Stoltenberg rejects Ukraine's call for controversial cluster munitions.
Ukraine reports strikes in Druzhkivka.
The news ticker.
Fighting in the east:
Volodymyr Zelenskyj reports on attacks on cities in Ukraine
Battle of Bachmut:
Wagner Group reports conquest in the Ukraine War
Ukraine war:
All information and news about the Ukraine conflict in our news ticker
+++ 3:05 p.m .:
The Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov has praised the Russian mercenary group Wagner and its boss Yevgeny Prigoshin for their use in Ukraine.
The Wagner units achieved “impressive results,” Kadyrov wrote on his Telegram channel on Sunday.
He further explained that he wanted to set up his own professional mercenary troupe once he was no longer in government office.
+
Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov.
(archive image)
© Friedemann Kohler/dpa
One photo showed Kadyrov together with Prigozhin.
Their solidarity can be seen as a political signal, because both are loyal to President Vladimir Putin, but are outspoken critics of the Russian military leadership.
However, Prigozhin's political influence seemed to be waning in recent weeks.
The attack on the eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut was carried out with heavy casualties, primarily by the Wagner gunmen.
They recently complained that the military was not giving them enough ammunition.
Ukraine War: No Cluster Munitions for Kyiv
+++ 1.35 p.m .:
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has rejected the demands from Ukraine for cluster munitions and phosphorus incendiary weapons.
The alliance rejects the use of such weapons and has "not yet delivered them," said Stoltenberg.
A Year of Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia
A Year of Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia
Federal politicians from the Greens and Left had already opposed Ukraine's request.
At the security conference, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olexander Kubrakov called for the use of cluster munitions and phosphorus incendiary weapons.
Ukraine War: Russia continues offensive, shelling cities
+++ 12.46 p.m .:
At least three civilians are said to have been killed by Russian shelling in the Cherson region.
This is reported by
Kyiv Independent
, referring to the Ukrainian regional administration.
According to reports, Russia shelled the village of Burhunka early in the morning.
+++ 11.30 a.m .:
According to the local authorities, several Russian projectiles hit the eastern Ukrainian city of Druzhkivka.
Two residential buildings were damaged on Sunday night, said the governor of the contested Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Initially, he did not provide any information about injuries or fatalities.
Druzhkivka is far behind the front, but is still being repeatedly fired at with rockets, Kyrylenko wrote on the Telegram network.
According to a report by the
Ukraiinska Pravda
news portal , a total of eight Ukrainian administrative areas have been shelled since Saturday.
These included the Sumy, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, all of which are close to the front lines.
In western Ukraine, in the capital of the Khmelnytskyi region, according to the authorities, a military object was hit by a longer-range missile.
Ukraine War: Russia's shock troops attack Wuhledar
+++ 8.44 a.m .:
Battles have been raging in southern Ukraine for weeks: near Wuhledar on the Zaporizhia front, Russian shock troops are attacking Ukrainian positions.
The Ukrainians have held their ground so far.
The city, which is 50 kilometers south of Donetsk, was hit hard - it resembles a city in ruins.
15,000 people once lived in Wuhledar.
Even the Russian side recently admitted to having suffered extensive losses in the area.
In contrast to Bachmut, which was also contested, where the mercenaries of the Wagner group fought, it was mainly the regular Russian armed forces who were deployed at Wuhledar.
Update from February 19, 2023, 6:05 a.m .:
After heavy fighting in the region around Bakhmut, Russia is now again shelling the area around Kharkiv.
On the night of Sunday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported several artillery attacks.
The Ukrainian cities west of the Dnipro are probably again under Russian rocket and artillery fire.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, the settlements of Nikopol and Marhanets were hit during the night.
Ukraine war decides in one region – Zelenskyj appeals to soldiers
+++ 10 p.m.:
In his daily video speech, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj was happy about the new aid commitments from the West.
"There are important statements from world leaders in support of our state, and there are signals to strengthen weapons for our defense," said Zelenskyy on Saturday evening.
