The day of the war at a glance
Hope for civilians in Mariupol – “Sabotage” in Russia
05/01/2022, 10:05 p.m
After weeks of failure, several dozen people are able to leave the besieged Azovstal steelworks for the first time. At the same time, Russia is expanding its attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine, and suspected Ukrainian military forces are operating on Russian territory. The 67th day of the war at a glance:
Red Cross begins evacuation of Azovstal
After several failed evacuation attempts, dozens of civilians were able to leave the fiercely contested Azov steelworks in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, for the first time over the weekend. About a hundred people are on their way to Zaporizhia, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter.
“The evacuation of civilians from Azov-Steel has begun,” Zelenskyy wrote. The first group of about a hundred people will be received on Monday in Zaporizhia, 220 kilometers away. The Russian Defense Ministry said a “ceasefire” had been imposed at the Azov Steelworks. 46 civilians left the steelworks via a “humanitarian corridor” on Saturday.
The eleven square kilometer area of the Azov steelworks in the south-east Ukrainian port city is fiercely contested. The steelworks site is the last bastion of the Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol, which was largely destroyed by Russian attacks.
Railway bridge collapsed in Russia
In the past few days, the Russian army has intensified its attacks in both eastern and southern Ukraine. According to Ukrainian sources, the runway was destroyed in an attack on Odessa airport on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry also reported the destruction of a hangar “with weapons and ammunition from the United States and European countries.”
The Russian authorities also reported several incidents on Russian territory: a fire broke out in a facility belonging to the Ministry of Defense in the Belgorod border region. In the Kursk region, which also borders Ukraine, the governor Roman Starovojt spoke of “sabotage” after the collapse of a railway line used for freight traffic near a bridge. Russia has repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out attacks on Russian territory in recent weeks.
Germany now supports oil embargo
According to diplomats, the EU Commission is planning an embargo on Russian oil. While Hungary in particular is still considered a potential blocker of a unanimous decision on sanctions that would be required for this, Germany is now supporting this step, according to several diplomats.
Chancellor Scholz announced at a DGB rally in Düsseldorf that Kyiv could continue to count on financial aid and weapons technology. “We will continue to support Ukraine, with money, with humanitarian aid. But it must also be said: We will support it so that it can defend itself with arms deliveries, like many other countries in Europe do,” said the SPD -Politician.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz had accused the chancellor of being anxious and hesitant about German arms deliveries to Kyiv. There was also such criticism from the traffic light coalition itself. Merz wants to travel to Kyiv in the next few days. According to reports, the Federal Criminal Police Office has strongly advised against such a trip. Nothing is known about the Chancellor’s similar travel plans.
USA train Ukrainians in Germany
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged continued “robust support” to Ukraine. In a conversation with his Ukrainian colleague Dmytro Kuleba, he also announced that US diplomats would soon be returning to Ukraine. Another topic was the further financial aid promised by US President Joe Biden amounting to the equivalent of more than 31 billion euros. The majority – 20 billion – is earmarked for military aid. The Chair of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, also pledged further support during a visit to Kyiv. Selenskyj thanked him at a meeting with the US Democrat, as he announced via Telegram.
Meanwhile, the US began training Ukrainian soldiers in Germany and other countries. According to the US Department of Defense, this involves dealing with howitzers and other weapon systems.
Again Lavrov accuses the West
In an interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused NATO of preventing the end of the “special operation” – as Moscow calls the Russian war of aggression that has been going on for more than two months – through arms deliveries and political agreements. The talks were hampered by “militant rhetoric and inflammatory actions by Western supporters of Kyiv.”
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