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Ukraine updates: Kramatorsk attack death toll rises
Published 18 hours agoPublished 18 hours agolast updated 1 hour agolast updated 1 hour ago
At least 10 people are confirmed dead after a Russian missile hit a restaurant in the eastern Ukrainian city. Meanwhile, Germany’s defense minister is set to visit Washington, with Ukraine on the agenda. DW has more.
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Wounded civilians shed tears after a Russian missile attack hits restaurant in Kramatorsk
The strikes suggest the Kremlin is not easing its aerial onslaught following short-lived armed uprising in Russia over the weekendImage: Narciso Contreras/AA/picture alliance
Skip next section What you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has his offered condolences after a Russian missile strike hit the eastern city of Kramatorsk
Authorities have now raised the death toll in the latest attack to 10, including three children
Meanwhile, Germany’s defense minister is set to discuss support for Ukraine as he meets his US counterpart Lloyd Austin in Washington
Skip next section Zelenskyy wants Ukraine to produce all its own weapons
1 hour ago1 hour ago
Zelenskyy wants Ukraine to produce all its own weapons
Ukraine, which has been under attack from Russia for 16 months, wants to produce all its own weapons and armaments in the future, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“Our soldiers will always have weapons,” Zelenskyy said in parliament on the occasion of Ukraine’s Constitution Day.
Until now, the country has received missiles, tanks and air defense systems from the West.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine will have a sufficiently strong armament complex to meet the needs of its army, fleet, air force and cyber forces.
Earlier, the Ukrainian government confirmed Herman Smetanin, 31, as the new head of the state-owned defense company Ukroboronprom.
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Skip next section Ukraine wants signal that it can join NATO after war
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Ukraine wants signal that it can join NATO after war
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine wanted to receive a signal from NATO that it can join the military alliance after the war ends.
“We understand that we cannot be a member of NATO during the war, but we need to be sure that after the war we will be,” Zelenskyy told a press conference with the visiting Polish and Lithuanian presidents.
“That is the signal we want to get — that after the war Ukraine will be a member of NATO,” Reuters news agency cited Zelenskyy as saying.
Reiterating Kyiv’s stance before a NATO summit in Lithuania next month, Zelenskyy said Ukraine also wanted security guarantees for the period until it can join the alliance.
NATO allies ‘with Ukraine as long as it takes’
02:37
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Skip next section Biden says ‘pariah’ Putin ‘clearly losing’ Ukraine war
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Biden says ‘pariah’ Putin ‘clearly losing’ Ukraine war
US President Joe Biden has called Vladimir Putin a “pariah” and said he is “losing” the war in Ukraine.
Asked by reporters at the White House whether the Russian president had been weakened by a rebellion launched by Wagner mercenaries over the weekend, Biden said: “It’s hard to tell, but he’s clearly losing the war” and “he’s losing the war at home, and he has become a bit of a pariah around the world.”
The White House remains cautious on interpreting the fallout from last week’s extraordinary events in Russia where the forces from the Wagner group mutinied and threatened to attack Moscow, before reversing course.
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Skip next section Switzerland rejects request for Leopard 1 tanks for use in Ukraine
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Switzerland rejects request for Leopard 1 tanks for use in Ukraine
Leopard 1 tanks in GermanyLeopard 1 tanks in Germany
Leopard 1 is a German main battle tank produced in 1965-1984Image: Thomas Imo/photothek/picture alliance
The Swiss government has rejected a request by the Swiss arms company RUAG, which planned to sell its 96 stored Leopard 1 tanks to Germany, where they would be repaired and then shipped to Ukraine.
Such a sale would be contrary to the Swiss war material act and would entail an adjustment of Switzerland’s neutrality policy, the Cabinet said. According to Swiss law, no war material may be delivered to countries that are involved in an armed conflict.
Bern said this applies regardless of whether a country like Ukraine has been attacked and wants to defend itself.
For the same reason, Bern also refuses to authorize the transfer of Swiss tank ammunition to Ukraine.
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Skip next section Vatican envoy arrives in Russia for talks on Ukraine
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Vatican envoy arrives in Russia for talks on Ukraine
A Vatican envoy has arrived in Moscow for two days of talks seeking a possible resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
“We highly appreciate the Vatican’s efforts and initiatives to seek a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis and welcome the pope’s aspiration to make his contribution to ending the armed conflict in Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Matteo Zuppi as the Vatican’s special envoy for the Ukraine war and sent him to Moscow.
