After the first evacuation of the steelworks in Mariupol: Hundreds of soldiers further on the Lviv site again the target of air raids The developments in the Ukraine war in the stern ticker.
Day 83 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: After 260 Ukrainian soldiers were evacuated from the Azovstal Steelworks in the besieged city of Mariupol overnight, hundreds more remain at the site.
The area around the city of Lviv has again become the target of Russian airstrikes, and 19 civilians are said to have been killed in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Tuesday, May 17th news of the war in Ukraine:
11:30 a.m .: Kremlin accuses West of “war” against Russia
The Kremlin accuses the West of waging war against Russia. “They are enemy states. Because what they are doing is war,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during an appearance at an education conference near Moscow. President Vladimir Putin had previously spoken of an economic “lightning war” in view of the Western sanctions. The Russian leadership calls its own war of aggression in Ukraine, which has now lasted almost three months, a “special military operation”.
Peskov says the West is waging a diplomatic, economic and political war against his country. “In fact, we are now witnessing a perfect storm and the moment of truth.” Russia must show that it is able to protect its interests. “But every war ends in peace. And that peace will be made so that our voice is heard where we are comfortable, safe, and standing firmly on our feet.”
10:59 a.m .: More than 113,000 children who had fled Ukraine were admitted to German schools
Since the start of the Russian war of aggression, German schools have taken in 113,584 pupils who had fled Ukraine. Compared to the previous week, that was 7715 more, as reported by the Conference of Ministers of Education in Berlin. It was the first time since the Easter holidays that the rise number had fallen below ten thousand.
According to the information, 109,643 of the total of 113,584 people admitted have already taken part in the lessons. The Conference of Ministers of Education publishes weekly figures on admitted students in order to use the data to coordinate further measures.
10:01 am: Report – Germany delivered more anti-tank weapons to Ukraine
According to a report, Germany has delivered more weapons to Ukraine. In the past two weeks, 2,450 RGW 90 anti-tank handguns, also known as “Matador”, 1,600 DM22 anti-tank directional mines and 3,000 DM31 anti-tank mines have arrived in Ukraine, the “Spiegel” reported. The weapons have already been distributed within the Ukrainian army.
The deliveries had been confirmed by Ukrainian government circles, the magazine continued. The federal government initially did not comment on the report. According to “Spiegel”, Ukraine had ordered and paid for the Matador anti-tank weapons directly from the German manufacturer. The mines, on the other hand, “apparently” came from Bundeswehr stocks.
9.21 a.m .: London: Russia relies on indiscriminate artillery fire in the war
According to British findings, the Russian armed forces are increasingly relying on “indiscriminate artillery fire” in the war against Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense in London said, citing the secret services, that Russia has only limited possibilities for capturing targets and is also reluctant to take the risk of deploying combat aircraft over Ukrainian-controlled territory. “In the coming weeks, Russia is likely to continue to rely heavily on massive artillery strikes as it attempts to revive its Donbass offensive.”
8.40 a.m .: Scholz only rejects the trip to Kyiv as a “photo opportunity”.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) explained his thoughts on a possible trip to Kyiv. During an on-site visit, “it must be important that something is specifically promoted and not just a photo opportunity,” said Scholz on Monday evening in the “RTL Direkt” program. “I’m not going to join a group of people who do something for a short in and out with a photo shoot. But when they do, it’s always about very specific things.”
Scholz also emphasized that he had already spent many hours on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the beginning of May, he invited the entire federal government and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Kyiv. The invitation was preceded by a controversy about the fact that Steinmeier was initially not welcome in Kyiv because of his Russia policy in his previous post as Federal Foreign Minister.
8.18 a.m .: Ukraine reports heavy fighting around the city of Sievjerodonetsk
According to the Ukrainian military, they threw back Russian troops in front of the city of Sievjerodonetsk in the east of the country. “Near the village of Syrotyne, the Russian conquerors suffered losses and retreated,” the general staff said in its situation report. Syrotyne is four kilometers south of Sievjerodonetsk. The Russian troops were also unsuccessful in several other directions.
The governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Hajdaj, also reported heavy fighting in the area around the city. In the suburbs of Girske and Zolotoye, several houses were destroyed by artillery shells. But the Russians should have withdrawn there too. “Enemy casualties are high,” writes Hajdaj on his Telegram channel. The information could not be checked independently.
7.37 a.m .: Russian border region reports new shelling
In the western Russian region of Kursk on the border with Ukraine, several buildings have been set on fire and damaged, according to the authorities. “Today, at five o’clock in the morning, the border village of Alexeyevka in the Glushkovo district was shelled with heavy weapons,” announced Governor Roman Starovoit. Accordingly, three houses, a school and a vehicle were damaged. There are no injuries.
According to Russian information, it is an attack from Ukraine. The fire was returned by the border guards. Initially, there was no comment from Ukraine. After the start of the Russian war of aggression at the end of February, Russian areas close to the border have also come under fire in recent weeks.
6.20 a.m .: ESC winner Kalush Orchestra back in Ukraine
After their stunning victory at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Turin, the group Kalush Orchestra has returned to Ukraine. The six men briefly sang their hit “Stefania” at the border control, as public television showed on Monday in a short video on the Telegram news service. Later there was another performance and an autograph session with young fans at a gas station behind the Ukrainian-Polish border near Krakowez. Last Saturday, the band clearly won the European music competition thanks to the audience vote.
2.01 a.m .: Unicef: Ukraine war exacerbates child malnutrition
According to UNICEF, the Ukraine war is exacerbating the problem of severe malnutrition among children. “Even before the war in Ukraine, many families were struggling to feed their children due to conflict, climate shock and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. Now there are additional problems. The Ukraine, which is considered Europe’s granary, can export much less grain due to the war, among other things.
The UNICEF report warns that both the number of children affected by malnutrition and the cost of the supplemental food they need will increase.
1.26 a.m .: Ukraine: Another rocket attack near Lviv
According to Ukrainian information, the area around the city of Lviv in western Ukraine was again the target of an air raid yesterday. The attack was aimed at a military facility in the Yavoriv district on the border with Poland, local military chief Maxim Kositsky writes in his news channel on the Telegram chat service. Mayor Andriy Sadoviy emphasizes that there is no confirmed information about rocket hits in the city and thanked the air defense.
0.47 a.m .: After the first evacuation of the steelworks in Mariupol: Hundreds of soldiers on the site
After weeks of blockade, around 260 Ukrainian soldiers have left the Azov steelworks in Mariupol. Among them were 53 seriously injured, as the Ukrainian General Staff announced during the night.
211 other Ukrainian soldiers were also taken to a town occupied by Russian troops. They are said to be released later in a prisoner exchange. The evacuation of other fighters from the plant is still in progress. Several hundred soldiers are said to be on the site. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar emphasizes that it was not possible to free Azovstal. A planned exchange of prisoners has not yet been officially confirmed by the Russian side. The Russian Defense Ministry had previously only spoken of a ceasefire for the evacuation.