The conference in Munich made it clear that the Ukraine war could only end in a defeat for Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyj also addressed the Russian rocket attacks in the morning.
These would only have led to a short-term failure of the power grid.
According to Zelensky, almost all regions of Ukraine are now back online.
For Kiev, this is a symbolic success as Russian missile attacks since October have been aimed at destroying Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Cold and darkness in the middle of winter should demotivate the Ukrainians to continue the war.
In his evening speech, the Ukrainian President pointed out that much of what is planned in Ukraine depends on the outcome of the conflict in the east of the country, especially in Donetsk Oblast.
The regions are among the most fiercely contested areas in Ukraine.
With this in mind, Selenskyj thanked all fighting soldiers.
News about the Ukraine war: China delivers drones to Russia for the Ukraine war
+++ 7.30 p.m .:
As the
Wall Street Journal
reports, small drones continue to be sold from China to Russia, where they are used as weapons at the front to attack Ukrainian troops.
According to official customs data, these include drones from the Chinese technology company DJI.
According to reports, other drones would reach Russia via the United Arab Emirates.
The drones are often purchased from third parties and shipped from China.
The company "DJI" recently spoke out against the use of civilian drones on the battlefield and had officially ceased its business activities in Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine war news: Russia bombs Ukrainian city – many civilian casualties
+++ 5.50 p.m .:
In the Donetsk region, more than 30 rocket attacks are said to have destroyed several residential buildings and damaged civilian infrastructure, the Ukrainian General Staff reports in its evening update.
There were also four attacks from the air.
The city of Khmelnytsky and the village of Ukrainsk are said to be particularly affected.
The Ukrainian military speaks of several civilian casualties.
In their attacks, Russia mainly takes medical facilities, residential buildings and educational institutions, Ukrainian armed forces report.
The military update from the Ukrainian Armed Forces said the threat of further attacks by the Russian Federation remained high across Ukraine.
Ukraine war: Ukraine demands controversial cluster munitions
+++ 16.20:
The Green politician Anton Hofreiter has criticized the Ukrainian demand for cluster munitions and phosphorus bombs.
The use of both weapons is very controversial, cluster munitions are outlawed under international law.
“Ukraine demands everything.
I think this demand is wrong, ”said the chairman of the Bundestag’s Europe Committee to the broadcaster
ntv.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has defended his country's claim.
It is understandable that this munition is controversial in world politics - but Ukraine is not a party to the Convention on the Ban on Cluster Munitions, he told journalists on Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
“If we get them, we will use them exclusively against the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
These munitions could help resist the attackers.” Ukraine has evidence that Russia is using cluster munitions, Kuleba said.
+++ 15:17:
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces further weapons aid for Ukraine in the war against Russia at the Munich Security Conference.
"Now is the moment to double our military support," says Sunak.
“Together we must help Ukraine protect its cities from Russian bombs and Iranian drones.
And that's why Britain will be the first country to provide Ukraine with longer-range weapons.” He does not give details.
Sunak stresses that Britain and its allies want to help Ukraine get "the most advanced anti-aircraft systems" and build a modern air force.
Ukraine war: US accuses Russia of 'barbaric' crimes
+++ 2.47 p.m .:
US Vice President Kamala Harris has massive human rights violations in Russia
accused in Ukraine.
This included murders, rapes
and the kidnapping
Ukrainian children to Russia.
"It's barbaric and inhumane," she said at the Munich Security Conference.
Harris stressed that the US will work to ensure that Russian perpetrators of the crimes are held accountable.
+++ 2:28 p.m .: According to the
Reuters
news agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense has
reported the capture of Hrianykivka – a village in eastern Ukraine, about 100 kilometers from the city of Kharkiv.
The Ukrainian general staff had previously announced that the village was under artillery fire.
Ukraine war: Ukrainian Prime Minister Schmyhal against "freezing" the war
+++ 2:07 p.m .:
The Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal rejects a “freezing” of the armed conflict
with Russia to avoid further bloodshed as unacceptable.
"That would only play into Russia's hands and lead to another major war," Schmyhal told Focus news magazine on Saturday.
