Kyiv (dpa-AFX) – The Russian military continued its airstrikes against Ukrainian cities on Monday night. According to Ukrainian media reports, several heavy explosions shook the capital Kyiv, as well as Lutsk, Rivne and Kharkiv. A fuel depot was hit in Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine. Air alerts had previously been raised in all regions of the country.
The Ukrainian leadership accused the Russian military of “inhumane tactics”. This includes the “partial or total blockade of humanitarian corridors, blockade of besieged cities,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s adviser Mykhailo Podoliak wrote on Twitter. In addition, Russia is continuing “all-out rocket attacks” against Ukrainian cities. To this end, the port city of Mariupol is being carpet-bombed.
Ukrainian army reports successes
According to their own account, Ukrainian troops have launched successful counterattacks in the vicinity of the city of Kharkiv in the east of the country. Russian troops were pushed out of several towns on Sunday, regional military chief Oleg Synegubow said on Telegram. “We are driving the occupiers back towards the (Russian) border,” he said. According to Ukrainian military information, there were also land gains near Kyiv. The information could not be independently verified.
Kyiv: Russia brings new missiles to Belarus
In preparation for new rocket attacks on Ukraine, Russian launch pads in Belarus are being supplied with fresh new projectiles, according to Ukrainian military intelligence. The rockets were intended for the units with the “Iskander” weapon system deployed near Kalinkavitchy. Cities in Ukraine were repeatedly hit by Russian missiles over the weekend. The “Iskander” system (NATO code SS-26 Stone) is a mobile launch base capable of launching both short-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
LONDON: Russia continues to block Ukraine’s Black Sea coast
From the British government’s point of view, Russia is maintaining its blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade. In addition, there are still sporadic missile attacks by the Russian naval forces, according to an update from the British Ministry of Defense on Monday night, citing intelligence information. However, the destruction of the Russian landing ship “Saratov” in the port of Berdyansk is likely to make the Russian Navy hesitate to conduct future missions in the immediate vicinity of the Ukrainian coast.
Biden: Didn’t call for a change of power in Moscow
US President Joe Biden has denied that he called for the overthrow of Russian President Vladimir Putin during his speech in Warsaw on the Ukraine war. A reporter asked Biden Sunday night, “Mr. President, do you want Putin removed (from office)? Mr. President, have you called for regime change?” Biden replied, “No.” Biden had called Putin a “dictator” on Saturday night and concluded with the words: “For God’s sake, this man cannot stay in power.” The White House then stressed that this was not a call to overthrow Putin.
Zelenskyj to Russian media: Putin prolongs war
In an interview with Russian journalists more than a month after the start of the war, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy accused Kremlin chief Putin of delaying the peace negotiations. In the approximately one-and-a-half hour video conversation, Zelenskyj once again called for Russian troops to be withdrawn from Ukrainian territory. Only then can there be security guarantees for Ukraine, which in turn are the basis for Ukraine’s renunciation of NATO, which Moscow is demanding. Zelenskyi also renewed his announcement that ultimately only Ukrainian citizens would be able to decide on a possible neutral status of Ukraine in a referendum.
Scholz: Consider missile defense shield for Germany
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz is considering setting up a missile protection shield for the whole of Germany based on the Israeli model. “That’s definitely one of the things we’re discussing, for good reason,” said the SPD politician on Sunday in the ARD program “Anne Will” when asked whether a protective shield against rocket attacks like the one in Israel was stretched across the country shall be. “We all have to prepare for the fact that we have a neighbor who is currently willing to use violence to assert his interests. That’s why we have to work together so strongly that this doesn’t happen.”
States: Use of Russian “Z” symbol punishable by law
Several states have announced criminal penalties for using the Russian “Z” symbol in public. The Latin letter is used by supporters of the war in Ukraine. Berlin’s interior senator Iris Spranger (SPD) told the “Tagesspiegel” (Monday): “If the context of the war is created with the use of the white Z, as can be seen on the Russian military vehicles, then of course that means advocating a war of aggression. That would be punishable, we will intervene immediately.”
That will be important on Monday
On Monday, the EU interior ministers will discuss how to deal with the huge flow of refugees from Ukraine. The main issue here is the distribution of the almost four million refugees to the EU countries. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) recently said that the goal must be a fixed quota for distribution in Europe. Meanwhile, negotiators from Ukraine and Russia could meet for a new round of negotiations, this time in Turkey./so/DP/zb