Slovakia will deliver 13 fighter jets to Kiev.
Chinese President Xi Jinping travels to Moscow on Monday.
News ticker on the Ukraine war.
Sensitive
visit
: Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Moscow for talks on Monday.
Russian
secret service building
burns: one dead, two injured
"
Kiev
will not withdraw its
troops
": Separatist leader sees "complicated" situation in Bakhmut
ISW assessment
of
Bakhmut
: Yevgeny Prigozhin's mercenaries are
not making any headway in the
Ukraine war
Update from March 17, 10:55 a.m .:
After Poland announced the delivery of combat aircraft to Ukraine on Thursday, the next NATO member is now following suit.
Slovakia intends to provide a total of 13 MiG-29 Soviet-designed fighter jets.
The Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger confirmed this on Friday.
"Promises must be kept," Heger wrote on Twitter about the decision.
As the Reuters news agency reports, the corresponding jets were retired last summer.
The majority is therefore not immediately ready for use.
Ukraine War: Russian troops appear to be making advances at Bakhmut
Update from March 17, 10:25 a.m .:
The Russian armed forces have apparently made further progress in the embattled city of Bakhmut in the past few days.
Some units of the Russian army and mercenaries from the Wagner Group have also gained a foothold west of the Bakhmutka River, the Ministry of Defense in London said on Twitter.
The river dividing Bakhmut was considered the front line since the Wagner mercenaries invaded the city.
Ukrainian troops still hold the western part of the city.
In contrast to Bakhmut, however, Russia would carry out fewer attacks on the rest of the front than it had in a long time.
"This is most likely due to the fact that the Russian armed forces have temporarily decimated the combat effectiveness of the deployed formations to such an extent that even local offensive actions are currently not sustainable," it said in London.
Ukraine war: sensitive visit – China confirms Xi trip to Putin
Update from March 17, 8:55 a.m .:
Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to travel to Russia against the background of the war in Ukraine.
As announced by the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, the state visit at the invitation of the Russian President is planned for next Monday (March 20) to Wednesday.
The Kremlin also confirmed the date.
Putin and Xi would therefore discuss "strategic cooperation", reports CNN.
"An exchange of views is also planned in connection with the deepening of Russian-Chinese cooperation at the international level," Moscow said.
In addition, they want to “sign a number of important bilateral documents”.
It is the Chinese leader's first visit to Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine.
In February, Beijing presented a position paper on the Ukraine war that called for respect for sovereignty, an end to a “Cold War mentality”, a ceasefire and the resumption of peace negotiations.
It had disappointed internationally, also because it did not even provide for the withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied areas in Ukraine.
Recently, Beijing reacted angrily to warnings from the United States that the country could possibly supply weapons to Russia in the Ukraine war.
+
Will Xi help Putin in Ukraine war?
Expert suspects a balancing act by Beijing
© picture alliance/dpa/Kremlin
War in Ukraine: Prigozhin suspects conspiracy against his mercenary force
Update from March 17, 6:57 a.m .:
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin apparently complains of a conspiracy against himself and his Wagner group.
Vladimir Putin allegedly said that there would be nothing left of his mercenaries in Ukraine in "one and a half to two months".
At least that's what the Russian daily newspaper
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
is said to have found out.
Putin wants to "neutralize Wagner and especially Prigozhin".
Prigozhin may have fabricated the story, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which mentions the incident in its most recent report.
Ukraine news: Selenskyj promises liberation of Mariupol
Update from March 17, 5:29 a.m
.: On the anniversary of the bombing of the Mariupol theater, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced the recapture of the city and a war crimes tribunal against Russians.
"The day will come and we will liberate Mariupol," Zelenskyy said in his daily video address on Thursday evening (March 16).
Ukraine news: Scholz assures Kiev support
Update from March 16, 7:49 p.m .:
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has assured Ukraine of Germany’s continued support because of Russia’s war of aggression – for as long as necessary.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has canceled the agreement that borders would not be moved, Scholz said on Thursday at the reception of the Brandenburg SPD parliamentary group in Potsdam.
"We will not accept that." If that goes through, peace will be endangered for a long time.
