Von der Leyen signs the 6.1 billion euros package as Ozon warehouses burn
The European Commission approved 6.1 billion euros for Ukraine's air defences on Independence Day, as Ukrainian drones set Ozon warehouses alight and Putin authorised temporary state control of plants judged poorly protected.
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Ursula von der Leyen signs off 6.1 billion euros on Independence Day
On Independence Day, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen approved 6.1 billion euros for Ukraine to buy air and missile defence systems, missiles, ammunition and radars, drawn from the 90 billion euros Ukraine Support Loan. She said that as Russia intensifies its attacks, the European Union is stepping up to help Ukraine protect its people and defend its skies. Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said the Union is enabling Ukraine to procure the missiles and air-defence systems it urgently needs. Most of the buying is expected to go to European defence firms, with the emphasis on ballistic missiles and jet-engine drones. Ukraine sustained 376 missile strikes in June alone.[1]
Ozon warehouses in Krasnodar and Dagestan burned after the overnight strikes
Ozon, Russia's second-largest online retailer, said logistics centres in Krasnodar, Dagestan, Stavropol and Adygea were on fire and several staff injured after overnight Ukrainian drone strikes. The company said a fire broke out at its logistics centre in Makhachkala, in Dagestan, after a drone attack at around five in the morning local time on Monday, and that a major fire was already burning at its Krasnodar centre. Russia's defence ministry said three children were killed in Krasnodar; children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova said they were 13, 15 and 16 years old and that six more children were taken to hospital. Shares in Ozon fell by as much as 12 per cent on the Moscow Exchange, and shares in AFK Sistema, its major shareholder, fell by almost 13 per cent. Ukraine's defence ministry had said on Saturday that after 15 of the largest Wildberries hubs were hit, it was Ozon's turn. The Kremlin said it was working with business on support options.[2]
Putin authorised temporary state control of plants judged poorly protected
President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that allows Russia to place critical infrastructure under temporary state control when its owners fail to meet standards for protecting or repairing it against attack. The powers pass to the Federal Agency for State Property Management or another designated body. The scope covers fuel and energy facilities including nuclear power, industry, communications, transport, logistics, public utilities and anything deemed essential to state security. The decree was published on Monday, in a period of fuel shortages around Russian energy sites under Ukrainian drone attack. Ukraine has struck at least two dozen warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer; Ozon reported four logistics hubs in the south hit the same day. Russia halted the Perm oil refinery after drone damage and said repairs could take up to two weeks.[3]
