Six Ukrainians arrested for Nordstream sabotage. Zelensky: 100,000 households without power after Russian raids

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree appointing former deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration Olga Stefanishyna as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States. "I just spoke with Olga Stefanishyna, now the new ambassador of Ukraine to the United States of America," the Ukrainian leader says on social media. "The most important thing to do is the full implementation of all agreements with Washington, our agreements with President Trump in particular in the area of defence. In many ways, the long-term guarantee of Ukraine's security depends on relations with America," he adds.

The investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022 has led to a breakthrough. According to joint investigations by the media Ard, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit, the German judiciary issued six arrest warrants against Ukrainian citizens believed to be part of the commando that allegedly blew up three of the four pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Another suspect may have died in the war against Russia. The group allegedly acted with the sailing boat Andromeda, chartered in Rostock: on board were the alleged coordinator Serhii K. (arrested in Italy), four divers (including a woman from a diving school in Kiev), an explosives expert and the skipper Yuriy T. from Odessa. The charges contained a powerful mix of Oktogen and Hexogen. The investigation found decisive traces: DNA, footprints and explosive residues on the boat. A number of clues linked the suspects to Ukrainian institutions: travel with authentic but forged passports, a car transfer with a Kiev military attaché, links to secret service circles. Kiev, however, rejected all accusations of state involvement. Serhii K., 49, was arrested in Italy while on holiday with his family. He denied all charges and is awaiting extradition. Investigators do not rule out that the commando was hired by third parties, but they now believe they have identified the entire team. Investigators in Germany now believe they have identified the entire team. The capture of Serhii K. In Italy, according to the German media, is regarded as the first concrete success in a case that continues to have heavy political repercussions in Europe.

"First let's talk about peace and then deminers," said Lega League leader Matteo Salvini, during his tour among the stands at the Rimini Meeting, about the possible sending of Italian deminers to Ukraine.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet this week in New York with the Ukrainian delegation, consisting of President Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak and the Secretary of the Council for Security and National Defence Rustem Umerov. This was told to Bloomberg by a source on condition of anonymity. According to Bloomberg, the agenda of the visit is expected to focus on security guarantees and a future bilateral meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia ''is and will remain in the long run the greatest threat to freedom, peace and stability in Europe''. This was stated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, reiterating that Germany "stands firmly by Ukraine's side" and accusing Russia of ''conducting hybrid attacks for a long time''. Merz's words came after the Berlin government approved a bill that would introduce voluntary military service and could lead to compulsory conscription if recruitment targets are not met. The bill still has to get parliamentary approval.

"Unfortunately, the Russians are currently sending negative signals about the meetings and further developments. The attacks on our towns and villages continue. Every day there are new victims. The Russians will only react to real pressure in response to this. Pressure is necessary. We are counting on it. Concrete steps on the part of Russia are needed, steps towards real diplomacy'. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky writes this on X, reporting on a phone call he had with the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb. "A very positive conversation, as always. We are coordinating our positions to achieve more substantial results,' Zelensky reported, thanking Stubb for his 'constructive approach and advice'. "I will be happy to welcome you on your visit to Kiev," he added, addressing the Finnish president. "Our teams are actively preparing the architecture of strong, multilateral security guarantees for Ukraine, with the involvement of everyone: Europeans, Americans and our other partners in the Coalition of the Willing. Military commanders, defence ministers and security advisors: at different levels, we are preparing the components of future security. We are accelerating the process of working out the details. It is already time to organise the format of the leaders' discussions to determine key priorities and timelines,' Zelensky explained. "An important area is relations with the United States, ensuring maximum substance in those relations," he said further.

The Russian armed forces have announced that they have taken control of Pervomaiskyi, a Donetsk region occupied by the Russian army but not completely, although it has been declared annexed along with four other Ukrainian oblasts. It is a small rural settlement not far from the border with the Russian region of Rostov. 'As a result of offensive actions, units of the Centre Troop Group have taken control of the town of Pervoe Maya in the Donetsk People's Republic,' reads a statement from Moscow.

Finland's President Alexander Stubb wrote in 'X' that ''close contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues''. In today's telephone conversation ''we discussed the follow-up to the Washington meeting. The plan for solid support for Ukraine's security is on track'', he said. Stubb then stressed that ''Ukraine is ready for peace, Russia is just stalling. We must put pressure on Russia to sit at the negotiating table. Together with our partners, we will continue to work for a just and lasting peace''.

