Russian invasion: War against Ukraine: That's the situation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the international aid organizations for their alleged passivity after the flood disaster caused by a dam explosion.

Russian invasion: War against Ukraine: That's the situation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the international aid organizations for their alleged passivity after the flood disaster caused by a dam explosion.

"Every dead person is a judgment for the existing international architecture, for international organizations that have forgotten how to save lives," he said in his daily video address the night before. He did not say how many Ukrainians died in the floods.

Criticism of the Red Cross

Instead, he spoke of 2,000 people who had been rescued in the Ukrainian part of the Cherson region, which was particularly hard hit by the floods. However, the situation is difficult in the Russian-occupied part of the area. Selenskyj accused the Russian troops of abandoning the people there - and torpedoing Ukrainian rescue attempts. In this context, he criticized international aid organizations such as the Red Cross, which he believed should be more active in this region.

The Ukrainian President had previously voiced his criticism in an interview with "Welt", "Bild" and "Politico" in Kiev. He made serious accusations against the Russian troops on the southern bank of the Dnipro that they had conquered: "If our forces try to get people out, the occupiers will shoot at them from afar."

But he thanked for bilateral aid commitments from abroad. He called French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discussed concrete offers of help.

The Kakhovka Dam on the Dnipro River was badly damaged by an explosion on Tuesday night. Ukraine and the West blame Russia for the destruction. Moscow denies this and in turn accuses Kiev of shelling the dam for military reasons.

Erdogan proposes commission of inquiry

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed a commission of inquiry into the dam blast. Erdogan addressed this yesterday in separate phone calls with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy, the Presidential Office in Ankara said.

Putin spoke for the first time after the explosion. He accused the Ukrainian leadership of being behind the dam explosion. According to the Kremlin's press release, this is an example of how Kiev and the backers in the West are counting on a "further escalation of hostilities, committing war crimes, openly using terrorist methods and organizing acts of sabotage on Russian territory."

France condemns dam attack

Macron condemned the attack on the dam and assured Ukraine of quick help. "We will send help in the next few hours to cover immediate needs," Macron said after the phone call with Zelenskyy. As the Élysée Palace announced, the Foreign Ministry's Crisis and Support Center will quickly set off a first convoy with about ten tons of the health, hygiene, water treatment and portable tanks products requested by the Ukrainians.

THW sends relief supplies to the flood region

The Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) has already sent eight trucks with relief supplies to Ukraine. They would be expected there on Friday or Saturday, said THW President Gerd Friedsam in the ARD "Tagesthemen". First, drinking water filters and power generators would be delivered. "And we are now supplementing that with accommodation material, such as tents, blankets, camp beds." The help is based on the requirements of the Ukrainian civil protection authorities.

Zelenskyy denies sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines

Zelenskyy denied his government's involvement in the sabotage actions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. "I am the president and I give orders accordingly. Ukraine did nothing of the sort. I would never act like that," said Zelenskyy in an interview by "Image", "World" and "Politico". When asked about a relevant article in the Washington Post, he demanded evidence of Ukrainian involvement. The article, published on Tuesday, said the US government learned of a plan by the Ukrainian military from a European intelligence service three months before the September 2022 explosions.

At the end of September 2022, a total of four leaks in the two pipelines were discovered after explosions near the Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm.

Moscow threatens to end the grain deal

Russia accused Ukraine of attacking an ammonia pipeline and threatened to end the grain deal. "On June 5 at 9 p.m. in the village of Masyutivka in the Kharkiv region, a Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage squad blew up the Tolyatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline," said Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.

The Russian Foreign Ministry described the blast as a "blow to the grain deal". Internationally, there are concerns that food prices will rise if the agreement fails.

Heavy fighting on front sectors

According to British intelligence experts, heavy fighting is still going on in several sectors of the front in Ukraine. The Ukrainians retained the initiative in most areas, according to the daily intelligence report from the Ministry of Defense in London.

The Russian troops were probably ordered to attack as soon as possible. Chechen units made an unsuccessful attempt to take the town of Mariivka near the city of Donetsk.

What is important today

The rescue work after the flood disaster is in full swing. The water level in the flooded area is expected to stabilize. At the same time, the situation on the front sections has deteriorated in many places. According to experts, the expected major offensive by the Ukrainians is imminent. Fighting is taking place both in southern Ukraine and in the Bakhmut region.

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