Day 441 since the beginning of the war: Ukraine’s planned counter-offensive has been postponed. Meanwhile, Ukraine is reporting successes at the front in Bakhmut. All information in the blog.
The most important things at a glance
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US ambassador accuses South Africa of supplying ammunition to Russia
6:53 p.m.: According to local media reports, the US ambassador to South Africa has accused the South African government of having supplied arms and ammunition to Russia. Reuben Brigety, speaking at a meeting with local media on Thursday, said he would bet his life South Africa had supplied arms to President Vladimir Putin’s army.
The ammunition is said to have been delivered by a Russian ship docked at a naval base in Cape Town last December. On Thursday afternoon, when asked by the opposition, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told parliament that he wanted to examine the matter.
Officially, South Africa, which belongs to the Brics group of emerging economies along with Russia, China, India and Brazil, has so far taken a neutral position on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Recently, however, South Africa has come under criticism several times for its pro-Russian attitude. In February, the country took part in a naval maneuver with Russia and China. In April, following an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, the South African President initially announced that he would be leaving the International Criminal Court. President Ramaphosa’s spokesman later called the announcement a “mistake”.
Melnyk is set to become Ukrainian ambassador to Brazil
First, the “Bild” reported on it, citing Ukrainian government circles. Accordingly, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj urgently wants to improve relations with Brazil and is sending one of his top diplomats to Brasilia. According to the report, Melnyk did not comment. However, he posted a photo on Twitter a few hours earlier and wrote: “We are slowly changing the mood between Ukraine and Brazil.”
According to a report, Melnyk met Celso Amorim, close confidante and foreign policy adviser of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Wednesday. The two spoke about the war in Ukraine and the intensification of relations.
Long range: This missile poses problems for Putin
Ukraine to auction confiscated Russian assets
4:49 p.m.: Ukraine plans to start selling confiscated Russian assets later this year. These are to be sold at auctions to finance the country’s reconstruction, State Property Fund head Rustem Umerov told Reuters on Thursday. “Our goal is to take everything into state ownership, process it and sell it,” he explained. “We want these companies to work for the Ukrainian state, for Ukrainian citizens.” Up to 102 assets are expected to be sold this year, mainly real estate and cars.
