Ukraine is continuing to put pressure on the German government to supply Kiev with German Taurus cruise missiles for defense against Russia.
Ukraine needs them "to save more lives of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians and to speed up the liberation of their territories," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told "Bild am Sonntag". President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, once again thanked Germany for two more Patriot air defense systems that were recently delivered.
Ukraine has been defending itself against Russian war of aggression for more than 17 months.
Ukraine reiterates call for Taurus cruise missiles
"The formula is simple: a longer range of the missiles means a shorter duration of the war," said Kuleba. With the weapon, Ukraine could "reach the Russian occupying forces on Ukrainian soil far beyond the front line, disrupt their logistics and destroy command centers and ammunition depots."
In Germany, too, the pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had recently increased. Politicians from the ruling parties and the opposition demanded that the Ukrainian armed forces be given the weapon system suitable for destroying bunkers and protected command posts up to 500 kilometers away.
"Thanks Olaf!" - Selenskyj welcomes further German anti-aircraft defense
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy thanked Germany again for the two additional launch pads for the Patriot air defense system that his country had received. "This is very important," he said in his evening speech on Saturday. "Thank you! Thank you, Germany. Thank you to the people," said Selenskyj - and added to Chancellor Scholz: "Thank you, Olaf!"
The delivery of the new Patriot systems by Germany became known a few days ago. Immediately afterwards, Selenskyj also thanked Scholz. The US-built Patriot systems are particularly valuable for Ukraine because, according to Kiev, they have intercepted Russian hypersonic missiles several times.
Scholz: Continue talks on a peace solution for Ukraine
Scholz spoke out in favor of further international talks on ways to end the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. In the "summer interview" of the ZDF program "Berlin direct", the SPD politician described a meeting in Saudi Arabia last weekend as "very important". This is "really just the beginning, unfortunately". Nevertheless, the talks at the level of foreign policy advisers are something very special.
Moscow: Ukrainian drone shot down over Belgorod region
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia shot down a Ukrainian drone over the Russian region of Belgorod. At around 4:00 a.m. (3:00 a.m. CEST) in the morning, the attack in the region bordering Ukraine was thwarted, the Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing the ministry. The Russian missile defense discovered and destroyed the drone. There are no reports of damage or casualties. The information could not be independently verified.
Ukraine: Six dead in artillery shelling
At least six people were killed by Russian artillery fire on villages in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson on Sunday morning, according to the authorities. This includes a family of four with a father, mother, a 12-year-old and a 22-day-old baby from the village of Schyroka Balka. This was announced by Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko on Telegram. The 12-year-old was taken to hospital with injuries and then died there.
Two adults were killed in the neighboring village of Stanislav, wrote the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak. "The enemy continues to shell the Kherson region." The villages are located on the north bank of the Dnipro River at its confluence with the Black Sea. Russian troops withdrew from this area last fall. It's still within range of their artillery though.
Explosions at the Crimean bridge - Russia speaks of averted missiles
There were another explosion at the Kerch Bridge between mainland Russia and Crimea, which was illegally annexed from Ukraine by the Black Sea. Russian air defenses shot down several enemy missiles, Moscow's governor of the peninsula, Sergey Aksyonov, said on Telegram.
"The Crimean bridge is not damaged," he wrote. This could not initially be verified independently. Car traffic over the 19-kilometer structure has been temporarily suspended. Russia blamed Ukraine for the attacks.
Media: Drone attack on Crimea aimed at Russian military base
According to a media report, a Ukrainian drone attack in Crimea on Saturday night was aimed at a logistics base of Russian troops near Yevpatoria in the west of the peninsula. The Ukrajinska Pravda internet portal reported on Saturday evening that 17 drones were used in the night attack, citing sources at the Ukrainian secret service SBU. According to preliminary information, "dozens of occupiers" were killed or injured. Equipment was also destroyed. The exact extent of the damage is still being investigated. The information could not be independently verified.
According to reports, anti-aircraft defenses were activated over parts of Crimea on Saturday night. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the military fended off 20 Ukrainian drones. The ministry claimed there were no casualties or damage. This information could not be verified either.
Russian fighter jet crashed in Kaliningrad region, occupants dead
According to official information, a Russian fighter plane crashed during training in the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad. "The crew of the plane died," the Russian Defense Ministry said, according to the Interfax agency.
It was initially unclear how many inmates were involved. The exact crash site was also not mentioned. The Sukhoi Su-30 machine was flying over an uninhabited area when technical problems arose, it said.
Ukrainian judiciary has counted 500 children killed
According to the Ukrainian judiciary's continuous count, at least 500 children fell victim to the Russian war of aggression. The Prosecutor General's Office announced this on Sunday in the capital Kiev. In addition, almost 1,100 children suffered injuries of various degrees of severity, the authority wrote on Telegram. She pointed out that the census was incomplete. It is being investigated in the combat zone, in the areas liberated from Ukraine and in the areas occupied by Russian troops, and other cases are being sought.
Most of the children killed and injured were in the eastern areas of Donetsk and Kharkiv close to the front, followed by the capital region of Kiev and Cherson in the south. The most recent known case was an eight-year-old boy who, according to Ukrainian sources, was fatally injured in a rocket attack on western Ukraine on Friday.
Great Britain: Wagner troops have to cut costs
After the brief uprising against the Russian military leadership, the Wagner mercenary group is under financial pressure, according to British intelligence. The Wagner Group is likely to face downsizing and restructuring primarily to save on payroll costs, the British Ministry of Defense said in its daily intelligence update on online platform X on Sunday.
Since the uprising in June, the Russian state has acted against other business interests of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, the ministry reported. "There is a realistic possibility that the Kremlin will stop funding the group," it said. If the Russian state stops paying the mercenaries, the authorities in Belarus would be the second most likely donor. However, this would place a significant and potentially unwelcome strain on manageable Belarusian funds, the British wrote.
