new York According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian troops are preparing several offensives in the country. To do this, the units tried to establish themselves at points they had previously occupied, to secure supplies and to regroup, according to a report published on Monday night on Facebook. As soon as this has happened, new attacks are expected, for example on the cities of Kharkiv in the east, Sumy in the north-east or the Kiev suburb of Brovari.
In the Luhansk region in the east of the country, Russia is concentrating primarily on advancing towards Sejerodonetsk. Moscow announced on Sunday that pro-Russian separatist fighters had blocked the eastern and southern parts of the city, which has a population of 100,000. In the towns of Topolske and Schpakivka in the Kharkiv region, the enemy suffered casualties and retreated. This information has not been independently verified.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy again called for a no-fly zone after the heavy Russian missile attack on a military compound near the Polish border. In his nightly video address on Sunday, he said he had clearly informed Western governments about the threat to the base, which was a center of cooperation between Ukraine’s armed forces and NATO. The fact that 35 people were killed and 134 injured just 25 kilometers from the Polish border is a “black day”. It is “only a matter of time” before Russian missiles hit NATO territory. The establishment of a no-fly zone is considered unlikely by military experts, which could lead to a nuclear confrontation between NATO and Russia.
According to military expert Wolfgang Richter, with the recent expansion of its offensive into western Ukraine, Russia wants to stop western supplies to the Ukrainian army. “Russia is now concerned with blocking the supply routes that run from NATO countries in the direction of Ukraine,” said the expert from the Science and Politics Foundation on Sunday evening in the ARD “Focal Point”. An airport near the border can be used to airlift logistical goods and weapons to Ukraine.
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The fact that the new Russian attacks took place so close to the border of the NATO state of Poland harbored “dangerous moments”, especially unintentional incidents, Richter said. Russian planes could be targeted by NATO air defenses or accidentally cross the border. “It is therefore very important that we now ensure that unintentional incidents of this kind do not escalate.” He pointed to the importance of existing communication channels between NATO and the US armed forces on the one hand and the Russian general staff on the other.
According to information from Kyiv, seven hospitals in Ukraine have already been irreparably destroyed since the start of the Russian war of aggression. According to the Ukrinform agency, Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said on Sunday evening that the clinics in the affected cities would have to be completely rebuilt after the Russian shelling. More than 100 other health facilities were damaged. Lyashko said there were six dead and twelve injured among the medical staff since the Russian troops marched in on February 24.
Soldiers crouch in the Kiev suburb of Irpin.
(Photo: AP)
Kremlin: New round of talks with Ukraine on Monday
Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine want to hold a new round of talks after several failed attempts to agree a ceasefire. This was announced by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Sunday. The negotiations are planned for Monday via video switching.
Ukrainian President Zelensky sees the organization of a meeting between the heads of state of the two countries as an important task in the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. “Our delegation has a clear task – to do everything so that a meeting of the presidents takes place,” said Zelensky in a video speech published on Monday night. It was a meeting that he was sure everyone was waiting for. This is a difficult path, but necessary to obtain effective guarantees.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov did not rule out a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy on Russian state television on Sunday. But you have to understand what the result of the meeting should be and what will be discussed there.
US media: Russia has asked China for military aid
According to media reports, according to representatives of the US government, Russia has asked China for military and economic aid. The government officials, who were not named, did not provide any information about what weapons or ammunition Moscow hopes to get from Beijing. It also remained unclear how or whether China reacted to the inquiries, as reported on Sunday by the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Financial Times, among others. Russia has also asked for economic support to limit the impact of the sanctions, it said.
Communist China has so far endeavored to adopt a more neutral stance in the conflict over Ukraine. Direct support for ally Russia is likely to bring China into conflict with supporters of Ukraine – and these Western states represent the bulk of the global economy.
The consistent media reports came a day ahead of a scheduled meeting between US President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, and China’s top foreign policy chief, Yang Jiechi, in Rome on Monday. According to US information, it should also be about the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
The US government has repeatedly warned China and Chinese companies not to help Russia circumvent sanctions. In such a case, Chinese companies could themselves become the target of US punitive measures, it said.
