As of: February 14, 2024, 8:08 p.m
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According to the General Staff, the situation for the Ukrainian soldiers around Avdiivka is difficult.
© Evgeniy Maloletka/AP/dpa
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian aggressors for almost two years - the situation is currently not good.
Urgently needed help from the USA is a long time coming.
Germany reiterates its support.
The overview.
Avdiivka - The new Ukrainian commander-in-chief Olexander Syrskyj and Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov inspected sections of the front near Avdiivka and Kupyansk in eastern Ukraine.
“The operational situation is extremely difficult and tense,” Syrskyj wrote on Telegram.
The Russian troops are superior in terms of personnel.
In addition, the Russian Air Force is massively using guided bombs and Ukrainian positions are constantly being shelled by Russian artillery, he explained.
According to Syrskyj, Kiev is bringing in reserves to reinforce its own troops.
For several days now, Ukrainian and Russian military observers have consistently reported a deteriorating situation for Ukrainian troops in and around Avdiivka.
The garrison's supply corridor has shrunk to less than five kilometers after months of fighting.
The main supply route is said to have almost been reached by Russian troops.
There is a risk that the Ukrainian units will be surrounded.
Almost 1,000 civilians are said to be still holding out in the heavily destroyed industrial city in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Injured and one dead in Kharkiv after rocket fire
According to official reports, the Russian military injured several civilians and killed one man through rocket fire in the settlement of Velykyi Burluk in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv.
The military governor of Kharkiv, Oleh Synyehubov, wrote this on his Telegram channel.
“They hit a two-story residential building and another one next to it.” Civil protection is on duty and is looking for people buried under the rubble.
A woman was rescued and given medical treatment.
The governor first spoke of seven and later five injured.
Velykyi Burluk is a small town in the east of Kharkiv Oblast.
The border with Russia is less than 30 kilometers away in the north.
The front line in the east is even closer.
Russian troops occupied the town for six months from March to September 2022, but they were driven out during Ukraine's autumn offensive at the time.
Federal government welcomes aid to Ukraine from Washington
The Federal Government expressly welcomes the US Senate's support for an aid package worth billions for Ukraine.
“The funds provided for therein are important and of great importance so that Ukraine can continue to defend itself against the Russian war of aggression,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin.
At the same time, he expressed his hope that the House of Representatives - the second chamber of the Washington parliament - would now also approve the plan.
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However, the approval of the House of Representatives is considered open because the Republicans have a slim majority there.
MPs from the right-wing fringe of the party have long been opposing further US aid to Ukraine.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) could campaign for approval on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
According to Hebestreit's information, two appointments with a total of more than 100 members of the US Congress have been arranged next Saturday.
The aid package approved by the Senate provides around 60 billion US dollars (almost 56 billion euros) for Ukraine.
Air defense: Berlin and Paris lead new coalition for Ukraine
Ukraine is set to receive even better air defense support through an alliance led by Germany and France.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his French colleague Sébastien Lecornu signed founding documents for a so-called capabilities coalition on the sidelines of a meeting at NATO.
It is intended to ensure long-term efficient and needs-oriented support for Ukraine in the area of ground-based air defense.
After the emergency aid, it is now about “long-term capabilities,” explained Pistorius in Brussels.
Air defense is a basic prerequisite for the success of the Ukrainian armed forces in their fight against the Russian aggressor.
In addition to the air defense alliance, according to Pistorius, Germany will also co-lead a planned coalition for armored combat vehicles.
However, this is not on the side of France, but on the side of Poland.
Germany also wants to take part in alliances for artillery, maritime security, demining and drones.
Kremlin sees Russia at war against the entire West
Almost two years after the Russian attack on Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Moscow finds itself in a war with the entire Western world.
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said this, according to Russian agency reports.
“The special military operation began as an operation against Ukraine,” Peskov was quoted as saying.
“Over time, it has taken the form of a war against the collective West.” He spoke of a war in which Western countries, with the USA at the forefront, were directly involved.
This means that the special military operation - as Moscow officially calls the war of aggression against Ukraine - will last longer than expected.
“But it doesn’t change the way things are going,” Peskov said.
Putin approves law to expropriate war critics
Meanwhile, Kremlin leader Putin approved a law to confiscate the property of war opponents and enemies of the state.
The relevant decree was published in the Russian law database.
The law states that property acquired through the spread of alleged false information about the Russian army or calls to endanger Russia's national security will be confiscated.
How the law will be applied in practice is still unclear.
“We believe that expressing any concerns a priori is unfounded,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov about possible criticism.
Peskov denied that it was a new edition of the Soviet law on confiscating the property of enemies of the people.
Especially in the era of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, hundreds of thousands of Russians were declared enemies of the people, dispossessed and locked in camps - or killed.
dpa