He also rejects any territorial losses
even if they were accompanied by strong security guarantees.
War in Ukraine: No fighter jets for Kiev
+++ 11.43 a.m .:
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace excludes his government from a rapid delivery of modern fighter jets to Ukraine.
“It will not be fast fighter jet deliveries
certainly not in this phase of the war, and almost certainly not in six months,” Der
Spiegel
magazine quotes Wallace as saying.
Modern jets like the "Eurofighter"
could only be delivered to Ukraine after the war because pilot training takes a long time.
"Nevertheless, with the basic willingness to take this step at some point, we are again signaling our determination to help Ukraine for as long as it is necessary," Wallace continued.
Ukraine War: Explosions reported
+++ 11.18 a.m .:
According to the
Reuters
news agency , Ukraine has reported two new explosions.
According to the authorities, they could be heard in the city of Khmelnytskyi, about 275 kilometers west of Kiev.
In several eastern and southern regions of the country, the authorities also warned that the electricity should be switched off as a precaution in order to minimize the damage to the electricity grid.
Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Update, 9:29 am:
On Saturday morning (February 18), air raid sirens were sounded throughout Ukraine, except for the western and some southern regions.
This is reported by the Ukrainian online newspaper
Ukrainska Pravda.
Missiles were reportedly launched from the Black Sea.
You are flying towards western Ukraine.
At the moment, there is no information from Belarus about any aircraft being shot down or taken off.
War in Ukraine: Kiev calls for escape from Bakhmut - situation in the morning
First report from February 18, 2022:
Bakhmut - On Friday, the Ukrainian government in Kiev asked all civilians who are still in Bakhmut to leave the city immediately.
"If you are sane, law-abiding and patriotic citizens, you should leave the city immediately," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchukin said on Friday, according to the
taz
news portal .
For months, Kremlin troops and the Ukrainian army have been fighting fiercely for Bakhmut.
So far, neither side has achieved a breakthrough.
Russia is said to suffer heavy losses in the offensives in the region.
But the pressure on the Ukrainian defenders is constantly increasing.
According to information from their boss Yevgeny Prigoschin, his mercenary troupe Wagner is said to have succeeded in conquering the strategically important town of Paraskovijivka.
This is north of Bachmut.
With the conquest of the place, it should be possible for Russia to fire on the supply and retreat routes of the Kiev army in the Ukraine war.
Ukraine war: Kiev plans advance on Crimean peninsula
"The place Paraskovijivka is completely under the control of departments of the mercenary company Wagner," Prigozhin said, according to the Russian agency Interfax.
There was no independent confirmation.
The place was not mentioned in the evening report of the Ukrainian General Staff.
Should the neighboring villages of Verkhivka Berkhivka and Yahidne be conquered in the Ukraine war, the Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut could no longer be supplied from the north.
In the south of Bakhmut, too, Russian forces are pushing behind the Ukrainians.
In return, Kiev appears to be planning advances on another front in the Ukraine war.
According to Moscow, Kiev has set its sights on the Crimean peninsula.
The region was occupied by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014 and then annexed.
According to Moscow, the USA would now incite Ukraine to strike the Black Sea peninsula.
"Now the American warmongers are going even further: they incite the Kiev regime to further escalate by bringing the war to our territory," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Moscow.
Ukraine war: Kiev wants fighter jets from the West
The trigger was statements by top US diplomat Victoria Nuland, according to which Washington considers Russian military installations in Crimea to be legitimate targets.
"Ukraine will not be safe unless Crimea is at least demilitarized," Nuland said in Washington.
Kiev can count on support from the USA.
Meanwhile, at the Munich Security Conference (Siko), the Ukrainian President called for more military aid to his country.
In the Ukraine war, his country primarily needs combat aircraft.
So far, however, Ukraine's western allies have not been willing to support Kiev with fighter jets.
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, that could change soon.
Kuleba said in Munich that he was certain "that the aircraft problem would be solved."
"It will take a little more time." (red / dpa)
List of rubrics: © Friedemann Kohler/dpa