Fighting in Ukraine continues unabated. Both warring parties can chalk up successes for themselves. A decisive battle seems to be brewing in Cherson. While Russia's President Putin is ensnaring an important energy partner, NATO wants to establish facts. The 231st day of the war at a glance.
Russians attack "essential infrastructure".
Both sides have scored military successes in the bitter fighting in Ukraine. Pro-Russian authorities told Telegram that a group of soldiers from the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics had "liberated" the villages of Opytine and Ivangrad "with fire support from Russian forces." The villages are south of Bachmut, a salt mining and wine producing town that once had a population of around 70,000. Bakhmut has been besieged by Russian troops for weeks. Ukraine also reported renewed attacks on the capital Kyiv by Russian drones. In the early morning there was "another attack with kamikaze drones on essential infrastructure," said the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, without giving any further details.
The Ukrainian utility Ukrenergo announced during the day that the energy supply was stable again in "all Ukrainian regions". The company added that there was no longer any need to ration electricity supplies. In recent days, there have been power outages in numerous Ukrainian cities and regions as a result of Russian attacks. On Monday, Russia began bombing cities nationwide in Ukraine, primarily targeting the energy supply infrastructure.
Cherson occupiers ask Moscow for help
A sign of the successful advance of the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south of the country came from the Moscow-appointed administration in Kherson: "We have suggested that all residents of the Kherson region who want to escape from (Ukrainian) attacks move to other (Russian) regions," said Vladimir Saldo, head of administration, on Telegram. The leadership in Moscow asked Saldo to help organize the evacuations. The Cherson region in southern Ukraine, which Russia has declared annexed, has been the target of a counter-offensive by the Ukrainian army for several weeks.
Only moments after Saldo's telegram appeal, however, his deputy Kirill Stremousov declared that the Kherson region would not be evacuated. "No one plans to withdraw Russian troops from the Kherson region." Stremoussov admitted on Russian state television last weekend that his administration was preparing for "a difficult time."
According to Russian information, Ukrainian troops also bombed a residential building in southern Russia near the Ukrainian border. "Ukrainian forces bombed Belgorod," the region's governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, told Telegram. Ukraine immediately rejected the accusation. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said the Russian army tried to bomb the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv near the border. In the evening, the Russian side announced that an ammunition depot had exploded during Ukrainian air raids on a village in the Belgorod region. According to initial findings, there were no victims or injuries.
NATO wants to stock up on ammunition and equipment
In view of the new threat posed by the Russian war of aggression, the NATO countries want to increase the production capacities of the armaments industry. "We made decisions today to increase our stockpiles of ammunition and equipment," Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after a meeting of defense ministers in Brussels. The goal is to use the NATO defense planning process to provide industry with the long-term demand it needs to increase production. NATO wants to provide Ukraine with anti-drone equipment. Hundreds of so-called jammers would be delivered shortly, said Stoltenberg. These could help render Russian and Iran-made drones ineffective. Jammers are electromagnetic jammers. They usually emit a signal that interferes with or blocks the radio link between the drone and its controller.
The previous commitments do not go far enough for the Ukrainian president. Before the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, Volodymyr Zelenskyy again called for additional funds for air defense to protect "the entire Ukrainian sky". He said Ukraine has "only 10 percent of what we need."
186 suspected war criminals identified
Zelenskyj also called on the Council of Europe to designate Russia as an "aggressor state" and to bring "every aggressor and butcher" before an international court for the "crimes committed during this war". According to the Attorney General, Ukraine has so far identified 186 suspected Russian war criminals. Only a few of them are already in custody, said Attorney General Andriy Kostin in The Hague. The scale of the crimes is immense, he said. There is evidence that every type of war crime has been committed since the outbreak of war, such as torture, murder, rape or expulsion. In 45 cases, according to Kostin's information, the investigations were closed and handed over to the court, 10 people have already been convicted."
Exchanged dozens of prisoners
Kyiv and Moscow meanwhile announced the exchange of 20 prisoners each. The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, spoke of "moments of joy" on Telegram. On the Ukrainian side, 14 soldiers, four members of the national defense, one member of the national guard and one member of the navy were released. Yermak explained that those who had been released would be medically examined. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that 20 Russian soldiers had returned from Ukrainian territory. They all received the "necessary psychological and medical help".
Macron emphasizes willingness to talk to Putin: "We don't want a world war"
French President Emmanuel Macron drew attention to himself with de-escalating words. "We don't want a world war," Macron wrote in an English-language Twitter message. "We help Ukraine defend its soil, never attack Russia. Vladimir Putin must end this war and respect Ukraine's territorial integrity." At the same time, Macron explained the further arms deliveries to Ukraine he had announced the night before: "Caesar howitzers to carry out the counter-offensive, radars, systems and missiles to protect against air attacks, armored vehicles and training: we will continue to support the Ukrainian resistance and our military aid strengthen."
Putin meets Erdogan
The addressee of Macron's words meanwhile met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a regional summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. It was about further possible cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy as well as the export of grain and fertilizers from Russia. The US and the EU had recently increased pressure on Turkey to join Western sanctions against Russia over the attack on Ukraine. Erdogan, on the other hand, argues that Turkey, as a neutral actor, could bring about possible ceasefire talks between Kyiv and Moscow. The country is also benefiting economically from the conflict: Turkish exports to Russia have almost doubled in recent months.
According to Russian information, however, the two heads of state did not discuss a solution to the Ukraine conflict. "An agreement between Russia and Ukraine was not an issue," the state news agency RIA quoted the spokesman for the Russian Presidential Office, Dmitry Peskov.
The Kremlin has repeatedly signaled its willingness to negotiate
Peskov made it clear elsewhere that Moscow is ready to talk. According to a Russian newspaper, he named negotiations as an alternative to achieve his country's goals in Ukraine. Although these have not changed, "Iswestia" quoted Peskow. "However, we have repeatedly indicated that we are open to negotiations in order to achieve our goals." Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also told the newspaper that it was ready to consider "specific serious proposals". Lavrov had already pointed out the possibility of negotiations on Tuesday. The government in Moscow has always stated that it is ready for talks. However, the accumulation of information in one week is unusual.
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