Ukraine news: Traditional concert in Moscow on the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea canceled
Update from March 16, 6:31 p.m .
: According to the media, the traditional major concert in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on the anniversary of the annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea on March 18 has been canceled.
Instead, the anniversary will be celebrated this Saturday with smaller events in a number of regions, the daily
Vedomosti
reported on Thursday.
Until recently, preparations were being made for the mass event, which Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin traditionally also takes part in.
Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Participants for the event were sought via social networks.
They were lured with free food and performances by musicians considered patriotic.
"For reasons beyond our control, the format of celebrations for the reunification of Crimea with Russia has been changed in the city," the organizers said.
A more detailed explanation has not yet been given.
Ukraine news: According to UN investigators, the deportation of children is a war crime
Update from March 16, 4:10 p.m .:
The forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia or to Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine is a war crime, according to UN investigators. The large-scale deportation of children “violates international humanitarian law and comes tantamount to a war crime," a senior UN investigative team said in a report.
The investigative team assembled by the UN Human Rights Council cited evidence that Russian authorities are placing Ukrainian children in orphanages or foster families and granting them Russian citizenship.
Among other things, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree according to which children can become Russian citizens under certain conditions using a simplified procedure.
According to their own statements, the experts examined in detail a case in which 164 children and young people between the ages of four and 18 were deported from the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Cherson.
The parents and the children themselves have been informed by the Russian social authorities that the children should be placed with foster families or adopted.
The children were afraid of being permanently separated from their families.
The report lists numerous other alleged Russian war crimes, including attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, torture and rape.
Ukraine news: Poland wants to supply the Ukrainian army with fighter jets
Update from March 16, 1:29 p.m .:
Poland wants to deliver the first Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine very soon.
This was announced by President Andrzej Duda on Thursday after talks with his Czech colleague Petr Pavel in Warsaw.
"In the coming days we will (...) transfer four aircraft to Ukraine," said Duda in Warsaw.
Ukraine news: Soldier confessed to war crimes – Russian court convicts him of spreading “false information”
Update from March 16, 1:19 p.m .:
In Russia’s far east, a soldier in Ukraine confessed to war crimes – and was then sentenced to five and a half years of imprisonment on probation for spreading “false information”.
This was announced by the civil rights organization OVD-Info, citing an entry in the register of the military court in the Khabarovsk region.
Last summer, the man is said to
have told the independent investigative portal
Vashnye Istorii ("Important Stories") that he shot a civilian near the Ukrainian capital of Kiev about a year ago at the beginning of the war.
According to the journalist who conducted the interview, after returning to Russia, the soldier accused his superior of having given orders to kill and loot in Ukraine.
According to research, Ukrainian survivors in the village of Andriyivka later identified the soldier as one of the perpetrators.
It is unclear where he is currently staying.
Ukraine news: Russian secret service building on fire - one dead, two injured
Update from March 16, 12:36 p.m .:
In the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don near the border with Ukraine, a building of the border guards of the domestic secret service FSB caught fire.
Photos of it are currently being shared on social networks.
Among other things, Yulia Mendel, ex-spokeswoman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, shared a video on Twitter showing the fire and a huge cloud of smoke.
It's FSB building in Rostov and Donu in Russia now.
Don't rush to accuse Ukraine.
It might be provocation or domestic political fight.
Remember their intelligence and defense services are fighting for the influence pic.twitter.com/mBL4R00KhQ
— Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) March 16, 2023
The Russian Ministry of Civil Protection confirmed the reports of eyewitnesses.
The background was unclear.
According to the Russian news agency Ria Novosti, one person was killed and two injured.
In the Russian region of Belgorod, the authorities also reported that Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down two more missiles.
Residential buildings and administration buildings were damaged by fallen fragments.
There are no injuries, said Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
He accused the Ukrainian troops of increased activity.
In the past four days, 58 buildings and 31 cars have been hit by debris.
"Kiev will not withdraw its troops": Separatist leader sees "complicated" situation in Bakhmut
Update from March 16, 12:11 p.m .:
The situation in Bakhmut is still “complicated,” said the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic of the Russian news agency Ria Novosti.
