News blog about Russia and Ukraine
Moscow threatens Moldova
From dpa, rtr, afp, t-online
Updated on 06/28/2023 – 19:02 Reading time: 15 min.
A map shows where the fiercest fighting is currently raging in Ukraine. (Source: t-online)
Day 490: Media reveal details of Wagner mutiny. The death toll after a rocket attack on Kramatorsk rises to ten. All information in the news blog.
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Moscow threatens Moldova
6.50 p.m.: The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, addressed the ex-Soviet Republic of Moldova with threatening words. If Moldova plans to make itself a “logistical hub” for the army of neighboring Ukraine, it will invite violence and chaos into its home, Zakharova said at her weekly press briefing on Wednesday.
A few weeks ago, pro-Kremlin media outlets claimed that the pro-European Moldovan President Maia Sandu had suggested that the Ukrainian army be allowed to use Moldovan territory for military purposes. Chișinău has long since dismissed these statements as false news. Zakharova also recently criticized the planned reduction in Russian diplomats in Moldova.
Like Ukraine, Moldova is an EU accession candidate. In the small and poverty-stricken country, Russia has also traditionally had a major influence, particularly in the breakaway region of Transnistria, where Russian soldiers have been stationed since the 1990s. In the course of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, international observers repeatedly warned that Moscow could use unrest in the region as an excuse to escalate the situation. Sandu has recently repeatedly complained about interference and planned coup attempts by Russian secret services in her country.
Report: Prigozhin wanted to capture Shoigu and Gerasimov in a mutiny
5:41 p.m.: Was the Wagner boss actually targeting the two most important Russian military chiefs with his mutiny? This is now suggested by a media report. Read more about it here.
Vladimir Putin (centre) in conversation with Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov (left) and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (archive photo). (Source: Mikhail Klimentyev/dpa)
At least 10 dead after Russian attack on Kramatorsk
3:17 p.m.: After the Russian rocket attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, the death toll has risen to ten. According to the authorities, 61 others were injured. Several children were among the dead and injured, the state rescue service of Ukraine said on Wednesday in the online service Telegram. The Kremlin assured that the Russian army was only attacking “military” targets and not “civilian infrastructure” in Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian police, Russia fired two S-300 surface-to-air missiles at the city on Tuesday. The attack destroyed the “Ria Pizza” restaurant in the city center, popular with journalists and military personnel. Ukrainian media reported that foreign military instructors were in the city.
“The search and rescue work and the removal of the rubble are underway,” the rescue service said on the Internet on Wednesday. Among the injured were three Colombian celebrities — well-known author Héctor Abad, politician Sergio Jaramillo and journalist Catalina Gómez, who were having dinner with Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelima at the restaurant, Abad and Jaramillo said in a joint statement. The 37-year-old Amelima, whose works have been translated into German and English, is in mortal danger, it said. She was injured in the head.
One injured after the rocket attack on Kramatorsk: According to the authorities, 61 people are injured. (Source: REUTERS/dpa-pictures)
Cardinal arrived in Moscow
1:10 p.m.: A special envoy from Pope Francis has arrived in Moscow for talks with the Russian leadership to end the war in Ukraine. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirms the arrival of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi. Russia appreciates the Vatican’s efforts to help resolve the “Ukraine conflict,” says Peskov. According to propaganda, the Kremlin does not officially speak of war. President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser will speak to the envoy, it said.
