1:34 p.m.: Apparently 14,000 civilians in Russian custody
According to human rights activists, more than 14,000 Ukrainian civilians are currently in Russian prisons. Prisoners returned with serious injuries such as broken bones and concussions and reported physical, sexual and psychological abuse, said the International Society for Human Rights. Politicians in Germany are called upon to pay more attention to the fate of these people.
12.23 p.m.: German pastor leaves Russia after temporary arrest
Under pressure from the Russian authorities, a high-ranking German clergyman from the Protestant Church in Saint Petersburg has left Russia. His parish in Saint Petersburg announced that Pastor Michael Schwarzkopf had returned to Germany after eleven years of service in Russia. The priest responsible for all communities in northwest Russia was arrested last week and, according to local media reports, was only released after a night in police custody.
Russian media reported that Schwarzkopf’s wife and their son had also left Russia. The Russian authorities accused the priest of not living at the registered address given and initiated legal proceedings. He was threatened with deportation, it was said.
12:08 p.m.: Russia reports the capture of another village in eastern Ukraine
The Russian army says it has captured another location in eastern Ukraine. Russian units “actively liberated the village of Nelepovka,” said the Defense Ministry in Moscow, using the Russian name for the settlement of Nelipivka in the Donetsk region. Ukraine recently reported gains in territory in this area of the front.
9:35 a.m.: Putin: Russia will achieve “all its goals” in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated his commitment to the military offensive in Ukraine. “All set goals will be achieved,” Putin said in a video message released on Monday. The Russian president also reiterated his justification for invading Ukraine, whose government he described as a “neo-Nazi dictatorship.”
Russia has sent soldiers to Ukraine to protect the Russian-speaking population there, Putin said. The Ukrainian government wants to “cut these people off forever from Russia, their historic homeland.” The Russian president also criticized the “Western elites” who had turned Ukraine “into their colony, a military base with Russia as their target.”
5:01 a.m.: Zelenskyj complains about “Russia’s daily terror”
Up to 100 Russian glide bombs hit Ukraine every day. This is Russia’s “daily terror,” said President Zelensky in his evening video address. On Sunday, the Russians injured 14 people in an attack on the industrial city of Zaporizhia in the south of the country and residential buildings were hit. The Russians also struck with glide bombs in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Sumy regions. Zelensky further said that this is a constant reminder to all of Ukraine’s partners “that we need more long-range strike capabilities for Ukraine, that we need more air defense for Ukraine, that we need more sanctions against Russia.”
4:47 a.m.: Another nightly drone attack on Kyiv
The Ukrainian capital Kiev was once again the target of several Russian drone attacks on Monday night. According to the Ukrainian military, anti-aircraft units spent hours repelling several waves of attacks. Eyewitnesses reported numerous explosions in Kiev, which indicated the use of anti-aircraft systems. Objects were hit in the air. There were initially no reports of damage or casualties from the recent attacks.
