology saves the lives of all of us, the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.” Selenskyj thanks western partners for previous arms deliveries. He refers in particular to the USA, which a few days ago announced further arms deliveries to Ukraine in the amount of 550 million dollars.
Read more about this here.
+++ 22:02 The first grain freighter does not dock in Lebanon on Sunday +++
The first ship with grain exports from Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression is not supposed to dock in the Lebanese port of Tripoli on Sunday as planned. “We would like to inform you that the arrival of the ship Razoni, scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed,” the Embassy of Ukraine in Lebanon told AFP. When asked about the reasons for the postponement, the embassy states that it currently has “no further information”. According to a source familiar with the matter, the ship is unlikely to dock in Lebanon if it can sell its cargo to a trader in another country. So far it had been planned for the freighter “Razoni” to dock in Tripoli on Sunday at 10 a.m. local time (09 a.m. CEST).
+++ 21:39 second grain carrier may pass Bosporus +++
A ship carrying 33,000 tons of corn from Ukraine has received permission to proceed after an international inspection in Istanbul. The freighter can thus pass the Bosphorus Strait into the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense. It is the second grain carrier since Turkey brokered an international agreement on Ukrainian exports across the Black Sea. Two more ships are expected shortly.
+++ 21:05 Ukrainian general staff: Russian advances at Bakhmut repulsed +++
The Ukrainian army is coming under increasing pressure in the eastern region of Donetsk – however, according to its own statements, it has initially fended off all Russian advances. Russian offensives in the direction of the cities of Sloviansk, Bakhmut and Avdiivka have been repelled, the Ukrainian general staff said in its evening report. Fierce fighting has been raging around Bakhmut in particular for days. The day before, the pro-Russian rebels had reported that fighting was already taking place within the city limits.
+++ 20:39 North Macedonia delivers tanks and planes to Ukraine +++
North Macedonia has agreed to supply Ukraine with tanks and planes to repel the ongoing invasion of Moscow, writes the senior Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak on Twitter. “Many countries are now showing more courage than half of the G20 (group of the 20 most important economic powers). Like North Macedonia, which shows Ukraine its (supporting) shoulder in the form of tanks and planes,” writes Podoliak.
+++ 19:32 Ukraine: Eight collaborators arrested in Donetsk region +++
Ukrainian authorities in Donetsk Oblast report arresting eight suspected collaborators. As “The Kyiv Independent” reported, it is suspected that the detainees passed information on the locations of Ukrainian soldiers and other military movements to the Russian armed forces.
+++ 18:59 Russian occupation administration in Cherson reports death of member +++
According to the Russian occupation administration, one of its members died after an attack in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson. The deputy head of the administration set up by the Russians in the city of Nova Kakhovka, Vitaly Gura, has succumbed to his injuries, pro-Russian politician Yekaterina Gubareva writes on Telegram. The Russian state news agency Ria Novosti also reports Gura’s death. Accordingly, he is said to have been attacked by unknown persons with a gun earlier in the day near his house.
+++ 18:35 IAEA demands access to attacked nuclear power plant +++
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is again pushing for access to the Russian-held facility after the shelling of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Friday’s attack “underscores the very real risk of a nuclear disaster that could threaten public health and the environment in Ukraine and beyond,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement. He states that damage has occurred on the site, but that the reactors are intact and no radioactivity has escaped. A site visit by an IAEA team would help stabilize nuclear safety on site and provide independent information on the state of the nuclear plant.
You can read earlier developments of the Ukraine war here.