Chancellor does not believe in replacing the concept of rulers like Putin with violence from outside.
An incident occurs in Crimea, annexed by Russia.
The news ticker.
End of
war
in
Ukraine
?
Olaf Scholz lacks faith
Ammunition for Kiev
: EU countries deliver artillery shells to Ukraine
Russian Offensive
: The Russian offensive in the spring is on the brink of failure
Attack on Ukraine
: Russia reports "bloody successes"
Ukraine up-to-date
: All information and news about the Ukraine war in our current news ticker.
Update from March 21, 1:41 p.m .
: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Ukraine on Tuesday (March 21) and visited the city of Bucha.
Kishida is the last G7 leader to visit Ukraine since Russia's war of aggression began, and the first Japanese leader to visit a war zone since World War II.
According to Ukrainian sources, Bucha was the scene of massive Russian war crimes.
Kishida wanted to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later in the day.
Japan currently holds the G7 presidency.
Update March 21, 11:30 a.m
.: Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev has stated that “the US and its vassals” are already “involved” in the conflict in Ukraine.
According to Russia's state news agency
Tass
, Patrushev said they would "train neo-Nazis" and "provide intelligence information to the Kiev regime," as well as help plan military operations.
Patrushev, a key ally of Vladimir Putin, said: "Liberation of Ukraine from neo-Nazism will be an important stage in forming a multipolar world, returning to stability and strengthening international security."
The reference to alleged Nazis in Ukraine is not new.
In his speech shortly before Russian troops illegally invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin justified the attack as defending those people who were being mistreated and murdered by the “Kiev regime”.
The Russian army will endeavor to "denazify" the Ukrainian territories and fight against the "genocide", the alleged genocide of Russians.
Russia has not yet provided any evidence for these allegations.
The world community condemned the war of aggression on a sovereign country as a blatant violation of international law and decided on tough sanctions against Russia.
Ukraine news: Prigozhin asks Kremlin for support
Update from March 21, 10 a.m
.: In the battle for the strategically important Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk, the Russian private army called on Wagner to help the Ministry of Defense in Moscow.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin published a letter to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday asking for reinforcements.
Prigozhin said that according to his information, the Ukrainian armed forces were planning a large-scale offensive in late March and early April.
The aim is to cut off the Wagner troops from the Russian forces.
Schoigu should urgently take the necessary steps to prevent this.
Ukraine news: Kiev reports destroyed missiles in Crimea
Update from March 21, 6:15 a.m .
: In Crimea, the anti-aircraft defense system shot down Ukrainian drones.
The authorities said the crashed debris injured people and damaged houses.
The information could not be independently verified at first.
Ukrainian military intelligence said the attack was aimed at transporting missiles on railway tracks.
This will continue the process of "Russia's demilitarization" and prepare Crimea for liberation from Russian occupation.
There was no confirmation from the Russian side that missiles were said to have been destroyed.
Such incidents repeatedly raise questions among Russian observers as to how well the heavily armed Black Sea Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, is actually protected.
+
Picture taken on March 20: A Ukrainian militant aims a rifle at a drone in the Bakhmut region.
© Aris Messinis/AFP
Ukraine news: Olaf Scholz does not believe that the fighting will end soon
Update from March 20, 9:38 p.m .
: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) does not expect the Ukraine war to end anytime soon.
"We have to be prepared for the fact that it can take a long time," Scholz said on Monday evening at the Rheinische Post's Ständehaus meeting in Düsseldorf.
The Chancellor emphasized that he did not believe in the concept of using force from outside to replace rulers like Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
US President Joe Biden told him that the US would not pursue this as a political concept either.
"I support the American President in this idea." Russia cannot dictate the conditions for peace to Ukraine, Scholz continued.
"Ukraine must be able to defend its integrity and independence."
Update from March 20, 7:52 p.m
.: The United States is providing Ukraine with 350 million dollars in new military aid to defend it in the war against Russia.
