Baerbock promises Ukraine long support Ukrainian civilians take refuge in bunker under chemical plant in Sievjerodonetsk The developments in the Ukraine war in the stern ticker.
Day 100 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: The Ukrainian troops continue to resist the loss of the major city of Sieverodonetsk to the east, where Russian troops are advancing with their superior firepower. The city should not be abandoned if possible, said Deputy Chief of Staff Oleksiy Hromow in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a kind of balance sheet of the war since February 24 in several appearances. Up to 100 Ukrainian soldiers are killed every day in the fighting in the east, he said in a video link at a security conference in the Slovakian capital Bratislava.
4.55 a.m .: Battle for the city of Sievjerodonetsk continues
Despite fierce Russian attacks, the Ukrainian army does not want to admit defeat in the administrative center of Sievjerodonetsk. “The situation is difficult, but it’s better than yesterday. And it’s under control,” says Deputy Chief of Staff Hromow. Ukrainian authorities had previously announced that the city was largely under the control of Russian troops.
There are very bloody street fights in the city, says Hromow. Sievjerodonetsk is considered the last Ukrainian stronghold in the Luhansk region. According to their own statements, pro-Russian troops and the Russian military are about to take power there. However, the Ukrainian head of administration in Luhansk, Serhiy Hajdaj, also reports on successful commando actions by the defenders in the city. Presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych even says that the Ukrainian army has lured the Russians into a trap in Sieverodonetsk. This information could not be verified.
4.55 a.m .: Balance sheet for the 100th day of the war
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian troops have invaded 3,620 towns in Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion, 1017 of which have been liberated, says Zelenskyy. “Another 2,603 are yet to be freed.” Twelve million Ukrainians are fleeing the country; five million abroad. Russia has lost over 30,000 soldiers, Zelensky claims. Western experts also suspect heavy Russian losses, but consider the Kiev figures to be too high.
“After all these months, our resistance is unbroken. The enemy hasn’t achieved the goals it set itself,” says Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar. “We are ready for a long-term war.” She praises the fact that the “dynamics of arms deliveries” from the West are picking up speed. For security reasons, she did not provide any information on the time and place of the deliveries. Ukraine wants to stop the advance of Russian troops and liberate occupied cities with heavy weapons from the USA and Germany, among others.
4.55 a.m .: NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg: “War has become a war of attrition”
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg has called on Western countries to prepare for an ongoing conflict. “Wars are inherently unpredictable,” Stoltenberg said after meeting US President Joe Biden and his National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington. “That’s why we just have to be prepared for a long distance.” The conflict has become a war of attrition, with both sides paying a heavy price on the battlefield. Most wars ended at the negotiating table. That will probably also happen in this case, says Stoltenberg. It is the task of the NATO allies to support Ukraine in order to achieve the best possible outcome for the country.
4.01 a.m .: Bundestag votes on special assets for the Bundeswehr
The Bundestag decides today from 2 p.m. on the 100 billion euro special fund for the Bundeswehr. This requires an amendment to the Basic Law, which must be approved by a two-thirds majority in Parliament. The traffic light coalition is therefore dependent on votes from the Union. After the Bundestag decision, the Bundesrat will also vote on the amendment to the Basic Law on Friday next week.
1.03 a.m .: President of the Ukrainian Parliament: Deliver German weapons quickly
The Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefantschuk, is again urging the rapid delivery of the weapons promised by Germany to ward off the Russian attack. “Now it’s also important that the decisions are implemented quickly,” says Stefantschuk to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “The weapons must be delivered quickly.”
Stefantschuk is currently visiting Berlin. Among other things, he called for the delivery of German Leopard and Marder tanks to Ukraine and speed up the delivery of weapons. Today he wants to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “I would like to invite Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Kyiv to give a speech in front of the Ukrainian parliament,” says Stefantschuk.
12:44 a.m .: Baerbock promises Ukraine long-term support for life in freedom
100 days after the start of the war, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock promised Ukraine solidarity and support, including additional weapons. In a guest article for “Bild”, the Green politician writes: “We will continue to support Ukraine. Until there are no more Butschas. So that what is normal for us is normal again for the people of Ukraine It goes without saying: A life in freedom.”
Baerbock writes that further arms deliveries are also part of the support: “Putin is counting on perseverance – and on our exhaustion.” The fate of Bucha threatens every village. “That’s why we have to continue to support Ukraine right now. Also with weapons, because Putin can’t be stopped with words.”
12:02 a.m .: Selenskyj thanks for foreign arms deliveries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked the US and other allies for recent pledges to deliver modern weapons. In his video speech, he mainly mentions the Himars multiple rocket launchers from the USA. “These weapons will really help save the lives of our people and protect our country,” Zelenskyy said in Kyiv. He also thanked Sweden, which promised anti-ship missiles, among other things, on Thursday.
The EU’s new sixth package of sanctions against Russia with an extensive oil embargo is also a help. “The world is finally giving up Russian oil,” says the Ukrainian president.
12:01 a.m.: Habeck expects major arguments about the cost of the war
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck expects major social disputes over the follow-up costs of the Russian war against Ukraine in autumn and winter. “We will experience a dramatic increase in heating costs,” he says on the ZDF program “Maybrit Illner”. “Whether the political measures will then be sufficient to maintain social peace and the feeling that things are fair in this country will be the decisive question of the autumn and winter. I’m not quite sure about that,” he explains the question of whether Germany could run out of steam in supporting Ukraine and sanctions against the aggressor Russia.
Habeck fears that the longer the war lasts in Germany, people will get used to it. Other topics, including the Bundesliga, could suppress outrage at Russian aggression and atrocities.
12:01 a.m .: Ukrainian civilians take refuge in a bunker under the chemical plant
In the embattled city of Sievjerodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to both Ukrainian and Russian sources, civilians are hiding in bunkers under a chemical plant. The Ukrainian administration of the Luhansk region, which was almost lost to Russia, speaks of about 800 people in the Azot (nitrogen) factory. “These are locals who were asked to leave the city but refused. There are also children there, but not very many,” Governor Serhij Hajdaj told US broadcaster CNN.
Despite the advance of Russian troops in the city, the factory continues to be defended by Ukrainian soldiers. A spokesman for the pro-Russian Luhansk separatists accused the Ukrainian gunmen of luring civilians into the plant and using force to prevent them from leaving. This was reported by the agency Tass.
12:01 a.m.: Selenskyj: Russia now controls a fifth of Ukraine
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian armed forces now control a fifth of the country. “Around 20 percent of our territory is now under the control of the occupiers,” says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Since the Russian war of aggression began on February 24, thousands have been killed and several million Ukrainians have been forced to flee. The situation is becoming increasingly difficult, especially in the east of the country, says Zelenskyj in a speech to the parliament in Luxembourg. “We lose 60 to 100 soldiers every day.”
The area now controlled by Russia is far larger than the area of the Benelux countries combined. It covers almost 125,000 square kilometers, before February 24 it was a good 43,000 square kilometers. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, and in the east, pro-Russian separatists controlled around a third of the Donbass mining region.
