The day of the war at a glance: Kyiv launches counter-offensive on Cherson - Russia and Ukraine discuss grain deliveries

Ukraine wants to bring occupied Cherson in the south of the country back under control and says it hit an ammunition depot in a rocket attack.

The day of the war at a glance: Kyiv launches counter-offensive on Cherson - Russia and Ukraine discuss grain deliveries

Ukraine wants to bring occupied Cherson in the south of the country back under control and says it hit an ammunition depot in a rocket attack. Although Russian troops tend to be concentrated in the east, the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv also reports attacks. Meanwhile, there is hope in the dispute over grain shipments. Representatives from Moscow and Kyiv are expected in Istanbul for a consultation. The 138th day of the war at a glance.

Ukraine launches counter-offensive in Kherson

Ukraine has launched a counter-offensive in the south of the country to regain control of territory occupied by Russia. According to Ukrainian sources, long-range missiles were fired at, and an ammunition depot in Nowa Kakhovka near Kherson was hit. 52 Russians were killed. According to the administration installed by Russia in the region, at least seven people were killed in the Ukrainian shelling. Another 60 or so were injured, the Russian news agency Tass quoted the head of administration Vladimir Leontiev as saying. The information could not be independently verified. Leontyev further said that a warehouse containing saltpeter was hit. The nitrate can be used both as a fertilizer and for the production of explosives. Rockets from the US mobile missile system HIMARS were used in the attack. Ukraine did not initially comment on this.

Russians also act in the south: renewed attack on Mykolaiv

Russian forces have concentrated their attacks on the east of the country. After capturing the Luhansk region, Donetsk is now in Russia's sights; if successful there, the entire Donbass would be captured. Donetsk region governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said there was a significant deployment of Russian troops in the region, especially in the Bakhmut and Sieversk regions, as well as Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. The shelling continued along the entire front line. Russian troops were still trying to break through but were being pushed back, Kyrylenko said. According to the Tass agency, Russian forces have already surrounded Siewersk. The southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv was again attacked by Russian troops today. According to the governor of the region of the same name, at least twelve people were injured. Shells from multiple rocket launchers hit two medical facilities and residential buildings, Governor Vitaly Kim said on Telegram.

Russia and Ukraine discuss grain deliveries in Istanbul

In the dispute over grain exports from Ukraine blocked by Russia, there is hope for a solution. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are in Turkey on Wednesday to discuss resuming grain deliveries across the Black Sea. According to Ankara, representatives of the UN and Turkey will also take part in the meeting in Istanbul. The international community has been demanding that Russia allow the export of Ukrainian grain for weeks.

Is Iran supplying drones to Russia?

According to the US, Iran wants to support Russia in the war. "Our information shows that the Iranian government is preparing to rapidly deploy several hundred unmanned aerial vehicles, including those capable of carrying weapons," said US President Joe Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Iran will also train Russians to use these aircraft, often referred to colloquially as drones, Sullivan said. It is unclear whether such weapons have already been delivered. Iran has denied Sullivan's statements. One is for a diplomatic and against a military solution to the conflict.

Slovenia expects an arms exchange with Germany soon

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob expects an agreement with Germany on a weapons ring swap by the end of the summer. According to this, the country is to hand over T72 tanks to Ukraine, among other things, and then receive military equipment from Germany as a replacement. According to Golob, Russian-made weapons, which are still available in Eastern European countries, are easier for the Ukrainian soldiers to use. Earlier he said that Slovenia had already delivered arms to Ukraine. "However, soon there will be no more Russian-made weapons," he said of the stocks in the NATO countries. Golob rejected the allegation of a time delay due to the ring exchange. The biggest delay is also with the Slovenian weapons because the discarded military material first has to be made functional again.

US supports Ukraine with another 1.7 billion dollars

The United States has provided a further US$ 1.7 billion (EUR 1.69 billion) as a budget subsidy to Ukraine, which is being attacked by Russia. The US Agency for International Development announced that the salaries of health workers should be paid with it. The money should ensure that the government in Kyiv can continue its work and guarantee basic services such as health care. According to the agency, it has already given a total of four billion dollars in grants.

EU freezes 14 billion euros from oligarchs

According to its own statements, the EU has so far frozen Russian assets worth almost 14 billion euros. According to EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, these are values ​​of oligarchs, other people, companies, societies or organisations. "That's quite a lot." With more than twelve billion euros, the majority of the exact 13.8 billion was set by only five of the 27 EU countries. "So we have to convince the others to do the same," Reynders said before a meeting of EU justice ministers in Prague. He did not say which five countries are involved.

Russian central bank sees signs of economic stabilization

What are the sanctions? This is a frequently asked question. The Central Bank of Russia sees signs of stabilization of the economy after the slump as a result of Western sanctions. The crisis caused by the war in Ukraine is developing less badly than originally feared, said Kirill Tremazov, director of monetary policy at the Russian central bank. The expert was speaking ahead of a July 22 meeting at which the bank is expected to further cut its policy rate from 9.5 percent to support the economy with cheaper credit. An adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin had forecast in May that the country's gross domestic product could shrink by a maximum of five percent in 2022. A few weeks earlier, the Russian Ministry of Economic Affairs had predicted a decline of more than 12 percent - the sharpest since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Germany and Austria want to help with acute gas shortages

Energy security, which has been shaken by the lack of gas supplies from Russia, continues to be discussed in Germany. The traffic light coalition is increasingly arguing about longer operating times for the three remaining nuclear power plants in the country. Meanwhile, a neighborly alliance in the event of an acute gas shortage between Germany and Austria is on the horizon. This emerges from a joint statement by the respective climate protection ministers, Robert Habeck and Leonore Gewessler. "This also includes securing transit rights in the event of a gas shortage, provided there are no technical or safety reasons to the contrary."

Faeser wants to protect Germany better against cyber attacks

The Ukraine war increases the risk of hacker attacks: Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wants to better equip the security authorities to defend against attacks from the Internet. She presented her program for this today - which also includes planned changes to the Basic Law. They are intended to expand the competencies of the federal authorities and improve cooperation with the federal states. "The turning point that we are experiencing in view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine requires a strategic realignment and significant investments in our cyber security," said the minister. The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) should be expanded into a central office between the federal and state governments.

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