"Kiev will not withdraw its troops," Denis Puschilin is quoted as saying.
However, it is immensely difficult for the Ukrainian soldiers to continue to provide themselves with food, ammunition and reinforcements.
Because the only road that is still accessible is under heavy fire from Wagner mercenaries.
+
A Ukrainian tank on a road outside of Bakhmut.
© Aris Messinis/AFP
Irina Rybakova, press secretary of the 93rd Brigade of Ukraine, confirmed difficulties with the supply.
According to CNN, she said on Ukrainian television that "for two weeks there has been a difficult situation with the roads, which complicates logistics."
Bakhmut's center is currently being controlled by Ukrainian soldiers, she said.
However, the access road is under constant fire from Russian artillery, which is constantly working on our front section.”
Ukraine news: Secret service breaks up Russian spy ring in Poland
Update from March 16, 11:16 a.m .:
In Poland, the secret service smashed a ring of suspected Russian spies.
"The whole espionage network was dismantled," Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Thursday, adding that there was a real threat to Poland.
The spy ring collected information for Russia, Blaszczak said.
According to unofficial information from the radio station Rmf.fm, the espionage network is said to have primarily dealt with spying on railway lines.
Polish secret services have apparently discovered hidden cameras on important routes and junctions.
Poland is the main hub for delivery of Western military aid to Ukraine and is now even giving Ukraine hope for Western fighter jets.
ISW assessment of Bakhmut: Yevgeny Prigozhin's mercenaries are not making any headway
Update from March 16, 8:51 a.m
.: The Russian offensive is apparently losing speed not only in Bachmut.
Also in Wuhledar, estimates the British secret service.
One of the reasons is that the Ukrainians are successfully using a certain weapon system.
The latest short report by the Ministry of Defense in London states that the Wuhledar offensive is part of a whole series of failed, extremely costly Russian attacks in the past three months.
According to the report, the Ukrainians used the “Remote Anti-Armor Mine System” (RAAM).
According to the information, anti-tank mines can be scattered up to 17 kilometers from the launch site.
In some cases they would have thrown them over and behind advancing Russian units.
This led to chaos when they retreated.
Ukraine news: Bachmut remains the focal point on the eastern front
First report from March 16
: Bachmut - The city of Bachmut is a focal point on the eastern front in Ukraine, and has been for weeks.
Russian units - led by the notorious mercenary group Wagner - try to conquer the place with all means.
So far, the attackers have managed to harass the city from three sides.
Bachmut is now considered largely destroyed.
Both sides are said to have already suffered heavy casualties in the fighting.
Ukraine news: Wagner mercenaries are unlikely to make any headway in Bachmut
Now analysts see a climax in the battles for Bachmut approaching.
"The Wagner Group offensive will not be enough to capture Bachmut," the US Institute for War Studies (ISW) said in its March 15 report.
They justify this by saying that the number of attacks in the Bakhmut region has "significantly" decreased in the past few days.
Ukraine news: 3,000 civilians are holding out in Bachmut
Meanwhile, the Donetsk governor has commented on the plight of civilians in Bakhmut: "There are residents who absolutely refuse to leave the city," said Pavlo Kyrylenko, according to the Kyiv Independent news
portal
.
According to Kyrylenko, just under 3,000 people are still holding out in Bachmut – efforts are being made to evacuate.
A Year of Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia
A Year of Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia
Ukraine news: "Vladimir Putin wants to destroy Ukraine"
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has accused Russia of extortion over the grain deal with Ukraine.
190 million people depended on the agreement, said the FDP defense politician in the podcast "Status of Things".
Russia had promised an extension of the agreement by 60 days - but this was also linked to demands.
Moscow complains that Western sanctions are hampering the export of Russian food and fertilizers.
The grain deal provides for the release of the Ukrainian ports for grain export, among other things.
Strack-Zimmermann accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of not allowing diplomacy.
Putin has repeatedly made it clear "that he wants to annihilate Ukraine, annihilate it, get it off the map and kill the people."
Accordingly, it is extremely difficult to find diplomatic access.
(frs with material from dpa and AFP)
List of rubrics: © picture alliance/dpa/Kremlin
