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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, speaks at a special session in Geneva
Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
On the 78th day of Russia's illegal war of aggression, the Kremlin's troops are continuing their attacks, especially in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow is threatening Finland because the country wants to join NATO for fear of a Russian invasion.
And the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, is visiting Germany - in several interviews he spoke at length about the relations between the two countries.
The developments at a glance.
The military situation
According to their own statements, the Russian armed forces have killed hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed numerous military vehicles with heavy air and missile attacks in the past 24 hours.
Air-to-ground missiles "killed more than 320 nationalists and disabled 72 military vehicles," said Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
The information was initially not verifiable by an independent party.
Rocket forces and artillery fired on more than 400 troop formations and military convoys, 12 command posts and 26 enemy artillery positions.
In the Korotych area, just a few kilometers west of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkov, an S-300 air defense system was said to have been switched off.
In the city of Sloviansk, three positions for the Smerch rocket launcher were hit.
In the Donbass region, the Kremlin troops have apparently gained ground.
"The enemy is continuing its offensive efforts in the East Operational Zone with the aim of establishing full control over the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions and maintaining the land corridor to the temporarily occupied Crimea," the Ukrainian General Staff said in a situation report.
The attacks in Donbass were aimed at the cities of Sievjerodonetsk, Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Kurakhove, as well as Rubishne, which was already largely occupied by Russian forces.
Meanwhile, Russian forces attempted to build floating bridges across the Seversky Donets River to advance towards the small town of Liman.
The bridges were destroyed, apparently eliminating an entire Russian battalion.
In the morning report, however, the Ukrainian general staff stated that the enemy had nevertheless managed to get across the river.
Finland and NATO
Finland's President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin have spoken out in favor of an immediate application for their country to join NATO.
In a joint statement, the two politicians demanded that Finland apply for admission to the western military alliance "immediately".
The EU's northernmost country is expected to decide on a formal application for membership in the coming days.
The Kremlin was irritated by the announcement by the Finnish government.
According to the assessment of the leadership in Moscow, Finland's accession to NATO would "clearly" pose a threat to Russia.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the other hand, welcomed Helsinki's ambitions.
He said this to Finnish President Niinistö in a telephone call, Selenskyj writes on Twitter.
»We also talked about the European integration of Ukraine.
And defense interaction.”
Finland's announcement is also viewed positively in the West.
Among others, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Baltic States welcomed the desire to join.
The international community
In a special session, the United Nations Human Rights Council condemned the atrocities documented by experts in Russian-occupied territories.
In a resolution, the panel referred to cases of torture, shootings and sexual violence documented by a UN team on site.
The Council called on Russia to allow humanitarian workers immediate access to people reportedly being trafficked to Russia from Ukraine.
33 of the 47 member countries voted for the resolution.
Only China and Eritrea voted against, twelve other countries abstained.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said at the start of the one-day session that many of the human rights violations under investigation “can amount to war crimes”.
Bachelet said that more than 1,000 civilian bodies were recovered in the Kyiv region alone.
There are unlawful killings and apparent mass executions on a shocking scale.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sees little chance of normalizing relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Asked in an interview by LBC radio whether Putin could be welcomed back onto the world stage if he showed remorse, Johnson said: "Repentance will be very difficult for Vladimir Putin now... nothing is impossible, I suppose, but with the best will in the world I cannot imagine how we can now normalize relations with Putin again.«
Kuleba in Germany
During his visit to Germany, the Ukrainian foreign minister called for the delivery of western fighter jets and missile defense systems to defend his country against Russia.
"Let's forget the Soviet systems, that's over," he said in an interview with "Die Welt".
"If this war continues, the last stocks of Soviet weapons will soon be exhausted in the countries willing to give them to us.
Some are already.” In the interview, Kuleba again criticized Germany's hesitance to deliver arms.
On the other hand, in the ARD “Morgenmagazin” in the morning, Kuleba identified a positive development in Germany with regard to the issue of arms deliveries – and emphasized the federal government’s “pioneering role” in sanctions against Russia.
"We can see that the Federal Republic has currently taken on the pioneering role and is playing the first fiddle in Europe," he said.
He also campaigned in Berlin for the early start of his country's EU accession process.
"The European Union needs Ukraine just as much as Ukraine needs the European Union," he said after a meeting with SPD leader Lars Klingbeil and SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich.
You should read, see or hear this
Although Russia is making little progress in its offensive in the east, it is also losing areas around Kharkiv and Cherson, where the Ukrainians are currently reporting successes.
This is also due to their drone tactics.
Video footage shows the ongoing shelling of the Azov Steelworks as life slowly returns to the streets of Mariupol. "Everything is broken," says a man who ventured out of the shelter.
The Kremlin relies on massive propaganda in the Ukraine war - and thus reaches loyal fans in Germany.
You can hear how the Putin ultras think and what that has to do with corona denial in the votes.
svs/dpa/Reuters/AFP