02/29/2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 00:15 Presidential election: Russia increases controls in occupied territories +++
With the start of the Russian presidential elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine, the Russian occupiers are apparently increasing their presence. Ivan Fyodorov, the head of the military administration in Zaporizhia, reported that more than 10,000 National Guard soldiers had been sent to the regions. They conducted raids and document checks and would escort “election workers” while they visited people at home. This is what the portal reports “Ukrainska Pravda”.
+++ 22:19 EU states approve 50 billion euro package for Ukraine +++
The EU Council approves 50 billion euros in support for Kiev, giving the final green light to the four-year Ukraine Facility instrument. The package provides for financing Ukraine from 2024 to 2027, with €33 billion available as loans and €17 billion as grants. After months of blockade by Hungary, European leaders agreed on four years of funding for Kiev at a European Council summit on February 1. The European Parliament gave its consent on February 27th. Of the total, €2 billion is for migration and border management, €7.6 billion for neighborhood and international relations, €1.5 billion for the European Defense Fund, €2 billion for the Flexibility Instrument and €1.5 billion for the reserve for solidarity and emergency aid.
+++ 21:48 Two dead in Russian air strike in eastern Ukraine +++
Two people were killed in a Russian air strike in eastern Ukraine. As the spokesman for the Ukrainian interior authority, Olexij Kuleba, said, the victims were a 48-year-old and a six-year-old girl. The girl’s mother was seriously injured in the Russian Air Force attack on a train station in the Kupyansk region. The Russian military has increased its attacks in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks. They are supported by their air force.
+++ 21:48 Report: Pentagon is considering tapping the remaining four billion dollars in US aid for Ukraine +++
The Pentagon is considering tapping remaining funding for Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), although it is uncertain whether Congress will approve the funding increase, CNN reports, citing unnamed US defense officials. The PDA, an instrument that allows the Pentagon to provide Ukraine with aid from US military stocks, still has around $4 billion. The U.S. Defense Department has been hesitant to commit remaining funds without guaranteeing they will be replenished through the $60 billion aid package currently stalled in Congress. The US Senate has passed the foreign aid package, which includes $95 billion for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to put it up for a vote in the House. The delays have already had an impact on the ground in Ukraine: critical ammunition shortages are looming and the result is the loss of Avdiivka, an important frontline town in Donetsk Oblast.
+++ 21:13 Turkey offers itself as host for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine +++
Turkey is ready to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine again, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says in a video address at the Ukraine-Southeastern Europe summit, Anadolu news agency reports. The final rounds of unsuccessful peace talks in 2022 took place in the Turkish city of Antalya. Ankara, which has close ties with both Moscow and Kiev, sought to position itself as a mediator in the war. In his speech to summit participants, Erdogan said diplomacy should be given a chance to find a “fair and lasting solution” to the war, which is now in its third year. “To achieve this goal, it is of great importance to use diplomatic channels at the highest level and in all possible ways,” Erdogan said.
+++ 20:47 Military: Russia attacks village in Kherson with “human wave” +++
Russian troops continue to carry out “human wave” attacks without using armored vehicles in the village of Krynky in Kherson Oblast, Nataliia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command, said on state television. Krynky is a small village in Kherson Oblast, 40 kilometers north of Russian-occupied Oleshky. Before the invasion began, around 990 residents lived there. The fierce fighting for this village continues. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that Russia had taken Krynky, but Ukraine’s Southern Task Force denied this. Humeniuk says Russia made only one unsuccessful attempt to storm the village during the day, unable to relocate and reinforce its troops. She adds that attacks will likely increase once the rotation takes place. The spokeswoman also says that Ukrainian soldiers are “ready to fight for positions and are currently working on expanding a bridgehead.”
+++ 20:16 “I will not send Bundeswehr soldiers to Ukraine” +++
In his video series “Kanzler Kompakt”, Olaf Scholz comments on the debate about Western ground troops in Ukraine. The Chancellor emphasizes that no Bundeswehr soldiers will be sent to Ukraine. Scholz also reiterates: “NATO will not become a warring party.”
You can read all previous developments here.