Dozens of people die and many more are injured in a rocket attack in eastern Ukraine on a prison with Ukrainian prisoners of war. But who ordered the destruction? Ukraine and Russia blame each other. Further south, hopes are growing for the first grain exports across the Black Sea. The first ships will soon be leaving the port of Odessa. Meanwhile, Germany promises further tank deliveries. And Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov has agreed to telephone his American counterpart, Blinken. The 156th day of the war at a glance.

Mutual allegations after destruction of prison camp

The reports about the dead Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka can hardly be verified. Pictures and videos from Russian sources showed dead people, as well as a dormitory full of bunk beds under a destroyed roof. According to Russian separatists, 53 people were killed and 75 injured. The Ukrainian General Staff denied that its troops had shelled the prison. The Ukrainian army does not bomb civilian objects and “especially not places where captured brothers-in-arms are likely to be held”. Zelenskyj’s advisor Mikhail Podoljak spoke of a “classic, cynical and very well thought-out operation under false flags”. The portal Ukrajinska Pravda quoted alleged sources in the Ukrainian military intelligence service, according to which Russian forces had destroyed the building in the camp during the night.

The Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow said the barracks had been fired upon by HIMARS rocket launchers. The US delivered these multiple rocket launchers to Kyiv just a few weeks ago. Since then, the Ukrainians have used their state-of-the-art weapons to destroy many ammunition depots and Russian command posts far behind the front lines.

The so-called People’s Republic of Donetsk wants to put the captured Ukrainians on trial and is threatening the death penalty. “It is obviously a deliberate shelling and a desire to destroy those representatives, including the Azov regiment, who have started making confessions,” claimed separatist leader Denis Puschilin.

Hope for first Ukrainian grain exports

“Today or tomorrow” the first grain exports across the Black Sea are to begin, as Zelenskyj announced in Odessa. “The most important thing for us is that the port and the people work,” said the Ukrainian president. The grain on the “Polarnet” comes from a Ukrainian company. The Ministry of Infrastructure is now waiting for a signal from the United Nations and Turkey for the start. “It is important for us that Ukraine remains a guarantor of global food safety,” Zelenskyy said. According to the presidential administration, a total of 16 ships are currently being loaded with grain in the ports in and around Odessa.

Ukraine is one of the world’s largest grain exporters. After the war began, however, Russia blocked the Ukrainian seaports. Ukraine also mined its coast to protect against Russian attacks. With the mediation of the UN and Turkey, the two warring parties signed an agreement on the release of grain exports in Istanbul a week ago.

Germany supplies Ukraine with armored bridge-laying vehicles

Meanwhile, the Bundeswehr wants to deliver 16 bridge-laying tanks to Ukraine. With the armored vehicles of the “Biber” type, the Ukrainian troops can overcome water or obstacles in combat, the Federal Ministry of Defense announced in Berlin. The first six systems are scheduled for delivery later this year, starting in the fall. Ten more systems will follow next year.

Kyiv reports problems with German howitzers

However, there are initial problems with some tanks that have already been delivered. According to a press report, only a month after the delivery of German howitzers to the Ukraine, the artillery pieces are already showing clear signs of wear. In the middle of the week, the government in Kyiv informed the Ministry of Defense in Berlin that some of the seven self-propelled howitzers 2000 delivered at the end of June had displayed error messages after intensive shelling of Russian positions, reports the “Spiegel”. Several howitzers are therefore in need of repair.

Ukraine reduces sentences for Russian war criminals

A Ukrainian court has reduced the sentence for the first convicted Russian war criminal on appeal. Vadim Shishimarin was sentenced to 15 years in prison, the court in Kyiv said. In May, the judges sentenced the then 21-year-old to life imprisonment. The young man had admitted shooting an unarmed 62-year-old man on a bicycle. He stressed that he acted under pressure from another soldier. The two were on their way back to Russian territory in a stolen car.

Many dead in Russian shelling of Ukrainian cities

Meanwhile, fighting in the war zones continues unabated. According to Ukrainian authorities, more than a dozen civilians have been killed and scores injured in two days. On Thursday, eight people were killed and 19 injured, said the military governor of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko. At least two people died and six were injured on Friday.

Several rockets fell in the eastern city of Kharkiv. Two people were killed and eight injured. According to the information, a bus stop was hit in Mykolaiv in the south. Five people died there and seven were injured. Civilians also came under fire in the part of Donetsk Oblast occupied by Russian troops. Local media spoke of one dead and at least 28 injured. The information on the number of victims could not be independently verified.

Blink on the phone with Lavrov

For the first time since the beginning of the Ukraine war in February, the US and Russian foreign ministers have spoken directly to each other. “We had an open and direct conversation,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken afterwards. He told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the world would “never” accept an annexation of Ukrainian territories. He also put “pressure” on the Russian side to accept a Washington proposal to free two US citizens held captive in Russia.

Blinken said he also urged Lavrov to honor the Turkey-brokered grain export deal. On the possible release of basketball pro Brittney Griner and former US soldier Paul Whelan, who were imprisoned in Russia, Blinken said he had urged Moscow to accept Washington’s “serious proposal” for their release. According to media reports, the US plan communicated weeks ago includes an exchange of the two US citizens with the Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout, who is in prison in the US.

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