The Kremlin feels justified in its invasion.
Russia's President is carrying out another personnel change.
The news ticker on the Ukraine war.
War justification: Kremlin claims NATO wants to “devour” Ukraine
Explosions
in
Belgorod
: Kiev expects more incidents
Intelligence agencies
status
report
: Russians overstate mud problem for Ukrainian offensive
Update from April 21, 6:44 p.m .:
Russia’s fleet units in the Baltic Sea and in the Pacific Ocean have each received a new commander.
The former head of the Baltic Fleet, Admiral Viktor Liina, is now in charge of the Pacific Fleet, according to the Interfax news agency on Friday.
“The Deputy Chief of General Staff, Vice-Admiral Vladimir Vorobyov, has been appointed Commander of the Baltic Fleet.
The relevant documents have been signed,” Interfax reported, citing military circles.
The replacement of the previous head of the Pacific Fleet, Sergei Avakyants, was announced on Thursday.
The news caused resonance, especially in connection with the timing: just a few days ago, the Pacific Fleet had started an unannounced major maneuver.
Although President Vladimir Putin praised the course of the exercises at a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in the Kremlin, Avakyants was given a leave of absence before the end.
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Vladimir Putin (centre), Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu (right) and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov (left) talk.
© Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin Pool/IMAGO
Officially, the 65-year-old Awakjanz was retired because he had reached retirement age.
Independent media, on the other hand, pointed to the high losses that parts of the fleet under Avakyants' leadership are said to have suffered in Ukraine.
In the future he is to lead a staff for military-sports and patriotic training
War in Ukraine: Russia issues arrest warrant for Ukrainian intelligence chief
Update from April 21, 5 p.m.:
A Russian court has issued an arrest warrant for the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov.
The spy chief is accused of organizing "terrorist attacks" in Russia, the state news agency
RIA
reports .
The trial against him was announced "in absentia", apparently acknowledging that Budanov cannot be arrested immediately.
Budanov, meanwhile, has reacted ironically to his "arrest in absentia" in Russia and promised to do even better work against the Russian armed forces.
"It was kind of embarrassing that there weren't any decisions about me there.
I am happy.
This is a good indicator of our work and I promise to work even better," the spy chief told
Ukrainska Pravda
.
Putin's circle of power in the Kremlin - the confidants of the Russian President
Putin's circle of power in the Kremlin - the confidants of the Russian President
Ukraine war: Kremlin sees itself confirmed after NATO visit in Kiev
Update from April 21, 3:15 p.m .:
Russia criticized the visit of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to Kiev – and used it as further justification for the 14-month war of aggression against Ukraine.
"NATO is apparently continuing on its course of engulfing Ukraine and drawing it into the alliance," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, according to the
Interfax
news agency .
Referring to the invasion of the neighboring country ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said: "All of this shows once again to anyone who has at least a little intellectual capacity that the President's decision to start this operation was correct."
One of the Kremlin's official war aims is to prevent the neighboring country from becoming a member of NATO – even if, as a sovereign state, it has the fundamental right to freely choose an alliance.
Notwithstanding, Ukraine's accession before the start of the Russian invasion was by no means imminent.
On the other hand, Stoltenberg has repeatedly indirectly ruled out an early accession in the middle of war.
Ukraine war: Explosions in Russia 'will increase'
Update from April 21, 1:45 p.m .:
After an accidental explosion caused by a fighter jet in the Russian city of Belgorod, a Ukrainian military commented on the incident.
"Such bombs could have fallen elsewhere," Yuriy Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, told a Ukrainian news program.
The Russians would "rush everything" - corresponding accidents are therefore not a surprise.
Belgorod will therefore not remain the only Russian place where bombs will fall.
"Such incidents will increase," said Ihnat.
Ukraine war: Stoltenberg can imagine fighter jet deliveries
Update from April 21, 12:18 p.m
.: On the sidelines of the Ramstein Group talks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke out in favor of continuing to debate fighter jets for Ukraine.
So far, the country has only received Soviet-designed MiG-29 fighter jets from the West.
When he met Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev, he said that Ukraine needed more weapons, Stoltenberg said.
According to the Ukrainian President, these included jets and air defense systems.
Stoltenberg also made it clear that he currently considers the discussion about further arms deliveries to be much more important than the plans for Ukraine to join NATO.
The international Ukraine contact group is currently meeting at the US air base in Ramstein.
