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A Leopard 2 tank from Germany
Photo: Csaba Krizsan / dpa
This article will be continuously updated.
Ukraine accuses Russia of obstructing the escape of civilians
6.42 a.m .:
In the Zaporizhia region in southern Ukraine, the Russian occupying forces are said to be preventing civilians from fleeing to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
"Currently, there are more than 1,000 vehicles in the city of Vasylivka in front of the Russian checkpoint, which are not allowed on the territory controlled by Ukraine," Deputy Chief of the Zaporizhia Regional Administration Slata Nekrasova told the Ukrinform news agency on Thursday evening.
Corresponding videos have also appeared on social networks.
Spy alliance wants to support investigations into war crimes in Ukraine
6.40 a.m .:
The justice ministers of the Five Eyes intelligence network have pledged their support to Ukraine in the prosecution of Russian war crimes.
They would also support the investigations of the International Criminal Court (ICC), explained the department heads of the USA, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office recently announced that it was investigating more than 11,000 cases of alleged war crimes.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian judiciary began the first trial of a Russian soldier accused of murdering a Ukrainian civilian.
The 21-year-old who confessed faces life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the ICC has sent 42 investigators to Ukraine to investigate possible war crimes.
Selenskyj speaks of "hell" in the Donbass, region is "completely destroyed"
6.25 a.m .:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has described the situation in Donbass as “hell” in view of the Russian war of aggression.
The army continues to work on the liberation of the Kharkiv region, said Zelenskyj in his evening video address on Thursday.
»But in the Donbass the occupiers are trying to increase the pressure.
Hell is there, and that's not an exaggeration," the President continued.
The Donbass was "completely destroyed".
Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops continued, especially in eastern Ukraine in the Donbass.
The command of Ukrainian forces in the region reported Thursday that 14 enemy attacks had been repelled.
The information could not be verified.
As a sign of the intensity of the fighting, numerous civilian deaths were once again recorded.
According to the authorities, five people were killed in the Donetsk region alone.
Video allegedly shows Ukrainian commanders still at the steelworks
5.16 a.m .:
According to their own statements, the commanders of the last military resistance in Ukraine in Mariupol are still in the Azovstal steel plant.
Ukrainian media circulated a video showing the deputy commander of the Azov regiment Svyatoslav Palamar.
“Me and the command are at the Azovstal works site.
There is a certain operation going on, the details of which I will not say.
We thank the whole world, thank Ukraine,” said Palamar.
The authenticity of the video could not be checked immediately, and it was widely discussed in the Ukrainian media.
Belarus buys powerful Russian guns Iskander and S-400
5.15 a.m .:
The authoritarian Belarus has bought two of the most powerful Russian weapon systems from Moscow: the Iskander short-range missiles and the S-400 air defense system.
That said the Belarusian head of state Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, as reported by the Belta state agency.
He did not provide any information on the number of missile systems acquired, he spoke of a "sufficient number".
The Iskander-type surface-to-surface missiles should be delivered by the end of the year.
"It's a completely different army with such armament," Lukashenko said of his armed forces.
The Iskander missiles and cruise missiles are fired from heavy trucks and have a range of up to 500 kilometers.
They can carry conventional or nuclear warheads.
The S-400 can engage aircraft and incoming missiles within a radius of 400 kilometers.
The Czech Republic is to receive the first Leopard tanks later this year
4.30 a.m .:
For the transfer of tanks to Ukraine, the NATO partner Czech Republic should be quickly equipped with Leopard 2 tanks from Germany.
"Delivery is scheduled to begin this year and will also include a 30-day supply of 120 mm ammunition," the German Ministry of Defense told the responsible officials in the Bundestag.
“Equipment and ammunition come from industry stocks and are financed by the Federal Republic of Germany.
The follow-up care is the responsibility of the Czech Republic.« The letter was available to the dpa news agency in Berlin.
The Czech Republic intends to provide Ukraine with significant support by donating 20 T-72 main battle tanks from its own stocks.
“In a first step, the Czech Republic is to receive 14 Leopard 2 A4 main battle tanks and one Leopard 2-based recovery vehicle as a replacement for its own delivery,” it says.
Moscow: 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers from Azov steel mill surrendered
3.42 a.m .:
After a long and desperate resistance, a total of 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers from the besieged Azov steelworks in Mariupol gave up this week, according to Russian information.
In the past 24 hours alone, a further 771 fighters from the nationalist Azov Brigade had surrendered, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
However, Azov deputy commander Svyatoslav Palamar explained in a video that he is still at the factory with the rest of the officers.
Blinken: Russia to end blockade of Ukrainian ports
3:00 a.m.:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeals to the United Nations Security Council for Russia to end the blockade of Ukrainian ports so that food can be exported.
"The food supply for millions of Ukrainians and millions more around the world has been literally taken hostage," he says. A senior Moscow official dismissed the allegations, saying the Russians are "not idiots" and don't export food as long as severe sanctions are imposed on them.
EU wants to use assets of Russian oligarchs for reconstruction
2.15 a.m .:
The European Union is examining ways of using frozen assets of Russian oligarchs to finance post-war reconstruction in Ukraine.
This was explained by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Thursday evening on ZDF.
In this way, Russia can make a contribution to post-war reconstruction, said the President of the Commission.
Economic expert wants joint EU debt for Ukraine reconstruction
1:00 a.m.:
The "economic wise man" Achim Truger has spoken out in favor of financing the reconstruction of Ukraine through joint debts from the European Union.
A model similar to the Corona reconstruction fund could also make sense for the planned financial support for Ukraine, Truger told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Zelenskyj: Ukraine needs billions every month to defend itself
12:03 a.m .:
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, the Russian war of aggression means a budget deficit of around five billion US dollars (4.8 billion euros) every month for Ukraine.
The head of state said this in his evening video address on Thursday in Kyiv.
"In order to survive the war for freedom, we need quick and sufficient financial support," he said.
Foreign partners of Ukraine should not see aid as expenses or gifts.
"It's their contribution to their own security." Ukraine protects other countries from war.
Together we must ensure that Russia's aggression is unsuccessful.
mrc/AFP/dpa/Reuters
