Scientists find: Russia shows "characteristics of a dictatorship"

Support for Ukraine in the war against Russia is still being discussed.

Poland directs harsh allegations at Scholz.

The news ticker on the Ukraine war.

• Training:

  Ukrainian soldiers learn how to use the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system in Germany.

• Support:

  France helps Kiev with air defense

• Help in the Ukraine war:

  EU wants to train another 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers

• Editor's note: 

  Read the latest developments from the Ukraine conflict in our new 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.

+++ 10:00 a.m .:

According to a study by the British analysis company Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Russia is increasingly taking on the characteristics of a dictatorship.

"Russia has long since moved away from democracy and is now showing many of the characteristics of a dictatorship," says the Democracy Index for 2022 presented on Thursday (presented on Thursday). his tough crackdown on critics in the media and the general public has slipped more than any other country.

+

Under Putin, Russia has moved further and further away from a democracy.

© Mikhail Metzel/AFP

Overall, according to the EIU, democratic standards around the world had improved slightly due to the lifting of Covid protective measures in the year of the study.

However, negative developments prevented a greater positive effect than expected.

Ukraine News: Morawiecki sees growing mistrust of Germany

+++ 8.29 a.m .:

Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki sees increasing distrust of Germany because of the federal government’s Ukraine policy in Europe.

He said so in an interview published on Wednesday evening.

Central and Eastern European countries and EU members in particular have lost confidence.

Germany could support Ukraine significantly more, he said.

Tanks, drones, anti-aircraft defenses: weapons for Ukraine

Tanks, drones, anti-aircraft defenses: weapons for Ukraine

At the same time, he accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) of still misjudging Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The federal government seems to "still believe that you should go back to business as usual with Russia," said Morawiecki.

"I don't think that will ever be possible with this quasi-totalitarian regime."

Ukraine News: Ukrainian soldiers for anti-aircraft training in Germany

+++ 4.35 a.m .:

Ukrainian soldiers have arrived in Germany for training on the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.

The group had already landed on Tuesday and should start training this Thursday, the German Press Agency was told by security circles in Berlin.

Altogether it is a group of about 70 Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, the Patriot units that had been relocated to Poland reported “initial operational readiness”, as the operational command had already announced on Wednesday.

The Bundeswehr wants to support the defense of Polish airspace with three anti-aircraft missile squadrons.

Ukraine News: EU chief diplomat does not rule out fighter jet deliveries

Update from Thursday, February 2, 3:50 a.m.:

The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell does not rule out that, despite the currently reluctant position of countries like Germany and the USA, combat aircraft will be delivered to Ukraine.

The delivery of tanks was also initially highly controversial, said the Spaniard in the run-up to an EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv on Friday.

In the end, however, an agreement was reached on the subject and the “red line” was crossed.

So far, there have been warnings of escalation risks for all arms deliveries, he said.

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, among others, was recently open to the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden have so far not wanted to hand over such weapon systems to the country attacked by Russia.

Ukraine News: France wants to continue supporting Kyiv with air defense

+++ 19.35:

With a possible delivery of two multifunction radars of the type GM-200, France wants to continue to support Ukraine in air defense against Russia.

According to media reports, this resulted in a meeting between the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Resnikov and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu.

With the help of these devices, Ukraine should be able to better defend itself against Russian drone, ballistic and long-range airstrikes, Resnikov said.

A corresponding memorandum with the French armaments company Thalis was signed during the visit.

In addition, France has agreed to train more than 6,500 Ukrainian soldiers.

Earlier, according to a report by

, Lecornu also announced that it would deliver twelve Caesar-type self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine.

Denmark has ordered 19 more artillery systems of the same type for the Ukraine from the French manufacturer.

Weapons deliveries: Austria pledges humanitarian aid to Ukraine

+++ 18:10:

According to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants

Austria will support Ukraine in its defense against Russia by supplying, among other things, anti-drone systems, demining vehicles and electronic warfare systems.

