The essentials in brief:
- Pope reports help with prisoner exchange
- Washington promises more military aid to Ukraine
- The United States is planning new sanctions against Russia
- After reciting a poem, three Russians have to go to prison
Pope Francis has reported on his efforts to exchange prisoners in Ukraine. At a meeting with Jesuits in Kazakhstan, the 85-year-old did not specifically explain when he had helped and whether his mission was ultimately successful. Francis told the clergy of the Jesuit order, to which he himself belongs, that people and officials from Ukraine keep visiting him and reporting on the war.
“A military chief also came to take care of prisoner exchanges,” the pope said. “They brought me a list of more than 300 prisoners. They asked me to do something to facilitate an exchange. I immediately called the Russian ambassador to ask if anything could be done, if a prisoner exchange could be expedited .”
At the end of June, the Ukrainian and Russian armed forces exchanged almost 300 prisoners of war. This was described at the time as the largest exchange of prisoners since the outbreak of war in February. The Pope, who sees the war of aggression against Ukraine as a “Third World War,” had already met the Kazakh Jesuits the week before last. His statements only became known today.
Mobilization: Russia loses many of its brightest minds
According to British estimates, the flight of tens of thousands of Russian men because of the partial mobilization has led to an enormous intellectual bloodletting for Russia. “The better-off and the well-educated are over-represented among those who are trying to leave Russia,” the Defense Ministry in London announced, citing intelligence findings. If one also takes the conscripts into account, the domestic economic effects are likely to be enormous, they say.
The authority points to the lower availability of workers and a rapid “brain drain”, i.e. a loss of skilled workers in the technology sectors, for example. “In the seven days since President (Vladimir) Putin announced “partial mobilization,” a significant exodus of Russians seeking to avoid conscription has begun,” it said in London. Exact numbers are unclear. But the number of those who left the country probably exceeds the strength of the invading army with which Russia attacked Ukraine in February. According to estimates, Moscow had deployed around 150,000 soldiers on the border with the neighboring country before the deployment.
Selenskyj again urges further arms deliveries from Germany
The Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyy used his phone call with Chancellor Olaf Scholz to press for further arms deliveries from Germany. “On the subject of defense, I emphasized that we are waiting for a missile defense system from Germany,” Zelenskyy said in his daily video address. He was “grateful to Germany for its willingness to help with air defense”.
The Ukrainian President added that he had discussed other defense issues in detail with Scholz and that there were “a lot of them”. Political, financial and energy issues were also discussed, including “the delivery of gas to Europe and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline.” Scholz and Selenskyj had called each other on Wednesday.
Pentagon promises more military aid
The US plans to supply Ukraine with another $1.1 billion worth of weapons. These include 18 HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, ammunition and radar and drone defense systems, the Pentagon said. The equipment should be delivered in six to 24 months. The government in Washington says it wants to order new weapons instead of using army stocks. Along with that amount, the US has provided $16.2 billion worth of aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February.
New US sanctions against Russia
According to the United States, it is preparing new sanctions against Russia. The government in Moscow will have to pay a high price for the sham referendums in the occupied parts of Ukraine, said the coordinator of punitive measures at the State Department, James O’Brien. We are working with allies and partners to this end. The focus of the punitive measures continues to be on military supply chains and vulnerable areas in the Russian economy.
Detention after recitation of a poem against partial mobilization
In Russia, three young men have been held in custody for two months for reciting a poem at a protest against partial mobilization. It was “Kill me, militiaman!” by Vladimir Mayakovsky. The human rights organization OVD-Info announced that they were being investigated for “incitement to hatred with the threat of violence”. If charged and convicted, they face six years in prison.
During protests against the partial mobilization, the police take rigorous action against demonstrators – here in Moscow
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists for deployment in Ukraine. The decision had sparked protests across the country and Russian men fleeing to neighboring countries.
France sends relief supplies by ship
A ship with 1,000 tons of aid for Ukraine has left Marseille in southern France. There are numerous rescue vehicles, medication and medical equipment, food and mobile auxiliary bridges on board. They will be transported to the Romanian port city of Constanta, from where the goods will then be shipped overland to the Ukraine. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna spoke of the country’s largest aid operation for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February.
Report: BND informs Ukraine about Russian positions
The Federal Intelligence Service (BND) apparently also forwards intelligence information about Russian positions and troop movements that can be used militarily to Ukraine. According to the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” and the ARD television program “Kontraste”, these are reconnaissance findings of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) that came from satellite images, intercepted radio messages or mobile phone calls. However, the data would only be transmitted with a delay.
The reports cited references to Russian ammunition depots and photos of a Russian airfield with the exact location and number of aircraft. The data could then flow into Ukrainian war planning and help the Ukrainian army prepare for military operations. However, the data would be passed on with a delay of up to a few days. Therefore, they are “not immediately” usable for the planning and control of deadly attacks.
rb/ww/se/mak (AFP, AP, dpa, epd, KNA, Reuters)
This article will be continuously updated on the day of its publication. Reports from the combat zones cannot be independently verified.
