The Ukraine war now lasts around eleven months.
Russia is stepping up attacks on Bakhmut and supporting kill bonuses.
The news ticker.
Military impasse:
Insider names condition for Ukrainian breakthrough
Russian advance:
Village in Donetsk probably conquered after all
Explosions in the Ukraine war:
There is fighting in Mariupol
Editor's note:
Read the latest developments from the Ukraine conflict in our news ticker.
The information on the Ukraine war processed here comes partly from the warring parties in Russia and Ukraine.
They can therefore not be independently checked in part.
+++ 19:05:
According to the Ukrainian secret service SBI, the plan to attack a power plant in eastern Ukraine was foiled.
This was reported by the US broadcaster
CNN
.
A "former security officer" from Ukraine planned an attack in cooperation with the Russian occupiers and hid "explosive devices, ammunition and ignition devices" near the power plant.
Now the employee of a regional security authority is accused of high treason and attempted sabotage.
An accomplice of the man should have helped carry out the planned attack.
+
Power plants in Ukraine are repeatedly damaged by Russian attacks.
(symbol photo)
© Sergei Supinsky/AFP
"Tanks will burn": Russia supports kill bonuses
+++ 5 p.m .:
The Kremlin supports Russian initiatives to pay bonuses for the capture or destruction of heavy weapons from NATO countries in Ukraine.
Such special payments could encourage the soldiers even further, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
"As for these tanks, we have already said that they will burn, of course, even more so if there are such expanded measures," Peskov said.
Germany wants to deliver Leopard main battle tanks, the USA tanks of the Abrams type.
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
News on the Ukraine war: Ukraine announces "very active phase in the war".
+++ 3.10 p.m .:
Ukraine is facing a “very active phase” of the war.
Intensive operations at the front are expected in February and March, said Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Central Intelligence Agency, on the
Freedom channel.
Yusov explained that the situation on the front is currently difficult as Russian troops continue their offensive operations.
Despite this, Russian losses are much greater than those of the Ukrainian army.
"The skills and motivation of the Ukrainian soldiers, as well as their equipment and weapons, both domestic and those sent by international partners, will ultimately determine these offensive actions," the representative of Defense Intelligence concluded.
News on the Ukraine war: Russian ships in the Black Sea remain in combat use
+++ 2.30 p.m .:
Three Russian warships armed with about 20 Kalibr cruise missiles remain in combat in the Black Sea.
This was announced by the Ukrainian Navy in a post on the news app Telegram.
“Thirteen enemy ships are engaged in combat in the Black Sea, including three Kalibr cruise missile carriers.
The total number of missiles is about 20," the report said.
In the Sea of Azov, Moscow continues to control maritime communications and keeps one ship on combat duty, according to the Ukrainian Navy.
According to the information, there are Russian warships in the Mediterranean, five of which are armed with a total of 72 Kalibr cruise missiles.
News about the Ukraine war: Russian troops attack Bakhmut
+++ 1:00 p.m .:
Russian troops have attacked Ukrainian military positions near Bakhmut 151 times in the past 24 hours.
This was announced
by Suspilne
, a public broadcaster in Ukraine.
The broadcaster referred to
Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukraine war: Japan plans to double defense spending
+++ 10.02 a.m
.: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has welcomed the Japanese government’s plans to double defense spending.
This will make Japan even more of a partner "for peace" and take international security seriously, he said in a speech at Keio University in Tokyo on Wednesday (February 1).
Ukraine war: Selenskyj wants to join the EU
Update from Wednesday, February 1, 7:45 a.m .:
In the midst of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to push ahead with his country's planned EU accession.
Kyiv is expecting "news" from an EU-Ukraine summit later this week, said Zelenskyy in his evening video address on Tuesday.
“We expect decisions from our partners in the European Union that (...) correspond to our progress.
Progress, which is obviously there - even in spite of the large-scale war," said Zelenskyy.
He reiterated that reforms are being worked on in Kyiv.
According to reports, EU Council President Charles Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected to attend the EU-Ukraine summit on Friday.
Ukrainian War: Reports of multiple explosions in Mariupol
+++ 10:50 p.m .:
Late on Tuesday evening, several explosions shook the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol.
This was reported by the city's deputy mayor, Petro Andriushchenko, via the Telegram news service.
According to Andriushchenko's report, an air alert sounded over the city and at least "seven loud explosions" were heard.
While the Russian occupiers reported that they were Ukrainian drone strikes and that "all targets were shot down," Andriushchenko writes that pro-Ukrainian residents of the city see this assessment as "wishful thinking" and are hoping for "good news."
Russian military: US accuses Russia of breaching nuclear deal
+++ 9:20 p.m .:
The United States has accused Russia of violating the requirements of the 2010 New Start nuclear agreement.
The US State Department announced on Tuesday.
Accordingly, although Russia would comply with the permissible upper limit for the number of nuclear warheads, it had broken agreements on inspections and planned arms control talks.
This behavior threatens the "feasibility of US-Russian nuclear weapons control," the ministry said in a statement before the US Congress.
Moscow announced in August that it would suspend inspections of Russian military sites as part of the program.
At the same time, the Russian government accused the US of obstructing inspectors from Russia, which the government in Washington denies.
Last November, Russia then canceled planned arms control talks with the United States.
The Russian Foreign Ministry justified the decision with "hostility" from the United States.
Military impasse in the Ukraine war: insider names condition for Ukrainian breakthrough
+++ 8 p.m.: According to the
Guardian
report
, the number of military casualties on both sides in the Ukraine war is said to be around 200,000.
That's what a Western official said during a briefing.
He then added that a higher proportion of Russians were killed as they fought on the offensive.
