Ukrainian soldiers sit on an infantry fighting vehicle.
(Photo: dpa)
Rome Further support for Ukraine in the war against Russia: On Friday, the German government approved the delivery of armored personnel carriers from the Czech Republic to Ukraine. There are 58 tanks that come from the stocks of the National People’s Army of the GDR.
According to “Welt”, the PbV-501 (formerly BMP-1) armored combat vehicles are equipped with cannons and machine guns and were part of the standard equipment of the Warsaw Pact armies. They came into the possession of the German armed forces after reunification and were initially handed over to the Swedish army at the end of the 1990s.
She later sold it to a Czech company, which is now trying to sell it to the Ukrainian army. However, this required German approval.
It is politically explosive that the federal government had previously rejected this approval. According to information from “Welt am Sonntag”, the Czech company already wanted to sell the same tanks to Ukraine in 2019.
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In Berlin, the former boxing world champion Wladimir Klitschko once again urged help for his country on Friday. On Friday he met Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens).
Wladimir Klitschko in conversation with Christian Lindner.
(Photo: dpa)
In addition, the Bundeswehr has transferred anti-aircraft missiles to the NATO battle group in Lithuania. This strengthens NATO’s eastern flank and is a sign of Germany’s solidarity with the alliance, the Operations Command wrote on Twitter on Friday. The material of the anti-aircraft missile forces had arrived since Thursday.
The Bundeswehr leads the NATO battle group in Lithuania, which has already been strengthened several times in response to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and after threats from Moscow. The Luftwaffe’s light anti-aircraft system – Ozelot – protects land forces against low-flying enemy fighter-bombers and attack helicopters.
>> Track the current developments in the Ukraine war in our news blog
Reports on military successes of Ukraine
It is still difficult to keep track of military developments. The British Ministry of Defense, citing intelligence sources, said Ukrainian forces had recaptured two villages on a key supply route between Chernihiv near the Belarusian border and the capital Kyiv.
According to their own statements, Ukrainian troops have also recaptured eleven settlements in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson in the past few days. During the advance in the north of the region, they also came across heavy Russian military equipment, including T-64 tanks.
Southern Ukraine and Dombass still hard fought
However, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged problems on other fronts. “The situation in the south and Donbass remains extremely difficult,” he said. According to the Ukrainian general staff, Russia wants to maintain its military presence in the south and east. There are attempts to set up an administration in the occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. Therefore, further fights are expected there.
Russia reports Ukrainian airstrike on oil storage facility
The Ukrainian armed forces are said to have carried out an air attack on an oil storage facility in Russia from two helicopters. After the attack, a fire broke out in the depot in the city of Belgorod, the governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on the Telegram news channel. There weren’t any victims. A large fire was also seen on video.
This picture, released by the press service of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, is said to show the source of the fire at an oil depot.
(Photo: dpa)
President of the European Parliament pledges further help to Ukraine in Kyiv
Meanwhile, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, traveled to Ukraine. She was in Kyiv to deliver a message of hope, she wrote on Twitter. “We are with you.” She also published a video in which she assured: “We will help to rebuild your cities.” Financial and military aid will be maintained and expanded.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal called the visit a powerful signal of political support. Stricter sanctions against Russia were discussed and it was emphasized that Ukraine was fully ready for the next step towards the EU.
EU warns China against supporting Russia at summit
At a summit, top representatives of the European Union warned China’s leaders against backing Russia’s war. “No European citizen would understand if there was any support for Russia’s ability to wage war,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after a video conference with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and State and Party leader Xi Jinping. “That would do great damage to China’s reputation here in Europe.”
The country also bears a special responsibility as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. According to Chinese sources, Li Keqiang said China was promoting peace talks “in its own way”.
>> Read about this: EU leaders warn China against supporting Russia
Virtual exchange: Xi Jinping (above), Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel (below, r).
(Photo: dpa)
Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov wants “balanced world order”
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has emphasized friendly relations with India and his interest in a “balanced world order”. “These days, our Western colleagues want to reduce important international issues to the crisis in Ukraine,” he said at the start of his meeting with India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Friday in New Delhi. “We appreciate that India is looking at this situation as a whole.” Lavrov praised India’s neutral stance, which does not support Western sanctions. It abstains from resolutions in the UN Security Council.
>> Read about this: Modi meets Lavrov: India rolls out the red carpet for Russia
Gazprom surprisingly gives up its German subsidiary
While the gas industry is still dealing with the consequences of the ruble decree, the next turn of events comes from Moscow: the Russian state-owned company Gazprom is withdrawing from its German subsidiary and its investments. What consequences this would have for the gas supply in Germany was initially completely open. According to the Federal Network Agency, the gas supply in Germany was stable on Friday.
>> Read about this: Gazprom gives up its German subsidiary Gazprom Germania
Netrebko now also unloaded in Russia
Because of Russia’s war against Ukraine, opera star Anna Netrebko is confronted with a series of concert cancellations. First the big stages in the west turned to her. Because she now, after some hesitation, condemns the invasion, she also gets into trouble in her home country. The soprano fell out of favor at an opera in her Russian homeland after her statement against Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine.
A concert in Novosibirsk scheduled for June 2 was canceled, the opera in the Siberian metropolis announced. The reason is a message from the artist in which she condemns the actions of “our state”. “Life in Europe and the opportunity to perform on European stages are more important to them than the fate of their homeland,” said the statement from the State Academic Theater for Opera and Ballet.
Anyone in Russia who criticizes Putin’s war against Ukraine lives dangerously and can be punished with heavy fines or even imprisonment. Netrebko, who lives mainly in Austria and also appears in Russia at the world-famous Bolshoi Theater and at the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg, should have a hard time with engagements at home after her criticism. Many prominent cultural figures have left Russia for fear of their safety.