Selenskyj speaks of “difficult battles” – the night at a glance Russians apparently destroy Ukraine’s first Leopard 2

Following reports of the Ukrainian counter-offensive that may have been launched, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke of “particularly difficult battles”.

Meanwhile, after the destruction of the dam in the Kherson region, rescue work continues at full speed. And the catastrophe is also raising concerns about the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, where the cooling pond is coming under pressure.

The night in brief:

Putin: Ukrainian counter-offensive has begun

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine’s counter-offensive began a few days ago. Some international media, citing Ukrainian military representatives, have already reported that the action to liberate occupied territories has been going on for a few days. Officially, Kiev is currently keeping a low profile, but had always emphasized beforehand that it did not want to comment on the start of its own offensive.

“We can say with certainty that this offensive has begun”, Putin said, according to the agency Interfax. He also claimed that the Ukrainians failed to achieve their goals in any sector of the front. However, this could not be independently verified. Since the beginning of the war, the Russian side in particular has repeatedly made false military statements.

Russia currently occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory. Kiev also intends to recapture the occupied parts of the country using Western weapons.

Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia: According to the IAEA, the cooling pond is under pressure

After the destruction of the dam on the Dnipro, the large cooling pond of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia has become the focus of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA in Vienna reported that the pressure on the dike around the pond is increasing on the inside because the level of the dammed river on the outside has dropped sharply. The nuclear authority – which has stationed observers at the Russian-occupied nuclear power plant – is closely monitoring the situation, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi reported.

Although Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is not threatened in the short term, the destruction of the Kachowka dam and increasing military activity would create “considerable new difficulties”.said Grossi. The environmental organization Greenpeace had previously warned on Friday about a rupture in the cooling pond.

Southwest of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the important Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region was destroyed last Tuesday. Ukraine accuses the Russian occupier of blowing it up. Moscow rejects this. At least 13 people died in the disaster, but the number of victims could rise.

Another multi-billion US military package for Ukraine

The US government is giving Ukraine more billions in military aid to stave off Russia’s offensive war. The US Department of Defense has announced a new $2.1 billion package of military equipment in Washington. According to the Pentagon, this includes ammunition for various weapons systems that the United States has already supplied to Ukraine.

Putin: nuclear weapons will be stationed in Belarus in July

Putin announces that he wants to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus from July. Preparations in the relevant facilities would be completed by July 7 and 8, Putin said Friday after a meeting with Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, according to state news agency TASS. Then the transfer will start. Everything is on schedule. This would start the deployment just before the NATO summit in Lithuania, a country bordering Belarus. The summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius will take place on 11 and 12 July.

Putin had already announced on March 25 that he would transfer Russian nuclear weapons to the former Soviet Republic of Belarus. He also justified the announced stationing of the weapons with the fact that the US had nuclear weapons in Europe, including Germany, for many years. The West strongly criticized the plans.

What will be important on Saturday

Due to the floods, rescue and relief operations in the Kherson region continue. It is also eagerly awaiting possible further information on the Ukrainian counter-offensive.

(yam/sda/dpa)