Ukrainian President Zelenskyy accuses Russia of shelling a cultural center. The British secret service predicts that the Russian military will continue to deplete their strength. A manager of the arms company Rheinmetall has been missing for days and former Chancellor Schröder is giving up his post at Rosneft. The 86th day of the war at a glance.

Selenskyj accuses Russia of stupidity and malice

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russian troops of shelling a cultural center in the east of the country and has sharply attacked Moscow. In the attack in the city of Lozova, seven people were injured, including a child, Zelenskyj said on Telegram in the evening. The center in the city, about 150 kilometers south of Kharkiv, was only recently reopened. “The occupiers chose culture, education and humanity as their enemies,” Zelenskyy wrote. He described the attacks as “absolute maliciousness” and “absolute stupidity”.

Several short videos documented the Russian rocket attack on the so-called Palace of Culture in the Ukrainian city of Lozova. The attack occurred at 3:11 p.m. local time. Just before the impact, a car drove past the building. It was apparently completely destroyed by the attack. Russia, citing its secret services, claimed that Ukraine stored weapons and ammunition in the cultural center.

After surrender order: Moscow announces takeover of Azovstal

The remaining Ukrainian defenders of the steel mill in the port city of Mariupol publicly commented on an order to surrender for the first time. “The army leadership has given the order to stop defending the city,” Azov regiment commander Denys Prokopenko said in a video message. This should protect the life and health of the soldiers in the garrison. The commanders should still be in the bunkers on the factory premises, it was said in the afternoon. In the evening, Russian media announced the complete capture of the factory. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced this, the RIA news agency reported: the last 531 defenders of the Azov regiment had surrendered.

Attack in front of Hinterland

According to Moscow, the Luhansk region of Ukraine is now almost completely under Russian control. “The liberation of the Luhansk People’s Republic is almost complete,” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting with his ministry and military officials. In the Luhansk region, only the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, separated by a river, are now controlled by Ukraine. Both places were encircled by the Russian army.

According to their own statements, the Russian armed forces are currently concentrating their airstrikes on the Ukrainian rear near the front. The spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, reported attacks on the towns of Bakhmut, Berestove, Kostyantynivka, Maslyakivka, Pokrovske, Soledar in the Donetsk region and the city of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region. Among other things, four enemy command posts and seven depots were destroyed by Russian surface-to-air missiles. Russia’s missile forces and artillery also destroyed 3 depots and 24 artillery and rocket launcher positions.

London sees further wear and tear in Kremlin troops

British military intelligence sees the Russian army under pressure. Because of stubborn Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol, Russian forces would have to re-arm before they could be deployed effectively. “This can be a lengthy process if done thoroughly,” it said. However, the Russian commanders are “under pressure” to achieve success. This means that Russia is likely to redistribute its armed forces quickly without adequate preparation, threatening “further wasting of resources”.

G7 give 9.5 billion, Germany supplies Gepard tanks

The seven leading industrial nations (G7) cover Ukraine’s liquidity needs for the coming months. The G7 had pledged 9.5 billion dollars in new aid, said Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner at the Petersberg near Bonn. Most of it in grants that don’t have to be repaid. “The expectations were exceeded.” The USA alone contributes 7.5 billion dollars to the total, Germany contributes one billion dollars.

In July, Ukraine will receive the first 15 Gepard anti-aircraft gun tanks from German industry stocks. This is the result of a conversation between Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and her Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov. He had “expressly confirmed once again that Ukraine would like the fastest possible delivery of Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, including the 59,000 rounds of ammunition available, from Germany,” said Lambrecht after the video link. The package also includes training support from the Bundeswehr and a delivery of another 15 tanks in the summer.

Rheinmetall manager not found for days

The manager responsible for tank production at the Rheinmetall armaments group had been gone for several days. This is reported by the “Bild” newspaper. According to the police, they found him after searching intensively for him. According to the newspaper, the top manager is currently preparing to deliver 100 Marder tanks to Ukraine, as the company had offered. According to the report, the missing person was drunk and needed medical attention when he was found in a vehicle near the Kassel exhibition halls. The background is unclear.

Schröder resigns from Rosneft

After months of pressure because of his work for Russian energy companies, former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is stepping down from the board of directors of the oil company Rosneft. As the Russian company announced, the managing director of the operating company of the German-Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2, Matthias Warnig, is also giving up his position on the supervisory board. Schröder and Warnig informed Rosneft that it was “impossible” for them to continue exercising their mandates. No further details were given. According to a media report, the former SPD leader wants to have the decision of the budget committee in the Bundestag legally examined, according to which his state-financed office, including staff positions, is to be axed.

More articles on the Ukraine war

You can read all further developments in our live ticker on the Ukraine war.

6