A major fire breaks out at the chemical plant in Sievjerodonetsk, but Ukrainian troops continue to resist, reports the Ukrainian General Staff. There are also said to be setbacks for the Kremlin troops in southern Cherson, although Russia is already issuing passports to civilians. EU Commission chief von der Leyen is making a surprise trip to Kyiv, while Chancellor Scholz may be planning to do so. Warsaw is dissatisfied with the federal government. The 108th day of the war at a glance.
Ukrainian military resists
According to the Ukrainian military, fighting in the city of Sievjerodonetsk in eastern Ukraine continues. The Russian army shelled the civilian infrastructure in the city and in neighboring Lysychansk and three other places, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army said on Facebook. The Ukrainian soldiers are in the process of resisting Russian attacks in Sieverodonetsk. In the suburb of Metelkino, an attack was successfully repelled and the Russian army withdrew, the situation report said. Fighting continued in another suburb.
Governor: "Russians have ruined Sieverodonetsk"
Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai told Telegram that Sieverodonetsk was "ruined" by Russian forces. "That's their tactic - people aren't needed, infrastructure isn't needed, houses aren't needed, everything is just to be ruined." The number of civilian casualties is "enormous and terrible". The Russian shelling led to a major fire in the Azot chemical plant. Tons of oil had previously leaked from the plant, Gaidai said on state television. According to Ukrainian information, there are still hundreds of civilians in the factory. Gaidai did not say if the fire has already been extinguished.
The governor of the city of Mykolayiv, south of the front line, Vitaly Kim appealed to the West to provide his country with more military support. "The Russian army is stronger, it has a lot of artillery and ammunition," Kim said. The fighting in Ukraine is currently being conducted as an "artillery war" - "and we're running out of ammunition."
Indications of a lack of ammunition of the Kremlin troops
However, there are indications that the Russian ammunition will not last forever: According to British information, the Russian armed forces are now also using old anti-ship missiles when bombing targets in Ukraine. Since April, Russian bombers have probably fired dozens of imprecise Kh-22 (NATO designation: AS-4 Kitchen) cruise missiles against land targets, the Ministry of Defense in London said, based on intelligence information. The deputy chief of the Ukrainian military intelligence service also sees a lack of ammunition on the Russian side. In the first month of the war, Moscow constantly launched missile attacks against Ukraine, but in the last two months the shelling has eased off somewhat, Vadym Skibitsky told the British Guardian.
Territorial gains for Ukraine in the south
In the south, the Ukrainian army was able to record smaller territorial gains. As the "New York Times" reported, citing local Ukrainian authorities, Ukrainian soldiers attacked Russian troops in the Kherson region in several places. They took a village called Tavriyske and advanced on several others. It was also said that Ukrainian attack helicopters had "destroyed" a group of Russian forces. In another battle, a unit of Russian parachutists was killed.
Russians distribute passports in Cherson
Meanwhile, Russia handed out the first Russian passports to residents in the occupied Ukrainian city of Cherson. 23 residents of the city in southern Ukraine received their identity papers during a ceremony this Saturday, official Russian news agency TASS reported. The Kherson region had been almost completely captured by the Russian army at the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
Surprise visit: Von der Leyen in Kyiv
The EU Commission intends to present its assessment of whether Ukraine should be granted candidate status by the end of next week. This was announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a surprise visit to Kyiv in the afternoon. Together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, she wanted to "take stock of the joint efforts required for reconstruction and Ukraine's progress on its European path," von der Leyen said on her arrival in the Ukrainian capital.
After meeting Zelenskyy, she said Ukraine had "done a lot to strengthen the rule of law, but reforms still need to be made, for example to fight corruption or to modernize this well-functioning administration to attract investors".
Unconfirmed report: Scholz travel plans with Macron and Draghi
According to a media report, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is planning a joint trip to Kyiv with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi before the G7 summit at the end of June. This is reported by "Bild am Sonntag", citing Ukrainian and French government circles. A government spokesman in Berlin did not want to confirm this in the evening when asked by ntv.
Warsaw misses good will in German tank deliveries
Poland accused the federal government of a lack of commitment to the promised delivery of tanks. "The talks have come to a standstill. There is no good will, let's hope that changes," said the head of the President's National Security Office, Pawel Soloch, to Radio Rmf.fm. The defense ministries are in contact. Berlin had asked for tanks to be used to replace tanks that Poland had given to Ukraine, Soloch said. "German military aid - be it for Ukraine or be it support of countries that provide this aid - falls short of expectations."
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