The essentials in brief:
- Even after sham referendums, Zelenskyy is sticking to the occupied territories
- EU assumes sabotage in pipeline leaks
- Taliban reportedly sign trade deal with Russia
- Oligarch yacht auctioned for $37.5 million
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the sham referendums in the occupied territories as a “cynical attempt” to mobilize the men there for the Russian army. In a video message to the Security Council in New York, he went on to say that Russia’s recognition of the “pseudo referendums” means “there is nothing to discuss with the incumbent Russian President (Vladimir Putin)”.
UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo reiterated during the session that the United Nations remains fully supportive of “the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.” China also called for respecting the “territorial integrity of all countries”. Beijing’s stance on this is “consistent and clear,” said China’s ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun.
In a video later published on the Telegram Internet service, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine would continue to “act to defend its people”. The four Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia make up around 15 percent of Ukraine’s territory.
Occupiers speak of overwhelming approval
After the sham referendum, the Russian occupiers spoke of “overwhelming support from the local population for annexation to Russia”. In Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, more than 99 percent of voters would have approved. According to Russian information, it was more than 98 percent in Luhansk, more than 93 percent in Zaporizhia in the south and more than 87 percent in Cherson, also in the south. Thus, an unprecedented Russian annexation of the Ukrainian territories is likely to begin in the coming days.
With such images, Russia is trying to give legitimacy to the voting in the occupied Ukrainian territories
The mock referendums held over the past five days are not recognized around the world because they were held in violation of Ukrainian and international laws and without minimum democratic standards.
Scholz warns against the use of atomic bombs
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against using nuclear bombs. “Like US President Joe Biden, I want to say very clearly to Russia: Leave it alone!” said the Chancellor in a video interview with the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. At the same time, Scholz confirmed that the result of the sham referendum would not be accepted and that Ukraine would continue to be supported with undiminished strength.
EU assumes sabotage in pipeline leaks
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attributes the leaks in the Baltic Sea pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 from Russia to Germany to sabotage. She spoke to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen about “the act of sabotage,” von der Leyen wrote on Twitter. It is now of the utmost importance to investigate the incidents in order to obtain “complete clarity” about what happened and the background. “Any intentional disruption of active European energy infrastructure is unacceptable and will result in the strongest possible response,” warned the Commission President.
Gas has been leaking from the pipelines at three points near the island of Bornholm since Monday. Although the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines are currently not in operation, they are filled with gas. The Danish Navy released images showing large-scale formation of bubbles on the sea surface.
Taliban sign deal with Russia
The radical Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan say they have signed a preliminary trade agreement with Russia. The government in Moscow has offered a discount on the average world market prices for raw materials, said Afghan Trade and Industry Minister Haji Nuruddin Asisi. Russia is now supposed to deliver about one million tons of gasoline, one million tons of diesel, 500,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and two million tons of wheat annually.
There was no comment from the Russian side. If implemented, the deal would be the first major international economic deal the Taliban have struck since returning to power more than a year ago.
No country recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Since April, however, the Taliban have been accredited with a diplomatic representative in Moscow. In addition, the Russian embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul is one of the few that is still open.
Oligarch luxury yacht auctioned for $37.5 million
An unknown buyer has bought Russian oligarch Dimitri Pumpyansky’s luxury yacht Axioma at a foreclosure sale in Gibraltar for $37.5 million (€39.1 million). This was announced by a court in the British overseas territory at the southern tip of Spain. The 73-meter-long “Axioma” is the first yacht owned by an oligarch to change hands due to sanctions resulting from the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the newspaper “Gibraltar Chronicle” wrote.
The super yacht “Axioma” off Gibraltar
The court also accepted an additional payment of 505,000 euros for the ship’s supplies and wine and alcohol supplies on board. Creditors now have 60 days to assert their claims at the court in Gibraltar, the newspaper reported.
se/fab (rtr, dpa, afp, ap)
This article will be continuously updated on the day of its publication. Reports from the combat zones cannot be independently verified.