Moscow forces shot down 26 Ukrainian drones in Russian regions overnight. This was reported by the Russian Defence Ministry. Of these, 15 were intercepted in the Rostov region. According to the regional administration, quoted by Tass, 11 houses in the centre of Rostov-on-Don were damaged in the attack. The roof of an apartment building caught fire and 15 residents were evacuated. In Novoshakhtinsk, the administration further explained, fragments of a drone fell in the courtyard of a private home, on the roof and on the roofs of several neighbouring houses, a car was damaged and the power supply of one of the houses was interrupted. According to initial information, no one was injured.

The US said it was ready to provide intelligence resources and battlefield supervision to any Western security plan for post-war Ukraine and to participate in a European-led air defence shield. This was stated by European and Ukrainian officials quoted by the Financial Times. Senior US officials told their European counterparts in the course of several discussions that Washington would be willing to provide 'strategic tools' such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, command and control, and air defence assets to enable any European-led field deployment, four officials briefed on the talks told the Financial Times. The US offer, expressed in a series of meetings between national security officials and military leaders from the US and key European countries in recent days, is conditional on European capitals committing to deploy tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine, the officials warned.

Russian attacks against Ukraine have killed at least two civilians and injured at least 28 others in the last day. This was announced by the Ukrainian authorities. Kiev forces shot down 74 of 95 drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Twenty-one drones managed to strike at nine different locations. Moscow launched a massive drone attack on Sumy, damaging some infrastructure. Authorities reported disruptions in the supply of electricity and water in the city. A drone attack also hit Poltava oblast, damaging an energy plant, an administrative building, vehicles and equipment, interim governor Volodymyr Kohut said. A 68-year-old woman was injured in a Russian attack in the village of Kozacha Lopan, Kharkiv oblast, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov. A Russian attack in Izium injured two other women, aged 70 and 73, in the region, he added. Russia targeted the Zaporizhzhia oblast, wounding two women, aged 25 and 52, in the village of Uspenivka, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. Two people were killed in Kostiantynivka and Bokove, Donetsk oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Twelve other people were injured in the region. In Cherson oblast, Russian forces hit 36 settlements, including the regional capital of Cherson, where 11 people were injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

An 81-year-old woman was killed by Russian gunfire in Kherson. This was announced by the authorities of the southern Ukrainian city. According to preliminary investigations, around 4.45 a.m., the Russian army shelled Kherson with artillery shells, the regional prosecutor's office announced on Telegram.

The prosecutor stated that he had opened an investigation for a 'war crime' that resulted in the death of one person.

Attacks by the Russian army continue in the Dnipropetrovsk region of eastern Ukraine: during the night Moscow again targeted the districts of Nikopol and Synelnyk with drones and heavy artillery, damaging a five-storey building, Ukrinform reports. Yesterday, the same districts had suffered almost 40 attacks and a 65-year-old woman had been injured. And also yesterday, Kiev admitted for the first time that Russian troops had entered the strategic region. No injuries or casualties were reported in last night's attack.

After meeting with Donald Trump in Alaska, Vladimir Putin told reporters that Russia and the US could do more business together, for example between their Pacific coasts, and the American replied that he was 'looking forward to it'. What the two leaders did not say was that, behind closed doors, the major energy companies of their respective countries had already outlined a roadmap for resuming business, pumping oil and gas from fields off the Russian Far East. According to the Wall Street Journal, in fact, Exxon held secret talks with Russia's largest state energy company, Rosneft, on the Sakhalin mega-project to which the two governments would have given the green light if peace had been achieved in Ukraine. Leading the US giant's talks was Vice President Neil Chapman, said one of the sources familiar with the discussions. The first round of negotiations took place shortly after Exxon's exit from Russia in 2022. In parallel, CEO Darren Woods discussed Exxon's possible return to the White House with Trump in recent weeks.

The US has agreed to provide intelligence resources and battlefield supervision to a Western security plan for post-war Ukraine and to participate in a European-led air defence shield with a no-fly zone. The Financial Times writes this. The Western capitals' plan would include a demilitarised zone, possibly patrolled by neutral peacekeepers from a third country agreed by Kiev and Moscow. Behind, a much more robust border, defended by armed and NATO-trained Ukrainian troops. Deeper, as a third line of defence, a European-led deterrence force.