Kyiv Ukrainian troops are coming under increasing pressure in the east of the country. Pro-Russian separatists announced on Friday that they had captured the strategically important city of Lyman. The railway junction is in their hands, said representatives of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic.
According to the governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Gaidai, the city of Sievierodonetsk is two-thirds encircled by Russian forces. The very strong Russian shelling damaged 90 percent of the apartments in the city.
Western military experts see the possible capture of Lyman in particular as a preliminary decision as to whether or not Russia can continue its offensive. A spokesman for the Kiev Defense Ministry said Ukrainian troops had launched a counterattack.
After a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced that he was ready to talk about a prisoner exchange. In addition, Russia wants to continue its gas deliveries.
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Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that Russia wants to provide budgetary stimulus for the economy in the amount of eight trillion rubles (about 111 billion euros). Putin this week ordered a 10 percent increase in pensions and the minimum wage to stem inflation. He denied that the economic problems are primarily related to what Russia calls a special military operation in Ukraine.
Combat operations in Ukraine
Selenski criticizes the EU
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the EU of still not having banned Russian energy imports. Every day, EU countries pay €1 billion for gas and oil that will fund Russia’s war effort.
“The pressure on Russia is literally a matter of saving lives. Every day of hesitation, weakness, various disputes or proposals to ‘pacify’ the aggressor at the expense of the victim only means more Ukrainians will be killed,” he said.
In this context, the state-owned Ukrainian gas company and network operator called on Germany to stop or severely throttle natural gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. A corresponding request had been sent to the German government, explains Serhij Makogon on Ukrainian television. German law allows the pipeline to be operated on condition that this secures Europe’s gas supply. However, Russia does not contribute to a secure gas supply.
Ukraine wants more heavy weapons
Meanwhile, the debate over Western arms sales to Ukraine continued. The government in Kyiv called for longer-range ground weapons, particularly rocket launchers, which could help it win an artillery battle against Russia to the east. According to US information, the government of President Joe Biden is even considering supplying Kyiv with the M142 HIMARS artillery system, which can have a range of hundreds of kilometers.
Previously, Washington had also warned that longer-range weapons could mean an escalation if Ukraine were to use them to attack targets deep in Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that any arms shipments that might reach Russian territory would be “a serious step towards an unacceptable escalation.”
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:
Russian troops invaded the neighboring country on February 24. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians are said to have been killed in the conflict so far. The UN spoke of 4,000 civilians killed on Friday. Zelensky said around 12 million people were displaced from their homes as a result of the war. Around 5.5 million people left the country.
At least seven civilians killed in attacks on Kharkiv
Zelensky said he had tried several times to organize direct talks with the Russian president to end the war. Apparently, Russia is not yet ready for serious peace talks, only issuing ultimatums. Russia, in turn, accuses Ukraine of blocking the talks.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Putin against illusions in the Ukraine war. “Peace does not come from violent submission. Justice is the prerequisite for peace,” said Scholz at the Catholic Day with a view to the Russian advance. “Putin must not get away with his cynical, inhumane war.”
More: You can read all current developments on the Ukraine war in our news blog.