In pursuing oligarchs, Chancellor Scholz relies on a hotline for whistleblowers, which he intends to set up soon. Meanwhile, Russian energy giant Gazprom is cutting gas supplies through Nord Stream 1, blaming Siemens. The civilians holding out at the Azot chemical plant in Sievjerodonetsk can hope for an escape corridor announced by Russia. The 111th day of the war at a glance.
Scholz: Whistleblowers should provide information about oligarchs
Chancellor Olaf Scholz supports the attempt to make the sanctions against Russian oligarchs more effective with a whistleblower hotline. “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has shown that sanctions urgently need to be more effective – especially against Russian oligarchs and their hidden assets,” Scholz said at an event organized by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international body dedicated to combating and preventing money laundering . A second law on the enforcement of sanctions will be passed shortly, which will, among other things, provide for a national register for assets that are subject to sanctions or whose origin is unclear. “We will also set up a special hotline for whistleblowers,” announced the chancellor.
Gazprom cuts supplies through Nord Stream 1
Meanwhile, Germany has to adjust to significantly less gas from Russia in the summer. The energy giant Gazprom announced that it would reduce the maximum delivery volumes through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline to Germany by 40 percent. Reason are delays in repair work by the company Siemens: A compressor unit was not returned in time from the repair. Therefore, only up to 100 million cubic meters of gas could be pumped through the pipeline every day – or around 60 percent of the previously planned daily volume of 167 million cubic meters of gas, it said. “Currently, the security of supply is still guaranteed,” said a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Economics. “We are monitoring the situation and examining the facts.”
Federal government gives Gazprom Germania billion injection
In order to secure the nationwide gas supply, the federal government is supporting the company Gazprom Germania with billions. The Federal Ministry of Economics announced that the loan would avoid insolvency. According to information from government circles, the sum involved is between nine billion and ten billion euros. The trusteeship of Gazprom Germania GmbH (GPG) will also be extended beyond September and can be extended several times due to the parallel change in the legal basis, it said. The company, which has stumbled due to sanctions from the Russian side, is to be protected from insolvency with a loan: “With this approach, the federal government retains influence on this part of the critical energy infrastructure and prevents energy security from being endangered.”
Russia announces evacuation corridor for Wednesday
After the third and last bridge in the city of Sievjerodonetsk over the river Siwerskyi Donets was destroyed, concerns about the civilians remaining in the city grew. The situation around the local chemical plant Azot is particularly difficult, said the head of the city’s military administration, Olexander Strjuk, on Ukrainian television. Around 540 to 560 civilians are said to be staying in bomb shelters on the factory premises. “Certain stocks were created at the Azot plant,” Strjuk said. The police and military also provided assistance. However, the area is under constant fire, and the street fighting also continued. Russia announced on Wednesday that it would set up an escape corridor for the trapped civilians in the chemical plant to enable them to escape via a humanitarian corridor. The escape route should lead north to the town of Svatove (Swatovo) in the Luhansk region, Russian Defense Ministry representative Mikhail Mizintsev said.
Farmers put pressure on grain shortages
Because of the scarcity of grain worldwide as a result of the war in the Ukraine, the farmers’ association is pushing for an expansion of production in Germany as well. Farmers’ President Joachim Rukwied said at the Farmers’ Day in Lübeck that Russia was using food as a weapon. “This sword needs to be blunted, and we can blunt it.” With a temporary use of additional areas, 1.4 million tons more wheat could be produced. He expects politicians to use this instrument.
USA: Putin aims for larger territorial gains in Ukraine
According to the US government, Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to continue conquering large parts of Ukraine. “I still think he got a glimpse of a significant part of Ukraine, if not all of the country,” US Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl said at an event hosted by the think tank Center for New American Security. However, Russia will not be able to achieve this goal. “Maybe they can make tactical gains here and there,” Kahl said. However, the Ukrainians showed themselves to be steadfast.
Russia blacklists British journalists
Russia has blacklisted 49 British citizens, including many well-known journalists. “British journalists on the list are involved in the deliberate dissemination of false and biased information about Russia and events in Ukraine and Donbass,” the Foreign Ministry said in Moscow. British military representatives would also be sanctioned. A total of 29 journalists are on the new list, including BBC Director General Tim Davie and journalists from The Guardian and the Financial Times. The editors of the newspapers “The Times”, “The Guardian”, “Daily Mail” and “Daily Telegraph” as well as radio and television presenters are also affected.
Zelenskyj: “Help us. Please.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects significantly more support from the West for the tough defensive battle against the Russian army. “We still have to do a lot more together to win this war,” Selenskyj told Die Zeit in an interview. In particular, his country needs more modern artillery pieces such as multiple rocket launchers. In support of Germany, he said arms shipments were “still less than they could be”. When asked whether he would like Chancellor Scholz to clearly formulate that Ukraine must win the war, he explained: “Whatever the wording is: Dozens of people die here in Ukraine every day. Every day. How am I supposed to do it stay calm?” Russian President Vladimir Putin hates the idea of ??a free and united life in Europe, and his soldiers opposed it. “So say what you want and how you want it, but help us. Please.”
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