The package, worth the equivalent of 326 million euros, mainly contains ammunition, as the Ministry of Defense announced on Monday.
In addition, equipment for demining, fuel tankers and thermal imaging systems are to be delivered.
The United States is considered Ukraine's most important ally.
Since the beginning of the war, their military aid has totaled well over $30 billion.
+
Ukrainian soldiers fire a gun on the front line near Bakhmut.
© Roman Chop/AP
Update from March 20, 4:50 p.m .:
Washington announces further multi-million dollar arms support from the US government for Ukraine.
The US is about to announce that it will send arms and equipment worth $350 million to Ukraine, US officials told the Associated Press news agency on
Monday
.
The latest aid package is said to include a large amount of different types of ammunition such as missiles for the HIMARS artillery systems, but also tank trucks and river boats.
Ukraine news: Secret service claims responsibility for attack on "traitors"
Update from March 20, 4:20 p.m.:
The agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain was recently extended by 60 days.
Now Russia is again threatening to end it.
As a condition for a longer-term continuation, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Monday once again named easing of Russian fertilizer exports and the resumption of technology and spare parts deliveries in the agricultural sector.
"Without progress in meeting these requirements (...) our participation in the Black Sea Initiative will be suspended," it said.
+
Ukraine war: Russia threatens to end the grain agreement.
© Ukrinform/dpa
Ukraine war: Ukrainian military claims responsibility for attack on "traitors"
March 20 update. 3:55 p.m .:
The Ukrainian secret service has claimed responsibility for an attack on a “traitor” in the Russian-occupied areas of eastern Ukraine.
"The organizer of torture chambers in the Kherson region, Serhiy Moskalenko, was recently liquidated in the temporarily occupied territory," the intelligence service said on Monday.
The victim was a collaborator with the Russian occupiers.
He was also the head of a remand prison in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson.
The attack itself had already been carried out on Friday.
"Every war criminal awaits his just punishment," the authorities threatened.
The media reported on Sunday about a car bomb in Skadowsk in southern Ukraine.
+
The Ukrainian secret service apparently killed a collaborator in the Kherson region with a car bomb on Friday.
The picture was released by the Russian authorities.
© Russian Investigative Committee/Imago-Images
Putin written off soon?
The Kremlin is apparently already looking for a successor
Update from March 20, 3:30 p.m .:
The Kremlin is apparently already looking for a successor to President Vladimir Putin.
At least that's according to information from the Ukrainian secret service HUR, as reported
by focus.de
.
His spokesman Andriy Yusov says in a recent video on the situation in Russia: "The search for a successor for Putin is ongoing." And it is no longer Putin who decides on this successor.
According to Yusov, the people around Putin understand that there is a "geopolitical catastrophe" in his regime, although he did not name a possible successor.
However, the information cannot currently be independently verified.
Ukraine news: EU states want to supply Ukraine with artillery shells
Update from March 20, 1:50 p.m .:
The EU states want to supply Ukraine with a million new artillery shells for the fight against Russia in the next twelve months.
This was confirmed by several diplomats on the fringes of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had previously promised Ukraine large-scale deliveries of ammunition.
"We are providing two billion euros for ammunition," said Borrell in Brussels.
Ukraine news: Arrest warrant against Putin is still valid after the war
Update from March 20, 12:31 p.m .:
According to chief prosecutor Karim Khan, the arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court against Russian President Vladimir Putin remains valid even after the Russian war against Ukraine has ended.
"There is no statute of limitations for war crimes," Khan told
BBC Radio 4
on Monday .
That was one of the principles of the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal after the Second World War.
"Individuals - wherever they are in the world - need to recognize that there is law and that with authority comes responsibility," said the Briton.
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: Russian spring offensive probably on the verge of failure
Update from March 20, 10:06 a.m .:
According to an analysis by the
Institute for the Study of War (ISW),
the Russian spring offensive is on the verge of collapse.
