2023-06-24 05:13:11
In the middle of the initial phase of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, a power struggle between the Russian military leadership and the Wagner mercenary group escalated. After serious allegations by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and a threat to clean up the Russian military leadership, Russian law enforcement authorities launched investigations into Prigozhin on Friday evening for attempted armed insurgency. In Ukraine, there was an air alert across the country at the same time, and several cities reported shelling and hits.
According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, the 61-year-old Prigozhin faces between 12 and 20 years in prison. On Friday evening he accused the military leadership of attacking a camp owned by his mercenary troops with artillery, helicopters and rockets, killing many of his men. He threatened countermeasures. He has 25,000 men under his command, who would now explain why such arbitrariness prevails in the country.
“Whoever tries to resist us will be seen as a threat and killed immediately,” Prigozhin threatened. According to him, the Wagner mercenaries have already started marching towards Rostov-on-Don. The headquarters of the Russian military leadership for the south of the country is located there. The governor of the Russian region of Rostov, which borders Ukraine, called on the population to remain calm and, if possible, not to leave their homes. Security precautions had also been strengthened in the capital Moscow.
In Ukraine, reports of the internal power struggle were met with both satisfaction and derision. The Ukrainian army wrote on Twitter: “We are watching.”
Selenskyj praises Western aid and scolds corruption
In his nightly video address on Friday, released ahead of the events in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the London conference on his country’s reconstruction a success. There are long-term aid programs from Western countries and Ukraine is increasingly being perceived as a future EU country, he praised. In addition, it was also possible to involve corporations in addition to state actors. “About 500 global strong companies are interested in investing in Ukraine,” said Zelenskyy.
Air alert throughout Ukraine, explosions in several cities
In Ukraine, air alerts were once again triggered across the country on Saturday night. As a result, there were reports of explosions from several cities. There were at least three hits in eastern Kharkiv, including a gas line, which led to a fire, Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram. From the capital Kiev it was said that rocket parts had fallen on a parking lot in a central district. The 16th floor of a residential building next to the parking lot also caught fire, Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram. At least two people were injured.
Correspondents from the national broadcaster Suspilne Media also reported that explosions could also be heard in the cities of Dnipro and Kremenchuk. Most recently, rocket and drone attacks had increased, especially in the capital Kiev.
Zelenskyi fires military officials on suspicion of corruption
Zelenskyj called for the dismissal of a military official who is said to have bought real estate in Spain during the war. According to a statement by the Office of the President on Friday, Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Salushnyi was given the “immediate” order to fire the head of the Odessa district military replacement office, “about whom the whole country is talking”. On Thursday, the Internet newspaper Ukrajinska Pravda reported that family members of the military official had bought properties on the Spanish coast worth more than three million euros and luxury cars.
Ukraine has been repelling a Russian invasion for almost 16 months. Since then, there has been a general mobilization and a ban on leaving the country for men of military age between 18 and 60 years. However, many buy their freedom from medical examiners and the district military replacement offices or flee the country in exchange for bribes. According to reports from the SBU secret service, several thousand euros are to be paid for each. According to the non-governmental organization Transparency International, Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe.
Report: Russia builds temporary bridge to occupied Crimea
After the damage to the important Chonhar bridge from the Ukrainian mainland to the Crimean peninsula by Kiev’s military, Russia is said to have built a pontoon crossing there, according to media reports. Such a floating bridge can be seen on the satellite photos provided by the US company Planet Labs, a Ukrainian investigative team from Radio Svoboda, the Ukrainian-language service of the US foreign broadcaster Radio Liberty, reported on Friday. The bridge is one of three access routes from the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula to the more northerly and also partially occupied Cherson region. It is considered part of an important supply route for the Russians to supply their own troops at the front.
Published/Updated: 27 minutes ago Recommendations: 1972 Thomas Gutschker, Brussels Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 7 Matthias Rüb, Rom Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 8
What will be important on Saturday
All eyes are on Russia on Saturday, where things could escalate, particularly in the city of Rostov-on-Don amid threats from Prigozhin. According to the Russian news agency TASS, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin wants to give a televised speech.
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