01/20/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 00:37 USA announce further delivery of weapons +++
The US announces another $2.5 billion in arms sales to Ukraine. The latest aid package does not include main battle tanks, but includes an additional 59 Bradley tanks, 90 Stryker armored vehicles, Avenger air defense systems and ammunition, according to the US Department of Defense. Washington had already announced a first delivery of 50 Bradley tanks last week. Together with the other Bradleys and Stryker vehicles that have now been announced, two complete brigades could be equipped, the Pentagon explains.
+++ 23:09 Ex-Prime Minister: Bulgarian weapons went to Ukraine +++
Armaments from Bulgaria reached the country attacked by Russia through intermediaries long before the first official military aid package from the government in Sofia to Ukraine. According to a report in “Welt”, the exports did not go from government to government, but came about through intermediary companies in Bulgaria and abroad. Former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov confirms that “partners” from Poland, Romania, the United States and Britain “bought weapons from Bulgarian industry,” Bulgarian media reports. “Yes, some of these weapons went to the Ukrainian army,” Petkov continues.
+++ 22:17 Lithuania: “Some countries” will deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine +++
Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas assumes that several of Ukraine’s allies will provide the country with Leopard tanks. “Some countries” have decided to deliver German-made battle tanks to Kyiv, Anusauskas told AFP. “More information will follow tomorrow at the Ramstein meeting,” he adds. At the US air base in Rhineland-Palatinate, the so-called Ukraine contact group is discussing further military aid for the Ukrainian armed forces on Friday.
+++ 22:03 Moscow: Inflation could fall below four percent in the spring +++
According to estimates by the central bank, inflation in Russia could temporarily fall below four percent in the spring. The central bank announced that the price acceleration would therefore be below the target of the monetary authorities in the short term. The central bank forecasts a decline in average inflation to five to seven percent in 2023 from 11.9 percent last year. In Russia, the Rosstat statistical office registered a slight slowdown in the pace of inflation. In the week of January 10-16, prices rose 0.15 percent compared to 0.24 percent in the first nine days of the year.
+++ 21:31 Pentagon: Delivery from Abrams does not currently make sense +++
According to the US Department of Defense, the delivery of American Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine does not make sense at this point in time. “It just doesn’t make sense to give the Ukrainians this tool right now,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters in Washington. The Abrams main battle tank requires different fuel than the Leopard 2 or the Challenger 2 and is more expensive to maintain. Germany makes a “sovereign decision” about which weapons it will supply to Ukraine, Singh said. On Friday, a US-led coalition is to discuss new arms deliveries to Ukraine in Ramstein, Rhineland-Palatinate.
+++ 21:16 Pistorius: “Leopard” delivery does not depend on US tank decision +++
Deliveries of German “Leopard” tanks to Ukraine do not depend on simultaneous deliveries of American battle tanks to the country, according to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. “I’m not aware of such a connection,” says the SPD politician on ARD. When asked whether Germany would also supply main battle tanks without the involvement of the United States, he said that Chancellor Olaf Scholz was discussing this with US President Joe Biden. “I’m pretty sure we’ll get a decision on that in the next few days.” When asked whether Germany would allow other countries to transfer Leopard tanks, he said that would become clear in the next few hours or on Friday morning. The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” and the “Wall Street Journal” reported yesterday that Germany’s decision depends on whether the USA also supplies its own battle tanks.
+++ 20:43 Escaped Russians have been stuck at the airport for months +++
When Moscow mobilizes en masse for the war in Ukraine, five Russians flee to nearby South Korea. But they are not given asylum there, are not allowed to enter the country – and have been waiting at the airport for months. Their credit cards don’t work, even a coffee becomes a luxury.
You can read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.