10.20 p.m.: Selenskyj praises military for advance in western Russia
Following the controversial ban on a branch of the Orthodox Church loyal to Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky explicitly praised parliament for this decision. “Today I would like to highlight the work of the Verkhovna Rada, which passed the law for our spiritual independence,” said Zelensky in his daily video message – this time from the central Ukrainian industrial city of Kropyvnytsky. The country’s own military also received praise – especially for its advance in the western Russian region of Kursk. In contrast, the situation on the front lines in Ukraine itself remains difficult for Kiev, as Zelensky admitted.
20:35: Ukraine receives “a lot of money, a lot of money”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is surprised by the accusation that Germany is not supporting Ukraine enough. This year, Ukraine will receive more than seven billion euros, more than any other European country, Scholz said on the Sat1 TV channel. Next year, it will receive four billion euros from the federal budget – also more than any other European country. In addition, there are the 50 billion dollars that the western G7 states made possible with the help of frozen Russian assets. “That is a lot of money, that is a lot of money,” Scholz stressed.
20:28: Teenager killed in Russian attack in southern Ukraine
According to official reports, a teenager was killed by Russian shelling in southern Ukraine. Three other minors were injured. “The enemy shot directly into a children’s cafe,” wrote the governor of Zaporizhia, Ivan Fedorov, on his Telegram channel. The 15-year-old died in the emergency room from the consequences of his injuries, the prosecutor’s office later announced. The other minor victims were between 11 and 17 years old. An 18-year-old was also injured, it is said.
The impact occurred in the settlement of Malokaterynovka south of Zaporizhia. The village is only about 30 kilometers from the front line.
The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has been going on for over two years. Civilians are repeatedly affected by the ongoing shelling. The authorities in Kiev estimate the number of children killed in the war at more than 500 and the number injured at over 1,300.
20:13: Ukrainian military: 93 villages in Kursk captured
The Ukrainian military says it has taken control of at least one more town in the Russian border region of Kursk. Since the advance across the border, a territory of 1,263 square kilometers and 93 towns have been captured, said the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Olexander Syrskyj. The previous evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj reported 1,250 square kilometers and 92 towns captured.
After a meeting with Syrskyj, Zelenskyj said that the Ukrainian military was achieving its goals in Kursk. On Sunday evening, the Ukrainian president declared that his military wanted to create a buffer zone there to prevent shelling of Ukraine from Kursk. Russian military bloggers recently reported that Ukrainian soldiers had damaged a third bridge over the Sejm River. The exact extent of the damage remained unclear. According to the Russian Emergency Ministry, more than 122,000 people have had to be brought to safety since the start of the Ukrainian offensive.
18:43: Putin accuses foreign countries of supporting terrorists
At a memorial event for the victims of a mass hostage-taking 20 years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin made serious accusations against foreign countries. “We know very well that foreign countries not only tried to justify this terrible crime, but also provided the terrorists with all kinds of help: moral, political, informational and financial,” Putin said in the small town of Beslan in Russia’s North Caucasus. He did not specify which country the hostage-takers were supposed to have received help from at the time.
On September 1, 2004, the first day of school in Russia, more than 30 Islamists held over 1,100 children, their parents and teachers hostage for days in a school in the city of Beslan. The terrorists demanded, among other things, the release of Chechen prisoners. When the school was stormed, 334 hostages were killed, including 186 children. Many of the former hostages are disabled. The Chechen terrorist Shamil Basayev, who was killed in 2006, claimed responsibility for the attack.
5.43pm: Russia announces arrest of scientist for treason
The Russian secret service FSB announced the arrest of a scientist on suspicion of treason. The unnamed man confessed to having carried out hacker attacks on critical parts of the infrastructure on behalf of Ukraine. He also sent money to the Ukrainian military and collected information about the Russian army.
The time of the arrest was not disclosed. A video was distributed in Russian media that is said to show it. Snow can be seen in the background. According to the Telegram news channel Ostoroschno Novosti, the man is a physicist who, according to earlier reports in state media, was arrested in December 2023.
17:21: Russia restructures army units on Ukrainian border
The Russian army has formed three new groups whose task is to secure the border with Ukraine. This was announced by Defense Minister Andrei Beluzov. The groups are named after the regions of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk. Two weeks ago, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers advanced into the Russian region of Kursk and are currently holding the conquered areas.
17:04: Russia wants to take action against US journalists in Kursk region
Russia has summoned high-ranking US diplomat Stephanie Holmes. According to Russia, the reason for this is “provocative actions” by American journalists in the Kursk region, which was recently invaded by Ukrainian troops. The Foreign Ministry in Moscow announced that the journalists from the USA entered the region illegally. Russia plans to prosecute them.
16:17: Moscow: Citizens in Kursk region should switch off dating apps
The Russian Interior Ministry has called on people in three regions bordering Ukraine to deactivate dating apps and online surveillance cameras. “The enemy is identifying IP addresses on our territory on a large scale and remotely connecting to unsecured cameras that monitor everything from private yards to strategically important roads and highways,” the ministry said. The use of online dating services was also discouraged, as these could also be used to collect information.
Ukraine, which has been defending itself against a Russian war of aggression for more than two years, launched a counter-offensive about two weeks ago and advanced into the western Russian region of Kursk. For the first time, Kiev has thus shifted the war to enemy territory. Russia continues to occupy large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.
15:57: Scholz defends change in military aid to Ukraine
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has defended the partial conversion of military aid for Ukraine to multilateral loans. Already in the spring there were widespread reports of plans by the western industrialized countries to provide Ukraine with a loan worth billions in the future by using frozen Russian assets, the SPD politician said on Tuesday in Dresden.
The German government said on Monday that Ukraine could draw down the loan as early as the end of the year. The loan will be secured and financed by the interest accruing from Russian assets frozen in the West. Scholz also stressed that, as in the previous year, the German government had budgeted four billion euros for military aid to Ukraine.
14:25: Russia reports capture of railway junction
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russian troops have captured the Niu-York railway junction in eastern Ukraine. A large Ukrainian unit was also destroyed during the advances in Donetsk.
The Ukrainian military reports heavy fighting in the Toretsk sector, which also includes Niu-Jork. The Ukrainian military did not initially respond to a request for comment on the situation in Niu-Jork.
13:40: Moscow – Russian troops capture New York town in Donetsk
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, the Russian army has captured the town of New York in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. The troops have taken control of “one of the largest settlements in the Toretsk area, the strategically important logistics center Novgorodskoye,” the Defense Ministry said, using the name introduced in Soviet times.
The name New York, which goes back to German settlers, was abolished in 1951 in favor of Novgorodskoye. It was reinstated in 2021 after Ukrainian activists campaigned for it. The town is located about six kilometers south of Toretsk, which has been the target of Russian attacks for weeks.
