According to Kiev, Ukrainian and Russian units continue to fight each other on the outskirts of the city of Lysychansk. Moscow has been boasting about the complete capture of the Luhansk region for days. While Defense Minister Lambrecht does not want to send armored personnel carriers from the Bundeswehr to Ukraine, Kremlin chief Putin threatens the West in a sharp speech. The 133rd day of the war at a glance.
Russian army continues attacks in Donetsk region
Russian troops have again caused massive destruction in their unabated attacks in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region. At least one person was killed and several injured in an air raid on the city of Kramatorsk. According to Ukrainian sources, seven people were killed and many injured in the region within 24 hours. The nearby city of Sloviansk was again attacked by Russian troops.
Kramatorsk is the capital of the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donetsk region. Only about 15 kilometers away is the city of Sloviansk, which is apparently the next target for Russian troops in their advance in eastern Ukraine. Sloviansk and Kramatorsk are the two largest cities in the Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control.
According to Kyiv, Luhansk is not yet under Russian control
According to the Ukrainian army, Moscow’s troops have not yet fully conquered the Luhansk region. According to information from Kyiv, the Kremlin units continue to fight for control of the region. For this purpose, the Russians moved some of their units, the Ukrainian General Staff said. Luhansk governor Serhiy Hajday had previously stated that even after the fall of the strategically important city of Lysychansk, fighting would continue in the outskirts. Moscow, on the other hand, has been saying for days that its own troops have taken complete control of Luhansk.
Putin: Haven’t even started in Ukraine yet
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West against a military confrontation. “Today we hear that they want to beat us on the battlefield. What can you say about that? Let them try,” he said in Moscow. Everyone should know that Russia hasn’t really started in Ukraine yet. Moscow does not reject peace negotiations. “But those who refuse should know that the further they go, the more difficult it is for them to come to terms with us,” Putin said.
Russia is apparently courting soldiers in occupied territories
Another assertion made by the Luhansk governor Hajdaj fits Putin’s statement. According to him, the Russian army is trying to recruit soldiers in the occupied areas of eastern Ukraine. According to Hajday, the occupiers are trying to replenish their army reserves by recruiting residents of the captured cities of Sieverodonetsk and Lysychansk, the Kyiv Independent portal wrote. The Russians are now posting job advertisements there to get local men to serve in the Russian army.
Lambrecht does not want to deliver “Fuchs” armored personnel carriers to Ukraine
The Union is demanding the delivery of 200 Fuchs armored personnel carriers to Ukraine. But Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht dismisses the idea. “We support Ukraine with everything that is possible and responsible. But we have to ensure Germany’s ability to defend itself,” said the SPD minister. It was “irresponsible to want to plunder the Bundeswehr especially in these times and even want to ignore the military advice of the Inspector General,” said Lambrecht.
Inspector General Eberhard Zorn had previously stated that he saw no leeway for leaving the tanks to Ukraine. The Union obviously sees things differently. With a decision by the Bundestag, she wants to demand a short-term delivery of the armored personnel carriers to Kyiv.
Lithuanians send Bayraktar drone to Ukraine
Numerous people in Lithuania have sent a “Bayraktar” type combat drone to Ukraine. At the beginning of June, the country’s residents had collected almost six million euros for the purchase of the drone in a fundraiser within a few days. Enthusiastic about the campaign, the Turkish manufacturer Baykar gave it to Lithuania free of charge so that the money raised could be used for other purposes.
The Ukrainian military is already using “Bayraktar” drones in battles against Russian forces: Turkey had sold several combat drones of the same type to Ukraine before the war, twelve of which are said to have been delivered. There is no information on deliveries during the war.
Turkey releases Russian grain freighter again
The Russian freighter with allegedly stolen grain from Ukraine has returned to Russian waters after days in Turkey. The “Zhibek Zholy” is heading for the Russian Black Sea port of Kawkaz, according to Turkish sources. According to Kiev, the freighter originally set sail from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian port of Berdyansk. Ukrainian grain confiscated by Moscow was on board.
Kyiv therefore demanded that Turkey confiscate the freighter and return the shipment after the “Zhibek Zholy” arrived in Karasu last Friday. Because of the return to Russian waters, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is “deeply disappointed” that Ankara “ignored the Ukrainian requests”. According to the US space agency NASA, Russia has occupied around 22 percent of Ukraine’s agricultural land since the beginning of the war.
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