In addition, Russia will not be able to record any major gains in territory.
The ISW
writes in its daily situation report
that the approximately 300,000 soldiers who have been drafted have not brought any decisive advantage either .
“Ukraine is in a good position to take the initiative and launch counter-offensives in critical areas of the front,” writes the
ISW
.
Ukraine news: Russia reports bloody "successes" - Ukraine warns to flee from the front area
Update from March 20, 7.40 a.m .:
According to Selenskyj, Russia will have to answer for all crimes in the war against Ukraine.
It is about "responsibility for every attack on Ukraine, for every life destroyed, for every deported Ukrainian child." The international arrest warrant against Putin for kidnapping Ukrainian children is "a really important result of international law for Ukraine": From now on, clear that at the end of the war Russia would have to assume "the full range of its responsibilities", said the Ukrainian president.
Meanwhile, fighting in eastern Ukraine continued, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.
The city of Bakhmut in the Donbass will continue to be defended.
Several attacks by the enemy were repelled there.
Ukraine update: Russia reports 92 strikes against Ukrainian artillery units
Update from March 19, 6:15 p.m .:
According to Ukrainian authorities, three civilians were killed in a Russian artillery attack in a village near the front in the Zaporizhia region.
Two people were injured, the area administration announced via Telegram.
According to the information, the house in the village of Kamianske was hit by shells from a Grad multiple rocket launcher (hail).
The village near the Dnipro River is only a few kilometers from Russian positions.
The Ukrainian administration called on people to evacuate such dangerous areas.
The Russian Defense Ministry also reported 92 hits against Ukrainian artillery units on Saturday (March 18), according to the state agency Tass.
According to spokesman Igor Konashenkov, 50 Ukrainian soldiers were killed by the Russian military's "Western Group" alone.
This information could not be independently verified.
However, the agency also reported a drone find in the central Russian province of Tula, south of Moscow.
The device that fell to the ground had no identification marks.
The regional safety committee said there was no danger to people or infrastructure.
Update from March 19, 3:35 p.m .:
The Ukrainian government has sharply condemned the visit of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian port of Mariupol.
"Criminals always return to the scene of a crime," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's adviser Mikhail Podoliak wrote on Twitter.
“The murderer of thousands of families in Mariupol came to admire the city ruins and their tombs.
Cynicism and lack of remorse," he added.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Putin visited the city, which had been largely destroyed by Russian bombardments, under cover of night "as befits a thief."
The darkness enabled him to protect the city "and its few surviving inhabitants from prying eyes".
The exiled city councilor of Mariupol also stated that Putin had apparently visited the city at night "so as not to see the city destroyed by his 'liberation' by daylight".
The city council called the Russian president an "international criminal".
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin on Friday.
Ukraine news: Putin apparently wants to visit other “Russian regions”.
Update from March 19, 1:46 p.m
.: "We will inform you in advance": Putin's visits to Crimea and Mariupol were unannounced.
According to Tass, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov now said that the Kremlin chief wanted to visit other Ukrainian regions "in the next two to three weeks".
According to the Kremlin, Russia's president traveled to Mariupol by helicopter.
The city was largely destroyed by Russian bombardments.
On the spot, Putin undertook a tour by car.
As can be seen from pictures on Russian state television, he traveled at night.
He was therefore shown the nocturnal lighting in Mariupol and spoke to residents.
A woman told him, "We pray for you," and referred to Mariupol as "a little piece of paradise."
It is Putin's first trip to Russian-controlled territory in the Donbass since the start of the Ukraine war.
On Saturday (March 18) Putin had already visited the annexed Crimean Peninsula.
+
Vladimir Putin on a tour of conquered Mariupol
© ---/POOL Russian TV via AP/dpa
Ukraine news: Finland's president defends possible NATO membership without Sweden
Update from March 19, 12:29 p.m
.: “Should we have refused Turkey ratification?
