08/09/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 06:50 Curtsy in front of Putin: Austrian ex-foreign minister spends summer in Russian village +++
Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, who danced with Putin at her wedding, is currently spending her summer in the Russian countryside. This is reported by the Russian media “Vidsboku“, which published a video of the 58-year-old at a village festival in Petrushovo in the Ryazan region (300 kilometers south-east of Moscow). She has rented the house of a French woman, has already met many villagers and does not lead a hermit’s life. When I “chickens, “Ducks and goats on the street”, she feels very comfortable because she also lived in the country in her home country, according to the video. The former diplomat, who is currently learning Russian and, despite the war of aggression, always sides with Moscow seized, told “Vidsboku” that she had already paid the rent for another month. But she “knows nothing about her future”. She claims to the medium that she had to leave Austria and was not allowed to work in France.” I had to flee Europe, I wasn’t accepted anywhere,” she says. When asked about her earlier Wedding guest Vladimir Putinshe explains, she last saw him in 2019.
+++ 06:10 Rheinmetall is to make used Leopard tanks from Belgium fit again for Kiev +++
Dozens of used Leopard 1 tanks once owned by Belgium have been bought for Ukrainian forces, said arms dealer OIP Land Systems, which sealed the deal. Like that “Handelsblatt” reported with reference to industry circles, the buyer is the German armaments group Rheinmetall. The vehicles are now to be re-equipped at the German locations of the Düsseldorf group for use in the Ukraine. Of the 50 Leopard 1 tanks would ultimately 30 can be delivered to Kiev, it is said.
+++ 05:28 Japan protests against Putin’s tax decree +++
Japan is taking action against Russia’s cancellation of double tax treaties with “unfriendly countries”. The government in Tokyo has protested to Russia about the suspension of the tax agreement, says Japanese head of cabinet Hirokazu Matsuno. Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended the agreement by decree yesterday. In addition to Japan and the USA, several EU countries are also affected, including Germany.
+++ 04:09 drone attack on Moscow repelled +++
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reports another drone attack on the Russian capital. The air defense shot down two drones, he said via Telegram. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, there were no injuries or damage. The ministry in Moscow blames the “Kiev regime” for the attacks.
+++ 02:52 Selenskyj condemns attack on rescue workers +++
After the double rocket attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian President Zelenskyj accuses Russia of a targeted attack on rescue workers. “It was a conscious decision by the terrorists to cause as much pain and damage as possible,” says Zelenskyj in his evening video message on his Telegram channel. According to local authorities, two Iskander missiles hit the city center 40 minutes apart on Monday evening. Nine people died and 82 were injured. Rescue workers who rushed to help after the first attack are said to be among the victims.
+++ 00:29 Erdogan: Resumption of the grain agreement depends on the West +++
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees the West as responsible for reviving the grain deal with Ukraine. A resumption of the agreement to export Ukrainian grain “depends on the western countries, which must keep their promises,” Erdogan said at an ambassadors’ conference in Ankara. The West has not taken the measures “that would have made it possible to transform the positive atmosphere created by the Black Sea Initiative into a ceasefire and then into a lasting peace agreement”. Turkey’s stance is “clear,” Erdogan said. If the war spreads to the Black Sea, it will be “a catastrophe for our region.” However, a “solution” can be found, the Turkish head of state adds, referring to a recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
+++ 23:09 Russia: Three dead in Ukrainian shelling of Donetsk +++
The Russian-installed mayor of Donetsk, Alexei Kulemzin, has accused Ukraine of bombing the city of Donetsk. Three people were killed today, Kulemzin writes on Telegram. Ten people were injured, including a boy born in 2012. In addition, a number of buildings were damaged in several districts, including a bus stop, a hospital, a shop and some residential buildings. The information cannot be independently verified.
+++ 22:08 Italy suspends investor visas for Russians and Belarusians +++
Italy has suspended the investor visa program for Russian and Belarusian citizens, the Italian Economy Ministry reports. Altreconomia magazine reports that the Italian government took the decision in mid-July, more than a year after the European Commission recommended the measure following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
+++ 21:30 Zelenskyj: Peace plan can also be used as a basis for other conflicts +++
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his proposed peace plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine could be used as a basis for other conflicts. “Today’s peace formula refers to Ukraine. But if the international institutions do not offer an opportunity to end the war, and our example speaks for itself, then the peace formula can become such a basis,” Zelenskyj told Latin American journalists. Zelenskyy unveiled the 10-point peace plan backed by many Western allies in November last year. It includes the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and the release of all prisoners of war and deportees.
+++ 20:59 Russia’s budget deficit is rising sharply +++
Russia’s budget deficit is widening amid high spending on the aggressive war in Ukraine and Western sanctions. The deficit for the period from January to July is 2.82 trillion rubles – the equivalent of $29.3 billion – or 1.8 percent of gross domestic product, according to the Russian Ministry of Finance, citing preliminary estimates. For the first seven months of last year, Russia reported a budget surplus of 557 billion rubles. According to the preliminary data, expenditure increased by 14 percent while revenue shrank by 7.9 percent.
+++ 20:32 Kiev: 78 Ukrainian rescue workers killed since the beginning of the war +++
Since the beginning of the war, 78 Ukrainian rescue workers have been killed in Russian attacks, says State Emergency Management spokesman Oleksandr Khorunzhyi. Another 280 emergency services were injured, according to Khorunzhyi, who is quoted by the media center of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. Russia is violating international conventions with its attacks on the first responders, who do not take part in combat operations but rescue civilians and provide assistance, the official added.
+++ 19:57 Germany wants to extend Patriot stationing in Poland +++
According to a press release, the Federal Ministry of Defense is offering Poland to continue the stationing of the three German Patriot squadrons, originally planned for a maximum of six months, beyond the summer, probably until the end of the year. The Patriot systems are based in Poland, near Zamość. An extension beyond 2023 is not yet planned.
You can read more about the events of the previous day here.