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Damaged Russian tanks in the Donbass region
Photo: Uncredited / dpa
What has happened in the past few hours
Russian engineers have started construction of a water pipeline from Russia's Rostov region to the Donbass.
The project should be completed within a few months, reports the state news agency Tass.
It should be possible to transport around 300,000 cubic meters of water per day during operation, it was said.
The pipeline is said to be around 200 kilometers long.
Last year, Russia included the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in the Russian Federation.
This was preceded by mock referendums in the regions, which caused sharp criticism in the West.
The process had been internationally condemned as contrary to international law.
The breakaway territories together roughly correspond to the area of Portugal and make up 15 percent of Ukraine.
That says Kyiv
Against the background of the war that has been going on for almost a year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has called for further western sanctions against Russia - for example against its nuclear energy branch.
"It is not easy.
There is a certain resistance,” said Zelenskyj in his evening video message on Sunday.
There was also a time when other punitive measures against Russia seemed difficult, he added.
"Now they apply - for example in relation to oil and oil products from Russia."
Earlier in the day, the Ukrainian head of state issued a decree putting 199 Russians on a national sanctions list, including representatives of the Russian nuclear power plant operator Rosenergoatom.
A Ukrainian was also fined who is said to have defected to the side of the occupiers at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Russia.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and has since annexed several territories in violation of international law.
In response to the brutal war of aggression, Western states have already imposed far-reaching punitive measures against Moscow.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a few days ago that a new package of sanctions would soon be launched.
International reactions
NATO became the target of a hacker attack on Sunday.
A spokeswoman confirmed in the evening of the dpa news agency that cyber experts from the defense alliance were actively dealing with an incident that was affecting several websites.
Social networks like Twitter had previously said that pro-Russian activists had attacked the website of NATO's Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ).
She was temporarily unavailable.
The Russian hacker group Killnet was named as being involved in the attack.
The group was recently also associated with attacks on the websites of the Bundestag, the police and critical infrastructure facilities in Germany.
NATO did not provide any further information on the incident in the evening.
The spokeswoman said the alliance regularly deals with cyber incidents and takes the issue of cyber security very seriously.
Italy's ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi blames Ukraine for the war with Russia.
If Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had stopped the attacks on the two separatist republics of Donbass, the war would not have broken out.
"That's why I judge the behavior of this gentleman very, very negatively," said the 86-year-old, who is also head of the conservative Forza Italia party, which belongs to the Italian government.
Berlusconi also called on the United States to put pressure on Zelenskyy.
At the same time, he threatened to stop arms deliveries to Ukraine and promised a massive aid program if Ukraine agreed to an immediate ceasefire.
Dispute over Russian athletes
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has again spoken out against the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports competitions.
"We don't want the Russians and Belarusians to take part," said the SPD politician on Sunday on the sidelines of the Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof.
Many countries would help Ukrainian athletes to continue training and competing during the war: »And then they are again faced with the Russians who attacked their country.
That is hardly conveyable.
It would also hardly be communicable at the Olympic Games, where there is a peace obligation.«
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has a »different opinion« on the future participation in international competitions that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is aiming for, but they remain »close to each other«.
It should not have a negative impact on the German athletes.
"I say unequivocally: We will not burden our athletes, no matter what the decision of the IOC will be in the end, and we will continue to support them."
Should Russians and Belarusians be allowed to return, the Federal Ministry of the Interior would also rescind the order for German athletes to be waived for travel to sporting events in which athletes from these two countries compete.
"We will then reverse the decision," announced Faeser.
What is happening today
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is on a two-day visit to the NATO accession candidates Finland and Sweden.
Baerbock is meeting with her Finnish colleague Pekka Haavisto on Monday for talks.
The two chief diplomats will then appear together before the press (5:15 p.m. local time, 4:15 p.m. CET).
After meeting Finnish President Sauli Niinistö on Tuesday morning, Baerbock will travel on to Sweden.
In Stockholm, the Federal Foreign Minister will meet Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström, among others.
In addition to security and European policy issues, according to the Federal Foreign Office, the talks will also focus on joint support for Ukraine and the Baltic Sea Council presidency, which Germany will hold until the end of June.
jok/dpa/Reuters