That sounds a bit crazy”: With these words, Finland's President Sauli Niinistö defended his country's prospect of joining NATO without Sweden.
"It would have been a very difficult situation if we had said no to Ankara," said Niinistö, according to the dpa news agency.
Against the background of the Ukraine war, Finland and Sweden jointly applied for membership in the western defense alliance.
All NATO members must agree to join.
Turkey, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has so far blocked Sweden's accession.
Hungary's approval is still pending.
In his assessment, Finland's earlier NATO accession would not worsen the security situation in Sweden, said Niinistö in the interview, which was to be broadcast on Sunday evening (March 19) on SVT.
He doesn't hope that it will be long before Sweden succeeds Finland in NATO.
Ukraine news: Secret service sees "silent admission" by Putin squad
Update from March 19, 10:57 a.m
.: Moscow’s actions in Zaporizhia are like an admission.
This is how the British secret service currently sees it.
Because the authorities in the Russian-controlled part of the area declared Melitopol the regional capital of the area at the beginning of March - instead of the industrial city of Zaporizhia with around 700,000 inhabitants.
According to Russia, this is a temporary measure until it is completely under control.
"The tacit declaration of an alternative capital is likely a tacit admission within the Russian system that the armed forces will not be able to take planned major targets in the near future," the Defense Ministry's latest Ukraine update said in London.
Zaporizhia is one of the four territories that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022.
Ukraine news: Putin has himself filmed driving in Mariupol for the media
Update from March 19, 9:19 a.m
.: Kremlin chief Putin also visited the coast, a yacht club and a theater during his visit to Mariupol.
This is reported by CNN, citing Kremlin information.
According to information from n-tv, Russian state television also showed Putin in the local philharmonic hall - and also residents of the city, who thanked him for his unannounced visit.
The Russian news agency Ria Novosti apparently also published footage showing the Russian President at the wheel in the port city:
🇬🇧Screens of Vladimir Putin's visit to Mariupol driving a car.
Kirill Fedorov #Ukraine #UkraineWar #Russia #UkraineInvasion pic.twitter.com/RwFILDXrM4
— Ukraine War SitRep 🇺🇦 (@UKRWarSitRep) March 19, 2023
Ukraine news: Putin on lightning visit to the invaded country
Update from March 19, 6:15 a.m
.: Vladimir Putin visited the occupied territories of Ukraine.
As the Kremlin announced on Sunday night (March 19), the Russian President had paid a “working visit” to the destroyed port city of Mariupol.
After his arrival in a helicopter, he informed himself about the situation during a tour and also talked to residents, the state agency Tass reported.
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Marat Chusnullin informed Putin about the status of the reconstruction work.
On Saturday afternoon, Putin visited the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.
State television broadcast images of the Kremlin chief opening an art school for children in Sevastopol.
On April 21, 2022, Moscow announced the capture of Mariupol.
According to Kiev, 90 percent of the city was destroyed and at least 20,000 people were killed.
This information could not be verified independently.
+
Photo from March 18: Vladimir Putin (centre) during his visit to Crimea
© AFP Photo/Handout/Russian Presidential Press Office
Ukraine news: Zelenskyj announces new sanctions against Russia
Update from March 18, 10:15 p.m .:
In his daily video speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj announced new sanctions against Russia and demanded that Russia not only be punished for its warlike offenses against Ukraine, but also against other states, such as Syria .
As quoted by the
Ukrainska Pravda
news site, Zelenskyy stressed that only global sanctions could put pressure on Russia, and those sanctions should also affect those who produce against Ukraine, like Iran, or those who support Russia's attempts to "transform international laws." to destroy".
Sooner or later Russia and its supporters would have to answer for that.
Zelenskyy emphasized: "This is not only about terror against the Ukrainian people, not only about the attempt to occupy our country, which began years ago with the annexation of Crimea.
