President Zelenskyj makes further personnel changes. This time it hits Major General Halahan, who has to vacate the post as head of the armed forces in the east. In the Donetsk region, residents of the city of Sloviansk fear that Kremlin troops will soon attack them. Meanwhile, Germany has to adjust to receiving less gas from the Russian state-owned company Gazprom from Wednesday. Russian President Putin justifies the cutback in deliveries with problems repairing several turbines. Federal Minister of Economics Habeck considers this reason to be a pretense. The 151st day of the war at a glance.
Eastern Ukraine gets new major general
After major losses of territory since the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has replaced the commander of the armed forces in eastern Ukraine. The head of state dismissed Hryhorij Halahan by decree and installed Viktor Horenko in his place. The 44-year-old Major General Halahan had led special operations in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since August 2020. The conflict there began in 2014.
After Russia's invasion in February, Ukraine has now completely lost control of the Luhansk region. About 50 percent of the neighboring Donetsk region was conquered by Russian troops. Before February 24, just under 30 percent of the areas were controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Selenskyj had recently complained that Kyiv no longer had 20 percent of Ukrainian territory under its control.
Mayor of Sloviansk warns of Russian shelling
The next target of Russian attacks in the east could be the city of Sloviansk. The mayor warned of a failure of the heat and water supply in winter. "You will be able to heat your apartment if there is electricity, but the sewage system will freeze," said Vadym Lyakh. According to him, only 22,000 people remain in the city, a fifth of the previous residents.
He asked those who remained to flee, because it was to be expected that Russian troops would try to conquer the city. "The harbinger will be heavy artillery fire. Accordingly, the number of casualties will increase during this period." However, Ukraine hopes to be able to hold onto the Slovjansk-Kramatorsk conurbation, which has been developed into a fortress.
Gazprom continues to turn on the German gas tap
Meanwhile, Germany has to adjust to a further reduction in gas supplies. Only six days after the gas supply from Russia was resumed through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the supply volume is to be halved. The Russian company Gazprom wants to reduce the gas volume from 40 percent to 20 percent of maximum capacity next Wednesday, the company announced. The reason was the repair of another turbine, it said.
Kremlin chief Putin threatened last week that there could be a further cut in gas supplies via Nord Stream 1 around July 26. He had referred to turbines used by the Russian energy company. According to this, a throttling is possible if a turbine repaired in Canada is not available again in time. In addition, the repair of "another unit" would be necessary, said Putin at the time.
Habeck sharply criticizes Putin for gas policy
Putin's justification for the reduced gas supplies has met with sharp criticism from Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck. Habeck accused the Russian President of a "perfidious game" because of the announced further reduction in gas supplies. "There are no technical reasons for the delivery cuts. The turbine is ready for delivery to Russia," said Habeck. Siemens Energy's export documents are complete, but Russia refuses to issue the import documents. "Russia breaks treaties and blames others," Habeck continued. "Putin is playing a perfidious game," added the Green politician. His strategy is transparent. "He's trying to weaken the great support for Ukraine and drive a wedge in our society. To do this, he's fueling uncertainty and driving up prices. We're countering this with unity and concentrated action. We're taking precautions so that we can get through the winter. "
German "Gepard" tanks arrive in Ukraine
However, another delivery worked today: Ukraine received the first Gepard anti-aircraft tanks from Germany. "Today the first three 'cheetahs' officially arrived," Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Ukrainian television. Several tens of thousands of shots were also handed over. Twelve more "Gepard" tanks are expected. The delivery is based on an agreement with Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht in May. Ukraine has repeatedly urged to strengthen its own air defenses.
It is the second shipment of heavy weapons that Germany has handed over to Ukraine. In June, the German government had already delivered heavy artillery pieces to Ukraine in the form of the Panzerhaubitze 2000. The Panzerhaubitze is the Bundeswehr's most modern artillery piece with a range of 40 kilometers. At that time, Ukraine received a total of seven guns.
Ukraine celebrates successes with HIMARS systems
The US has already delivered more arms to Ukraine than Germany. And they can be used effectively: According to Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov, Ukrainian troops used US precision missiles to destroy 50 Russian ammunition depots. "This breaks their supply chains and deprives them of their ability to actively fight and take our forces under heavy artillery fire," Resnikov said on television. This proves the growing influence of the US-supplied HIMARS mobile multiple rocket launchers on the fighting. The US think tank Institute for the Study of War also certified the missile systems' successes during operations by Ukrainian troops. Accordingly, Ukraine succeeded in striking both Russian military logistics and several checkpoints.
Ukraine: Berkut special forces to break resistance in Kherson
Meanwhile, in Kherson, Ukrainian troops continue to fight against Russian troops. Apparently, Moscow also used the notorious Berkut riot police. This should suppress the Ukrainian resistance in the occupied areas of the Cherson region, as reported by the security service of Ukraine. "The victims are subjected to psychological pressure, violence and death threats. Cases of kidnapping and torture of people have been recorded," it said. The Berkut units, once subordinate to Ukraine's Interior Ministry, were involved in the 2014 crackdown on pro-European protests in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government disbanded it after pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych fled, but the special unit was still welcome in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed.
Other important articles on the Ukraine war:
You can read all further developments in our live ticker on the Ukraine war.
