War in Ukraine: Recent Developments

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

Russian energy giant Gazprom is slashing daily gas supplies via the Nord Stream pipeline to 33 million cubic meters per day from Wednesday — about 20 percent of the pipeline’s capacity.

A statement said that one of the last two operational turbines would be suspended due to the “engine’s technical condition”.

The federal government says there is “no technical reason” for Gazprom’s announcement.

Germany, which is heavily dependent on Russian gas, has accused Moscow of using energy as a “weapon” and EU states have accused it of cutting supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine expects the first shipments of grain under a UN-Turkey-brokered deal to leave its ports “this week,” its infrastructure minister says, despite Russian strikes in the Black Sea port of Odessa, crucial for grain exports.

“We are preparing for everything to start this week,” says Oleksandr Kubrakov, who headed the Ukrainian delegation that last week reached an agreement with Russia on unblocking Ukraine’s grain exports.

The future of the deal, seen as crucial to relieving a global food crisis, was jeopardized after Russian forces launched attacks on Odessa a day after the deal was signed.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the rocket attacks “should not interfere with the start of shipments.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes in Odessa showed Moscow could not be trusted to deliver on its promises.

The Ukrainian Presidency says a Russian attack trapped seven people under a collapsed cultural center in the northeastern region of Kharkiv. Three were pulled out alive and the rescue operation continued.

In the eastern Donbass region, where Russian troops are pushing to advance, the entire front line is being shelled and at least one person has been killed in the town of Soledar.

In the south — where Kyiv has announced a major counter-offensive to retake the strategic Kherson region — authorities said Ukrainian forces halted a Russian advance in several villages as fighting raged elsewhere.

A local official said on Sunday that a Ukrainian operation to retake the region that Russia captured at the start of the invasion would be completed by September.

Britain has agreed to take Ukraine’s place as the host of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) barred Ukraine from hosting.

Ukraine won this year’s competition, held in Italy, ahead of second place Britain. The winner traditionally organizes the show next year.

But the EBU ruled that out in the face of war, and Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC agreed to a UK-hosted event steeped in the “Ukrainian spirit”.

Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko welcomed the news, saying Ukraine had “received assurances… that they will hold Eurovision… with an extremely high level of integration of Ukrainian contexts and presenters.”