Several Russian bombings cause new civilian victims in Ukraine, and the G7 reaffirms its unity in support of Volodymyr Zelensky. Franceinfo looks back on the highlights of the day on the war front in Ukraine.
At least 15 dead and 50 injured after a Russian strike on a shopping center in Kremenchuk
A thousand people were in the building located in Kremenchuk, in central Ukraine usually spared from the bombardments, according to local authorities. A recent assessment reports 13 dead and at least 50 wounded, of whom 21 are hospitalized and six are in serious condition, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the presidential administration. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced “one of the most shameless acts of terrorism in European history” and mentioned a “calculated strike”.
The countries allied with Russia were outraged by this attack, a “war crime (…) abominable” according to the G7. “This appalling attack has shown once again the depths of cruelty and barbarism into which the Russian leader is ready to fall.”, responded British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Emmanuel Macron denounced on Twitter a “absolute horror” and called on the Russian people to “see the truth” opposite, the spokesman of the UN an act “totally deplorable”and the head of American diplomacy said to himself “horrified”.
Eight civilians killed and 21 injured in Lysytchansk in a Russian bombardment
“The Russians fired into a crowd of people with Hurricane multiple rocket launchers, as civilians were collecting water from a cistern” explains the regional governor Serguiï Gaïdaï on Telegram. Lyssychansk is the last major city that has not yet fallen to Russian troops in the Luhansk region, after the fall of Sievierodonetsk.
Volodymyr Zelensky speaks before the G7
Ukrainian President told leaders gathered at Elmau Castle (Germany) that “negotiating time” had not yet come. He called for more weapons and sanctions against Moscow, including “by limiting oil prices”.
The G7 promised to support Ukraine “as long as it takes”, according to the statement from the summit. The United States plans to supply Ukraine with a sophisticated surface-to-air missile system “medium and long range”, according to the White House, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised “to increase the pressure on Putin”, including a new round of sanctions. The G7 countries are considering, for example, a “mechanism to cap the price of Russian oil at the global level”according to a senior White House official.
Russia in default of payment on its debt, Moscow denies
Russia had until Sunday to make two payments to its creditors and repay part of its foreign debt, but it could not make them because of Western sanctions, which cut off Moscow from American banks. It is the first time the country has defaulted on its foreign debt since 1918.
Russia rejects any idea of default. “The failure of investors to obtain the money is not the result of non-payment, but is caused by the action of third parties, which is not directly considered (…) as a case of default”the Russian Finance Ministry insisted in a statement on Monday. Since the end of May, Moscow has declared that it will be repaying its debt denominated in dollars or euros using roubles, which investors refuse.
Lithuania targeted by cyber attack ‘probably’ caused by Russia
The attacks, which targeted the sites of public institutions and companies, have already been “mastered” according toe director of the National Center for Cybersecurity. They had in particular caused the shutdown of tax services and disruptions in the issuance of passports. The Russian hacker group Killnet, which claimed responsibility for the attack, presented it as a response to trade measures taken by Lithuania against the Russian province of Kaliningrad, in application of European sanctions.