Day 437 since the beginning of the war: Russia is said to have used phosphorus bombs in Bakhmut. Prigozhin wants to retreat with his Wagner mercenaries. All information in the blog.
The most important things at a glance
Prigozhin wants Wagner mercenaries to continue fighting for Russia
4.30 a.m.: Even after withdrawing from the embattled Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the Russian mercenary group Wagner will continue to fight for Moscow, according to statements by their boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin. “The Wagner fighters will be retained for the next operations in Russia’s interests,” he said on Sunday, according to the Russian state agency TASS. After complaints about a lack of ammunition, he announced on Friday that he would withdraw his fighters from Bachmut in the coming week. Now Prigozhin said that no one spoke to him about the lack of ammunition.
The positions in Bakhmut are said to be taken over by fighters of Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov from next Wednesday. The eastern Ukrainian city has been attacked jointly by the Russian army and the Wagner troops for months.
Romania: Russian jet intercepts Polish Frontex plane
1.45 a.m.: According to Romanian reports, a Russian warplane intercepted a Polish plane during a patrol flight for the EU border protection agency Frontex. The Romanian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that the Polish border guard plane was on a routine Frontex flight on Friday when it was intercepted by a Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet through repeated “aggressive and dangerous manoeuvres”. Read more about the Russian fighter jet incident over the Black Sea here.
Nuclear authority: situation around nuclear power plant Zaporizhia more and more unpredictable
11:10 p.m.: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is alarmed by the tense situation surrounding the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which is close to the front. The situation is becoming increasingly unpredictable and the risk of danger in the Russian-occupied nuclear power plant is increasing, said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi. “I am extremely concerned about the very real security risks,” he warns in a status report. “We must act now to prevent an impending serious nuclear accident.”
The pro-Moscow administration in the Zaporizhia region announced evacuations on Friday, including the city of Enerhodar, where most of the nuclear power plant personnel live. According to Grossi, the employees are staying on site, but the situation is still becoming “increasingly tense, nerve-wracking and challenging” for them and their families. According to the IAEA, permanent stress can lead to errors and accidents in nuclear power plants.
Air alert in large parts of Ukraine
9.40 p.m.: The Ukrainian authorities are issuing an air alert for about two-thirds of the country. The warnings extend from the capital Kiev to numerous regions in Ukraine.
Russia reports launching a Ukrainian missile over Crimea
6:14 p.m.: According to Russian information, the Russian army has fended off a Ukrainian missile over the Crimean peninsula, which has been annexed by Russia since 2014. “The anti-aircraft defense system shot down a ballistic missile over the Republic of Crimea,” Moscow-appointed Crimean Governor Sergey Aksyonov told Telegram on Saturday. The missile was launched using Ukraine’s Hrim-2 system and there was no damage or casualties, he added.
His adviser, Oleg Kryuchkov, later stated that, according to updated information, two Hrim-2 missiles had been shot down. AFP could not initially confirm the information from an independent source. This is the second time Russian authorities have reported Ukrainian Hrim ballistic missiles over Crimea, according to the state-run Russian news agency Tass. There was another such incident just last month.
The most recent incident occurred against the background of increasing drone attacks, acts of sabotage and alleged attacks on Russian territory – sometimes far away from Ukraine – the perpetrators of which could not be clearly identified.
The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of being behind the attacks. Kyiv rejects this. A major offensive by the Ukrainian armed forces seems to be on the horizon.
Wagner boss wants to accept Kadyrov’s transfer offer for Bachmut
2:23 p.m.: The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, says he is making concrete preparations for the imminent withdrawal of his fighters from the front in eastern Ukraine. Prigozhin’s press service announced on Telegram on Saturday that he wanted to accept a transfer offer from the head of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov had previously stated that men from his “Achmat” unit could take over the positions of the Wagner mercenaries in the heavily contested Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