It is also about other aggressive actions by Russia against the international order, against everyday peaceful life, for example on Syrian territory.
"The people of Syria have not received adequate international protection and this has given the Kremlin and its accomplices a sense of impunity," Zelenskyy said.
One must learn today from the passivity of the world community of that time.
Ukraine update: Putin visits Crimean Peninsula on anniversary of invasion
Update from March 18, 5:25 p.m .:
According to official information, two ministers will be exchanged in the Ukrainian government in the coming week.
"Today at the parliamentary group meeting of the political party 'Servants of the People' we discussed cadre changes in the government that are planned for the coming week," said Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal via his Telegram channel.
This affects the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Industry.
Nothing is known about the reasons.
Recently, the Ukrainian government had been shaken by several corruption scandals, which had led to some dismissals.
Update from March 18, 3:40 p.m .:
According to Russian state media, Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin is currently in Crimea.
He said he was visiting the peninsula to mark the 9th anniversary of its invasion by Russian troops.
The state broadcaster Ria Nowosti published a short video excerpt on Telegram.
The mayor of the city of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozchaev, accompanied him.
Ukraine update: Erdogan announces extension of the grain agreement
Update from March 18, 3:20 p.m.:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that the grain agreement between the UN, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine has been extended.
Erdogan did not specify the period for which the agreement was extended.
Previously, Russia had asked for a 60-day extension, while Ukraine had asked for a longer period.
The agreement is intended to enable the free export of grain from the war zone and was negotiated by Turkey and the UN in July 2022.
Update vom 18. März, 12.45 Uhr: Russische Truppen wollen ukrainische Ziele in der Region Saporischscha zerstört haben. Dabei sei auch ein Lager „ausländischer Milizen“ beschossen worden, teilte die russische Staatsagentur Ria Nowosti unter Berufung auf den pro-russischen Vertreter Wladimir Rogow mit. Er sprach von „Nazi-Söldnern und Beratern“. Dutzende seien getötet worden, behauptete er.
Kritik an russischer Offensive: Hardliner Girkin sieht „strategische Niederlage“ für Russland
Update vom 18. März, 12.40 Uhr: Der russische Hardliner, Ex-Milizkommandeur und zugleich scharfer Kreml-Gegner Igor Girkin kritisierte erneut die russische Offensive gegen die ostukrainische Stadt Bachmut aus militärischer Sicht. Laut der ukrainischen Nachrichtenagentur Unian sagte er eine „strategische Niederlage“ Russlands hervor. Er lobte die ukrainische Verteidigung der Stadt als „kompetent“. Zwar gebe es taktische Errungenschaften des russischen Militärs, doch strategisch handle es sich um eine Niederlage. Russische Truppen würden „nach den Regeln des Feindes“ kämpfen.
Girkin galt lange als der Kommandeur von mehreren pro-russischen Milizgruppen in der Ostukraine und soll auch am Abschuss des malaysischen Passagierflugzeugs MH17 im Jahr 2014 beteiligt gewesen sein. Dabei ist er ein bekannter Kritiker des Kreml. Er wirft der russischen Führung immer wieder vor, zu unentschlossen und sanft zu agieren.
Ukraine aktuell: Russland will wohl Wehrdienst ausweiten
Update vom 18. März, 11.55 Uhr: Russlands Behörden bereiten sich nach Einschätzung britischer Geheimdienste wahrscheinlich auf eine Ausweitung des Wehrdienstes vor, um die Streitkräfte zu verstärken. Am 13. März sei im russischen Unterhaus ein Gesetzentwurf eingebracht worden, wonach künftig Männer im Alter zwischen 21 und 30 Jahren einberufen werden sollen statt wie bisher Männer zwischen 18 und 27 Jahren, teilte das britische Verteidigungsministerium mit.
