Day 415 since the beginning of the war: A rocket attack on a residential area in Sloviansk apparently killed eleven civilians. Kiev sanctions companies, athletes – and the daughter of the Russian defense minister. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Ukraine: Russians attack in full force on four fronts
10:19 p.m.: In the Russian war of aggression, Ukraine is apparently being attacked on four fronts in particular: The cities of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdjiwka and Marinka are the Russians’ main battlefields, reports the “Focus” and cites information from the Ukrainian general staff. The fighting in Bakhmut and Marinka was particularly fierce. There, the Ukrainian armed forces had to fend off 40 attacks in 24 hours.
The Russians had mainly attacked residential areas from the air, it is said. Russia is now able to make more far-reaching advances on the hard-fought Bakhmut because cooperation between Wagner troops and the regular army is now working better. For months, Russia has been trying to take over the city in eastern Ukraine in order to then control the entire Donetsk region.
G7 pledges support to Ukraine for as long as necessary
8:55 p.m: The G7 industrialized countries have assured Ukraine that they will support the country in the war against Russia for as long as necessary, Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said on Saturday. His G7 counterparts promised him that during the meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington this week. Marchenko said that was a change from last year, when there was more pressure on Ukraine to agree to an end to the war.
Selenskyj calls for a NATO perspective and security guarantees
8:49 p.m.: With a view to a NATO summit in Lithuania in July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has called for clearer prospects and security guarantees for his country. “Effective security guarantees for Ukraine (…) are needed even before we join the alliance,” said Zelenskyy in his evening video address on Saturday. He also spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron about security issues.
In the fall of 2022, Zelenskyy applied for his country’s accelerated accession to the western military alliance. However, a prerequisite for joining NATO is that the accession candidate must not be involved in international conflicts and disputes over borders.
Kiev sanctions Russian companies, athletes and daughter of Shoigu
6:31 p.m.: In view of the ongoing Russian war of aggression, Ukraine has added hundreds more Russian companies and individuals to its sanctions list. The more than 240 companies affected include the internet companies Yandex and VK, according to the decrees published by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday. The daughter of Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Xenia Shoigu, is also on the list. Among the more than 400 sanctioned people are also many well-known athletes – also from the former Soviet republic of Belarus, which is allied with Russia.
For example, those affected are no longer allowed to conduct business in Ukraine or are no longer allowed to enter the country. If they exist, their assets in Ukraine are often frozen as well. In many cases, however, the sanctions are likely to have symbolic value above all.
