War in Ukraine: Morning situation – Russian troops position themselves for new offensive

Frankfurt Four weeks after the start of its war of aggression against Ukraine, the Russian army has begun to reposition itself. While the troops in the Kyiv suburbs are partially withdrawing, a new wave of attacks is emerging elsewhere. The Russian units near Izyum in the Kharkov region are preparing for a new offensive, the Ukrainian general staff reported on Friday.

Russian troops also surrounded the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine and cut it off from the surrounding area. The city was surrounded by the enemy and was being shelled by artillery and fighter planes, the city’s governor said. This information cannot be independently verified at this time.

According to British information, the Ukrainian troops have recaptured towns and defensive positions up to 35 kilometers east of Kyiv. The British Ministry of Defense announced on Friday that this contributed to the fact that the Russian troops were falling behind because their supply lines were overstretched. According to US findings, Russia also has massive problems with its precision-guided missiles. Nevertheless, the shelling by the Russian army continues.

The Ukrainians have to adjust to new suffering and bloodshed. Mariupol shows how brutal the Russian army is. According to the city government, around 300 people were killed in the Russian air raid on the theater in the Ukrainian city on March 16.

The administration posted this on Friday on its channel in the Telegram messenger service, citing statements from eyewitnesses. The basement under the theater had been used as an air raid shelter.

It was initially unclear whether the emergency services involved in salvaging the victims have finished their work or how the eyewitnesses came up with the number of victims in some other way. The observers of the UN human rights team in Ukraine are getting more and more indications of mass graves in the surrounded city.

There are said to be 200 bodies in a grave, says Matilda Bogner, head of the observer group, in a video link with journalists from Ukraine.

>> Read about this: NatoG7 and EU summit – These are the most important decisions at a glance

Some evidence can be found in satellite images. More than 1035 civilians have died so far. Like the US before it, the EU has officially accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine.

62 percent of Germans fear the Third World War

Concerns in Germany are growing that the conflict could escalate further. According to a survey by the Civey Institute for “Spiegel”, 62 percent of Germans fear that the war could lead to a third world war. 55 percent of respondents are also concerned that Russia could use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

78 percent believe the conflict could trigger a global economic crisis. Almost 80 percent fear an economic upheaval in Germany due to rising energy prices. Around 5,000 Germans aged 18 and over were surveyed this week.

Ukrainian ambassador criticizes EU summit

The Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, expressed his dissatisfaction with the results of the special EU summit that ended on Friday. “We are grateful that people are thinking about introducing further sanctions,” Melnyk told ZDF’s “Morgenmagazin”. At the same time, President Zelensky and the government are disappointed that no progress has been made on a possible energy embargo.

In the future, the United States wants to supply the European Union with up to a third of the gas that the EU has previously obtained from Russia. This was announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday in Brussels. Together with US President Joe Biden, she signed an agreement according to which the US wants to ensure that the EU receives more than 15 billion cubic meters of additional liquid gas this year.

The heads of state and government decided on Friday night to set up a solidarity fund to provide financial support to Ukraine. As a result of the Russian war of aggression, Ukraine is suffering enormous destruction and losses, it said in a statement. The country should be helped with current expenses, but also “after the end of the Russian attack in the reconstruction of a democratic Ukraine”.

Biden speaks in Warsaw on Saturday

After the summit marathon of NATO, the EU and the group of seven leading democratic economic powers (G7) in Brussels, US President Joe Biden traveled on to Poland and wants to visit US troops stationed there in Rzeszow. The city is about an hour’s drive from the Ukrainian border.

Biden then wants to give a speech during his visit to Poland in Warsaw on Saturday. Biden’s appearance at the Warsaw Royal Castle is planned for late Saturday afternoon between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., said a spokesman for the US Embassy in Warsaw.

Meanwhile, the flow of refugees from the Ukraine to Germany continues unabated. As the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced on Friday, the Federal Police have registered a total of 253,157 war refugees since the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine a good month ago. The UN now speaks of 3.5 million refugees from Ukraine.

More on the Ukraine war:

The Ukrainian government hopes that an escape corridor for the encircled port of Mariupol will be opened this Friday. It should apply to civilians who can leave the southeastern Ukrainian city in a private vehicle, said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. Mariupol, once populated by 400,000, is one of the Ukrainian cities worst hit by Russian attacks. Numerous vehicles are available in nearby Berdyansk for the evacuation of civilians.

Russia described US warnings against Russian use of chemical weapons in Ukraine as a tactical maneuver. It only serves to divert attention from issues uncomfortable for the United States, says spokesman for the Presidential Office in Moscow, Dmitry Peskov.

Lavrov speaks of “total war” in the West

With regard to Western sanctions, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke of a “hybrid war” directed against Moscow. “Today they declared us a real hybrid war, total war,” Lavrov said at a meeting with representatives of a diplomatic foundation, according to the state agency TASS. “European politicians now use this term, which was used in Hitler’s Germany, when they talk about what they want to do with the Russian Federation.” The actual use of the term by well-known EU politicians in the past few weeks is not known . In 1943, Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels called for “total war” in his notorious speech at the Sportpalast.

The Ukrainian President is asking for more help

In a video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy again campaigned for Ukraine’s membership of the European Union. He hopes that the biggest skeptics of EU enlargement – Germany, France and the Netherlands – will change course.

However, the EU again gave the country no commitment to join, but instead only emphasized “Ukraine’s European aspirations and European decision” in a decision on Friday night. The EU also promises Ukraine uninterrupted supplies of gas and electricity once it is connected to the European power grid.

Ukraine and Western countries speak of a war of aggression and a Russian invasion of the neighboring country that began on February 24. Russia, on the other hand, describes its actions as a special operation to destroy military bases and to demilitarize and “denazify” the neighboring country. According to Ukraine and Western security circles, tens of thousands of people have already died in the war.

Turkey sees unity in peace talks on several points

However, hopes of an agreement at the negotiating table have not yet faded. According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russia and Ukraine can agree on four of the six main topics discussed in their talks. According to Turkish media, territorial issues remained controversial, Erdogan said on the return journey from the NATO summit in Brussels. This affects the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 and the Donbass in eastern Ukraine. Turkey maintains good relations with both warring parties and has offered to act as a mediator. Erdogan says he will consult with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the coming days to explore a summit.

According to statements by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Friday, China and India are in favor of an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. This is very important, he said after talks with his Chinese colleague Wang Yi.

With agency material

More: Bypass gas embargo or sanctions? Economists see drastic consequences of Putin’s ruble decision