The day of the war at a glance
Mariupol is about to fall – Nehammer not very optimistic after Putin meeting
April 11, 2022, 9:20 p.m
The Russian troops are preparing for a major offensive in eastern Ukraine, and large parts of the units that have withdrawn to Belarus are on their way to the east. In the south, the remaining Ukrainian fighters are lost. Mariupol is almost completely in the hands of Russian troops. After his meeting with Vladimir Putin, Austria’s Chancellor Nehammer is skeptical that there is a chance of an end to the war. The European Union cannot agree on an oil embargo, but wants to increase military aid to Ukraine. Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is calling for more heavy weapons for Ukraine. The German armaments group Rheinmetall could supply them.
Mariupol: Few defenders left with low ammo
Direct combat operations in Ukraine are currently mainly limited to the port city of Mariupol. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, tens of thousands of people were probably killed there. The remaining Ukrainian armed forces say they are preparing for a “final battle” for Mariupol. “Today will probably be the last battle as ammunition is running low,” the 36th Naval Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces declared on Facebook. The soldiers were “pushed back” and “surrounded” by the Russian army. Conquest will mean “death for some of us and imprisonment for the rest.”
During the day, pro-Russian separatist troops are said to have taken the city’s port, Russian news agencies report. The Ukrainian defenders, whose number the pro-Russian separatists put at 1,500 to 3,000 fighters, had entrenched themselves in the Azovstal and Azovmach steelworks.
In addition, the large-scale offensive of the Russian troops in eastern Ukraine is still expected. According to various Western intelligence services, part of the Russian troops, which had previously withdrawn to Belarus, are now moving east to reinforce the offensives around the city of Izyum and on the city of Kharkiv.
Nehammer meets Putin
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer is the first EU head of government to travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. From his point of view, the results are rather sobering, even though the talks were very direct, open and tough. He addressed the serious war crimes in Bucha and other places and made it clear that sanctions would be tightened as long as people were dying in Ukraine. He also called for escape corridors for the Ukrainian civilian population. “In general, I don’t have an optimistic impression that I can bring to you from this conversation with President Putin,” the Austrian Chancellor summed up. An offensive is obviously being “massively prepared”.
Discussions about how to deal with the Russian invasion are also continuing within the European Union. According to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Ukraine quickly needs more military support in order to be able to defend itself against Russian attacks. “One thing is clear: Ukraine needs more military material, especially heavy weapons,” said the Green politician before the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. “Now is no time for excuses,” she added. At the same time, the EU wants to increase military aid for Ukraine to 1.5 billion euros. This was announced by the Foreign Representative Josep Borrell during the meeting.
A German armaments company could play a role here. Rheinmetall offers to supply Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine. “The first Leopard 1 could be delivered in six weeks,” quoted the “Handelsblatt” CEO Armin Papperger. The prerequisite for this is the approval of the federal government. Rheinmetall could supply up to 50 Leopard 1s to the armed forces of Ukraine, the newspaper reports, citing Papperger. These are old stocks from other armies that often return used equipment to the suppliers.
EU at odds over oil embargo
On the other hand, there is no progress with a possible embargo on Russian oil. The EU foreign ministers only had a general discussion, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell after a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg. However, with a view to further sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, he emphasizes: “Nothing is off the table, including sanctions on oil and gas.” OPEC, meanwhile, warns that it will not make up for a possible disruption in Russian oil supplies, according to a speech transcript by OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo. Saudi Arabia-led OPEC works closely with Russia in the OPEC+ group.
Notwithstanding the oil controversy, there are more sanctions against Russia. The major French bank Société Générale is ending all of its business in Russia. This also includes the sale of the stake in the Russian Rosbank, said Société Générale. The step will cost the bank 3.1 billion euros. Société Générale also offered insurance in Russia. Meanwhile, a villa in Sardinia has been confiscated by Italian authorities. The property is worth more than 100 million euros and has been linked to 23-year-old Russian racing driver Nikita Masepin and his father, billionaire Dmitri Masepin. Both are on the EU sanctions list.
The war has had a massive impact on the Ukrainian economy. According to government estimates, it has suffered up to a trillion US dollars in damage from the invasion of Russian troops. This was said by Deputy Economy Minister Olexander Griban at a government meeting. The losses are simply “colossal”, the list is not yet complete. The sum results from damage to infrastructure, health care and education.
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