As a result, they would have “the bottom line to mourn more fatalities than the Ukrainians”.
In its latest report, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said it had killed about 127,500 members of the pro-Russian armed forces.
Russia has not yet launched a major offensive, despite intensified attacks in eastern Donbass over the past week, but has made smaller efforts from which it can "reap only tactical gains," the official said.
The official, who spoke to the
Guardian
on condition of anonymity , believes there is a military impasse at the moment.
This means that there has to be a change on both sides in order to achieve a breakthrough.
To do this, Russia would have to launch new mobilizations, while Ukraine would have to rely on more arms supplies from the West and tactical innovations on the battlefield, the insider concludes.
Russian army attacks residential area in Bakhmut - armored train "armed to the teeth"
+++ 5.15 p.m .:
According to Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the military administration of the Donetsk region, Russian forces shelled a residential area in the heavily contested city of Bakhmut.
Two civilians died, including a 12-year-old boy, he reports via Telegram.
At least five other people were injured, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office said.
The exact number of victims is still being determined.
Shops, pharmacies and other buildings were also damaged in the artillery attack.
Russia has been continuously attacking Bakhmut for over five months in a bid to occupy the entire Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine,
Ukrainska Pravda
reports .
The information cannot be independently verified.
News in the Ukraine war: Russia reports advance – armored train “armed to the teeth”
+++ 3.30 p.m .:
According to their own statements, Russian troops have conquered a village in the Donetsk region.
It's now completely under control.
This was announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow.
Earlier, the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had claimed combat success for his units.
The capture of the Ukrainian side was not confirmed.
At the weekend, it was said from Kyiv that the attacks had been repelled.
The village lies north of the embattled city of Bakhmut.
According to the
dpa
, the Russian army is trying to bypass Bakhmut from the north and south in order to force the Ukrainian army to withdraw from the small town.
Both sides suffered heavy casualties.
However, the main supply route to the north-west is still under Ukrainian control.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also informed about the use of an armored train in the war zone.
The crew should be used for technical reconnaissance and mine clearance and destroy military targets in the air and on the ground.
"This massive armament complex allows soldiers to work even in the most difficult conditions," Russia said in a statement.
"This is a real armored train, armed to the teeth." The soldiers are armed with simple firearms and large-caliber equipment.
News from the Ukraine war: siren alarm - fighter jet takes off in Russia
+++ 1:45 p.m .:
Air raid sirens were triggered across Ukraine on Tuesday because a MiG-31 fighter plane had started in Russia.
This is reported by
Ukrainska Pravda
.
The sirens signal to the population that there is a risk of rocket hits, in which case a shelter should be sought or the two-wall rule should be followed.
In the latter, people are supposed to keep two walls without windows between them and the street.
Earlier, Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat said the rapid spread of air raid sirens in Ukraine indicated the risk of Kinzhal-type hypersonic missile attacks.
Belaruski Hajun
, an independent Belarusian military observation medium, also reported on the launch of a radar plane and escort fighter in Belarus.
News about the Ukraine war: Putin and Medvedev rail against the West
+++ 11.50 a.m .:
Dmitry Medvedev, a longtime ally of Vladimir Putin and currently Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, has boasted that the sanctions have little impact on the Russian economy.
On Telegram he wrote:
“Enemy countries do not have the courage to admit that their hellish sanctions have failed miserably.
They don't work.
The vast majority of industrial and consumer goods have been replaced by our own Russian brands and the missing ones by Asian brands.
So everything is the same as always: the Americans make money from a humiliated Europe.
Worn-out Europe endures and loses money.”
Medvedev went on to say that Russia will continue to use Western intellectual property "without licenses and without paying royalties for everything from films to industrial software."
News in the Ukraine war: breakthrough of Russian troops unlikely
Update from Tuesday, January 31, 10:15 a.m .:
According to British military experts, a significant breakthrough by the Russian troops in their war of aggression in Ukraine is currently unlikely.
This emerged from the daily intelligence update from the Ministry of Defense in London on Tuesday.
According to this, Russian commanders are currently trying to advance into the Ukrainian-held part of Donetsk Oblast.
"There is a realistic possibility that Russia will continue to make local territorial gains in the area," the statement said.
However, a significant breakthrough is unlikely given insufficient uncommitted troops.
News about the Ukraine war: Next major offensive from Russia expected
First report from Tuesday, January 31, 2023:
Kiev – “Russian terror must lose everywhere and in every respect: both on the battlefield and insofar as not a single ruin remains in our country,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday (January 30) stressed the importance of a holistic victory.
The Ukraine war has been raging for around eleven months. On February 24, 2022, Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
Most recently, the debate about Western military aid has been dominated by main battle tank deliveries.
Ukraine is now demanding fighter jets.
US President Joe Biden recently ruled out delivery.
News about the Ukraine war: Artillery ammunition assured
Experts regard the Ukraine war as the most material-intensive since the Korean War.
The procurement of artillery ammunition is always a problem.
France and Australia now want to supply Ukraine with artillery ammunition.
According to the information, the delivery should involve several thousand 155 mm caliber projectiles, as the
German Press Agency (dpa)
quoted the French Foreign Ministry as saying.
News in the Ukraine war: Russia seems to be preparing for an offensive
On the Russian side, ammunition problems also seem to be a problem.
Nevertheless, experts continue to assume that an offensive is imminent.
According to the Kyiv Independent
, NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday (January 30)
that Russia "will potentially mobilize more than 200,000 personnel and continue to procure arms and ammunition through increased domestic production and partnerships with authoritarian states such as Iran and North Korea".
(editorial with agencies)
List of rubrics: © Sergei Supinsky/AFP