Zuppi’s visit is to promote “gestures of humanity,” the Holy See announced. According to the statement, the trip is intended to help “find a solution to the current tragic situation and ways for a just peace.”
Zuppi, who is also president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, already traveled to Kyiv in early June. At that time, the main aim of the initiative was to listen to Ukraine and to sound out what possibilities there are to achieve a just peace.
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Skip next section Wagner presence in Belarus ‘a threat,’ Tsikhanouskaya tells DW
4 hours ago4 hours ago
Wagner presence in Belarus ‘a threat,’ Tsikhanouskaya tells DW
Leading Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said the presence of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in Belarus is “a threat to our independence.”
Regarding comments by Belarusian strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko that Belarus could benefit from the presence of Wagner mercenaries, Tsikhanouskaya said: “We don’t want Belarus to be involved in this war, in this Russian war. But now we see that the war is escalating to our territory.”
But Lukashenko is ultimately dependent on Putin, not Prigozhin, the opposition leader made clear.
“Lukashenko is fully loyal to Putin, he will fulfill all the orders of Putin. And if let’s imagine Putin gives Lukashenko the order to get rid of Prigozhin, he will do this,” she said.
Tsikhanouskaya: War is escalating to Belarusian territory
04:14
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Skip next section Poland, Lithuania working to ensure Ukraine joins NATO — Duda
5 hours ago5 hours ago
Poland, Lithuania working to ensure Ukraine joins NATO — Duda
Polish President Andrzej Duda said during a visit to Kyiv that his country and Lithuania would do “everything” to help Ukraine become a NATO member.
“We are trying to ensure that the decisions made at the (NATO) summit clearly indicate the perspective of membership, we are conducting talks on this issue with our allies,” Duda told a press conference.
The Lithuanian and Polish presidents visited Kyiv to meet their Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a show of support for Ukraine’s bids to join the defense alliance and the EU, ahead of summits of both bodies.
https://p.dw.com/p/4TAwC
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Skip next section Moscow rejects US media report senior general had advance knowledge of rebellion
6 hours ago6 hours ago
Moscow rejects US media report senior general had advance knowledge of rebellion
The Kremlin has poured cold water on a New York Times report that a senior general, Sergei Surovikin, may have had advance knowledge of the Wagner Group rebellion.
The publication cited US officials briefed on American intelligence, who were trying to find out if Surovikin helped plan Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s actions last weekend.
“There are now around these events a lot of different speculation and gossip,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday, according to Russian news agencies. “I think this is an example of that.”
During the uprising, the army and the population “all appealed to the President (Vladimir Putin),” Peskov said.
Surovikin has often been praised by Prigozhin. The general has not been seen in public since he appeared in a video message in which he called on Prigozhin to end the power struggle.
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Skip next section Kremlin rejects UN report on child detentions
7 hours ago7 hours ago
Kremlin rejects UN report on child detentions
Moscow has dismissed UN allegations that it has violated children’s rights in Ukraine, arguing that its forces were trying to “save children.”
In a report released on Tuesday by the UN’s Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, over 900 cases of arbitrary detentions, including children and the elderly, were documented. According to the report, the vast majority of cases were perpetrated by Russian forces.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a regular briefing that Moscow “firmly rejects” the allegations.
“Our military, repeatedly risking their own lives, took measures to save children, to take them out from under shelling, which, by the way, was carried out by the armed forces of Ukraine against civilian infrastructure,” he said.
The International Criminal Court in March issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s envoy for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of illegally deporting children from Ukraine.
Getting Ukrainian children back from Russia
03:35
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Skip next section Kremlin says it doesn’t attack ‘civilian infrastructure’ as Kramatorsk death toll rises
8 hours ago8 hours ago
Kremlin says it doesn’t attack ‘civilian infrastructure’ as Kramatorsk death toll rises
Russia has claimed it only attacks military targets and not civilians following a missile strike that hit a pizza restaurant in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.
Ukrainian authorities say the death toll has now risen to at least 10 people people, including three children.
“The Russian Federation does not strike at civilian infrastructure,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“Strikes are carried out on objects that are connected with military infrastructure in one way or another,” Peskov said.
Authorities say at least 61 people in injured in the attacks, which obliterated a restaurant.
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Skip next section Three civilians killed in Kharkiv shelling — regional governor
8 hours ago8 hours ago
Three civilians killed in Kharkiv shelling — regional governor
At least three people have been killed by Russian shelling in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region according to the local governor.