„Das Gesetz wird voraussichtlich verabschiedet und würde dann im Januar 2024 in Kraft treten“, hieß es in London. Seit der Zeit der Sowjetunion beruft Russland zweimal jährlich Wehrpflichtige ein. „Offiziell schließt Russland Wehrpflichtige weiterhin von Operationen in der Ukraine aus, obwohl mindestens Hunderte wahrscheinlich zum Einsatz gekommen sind - durch Verwechslungen der Behörden oder nachdem sie zum Unterzeichnen von Verträgen gezwungen worden sind“, schrieb das britische Ministerium.
Nach Angaben der Geheimdienste beantragen viele 18- bis 27-Jährige derzeit die Befreiung von der Wehrpflicht, indem sie darauf verweisen, dass sie sich in der Hochschulausbildung befinden. Die Behörden änderten die Altersspanne nun wahrscheinlich, um die Truppenstärke zu erhöhen, hieß es. „Selbst wenn Russland weiterhin auf den Einsatz von Wehrpflichtigen im Krieg verzichtet, werden zusätzliche Wehrpflichtige eine größere Zahl von professionellen Soldaten für Kampfhandlungen verfügbar machen.“
Ukraine-Krieg: Putin erlässt neues Gesetz gegen „Verleumdung“ Kriegsfreiwilliger
Update vom 18. März, 11.15 Uhr: Kremlchef Wladimir Putin hat die Verschärfungen des umstrittenen Gesetzes zur Bestrafung von „Verleumdung“ oder „Diskreditierung“ Kriegsfreiwilliger unterzeichnet. Schwer bestraft wird damit nicht nur Kritik an der regulären Armee, sondern auch an „Freiwilligen“, die im Nachbarland kämpfen. Das Gesetz „Über die Eintragung von Änderungen in das Strafgesetzbuch“ wurde auf dem offiziellen Gesetzesportal der russischen Regierung veröffentlicht. Bei einer Verurteilung nach dem neuen Gesetz drohen bis zu 15 Jahre Haft.
Die Gesetzesverschärfung geht vor allem auf eine Forderung des Chefs der berüchtigten Söldnertruppe Wagner, Jewgeni Prigoschin, zurück. Dieser hatte für den Krieg gegen die Ukraine reihenweise Schwerverbrecher rekrutiert. Von der Politik forderte der 61-Jährige, die Söldner - die offiziell als Freiwillige gelten - vor übler Nachrede zu schützen.
Ukraine-Krieg: USA deportieren wieder russische Bürger
Update vom 18. März, 10.10 Uhr: Eigentlich hatten die USA mit dem Beginn von Wladimir Putins Angriffskrieg in der Ukraine Rückführungen russischer Bürger an Russland gestoppt. Doch nun gehen sie wohl weiter, wie die britische Zeitung The Guardian unter Berufung auf ihre Quellen berichtete. So sei etwa vor kurzem ein junger russischer Mann, der anscheinend wegen der Mobilisierung aus Russland geflohen war, in das Land zurückgeführt worden. Dem Bericht zufolge kam die Entwicklung unerwartet.
Weitere geflohene Russen hätten jetzt Angst, dass man auch sie an die russische Regierung überlassen werde. „Ich weiß nicht, was mit ihm passieren wird“, sagte Jennifer Scarborough, die Anwältin des zurückgeführten russischen Mannes, gegenüber der britischen Zeitung. Immerhin mache Russland kein Geheimnis aus den Gefühlen gegenüber der Opposition in dem Land. „Allein die Tatsache, dass sie aus Russland geflohen sind, um in die USA zu kommen, setzt sie einem Risiko aus“, so Scarborough.