War in Ukraine: According to the secret service, Russian media underestimates the counter-offensive
Update from April 21, 10:29 a.m
.: According to British military experts, Russian online media deliberately overestimate the importance of the soil conditions for the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive.
This emerges from the latest intelligence update from the British Ministry of Defense on the Ukraine war.
Accordingly, mud slows down military operations on both sides.
According to the British, the impact on the Ukrainian offensive is being overestimated by the Russian side in order to boost their own morale.
"The soil conditions are likely to improve in the coming weeks," it said.
Ukraine war: Russia attacks again with drones - also affected Kiev
Update from April 21, 9.30 a.m
.: The Ukrainian capital Kiev was quiet for almost a month.
Now they hit Russian combat drones again on Friday night (April 21).
This was announced by the Ukrainian General Staff.
Eight of the ten attacks nationwide could have been warded off.
The information could not be checked independently.
Nothing was initially known about possible victims.
Ukraine war: NATO entry for Kiev?
Pistorius recommends “a cool head and a hot heart”
Update from April 21, 8:18 a.m .
: Ukraine wants to join NATO.
When will Kiev's wish come true?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the Western military alliance on Thursday evening (April 20) to clear the way at their summit in July.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, however, assumes that the decision will only be made after the end of the Russian war of aggression.
You have to "first fend off this conflict, this attack, and then in the new era you have to weigh up this step carefully," said the SPD politician in the latest edition of "Maybrit Illner" (ZDF).
It's not a question "that you just meet out of solidarity" because the step has an effect.
"You have to decide with a cool head and a warm heart and not the other way around."
Ukraine war: Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov thanks Cuba for "understanding"
Update from April 21, 7:29 a.m
.: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has completed the last stop of his Latin America trip: Cuba.
In Havana he met his counterpart Bruno Rodríguez.
There Lavrov thanked the communist Cuban government for its "understanding" of the Russian actions in the Ukraine conflict.
"We appreciate that from the beginning of our special military operation, our Cuban friends (...) have expressed their full understanding," Lavrov said on Thursday (April 20), according to his ministry.
Ukraine War: Pistorius comments on Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory
Update from April 21, 5:52 a.m
.: Defense Minister Boris Pistorius considers limited attacks by Ukraine on Russian territory in the fight against the invasion to be acceptable.
It is "completely normal" in such a military conflict "that the attacked person also moves into enemy territory, for example to block supply routes," said the SPD politician on the ZDF program "Maybrit Illner".
“As long as no cities, no civilians, no civilian areas are attacked, you will have to accept that.
Not with pleasure, but it is part of it, for example to prevent supply routes.”
Referring to the state of the Russian army, Pistorius said: "We know that some of the material that is now being pushed in from the depots is in a pitiful condition.
Some are literally ancient – tanks from the 50s and 60s.”
News about the Ukraine war: Putin deposes governor in Siberia
Update from April 20, 7:50 p.m
.: Russian President Vladimir Putin has deposed the governor of the Krasnoyarsk region in Siberia, Alexander Uss.
The Kremlin chief appointed Mikhail Kotyukov as his successor.
"I am sure that the business handover will be objective and comradely," Putin said in a video link.
The previous governor had been in office since 2018.
According to his own statements, the 68-year-old has an offer to go into national politics.
Elections for the governorship are scheduled to take place in the fall.
The son of the previous governor, Artjom Uss, recently made international headlines.
The businessman was arrested in Italy at the end of March and placed under house arrest for allegedly circumventing Western sanctions against Russia as a result of the Ukraine war.
However, he then fled and reappeared in Moscow.
It is believed that the Russian secret services helped him.
News about the Ukraine war: the Wagner group apparently demanded weapons from China
Update from April 20, 5 p.m.:
According to the leaked US documents, the Russian mercenary force Wagner demanded weapons from China in early 2023.
However, China is said to have rejected this request, the British newspaper
Financial Times
reported , citing the documents.
According to the US papers, Beijing did not even supply Wagner with test weapons and made no contact regarding the delivery of weapons.
Turkey has apparently also largely rejected Wagner's weapon demands.
However, there is still uncertainty as to whether at least some of the required weapons were delivered.
Belarus, on the other hand, delivered 50 percent of the promised weapons, the documents say.
Update from April 20, 1:32 p.m .:
After the arrival of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Ukraine, Russia reaffirmed its war goal of preventing the neighboring country from joining the military alliance.
According to the Interfax
agency
, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Russia sees itself threatened by Ukraine's possible NATO membership.
