Berlin Victory celebrations on Friday, retreat on Saturday: Russia suffered another military defeat in Ukraine. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s troops gave up the strategically important city of Lyman in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region on Saturday. The armed forces had been withdrawn because of the risk of encirclement, said Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov. Ukrainian authorities had previously spoken of around 5,000 encircled Russian soldiers. Despite Ukraine’s gains, Western politicians have warned of a further escalation in the conflict.
For weeks Lyman had been fought bitterly. After the defeat in the northern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv and their withdrawal from there, the Russian troops tried to establish a new front line along the Oskil and Siverskyi Donets rivers. Lyman as the nearest town across from the Sloviansk conurbation held by Kyiv – Kramatorsk was considered important in this respect. On the one hand, to be able to launch attacks in the north of the Donbass region, on the other hand as a barrier for a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
On Friday – the 219th day of the war – Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk Luhansk, Cherson and Zaporizhia to be annexed at a large ceremony in Moscow. Internationally, this illegal step is not recognized. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called Putin’s actions the worst escalation since the invasion began on February 24.
During a visit to Moldova, Defense Minister Lambrecht said that the German government was taking the Russian nuclear threats seriously and was observing them with great concern. “You have to be very careful. But it is also important not to be paralyzed by such threats.” She added: “This must not lead to careless support for Ukraine.”
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Later, during a visit to the Ukrainian port of Odessa, the minister inspected one of the Gepard anti-aircraft tanks supplied by Germany. Lambrecht also promised the delivery of the modern ground-based air defense system Iris-T in the next few days. Germany initially wants to make four of the systems, each costing 140 million euros, available to Ukraine. Funding for three more systems has been secured. Because of an air alarm, the 57-year-old had to seek shelter in a bunker for a short time in the afternoon. It was her first visit to Ukraine since Russia’s war of aggression began on February 24.
Presidential advisor Mykhailo Podoliak told the “Bild” (Saturday) about possible nuclear weapons deployments: “In view of the internal panic in the Russian Federation and the increasing military defeats, the risk of this is increasing.” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said fears of a Russian nuclear strike should not be given in .
Just last week, with a view to the mobilization of 300,000 reservists for the war, Putin said: “If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will absolutely use all available means to protect Russia and our people. This is not a bluff.”
A man casts his ballot in a sham referendum in Russia.
(Photo: AP)
The Ukrainian authorities accused the Russian army of killing 24 people, including 13 children, when shelling a civilian motorcade near the city of Kupyansk. The civilians tried to escape from Russian attacks, said the Ukrainian regional governor Oleh Sinegubow. “This is cruelty that has no justification.” Moscow, in turn, accused Kyiv of firing on fleeing civilians. The information provided by both sides could not be independently verified.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg also met Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Brussels to discuss the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. Stoltenberg wrote this on Twitter. The NATO allies would continue to work closely together to protect critical infrastructure.
In response to the Russian annexation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he would apply to the Alliance in Brussels for accelerated admission. Minister Lambrecht was reluctant to comment on the plan. Joining NATO is subject to certain requirements. The question will now be discussed among the 30 NATO countries.
The USA also does not currently see any accelerated admissions procedure. The Brussels case should be picked up at another time, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in Washington. The EU and NATO states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, on the other hand, were positive. One of the prerequisites for joining NATO is usually that the candidate is not involved in international conflicts.
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The head of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which was occupied by Russian troops, Ihor Murashov was arrested. Russian authorities informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Saturday that the director general of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was “temporarily detained to answer questions,” an IAEA spokesman said in Vienna on Saturday. According to Ukrainian sources, Murashov was kidnapped by Moscow troops. The President of the Ukrainian operating company Enerhoatom, Petro Kotin, said that the day before the power plant boss had been stopped on the street by a Russian patrol at the Enerhodar nuclear power plant site, dragged out of the car and taken blindfolded to an unknown location. Russia has occupied the nuclear power plant since early March.
According to estimates by British secret services, Moscow is now using defensive missiles in its ground offensive in Ukraine that are actually intended for shooting down aircraft or other missiles. The secret services see the use of such a missile as a sign of Russian ammunition shortages, since these weapons are considered strategically valuable and only available in limited numbers.
On the Russian side, the renewed defeat caused bitter comments: On his Telegram channel, Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov demanded that Colonel General Alexander Lapin, who was responsible for the front section, be deposed, demoted and sent to the front as a simple soldier. The problems in Lyman were reported two weeks ago. “A week later, Lapin moves his staff to Starobilsk, more than 100 kilometers from his subordinates, and slips away to Luhansk himself. How can you operationally command your units when you are 150 kilometers away,” Kadyrov said.
The Russian political scientist Abbas Galliamov, who is critical of the Kremlin, explained smugly: “Yesterday they connected Lyman to Russia “forever” in order to evacuate (the city) today”.
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