Russische Angriffe: Putins Soldaten attackieren weiterhin die Ukraine
Update vom 18. März, 9.30 Uhr: Im Laufe des vergangenen Tages hat das russische Militär 34 Luftangriffe gegen die Ukraine durchgeführt, wie der ukrainische Generalstab in seinem jüngsten Bericht auf Facebook mitteilte. Dabei seien 11 dieser Angriffe mit iranischen Shahed-136-Drohnen durchgeführt worden. Während die ukrainische Armee 10 dieser Drohnen zerstört habe, sei eine Drohne in einem Objekt industrieller Infrastruktur eingeschlagen. Zudem habe das russische Militär 57 Raketen aus Mehrfachraketenwerfern abgefeuert. Verluste gebe es keine.
Die ukrainische Armee hingegen habe sechs Luftschläge gegen Versammlungsgebiete russischer Einheiten durchgeführt. Außerdem sei eine Luftabwehrstellung beschossen worden.
Ukraine aktuell: Kiews Militär zerstört offenbar russische Stellungen
Erstmeldung vom 18. März: Kiew – Die Ukraine hat bei der Schlacht um Bachmut offenbar mehrere feindliche Stellungen zerstört. Das sagte der ukrainische Präsident Wolodymyr Selenskyj in einer neuen Videobotschaft über die aktuelle Lage im Krieg mit Russland. Er dankte den ukrainischen Streitkräften für ihren andauernden Widerstand vor allem rund um die hart umkämpfte Stadt Bachmut im Gebiet Donezk.
Die seit Tagen dauernde Schlacht um Bachmut gilt mittlerweile als die blutigste im ganzen Ukraine-Krieg. Selenskyj wiederholte erneut, dass man die weitgehend zerstörte Stadt mit einst 70.000 Einwohnern halten wolle. Würde Bachmut fallen, könnten die Streitkräfte Russlands im Osten des Landes tief in das Gebiet der Ukraine eindringen und den Frontverlauf zu seinen Gunsten verschieben. Auch deshalb sei die Verteidigung der Stadt erneut verstärkt worden.
Ukraine aktuell: Russlands Truppen kreisen Bachmut ein
Aktuell versuche Russland, Bachmut mit seinen Truppen vollends einzukreisen. So soll die Versorgung der Verteidiger abgeschnitten werden. Oleksandr Syrskyj, Anführer der Infanterie vor Ort, sagte, Russland setze alle verfügbaren Kräfte im Ukraine-Krieg in Bachmut ein. Die Stadt sei zum „Epizentrum der Feindseligkeiten“ geworden. Laut dem britischen Verteidigungsministerium haben die russischen Truppen rund um Bachmut Fortschritte erzielt - wenn auch unter hohen Verlusten.
Der Chef der ukrainischen Bodentruppen, Oleksandr Syrskyj, erklärte den Angaben zufolge, Russland setze alle seine Kräfte ein. Syrskyj betonte zudem, Bachmut sei „weiterhin das Epizentrum der Feindseligkeiten“. Das britische Verteidigungsministerium hatte in seinem täglichen Update vermeldet, die russischen Kräfte würden im Kampf um die Stadt Fortschritte erzielen.
Ukraine aktuell: Kiew erhält neue Kampfjets für Kampf gegen Russland
Zur Unterstützung der Ukraine im aktuellen Krieg gegen Russland hat die Slowakei verkündet, mehrere Kampfjets an Kiew zu liefern. Bei den Jets handelt es sich um sowjetische Kampfflugzeuge vom Typ MiG-29.
Währenddessen hat Russland Feierlichkeiten auf der Krim aufgrund der aktuellen Lage im Ukraine-Krieg abgesagt. Eigentlich wollte man auf der Halbinsel den neunten Jahrestag der „Wiedervereinigung“ mit Russland feiern. Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin hatte die Krim 2014 annektieren lassen. Auch in Moskau habe man angesetzte Festivitäten wieder abgesagt. Ein geplantes Konzert im Moskauer Luschniki-Stadion findet nicht statt. Grund dafür sei die Angst vor einem Anschlag oder anderen Zwischenfällen. (mit dpa)
Rubriklistenbild: © Aris Messinis/AFP
