An important railway bridge is destroyed in Russia. Meanwhile, the Kremlin is blacklisting German institutions. More information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Russia blacklists German institutions
0.05 a.m.: The Russian Ministry of Justice has declared the SPD-affiliated Friedrich Ebert Foundation an undesirable organization. According to an announcement on Monday in Moscow, the German Society for Eastern European Studies was also placed on the blacklist, which means a ban on activities in Russia. Also affected are XZ gGmbh, founded by Russian exiled journalists in Germany, and the OWEN – Mobile Academy for Gender Democracy and Peace Promotion, as reported by the Tass agency.
The Russian government stopped the political education work of the party-affiliated German foundations of the SPD, CDU, Greens and FDP in Russia shortly after the attack on Ukraine in 2022 and revoked the registration of their offices in Moscow. So far, only the Green Party-affiliated Heinrich Böll Foundation has been declared an undesirable organization.
According to a Russian law from 2015, the undesirable organizations have to stop their activities in Russia, accounts and possible property are blocked, and their representatives are closed, as the Center for Eastern European and International Studies (ZOiS) in Berlin explains. Russian citizens risk criminal prosecution if they contact these organizations.
Ukraine: Stopped Russian advance near Avdiivka
0 a.m.: The Ukrainian army says it intercepted a Russian advance near Avdiivka in the east of the country. However, Russian troops would regroup in an area further south. “Our defense is holding up,” says military spokesman Dmytro Lykhovyy. “The enemy is making enormous efforts, but is making no progress at all.”
EU: “Must switch to war economy mode”
11:15 p.m.: The EU Commission wants to promote arms production in the community. “We have to (…) switch to war economy mode,” says Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton. “In the current geopolitical context, Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security,” he explains, also with a view to the possible election of Donald Trump as US President. Trump had questioned NATO’s obligation to provide assistance to member states that, in his opinion, spend too little on armaments
Ammunition for Ukraine: Lithuania joins Czech Republic’s initiative
8:59 p.m.: Lithuania will join and financially support the Czech initiative to procure artillery ammunition for Ukraine attacked by Russia. Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė announced in Vilnius that she promised this to her Czech counterpart Petr Fiala in a telephone conversation. The Prime Minister of the Baltic EU and NATO country does not initially provide any further information.
The Czech Republic is urgently collecting financial support for the plan to purchase large quantities of artillery ammunition for Ukraine from non-EU countries. “Lithuania will contribute to all international efforts that bring Ukraine closer to their and our victory,” writes Šimonytė on X.
Railway bridge in Russia damaged by explosion
5:21 p.m.: According to official information, a railway bridge was damaged in an explosion in the Russian region of Samara on the Volga. “There are no deaths or injuries,” the FSB secret service in the Samara region said, according to the state news agency Tass.
The area around the bridge was cordoned off by security forces. According to initial information, the cause of the explosion was an explosive device. The Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR confirmed the explosion in the afternoon. Without directly assuming responsibility for the action, the HUR described the bridge as a militarily important infrastructure object. Moscow used it to transport military trucks and explosives by rail.
Rail traffic on the route between the city of Chapayevsk and the suburb of Zvezda has been temporarily suspended. Both the fencing and the supporting structure of the bridge on a bank of the Chapayevka River were damaged.
Precarious situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant: IAEA chief plans meeting with Putin
2:34 p.m.: The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, wants to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week. As Grossi continues in Vienna, he wants to talk to the Kremlin chief about, among other things, the tense security situation in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia.
The largest nuclear power plant in Europe is currently supplied with only a single power line for cooling the nuclear material, says the Director General during a press conference on the sidelines of a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors. “This is a very, very precarious situation.” Grossi wants to leave for Russia on Tuesday.