This was announced by the Ukrainian head of state after a meeting with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Wednesday (February 1) in Kiev, as quoted by the

news agency .

In addition, Austria also wants to deliver hundreds of ambulances, fire engines and generators.

As a country whose neutrality is enshrined in the constitution, Austria can only provide humanitarian aid, the Austrian

also emphasized .

Van der Bellen emphasized that this was a kind of help that Austria felt obliged to provide: "We are not leaving Ukraine alone, it is exposed to a war of aggression," emphasized the politician and compared the Russian war of aggression "with the colonial wars of the 19th century". .

However, military aid failed not only because of the neutrality requirement: since the Austrian army is not particularly well equipped anyway, Van der Bellen "didn't even know what we should deliver in this situation," he

told Selenskyj , according to

Support in the Ukraine war: EU wants to train another 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers

+++ 4 p.m .:

The scope of the current EU training mission for the Ukrainian armed forces is to be doubled.

The new goal is to train 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers in EU countries, several EU officials announced in Brussels on Wednesday.

So far, the goal has been to train around 15,000 soldiers.

The start of the EU training mission was decided in November by the foreign ministers of the member states.

With the mission, the EU wants to help ensure that the Ukrainian troops can defend themselves even better than before against the attackers from Russia.

Ukraine war news: Belarusian armed forces are being trained on Iskander missiles

+++ 3.30 p.m .:

As the Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced, the Belarusian armed forces now have autonomous control over the mobile Iskander guided missile systems supplied by Russia after completing the training in Russia and the exercises in Belarus.

The Iskander missiles can hit targets at ranges of up to 500 km (310 miles), according to the ministry.

The commander of the Belarusian missile and artillery forces, Ruslan Chekhov, praised the missiles for their "ease of use, reliability, maneuverability and firepower" in a commentary reported by Reuters.

News about the Ukraine war: Selenskyj relies on new aid commitments

+++ 12.15 p.m .:

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj relies on new aid commitments at a summit meeting with the EU on Friday.

"We are expecting news for Ukraine," said Zelenskyj on Tuesday evening about the summit to which EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel are expected in Kyiv.

Against the background of the fighter jet debate, among other things, further military aid for Ukraine is at stake.

News about the Ukraine war: Russia supplies more gas

Update from Wednesday, February 1, 10:18 a.m .:

According to the latest reductions, Russia is now sending more gas through Ukraine towards Europe.

"Gazprom will deliver Russian gas in transit through the territory of Ukraine in the volume confirmed by the Ukrainian side at the Suja gas compressor station: 29.4 million cubic meters on February 1," spokesman for the Russian state-owned company Sergei Kupriyanov said on Wednesday according to agency Interfax.

Gazprom pumped 24.2 million cubic meters through Ukraine on Tuesday - around 20 percent less.

News about the Ukraine war: Kyiv wants to join the EU

First report from Wednesday, February 1, 8:31 a.m .:

Kiev – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to push ahead with his country’s planned EU accession in the midst of the Russian invasion that has been going on for almost a year.

Kyiv expects “news” from an EU-Ukraine summit at the end of this week, Zelensky said in his evening video address on Tuesday (January 31, 2023).

“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 also confirmed that reforms are being worked on in Kyiv.

News in the Ukraine war: desire for early admission to the EU is great

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of the neighboring country.

The Ukraine war has increased the desire among many Ukrainians for early admission to the EU.

The country has been a candidate for EU membership since June.

Associated with this, however, are conditions, among other things, in the fight against corruption.

Meanwhile, several explosions shook the Russian-held city of Mariupol late Tuesday evening.

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.

There were also attacks by Russian troops in the Sumy region in north-eastern Ukraine.

According to the military administration of the Sumy region on Tuesday (January 31), people were injured in attacks on several communities.

(editorial with agencies)

List of rubrics: © Mikhail Metzel/AFP