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:
Ukrainian foreign minister makes serious accusations against Germany
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba raised serious allegations against Germany because of its longstanding policy towards Russia. “I’m sorry to say that you have actually helped to build the current power of Russia,” said Kuleba on Sunday evening in the ARD talk show “Anne Will”. “And we hope that you too will do a great deal to stop the Russian war machine.”
Germany and Ukraine are partner countries, said Kuleba. But he hopes for three things from Germany. First, his country needs all the weapons it needs to defend itself. “I don’t think it’s fair that Germany has had large-scale defense cooperation with Russia over the past several years.” Kuleba noted, “So maybe now is the time for us to be provided with everything we need to defend ourselves .”
Second, Kuleba called for tougher punitive measures against Russia. He wanted to commend Germany for some difficult decisions in the first days of the war. When he hears from his colleagues in the European Union why, for example, a Russian bank has not yet been disconnected from the Swift banking communication system or why certain sanctions have not yet been introduced, he always hears the same answer. “It’s always said: That’s because of Germany.” He explained: “I would like to see Germany in a leading position with the sanctions.”
Thirdly, Ukraine should become a member of the European Union, said Kuleba. This will not be possible in the blink of an eye. “But we expect that the federal government will also support this decision. Because Ukraine is part of Europe and with Ukraine, Europe will be safer.”
The German federal government wants to decide on aid measures because of the rising energy costs.
(Photo: Reuters)
Habeck announces further relief package against rising energy prices
As a consequence of rising energy prices due to the Ukraine crisis, the federal government is considering relief. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) announced a new package of measures on Sunday evening. The price increases in the entire energy sector are overwhelming for many people, said the Economics and Climate Protection Minister of the German Press Agency in Berlin. “Extremely high heating costs, extremely high electricity prices, extremely high fuel prices put a strain on households, and the lower the income, the more. The federal government will therefore launch another relief package.”
Habeck announced three criteria for the new measures. First of all, there must be simplifications for electricity, heat and mobility, said the minister. “It is precisely the high heating costs that are overwhelming many families.” The Federal Ministry of Economics estimates that the gas bill for an average family in an unrenovated single-family house will rise by around 2,000 euros in the current year.
Secondly, energy efficiency and savings are also needed, such as reducing consumption when driving or replacing gas heaters, said Habeck. Thirdly, further market-based impulses are necessary, so that the following applies: “the more efficient, the lower the costs”.
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According to a media report, finance minister Christian Lindner wants to get a state tank subsidy on the way. The amount has not yet been determined, reported the “Bild” newspaper on Sunday evening. The FDP politician is therefore planning that the amount should be deducted when paying at the gas station. The gas station operator should be able to submit the receipt to the tax authorities later. According to the “Bild” newspaper, a decision on the measure could possibly be made as early as this week.
The federal government is currently working on a loan assistance program for companies. This is intended to support those companies that have been hit hard by the EU sanctions against Russia. As the “Bild” newspaper reported, bridging aids for companies that can no longer bear the sharp rise in raw material prices are also being discussed. In addition, an extension of the short-time work regulation beyond June 30th is being examined, as is a further increase in the commuter allowance.
Instagram now blocked in Russia
After Facebook and Twitter, the online network Instagram is now also blocked in Russia. This was confirmed by the NetBlocks organization and Instagram users in Russia on Monday night. The step had been announced for midnight. The Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor announced the ban on Friday. It was justified by the fact that calls for violence against Russian citizens and soldiers were being spread on Instagram.
The background to the move is a decision by the US company Meta, which includes Instagram and Facebook as well as WhatsApp, to allow calls for violence against Russian troops in Ukraine. A Facebook spokesperson cited the phrase “death to Russian invaders” as an example of an exception to utterances that would normally have violated policies. This caused outrage in Moscow. There are also efforts to have the entire Facebook group Meta banned as an “extremist organization”.
With agency material
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