Enlarge image
Kim Jong-un at a parade in Pyongyang
Photo: KCNA/KNS/AP
This article will be continuously updated.
Separatists in Donbass want to cooperate with North Korea
11:34 a.m .:
The head of the pro-Russian separatist republic of Donetsk has offered North Korea “bilateral cooperation”.
In a letter congratulating the national holiday of Japan's independence on August 15, Denis Puschilin wrote to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un that "mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation" is "in line with the interests of the people of both countries."
The state news agency KCNA quoted from the letter.
"Today, the people of Donbass are fighting for their freedom and for justice, as the Korean people did 77 years ago," Pushilin's letter allegedly goes on to say.
North Korea officially recognized the pro-Russian "People's Republics" on July 14.
In July, the Russian ambassador in Pyongyang suggested using North Korean workers to help rebuild Donbass.
Guterres, Selenskyj and Erdoğan talk – also about peace?
10.05 a.m .:
Turkey has already been able to mediate in terms of grain shipments.
A meeting with the UN Secretary General in Lviv is now about trade, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant - and possibly diplomatic ways out of the war.
Read the entire message here.
Kremlin opponent Navalny calls for tougher sanctions against oligarchs
9.51 a.m .:
The dissident Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned in the penal camp, has called on the West to impose stricter sanctions on Russian oligarchs.
"Let's not forget: sanctions are necessary to force the aggressor to end the war," he wrote on his Twitter account.
The 46-year-old is serving a sentence of several years in a prison camp.
Navalny complained that of the 200 people listed by Forbes magazine as the richest Russians, just under a quarter were on Western sanctions lists.
Although the head of the state-owned company Rosneft, Igor Sechin, is on an EU sanctions list, the head of the energy giant Gazprom, Alexei Miller, is not.
On the other hand, billionaire Roman Abramovich, the former owner of the English soccer club FC Chelsea, is missing from a list in the United States.
Russia's best-known opposition figure, who barely survived an assassination attempt two years ago, had long before the war ordered by President Vladimir Putin called for tough sanctions against the very rich in his country, who were close to the Kremlin.
Navalny is in a prison camp about 260 kilometers northeast of Moscow for alleged fraud.
In May, a court upheld the nine-year prison sentence.
Internationally, he is considered a political prisoner.
British intelligence sees Russian military "increasingly concerned" about Crimea
more on the subject
Detonation in ammunition depot: Moscow blames "saboteurs" for explosion in Crimea
9.24 a.m .:
In its daily update, the British secret service deals with the situation in Crimea.
Yesterday there were explosions at a military base near Dschankoj, which the Russian Ministry of Defense described as an "act of sabotage".
The British are now also reporting smoke rising over Hvardiiske airfield.
Both are the most important air bases in Crimea, and Dschankoj is also an important transport hub for supplying Russian operations in Ukraine.
While the causes and extent of the damage are still unknown, it is very likely that Russian officers are becoming increasingly concerned about the apparent deterioration in the security situation in Crimea.
Natalia Klitschko on the separation from Vitali: "More and more grown apart"
8.51 a.m .:
Vitali and Natalia Klitschko divorce.
The 48-year-old speaks of an amicable decision – and new beginnings.
Read the entire message here.
Uniper makes a loss of more than twelve billion euros
8.43 a.m .:
In order to save Uniper, gas customers will have to pay an extra levy from autumn.
The energy supplier has now announced how bad things are for him - and does not dare to make any forecasts for the future.
Read the entire message here.
Traffic jam in front of the Crimean bridge after yesterday's explosions
8.34 a.m .:
After yesterday's explosion at a Russian military base near the city of Dzhankoy in the north of Russian-occupied Crimea, queues are forming at the Kerch Bridge.
This connects the peninsula with the Russian mainland.
Videos on social networks show that cars are piling up there.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not claim the detonations as attacks on Ukraine.
The triggers are "very different," the Russians could also be to blame.
Nevertheless, the following applies: "The fewer opportunities the occupiers have to do evil and kill Ukrainians, the sooner we can end this war by liberating our country."
The queue at the bridge to mainland Russia proves "that the absolute majority of citizens of the terror state already understands or at least feels that Crimea is not a place for them," said Zelenskyy.
Ukraine wants to create "chaos within the Russian armed forces", heavy attacks near Donetsk
7.51 a.m .:
In an interview, the Ukrainian presidential adviser Podolyak explains his country's military strategy.
Russia apparently fires up to 60,000 rounds of ammunition - a day.
Read the overview of what happened that night here.
mgo/AFP/dpa/Reuters