There have been a number of incidents in the region over the past few weeks.
(Photo: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS)
Kyiv, Bryansk For the second time in a short space of time, a freight train derailed after an explosion near the Russian border near Ukraine. In the Bryansk region, not far from the settlement of Belye Berega, a locomotive and around 20 wagons went off the rails on Tuesday evening “due to illegal interference with the work of railway transport”, the Russian railway RZD announced on Telegram. A train derailed in the same region on Monday after strangers blew up the rails.
The governor of Bryansk, Alexander Bogomas, wrote of an “unknown explosive device” that had exploded. According to initial reports, no one was injured. It was initially unclear who was behind the alleged sabotage.
A little later on Tuesday evening, Russian Telegram channels also said that in the Belgorod region, which also borders Ukraine, a drone had dropped an explosive device near a defense facility under construction. A man was injured in the process. This was not officially confirmed at first.
Russia has been waging a war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine for more than 14 months. Attacks by unknown perpetrators on Russian infrastructure and supply routes have increased in recent weeks.
For example, last weekend a fuel depot on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia, caught fire as a result of a drone attack. Some observers suspect that this is a preparation for the Ukrainian counter-offensive, which is expected to begin soon.
Zelensky: Must strengthen Euro-Atlantic security
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for cohesion among Western countries in view of the forthcoming NATO summit in July. “The most important thing that unites us is security for all Europeans, stability and therefore the further development and strengthening of the European and Euro-Atlantic community,” Zelensky said in his evening video address.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for cohesion among Western countries in view of the forthcoming NATO summit in July.
(Photo: dpa)
Zelensky had previously made it clear that he expected the Vilnius summit to pave the way for his country’s admission into the western military alliance. Kiev is getting support for its demands from Central and Eastern European countries such as the summit host, Lithuania.
According to diplomats, however, it is currently considered unlikely that NATO partners such as the USA can be persuaded to give Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, a concrete membership perspective.
Selenski: Didn’t find out about the US data leak in advance
In other respects, too, the Ukrainian leadership does not seem happy with the behavior of the US government. According to Selenski, he was not informed in advance by the USA about the explosive data leak with secret documents circulating on the Internet.
This emerges from an excerpt of an interview by the Washington Post with the Ukrainian president, which the newspaper published on its website on Tuesday. “I was not informed in advance by the White House or the Pentagon,” Zelensky said. “We didn’t have that information, neither did I personally.” That’s clearly a bad thing. The Washington Post report says that Selenski learned about it from the news.
US media first reported on the leak shortly before Easter. Secret documents from US agencies on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine had been circulating on the Internet for weeks – with information on arms deliveries, assessments of what was happening in the war and also details on alleged US spying campaigns against partners.
A 21-year-old member of the US military is suspected of having published them in a closed chat room. From there, they spread further until authorities and the media became aware of them. The man must answer in court. The US authorities are investigating further.
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:
Zelenskyy described the revelations in the interview as unfavorable for Kiev, for the reputation of the White House and the United States. The Washington Post, citing papers from the data leak and its own sources, reported that the United States had doubts about the hoped-for success of Ukraine’s planned spring offensive against the Russian attackers.
EU Commission restricts Ukrainian agricultural imports
In the dispute over cheap grain from Ukraine, the EU Commission has restricted the import of four Ukrainian agricultural products after pressure from several EU countries. According to the EU Commission, wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflowers may no longer be traded freely in Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia until June 5th.
However, it is still possible to bring agricultural products through the affected countries to other EU countries. The background to the conflict is, among other things, that farmers in countries particularly affected by imports had complained about the competition.
Due to the severely restricted export routes via the Black Sea caused by the war, Ukraine is currently much more dependent on bringing goods to the world market by train, truck or ship.
What will be important on Wednesday
While Russia is nervous about the increasing number of acts of sabotage, fighting continues in Ukraine. The fighting is particularly heavy in the eastern town of Bakhmut.
More: Current news on the development of the Ukraine war can be found in our news blog