The day of the war at a glance
The governor gives Sievjerodonetsk two more days – Berlin and Washington will make Kyiv happy
06/01/2022 10:33 p.m
Russian soldiers encounter in the Ostumove forward. The governor gives the resistance in Sievjerodonetsk only two more days. However, US military experts see the city’s rapid fall as clever military calculations. Die USA and Germany promise Kyiv first ultra-modern rocket launchers, tdespite massive threats from Moscow. Hungary is again blocking the oil embargo that has just been negotiated. The 98th day of the war at a glance.
20 percent of Seyerodonetsk is no man’s land
The Ukrainian armed forces only hold 20 percent of the eastern city of Sievjerodonetsk. However, there is still hope that they could prevent Russian troops from taking it completely, said the mayor of the industrial city in the Luhansk region, Olexandr Strjuk. The Russian soldiers controlled 60 percent of the city. The remaining 20 percent have become no man’s land, Strjuk said.
12,000 to 13,000 people stayed in Sievjerodonetsk. It is currently not possible to bring them to safety or to deliver them food. The mayor left the question of where he was staying unanswered. Regional governor Serhiy Gajdaj, on the other hand, expected Sievjerodonetsk to be taken completely within the next two to three days. According to him, the Ukrainian units are retreating to Lysychansk.
ISW suspects calculation
The US military research institute ISW suspected calculations behind Sievjerodonetsk’s surrender almost without a fight. Experts are certain that Kiev’s military planners could have allocated more reserves and resources to defend the city. Nevertheless, the withdrawal decision is strategically sensible. “Ukraine must use its limited resources sparingly and concentrate on regaining critical terrain instead of defending ground whose control will not decide the outcome of the war,” said the ISW’s current situation report.
US multiple rocket launchers soon to be deployed
Washington wants to deliver four HIMARS multiple rocket launcher systems to Ukraine in a first tranche and expects them to be used in the war zone in a few weeks. “We have already pre-positioned the systems in Europe so that they can be delivered quickly,” Pentagon top official Colin Kahl said in Washington. “We anticipate three weeks training Ukrainians to use the system. There will be some additional training for maintenance. So at some point in that timeframe you can start putting the systems into combat.”
The Kremlin has sharply criticized the US’s announced delivery of multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine. Washington is “deliberately adding fuel to the fire,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in Moscow. “Such deliveries do not encourage the Ukrainian leadership to want to resume peace negotiations.”
Germany delivers, Melnyk celebrates
After Washington announced the delivery of rocket launchers, the federal government also followed suit: Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised Ukraine in the Bundestag the delivery of a modern air defense system, namely IRIS-T from the manufacturer Diehl. In addition, Germany wants to provide four multiple rocket launchers from Bundeswehr stocks and a modern locating radar to locate artillery positions.
Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk welcomed the announcement of new German arms deliveries to his country. “We are happy that things are finally moving and that the ice has been broken,” Melnyk told the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten”. “We have been working behind the scenes for almost three months on the IRIS system in particular. Now we hope that it will be finished in the summer, that training can start in August and that the deployment can begin in October.” Melnyk spoke to the “Wirtschaftswoche” of a “real breakthrough”.
Lavrov warns against escalation of the conflict
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned of the West’s arms deliveries to Ukraine that third countries were being drawn into the conflict in the country. That is exactly what Ukraine is aiming for with its demands for the delivery of heavy weapons. “This is a direct provocation aimed at involving the West in military actions,” Lavrov said. “There are politicians who are willing to get involved in this madness,” says Lavrov. Sober politicians in the West understand the risks well – but not everyone in the EU, “especially in the northern part”.
Hungary blocks oil embargo again
Hungary meanwhile delayed the final adoption of the latest EU sanctions package with the partial oil embargo against Russia. According to EU diplomats, the country refused to agree to sanctions against the Russian Orthodox Church leader, Patriarch Kirill, during the detailed negotiations that evening.
The EU heads of state and government agreed on Monday on a sixth package of sanctions against Russia, which includes, among other things, a far-reaching embargo on Russian oil. The agreement already contained an exception that Hungary had insisted on. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had refused to agree to an oil embargo for weeks.
Denmark ties defense to EU
A referendum in Denmark showed a clear majority for the abolition of the so-called EU defense reservation. Forecasts by the television stations DR and TV2 see the yes camp after the polling stations have closed for almost 70 percent of the votes cast. With a majority yes, Denmark could in future participate in European security and defense cooperation – for example in military EU missions.
More articles on the Ukraine war
You can read all further developments in our live ticker on the Ukraine war.