"Because otherwise it poses a serious, significant threat to our country, to its security," said Peskov.
Update from April 20, 12:27 p.m .:
In the Ukraine war, Russia is now apparently concentrating on defending the areas it has already conquered, instead of launching new offensives.
At least that's what the spokesman for the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Andriy Yusov, said on Ukrainian television.
The Kyiv Independent
reports about it.
The most combative section of the Russian military has already been "eliminated," the intelligence spokesman announced.
After the apparently failed winter offensive, the Russian army is moving towards "a comprehensive strategic defensive posture".
Jussow continued: “The Russians have no intention of repeating the attempts that we saw after February 24 last year.
But that doesn't mean the enemy is defeated or that they no longer pose a threat to Ukraine.”
News in the Ukraine war: Huge fireball over Kiev triggers air raid alarm
Update from April 20, 11:04 a.m .:
A huge fireball over the capital of Ukraine, where there has been war for a year and which is constantly being bombed by the Russian army: No wonder this caused massive excitement in Kiev on Thursday night .
As the Ukrainian news portal
Ukrainska Pravda
reports, around 10 p.m. residents of Kiev saw a bright ball of fire falling from the sky to the ground.
Shortly thereafter, an air raid alarm broke out.
The flash is said to have been seen as far away as Belarus.
Kyiv publicity boards posted a video of an unusually bright flash in the sky over the capital.
pic.twitter.com/HJooXRFLDy
— TheLazyEuropean (@TheLazyEU) April 20, 2023
But this time the people of Kiev got the all-clear: According to the report, the fireball was not a Russian bomb.
First, it was said that a NASA satellite had crashed to earth.
However, this was then denied: Apparently it is a meteorite that burned up in the earth's atmosphere near Kiev.
This was announced by the Space Agency of Ukraine.
War in Ukraine: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrives in Kiev for a surprise visit
Update from April 20, 10:17 a.m .:
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg traveled to Ukraine under strict security precautions, his visit was kept top secret.
It is the Norwegian's first visit to Kiev since the beginning of the Ukraine war.
The NATO chief honored the fallen Ukrainian soldiers on the outer wall of the central St. Michael's Monastery.
Other program items were initially unknown.
Alliance circles said that planned meetings would initially be kept secret for security reasons.
Update from April 20, 9:58 a.m .:
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg surprisingly arrived on Thursday for a visit to the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
This was confirmed by a spokesman for the defense alliance of the German Press Agency.
Several Ukrainian media published images of the head of the military alliance in central Kiev.
Among other things, he was seen in front of a memorial for killed Ukrainian soldiers in front of St. Michael's Cathedral.
After Lula's criticism of Putin: Lavrov promotes alliances against "blackmail attempts" in Latin America
KIEV/Managua – Brazil's left-wing head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine after harsh criticism from the US for his friendly attitude towards Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
Lula urges an end to the war, emphasizing US-EU responsibility.
News about the Ukraine war: Lavrov calls for resistance in Latin America
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is currently in Latin America to strengthen Russian relations there.
Lavrov met authoritarian President Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua on Wednesday (April 19).
Ortega's government had repeatedly expressed its approval of Russia's war of aggression.
During the trip, Lavrov denounced US sanctions against several left-wing governments in the region as "blackmail" and called for "uniting forces" against them.
He called for joint resistance against alleged blackmail attempts by the West.
"It is necessary to join forces to counter blackmail attempts and illegal unilateral pressure from the West," Lavrov said Tuesday (April 18) in Caracas at a joint press conference with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil.
The Russian Foreign Minister had previously visited Brazil.
In all three states (Brazil, Nicaragua, Venezuela) the governments are left-leaning;
they are longstanding partners of Russia.
Cuba is the last stop on Lavrov's trip to Latin America.
News on the Ukraine war: USA announce new military aid for Ukraine
The US government has meanwhile announced new military aid for Ukraine in the amount of 325 million US dollars (almost 297 million euros).
The package mainly contains ammunition for weapon systems such as the Himars multiple rocket launchers and artillery shells, said spokeswoman for US President Joe Biden, Karine Jean-Pierre, on Wednesday (April 19).
According to the White House, the new aid comes from stocks of the US military.
"This new security assistance will enable Ukraine to continue valiantly defending itself in the face of Russia's brutal, unprovoked and unjustified war," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The United States is considered Ukraine's most important ally in the defense against the Russian invasion.
(frs/nak/AFP/dpa)
List of rubrics: © Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin Pool/IMAGO