The day of the war at a glance
Russians are said to be on the Azovstal site – Habeck does not rule out petrol bottlenecks in the east
05/04/2022, 9:30 p.m
While the Russian armed forces apparently want to make western arms deliveries more difficult, the situation in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol remains confusing: In the evening, the Ukrainian side said that Russians had penetrated the contested site of the Azov steelworks. Meanwhile, the European Union wants to put pressure on the Kremlin with further sanctions. The 70th day of the war at a glance.
Russia shells train stations
Both Russia and Ukraine have reported heavy rocket fire on train stations, bus stops and substations throughout the day. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, these routes were used to transport weapons and ammunition from the United States and European countries to Ukrainian troops in Donbass. Moscow also reported artillery fire on around 500 targets on the front in eastern Ukraine. More than 300 Ukrainian soldiers were killed. In addition, the Russian army had attacked the neighboring country from the air a total of 77 times.
The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, explained on Telegram that the attacks on railway systems did not stop the supply of armaments. “It all matters.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the rocket attacks as Moscow’s weakness. He reported rockets falling on the cities of Lviv, Vinnytsia and Odessa, the Kiev region and the Dnipro region.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke of territorial gains in the eastern Ukrainian separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, but gave no details. Beyond that, there were few reports of what was happening at war in that part of the country. Western military experts believe that the Russian offensive in Donbass has been sluggish since the war began on February 24.
Moscow had withdrawn its troops there from central Ukraine for a major offensive. More than a month after the withdrawal from the Kyiv area, more civilian bodies are found there almost daily. To date, a total of 1,235 murdered civilians have been discovered, said the head of the regional administration, Olexander Pavlyuk, on Telegram.
Is Russia planning a parade in Mariupol?
After the evacuation of around 150 people from the Azov steelworks in southern Ukraine’s Mariupol, Ukrainian fighters and probably a large number of civilians are still holed up in the plant. Mayor Wadym Boichenko reported “heavy fighting” on the site. The Kremlin had recently denied a major attack.
According to Ukrainian information from the evening, Russian troops have now advanced to the site of the besieged steelworks. One is still in contact with the defenders, MP David Arachamia told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian military intelligence reported information that Russia is planning a military parade on May 9 in the nearly destroyed port city. The deputy head of Moscow’s presidential administration, Sergei Kiriyenko, arrived in Mariupol to prepare for the celebrations, sources said. The city’s central streets are currently being “cleared of debris, bodies and unexploded ordnance.” On May 9, Russia traditionally celebrates the victory over Nazi Germany with a military parade and a speech by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
EU announces further sanctions
Meanwhile, the European Union wants to increase the pressure on Russia with an oil embargo. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a sixth package of sanctions to the EU states with a gradual ban on imports of crude oil and oil products by the end of the year. However, the planned punitive measures divide the member states. Not only Hungary immediately reported reservations, Slovakia and the Czech Republic also insisted on improvements. The problem: The EU states can only approve the sanctions unanimously.
An oil embargo, should it come about, would not remain without consequences for the people of Europe. A tricky situation occurs when there is not enough oil in the region, said Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck on the “RTL Direkt” program. That cannot be ruled out for eastern Germany and the greater Berlin area because they are supplied by the large Schwedt refinery, which only processes Russian oil. “It cannot be ruled out, I unfortunately have to say, that there will actually be shortages. We will be able to solve them. But it can happen that too little oil and therefore too little petrol is available for a limited time. That cannot be ruled out .” But we are working on solutions to prevent this from happening.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church could also soon be sanctioned by Europe: Patriarch Kirill is to be put on the EU sanctions list because of his support for the war of aggression against Ukraine. As confirmed by several diplomats in Brussels, the European External Action Service and the EU Commission have submitted a corresponding proposal to the member states.
Scholz expects concessions from Kyiv
In Germany, meanwhile, the question of a possible visit to Ukraine by Chancellor Olaf Scholz is still being discussed. He had recently justified his reluctance with the fact that Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had been uninvited by the Ukrainian side at short notice in April.
Scholz has now asked the Ukrainian government to approach the President. In view of the upset about Steinmeier’s discharge, he was of the opinion that “Ukraine must now also make its contribution in discussions with the Federal President,” said Scholz at the end of the cabinet meeting at Meseberg Castle.
While a chancellor’s visit to Ukraine would be primarily symbolic, Ukraine continues to hope for military support in the fight against Russia. And in fact, the federal government is apparently planning to deliver high-tech radar and reconnaissance systems to the country. This was reported by the “Handelsblatt” and the “Welt” with reference to military circles.
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