“Unfortunately, as a result of this shelling, three civilians in the village of Vovchanski Khutory were killed near their homes,” governor Oleh Synehubov said in a post on Telegram messaging app. The victims were men aged 45, 48 and 57.
https://p.dw.com/p/4TA30
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Skip next section Ex-Chancellor Schröder defends Russia policy
10 hours ago10 hours ago
Ex-Chancellor Schröder defends Russia policy
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has defended his policy towards Russia during his time in office in an interview with local broadcaster RTL.
Schröder, of the governing center-left Social Democrat (SPD) party, served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005 and has faced criticism over his involvement with Russian state-owned enterprises along with his relationship with President Vladimir Putin. Criticism has intensified since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Schröder told RTL that negative reporting about him “hits me but doesn’t really hurt” because “I was and am of the opinion that what I did politically related to Russia was right — and I still believe that was right.”
“Criticize what I’ve done or don’t, but don’t expect any renunciations from me. There is too much swearing off at the moment,” Schröder said.
The comments were broadcast as part of a documentary about German daily Bild and its former editor-in-chief Kai Diekmann.
Gerhard Schröder pictured in MarchGerhard Schröder pictured in March
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has come under increasing scrutiny over his ties to Russia and has now defended his policies while in officeImage: Jens Kalaene/dpa/picture alliance
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Skip next section Lithuania buys air defense systems for Ukraine
10 hours ago10 hours ago
Lithuania buys air defense systems for Ukraine
Lithuania will be purchasing two NASAMS air defense systems for Ukraine according to the country’s defense ministry.
The weapons systems will come at a cost of € 9.8 million ($10.7 million) and are expected to be delivered withing the next three months.
“We are purchasing updated NASAMS rocket launcher systems, which are fully prepared for Ukraine army to integrate into their fire control units, so it supplements and expands the already used NASAMS donated by Norway and the US,” said Lithuania’s defence minister, Arvydas Anusauskas.
Norway will be supplying maintenance equipment for the launchers as part of the deal.
A Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile NASAMS is seen at the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Poland in 2013A Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile NASAMS is seen at the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Poland in 2013
Lithuania’s defence ministry said Norway will provide Ukraine with support equipment for the NASAMS launchersImage: Michal Walczak/PAP/dpa/picture alliance
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Skip next section Lithuania’s president to meet Zelenskyy in Kyiv
11 hours ago11 hours ago
Lithuania’s president to meet Zelenskyy in Kyiv
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda’s office said he was set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Wednesday.
The two will discuss “the agenda of the NATO summit” that is due to be held in Vilnius in July, as well as Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, Nauseda’s office said.
The Kyiv visit comes a day before the Lithuanian president heads to Brussels for an EU summit.
Ukraine has stepped up its calls for NATO membership in recent weeks, hoping that the summit in the Lithuanian capital would bring it closer to the alliance.
But NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has ruled out the possibility of the summit resulting in a formal invitation for Kyiv to become a member.
https://p.dw.com/p/4T99Y
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Skip next section Damage to Chonhar bridge caused major delays for Russian forces: UK
12 hours ago12 hours ago
Damage to Chonhar bridge caused major delays for Russian forces: UK
The British Ministry of Defence confirmed in its regular intelligence update that Ukrainian forces last week struck the Chonhar road bridges between Crimea and Russian-held parts of the Kherson region, noting that they were among the key supply routes in the area.
“The temporary closure of the route caused vital Russian logistics convoys to take at least 50% longer to reach the front via alternative routes,” the report said.
The ministry cited reports suggesting that Russian authorities “almost certainly” used a pontoon bridge as a replacement crossing within 24 hours of the attack, adding that the alternative only served as a route for military traffic.
“The speed with which an alternate crossing was constructed indicates how vital this route is to the Russian military efforts in occupied Ukraine,” it said.
A view shows the damaged Chonhar bridge connecting Russian-held parts of Ukraine’s Kherson region to the Crimean peninsulaA view shows the damaged Chonhar bridge connecting Russian-held parts of Ukraine’s Kherson region to the Crimean peninsula
Russian-appointed officials had shared this image of the damaged Chonhar bridge on June 22Image: VLADIMIR SALDO via Telegram/ via REUTERS
Russia-appointed officials had said last week that Ukrainian forces carried out a missile attack that hit the Chonhar bridge and that traffic was diverted to another route.
Russia illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, years ahead of the full-scale invasion it launched in 2022.
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