After major territorial losses in the Donbass, the Ukrainian President Zelenskyj changes the commander of the armed forces in eastern Ukraine. In his evening speech, he also warns of an "open gas war" and calls for tougher sanctions against Russia. During the night, representatives of the EU states agree on a gas emergency plan and the struggle for grain deliveries continues. Tuesday is the 152nd day of the war.
Zelenskyy: Russia is waging "open gas war"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sees the further throttling of Russian gas supplies to Europe as a form of Moscow's "terror" against the West. "And this is an open gas war that Russia is unleashing against a united Europe," said Zelenskyy in his evening video message. Russia is deliberately making it difficult for Europe to prepare for the winter. The country is showing once again that it is not interested in the fate of the people. By blocking Ukrainian grain exports, Russia is making people starve, suffering from cold, poverty and occupation. "These are just different forms of terror," said Zelenskyj, referring to the announcement by the Russian gas company Gazprom that it would cut supplies through the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1 to 20 percent of capacity from Wednesday. Read more about this here.
EU countries agree on gas emergency plan
According to information from the German Press Agency, representatives of EU countries have agreed on an emergency plan to reduce gas consumption. It is to be officially confirmed today at a special meeting of energy ministers in Brussels. Read more about this here.
Zelenskyj calls for further sanctions against Russia
The cutback in gas supplies is another threat to Europe, Zelensky said. That is why the West must strike back. Instead of thinking about returning the gas turbine that has already been repaired, the sanctions against Russia should be further tightened. "Do everything possible to reduce Russia's revenues not only from gas and oil, but also from other exports that remain," he said. Zelenskyy warned that any further trade relationship is a "potential means of pressure on Russia". It has long had a reputation for using its gas as a "geopolitical weapon." Despite the war, part of the gas from Russia continues to be pumped through Ukraine to Western Europe.
Ukrainian troops in Donbass under new command
After major losses of territory since the beginning of the Russian invasion, head of state Selenskyj has appointed a new commander of the armed forces in eastern Ukraine: Viktor Horenko is now to command the troops. By decree, he dismissed the 44-year-old Major General Hryhorij Halahan, who was transferred to the secret service. He was therefore appointed deputy head of the anti-terrorist center of the secret service SBU.
After Russia's invasion in February, Ukraine has now completely lost control of the Luhansk region. About half 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.
Struggles for grain deliveries continue
Preparations for export of grain from Black Sea ports are ongoing in Ukraine. "We expect that the first ship could move within the coming days," said a UN spokesman. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during his visit to the Republic of the Congo that nothing stands in the way of fulfilling the Istanbul agreement reached on Friday.
In the agreement on Friday, Russia had pledged to let ships for export use a sea corridor and not to shoot at them. The ports involved, Odessa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny, must also not be attacked. Among other things, it is about the export of millions of tons of grain. The agreement, signed through mediation by the UN and Turkey, provides for exports to be monitored by a control center in Istanbul. Read more about this here.
A memorandum was also signed with Russia in parallel with the Korn Agreement. According to Moscow, it states that the UN wants to work towards easing sanctions that indirectly restrict Russia's grain and fertilizer exports. Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken of a package solution with regard to the export of Ukrainian grain. However, the UN has not yet confirmed this. The documents are "not public" and will only be made public if everyone involved agrees, the UN said. On Friday, the UN merely stated in writing that the agreement was based on the principle "that the measures imposed on the Russian Federation do not apply to these products".
That will be important on Tuesday
You can read all further developments in our live ticker on the Ukraine war.
